Our New Season of Life 2/3/13
Chris
It's Superbowl Sunday and we don't care. In fact, there are a lot of things we used to care about that we don't find ourselves worrying over anymore. Our DVR is full (Melissa hasn't watched a single episode of The Bachelor and I can't remember where I last left the Crawley family at Downton Abbey), our house is a wreck and we still have Christmas lights on the tree in our front yard. But somehow we're ok with all of that. The old us would've worried about our DVR reaching capacity, or too much mail piled up on our kitchen table (and we would've secretly ridiculed anyone who had Christmas lights up after January). Hattie has given us a new perspective on life. Everyone told us our life would change once we had kids. And we knew that would happen—just not by how much. You could say that our life is so different because Hattie is in the NICU, and that's definitely part of it. But this is only a season we are in. No, our life has changed because we now have a daughter, not only because of her current circumstances. We realize now what is truly important in our life and that, somehow, has nothing to do with TV or the order of our house.
But enough about Melissa and me; let's get to the good stuff and brag about our little girl! Hattie is four weeks old today. At birth she weighed 819 grams, or 1 pound, 13 ounces. As of today she's gained a full pound: she is now 1290 grams, or 2 pounds, 13 ounces. She has also grown a half-inch in length to 14.5 inches. (Don't they just grow up so fast?)
Hattie has certainly made stellar progress over the past four weeks and we have so much to be thankful for. Appropriately, Jim Keller's sermon at church today was about a story in Acts 3. Here's a good description from the Summit website:
In Acts 3, we read about the miraculous healing of a man who had spent his entire life unable to walk. When he realized the change that had come over his previously weak, hindered body, he didn’t react calmly. He jumped. He leaped. He praised God! His joy caught the attention of the people around him… and they praised God, too. We all have a story of healing. Are you proclaiming yours? (via)
As Melissa and I thought about this message today, we connected it to Hattie and how far God has brought her since birth. She is our story of healing and we will praise God for her every day.
