On Day 9.

We are so in love. And still so in awe of all of the blessings that continuously unfold before us. 

We are 9 days in to the otherside of our little boy's journey, and we can't begin to describe all the times we have been able to see the almighty strength of our God show up just when we needed Him. 

Can you believe it has already been 9 days? 

Little Elam was born Thursday, June 20, and has had quite the adventure ever since. He had his back closure surgery on Friday, where he had to be intubated and put on a feeding tube. They kept those in until his shunt placement on Monday.

Since he came through both surgeries with ease, the sweet NICU nurses were able to surprise us on Tuesday and gave us the permission to hold him again for the first time since those few precious moments right after he was born. So, on day 5, Justin held his son for the first time. 

I cried as tears of happiness glistened on my cheeks, and felt a feeling that can only be experienced - words will never come close to fully describing the emotion experienced in that moment. 

He was beautiful. 

He was perfect.

He was loved more than he'll ever be able to imagine. 

Our strong boy has come a long way so far.  He has been poked and prodded, had a lot of blood drawn, and been through multiple procedures, but with the grace of our Heavenly Father, his healing is going smoothly and we couldn't be happier. 

And today, on day 9, they let us take him home! He's ours - without the wires, without the loud beeps from the monitors, without us having to say good bye. 

We are so happy. But some how happy doesn't seem to fully describe our emotions. 

Elam Isaiah Tyson

Welcome to the world, little Elam Isaiah Tyson!

Born at 5:49 PM on June 20, 2013, weighing 7 lbs 7.6 oz and measuring 18 1/2 inches long, we are so blessed to call you our son.

Blue Nail Polish

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."

Ephesians 3:20

Y'all!

Look at all these blue fingernails! 

I'm not sure it is possible for you to completely understand how much of an impact you guys are having on the life of our little family. To be able to see your love for us and for our little guy - who we have yet to meet, is truly unbelievable!

Pictures have cotinuously been sent to me over the past two days. Some from family, some from friends, and others from people we don't even know!

To say I was not expecting this, is an understatement! 

From Iowa to South Carolina, including many states in between, we have seen an outpouring of love from people who stand in the gap for us when we are feeling low. 

You are warriors. 

You are encouragers.

You are blessings. 

And we are so thankful - for every one of you! 

Yesterday we went to New Orleans for our 38 week check up. The doctor determined that my body was not quite ready to schedule an induction for next week, so we have pushed it back to my original due date, July 1. (Of course, with the unpredictable nature of babies, that date is still rather tenative.)

We are so ready to meet our little guy, that we can hardly stand it. We are ready to share with the world the blessing we have already recieved.

38 Weeks. {Little Brother}

This could possibly be the last week of this pregnancy.

In the beginning, we were told we would deliver via c-section between 36 and 37 weeks, so getting this far is a huge accomplishment in our books. With much prayer, we found a team of doctors who valued research and our opinions and insisted we keep this wonderfully unique little boy on the inside as long as possible.

But the end draws near.

A 39 week induction date has been discussed ever since we switched to Oshcner, mainly for surgical planning purposes.

So, the time is really coming!

And by golly, it's pretty nerve racking!

I believe in the power prayer. For that reason, I have been trying to think of a way for me to be constantly reminded to pray over the course of this next week, instead of clinging to the multitude of worries and fears that are sure to arise. .

And so I have decided to paint my fingernails light blue.

I find color on my nails to look rather awkward. My fingers are short (and stubby with this pregnancy) and any color in between my poorly- shaped cuticles just accentuates that dreadful little fact. So, to me, this isn't just a fashion thing, this is a get-over-yourself-and-pray thing.  This week, as I look down at my fingertips, whether it be to swipe my credit card or type another blog post, my hope is that I will be reminded ever so subtly that my God hears my prayers. He knows my heart, and He longs for me just to ask.

Now, I ask you to pray, too. You don't have to paint your nails. (Please, dad, DON'T paint your nails!) But I do ask that you keep us in the forefront of your prayers. Maybe when you see a blue stroller, or pass by the baby section in Wal-Mart (or if you're lucky enough to shop at a Target more frequently), take a short second to just lift us up in a thoughtful prayer.

This part of our journey is about to come to an end, but a whole new adventure waits just around the corner.

When doubt creeps in...

And this is the post in which I let everyone down.

Last night, I had a moment.

A moment where I allowed myself to dwell on all of the things that are rapidly approaching. And maybe this isn't the place for me to talk about it - or maybe it is. Maybe it's what you need to hear. Maybe it's something my heart needs to let go of.

A moment where I failed to look at the positive. A time when all I wanted was to be transported back to that 17 week ultrasound and be told, 'It's a healthy, 10 fingers, 10 toes, perfectly closed spine, little BOY!" I can still picture that room. The shoes I was wearing. The color of Justin's shirt.  The image is painfully captured through tear-filled eyes.

Sometimes I feel guilty about this, and sometimes I feel grateful for our journey, as it is teaching us so many important things. But last night, as Justin held me tight and the tears flowed freely down my face, I didn't feel any of those things. I let go of holding it all together for just a little while, and ever-so selfishly, felt sorry for myself.

 I thought about all of the surgeries - and all of the potential surgeries - Little brother will face once he arrives. I thought of him recovering in the NICU for an undetermined amount of time and not being able to really hold him for a while. I thought about how I'm going to learn to be a full-time pumping momma while little one requires a feeding tube. And I thought about how all of this will affect the big sister.

I also allowed myself to think of him. I thought of his clubbed feet. And open back. And lemon-shaped head.

I thought about how different it is going to be.

As Justin held me, he waited a while to speak. He let me be sad, but then, in a gentle voice, reminded me, although it seems like it sometimes, everything hasn't gone wrong in this pregnancy. So many good things have transpired and blessed us throughout our journey, and we must dwell on the joy, the good, the love.

As I let his words sink in, my cry turned into a sob. The harder my cry became, the easier it was for me to see how selfish I had been. He was right. Absolutely right.

Although he was right, my human heart still mumbled the word, "why?" and the frailty of my humanity showed through in a big way.

Sometimes it's hard to remember, when Satan's shout is much louder than God's whisper, that our Almighty has got this. His hands hold our hearts, and his strength covers all of our insecurities. 

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11.

My God knows the answers to my ever-doubting heart. And He has it all planned out. That's just something I am going to have to learn to trust -time and time again.