Light in the dark

Well... it has been an exciting week!!!!!  As recent as Sunday, we did not think Brylee would be coming home for another few weeks and were concerned that she might have to stay until she would have been 42 weeks gestation and then come home with a surgically inserted feeding tube.  To say that Brylee turned the corner is an understatement!!!  All of a sudden on Monday (all because of everyone's prayers), Brylee began eating correctly (sucking, swallowing, and breathing) on her own.  As we waiting in angst this week to see if Brylee had any thing else come up that would prevent her from coming home, she continued to excel and develop.  By the time Wednesday evening rolled around, Brylee was still doing great!  Thursday, the NICU bid us farewell.  Even though she is now home, Brylee continues to struggle with eating and taking a bottle.  The journey is all but over!!!!!  We ask for continued prayers for the struggles that Brylee is facing now that she is home.  In addition to the feeding issues that Brylee is still dealing with, we still don't have any answers about how the brain issues will affect her development. 

In parting, the NICU had several last instructions.  Among them were: protect her from exposure to germs because her immune system is still immature, make sure she rests, etc.  The most notable was that even though Brylee is now home, we still needed to make sure that only family members were the people interacting with her and holding her.  We know that everyone wants to meet Brylee and have an opportunity to hold the baby that all of you have been praying for earnestly, but for now the NICU has said that is not possible.

When we got home, Adaline and Maddox went ballistic!!!!!  Their baby sister was home!!!!!  Most of all, we think they were most excited about having mommy back home during the day.  Adaline has taken to playing mommy to Brylee.  While this has been a challenge, it has been extremely cute to see!!  Maddox has been running around acting like he is riding a stick horse!!!!  To both of them, Brylee is as normal as any other new baby.  As far as they see, Brylee is perfect.  We have talked to Adaline about Brylee's situation (or at least in 3 year old terms) so that doctors' visits do not catch her off guard.

What a miracle we have seen this week!  As we were walking through the trials each day brought, we were reminded that God is in control.  As is our human nature, we allow our focus to drift from our creator's plan and onto our own feelings about the situation.  However, our feelings often deceive us.  God foresaw these days long before he allowed us to walk through the fire.  His plan is perfect and one that is meant to bring glory to the Kingdom of Heaven!!!!  What an opportunity to be involved in such a grandiose stage the Lord has set.  When you think about it though, we all have our own stages that the Lord has set.  Some riddled with challenges.  Others, blessings from Heaven.  Just as God allowed Job to go through the ringer, he remained steadfast in his focus and faith in God.  While we believe our situation pales in comparison with Job's situation, we are reminded that God blessed him tremendously, allowed him to go through severe trials, and then restored him as a result of his unwavering commitment to God.  We continue to ask for prayers from all of you that our gaze would remain focused on Christ and that we would continue to see the blessings he has given to us with Brylee's situation.  Some of the blessings we have already been given are opportunities to exemplify Christ's love for us to the NICU staff, other parents in the NICU, and those we interact with each day.  If the only blessing Christ has given us in this, is the opportunity to turn the story of Brylee into the plan of salvation, then what a blessing.

The Stratton's
Written by Mark