Can it get any cuter?! 🙂
He is 6 months old!
It’s hard to believe that a whole HALF OF A YEAR has gone by already with this precious little mister.
We’ve had a busy month, that’s for sure.
A couple of weeks ago, the Happy Baby got horribly sick.
It started out as the sniffles (courtesy of big brother :-)), and then graduated to bronchiolitis, which made the Happy Baby cough so hard he threw up everything he ate.
He lost an entire month and a half’s worth of weight gain in a matter of days.
And ended up with a double ear-infection along with a cocktail of medicines to help him survive such a terrible blow to his immune system.
I kind of freaked out.
The Happy Hubby had to take me to dinner and have a Comin’ to Jesus Meeting with me where he really challenged me to (once again) fully surrender our child to the Lord (don’t know what I’d do without you, Big Hunny).
It seems that I put him in the basket and then pick him up out of it like 3 seconds later.
Oh, to get it through my thick head that GOD IS IN CONTROL! That God loves the Happy Baby more than me! That He knows what He is doing…
So I opened my arms out to the Lord and gave up my fear, anxiety, desperate need to control/understand things, etc. for the 4,398th time.
I am not even kidding when I tell you that just a few days later, the Happy Baby started CHUGGING his bottles.
I mean, draining them dry, people!
He is now taking like 6-7 ounces at every feeding!
Once we got through the cough and he could actually keep his food down, the weight he had lost came back rather quickly.
I haven’t had to wrestle him with a bottle for several days now.
It’s been amazing.
The Happy Hubby and I are cautious, however… Things could change at any moment, but we are praising God for what He is doing today.
One thing, though, is that through the sickness, we realized that the Happy Baby’s feeding tube is deteriorating – which means we will need to have another surgery to get a more permanent/fancier tube placed.
It is a major bummer because he will have to be sedated again, but on the plus side, the new tube will actually look more like a little belly button instead of this long, dangly thing that the Happy Baby now thinks is a toy.
I am serious – I almost had heart failure the other day when I was changing his diaper and his little hands descended on the tube and pulled with such great force I thought his intestines were going to fly out and across the room.
Lil’ rascal.
The surgery is scheduled for the 18th of October – will you join me in prayer for that day? Asking God to let it be an easy procedure – with no set-backs like his last one. I will keep updates coming on the Facebook page…
In the meantime, the Happy Baby is just that – happy. Even when he was so sick – barfing left and right – he’d look up at me with his sweet little grin and while I was panicking about all the throw up, God comforted me with my little one’s winsome personality.
He sure is a warrior.
Y’all are the best prayer partners a blogger could ask for! 🙂
Hugs.
-Julie
I expected it to end “Happy feeding tube-ing.” =) Surprise ending! Loved the post baby!
Happy 6 months, sweet baby! Such a lot to have happen to one tiny person in just 6 months, its hard to believe that’s all the time it has been! Lots of struggles for your whole family, but what a blessing to have you all come out stronger and more sure of God’s love for you all than when you began. We’ll be thinking and praying for your little one on his up-coming surgery!
Julie – thank you so much for your faithful prayers and faithful comments on my blog… You are a real blessing and encouragement to me!
What a testimony your little one is. To be so young and to be so used by God to bless and encourage others. Not to say that your family is not a testimony. You all are. But, gradually it is becoming more how God is using him to bless others. The older he gets, the more he begins to remind me of the beginnings of Tim Tebow who God has used over the years to bless so many. We don’t know what the Lord has for his future buy God is in it and he certainly has the prayers of a multitude going up to the Lord on his behalf.
Prayers lifted up for your precious family..
Just love how the Lord works in your (chronicalled) life! Thank you for sharing & for allowing all of us to partner with you & your family in prayer. YOu have such grace & strength in the face of adversity….PHIL 4:13 personified!
Hugs to you, momma to momma, ~Sam ( momma to five)
Julie, Ur a winner…and ur little dumplings..they the the soooooooooper winners of all ! Ur faith and happiness had rubbed off onto them and thats exactly what they will be..faithful happy little winners… 🙂 Yes the little one will be in my prayers for sure along with ur family…ull get thru this but in all of it jus remember what ur hubby keeps reminding u…The little one will be with the bestest care taker of all thru out…God bless u and a hearfelt blessing coming up on the 18th for ur little man…Best of luck..keep us posted.
P.S – There are times when I draw strength and faith reading ur posts out of the blue, like today…somehow God wanted to tell me to surrender..so I will too. 🙂 Thank u Julie… 🙂
Julie,
I will continue to pray for you guys but especially on the 18th. Although I haven’t met you and your family, you are an inspiration to me. I too have an extremely hard time of letting go of things. My girls are 21 and 18 now, and it doesn’t get any easier now that they are both in college. But then when I finally turn the worrying over to God it all falls into place. Thank you and your family for being such a Christian examples in today’s society. I love all the updates, please keep them coming.
Tammy
I wil make poster ” Nilufer ” words mine:
(There are times when I draw strength and faith reading ur posts.)
It is so true and a blessing to me!
Thank you for sharing your story. God bless yall soecially the happy baby during his surgery.
In Christ,
Julie
So beautiful, Baby and words. Very very good to hear he is doing well.
Praise God that Happy baby has made it through his first cold with flying colors and maybe a few gray hairs for you 🙂 Pray for you often but will def. do so on the 18th.
Lisa
So glad to hear he’s doing better! I was worried when I texted you the other day with a “How’s the Happy Baby feeling now?” and got no response. Praise God for this great improvement in his feeding! How He uses even those things that try us (like infections and vomiting) to accomplish great things! Much love! PS – Can’t tell you how happy it made me to see you leading worship Sunday! That felt like a victory!!!
Julie, you don’t know me. I’m Sarah Hajduk’s mom, and I just wanted you to know I’ve been praying for you & your family & especially the Happy Baby and Happy Buddy since the beginning. Just wanted to encourage you and tell you how your awesome God is using you, an amazing woman, to bless the lives of so many! Proud to have you as a “sister”! Jackie Matthews
lsouth.net Sent: Tuesday, October 9, 2012 10:52 AM Subject: [New post] 6 Months
WordPress.com Happy Home Fairy posted: “Can it get any cuter?! 🙂 He is 6 months old! It’s hard to believe that a whole HALF OF A YEAR has gone by already with this precious little mister. We’ve had a busy month, that’s for sure. A couple of weeks ago, the Happy Baby got horribly sick. It”
Julie & Ryan…so thankful to know that Jet is feeling better and gaining weight and guzzling his bottles!! God bless you for your prayerful heart and your faithful testimony of God’s grace and work in your heart and your family. It blessed my heart to see you & Ryan both leading worship together this past Sunday! I’m sorry I haven’t written much lately…it doesn’t mean I haven’t been praying! Just life has gotten a bit chaotic lately and like you, I have to keep surrendering my fear. You are all often in my prayers and always in my heart! Many prayers for Oct. 18th! Love to all, Marla 🙂
Praying for y’all. That is never easy-no matter how big or small but I am confident in our really BIG God to comfort you all. Keep us all posted!
Praise God!!!! So, so, so grateful! 6-7?! That’s a TON!
He is such a cutie pie! What great pics!! Just wanted to say – 1. don’t live cautiously, waiting on the other shoe to drop – Satan will try to find a way to make that happen! Live with happy baby, just like you do with happy buddy – so tired at night you just wanna crash, because you’ve been soooo busy from all the fun! You just said yourself that God is in control – so live like it! 🙂 2. LOTS of kiddos DO pull their tube out – they just have to be re-inserted 🙁 “no biggie” says the NICU nurse 😉 and because I am a NICU nurse, I have to say – no intestines would go flying 😉 only yummies from the tummy – intestines are not near tube – well, I am assuming this is a GTube, and not a GJ!! Ack…maybe only the beginnings of intestines! 😉 Deep inhale, Mama. Smile. Calm. Exhale. Stop picking up the basket!! 🙂 NOT YOUR JOB! I’ll be praying for y’all! Two days after my 6th 29th birthday, so pray for my memory! 😀
We are praying for you daily. We will be praying for the surgery next week. Thank you for sharing so honestly. The happy baby is so blessed to call you mommy.
Continued prayers for your family from ours. God’s love is shining down on your happy baby for all the world to see! He is doing amazing things through him and your family. I hope that this comforts you, even when you feel you are fighting an uphill battle. You are truly an inspiration in how to live God’s Word, even through your struggles. Take care of your happy family!! : )
What a sweet Happy Baby! He is so precious! I am praying for him and for you guys too. I know God will get you through.
I will be praying for the Happy Baby, especially on the 18th! He’s a little darlin’! I am so grateful that God is in control:)
Oh, Julie. What a heart-warming, precious smile! Praying, praying, praying for all of you and for a successful surgery free of complications.