10 Weeks Old

Max was 10 weeks old yesterday. In one way it seems impossible that he is that old, in another way, the day he was born seems like a million years ago. John and I have just recently started seeing a difference between his left and right sides. Max is very active with his right side while the left will often times lay limp beside him. The good news is that he can and will move the left side and sometimes he will move it just as much as the right side. I think the older that he gets and the more he moves around, the more we will see these differences. We are trying to make a decision now as to which therapists we should use and we think we will probably try to start therapy pretty soon. We are praying that the left and right sides will both be as strong as they should be and that if there are any deficits that the healthy part of his brain will compensate for those. We are also praying that we will make the best decision about which therapists to use.

I was talking to my dad last night about how we were seeing differences in the two sides and he could tell that I was upset about that. He made a good point that we have faith that God can completely heal Max and we are fully expecting that to happen (even though that may not be God's plan). So even though the doctors told us that they expect the left side to be weaker, when we see that happening we get disappointed. It's not that God isn't answering prayers, because he so is and has. We just don't know the plan he has for Max.

I'm reading a book that Kristin (my sister) gave me. The chapter I'm on now is called The Sea of Discouragement. Here's what it says:

Fresh strength is what every discouraged person needs. Where do you get your strenth? God. He is the true source of strength. The phrase to remember in the midst of discouragement is God's words to Joshua, "Be strong and courageous." God continues, "Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). God is the source of our strength. Eventually we come to a place where we're able to say, "This makes us confident. No matter what happens.". . . This is the message of Isaiah: "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you" (Isaiah 26:3). This is the message of Paul: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).

Max has an ultrasound on his brain Nov. 9 and then an appointment with Dr. Burson (the neurosurgeon) later that afternoon. Please pray that the blood has disappeared leaving only healthy brain tissue and that there are no empty spots (like cavities) remaining where the blood was.

Sorry for such a long blog. Just wanted to write some things that were on my heart. Please continue to pray for sweet Max.

praying,
Kelly