A Brief Daddy Interlude

So, here is the update...Olivia is still dealing with respiratory issues due to her virus so not much has changed since the last update -- still lots of breathing treatments and suctioning. What is new is a small amount of swelling due to fluid, so they are giving her some lasix to get rid of some of that. Also, her heart rate is still high compared to what her base line is, which is a cause for concern. She had an echo done this afternoon which revealed that her right ventricle is enlarged and not "squeezing" as well as it should, while her left ventricle is a bit compressed, but working pretty well. We are pretty sure that her heart is working so hard because it is trying to compensate for the lack of effort from the right side. They are hoping that the underlying cause for the heart issues is the virus, so they are aggressively treating her lungs to help her get over that. The picture is still muddy right now but when we get to the end of the virus we hope to have a clearer picture of what is going on.

At this very moment the nurses are suctioning her again, but for the first time in days she is protesting. She just slammed her fist on the bed and I am pretty sure she wants to punch our sweet nurse. I never thought frustrated baby could sound so amazing!

We still aren't sure what the next little bit will bring, but we are trusting that the Lord to be everything for Livi that none of us can be for her. Difficult times like these bring us to the end of ourselves and face to face with what should be obvious: We are not God. In accepting this we have the patience to wait on the Lord to reveal himself to us in our trials. Relinquishing control is liberating and allows us to take our rightful place as dependent children in the hands of a sovereign, loving, and powerful Father who is working all things out for his glory and our good. On that note, I will close with a quote shared with me by one of our dear friends here in KC:

"Whatever your circumstances, however difficult they may be, the truth is that they are ordained by God for you as a part of his overall plan for your life. God does nothing, or allows nothing without a purpose. And his purposes, however mysterious and inscrutable they may be to us, are always for his glory and our ultimate good." - Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins

Thanks for your prayers. We'll post more soon.