The Whooping Cough ... on the other side

Many of you have been praying for our family during this season.  I just want to say THANK YOU!  The Lord has brought us through, one day at a time.  Now, we are grateful to be on the other side and enjoying being back together as a family.  And we are specifically thanking the Lord for protecting and preserving little Vienna from this potentially life-threatening bug.  Praising the Lord each day!

Backing up ...
I didn't do a very good job of keeping everyone posted on what was up.  It went down like this:  After the wonderful shower for Vienna and I, we became aware that the cough the boys had had for several weeks was indeed the whooping cough.  Knowing how contagious it was, and knowing that Vienna had been exposed now since birth, I began to be very concerned for her, being that she was only 4 weeks old.  We decided to quarantine her to our room - keeping the little sick ones out to prevent further exposure.  I could nurse her and take care of her there, and Dwight would take care of the rest of the boys using the rest of the house.  I could also help with meals, laundry, helping to doctor up the kids, etc.

What a crazy next month that was!  Burnell and Orin had already had the bug when we lived in Redmond, so their immunity was a Godsend.  Chance had had the bug since January (we now realized) and was finally getting over it.  That left Ty, Quint, and Wyatt.  They hacked away for the next 4+ weeks while Dwight basically took over.

The Lord really taught me so much during this time.  My heart was full of fear ( I am sad to say).  So many fears, and nowhere to turn that felt like a surity of avoiding the hardships that life was surely dishing out.  I wanted to be in control, I now realize.  Many of us (including myself) have the illusion that we ARE in control. But, really, the Lord asks us to take 1 day at a time and trust him with the future.  He wants our hearts, He wants us to learn to walk with Him each day in faith.

What I DO know, is that He loves us.  And, he's given us what we need for today.  So, today, I can be glad and rejoice in Him.  Today, I can be thankful for all His blessings.  Today, I can trust.

And, today, Vienna is able to come out of her room and live among the boys again.   We praise the Lord for getting us all through this.  We realize that the outcome could have been a lot different, and we are very glad that she was preserved.  Thank you Lord!  And, thank you all for your prayers.