#7 - Julia's Accomplishments and Concerns

Date Sent: Wed, Mar 12, 2008 at 4:11 PM

Many many many of you have asked for more frequent updates on what God's doing concerning my health. To be honest, sometimes it's difficult to see His hand work until it's looking retrospectively. When I sit down to type these emails I reread the previous one and am then reminded of how much progress (even if it's in the little things) I've made since the last email. That is ONLY due to your prayers (and some of ours too, of course!)! I know that many of you have Bible Study this evening, so I decided to send out an email. Hopefully you'll get this before you go, and you can update the hundreds of others out there who are praying for us.

Some accomplishments since my last email three days ago:
- I slowly made it up the stairs (only once, though) without stopping or huffing and puffing at the top! It had been MONTHS since the last time that had been true! Previously I had reasoned that my shortness of breath was due to being pregnant and out of shape. We now know that it was because I was sick.
- I've slept in my own bed for the first time since February 13th. I think poor Aaron had forgotten what it was like to share the blankets! **smile**
- I made my own lunch today - a sandwich - but it still counts! (By the way I've been put on a low-sodium diet. So the whole house is transitioning to new ways of cooking.)
- On Monday we took Harrison to the doctor for a weight check. I had the energy to go along - the doctor's office is maybe 50 steps from the front door of the building. He's now 5 lbs 13 oz (he was right around 5 pounds at birth)! He's doing SO well that these appointments are now going to be less frequent.
- I desperately want to clean and tidy up this cluttered house! For those of you who REALLY know me, you'll understand that statement! The two months or so before I was hospitalized I was too tired to even THINK about cleaning. Poor Aaron worked all day, and then came home to his stay-at-home wife to find a messy house, and a wife begging him to do the housework instead of her. I don't have the energy for much cleaning yet, but the DESIRE has returned. I've tidied the kitchen, run the dishwasher, tidied up Alex's toys, put away clean laundry (but not washed it yet), and made the bed. I even threatened to clean the downstairs bathroom - but haven't done it yet. Having that desire return to me is a HUGE accomplishment. The other night when Aaron came home from work and saw the tidied downstairs he commented "it's so nice to have YOU back".
- Alex is transitioning well to having a baby in the house. Today Harrison was crying for lunch, so Alex went over and rocked the cradle. Harrison stopped. Alex smiled!

Items of concern:
- I have a cold. This seems simple enough, however, nothing in my life is simple at the moment. When we were in the hospital in Pittsburgh we were told that if I get a cold I need to call the doctor right away because "it can send people like you over the edge". I'm not allowed to take anything for it, which is okay. I didn't take anything for colds during either pregnancy. But the fact that my lungs are so compromised, a cold compounds the situation.
- Despite all of my accomplishments, I still tire incredibly easily. My energy comes in spurts. I guess maybe I feel a bit better, so I get up to do something, and don't have enough patience with the recovery process to pace myself enough. I get tired quickly, and so I spend most of the day on the couch.
- I have finally reached the point where I'm OKAY with the fact that God's allowed us to go through this. But the Bible says to "rejoice in all things". I haven't gotten to that point yet.
- We're still praying for a FULL AND COMPLETE healing! We are UNWILLING to stop praying until God gives us that. He's promised it to us before the doctors figured out what was wrong with me, and we're not going to let Him forget His promise.

~ Julia