Merry belated Christmas from Truitt and family!
As we look back on the past several months, it’s so easy for us to say that we are “ready for 2016 to be over.” The year has certainly presented significant challenges and heartache, not only for us, but also for many of our dearest friends and family. But through it all, we still have immense joy at the blessings 2016 has brought. We are reminded of Job’s words as he faced unspeakable tragedy: “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” God is not a vending machine to dispense us goodies on demand, and to be kicked when He fails to deliver our desires. And throughout this year, with its many challenges, God has shown Himself to be faithful in all things.
There is nothing quite like the Christmas season to remind us of how much we have to be grateful for and to not take for granted the people who are still with us! Five months ago, we hoped Truitt would survive to see the end of August. And here he is celebrating his first Christmas in good health! This year has been like no other for our family, but through it all God has shown himself so incredibly faithful. His grace is truly sufficient. We would never want to walk through this year again, but if I had the opportunity to do the year over, I would not choose to change it. We have learned so much, grown so much closer, and have so much more of an appreciation for the family of God. Not to mention we now get to witness a living miracle every single day!
“Every blessing you pour out I’ll turn back to praise. When the darkness closes in Lord, still I will say: Blessed be Your Name.”
– Blessed be Your Name, Matt Redman
Truitt is doing amazingly well! He is hitting all of his developmental markers for his age (5 months) not just his adjusted age (3 months). He still gets a lymphatic massage and compression wraps on his feet and legs every morning, and that still seems to be managing the swelling in his feet for the time being. Grandma found him some cute little shoes for Christmas that will even fit over his feet when they are wrapped! We still hope that someday God would cure the swelling in his hands and feet completely, but for now, the swelling is serving to remind us of how far God has brought him. He is still not nursing very well, so Leisel still spends a lot of time pumping and bottlefeeding, but she is determined that he will exclusively nurse someday! This will make the daily routine of life much simpler. In true Prentice baby fashion, Truitt is still a late-nighter, but I guess it’s nice to know he’s normal like our other babies too.
Truitt is such a happy wiggly little man! If you look at him he will almost always smile at you, and as babies do, he smiles with his whole entire body! He is starting to grab for his toys and put them in his mouth, rollover, is close to laughing out loud, and is drooling a lot – which makes us think that on top of it all, we are about to deal with teething too! 🙂 He is absolutely adored by at least 3 of his siblings, and most of the time by all 4. 🙂
We have been able to get Truitt into his physicians at Mayo and Seattle Children’s for follow up visits during the last several weeks as well. (He sure has seen a lot of the country in his 5 months of life!) They were all happy with his progress, gave some slight adjustments to the management of the lymphedema, and reassured us that the swelling moving up into his diaper area is not a cause for panic at this time. We are still praying that his hydrocele heals itself quickly and on its own.
David is also doing really well after his bladder cancer surgery. The pathology report showed that the cancerous tumor was superficial, meaning that they were able to remove all the cancer completely during his surgery at the beginning of December. He is now cancer free! He continues to recover from the surgery, and will return to Mayo for follow up in a few months. We are so grateful for your prayers and God’s provision during this time! We are still thankful, even for 2016.
When we take a moment to slow down and reflect, we realize how much we have to be thankful for.
- The fact that Truitt was lovingly formed by God, even before we ever met him.
- Detection of the problems with Leisel’s pregnancy early enough to allow doctors to care for Truitt, even in the womb.
- Friends and family who gathered around us, supported us, served us, and lifted us up in prayer.
- Protection of Leisel through labor and a safe delivery.
- Preservation of Truitt’s life and physical healing in through 29 days in NICU.
- Open doors for Truitt to receive more specialized care out of state when needed.
- Detection of David’s cancer and complete healing.
- Truitt’s first Christmas. 🙂
- Too many other blessings to name or count.
We hope you all had a very merry Christmas celebrating the gift that makes life worth living. May your 2017 be a wonderful year for you and your families!
A Look Back at 2016.
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