Life as Levi Joel: March 2016

Although we haven't gotten used to the surgeries Joel has had to endure and are definitely not excited to face this next one, we are relieved to be almost over our first set of them. My heart always stops for a second when we finally have a date on the calendar for a surgery, which we do now-April 6th. This will be the last syndactyly release for now, which means Joel will have his remaining fused toes and fingers separated. All but one, that is. His little pinkie, which many of you have prayed for over the last six months, will have to wait to be separated again for now. When he is bigger, and it can be done a little more safely, we will try again. It would clearly not be safe to try to separate it and his middle finger from his ring finger all at the same time. I can't deny that I feel disappointed in some ways that Joel will not have 10 free fingers this year as originally planned and thought, but this is clearly what is best for him at this point, and we are trusting God's overall plan for this pinkie to bring Him glory in whatever way that might be and still asking for a complete restoration.

On a very encouraging note, we are amazed at how Joel is overcoming and developing despite his obstacles! When we first came to the United States from Honduras, Joel would not use his hands at all. We now believe that the very hot and humid climate in La Ceiba was causing his fingers to swell and be even more uncomfortable, and he struggled continually with ingrown fingernails and sensitivity. We were excited upon our arrival to the States to see this change considerably and see him start to hold and grab toys and objects and no longer cry out in pain when his fingers were bumped. As you can imagine, he is having to catch up in developing his upper and lower body muscles after not wanting to use his hands his first six months of life. We still have not looked for a professional therapist and may or may not need to after surgery, but for now are using many common exercises at home to help him develop his muscles and push him to overcome his fears of putting pressure on his fingers and toes. His biggest struggle has been weight-bearing. We are overcoming a huge obstacle this month as he is finally standing and bearing his weight on his feet for longer periods of time after pushing him and pushing him! He is finally pushing up on his arms more and more as well, and we can see him slowly gaining more confidence and more strength.

The interesting thing is that Joel has found ways to get around his obstacles. He is fully mobile and scoots around very quickly all around the house on his bottom exploring! He opens cabinets, gets to my decorations, plays in the curtains and has been caught eating the dirt from my plant on several occasions. He is very smart and doing many other normal things for his age. Things such as stacking blocks, drinking and eating by himself, leafing through books and "quacking" when he sees the duck, signing and saying some words, understanding things in Spanish and English, listening and responding to some basic commands, dancing and humming to songs, clapping, putting things in and out of boxes, trying to use forks and spoons in the right way, trying to fit puzzled shapes into their spots, trying to use crayons and markers to color in the right way, kissing the baby dolls, helping to dress himself, and wanting to try to do many things by himself without our help just like any baby his age!

This baby is truly special! The laughter and joy God has brought into our home through him couldn't be described with justice! As I sit here writing this post, I can hear him across the room blowing me kisses, laughing, and babbling to himself. He is sweet, silly, content, laid-back, smiley and just amazing! I can say without thinking twice (and I know that my husband would say the same) that if I could take back having him born into our family, I never would. Yes, outwardly he is and will be different, but I am so thankful for a God who looks at the heart as it says in 1 Samuel 16:7b when the Lord chose David as the next king of Israel: "The Lord does not look at the things that people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." And 1 Corinthinans 1:26-31 "Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: 'Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.'" And we do! We boast in His goodness and mercy towards us and Joel.We do not deserve the grace He has and continues to give us! Jesus has become our wisdom from God, and in this situation especially we want His perspective and His heart to permeate our lives. We don't want to become discouraged by the outward things going on around us, but to maintain our eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ, and run our race well knowing that one day we will be forever in His presence.

As we come upon this last surgery for now (or at least, that we hope!), please pray that our focus would remain on Him, even when it's hard. Pray that God would be glorified in our and Joel's lives.