Chapter 6 (The Best Medicine )

Chapter 6 (The Best Medicine )

Ok, sorry for the long absence. My hands have been pretty full with a very tiny girl! This post just reflects how I have been feeling this week. I want to take a second and just share with you the wonderful progress that my sweet girl is making. She was born at roughly 27 weeks. Full-term is usually 37-40 weeks, so she came a little over 2 months early. Many preemies born at this age stay on a ventilator for days or even weeks before they are able to breathe on their own. Dani Marie was only on a ventilator for 16 hours. She only received supplemental oxygen for about 2 days. Since that time she has been breathing completely on her own. She no longer requires any type of iv fluid and her feedings have increased from 2 ml every 3 hours to 22 ml!!! She was born weighing 2 lbs. 4 oz, and she lost down to 2 lbs. She has been picking up some weight and is now weighing in at a whooping 2lbs. 11 oz. The doctors and nurses have been so good to us! They are constantly telling us how well Dani is doing and they are some of her greatest cheerleaders.

 We had to stop google searches on preemies, because it will scare you to death. When we first got Dani, we worried about how she would do. She was so tiny and seemed fragile and frail. As we sit with her day after day, night after night, we have learned to see her for who she really is. She is still small, but she is growing every day. She is far from frail; in fact I can only hope to be half as tough as she is in my lifetime. She has shown us that even the smallest person we have ever been privileged enough to lay eyes on can possess the greatest strength and desire to live that we could ever imagine. It was almost as if she told me in those first few seconds of admiring her, “ Mommy, don’t you know you can’t judge a book by its cover? I’m small, but I’m strong. Don’t worry about me, haven’t you learned that the creator of the heavens and earth is my physician? If God is with me, who can be against me?”   When I look at her, I can hear the lyrics to a song that our former music minister Bro. Kenny used to sing…

Somebody's praying; I can feel it
Somebody's praying for me.
Mighty hands are guiding me
To protect me from what I can't see
Lord I believe, Lord I believe
That somebody's praying for me.

Angels are watching; I can feel it
Angels are watching over me.

There's many miles ahead till I get home
Still I'm safely kept before your throne
Cuz Lord I believe, Lord I believe
Your angels are watching over me.

The prayers of YOU are what have helped her beat the odds and surpass expectations. There truly is power in prayer, and for sweet Dani Marie it has been a healing power. I know there are many long days and nights ahead, but we will take them one at a time. Our next big milestone will be our eye exam on Wednesday. I once again petition your prayers on behalf of my daughter. I’m not worried anymore; I’m incredibly at peace even though I have no control. I know that somebody’s praying every moment of every day for our “miracle”! J

I’m humbled, honored, and amazed at this journey!

Love you all!