Mia's going to be a big sister

There has been so much going on with us lately! But the biggest news of all is that there is going to be an addition to the Dunham family. Mia is going to be a big sister at the end of February. She is really excited and loves to pray for "mommy's baby" before she goes to bed. (And just to clarify, none of those band-aids are actually covering any wounds...she just likes to decorate her arm)

This is Mia giving her "baby" a bottle...just getting some practice in so that she will be able to help Mommy when the new baby comes. (This is actually her cousin, Collin, who is only a year younger than her and out-weighs her by a few pounds)

We have been extremely blessed this year and it is only half over...a new house, a new church, Mia's sucessful surgery, finding out I'm pregnant without any medical intervention....I can't wait to see what God has in store for us!

Isaiah 26--Perfect Peace

Chapter 26 of Isaiah brought me such peace that I felt I needed to share it. After already reading in chapter 25 that the Lord will destroy death and bring us to a wonderful banquet in heaven, chapter 26 brings us encouragement that we don't have to wait for until Jesus comes. The peace that is offered in this chapter is open to us now.

Verses 1&2 speak of salvation as a wall and the gates are open to those who keep the faith. And verses 3&4 go on to say that "[God] will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on [God] because he trusts in [God]. So trust in the Lord forver for the Lord God is an everlasting rock" Though it may be difficult to stay strong in the faith when there is every sort of temptation pulling you away from it, God has brought you into his wall of salvation and will protect you. God will give you perfect peace...something that is very hard to come by in a economic crisis, or in the midst of a child's illness, or when the future of your spouse's job is uncertain, or while simply struggling to stay patient with a 2-year-old.

But God promises to give us that perfect peace when we keep our mind stayed on him. Though the world is telling us to be afraid, though our friends and families may be trembling in fear, and even if we have a tiny bit of doubt creeping in our minds...when we intentionally fight to keep our hearts and minds fixed on the Lord God, our everlasting rock, he will give us a peace that is not just satisfactory or simply acceptable...it is a peace that is perfect, without flaw. Verse 12 even says that God ordained peace for us. He already planned for us to have peace. And we can have all of this (salvation, peace, a place in heaven, freedom from death) because as verse 12 goes on to say he has indeed done for us all our works. We don't have to count on getting any of those things I have mentioned because we are good enough or we have done something to deserve them. God has done the work for us and offers those things to us by his grace.

Verses 13-15 remind me that I shouldn't worry about the state of our nation and I shouldn't have doubts about who is leading our country. These verses say that even though other lords have ruled over us, the name of God alone will be remembered. The rulers of this world have and will all die and will not be remembered. As Christians, God is our one true ruler and we know that when Jesus returns every knee will bow to Him. God has placed those rulers above us, he is in control of their plans, and ultimately their plans will be destroyed and God will continue to reign.

I am so thankful for the peace that is offered to us through the grace of God!

Isaiah 25

I have been reading through the book of Isaiah (something I attempted once before but without the proper tools, I gave up only a few chapters into the book). I would strongly recommend reading this after finding a copy of the commentary on Isaiah by Ray Ortlund. He makes a theologically dense book very applicable and easy to understand. God has taught me so much and I'm not even half-way through the study.

Chapter 25 is a great encouragement when life seems overwhelmingly hard. Upon reading the first five verses I could think of nothing else but the glorious things that God has done and how He stands high above all earthly powers. The world can often take over our thoughts so that we feel defeated and frustrated. The events in our life can pile up and seem unsurmountable...but even in these times, we can choose to exalt God and praise His name. Even in these times, God's plans are being carried out and we can trust Him to be faithful and sure. In difficult times God is a stronghold and a shelter. But God's plans do not end with the power and strength He can give us while we are on earth...

In verse 6, Isaiah goes on to say that the Lord will make a feast for us in heaven. We will receive every wonderful thing and there will be absolutely no disappointment. Everyone at this banquet will be happy and nothing will ever make them sad again. Verse 8 says that "He will swallow up death forever and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces". We will never again have to experience the pain left behind when someone we love dies, we never again will have to shed another tear over those we have lost. I know people who long for the day that Jesus returns more than I do. I have not experienced death as closely or deeply as others...I have not held a child after she has drawn her last breath, I have not stood by my spouse's casket with tears on my cheeks...but because of Jesus Christ these pains will be removed one day and not another tear will be shed because of them.

And finally, verse 9 says, "It will be said on that day 'Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation'. As we think upon the day of the Lord's return, may we always be glad and rejoice in the salvation that He has given to us. I tend to let the tiny frustrations of my day steal my joy...I often forget that if I had nothing but my salvation that should truly be enough because I don't even deserve that.

I pray that Isaiah 25 will remind me today of the power that God has on earth, the joy that is waiting for me in heaven, and the wonderful gift of salvation that God has given me.

3 weeks after Mia's surgery...God is amazing

I am doubling up on blog posts today because I realized that three weeks ago from this very moment we were waiting for Mia to go into surgery. I am amazed at how quickly she has returned to her normal routine and activities. She is now dancing and running and playing even better than she was before the surgery.

I am amazed at the work of the Lord leading up to Mia's surgery. She was born with a birth defect of her spine and was diagnosed at 3 months with tethered cord. God had us in the right place at the right time. She was born at a large hospital in Louisville, KY...I strongly believe that if she had been born at a smaller hospital in a smaller city they would not have caught her condition. When she was 5 months old we moved back to Ohio, so her pediatrician in Louisville referred us to Cincinnati Children's Hospital where we eventually met up with Dr. Mangano who is one of the top doctors in the state of Ohio for dealing with tethered cord. We saw God's hand working even down to the last appointment she had before her surgery. Dr. Mangano actually looked Mia over and told us we could wait a few months to see what would happen...but after he finally was able to get ahold of the urologist she had been seeing, he sent a nurse out to find us to inform us that he would strongly recommend surgery. We signed all the papers and were later given a date for the procedure. Only weeks after this appointment, I noticed Mia's feet starting to turn in...a sign that her mobility was starting to be affected. Had she missed this appointment or if any information had not reached the neurosurgeon in time, she could have had the surgery months later and we could have seen much more drastic and permanent affects.

I was amazed at the work of the Lord during Mia's surgery and hospital stay. We had so many people praying for us and keeping up with her progress on facebook. We could tangibly see the love of our Christian brothers and sisters. The surgery went well--no complications and it even went by a lot faster than we thought it would. God gave David and I such a peace as we waited for our little girl to come out of the operating room. God even saw fit to give Mia a fabulous nurse who went above and beyond what was expected of her...she did her job and truly showed interest in our lives and showed such love and care for our baby. Mia even got to go home sooner than we had expected because she was doing so well. It was an exhausting and trying experience but God brought us through it.

I am continually amazed at the work of the Lord now that Mia's surgery is over. When I look at my little girl I am reminded of the grace that God showed to us. I think about how bad her condition could have been...I've spoke to people who have children who are permanently disabled because of the same condition that wasn't found early enough and I've read of numerous people who will have a lifetime of catheterizations and surgeries. We are not completely sure that Mia won't have any more problems because of this...but I'm truly amazed at the grace of God and what he spared us from. But besides what God spared us from, I am truly amazed at what God has taught me. I learned to trust God's sovereignty more, to pray harder and the importance of memorizing scripture. I found deeper truths in His Word and learned more about helping those who are suffering.

I can't believe it was only three weeks ago! God has done so much since then and continues to work in the life of our little Mia! Praise God for His amazing work in her life!

Philippians 4:6-8

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Many things come to my mind today as I read Philippians 4. God has taught me much and yet He is still doing so much work in me. A few months ago I set at the task of memorizing verses 6-8 in this chapter. I knew that I am instructed in the word of God to memorize scripture but I honestly didn't feel in my heart that I really comprehended this to the full extent. But after already having these verses stored in my heart, when I read them today they really meant something to me. And not only that but I truly felt like I finally understand why it is important to memorize scripture. When I read verses 6 and 7 I was excited and began to think, "this is what God is doing in my life right now!" I memorized these verses and God is putting them to action as I'm dealing with the news of Mia's surgery.

When people ask about her or find out about the surgery or what we've been through, often the response is, "I can't imagine going through that" or "This must be really hard" or "I'm so sorry that you have to go through this". But honestly, I don't feel like it is a trial or even a hard thing to deal with because through memorizing these verses God has changed my heart...at least in this situation I am not anxious. I have, as the verses say "by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let my requests me made known to God" and in return He has given me "the peace of God which surpasses all understanding". And truly this peace does surpass all understanding...it doesn't make sense to me that I should be so calm about my baby having spinal surgery. If this had happened even just months ago I would have been in total despair over the situation...but God has brought me so far through even just my small obedience of memorizing a few verses. Which makes me think, "what could God do with my full commitment to Him?"

But as the time approaches for Mia's surgery in the next month I must, as verse 8 instructs, think on whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise and avoid thinking on the "what-ifs" and focusing on my own doubts and worries and frustrations. I pray that God will keep these verses in my mind as we wait and make plans for Mia's surgery.

Update on Mia

I haven't been able to blog since Mia had her test on Monday so I wanted to update everyone on what is going on with her. A few months ago she had a urodynamics test which had determined that her bladder could hold very little fluid so it was refluxing onto her kidneys. And the ultrasound she had on the same day showed that her kidneys were both swollen and urine was collecting on top of them.

On Monday Mia had a cystogram which required her to be catheterized like she had been for the urodynamics test but this time they filled her bladder with fluid and took x-rays of her bladder and kidneys. They determined that on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being normal and 5 being really bad)her bladder was refluxing at a 3. They told us that this type of reflux can either be a primary issue and it will just get better on its own. Or it could be a secondary issue caused by her tethered cord and it would require surgery. The urologist seems to think that it is probably the latter but has ordered an MRI to help determine that.

Right now Mia is on an antibiotic that she has to take every night to prevent any infection due to her bladder/kidney issues. She is scheduled for another ultrasound and consultation with the urologist on June 8 and we are waiting to hear back about when she is scheduled for an MRI and a consultation with the neurosurgeon. We are currently in monitoring mode...if anything changes with her (good or bad) we will know more. Because of all the tests that she has had done we at least now have a reference point to work from. She'll be going back to the hospital about every 6 months so that they are able to monitor her condition.

Thanks for all the prayers! I have really felt them in the last few months and especially on Monday. Eventhough Mia was distressed and screaming during the test, I felt like I could stay calm and strong for her. I don't worry about her as much as I once did because I know that God is in control and he has a perfect plan for all of this.

Rude People

I haven't blogged in awhile but it wasn't until yesterday that I had something that I passionately wanted to blog about. Even after living in Athens (known for drunk college students who only care about the next party and opinionated liberals who aren't afraid of hurting people's feelings), I have never seen such rude behavior until I came in contact with some disgruntled customers at the restaurant where my friend and I met for lunch yesterday.


My daughter had sat for 45 minutes or so, eating and looking at a coloring book while my friend and I talked. I must also add that this friend was one of my best friends in junior high who moved to another school and we have now been reunited because she married one of my best friends from high school and we go to the same church. We hadn't had a chance to sit down and really talk since 8th grade...so I was excited to have a chance to talk to her again. Mia started getting restless and began interupting our conversation, so I let her get down and wonder around the tiny cafe. The place was small enough that I could see her and there weren't very many people there so I thought this decision was pretty harmless.

Well, apparently I was wrong because suddenly a woman sitting at the table next to us blurted out..."Excuse me, you might want to get your daughter. She is into something back there and has gotten it everywhere." Her tone let me know that she was not trying to help me, she was criticizing me. So as not to cause a scene or upset another customer, I went back to rescue Mia from a situation, that sounded from the angry lady's response, to be pretty tragic. Upon arriving at the scene of the crime, I found a miniscule pile of tiny flowers lying beside a basket. I calmly swept them up and threw them away and led Mia back to the table. I thought the problem was over, but after arriving at my chair, I realized I was wrong yet again. The other woman sitting at the same table had taken it upon herself to tell my friend exactly what she thought of the situation.

I didn't hear all of it but what I did hear went something like this..."It just sends fire through me when people don't watch their kids. She's just sitting there talking and not paying a bit of attention to that child. She could have just walked right out the door and she wouldn't have known." My initial reaction was actually just to cry. I have insecurities about being a good mom anyway and I often let the things that random strangers say to me make me upset. But then I just wanted to yell at her...but I knew that wouldn't be very pleasing to God. So, I just sat there. My friend spoke up, "I think it's fine and it's really none of your business." And then she leaned to me and said, "I have never seen someone act so rude." I agreed, but didn't know what to say for myself.

After leaving the restaurant and having time to think about it, I came up with a pretty hateful response that would have certainly put those ladies in their place but then as I had time to pray about it and pray for them all I could really feel was sadness. I felt sad that there are people out there who talk to others like that every day. They don't know the person's situation or what is actually going on, they just jump to conclusions and start giving their opinion. I have the priveledge of having a husband and a mother that I could run to when I was upset about what those women had said, but what about a single mother who is trying really hard and has no one to support her? What if they had said something like that to her...? And I felt sad because people like that live that way every day. They don't enjoy watching a baby toddle around the room because they're too busy being angry and upset. I just felt sorry for them that they had to be so miserable.

So, if I do ever see those women again I would like to say to them, "I have prayed for you and I forgive you for wrongly judging me. It may have looked to you like I wasn't paying attention to my child but I keep a close eye on her, in fact I enjoy watching her and I thank God for every step that she takes. When she was diagnosed at 3 months with a spinal condition, I decided then that I was going to make it a constant effort to enjoy the things she did because I didn't know exactly how her condition would effect her and what she would be able to do. And I would just plead with you to be careful what you say to people because you don't know how badly your words can hurt them...you don't know what they've been through or why they are doing the things they do." I will keep these thoughts in my mind because I'm sure that will not be my last encounter with rude people.