Great Quote!

"This life I've been given has not in any way been easy, but I would not give up my special heart for anything. It has taught me so many things and has taught others around me as well. I'm on a mission from God and I WILL complete it with no regrets or ever thinking that this heart I was given was a just a horrible mistake. God doesn't make mistakes." - quote from Lauren a 21 year old HLHS survivor.

The Next Few Months...

Malachi is wearing an eye patch to help his vision. He was diagnosed with Amblyopia (lazy eye) a few months ago. He now has to wear a patch over his good eye four hours a day to help strengthen his lazy eye. He looks pretty cute in it, as always. :o) Unfortunately, he does have to have surgery to correct his vision problems. They will go in and cut his optic muscle and reattach it to straighten the eye. This is normally a simple outpatient procedure, and will be done possibly during his heart surgery in October. He also has to have his tongue snipped from the bottom of his mouth because he is tongue tied. (This is also a simple procedure and will possibly be done during heart surgery.)

Malachi is scheduled for a Heart Cath on Thursday, September 3rd. It is his Pre-Fontan Cath. This will be to measure the pressures in his heart and check his Pulmonary Artery that is narrowed. This allows the surgeon to know "what he's getting into," so to speak. After the Cath we should hear when his Heart Surgery will be scheduled. (Probably Mid-October.)

Then he will go in for his heart surgery, which can take anywhere between 6 - 8 hours. We anticipate the longer timeframe, as Malachi has a lot of scar tissue that needs cleared away and he will have his Pulmonary Artery cut and grafted with artificial tissue. We also anticipate a long stay in the hospital, at least two weeks. (We are preparing for the longer, in hopes for the shorter!) After the surgery we pray it is the last one.

We have learned a lot about our Savior through all of this. He has been a Constant in our life. A Sustainer, and a Protector through it all. We don't look forward to the next few months, but we trust that God is taking care of us, as always. We pray that we learn all we can the first time!

Thanks to all who read the blog and pray for Malachi and our Family. We are so blessed!

Love and hugs,
April for all

More pics...


A picture of God's handiwork! I love his little chest!

Things I am Learning...

This is really good...

"'Have you entered the storehouses... which I reserve for times of trouble?' Job 38:22-23

Our trials are great opportunities, but all too often we simply see them as large obstacles. If only we would recognize every difficult situation as something God as chosen to prove His love to us, each obstacle would then become a place of shelter and rest, and a demonstration to others of His inexpressible power. If we would look for the signs of His glorious handiwork, then every cloud would indeed become a rainbow, and every difficult mountain path would become one of ascension, transformation, and glorification.

If we would look at our past, most of us would realize that the times we endured the greatest stress and felt that every path was blocked were the very times our Heavenly Father chose to do the kindest things for us and bestow His richest blessings." -A.B. Simpson

"If we could see beyond today
As God can see;
If all the clouds should roll away;
The shadows flee;
O'er present griefs we would not fret.
Each sorrow we would soon forget,
For many joys are waiting yet
For you and me.

If we could know beyond today
As God does know;
Why dearest treasures pass away
And tears must flow;
And why the darkness leads to light,
Why dreary paths will soon grow bright;
Some day life's wrongs will be made right,
Faith tells us so.

'If we could see, if we could know,'
We often say,
But God in love a veil does throw
Across our way;
We cannot see what lies before,
And so we cling to Him the more,
He leads us till this life is o'er;
Trust and obey."

Excerpts from "Streams in the Desert" July 29th.

In Jesus Holy, and Precious Name, Amen.