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Today Selah turned 2 weeks old. It is so hard to believe she has been with us that long. Time goes by so fast.

She still has not gotten the hang of feeding. She really is a mystery to us. We have tried all sorts of methods to convince her that food is awesome, but she still is just coming along at her own pace. She still hasn’t come back up to her birth weight. I can’t wait for that day, knowing that she is thriving. She has gained a bit since coming home from hospital, so we’re making progress, its just slow. Maybe we had this coming giving her a name like Selah (pause, meditate, consider, being some of the meanings) We’re trying to convince her that the newborn stage is not quite the time to start the fasted lifestyle.

We’re spending the days working on just nursing (to eliminate the nurse, bottle, pump- which was taking 2+ hours) and letting her wake when she wants during the day, so hopefully over the 24 hour period she is getting her quota. Continuing to bottle her and pump at nights to keep volume in her and to keep our sanity.  We’ve started her on a larger dose of reflux medicine hoping that if that is a problem it will fix it. But we ultimately are just crying out for healing in any area that is not right. Hopefully something in this plan will work, or we’re back to square 1. Please continue to pray that she will just get the hang of nursing and we can be done with this silly pumping business.

My mom and dad leave tom. which is a daunting thing to think about- they have been such a support and extra help during all of this. Please pray for grace and strength for Zach and I to be able to manage her schedule. It’s amazing how much time a tiny little person can require, but overall, no matter the schedule, the sleepless nights, and being stuck in the house all day, I love my little one with all my heart. I never thought I could feel this way about another person- it seems sometimes that the love I have in my heart really can’t even be expressed. I have learned so much about the Father God’s heart towards me- He’ll never give up on me, nothing I could ever do could make him love me less, and he is so pleased in the person that I am, not for what I can do. I am so thankful for that and I wouldn’t have been able to make it even 2 weeks without his Spirit living inside me.

Thank you for praying. Suddenly break in Lord. Suddenly break in.

Well we have made it 24 hours at home! Momma, Daddy, and baby are much more happier to be snuggled into the comfort of home. Selah did brilliantly her first night at home. She had a full feed from the bottle every feed during the night. Then during the day today we focused back on nursing. She is slowly getting better and I am confident she will come around. There are still the odd feeds where she is super sleepy and just doesn’t want to eat anything. But on a good note, her tummy seems to be settling and she brings up her burps a lot easier and seems a bit more settled during feeds. It’s easy for me to get overwhelmed and wonder if she is getting enough food. Oh, how I long for the day when I can put the pump and bottle away in storage for the occasional time we are apart.

On a final note- Selah projectile pooed on me today. It was quite impressive. I couldn’t be angry. I just adore everything about this little one and I am so thankful that Jesus has given her to us that we would be stewards over her life. I will end this with a saying that is on a tea towel my mom bought me “Motherhood- the toughest job you’ll ever love.” I love being Selah’s Momma.

Prayer Points:

-Selah would nurse a full feed.

-She would be more alert and eager during feeds

-Wisdom for me as a mom- there are so many opinions out there as to what I should do and I just want heavenly wisdom that is perfect for Selah’s frame.

-Grace, strength, and rest to Zach as he is up with me for just about every feed to help with all the extra things I need to do.

-Peace to my heart as my family leaves Friday

-Extra grace during the night feeds- supernatural rest

Keep praying. It works.

Mal

We are finally home with our sweet little girl!!! They released us from hospital this afternoon. It feels so wonderful writing this update knowing that I don’t have to go back to the hospital in a few hours, rather she is tucked away in her bassinet sleeping away.  As much as I am rejoicing in the fact that we are finally together I am still a bit weary in confidence having her here.

The reason they released us is because there was nothing else they could do for Selah. She has checked out physically in perfect condition and they are unsure as to the cause of her feeding troubles.(we may never know) The pediatrician felt confident to release her. I figured that it was just better for us to come home and let her make progress here. She has gained 60g in the past few days, so food is getting into her- it’s just a slow process.

Please continue to pray that Selah would begin to breast feed normally. Right now I am doing a combination with pumping and bottle feeding and it is very time consuming. It’s like doubling the work and life can be consumed by feeds. Pray that I would have peace and confidence in my heart as her mother and that the Lord would sustain me and give me grace to bear long with her. Pray that she would continue to put on weight and thrive.

It feels so nice to have the help of mom and dad and Zach. I am so thankful that my parents will get 4 days at home with her. The Lord is faithful!

Thank you for your continued prayers. The Lord sees, he hears, and he knows.

Mal

Here’s the latest on Selah:

Dear friends and family,

It means so much for us to have yall standing behind us. We just love yall so much!! KEEP PRAYING I will try to update you with more progress, but I have only just now found to time to announce her birth, so we’ll see

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I’ve felt the Lord release grace to study the Cross over the past few weeks. Here is a quote i heard in Allen Hood’s The excellencies of Christ by St. Anselm that i loved and wanted to share. Oh the glory, beauty, and horror of the Cross, love’s most sacred moment, where we see the love of God the clearest, and where the character and beauty of the Son shines the brightest for us to behold!

hello all! just wanted to share an amazing message preached from our Associate Director and friend, Dalton Lifsey. He shared this message at our last Tuesday night meeting, and it has to be one of my favorite messages i’ve ever heard. This message gives a clear picture of one of the foundational visions we are laboring for in our city. I highly recommend giving it a listen. I also wanted to share it with all the ones who have been partnering with us over the past few years.

Give it a listen, and if the Lord so moves, come and join us as we labor to build a resting place for God in the city of Tauranga.

http://daltonlifsey.com/2011/03/08/tauranga-a-city-of-refuge-and-a-dwelling-place-for-god/

I am sure most of you now have heard the news of the devastating quake and tsunami that hit Japan tonight. New Zealand is included in the tsunami watch area, possibly expecting a very small one around 6:15am NZ time, but it’s not expected to be damaging. We just wanted to update you and let you know that we are ok and will keep you updated come morning.

We were informed of the quake/ tsunami in the middle of our Friday night prayer meeting. I could think of no better place to be when receiving such news. We immediately shifted the focus of our prayer meeting towards Japan, crying out for mercy, peace, hope, signs and wonders, and that the Word of the Lord would go forth in power all across the nation.

In light of the Christchurch quake just weeks ago, we are extremely sobered once again as we consider the unique times we are living in. It is hard for this to not gain our attention and this causes our hearts to plunge into a posture of standing in the Lord’s counsel, crying out for revelation and the knowledge of God, and continuing to worship and proclaim the truth of who he is.