Our blessings abound

Russell and I have been so blessed in so many ways over the course of our lives. In fact, we have had the conversation a few times about how surreal our lives have seemed. Long before Emma came along, it seemed like we were waiting for something catastrophic to happen because neither of us has ever really had to deal with the horrible, awful things that so many other people our age have experienced. We've both lost grandparents and have gone through some rough patches here and there but nothing REALLY awful. We know that God doesn't operate like that - He doesn't ration out heartbreak and difficulty; people don't have a lifetime agony quota. But still...how could we have really been THIS blessed?! We knew (and still know) that God loves us and blesses us. But that never explained why people who were seemingly so much more devoted to Him than us, so much more Godly than us, were haunted with tragedy after tragedy. So we were ultimately always asking what you're not supposed to ask: "Why do bad things happen to good people?"

And then on October 9, 2009, we found out that our little girl would be born with a birth defect. We had finally gotten our first official tragedy. Russell and I both recognized that this was the scary thing, the heartbreaking event, the dreaded moment we'll never forget. And there will be more of them...but this was the first time our lives seemed...real? I don't know if real is the word. We have struggled and continue to struggle daily with our frustration towards God - not because of the toll this whole experience has taken on us, but because of what is happening to our little girl. All of you parents out there know what I'm talking about - your own needs, wants, and feelings take a very distant back seat to those of your children.

So since our lives suddenly became "real," God, of course, hasn't stopped blessing us - we just see His blessings in new and unexpected ways now. First of all, our church, Earle Street Baptist Church, donated the proceeds of its annual 4th of July celebration to our family to help with medical expenses. Second, a church in Pickens called Holly Springs Baptist Church donated the proceeds of their Wednesday night hamburger plate supper to us. Third, and most importantly (not to downplay the generosity of these two churches), we are overwhelmed by the acts of love poured on us by our brothers and sisters in Christ, some whom we have met and others we have not. Emails, text messages, phone calls, Facebook messages, blog and guestbook comments, cards, meals, visits at home and in the hospital, gifts galore for our sweet baby...the list goes on and on. So for any of you who have experienced, currently are experiencing, or will experience some sort of life-changing tragedy, know that Hebrews 10:23 is TRUE: "Hold unswervingly to the hope you profess, for He who promised is faithful." God is faithful; just keep the hope and faith in Him, for He will STILL bless you in your storm.

This is a picture of Russell holding Emma at Earle Street's 4th of July celebration:




Here's a picture of the marquis from Holly Springs Baptist Church - thanks again for all your prayers and love for our family, and a special thanks to Sandee Blankenship and her youth group girls for all their hard work.



As I've mentioned before, Lola has moved back in with us, and things are getting a little better each day I think. Lola is still depressed because her life right now is the human equivalent of going to Disneyworld (my parents' house) for 3 months, then having to come home, only to find that a stranger is in your house who makes weird noises, smells funny "down there" sometimes, and everyone now loves this new, weird person more than you. I started this blog earlier today when Emma was sleeping, and Lola tried to take advantage of some alone time with me...she was so desperate to get to me yet nap at the same time that she ended up like this as I was typing on the floor:



So Dr. Troup expressed some concern about Emma's eyesight on Monday. We visited the pediatric opthomalogist on Friday, and Emma's problems are completely unrelated to spina bifida. Hallelujah! But it's still a problem - Emma is farsighted. The people we have told about this problem ask us how in the world the doctor could tell exactly how farsighted she is, and I have absolutely no idea. I've never had an eye exam before, so I don't even know how they do it with adults, much less babies. But basically she sees well far away and not so great up close, which is why one eye (and not always the same one) is starting to look in every once in a while. When things get close, she has to work harder to focus on it. We go back in 6 weeks, and we'll have to just see how she does until then. We'll take note if her eye-crossing gets better or worse, and the doctor will evaluate her eyes again. But eventually, 3 months, 6 months down the road...drumroll, please...she'll have to have glasses. GLASSES ON A 7-MONTH-OLD BABY! Who ever heard of such?! I don't think it's because her eyesight is THAT bad, but when her vision pathways are being set, it's important to take proactive steps to make sure it doesn't get significantly worse. Apparently it could actually damage her eyes. The doctor said she was a 5. A 5 what? I THINK that eyesight is measured on a scale of -14 to +14, one end being nearsighted, the other being farsighted. So 5 on a scale of 1 to 14 doesn't seem awful. Glasses on a baby has the potential to look very cute or very weird. I searched for some pictures of babies wearing glasses, and most of the frames that these kids are wearing...well let's just say that my daughter won't be caught dead in some of them. Just to get an idea of what a baby with glasses looks like, here's a 5-month-old in glasses. PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT EMMA. And Emma has more hair, which I think would make the glasses look slightly more natural.



Emma is still eating like a champ and looks like it. I leave you with a big fat baby thigh: