Jesus loves the little children

Jesus gave us a beautiful example when he took the little children in his arms and blessed them. Of all God's gifts, that of a child is the most precious. It is in the children that the hope of the world is ever renewed. When, therefore, a child is born it ought to be received with all the loving welcome and gracious care we can bestow. We would join together in thanksgiving to the Giver of life for this new gift; and we would cherish the tender hopes that cluster round this child.
---W. Copeland Bowie

The past few months, God has blessed several of my friends with new little bundles of joy. One of these children was an unexpected blessing to newlyweds and another was a surprise to his parents who thought they were done having children. One was an extra special miracle, as her parents went through six rounds of IVF and were told they might never have children. One surprised us and came a little early and one came along right on time, just as expected.

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!"  Psalm 139: 13-14

Abby, Drew and Baker

Right now, I am asking for prayer for yet another baby. A friend from college delivered her first son five weeks early due to low fluid. Sometime during the c-section or before, the umbilical cord became scrunched up. The doctors think that this may have lead to lack of oxygen for baby Baker. While Baker was born physically very healthy, he will have some neurological problems. They got his test results back and they discovered that he lost a lot of oxygen to his brain when the cord got bunched up. Because of this, he is going to be a child that will have special needs the rest of his life. We are not sure what he will and won't be able to do but we know that a miracle can still happen. His breathing is fine now but there is a chance he could have trouble breathing again, which will then mean he will need to be put on a respirator.

The part of the brain effected was deep in the middle part of his brain. Unfortunatley, this part of the brain does control muscle tone. It is unknown if Baker will be able to talk, walk, chew or swallow. He will progress slower than other babies and be in the hospital for at least a couple of months. The good news is that Baker will be able to open his eyes in time and be able to see! He also can hear and will have a personality! He is also breathing better!

Please pray for Baker and his mom and dad. Abby and Drew have a long road ahead of them, and they need your prayers and support to get through this long journey ahead of them. If you'd like to be a part of the Facebook prayer group that has been set up for them, please let me know.