Rejoice!

Joshua is looking great today.  We got to snuggle for 3 hours, and he slept the whole time.  He hasn't had any bradycardia/apnea episodes for more than two days now, and his abdomen is nice and soft, nontender, and nondistended.  They restarted his feeds today at 2 mL every 4 hours, and he has been tolerating it well.  Tonight he gained 35 grams, up to 1295 g, or 2 lbs 14 oz.  We're getting close to three pounds!  We had a new nurse today fresh out of college, and she said the training program is pretty rigorous.  They won't let her care for the really sick babies without her preceptor there, but she can be alone with the stable babies like Joshua.  You could look at that in a negative way that we didn't have the most experienced nurse assigned to Joshua.  I, however, prefer to view it as a positive, that he is considered easy again.  :)       

Right after I posted my blog last night, I read my friend Wendy's blog ( Worship 24-7 ), and she posted the perfect scripture for what has been on my mind lately, Philippians 4:4-7 (especially verses 6-7).

 ⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I've mentioned some miracles we have experienced with Joshua so far, and one miracle I may not have mentioned was the peace I have felt through this whole experience.  It certainly has surpassed my understanding!  Granted, that level of peace has varied, with more during the pregnancy and a little less a few days ago when we were faced with a setback in Joshua's health.  I don't know exactly how to explain it, but I feel like God has really worked in our lives and has shown himself to us.  When everything is smooth sailing, it's easy to sit back and forget about rejoicing in the Lord or turning your life over to Him.  I look back at all the times I coasted through life relying on myself instead of turning everything over to God, and I see a lot of  missed opportunities.  I'm so grateful that God is always there for us, carrying us when we need it...and even when we think we don't.