He (God) giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater;
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added affliction He addeth His mercy; to multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
When we have exhausted our store of indurance, When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources, Our Father's full giving is only begun.
His love has no limit; His grace has no measure; His pow'r has no boundary known unto men.
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again! ~Annie Johnson Flint (1866-1932
So far, we've had an emotional, trying sometimes sad, but blessed year.
...By January 15th,
a friend passed away.
We hurt so much for our best friend who lost his Dad.
Since the New Year weekend, our granddaughter has had weight loss, an MRI (on her 5 month birthday)
an EEG, Dr. appointments and therapy sessions.
She's also had so much loving, hugs & kisses from parents, both sets of grandparents, a great grandma & great aunt & uncle. So many people from the east coast to the west coast, Canada to Texas, Japan to Mozambique & who knows all the points in between, have been praying & seeing answers to prayer for our Ema.
Prior to these events, with such active parents, Ema has done more in her first few months of life than many adults do in years. She has camped in the Tetons in a tent, hiked the "M", canoed, fished, gone blueberry picking & hunting. (I've probably left out some of her activities.)
Here we are after church the day after Christmas. We "hiked' through the woods and snow to get great scenery. Rick & Melanie always know where to go!
Not many days later, Rick & Melanie noticed some physical issues with their precious baby.
They made a Dr. appointment right away.
Ema had lost her smiles and the brightness in her eyes.
This was a strong indication that she was not feeling well.
Our worst fear was that she had Infantile Spasms. The results of this would not be good.
The MRI ruled out the spasms & indicated that Ema had a stroke before she was born.
The stroke caused a large cyst to form in the left side of her brain.
The right side of her little body is affected but she does have strength in that
side & physical therapy will continue to help.
The stroke and cyst have started to cause her to have little "episodes".
It's really hard to see your children or grandchild go through such trials.
You'd trade places with them in an instant if you could!
The stroke and cyst have started to cause her to have little "episodes".
It's really hard to see your children or grandchild go through such trials.
You'd trade places with them in an instant if you could!
She was given a prescription to start right away and within a few doses,
we could begin to see a positive change.
Her smiles and bright eyes were coming back and she had gained her weight back!
Ema & her little Sweet Pea had a great time sharing stories. She was so happy for the longest time while we had this "photo shoot"
The gigantic mosquito from Aunt Lynn has a lot of fun little features.He looks like her little protector!
I thought the caterpillar from my brother was really cute....until I noticed it is taller than me!
Really, the caterpillar is adorable! The alphabet is stitched on one side and pictures beginning with each letter are on the other side. Ema will love this for a long time to come!
It was recommended to get some black and white toys so Ema could see the contrasting colors better.
I found this fluffy, soft panda bear. He's very cuddly & loves Ema!
Ema is so sweet, petite and so very loved to go through all of this but is such a little trooper.
Just when you think your heart can't hold any more...you love even more!!!
Four generations!
My beautiful Mom is always there for support!
Ema also has torticollis which causes her little head to want to be turned.
She can turn her head but it is uncomfortable for her.
This has caused a little vision problem mostly because the muscles have not been used.
With exercise and therapy, we feel this will also be taken care of.
This little family will be heading to the children's hospital in Philadelphia (where her other grandparents live!)
as soon as all the arrangements are made.
She'll see a specialist there and we'll get many of our questions answered
and learn what needs to be done next.
If God chooses, He can remove the cyst by the time they get to that hospital.
If not, He has a plan for Ema & her parents and will give them strength and wisdom they need!
If God chooses, He can remove the cyst by the time they get to that hospital.
If not, He has a plan for Ema & her parents and will give them strength and wisdom they need!
Ema was certainly born to the right parents who will loving and faithfully give her all the care she needs.
My son & daughter-in-love have been so strong, even at the hardest times, for their little baby.
They have complete trust in God and all He has planned for them and Ema's life.
And here's our beautiful smiling baby just this week. 1/17
She was full of smiles...while shopping!
She was full of smiles...while shopping!
She has good days and bad days but is doing better.
We believe she will keep getting better & better!
She is SO loved and such a blessing!
...and the emotions build every time!
Love her!
This is precious. Love you.
ReplyDeleteI just cried as I read your full report even though I have been keeping up with it also on Facebook! You ALL are troupers! Isn't God's grace wonderful. We will continue to pray and you are right--God gave this special little gift to just the right parents who no matter what the days and years ahead hold, will give her love, guidance, and their strength to carry on! Meanwhile we will pray for healing!
ReplyDeleteHugs to you all!
Thanks, Vicki! She truly is a gift. I still get tears every time, too.
ReplyDelete