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Monday, September 22, 2008

Update on Evan and Ethan

The boys are doing very well. I came home on Saturday afternoon, so we're going down to visit them every day. They are both off all oxygen, breathing on their own. They are working on tolerating feeds now; they are getting them via NG (nasogastric) tube right now because they are not mature enough to coordinate the suck/swallow/breathe that is necessary for bottle/breast feeding. Everything else seems to be fine!

Evan was born first and had a double nuchal cord (cord was wrapped around his neck twice) and had 3 knots in his cord. Ethan was deeper in my pelvis and was more difficult to get out, so he was a little gray and "floppy" at first, but perked up quickly. The Lord definitely had His hand on them both.

We are very grateful for all your prayers. The boys just need to be "feeders and growers" for a little while before they can come home. Pray they don't have any setbacks so they can come home as soon as possible!

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A Parent's Prayer (borrowed from Comfyinthekitchen.com)

A Parent’s Prayer

O Heavenly Father, make me a better parent.

Teach me to understand my children,

To listen patiently to what they have to say,

And to answer all their questions kindly.

Keep me from interrupting them or contradicting them.

Make me as courteous to them as I would have them be to me.

Forbid that I should ever laugh at their mistakes

Or resort to shame or ridicule when they displease me.

May I never punish them for my own selfish satisfaction

Or to show my power.

Let me not tempt my children to lie or steal.

And guide me hour by hour that I may demonstrate

By all that I say and do that honestly produces happiness.

Reduce, I pray, the meanness in me.

And when I’m out of sorts, help me, O Lord, to hold my tounge.

May I ever be mindful that my children are children

And I should not expect of them the judgments of adults.

Let me not rob them of the opportunity to wait on themselvs

And to make decisions.

Bless me with the bigness to grant them all their reasonable requests

And the courage to deny them privileges

I know will do them harm.

Make me fair and just and kind and fit me, O Lord,

To be loved and respected and imitated by my children.

Amen.

Four Tiny Hands

Twenty fingers and twenty toes
Two pair of eyes and a set of
cute little noses
Two hearts beating in unison
form this double bouquet of
mother's roses.
Two hungry babies
Two piercing screams
Two perfect little answers
To all of our dreams.
Double the bottles
Double the toys
Double the diapers
And double the joys.
Four little legs to follow along
Four little feet to fill Daddy's shoes
Four little hands to hold in our own
Four little eyes to watch our every move.
Two little people to nurture and grow
A set of worried parents
try to fulfill the every demand
Of two little souls
and four tiny hands.

(c) Christine G. Law

May His hand touch you today!

The Hand of God

May the new day bring you
 blessings
As the light comes filtering
 through
May your sunrise be as lovely
As a morning draped in dew.

May the wind blow forth a
 promise
Sending sweet bouquets your way
May life seem a little brighter
As you rise to greet the day.

May the daybreak render pleasure
As the birds begin to sing
May the distant roll of thunder
Bring forth a touch of spring.

May the mist embrace the silence
Like a fire fly in the night
May an angel walk beside you
To hold you in the light.

May the rain caress your body
And life drops flood your soul
May His Spirit come upon you
To cleanse and make you whole.

May the showers come so gently
Running gently through your hair
May you touch the living water
And know that He is there.

May the freshness bring you
 new life
Pushing through the tender sod
May you pause to pick a flower
And touch the hand of God.

Author/Written By:
Marilyn Ferguson
          ©2001

The Only Way to Make America Great

The following excerpt comes from the book "The Big Picture" by Ben Carson, M.D.

"We live in a society where people are always saying, 'You can't talk about God in public,' as if somehow that violates the concept of separation of church and state. How can anyone say that in this country?

Thomas Jefferson, one of our founding fathers, had 190 religious volumes in his library. The preamble to our constitution talks about certain inalienable rights that our Creator endowed us with. The pledge of allegiance to our flag says that we are 'one nation, under God.' Almost every courtroom in our land has on its walls, ' In God We Trust.' Every coin in our pocket, every bill in our wallets also says, 'In God We Trust.'

If it's in our constitution, if it's in our pledge, if it's in our courts, and it's on our money, yet we can't talk about it, what condition are we in as a country? In medicine we call it schizophrenia. And doesn't that describe a lot of what is going on in our society today?

We need to make it clear to people that it's all right to live by godly principles--loving your fellow man, caring for your neighbor, and living a life of service by developing your God-given talents to the point that you become invaluable to the people around you. We need to remind each other there is nothing judgmental about having values and principles, and there's nothing wrong with standing for something.

If we apply these truths to our own lives, if we instill these values in the next generation, then, and only then, will America....become the greatest nation the world has ever known."

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