One more step

Today was another day closer to Ethan's trip home! In these first two pictures, you can see the nurse in the background getting Ethan's lunch started. They still have his feeding tube going into his nose, he seems to handle that better than in his mouth. He looks like a burrito wrap in this picture below because 1-he feels safe and secure that way, 2-it keeps him from pulling his cords! I remember my dad telling me that after he had surgery, he woke up very determined to get that tube out of his throat. This must be in the Sherman gene pool somewhere, so Ethan comes by it honestly. I wonder how Dad would have responded to being swaddled though...Today we went in to see Ethan, and discovered that he'd outgrown the extra small diapers they'd been using, so they went up a size. Apparently, baby diaper designers didn't really think through their sizing charts, as you can see below. Katie and I spent a good 10 minutes laughing at this. Ethan didn't seem to mind, he was pretty good-natured about it all as he slept. He was actually a little bit lethargic today. I was a bit concerned at first that he was so sleepy, but Katie read that all babies, especially premature babies have active days, and tired days. I know that its true for adults too, so it makes sense.

While we were at the hospital today, Katie and I met a family who also has just had a premature baby. We had a mutual friend who put us in touch with each other, so we thought we'd get to know them a little as we are both spending significant amounts of time at the hospital over this next month or so. It was a very pleasant, and encouraging time for us. Their son is even younger than Ethan, and has a few more challenges to face, so please lift up the Bolton family as God lays them on your hearts.

This last couple of days, Katie and I have been confronted again and again with the realization that God has been so gracious to us. Ethan was certainly young, but he is healthy in so many ways. We thank God for that, and give Him glory. There are others that we've seen who are in our situation, but God for His own reasons chose to give their children more difficult times, yet they still praise God and give Him glory! I love that my God's goodness and praise-worthiness is not dependent on my situation.