Emily is One Year Adjusted

Here is our cutie. She is doing well. She has been healthy since she kicked that cold and popped tooth number four through...so no stomach flu, just teeth. We are going to have a problem if she throws up for a week and loses weight for every tooth (and if she continues to only produce one at a time), but she is in God's hands, so I guess there is nothing we can do but leave it there.

I read these verses from Isaiah 43 in my devotional yesterday and thought of Emily. I was greatly comforted and encouraged and sat thanking and praising God for His power and providence.

"But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel. Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God. The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

...Since you were precious in my sight, you have been honored and I have loved you;

...Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes I have made him.

...Therefore, you are my witnesses, says the Lord, that I am God.

...Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?

...I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The beasts of the field will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches. Because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

To give drink to my people, my chosen, these people I have formed for myself. They shall declare my praise".

Praise God! He has blessed us so abundantly!

March for Dimes

We are planning to participate in the March for Dimes walk this year, so I made a flyer and bio of Emily for the event.  I just wanted to share it with all of you...the text version only, sorry.

March For Dimes

Team MaMa Emily Grace

Every day, thousands of babies, like Emily, are born too early, too small and too sick. We want to help change that.

March of Dimes/March for Babies organizes walks all across our country to raise funds for the research necessary to save these babies lives and improve their quality of life thereafter. March for Dimes also supports the babies and their families prior to and during their stay in the NICU.

We are going to ‘march’ not only to help the babies and families to come, but also to praise God for the life that is Emily and her miraculous development. We plan to walk at the Inland Empire Walk in Riverside, California on April 30, 2011 and we would LOVE for you to get involved too!

There are a variety of ways you can help out. Obviously we would love for you to show up at the walk and wear a t-shirt or hat and wander around with us. On March 30, we will be ordering ‘Team Emily Grace’ t-shirts and hats for just $7.50 each. If you would like one or plan to do the walk, we need to know by then.

If walking is not for you but you would like to donate to the cause, donations are accepted online at marchforbabies.org/mamaemilygrace. This is also the website to visit if you would like information on the time and location of the walk. If you are uncomfortable online, checks can be sent to me (email me at bec.erickson (at) yahoo.com and I will send you our physical address) and I will turn it in with my own donation on the day of the walk.

Lastly, if you really want to get involved, feel free to take this flyer and insert with you to ask friends, family or coworkers for support as well. No donation is too small as every dime helps (thus the name)!! :)
Donations will be accepted all the way up to and including the day of the walk. Thank you for your support! With your help, more babies can go on to live happy and healthy lives!

This is the short "bio" I made for Emily:

Emily Grace

Emily Grace was born into dire circumstances when she arrived on November 6, 2009, four months too soon.  At just 24 weeks of gestation, she was a mere 1 pound, 6 ounces and could fit into the palm of your hand.  She could not breathe or even keep her own heart beating consistently and it was not believed she would survive the night, much less the weekend.  I wish I could tell you that Emily was that miracle baby who got off oxygen and came home a short while later, but that is not Emily’s miracle story.  Emily’s miracle would take much longer as she was sent through the fire in her fight to live here on earth.  

Emily immediately acquired pneumonia, a bacterial blood infection and an intestinal infection.  She was so sensitive; we were not even able to touch her most days.  Over the next several weeks, she would endure infection after infection, and although she did not improve much, she trudged on. Finally, despite the doctors own warnings that she was too sick to endure surgery, they operated on her to close her open heart valve.  This would stabilize her enough that seven weeks after she was born, I was able to hold my baby for the first time. 

A few short weeks later, we would learn that Emily was facing retinal detachment (she was going blind) and we were moved to a different hospital for some experimental procedures to save her sight.  Here we would also learn that both of her arms were broken, and upon her return, she would continue to struggle with intestinal and blood issues, seemingly going nowhere.  

Four months after she was born, her oxygen was removed and she breathed her first solo breathe of air.  One month later, after 146 days in the NICU, Emily came home to live with us.  She has continued to struggle with eating and intestinal issues and she has BPD, a chronic lung disease that makes breathing more of a challenge and makes kicking a cold quite difficult.  We would find out one month after she came home that she was actually able to see, we just needed some super strong glasses.  

Today Emily is a happy and energetic one year old.  She loves to put everything in her mouth and follow her sister wherever she goes.  She wears glasses, breathes loudly and has a very soft voice.  She is just 16 pounds but is crawling everywhere we let her go.  She is an adventurous and spirited little girl who puts a smile on everyone’s face.  God is not finished with her yet and we continue to pray and hope that through God’s grace, growth and the advances of medical technology and research, some day her remaining issues will improve.