Juliette Update

Seth is on the phone right now, and he just said what I've been thinking for days now: "It's been a long month!"  And today was definitely a long day too.  We have a lot to be thankful for - and a lot to pray about.

We kept Juliette up late last night, and decided to go ahead and drive down to The Big City and get a hotel.  She slept in (just like we hoped), so she only had thirty minutes to wait with no food or water before we checked into the hospital.  She asked for a "nack" (snack) a few times, but it really was a non-issue.  Praise God! I was dreading an I-want-breakfast breakdown. 

We did have a breakdown, but it was over not getting to play with a toy car in the pre-op room.  I guess that sort of thing should be expected from a sleep-deprived two-year-old.  Otherwise, she did great through the procedures today.  They put her under general anesthesia for both the biopsy and the CT scan.  The only issue she had was waking up - particularly because she was so sleep deprived.  Not that I can say that I blame her.  At one point both Seth and I wanted to just crawl in bed with her and join in the napping bliss.  Like I said, it has been a long month! 

With that said, we are very thankful that everything went so well with the procedures today.  In fact, she was bouncing around and happy as a lark this evening.  God is good!

But we still need a lot of prayers.  The radiologist that did the biopsy said that the "mass" has definitely grown in just the two weeks since we had the ultrasound.  What previously looked like two inflamed lymph nodes has now "morphed" into one giant lump.  He said that it could still be a viral infection of some sort (with atypical symptoms) or it could be something much more serious.  We will just have to wait for the pathologist's report - which we should have hopefully sometime next week. 

So we wait again.  Down on our knees, expectantly hoping for the best, surrendering ourselves to God's perfect will.

It's hard.  It doesn't seem fair.  I've cried more this month than I have for probably the past 12 months combined.  But I also believe that God is using this whole experience to bring about a new season in my faith walk.  If nothing else, it has certainly been a great exercise for my soul.   

"Therefore we do not lose heart. . . .For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Cor. 4:16-18

Thanks for all of your prayers, love, and support.  We are truly thankful to be surround by such a supportive group of friends and family!