day 20...

"And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up." James 5:15

I must start by saying THANKS BE TO GOD! After all our begging & pleading, God has blessed our little man with the ability to urinate! Yes, Coy urinated all day, alot! He still has fluid on his lungs, however was requiring slightly less oxygen today; his blood gases remain stable...we are so thankful to our savior Jesus Christ!

Christmas this year has a new meaning to our families and Chris and I. It seems so cliche, but no material good is important to us anymore...all we want for Christmas is for God to heal our son! I know God uses events in our lives for different purposes; I truly feel he wanted to become closer to us, our families, friends, co-workers, relatives, etc. Do you think he used us because we invited so many people to our wedding?? (my attempt at humor...insert laughter) I was raised in the Catholic church, went to "Sunday school" until I was confirmed as a Junior in high school, have attended church my entire life, have prayed at night, however, I have never been as close to God as now...it seems the more you pray and talk to him the closer you become. Over the past three weeks, I have been angry with God, questioning my faith, wondering why he chose us and Coy--I am now understanding that God wants relationships with us; I am now realizing how Great our God is; how he uses events in our lives to bring us closer to him. As I sit next to Coy's bedside, I beg and plead with God; for Coy to breathe, for Coy to urinate, for Coy to be free of infection; I know there may not be any immediate response, however I know the Lord is hearing my prayers, I know he will answer in his own way.

"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Luke 11:9-10

Some specific prayer requests for Coy tonight:
1) for his PDA to remain closed
2) for the antibiotics to work and rid the infection
3) for the antibiotics to be at therapeutic levels and not harm Coy's kidneys
4) for Coy to have adequate urine output
5) for Coy to remain free of bleeding in the brain
6) for Coy to excrete to fluid in his lungs
7) for Coy's lungs to mature and grow
8) for Coy to tolerate breast milk, that it will nourish his body
9) for Coy's oxygen requirement be lowered
10) for his blood gases to remain "good"
11) for Coy to remain comfortable and "pain" free
12) for the wisdom and endurance of his nurses and doctors

Thanks to all you prayer warriors! May each of you feel the blessings that our little boy is receiving! We are so thankful to each and every one of you!