Our February 14th

The morning started off a little rough. I spent last night at the Ronald McDonald house by myself. Delightful? At times. Difficult? Yes. I was missing my kids, wishing we could all be together. Thankful for a conversation last night with a fellow NICU mom, sharing in our struggles with being at the NICU, sharing in all we've learned through having a baby in the NICU- and myself being convicted of how little support I've provided in the past to other parents with kids in the hospital. We talked about missing our other kids in wild and crazy ways that unless you're a mom (no offense to all non-moms out there, its like I can't even come close to understanding what its like to be a man because - I'll just go ahead and state the obvious- I'm not one:) yourself, you likely won't understand how hard it is to be separate from your babies. Makes me even more appreciate all the sacrifices my mom makes for me. Though my kids can be a lot of work, they're amazing. My heart needs to be with them. All of them.
And, so for right now, Papa C and I are having to stretch ourselves thin, because our babies are in different places. I am so incredibly blessed because Seth is able to take some serious time off of work to help steady our ship through these rocky waters. Yesterday was terribly stressful because our plans A, B, C, D, and E for watching Eden and Isaaq all were falling through. Though Papa C did a top-notch job of assuring me and bearing the majority of the stress, I, being the sensitive soul that I am, was feeling it. Life sometimes brings us weights that are more than one or two of us can bear. I think this season classifies as one of those times.
But, the Lord provided, in ways again that I didn't expect. Some gracious friends offered to watch the kids last night and my mom and Poppers are now able to take them for a while. These sweet people blessed us by even taking Eden to preschool today so she could enjoy the much anticipated Valentine's Day party. Seriously, you have no idea how much this meant to me. Blessing my kids, or my husband, blesses me beyond anything anyone can do for me.
The doctors still can't figure out what's causing her pulmonary hypertension. From what I understand this is the biggest concern to her health right now. Please pray with us about this. It's frustrating, but I know He is teaching me much through this time, much about compassion, offering grace, loving on families with sick loved ones, and probably a lot more. I have a lot to learn.