Finally...Updates and prayer needs

Thanksgiving week was very busy, so there wasn't anytime for blogging.  Then i€ wanted to have fun with the kids so I played several games of risk over the weekend while trying to catch up on laundry.  Once our kids reach the age of 9 they start training to do their own laundry, and once they turn 11 they are responsible for that completely...so I "only" had to do laundry for 6 kids, 2 adults, cloth diapers for 3, and towels/bedding!  Normally this is quite doable, but in this case it was probably around 15 loads as I was behind when I got home in October, and never got much done at all since!  I now have Daryl's, Esther's, the towels, diapers, and my laundry put away and the rest is folded and sorted - I'm so close!

Today was Esther's checkup at Children's- long day that started with insomnia at 2 am, followed by  leaving behind all Esther's feeding supplies (found a bottle in the car and had a little formula in diaper bag just for times like that) at home, then Esther pulled out her feeding tube halfway to Seattle, then enduring 5 1/2 hours in Children's (Echocardiogram, EKG, weight (11 lb 7 oz), height (22.6 in), blood pressure and O2 levels, exam/consult w/ Dr., and blood draw), a dead battery, peak Seattle rush hour,  nearly getting hit three times, and finally making it home with a very hungry baby at 8 pm (we left home at 9 am...and Esther did manage to drink 160 ccs by bottle while we were gone).

Daunting as all that, the doctor's evaluation made the trip home that much more difficult - Esther's heart has not improved and she says the hole is larger than originally thought (hasn't grown, just larger than they thought) and is freely allowing blood from one side to another.  Over time this will cause damage to the lungs, and Down Syndrome children have week lungs to begin with - bad combination.  So she scheduled Esther to come back on Jan 5 and if she improves measureably, we will continue as we are, but if she is the same, or worse, then Esther will need to undergo open heart surgery in March or April.  On the way home I realized that this timing would co-incide with Jeremy's deployment to Iraq - needless to say the prospect of having my firstborm in harm's way and my baby having open heart surgery at the same time is unfathomable.

"...for I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed
unto Him against that day"

2 Timothy 1:12b

...my children are all in His Hand and He does all things well.  I must choose to trust God and know that His Grace will be sufficient if that time comes, and not worry about this now (I can't change a thing by worrying and will only hurt myself and waste precious time that could be spent in prayer and/or with my precious children, as I am not given grace for the "what if's").

Please pray with us that Esther's heart will improve measurably, or be healed completely, but above all that He will be glorified through whatever He designs for Esther, and that God will prepare Jeremy for whatever is in store for him, and that I will find peace through trusting in God every moment.