Preparing for rain...

I've had several people ask me for an update on our sweet girl...honestly I've wanted to post for a while now, but life happens and right now I am just trying to keep up! Being 8 months pregnant, chasing an 18 month old, repainting 5 rooms in our house, the AC going out, and getting a nursery and "big boy" room ready have kept me spinning...and when I have a free moment, I'm floating in the pool trying to survive this south Alabama heat.

So how is life with the Yarbroughs? Only one word could do it justice...SWEET!

Several weeks ago, Bryant and I were having a few hard days. Our emotions were riding in a cart on the fastest roller coaster and in a matter of seconds it went up, then quickly went down. We had already decided that we needed to move forward, in our hearts we honestly wanted to, but how? He asked me one night if I remembered a part in the movie Facing the Giants...it was the scene where the older man was telling the coach about 2 farmers. One farmer prayed for rain for his fields, and the other farmer prayed for rain for his fields but he also began to prepare the fields to receive it. The older man then asked the coach who he thought had received the rain. The thought of that really hit home with us. We are crying out for healing for our daughter, but hadn't prepared for it to happen. God had graciously given us about 10 weeks to cry, to cope and to pray. It was now time to put into action our beliefs...that the Creator of every living thing, the Healer of the sick/blind/mute/crippled, and the Redeemer that caused the dead to be raised could heal Henley, and we had and could believe it.

Today, I can honestly say we have begun to prepare our fields.

There is so much joy, there is so much peace and with that comes hope. The week after Father's Day, Bryant called home from work and told me to start finding out all the information I could on Osteogensis Imperfecta and how and what we would need to do in order to care for her in the hospital. Going through the first Father's Day without my dad and having a hard weekend thinking about Henley was tough. Actually it was really tough, and when Bryant called and told me he felt as if it were like a light switched had been turned on for him, it turned on something inside me too. It's awesome to see how God allows your helpmate to truly be your helpmate! To be perfectly honest we talked that week about how we didn't think we would have had her this long. We were told she may not make it to delivery, and yet at every appointment we have a strong heartbeat, she kicks with passion, and Bryant has even been able to feel her move. She is alive and we knew that we better get ourselves in gear to prepare for what we were crying out for.

We know what the medical professionals told us, and we know her "odds" but more importantly we know that our Sovereign Heavenly Father has Henley's days written, not the doctors. We know that He can heal her or He can take her home...and in either circumstance we are choosing not to waste one day of her precious life.

So with all that said...
Henley is doing wonderful on all accounts! She is growing, even if it's just a little. Dr. Waller said she is still in the less than 10th percentile, and they can't get an accurate "guess" of her weight due to her long bones being so small. She still has fractures, but seems to be growing despite them! Her organs and heartbeat have appeared to be perfect at every ultrasound. She constantly gets the hiccups and has positioned herself on my right side (her big brother favored that side too!) At our last ultrasound, the sweet tech confirmed she had lots of hair :) and it sure makes all the heartburn worth it! Despite her brittle bones and fractures she is a FIGHTER! It honestly humbles me to think of how courageous and strong she has been in just 33 weeks of life. Oh the things I will learn from this daughter of mine!

We are on weekly appointments with Dr. Waller now and will continue until 39 weeks, when I will more than likely be scheduled for my c-section. Henley and I both get monitored during these visits. This week was our first one and Dr. Waller said the results are exactly what he had hoped to see. I am contracting a little, so little I couldn't feel them, and she was all over the place with a great heart rate! :) I am thankful we get to go in once a week to see/hear her, it's definitely given us a peace of mind, but also allows Bryant to hear what his little girl is up to! With each visit, we have confirmation of our decision to deliver in Montgomery and to have Dr. Waller guide us through this journey. Have I mentioned he is WONDERFUL????

Part of "preparing our fields" was getting William into his big boy bed and Henley's nursery complete! I am blessed with an AMAZING family who helped tackle all of this. I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to have a complete nursery ready for Henley, I kept thinking it could be something I did after she arrived. (What was I thinking???) It was a fear I fought for several weeks....what would people say if I did it? What happens if the Lord chooses to take her? How would I be able to get it together in just 6 weeks? Mom and I cleaned her room out last week, and after a whirlwind visit from Suzanne...I am THRILLED to say it's COMPLETE! God has blessed us with people who will come along side of us and walk this with us...it looks different for everyone involved, but it has made an impact on mine and Bryant's life in ways we just can't explain.

My little girl has a room. She has a place that is hers. She has a few clothes and bows and even a bunny lovey. More than all of that, she has a place in our family. She is our daughter, she is William's baby sister, she is a granddaughter. God has used her little, fragile bones and the suffering that her momma and daddy have carried for their baby girl to bring the Gospel alive in our family. She is a constant reminder of our need for the Cross and how one day, soon, this will all be made right. I wouldn't want this to ever happen again, but Bryant and I are learning that through the tears we have cried there is hope, joy and sweet times with our Father!

In 6 SHORT weeks, she should be arriving, I went for a while where I dreaded to see the month of August roll around. I knew the closer to my due date I got, the more uncertain I would be of my daughter's life. I would be lying to say that concern and worry doesn't creep in every once in a while, because it does. However, my heart has changed and to think about holding this sweet baby in my arms and telling her how her little life has already impacted so many gets me absolutely giddy! I am ready to see my family of 3 become a BLESSED family of 4!

Thank you for your prayers and love...you are helping us to prepare our fields.


I thought I would add a peek of the "big boy" room and Henley's nursery....