Happy One month Bday!!!

                                               

It's Shepherd's one month Birthday!!!!! 

Happy Bday, my boy. It's been a good one month birthday for you. God has blessed you on this day with many encouraging things. I am so proud of you. God has used your little tiny life, your feeble 4 weeks, to accomplish so much for His glory. I am so honored to be your mommy, so blessed to be involved in your beautiful life. Thank you for showing me so much about who God is without ever having left a hospital room. There is nothing about who you are, nothing about how you were created that is a disappointment to me. I am sorry that you have to suffer, and to be honest I am sorry that I have to suffer. But these are things that this life holds. You have just known that so young. But no matter what I fear, I will not ever say that your creator was anything less than perfect in His design of you. You are beautiful. Your life is beautiful....all 4 weeks.

**********************************************************************************

I just couldn't resist taking a picture of this monumental moment.  No, your eyes do not betray you. You are really looking at a nurse taking the vent OUT OF SHEPHERDS ROOM, hopefully never to return. Let me remind, they don't take these things out lightly. And this means I don't have to look at the screen that says "STANDBY" anymore. I always hated that screen, so daunting. "Standby to see if your child can breathe on their own. If not, you'll be needing me." Goodbye vent, by the grace of God may I never see you again. I will not be standing by. 

I got to have lunch with my sissy, which was an absolute treat. And when I returned, that sweet lady was taking the vent out of the room. I can't tell you how exciting it was. THEN I got to dress Shepherd in one of his own shirts. Oh, the little things mean so much. After that I got to hold my little one, while he wore his own shirt, without the vent, while he sucked on a pacifier.Mmmmmm. Just soaking it in. I am so proud of him for sucking on a pacifier so well.        

Hopefully this will mean he won't struggle too much when it comes time to learn how to eat. 

So far, no yeast has grown back on the last culture. 1 1/2 days down 3 1/2 to go. And the folks came by and did the ECKO and though the report is not technically in (and, yes, I was there while they did it) the tech said it looked great.

They stopped his feeds all day and he has been putting out less from his chest tube.

And his bracelets are here!! They are going to be in Noah's mailbox at the office at Northwake by Thursday. If you want to leave a dollar for one, leave it in the envelope that will be in the mailbox. If you don't have a buck, still grab one. We consider a dollar a very small price to pay to get folks to pray for Shep.

Well, I'm off to bed and a Durham Bulls baseball game with 2/3 of my boys in the morning. Pray I will enjoy without feeling as though I am neglecting my newborn. Who knew I'd have to choose between the two? But I have to trust that however this effects each member of the family is exactly what God chose for them right now. And He is big enough to handle all 5 of these sinners with the last name Joyner. And if your last name is Joyner, you know what that number really is;)