Perfect

I know you find that you struggle a lot, with many things, with all the things that you wish you could fix about yourself. We all do. Whether you want to have more patience with your children, want to be joyful and peaceful all the time, want to be more organized, want to have more discipline in any area of your life, want to be more Christlike, and the list goes on....
I find comfort in this. ..
"But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being [3] might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him [4] you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1: 27 - 31.
I am foolish and weak. Sometimes I feel like a "not". There are so  many things about me that I wish were better.
2 Corinthians 12:9 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
He accepts me and uses me as I am. My weakness allows His strength to shine and makes me grateful to Him that He will use me just as I am. He takes what I am and makes it beautiful.

Rest in Him. Look to Him. Don't strive so hard.

Everyone is enjoying Isabella!
She is a joy to hold. We love all her little baby sounds. We love all her little baby moves. We all oooh and aah over her all day long. There is never a shortage of arms wanting to hold her.
The cuddling, the snuggling,  the feeding, all so much fun. We excalim over her all day long.

Today, she demostrated a new talent.... Projectile pooping.
Rachel was changing her  and had just put a new diaper on, but it was not yet closed.
Isabella pooped all the way across the room. We could hear Rachel's exclamations and all went to see.
We all laughed heartily.
William got the clean up joh. He is the one that pooped all over the carpet at 18 months and it was David's birthday. Rachel couldn't because she was gagging. Lol.

Grateful

I am thanking God for all the wonderful people He brought into my life as a result of carrying Isabella to term with an uncertain diagnosis. He brought beautiful women of faith along side me to encourage my heart, women that walked the same road and turned their trials into a ministry of faith, Monica Rafie, Louise Flannagan, Laura Dawson, Julie Stahl, Amy Beth, Katie Butts and others.
All of my friends that have prayed for us. I want you to know that each prayer strengthened and encouraged my heart. Thank you for lifting us up. God is always good, even when His answer is no. I am grateful for His "Yes!"
I look forward to the new friends we will make as we travel the journey He has planned for us. I hope to honor and glorify Him as He is worthy of praise and devotion.
Please pray for Katie Butts and Ellie, from the blog, http://www.baseballsbutterfliesblessings.blogspot.com/


Katie is due to have Ellie on August 17th. This has been a difficult and uncertain pregnancy. Ellie will be medically fragile and have to endure many tests and treatments if she survives to term.

You will be blessed by her posts.... Her first child, Will, was born a congenital amputee. He makes me laugh and nothing holds him back.

Katie is a woman after God's own heart.See More

Baseballs, Butterflies, & Blessings

http://www.baseballsbutterfliesblessings.blogspot.com/..
 
Please welcome and pray for my new friend, Meghan Beauman Bell, and check out her ministry, Cross Healed Hearts.


http://crosshealedhearts.blogspot.com/?spref=fb
 
And I have been remiss in not posting the site that first gave me hope when I found out that Isabella had very little chance of survival.


http://www.benotafraid.net/
 
Thank you my friends. I love you all

Welcome Isabella!

Written July 2010

Hey Baby!

You're here! God is so good! I get to keep you! I dare not even say the words out loud because if I did I would burst into tears! I can't even write them without sobbing! These are happy tears! My heart is so full it could burst!
They decided on Saturday, July 3rd that my eclampsia was severe enough to keep me overnight. They did 2 ultrasounds on you that day and at the time you were OK. Jill Acosta, my friend, was our nurse. She was so worried. On Sunday they decided to induce you because the PIH was reaching levels that were of concern, mainly my reflexes were so hyper. My BP was erratic.
On Saturday night, I began to have contractions. I had a good deal of pain. I wonder if that was when your placenta abrupted.
By God's grace, He kept you safe until your delivery on Monday afternoon with a placenta that was 25 to 30% abrupted, 40% is fatal. I am still overwhelmed at how close I came to losing you.

OK your delivery was pretty funny. I kept telling them that I went fast after 5. Now granted, I didn't go as fast as I usually do at 5. I waited until 6 to go from 6 to 10 in seconds. Misty was checking and felt it go from 6 or 7 to 10 in seconds. The call button didn't work. She sent your dad for help. You were crowning. He WALKED to the nurses station for the doctor. Dr. Nelson came in and was asking Rachel to hold my leg for me to push when I had another contraction and you popped out(head, shoulders and tail) like a champagne cork, one whole baby in a second. You should have seen the look on Dr. Nelson's face. It was a good thing the table was up!

Oh Isabella, I can't tell you how much I thank God for you. He has blessed me beyond comparison, beyond my wildest dreams.

Well the preeclampsia seems to be better. I am feeling a lot better. Today was the first day that my blood pressure has been relatively normal all day and it is the first day that i haven't had a headache in almost 3 weeks! I also feel like moving around a bit, which I haven't.
I am grateful to God for restoring me and helping Isabella one more time.

What an unimaginable journey. I never could have dreamed the last few months. If I had dreamed them, I wouldn't have understood and would have thought of it as a nightmare. But I don't now. I see things so differently than I did, it's hard to imagine where I started.