We're baaaaaaack!

One month ago today.....

Andy had just been moved from the ICU into a regular hospital bed, was still in a lot of pain, unable to get out of bed yet, eat solid foods, close his left eye, or focus on anything for very long.
Abby was just a month old and waking up every 2-3 hours to eat at night. She was sleeping most of the time during the day, and weighed about 8 1/2 pounds.

Now......

Andy is almost back to normal!!! He can do almost everything he used to, except drive or ride his bike (this means he is no longer exempt from dishes duty or holding Abby during one of her cry-fests!!). He has started putting a few hours a day into work again, and is signed up to take 3 classes this semester. And the best news- we have started to notice the left side of his face moving again! Just a little bit in the corner of his mouth and above his eye, but a little bit is very encouraging to us, and a sign that it will only get better from here. He continues to get better every day.

Abby just had her two month check-up. She weighed exactly 10 pounds and had grown 3 inches- she is in the 55th percentile for her age. She had to get four shots at her appointment, which she was NOT happy about. She screamed in the doctors office, slept all the way home and for the next few hours until she ate again, and then screamed the rest of the afternoon. It almost broke my heart to see her so sad and not be able to comfort her. Our good friend Patricia brought us some Infant's Tylenol which eventually did the trick- I'm so glad we have two more months before I have to do it again! I just kept reminding myself that the shots are for her good.
Anyways, besides getting her shots and gaining 3 1/2 pounds, Abby is getting cuter and cuter by the day, and continues to be the most pleasant and sweet baby girl. She stays awake for longer periods of time during the day now, and some nights sleeps for as long as 5 or 6 hours! She has started to smile every once in a while, especially in the mornings, when I sing to her, or if I put her in her crib under her hokie bird mobile. She seems to really love music, every time I put on her "Bach for Babies" CD (thanks Aunt Katie!!), she gets a big smile and kicks her legs and waves her arms around, like she's dancing. SHe is getting more and more fun every day!

Isn't it amazing to see how much life can change in just one short month? Our lives are truly a testimony of how GOOD our God is. The first couple of weeks after Andy's surgery were really hard. REALLY hard. Nothing really prepared us for how hard the recovery from his surgery would be. It was difficult for Andy, physically and emotionally, to go from being a normal 26-year-old guy one minute to having no control over his own body the next. It was tiring for me having to care for Abby's needs and needing to be there for Andy at the same time. But the Lord sustained us, healed Andy, and kept His promise to never leave us or forsake us. One particularly hard day, Andy and I turned to the Word for encouragement and read through some passages in Isaiah. When we were dating, for Christmas Andy had printed out Isaiah 43:1-5 and framed it for me, to remind me always that no matter how much he loved me, the Lord would always love me more than he ever could. This passage sort of became "our" passage, and has been a reminder of the Lords great love for me many, many times. We read through it again together and it's truth rang so much clearer to us than ever before-

But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob,
And he who formed you, O Israel,
"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are mine!
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you."
"For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Saviour;
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your place.
Since you are precious in My sight,
Since you are honored and I love you,
I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.
Do not fear, for I am with you..."
Isaiah 43:1-5

In many ways we feel like we really have "walked through the fire." And the Lord kept his promises to us that we would not be burned, or swept away, and that he would be with us. We have no reason to fear because he has already accomplished the hardest task imaginable- redeeming us from our lives of sin and giving us a New identity and a NEW name. And honestly, what on earth is there to fear when the Creator of the Universe calls you "precious in my sight," "honored," "mine?" God has shown us his love for us in so many real ways in the past few weeks- through our wonderful surgeon who removed the ENTIRE tumor, through the report that the tumor was benign and NOT neuro-fibromitosis, through the steady progression of Andy's healing, through the prayers of our friends and family, through providing for our financial needs in so many different ways, through the beauty of our baby girl. From the first day we found out about the tumor to now, one thing has remained true- God is GOOD, and He deserves ALL the glory!


Stay tuned, many, MANY pictures to come!!!