Dada! Dada! Dada!

My daughter wakes up in the mornings with a smile on her face and a song on her lips.

Many mornings when I open the door to her room, I am greeted with the sweetest smile and "Hi!" you can imagine!  My heart melts every single morning!  I am so blessed to be her mommy!!

The next few minutes go something like this:
I love on her while singing a silly "Good Morning" song.
I change her diaper.
We grab her blanky and head for the living room to start her morning therapy.

From here on out, it is all about daddy!

When we reach the hallway, she starts looking for him and calling for him.  At first, it is a hushed, yet very excited, "Dada!"  Then her calls get louder and louder until she is yelling, "Dada! Dada! Dada!" at the top of her lungs!  She eagerly searches each room we pass trying to find him.  On school mornings, this searching lasts until he comes through the front door after his freshman Bible classes.  As soon as she sees him, she squeals with delight and runs to his open arms as quickly as she can.  He scoops her up and loves on her as though it has been weeks since he saw her last.  If I could capture this on film, the caption would read, "Be still my heart!"It is impossible for me to contain my proud smile each time I see this exchange take place!

 There is no doubt about it, this precious girl loves her daddy!

This weekend, as I watched my baby girl start the days searching for her father, I was riddled with shame.

How often do I begin my day searching for my Heavenly Father?
How often do I begin my day flipping on the TV to get caught up on sports or politics?
How often do I pick up my latest novel or browse social media with my coffee, rather than seeking the guidance of God's word as I start my day?

Luke 18: 16-17 "But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.  Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Matthew 18:1-4"At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." 

What a beautiful example my baby girl sets for me!

I should be eagerly searching for my Father each moment of every day the way a child searches for her "dada" when he is not around.
I should be searching the words of my Father for guidance the way a child looks to his dad when he is unsure of how to handle a situation.

Matthew 7: 7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

If I want my reward to be the kingdom of Heaven,  I must actively seek the Father!

My Action Plan:

Wake up a few minutes earlier in order to complete my Bible Study before Harper wakes up.  This will enable me to have silent meditation time at the start of the day, rather than waiting and risking not "finding" time.

What is your plan for actively seeking the Father?

My Little Sunshine

Throughout my life, I have had several "sunshines."  

As a teenager and through part of college, there was Brianna.  

Brianna battles Cerebral Palsy.  I had the privilege of working with her in several capacities at summer camp.  Brianna LOVED attending Mid-South Youth Camp in Henderson, TN.  However, her wheelchair and physical limitations made an outdoor camp a bit of a challenge for her.  She never let it stop her.  The weeks she attended each summer, she was accompanied by either her aunt or myself as her care-taker.  We helped her bathe, get dressed, fix her hair, eat, go to the bathroom, complete her physical therapy, take meds...you name it.  We also helped her take in the camp activities.  We took her swimming, we took her to the lake, we took her to the scavenger hunt, carried her flights of stairs when ramps were not available.  We stayed by her side day and night.  To say I was exhausted at the end of one of these weeks would be an understatement.     

To say I wasn't uplifted by the end of one of these weeks would be a lie.  I learned so many valuable lessons from this sweet girl!  I can remember holding her hands as her parents or her physical therapist would complete her leg exercises.  Her joints were often so stiff that this caused her unbearable amounts of pain.  Through each session.  Brianna would smile, because she was just happy to be at camp with the rest of the kids!  She might have tears running down her face because of the pain...but she was smiling all the while!   My favorite place to take her was to the pavilion where we had our devotionals and periods of singing each day.  I can remember countless times where I sat there, tears streaming down my face, smiling - unable to sing - because of the joy and love and passion Brianna had for our Lord.  Due to the severity of her Cerebral Palsy, she was unable to clearly say many words.  Brianna never let this stop her.  She sang every song at the top of her lungs with so much passion and excitement!  

Brianna was a little bit of sunshine in my life!

In my second year of teaching fifth grade, I found Taylor(and several others).

This particular year, I had a packed classroom.  Nine or ten of my students that year had special needs.  Some of these needs ranged from severe dyslexia to manic-bipolar to severe anxiety to rage issues to epilepsy and many others.  Taylor was one of my students from August to Christmas that year.  Taylor, like Brianna, lives with Cerebral Palsy.  Through all of the frustrations of the hectic and challenging classroom that year, I could always count on a smile from Taylor.  You couldn't help but love him!  Yes, teaching with a little boy like Taylor in the room could be very difficult at times.  He needed constant attention.  He needed someone to help him eat, use the restroom, write his name, and read.  He needed someone to help him up and down the hall and around the room, and he needed someone to help him get to the bus on time.  Add in the other issues faced by my students that year, and it is amazing my hair isn't gray yet...

The awesome thing about that year, with all of its challenges, is that I can look back and smile.  I had little bits of sunshine in each and every day.  Some days, it was an enthusiastic Taylor flagging me down just to smile and tell me he good morning.  Some days the sunshine was from a child, who had such severe rage issues his couldn't get his words straight, calm down long enough to tell me he loved me.  Even now when I run into some of those former students or their parents, I am reminded of how great a child's love can be!  As a teacher, my job was to teach these students where they were.  I don't know if I succeeded in helping each of those students with their challenges or not.  I pray that I did.  However, I do know that, because of the little sunshines I had in my room that year, I can look back and smile.  (Sometimes I have to laugh at some memories to keep from crying, because I really am not sure how I survived at times!)

Taylor was a little bit of sunshine in my life!

Now I have my sweet, energetic, clown.  

Life with a CF child is not always easy.  I would never wish for anyone to battle Cystic Fibrosis, and I pray for a cure.  Through the hours of therapy and the hundreds of pills, there are times I grow weary as a momma.  There are times I can't help but ask why.

  

Then she looks at me with her perfect toothy grin, and it all fades away.  All of the shadows of doubt in my mind grow a little lighter because of the perfect ray of sunshine God has placed in my life.  

Her body is not perfect.  Considerable amounts of time and money go into her daily care, and those amounts will only increase as she gets older.  Through it all, I have learned so much!  I have learned the amazing power of prayer.  I have learned how important your family support system is.  I have learned that, though sometimes you have to look a little closer, there are always silver linings.  There is aways a little bit of sunshine...even on the darkest days.

On a daily basis, she is my little sunshine.  

My blood is curdling tonight.  I came across a few articles telling of "parents" who have sued medical companies and doctors on the grounds of "wrongful birth."  These beautiful, innocent children were born with different challenges:  some with downs syndrome, some with physical deformities, some with a multitude of challenges; and the parents are seeking "justice."  In many of the cases I read tonight, these parents had gone through the genetic testing that is offered during pregnancy to check for some of the more common possible problems.  These parents are suing, and winning, cases on the grounds of "wrongful birth."  They say their child was wrongfully born because the doctors and the tests were wrong, and their child was born with the problems the tests said they had a 50-50 percent chance of not having.  Some of the parents say that, had they had the correct information, they would have terminated the pregnancy.  Some of the parents say they love their child deeply, but the care is such a drain emotionally and financially that they deserve to be paid for the poor information that was given to them before and at the time of their child's birth.  What do these sweet children think of all of this?  Do they feel the love their parents say that have for them?  Do they feel like their lives are valued? 

My heart is heavy tonight.  My mind races to the "what-ifs" of the sweet sunshines that have crossed my path.  What if the parents of those children had known about the difficulties they would face and had aborted them?  What if they had to grow up in houses where their births were referred to as "wrongful"?  What if they never felt loved?  Would they be able to spread love and joy to others with whom they cross? 

My prayer tonight is that we once again begin to see the value of human life as God intended for us to see it.  My prayer tonight is that each one of us holds our children a little closer each day.  My prayer tonight is that children whose parents do not realize the blessings children bring can find love from a teacher or a grandparent or a mentor.  

My prayer is that we all search for the sunshine God has provided in the unlikely places and thank Him for it.  

Thank You!

I realized this morning that it has been 3 weeks since my last post.  Needless to say, we have been a bit on the crazy/hectic/busy side of things around here.  

I wanted to take a moment to just say "Thank You!"  

Thank you to all the people that have prayed and continue praying for Harper as she battles Cystic Fibrosis.

Thank you to everyone who donated money to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through our Great Strides event this past Saturday. (If you haven't donated yet and would like to, click the link in the right hand column…it's not too late!)

Thank you to my work family at CA for your donations to our cause. It is a huge blessing to us to be a part of this family!

Thank you to our dear friends and family who were came out to support our team at the 5k run and walk this weekend.

Thank you to our local Walmart employees for taking part, even though you didn't know us beforehand.  We are honored to know you know!

Thank you to our sweet church family.  There are way too many things to list here for which we are thankful to you!

Thank you to the Nashville chapter of CFF and the coordinators of Superhero Strides 5k run and the Great Strides walk.  The event was a huge success, and we are already looking forward to next year!

Our sweet Harper's face was smiling bright on a sign right beside the 5k finish line. 

 The day offered hope for us.  

Hope as we saw adults who have battled CF their entire lives with their children and families. 

Hope as we saw how passionately others are fighting and working to make CF stand for Cure Found.

Hope as we met other parents with CF children who offered a smile, a prayer, a kind word, and a phone number; because we are all in this together!

We are so blessed to be surrounded by a support group as strong as ours!  

Spiritual Beauty

A few years ago, some ladies and I put together a retreat for a group of High School girls.  The topic was beauty.  Over the course of the weekend, we had breakout sessions on how to be beautiful as daughters of the King.  My topic for breakout sessions was "Spiritual Beauty," and I think I was more blessed by my study than the girls to whom I spoke during the sessions. 

In my personal Bible study and preparation for the weekend, I came across Psalm 139.  Until this time in my life, this was one of those psalms that I had read...but I had not really focused on.  Yes, there were key verses (vs.13-14, in particular) that I had always liked and remembered, but I had not really meditated on the psalm as a whole. Until now.  As I sat and spoke with small groups of some of the most beautiful (inside and out) girls you will ever meet, tears came to my eyes.  There we were sitting out on the deck of a beautiful lodge surrounded by God's creation talking about beauty.  I tried to give examples of women in my life who were and are spiritually beautiful.  

* Women like Mrs. Lisa Key: a wife, mother, teacher, daughter of our King.  I never had the opportunity to have Mrs. Key as a high school teacher due to transferring schools, but I was blessed to have her as a teacher at Horizons during the summers.  She was beautiful.  The world lost a beautiful person to cancer when she died, but I know she is in a huge mansion in Heaven with our Lord.  (I can make these same comments a few years later about Mrs. Hope Shull).

* Women like my sister, Rachel.  The first time my sister went to Haiti with my dad and me, she saw a need.  She postponed her senior year of college and moved to Haiti for a year to help our missionary there.  She has always been one of my heroes.  (I don't know if I have ever told her that.)

* Women like my mother who raised 5 children.  I have never met a more selfless, patient, kind and caring lady.  She has one of the most tender hearts and the love she has for our Lord is evident in every aspect of her life.  

(Since this time, I have added so many people to this list of amazing Christian examples. God has blessed my life in so many ways by the people He put in it!)

I had the girls give their examples of what Spiritual Beauty is, and we talked about what we could do in our lives to have this kind of spiritual beauty.  As we finished our discussion we read Psalm 139.  

There are many people who might think I'm crazy for using this psalm in a discussion about spiritual beauty, but I would like to ask you to read and meditate on this passage for a few minutes.  Pray this as a prayer.  Does it scare you that He knows your thoughts and words before you do (vs. 2-6)? Does it scare you that you can never escape His omnipresence (vs. 7-12)?  Does it bring alarm that He can search the innermost feelings and thoughts of your heart?  Or, does it bring peace.  As Christians, we should strive for such a strong spiritual beauty.  We should strive for such a pure heart that allows us to pray this prayer and genuinely mean it.  We should strive for a heart that can pray this prayer with an earnest longing for God to lead us closer to Him.

I believe when I can do that, I will be one step closer to being spiritually beautiful!

Psalm 139

English Standard Version (ESV)

Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

139 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
² You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
³ You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴ Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
⁵ You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it.

⁷ Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where shall I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
⁹ If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,”
¹² even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you.

¹³ For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.^[a]
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
    I awake, and I am still with you.

¹⁹ Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
    O men of blood, depart from me!
²⁰ They speak against you with malicious intent;
    your enemies take your name in vain.^[b]
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
    And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
²² I hate them with complete hatred;
    I count them my enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!^[c]
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!^[d]

"I'm sorry...I have to go to church tomorrow..."

Have you ever been invited to an event and found yourself declining the invitation in this way?  

Unfortunately, if we are honest, many of us would say we have.  Maybe, we used this "excuse" when we were in junior  high or high school and we were still in that, "My Parents Make Me Go to Church" phase.  Maybe, it was when we were in college and knew we needed to go attend worship with our brethren, but not yet were we fully appreciative of this time or fully convinced this time was very much needed in our lives.  

How do you feel about that statement now?

Growing up, I heard preachers and Bible class teachers talk about how I needed to change my attitude from "I have to..." to "I get to..." or, even better, "I am blessed to..."  At some point in my adolescence, I grasped the more positive attitude, and I really felt blessed to be able to worship with my family.  Eventually, attending worship became more of a habit.  I remember a time not long after graduating college that my spiritual life really suffered because of this.  I was living on my own, teaching school, and worshiping with an incredible church family.  I was teaching the 4-5 year old Sunday school class and a Wednesday night huddle group with some teenage girls.  Sounds great right?  The problem was with all that was going on, I felt alone and lost.  My attitude wasn't what it should have been.  I attended worship because it was expected of me.  Don't me wrong.  I LOVED teaching the Bible classes.  I have to admit, however, that there were some Sunday mornings where I would have been quite tempted to sleep in had I not had the responsibility of teaching.  Thank God for the opportunity I had to teach precious 4-5 year olds, because it kept me going!  One Sunday morning, I was especially in a low spot, I planned on going to worship, teaching, and ducking out before I could really be noticed.  A sweet friend of mine caught me and really encouraged me to attend our weekly lunch and small group Bible study.  Reluctantly, I went with her.  By the end of the small group Bible study, I was sitting there with tears streaming down my face!  What we discussed and studied from God's word was EXACTLY what I needed that day!  I had not been speaking the words "I have to go...," but I had been living those words.  I had become very lukewarm in my walk with God.  Shame on me!  

Have you ever felt this way?  I pray that you haven't.  The reality, though, is that many of you probably have.  If you are there now, I urge you to reach out to someone with whom you can be open and honest.  Someone with whom you can share your burdens(Galatians 6:2) and who will pray for you.  Pray that God will prick your heart and help you to see the importance and necessity of worshipping Him.  Pray that God will guide you back to Him before it is too late. 

This past Sunday morning, I was blessed to be able to attend worship with my family for the first time as a family of three.  I was blessed to be able to attend worship with my husband for only the second time in 7 months!  This had been a true case of forgetting how blessed you are until it is gone.  For months I have kissed my husband goodbye as he left for worship each week.  For months, we have been praying that Flu season would quickly make its exit so that Harper would be able to attend worship with us.  When we received the "green light" from our daughter's doctor on the Thursday before, I was giddy with excitement!  This whole week since Easter Sunday, my attitude has been completely different.  I have been happier; I have been more energetic; I have been excited.  Several times today I have found myself talking to Harper about what we needed to do before tomorrow (bath, early bedtime, etc.) because we get to go to church again tomorrow! What a BLESSING!!

There is a reason God commanded us to assemble together on the first day of every week.  He, in His infinite wisdom, knew we would need a reminder of His love and sacrifice at the beginning of every week.  He knew we needed to start every week with Him at the forefront.  He knew we would need the encouragement and time of fellowship with our brothers and sisters.  We are commanded to worship Him, yes.  This is not something for which we should be sorry!  On the contrary, because we are Christians, we are BLESSED with the opportunity to worship Him!  What an incredible privilege!  

As we face the beginning of another week, it is my prayer that we approach worship with an attitude of thanksgiving and humility.  It is my prayer that we put away the feeling of obligation and the apathetic motions.  It is my prayer that we stop apologizing for following our Father's command to assemble with other Christians to praise His name.  The gathering together of the saints is a weekly celebration of the Lord's sacrifice for us.  It is a weekly reminder of His unending love for us.  It is my prayer that we regularly thank God for blessing us with the opportunities He places in our lives:  opportunities to study His word, opportunities to fellowship with brethren, opportunities to grow, opportunities to worship Him. 

My Sundays and Wednesday evenings are booked from here on out.  I will not apologize or make excuses.  I will praise the Lord...I AM BLESSED!

Just Breathe...

Have you ever stopped to think about your breathing?

For most of us, this is something we never have to contemplate.  We never have to worry whether or not the next breath we take is going to be effective enough to provide the oxygen that our bodies need.  This is such a blessing!

I've never really experienced the flu.  Growing up, if I came down with a sickness, it was usually either strep throat or a really bad sinus infection.  Several of these sinus infections have moved into my chest causing my breathing to be quite uncomfortable.  As much as I think of myself as being strong...when I get a sinus infection like that, I'm a whimp!  I gripe and complain and feel like I'm never going to be able to breathe again!  Just when I think the worst, the medicine kicks in.  I wake up one morning, and the weight is off of my chest.  I breathe in that crisp morning air, and the life is good again! 

I'm blessed.  I have healthy lungs, and I don't have to worry about daily medicines or therapy to help me clear my lungs.  

For many people, however, this is not the case.  Too many people go through their lives struggling for their next breath.  Too many people spend hours each day being diligent to  exercise and go through respiratory therapy in order to be healthy and avoid hospitalization.  Too many people struggle with Cystic Fibrosis.  

Because of this reality, I'm about to do something that I've spent most of my life DREADING AND AVOIDING!  I'm about to ask you for your financial support.  I've never been bothered by giving money to different causes, but the thought of asking for money has always terrified me!  When I was younger, as much as I enjoyed the fun assemblies with all the prizes for things like the Magazine Drive or Jump Rope for Heart or any other number of fundraisers, in reality the actual asking for support part really terrified me!  Maybe I just wasn't very good at "selling the product."  Maybe I just didn't WANT to ask.  Maybe I just didn't care enough.  

I'm asking now.  I'm asking for Harper.  I'm asking for all of the people who woke up this morning and faced Respiratory Therapy before drinking their morning coffee or brushing their teeth and take a handful of pills before every meal.  I'm asking for the people who are about to turn 30 knowing that the average life expectancy of a person with Cystic Fibrosis is 37 years old.  I'm asking for their families and children.  I'm asking for the researchers and scientists who work tirelessly day and night trying to find a cure.  I'm asking for the doctors and nurses who love their patients and want a cure found.  I'm asking for the moms and dads who are sitting in a small room right now waiting to hear whether or not their child might have CF and wondering what their future will look like as a family.  

I'm asking for me because I've finally found something that I'm grabs my passion and doesn't let go!  I'm asking because I have seen the positive things the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has already done.  I'm asking because I want to see a cure found for Cystic Fibrosis in Harper's lifetime!  

There is a Great Strides walk being held in Murfreesboro, TN, on May 18th.  I will be there with my family and friends as part of "Harper's Hope."  I will be walking for Harper. I am walking to raise money so that a cure can be found.  

I'm asking you to help!  To the right of my blog page, you will see a button with the Great Strides CFF logo on it.  Please click on this button and give your support!  If you are in the Middle TN area and would like to be a part of our team and walk with us, scroll to the bottom of the page and join our team!  If you are unable to walk but would like to donate money, scroll to the bottom of the page (after looking at the adorable picture of my sweet Harper!) and click donate now!  

Any amount is greatly appreciated!  My goal right now is set for $600, but I would really LOVE to surpass that and raise $1000!  That is my unofficial goal! 
UPDATE:  We have surpassed $600!  Thank you for those that have already donated!  Let's make it to $1000!  It is now my official goal!!
 Please help me reach this goal before May!  

Thank you in advance...and I'll get back to normal blogposts from here on out!  ;)

Time's a Flyin! Part 3...So what now?

In my last post, I shared with you several of my emotions surrounding Harper's stay in the NICU and the possibility of her diagnosis.  What I didn't share were the "Silver Linings" Barry and I found.  We didn't always see it, but God was and still is blessing us daily.  

Here are three of these blessings:

1.  We live within an hour of one of the best CF clinics in the nation.  (I don't know if this is actually a proven fact, but I would put our medical support team up against any in the country!)  God was taking care of us!

2.  We have an incredible set of doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and nutritionists helping us take care of our baby girl!  Not only do they genuinely care about Harper's health, they care about how Barry and I are dealing with all of it!  As our doctor told us the news, he gave us some explanations and information.  He then took time to sit with us and answer questions.  As the daughter of a doctor, I understand how busy doctors are when they are in the office.  There are constantly people waiting to be seen, charts waiting to be signed, phone calls waiting to be returned, and prescriptions waiting to be sent.  On that morning, you would have thought we were the only people in the building and that there were no other issues waiting to have the doctor's attention.  He sat with us as long as we needed him.  He answered every question we had.  For the most part, I sat there silently holding Harper with tears slowly rolling down my face.  When he saw this, he addressed me and took time to comfort me and let me know it was okay to be upset.  He let me know he and the rest of the team are a phone call or email away any time of the day whenever we had questions.  He didn't leave our room until he knew that we would be okay.  In so many ways, he reminds me of the kind of doctor my dad is to his patients: one that cares about every aspect of his patients' well-being.  God was taking care of us!

3. We didn't see the blessing of having a week to let the possibility of CF sink in to our brains before actually hearing the diagnosis.  During the week of waiting, the uncertainty was exhausting and scary.  However, looking back over the situation, having that week was a blessing.  You see, when we met with our wonderful doctor for the first time, he gave us a great deal of information about Cystic Fibrosis.  He taught us about what the two defective genes cause the body to do.  He also talked to us about several of his patients that are thriving.  He gave us positive statistics to assure us this didn't have to be a horrible, awful thing.  (Don't get me wrong...CF is never good...but it isn't as bad as it used to be with medical advancements!)  Having that week gave us time to soak in all of the information.  When we went in a week later, hearing the diagnosis was hard, but it wasn't half as hard as it would have been if we had heard it the first week we went in for the sweat test!  God was taking care of us!

So what now?  

Because we had that week to chew on the possibility, we were able to take the news and process it a little better with the doctor that morning.  We were able to say, "This is not what we wanted, but it is what it is.  So what now?" To close out the story of our journey over the last 6 months, I thought I'd share a bit of our routine along with some of the ways Harper's care has progressed.  

At 3 weeks old, Harper began an enzyme treatment.  Because the Cystic affects her pancreas, Harper's body is unable to break down and absorb the nutrients from the food as efficiently as you or I.  To counteract this, we give Harper enzymes.  At 3 weeks old, we started her on 1/2 a capsule of enzymes before every feeding.  As she grows, we increase the amount by 1/2 a capsule to accommodate her growth.  Over the course of 5 months, Harper's enzymes have increased from 1/2 capsule every meal to 3 1/2 capsules!  It is amazing to me how she works the little beads down!  

This picture is a bit dark, but the canister at the top shows the amount of enzymes Harper began taking, 1/2 capsule.  The bottom canister shows the amount she is currently taking, 3 1/2 capsules.  There are about 18-20 little pellets in each capsule.  We thought 10 pellets was a lot for her when she first began this regimen!  Boy were we wrong!  She now takes down around 70 pellets like a champ!  Wow! 

Not long after beginning enzymes, the nutritionist started Harper on a higher calorie diet.  For most of her daily feedings, we now combine pumped milk with high calorie preemie formula and salt to help her gain weight.  CF patients often have to have a great deal more calories per day simply to maintain their weight compared to a normal, healthy person.

A little before Harper turned 3 months old, we started respiratory therapy.  For now, this consists of us breaking the thick, sticky mucous in her lungs free by patting 10 spots around her chest and back for about 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening.  Most days Harper does well with this routine.  It is really all in the timing, though!  If she is already tired or hungry, she gets a bit cranky and it makes for a very long half hour!  Baby Einstein works wonders for us these days!  

These are the percussion instruments.  They are made of a very soft rubber that vibrates Harper's lungs to break the mucous loose.  It feels like a massage on her back!

This week the doctor asked us to start another step to her respiratory therapy.  Before chest percussions, we now giver her Albuterol through a nebulizer.  So far, she is handling this process well.  

We are also a part of a nutritional study.  Before each visit, we journal everything Harper eats for 3 days.  We also log information about her diapers, her cough, her pain, and her mood.  We also carry in a stool sample and a urine sample.  That's probably the best part of this study!  (If you could hear me say that last sentence out loud, you would hear the sarcasm dripping out of every word!)  

Harper has come such a long way since the tiny 5 lb baby we first took to Vanderbilt for a sweat test!  

She has almost tripled her weight, and the doctors are thrilled with her progress!  We are in the groove of her treatments, and the doctors are adding new steps as they see fit.  We also have been able to cut back on our trips to Vanderbilt to every other month!  That's a huge jump for us!  

The biggest blessing of all is that beautiful smiling baby!  

God is taking care of us on a daily basis.  We see His love in different ways every day.  Today, we saw it in the love of our church family and they help they have provided to us.  We are loved, and we are blessed!  

We are still unable to worship as a family of 3 with our Highland family, but we are growing closer each day!  I'm so eagerly awaiting that day!  

Highland people:  wash your hands and get plenty of Vitamin C!  No more getting the Flu and colds and Strep allowed!  Harper needs to make her debut to church soon!