Elizabeth Archives - June 2006

Week 35 (June 9 to June 15) Update

Email Update Sent June 18, 2006:


Hello Everyone,



Elizabeth turned 8 months old this week, meaning she's been out of the hospital for exactly 6 months. We wanted to let you know how things have been going.



Overall, Elizabeth continues to thrive. Everyday she's growing (almost 15 lbs. at her last appointment) & learning new tricks (her current fav's are blowing raspberries, playing with her feet, waving "Hi", saying "dadada" to anything and everything, and sitting up for some good long stretches with minimal support). She is social, happy and loves to sing while we take walks in the park, talk on the phone and basically do anything that I'm doing. This last week, Matt was working on the pediatric service and went to check on a patient in the Cardiac ICU- the same floor where Elizabeth spent her first 2 months. Instead of getting work done, he was inundated by nurses curious to hear all about Elizabeth's progress. Eventually, he was forced to call me and I have me bring Elizabeth up for show-and-tell. Everyone was thrilled with how healthy, happy and BIG she's become. It's really nice to stop every once in a while to remember how far Elizabeth has come. And we praise God for how far we've come.



Please continue to pray for:


Elizabeth's feeding: Miraculously, she's gaining great weight, despite never eating her "goal" amount, and continuing to puke intermittently. She has decided that she's not a fan of solid foods, (officially called a "feeding aversion" and we're starting some feeding therapy to help her learn to like to eat. Pray that she'll lose her distaste for anything on a spoon.



Elizabeth's muscle tone: Her floppy muscles are getting stronger, and she can now sit unassisted. She's just started physical therapy to try and prevent scoliosis and to give her the strength she'll need to roll-over, crawl and eventually walk.



The good news is I'm learning how to let go of all the things I cannot control, all the circumstances I cannot change. I'm learning to practice contentment, thankfulness and joy in the midst of daily life. It has only been by the grace of God that I feel truly at peace about the pace of Elizabeth's progress. I'm doing a better job of enjoying where Elizabeth is, and choosing not to fear what is ahead & unknown. (Does this sound familiar? have I been here before? Well, I feel like I'm making progress...and that's a relief.) Thank you for your prayers!



Love,

Sara (for all of us)