Spring also brings lots of new baby birds in the nest right outside of our front door...
The month of May is so special to me because it is the month that I first became a Mom (when our sweet Abigail was born) and it is has been a magical season ever since we got to experience four true seasons while living in Bloomington Indiana! Growing up in California, I'm accustomed to 2 seasons (Summer and not Summer/Santa Ana winds :-), so you can imagine my amazement when we got to experience the breath taking scene of the changing of the leaves (something I had never seen in person), the awe and wonder of the first snow of the season (and then when the novelty of Winter wears off), and the warmth, beauty, and vibrancy of Spring! Prior to living in Indiana (for just 7 months), I had trouble really stopping and appreciating the beauty of God's creation all around us, which couldn't be more evident to me than in witnessing the changing of the seasons and all of the intricacies and unique blessings that each season brings. Today was a day where, by God's grace, I was able to see even the smallest blessings for what they are, sweet and magnificat hugs from God during a sweet season in our lives.
To God be the glory that at Grace's cardiology appointment we got good news and were able to experience subtle hugs from God throughout the day. The lady that did Grace's UNSEDATED echo today earned her money for sure (and so did her Daddy, if Daddy's got paid for doing an amazing job at being a Daddy :-)!
Here is the dynamic duo...
To get good pictures/readings of various parts of the heart the child needs to be very still and it takes at least 40 minutes if everything goes seamlessly. Grace was a very good girl and held still for a good bit of the time, but toward the end she had enough, so the sweet echo technician was singing to her and trying to distract her with one hand, while trying to get good pictures with the other, etc. After an echo that took over an hour she carried Grace back to the exam room with a smile on her face and loved on her a little before she walked out. Just the commitment and joy the echo technician demonstrated, despite having to work for every picture, blessed me. The results from the echo were certainly praiseworthy, in that the pressure in her mitral valve was between 15-19 (average of 17). I reminded the Dr that her previous echo's were sedated (which causes pressure's, etc to be underestimated because the child is so calm, heart rate is lower, etc) and she was more comfortable after taking that into consideration because a 17 on an unsedated echo is equivalent to a 14-15 sedated. Therefore, her mitral stenosis is still "severe", but it is stable and the Dr continues to be very pleased with how well Grace looks clinically, so the plan is to continue to watch her (AND KEEP PRAYING that she stays well :-). Grace has continued to gain weight (following her own curve) and she seems to have shot up in height (this number if variable because of how difficult it is to get the kid to stretch out with out to much wiggling, etc), which is always amusing to us because we certainly don't have a whole lot of height going on in the Ross Family :-). For those of you that haven't known us since our first daughter Abby was born, just to catch you up, our old pediatrician told us when she was just 1 month old that she was concerned that she might be a "little person" and sent us to a geneticist. The sweet geneticist looked at Abigail, then at David, and said "has your pediatrician seen your husband?" I said "yes, he's been at every appointment so far." She went on to do a number of measurements on Abigail AND David and came to the conclusion that genetically... we make small people (which is a trait that I love about being a Ross :-). David and I were cracking up a few nights ago as I was trying to clean out Abby's closet. I made a pile of a few 24 months, 2T and 3T skirts and shorts that I planned to pack away, but thought that I should have Abigail try them on just to make sure that they don't fit anymore and sure enough... those clothes will get to see another Summer :-). Yes, she will be 6 years old in a couple of weeks and can still fit in to some 24 month clothes, but don't under estimate her because she can almost run faster than me and she can certainly smoke me when it comes to doing pull ups! All that to say, despite big growth spurts, Grace will be in good company with her big sister as they may not tip the charts in height (especially because a characteristic of Up's is short stature) they will make up for it in personality :-).
Here is Abby at dance this week. They got to try on their recital costumes!
Sorry for the rabbit trail... back to our cardiology appointment. Andrew came with us to the 2.5 hour appointment and he was extremely patient and helpful! In fact, when the Dr and resident came in to talk to us, in the middle of our conversation I noticed that she stopped talking, her mouth opened and she was just starring at Grace (who was sitting on David's lap at the time). I looked over to see what was going on and she was just watching as Andrew was loving on his baby sister. It was a sweet site to see even for a Momma that has been blessed enough to witness this scene often. Andrew was hugging her gently with his eyes closed and just talking to her sweetly. He would pull away and stroke her cheek and then go back to snuggling her. After watching them for a good minute she asked "is he always that way with her? He is such a sweet big brother!" The same thing happened again one or two more times...
I share this story because that moment allowed me to see through someone else's eyes something that I pray that I won't ever take for granted. It is solely because of God's work in the hearts and lives of our kiddos that they can respond to each other with such genuine and uninhibited love. You know those humbling times as a parent when you learn from your children (this happens to me often). In this moment Andrew taught me...
Last night, both Abigail and Andrew taught me a lesson about forgiveness... I barked at them after dinner because I was frustrated with their selfish attitudes toward each other. I apologized to them for barking at them and explained that even though I was upset about their attitude, it was not appropriate for me to bark at them and I asked for their forgiveness. They quickly, without any hesitation said, "I forgive you Mommy" and went about their business (this is how they respond anytime David or I have to apologize to them). During our "best" and "worst" as I was putting them down, I shared my "best" and then said that my worst was "barking at them." I still felt so burdened by my sin, so I asked for their forgiveness again and they AGAIN said "I already forgave you Mommy." Of course they did... what a great reminder of how our Heavenly Father operates! When we are truly repentant and ask for forgiveness, He is quick to forgive and chooses to forget! If only I could be that quick to really forgive! The most humbling part of this story is what comes next... Andrew praised God for our "bests" and Abigail prayed for our "worst." Hearing your 6 year old child pray for you, asking God (very specifically) to forgive you and help you not to commit that sin again is a very humbling and precious experience as a parent. It is a reminder that we are all on a journey to seeking Christ and being conformed to His image together!
I will only bore you with one more lesson that God has been teaching me (I spend a lot of time in the class room :-). With so much uncertainty around Grace's health from one day to the next it can be easy to worry "if we get a bad report from the cardiologist we may have to go back to Boston sooner than later and that might mean we can't go to Family Camp (our family vacation)... How will that impact Abby and Andrew, etc," but the truth is that even if that is the case (which we pray it's not of course), I can rest in the fact that God's already got our story written and it will be good, so I need to be careful not to find my happiness in "the things of this world" (vacations, "things", even the health of our children). This is just the reminder that I needed today (and every day)...
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS and for spending time in the classroom with me :-).
Will you please keep praying for continued health and healing for our sweet baby Grace and join us in praising God for His goodness and provision?
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