It’s been almost a week since we last posted. Sorry for the long delay in things. As you can imagine life has been busy busy busy and full of the daily obstacles. Let me first start by saying that Brady was weighed tonight and she’s officially 5 1/2 lbs! That’s such exciting news for us. We also had a baby shower at church this past weekend and had some more love (and gifts) ’showered’ on us. It was really nice. We’re pretty tired right now and ready for bed so I’m going to make this one short and get to the important stuff…

We could really use some specific prayer right now. We sincerely appreciate all of the prayers we have had for our family and for Brady specifically. We’ve seen God do some amazing things in our lives and the lives of other families in the NICU. Brady was born July 16th and is closing in on 85 days in the hospital. Time has done a number on Nikkie and I wearing us down slowly. I found myself answering the question “how is Brady” or “do we know when she’ll be home?” with an uncertain and pessimistic tone in my voice. It was very evident to me and I’m sure it became evident to those asking me the questions. We really wish she was home with us right now but we know she’s just not quite ready.

Friday night we went and saw the movie Fireproof for a little ‘get away’ date. It was definitely needed and we really liked the movie a lot (go see it!). It is primarily about marriages and relationships having their hardships (or fires). Somewhere near the middle of the movie there was a song that really spoke to me about where Nikkie and I are right now. The song was to be in the context of tough times in a relationship but the Holy Spirit really showed me how it applies to my life right. The song is “While I’m Waiting” by John Waller. 

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Takeing every step in obedience
While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it’s not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve you while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord

These are some powerful lyrics for anyone really. We’ve been waiting for a while now to have a doctor come to us and tell us Brady is ready to go home. Unfortunately this hasn’t happened yet. I got to a point where I wasn’t patient anymore. As I listened to these lyrics I started to wonder if I was truly serving Him while waiting or truly worshiping Him while waiting. I love how the Spirit can just speak to you no matter where you are. I cried out that night asking for more patience and courage to continue on and be strong and simply wait.

As you probably know Brady has a tough time with reflux and isn’t taking as many bottles a day as expected. Today we were presented the option of surgically placing a g-tube in her so she can go home with us. The purpose of the g-tube is to insure that she is properly nourished regardless of what she is able to take through a bottle. I’m not going to get into our opinions on the matter simply because of our vast audience. All I will say is please pray for us. Pray for insight, clarity and direction from our God who knows a heck of a lot more than we do. We really need you on this one so please let us know if you are praying for us. It’s actually somewhat urgent because we probably need to make the decision this week.

So much for this one being short… :)