NICU Day 92 ~ (March 8th)

Noelle turned 3 months / 13 weeks old today!!  It is amazing to look back and remember what this day was like only a few months ago and to see where we are now.  So much has happened, and it has been quite the roller coaster; but God has been ever faithful to carry us through and bring us to where we are now with Noelle.  His infinite grace has been so evident and especially overwhelming as we know of other friends/believers who are walking through deep waters right now or others with children who did not experience the same miracle which we experienced.  Sometimes I have wondered "why us?"  "Why did we experience a miracle and these other people did not?"  "What makes us so 'special' to have our circumstances changed for the better?"  But God gently reminds me that even that line of questioning is not correct as it puts the focus back on ourselves and not on Him.  For His own reasons, He has chosen to work His sovereign will in such a way as to grant life to our baby girl.  Ultimately, it is not about us but about Him and His glory; and we are overwhelmingly thankful for how He has chosen to demonstrate His grace in our lives through Noelle.  Even more incredible to me is that this grace, which sustains us through our situation, is also the same grace that carries the believer through tremendous loss and heartache.  I cannot even begin to put it into words but can only stand in awe of God and this truly amazing grace.

We came into Noelle's room today and discovered that she had already been celebrating her birthday with her nurse, Emily, all through the night.  Her whiteboard was decorated by one of the nurses, and they had also been busy making hand prints and snapping photos (even capturing a smile!) to decorate her isolette.  It is such a joy and a comfort to our hearts to have nurses like this taking care of our precious bundle.  We so appreciate the love they show and the fun that they have with our little girl while we cannot be with her. 

Noelle weighed 1,060 grams today (or 2 lbs. 5 oz.).  She seems to be cruising along in her progress, and we are hoping that she keeps up this pace of growth.  As promised, I am including more pictures of her sitting up in her new doll chair.  The chair portion usually sits on a frame...

...but her nurse, Donna (or Aunt Donna as Noelle now calls her), took the little chair seat (which is adjustable in and of itself) off the frame so that it would fit in her isolette, and she could sit up during her wakeful periods.

She is so happy to be able to look around and yet still be able to stay warm.  Plus, it is so cute that it causes all of the people she loves in the NICU to stop by for an extra little visit to see her sitting in her new chair.  All in all, she had a great day and thoroughly enjoyed her birthday.  Thank you for continuing to pray for our little family!!