So Dylan is officially home! He came home on January 6th, his 3 month birthday & his original due date. It has been a very long 3 months, but we finally got here! Honestly, there were times when it seemed like we would never make it & that Dylan would be at the hospital forever – it sure felt like he was! Dylan was 7 lbs., 4 oz. when he came home & Monday when he went to the pediatrician he was 7 lbs., 8.5 oz. He seems like such a big guy now, even though we know he is only the size of a regular newborn.
We have been home 8 days & it has been interesting. Derrick & I are not used to getting up for nighttime feedings & dirty diapers. It has taken some adjusting, but we are doing well. Dylan eats 3 oz. every 3 hours around the clock, so we only do about 2 overnight feedings. Dylan also seems to be getting his days & nights figured out – we are excited about that!
Derrick is an awesome daddy! He does many of the night feedings & often takes over with Dylan in the evenings so I can have a break. I think watching him with our baby makes me love & appreciate him more than I ever did before.
I love being a stay at home mom. It is tiring, especially since Dylan doesn't like being put down, but I know he will only be little once & I need to enjoy it why I can. I'm not the best housekeeper, but I have been cooking recently. That was the stay at home mom test I thought I was going to fail!
I have been thinking lately about Dylan's little life. What a blessing he is. I give God all the glory for Dylan being here & being so healthy. I met people whose babies have eye problems, ear problems, lung, heart, brain, eating problems. Dylan has none of those. He is developmentally behind where a normal 3 month old would be, but he is where he should be according to his gestational age. His gestational age is 8 days old, so he is doing the same things that a normal newborn does. I have no idea why God chose to let Dylan be so healthy, but I am sure glad that he did.
I have only told a few people this, but for some reason, I knew our baby would be small when he was born. I just had a feeling about from pretty early on in my pregnancy. Once I started getting sick I knew that I was going to deliver early & that we would be spending a lot of time at the NICU. I really believe that God gave me that advance notice because I don't deal well with change. Once the drs. decided it was time to deliver Dylan, I was really at peace with it. I knew that he was going to make it & that it would be okay. It was still scary, but I knew that God was taking care of both of us.
Since most of you have been following our story, you know that I was not always strong & courageous throughout the whole NICU ordeal. I was terrified most of the time. I spent a lot of time by myself at the hospital & it was hard. While I had a lot of visitors & my family came & visited, they couldn't always be with me. Even though I was by myself a lot, I did not get through that experience on my own. There were many days when I cried out to God wanting to know why my son was going though all these things. Why us? But why not us? God never said that Christians would be free from pain & suffering. He does tell us that he will be with us & will never leave us. As much as I love my friends & family, God was my constant source of encouragement & support. I don't know how families who do not rely on God can do it.
I have been feeling for some time that I need to share the love of Jesus with everyone who reads our story. You all know that God did not protect us from pain, but that He brought us through it. I heard one musician on the Air1 radio station say, “Many people say, 'I would believe God loved me if...'” He goes on to say that God proves his love to us through Jesus' death on Calvary.
Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God.” No one on this earth is perfect – we are all sinners. We have all done things that displease God.
Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” We have all sinned & the punishment for sin is death. That is what we have earned & God should give us what we deserve. Instead, God sent his Son Jesus, to take what we deserve upon himself.
Romans 5:8 - “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God is a Holy God & cannot be around unholy, sinful people. To save his creation from certain eternity in Hell, He sent Jesus to die for our sins. He took our punishment so we do not have to suffer it.
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9. God will forgive you for your sins if you admit your sinfulness to Him. You will become clean before God. In order to truly be saved, God must be first in your life. James 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” Believing is not enough – God needs to be in charge of your life. My pastor always says, “He is either Lord of all or He is not Lord at all.”
If you want to be clean before God, want to let God be first in your life, & believe that Jesus is Lord, confess your sins to Him. “... if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:9-10).
Many of you who will read this have some church background, but have never made a true commitment to Jesus. I am writing this in hopes that someone will read it & make that commitment. So how do I end this? I guess like this: Some of you will read this & think, “Renee is crazier than I thought.” That's okay with me. I don't worry so much about what people think of me. I am worried about all of you & where you will spend eternity. So think about it – message me with questions & I'll do my best to answer them- read your Bible if you don't believe me. You can disagree with me & that is fine, but I want to be sure that I share what God wants me to. If you want to, you can even join me for church Sunday morning – First Church of the Nazarene 1010 N. Clark St., Davenport.
I hope that this update has made a difference for you today. I know that it has for me. I will be praying for you all today, no matter what your standing is with God. I hope you all have a great afternoon!
