Expect the Unexpected

I've never taken down Christmas decorations before New Year's Eve, until now. The past two weeks has not been easy with one or all five of our family members dealing with multiple, intermingling sickness symptoms. While Levi hasn't had too much trouble with daily germs the past couple of years, we ended up going to the emergency room twice in a week for both G-tube issues and dehydration.  Thus, I was more than ready to put the holidays behind me, declutter, and disinfect. The boys were able to enjoy sweet moments at different points, but this mama has been running on fumes for fourteen days.
Levi's weak condition once again forced me to step outside myself and view the world from a different perspective. Sitting at your local ER on Christmas night opens up new light to the sadness that many experience during a season of "perpetual joy." This life is not our own. No matter how much stock we place on a given event, a circumstance or a feeling, we are all subject to the unexpected. Sometimes those unexpected events bring new hope and sometimes they just bring us to our knees. I doubt Mary expected an angel to give her a new story when she was young and engaged, and I doubt many believe the God of the universe would belittle himself to a naked babe in a smelly stable. But I also doubt any of us really understand the whole story. Without the unexpected, we begin to expect the world to revolve around our expectations, and that's a pretty self-centered way to live (not to mention unrealistic). I'm grateful the boys are on a slow path to recovery, and I'm grateful that my joy doesn't just come from my inaccurate expectations.

I loved spotting Roman, spotting himself on the tree. Priceless. 

With some antibiotics, Silas was ready for Jesus' birthday cake. Levi on the other hand was headed downhill fast.

The ER was so full on Christmas that we had to sit on a stretcher in the hall. 

It was really hard to watch Levi endure a lot of pain this week, but I had to remember what all God taught me when Levi was first born and struggling to survive. 

Even with his own yucky symptoms, Roman was excited to join the big boys with his first trike!

All three boys finally smiled together, when their mama finally headed to the sick doctor. 

Levi has already lost several pounds, and we tried to tube-feed him for the first time in a year. However, forcing him to eat when his body felt sick only made him sicker. Thus, I'm thankful that we can relay this discovery to his GI doctor in February. While we may have to keep the g-tube longer due to weight loss, or lack of weight gain, I can at least rest easy knowing he's a normal child; he can and will eat when his body is ready. Thank you for continued prayers for our little guys to get well (and for their momma to get some much needed rest).

~Unexpected Buster