lydia the model.

isn't she lovely? i can't get over it. kelly did a phenomenal job of capturing her sweet sweet face. i adore them. both the pictures and lydia. and well, chelsea and kelly for that matter. they are all the good kind. (kirk is neat too.) to see more pictures, you can scoot on over to chelsea's facebook page.

as far as updates go, lydia has knocked all 5 of her bottle feedings back so far today. she has one more tonight. praying she can finish that one as well. the sooner she finishes each of her six bottle feedings every day, the sooner she gets bumped up to all 8 feedings by bottle, the sooner she goes home.

she also still needs to be able to regulate her body temperature, something she can't quite do yet. but, that should become easier as she puts more meat on the those precious bones. (she is up to 3lbs 9ozs! grow baby grow!) we want her outta that incubator.

incubator -> regular bed -> HOME!

so! pray specifically that she can continue to keep up her strength - that she has no really puny days. and that she can regulate her body temperature.

(all photos by kelly is nice photography)

with great affection

 

 

Lydia,

I am sure you have heard your mom and dad tell you how special and beautiful you are.  And you know what... they are right.  You are made in the image of the Almighty God.  And although you are small now, God knew exactly what He was doing when He brought you into this world.  God’s Holy Word talks about a woman named Lydia.  The Bible says she was a worshiper of God and that the Lord opened her heart.  Lydia, that has been my prayer for you since I have known you.  I pray that you are transformed into a worshiper of God.  That your heart will sing praises to the God who made you.  I pray the Lord opens your heart so that you may receive His amazing grace.  You have two amazing parents who first love Christ whole-heartedly and secondly, love each other with a beautiful covenantal love.  And from their love of the Father and their love of each other came you.  Your mom and dad have loved you and prayed for you long before you were born.  Trust them, obey them, learn from them, love them.  I can’t wait to watch you grow.  What a beautiful woman you will become.

With great affection,

Shannon

 

_____________________

 

 

the letter above is from chelsea's dear friend shannon. if that doesn't make you weepy, then i am pretty sure your soul is made of stone. 

 

i think the idea of writing lydia a letter is phenomenal. in fact, i think we should all do it. i have a picture in my head of kirk and chelsea handing lydia a fat stack of letters when she turns 16 or when the timing is just right. maybe when she needs to find the courage to fight like she did the day she was born or a gentle reminder that she is fearfully and wonderfully made.

so, write her if you'd like. it can be short. it can be long. write her something sentimental. or even something silly. i'm sure that lydia will like silly. but, all with great affection. 

 

you can email the letter to me  - yesyoumaigh at gmail.com or mail one to the mcdonald home.

feedings & facial hair

this picture. seriously. is it still cool to use the term LOL? no? whatever.

today they officially moved lydia to 6 bottle feedings a day! that leaves a measly two feedings to the tube. i'm pretty sure i'll be getting her a prize for such great work.

they also did an ultrasound of her little noggin. it is normal procedure to do one on a babe born before 36 weeks, just to make sure there is no hemorrhaging or swelling. thankfully all looked well!

continue to lift them all up in prayer. the days are long and they are more than ready to get home. good thing she seems to have no problem entertaining everyone with an impressive moustache.

i was thrilled to be able to see lydia outside of the incubator last night while she had a bottle. i'm not sure that the pictures really show how teeny she is. the thing that kinda boggles my mind is she is only that. just teeny. she looks exactly as i would picture her if she had been carried full term, only a mini version. perfect in every way. with the sweetest full cheeks.

she was a little sleepy peanut, making her 8pm feeding a little tough. chelsea said that they usually have the hardest time getting her to finish her last bottle each day. makes sense. girl is worn out by then. tonight however, was a different story. she finished her bottle in 16 minutes, setting another record for herself! that paired with being able to hold lydia more than usual seemed to have wrapped up a better day for kirk and chelsea.

and that makes me happy. very happy.

four.

four! the number of bottles completely finished in a row! a record for lydia, that i'm sure will be broken soon.

i snapped a few pictures while visiting this evening. i'll be sure to get them posted in the morning.