Super Exciting News! A new milestone for Pierce

Pierce has been doing so well lately. We've really enjoyed hanging around the house and playing. We spend most of our days working on physical exercises- currently we're trying to get our little guy the motivation to roll over (He's so close y'all! I just know it won't be long).

Nearly daily I find myself discovering something new Pierce is doing. This week, he found his toes, he rolled from his back to his side completely on his own, and is working on holding his own bottle during feedings. All of this has been so great. With each new milestone, a sigh of relief. You see, when a baby is born as early as Pierce, and they have such a bad brain bleed, there's a LOT that could go wrong. I know I've mentioned these things on the blog, and to be honest, they're not things I like to dwell on. They're frightening.

We have (and we know many of you have as well) been praying that God would heal Pierce's brain and that he would have no lasting effects from his bleed. We know that God is fully able. And we surely have seen God work miracles in Pierce's life.

I don't know what it is, but the trauma of everything we've been through seems to be resurfacing for the first time. All the suppressed emotions flooding in at the most random times. This week, I've spent a lot of time reflecting on the many times that Pierce almost died while in the NICU (nice, huh?!). I remember the times his sats dropped into the 20's and his heartrate spaced out on the monitor. With each event came an "insult" to the brain- a time where his brain wasn't receiving enough oxygen, which in turn causes a part of the brain to die. And with every insult the chances of Pierce emerging from this experience as "fully functional," decreased. The odds of a micropreemie are not easy to swallow. Many face lifelong disabilities and ALL of them have to struggle to accomplish seemingly normal tasks.

But our God is so, so good. While Pierce surely has many obstacles to overcome, he has beaten the odds in countless ways. This is not something we take lightly nor do we take for granted.

That is why I'm so, so excited to tell you that Pierce has now added to his skill set- the ability to sign and communicate with us! This is SO big! Really. Such a big deal that just about every time I think about it, I well up with emotions. He can sign "more," "eat" and "all done." (notice: all 3 are in direct relation to food... haha! He didn't get to be 17lbs 4oz by not liking food- yet another miracle!)

I knew I couldn't post this to the blog without actual proof that Pierce can now sign. So, here it is. Here is Pierce at dinner tonight signing "more." Enjoy! (Sorry the picture is kind of blurry!)


Thank you all for walking this journey with us. And thank you for your continued prayers for Pierce's development! It is our prayer that those who see this may know that our God is alive and working, not just in Pierce's life, but all around us.

Much love,
Lindsay