It’s the first Friday of the month, which means it’s time for another gratitude post. These past weeks have been such a whirlwind of emotions, from joy to sadness to terror, but in the midst of it all, I was amazed to see graces everywhere I looked:
A safe and easy delivery of two beautiful boys. Ben was born to the sound of laughter. I’m so glad that’s the first thing he ever heard in this world.
Friends who came to Children’s the first night we were there. Even though we’d told them not to come – it was their last night in town before moving to California – they ignored us and showed up anyway. So they just “happened” to be with us when the doctor told us he thought we should proceed with ECMO. They stayed to pray with us for Ben and the doctors.
Ben did not need to be put on ECMO, which felt like rescue at the last hour.
The doctors, residents, nurses, and other medical staff at Group Health and Children’s Hospitals who worked so hard to save Ben’s life.
The miracle of Ben’s rapid recovery: he was well enough to return to Group Health (and his brother!) on Monday morning and has been weaned off all his drugs, IV fluids, and supplemental oxygen. He’s breathing on his own and now has only a feeding tube – and he has begun to practice breastfeeding.
We only have to visit one hospital now, instead of two.
Luke’s feeding tube came out this week, he’s begun actively breastfeeding, and he may be able to come home Tuesday!
My mother has been in Seattle since mid-July. I don’t know how we would have made it through the past two weeks without her.
Our community at church and Doug’s colleagues at Nordstrom have been faithfully providing meals for our family. It’s such a gift to come home from the hospital and have a meal waiting for us.
Our friend Lori has coordinated all the childcare, meals, and around-the-house help for the past month, so I could focus on resting before the babies came and being with them afterward.
The prayers of our church community and friends across the country. These prayers have sustained our family and given Doug and me strength we didn’t know we had.
My husband’s steadiness, strength, and faith. I have leaned hard on him these past weeks, and he has held me.
My older children’s sweetness: hugs and kisses and encouraging words in the midst of these scary, crazy, busy weeks.
Jane’s faithful prayers for her friend with leukemia and for her baby brothers.
All of your comments, prayers, and emails the past two weeks. Thank you so much. I feel incredibly blessed to have readers who care so much about me and our family. God bless each of you.
