Having faith, no matter what...

I wrote this on August 26 2011 and wanted to share it. I never want to forget where we came from and the struggles God has brought us through! God is AWESOME.



Today I felt the urge to share the things my husband and I have gone through, and things we do on a daily basis- not for pity but to show the struggles that may come and go, the way God shows His face in our life, and the strong faith we continue to have in our Almighty God (no matter what!).


I don't think I make it known very often that my son has a feeding tube, so not too many people know. He had the surgery for it when he was 6 months old. We start the first session of therapy to help him to eat by mouth better next week. It used to make me feel weird and abnormal when people would ask what that thing is on his stomach, but Robert and I agree, that is our life- it's become normal and we don't feel pitiful for it. Everything God has let us go through has and will continue to make us stronger. We don't know why but if Gabe gets hurt or is upset, he will just throw up. That's also become "normal" for us and is eventually getting less and less since he was a tiny baby. Oh boy, the looks we get when he throws up in pulic... and so far the only people who understand our situation with that is parents whose kids do the same thing and have a feeding tube. [It's become "normal" for them, too] Gabriel was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at one month of age. I'd have to say his first year of life was the most we have gone through, but praise God for being on our side! Right after we were informed of Gabe's abnormal genetic sceening, my husband had to leave for 5 months for work training, luckly he was able to visit about every other week. I struggled and struggled to get him to eat- and keep it down. Three hospital stays later, we finally decided to get the G-tube (feeding tube). It honestly has been a blessing, and made feeding him almost stress-free. We have come such a long way, and from day one have trusted in God to heal him- Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Summer 2010 Robert and I had the desire for one more child (we always wanted 2) and we began to pray hard about it. We knew there was a chance of any other children we had having Cystic Fibrosis too. It's a genetic thing, and both Robert and I carry the gene- it takes both the mom and the dad to carry it and there is a one in four chance. But we prayed and trusted God not to give us anymore than we could handle- and if we could handle two kids with CF then so be it, most of all we wanted God's will, so we felt led to try for baby #2 only 3 months, and if we weren't pregnant by then we would be settled and totally happy with just our son. We got pregnant a month and a half later... Deep down we wanted a girl, and that's exactly what God gave us, two weeks after Ellie's birth we were informed her genetic screening came back normal- no CF. Praise God! We love our kids no matter what. They are truly a gift from God!


The things we do on a daily basis (and still wake up each morning thanking God)

In the mornings Gabriel watches his cartoons while he does his "vest" it's a machine to keep his lungs clear, kind of like a massage, the vest blows up with air and shakes. Two puffs of an inhaler. He has never shown signs of needing this, we just do it anyways.

Breakfast- and any meal or snack, he get enzymes, to help digest all the good nutrients in food. 3 or 4 little pills he swallows down with some pureed food before he eats.

He "pockets" any solid foods in his cheek and spits it out later- my house has little piles of chewed up food I have to keep picking up. But he loves to try stuff, so it's progress. He eats pureed baby foods, for now.

Bedtime, we prepare a "night feed" in the tube feeding machine. We make formula, fill the bag (looks like an IV bag) and tape ice packs to it to keep it cool through the night. We give him enzymes, vitamin, and lay him down and "hook him up".

The next morning we unhook him and start over. Sounds like a lot but it's "normal" for us, and in no way, shape, or form do we want pitty. This is to show that no matter the circumstance to have faith in God. Look at the good things, and make good of everything and view it as a lesson, and a blessing. I know it's hard at times, beeelieeeve me. At times it has taken everything in me to not get mad at God, but I don't and then later on God shows me what that "lesson" was for, and I praise Him!


Romans 5:1-5
We have been made right with God because of our faith. Now we have peace with him because of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through faith in Jesus we have received God's grace. In that grace we stand. We are full of joy because we expect to share in God's glory. And that's not all. We are full of joy even when we suffer. We know that our suffering gives us the strength to go on. The strength to go on produces character. Character produces hope. And hope will never let us down. God has poured his love into our hearts. He did it through the Holy Spirit, whom he has given to us.