Another Thanksgiving List

I've had a little more time to think about what I'm thankful for the last two months, so here's my more detailed list.

Things that I’m Thankful For

JESUS CHRIST

JAMES STEPHEN MA

Because James was diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction, we knew he would come early.

People were praying for James even before he was born.

I was able to freeze some meals before James arrived.

When my water broke at home, I was able to reach John and my mom.

John got home pretty quickly.

My mom came over pretty quickly.

Ti and Albert volunteered to watch the girls in case my mom was going to take longer to get to our house.

Dr. Montgomery made the wise decision to do an emergency c-section. I was having an abruption, and if we had waited longer, things could have gotten worse for both James and me.

James has cute brown hair with blond highlights. Some Asians pay a lot of money for hair like that!

Our family and friends have been praying for us and James so faithfully.

The doctors, nurses, and therapists at Cy-Fair Hospital’s NICU were excellent. We are especially thankful for Dr. Chamkur, Dr. Baker, Lori, Gayle, Marissa, Kimberly, Grace, Julie, and Bridget.

Cy-Fair Hospital is only ten minutes away from our house, so going back and forth to the hospital was easy.

My mom and John’s mom came over and stayed with us to cook, clean, and take care of the girls.

Because James was in the NICU that first month, I was able to recover from my c-section fairly quickly and easily.

God blessed me with an abundance of breastmilk.

Our faith in Jesus Christ carried us through the roller coaster of emotions when James was in the NICU.

James was diagnosed with PWS early so that we can begin early intervention.

God really comforted me through His Word that night after James was diagnosed. Verse after verse spoke to me of God’s love and care of His children.

As soon as we received the news of James’ diagnosis, we found out that Texas Children’s Hospital has a PWS clinic. How blessed we are to live in Houston!

A few days after James was diagnosed, the girls got to meet him for the first time. They fell in love with him. It was a precious moment that we will never forget.

John made a comment that I will always remember. “James should be able to understand that Jesus loves him and died for him, and that’s the most important thing.” How true that is!

John has been such a great husband. I’m so blessed to be married to a godly man.

I went inactive as a PT this year, and now I know why God called me to do that. He knew I would have a special needs child, and He knew that I would need to be at home full time to take care of my children.

Now I also know one of the reasons why I became a PT. God knew that, in the future, I would have a child who would need therapy. God is truly all-knowing!

God tested our faith through this experience with James. Do we really believe what we say we do? Is God really God? Is God really good? Is God really sovereign? The answer is a resounding YES!

James made really good progress in the NICU with his feedings. He was able to come home at one month on all oral feeds. Some PWS babies are tube-fed for months.

We were able to schedule our first appointment with Dr. Scheimann at TCH before James even came home.

James is such a good baby. He rarely cries, and he loves to snuggle.

Everyone has been so caring. We have received too many phone calls and emails from people checking on us to even count. We feel extremely blessed by our family and friends.

Because James came early, we were able to attend two weddings in December that we wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.

The girls love their baby brother, and they shower him with kisses and hugs. Elisabeth has been particularly helpful.

I get to be Elisabeth, Abigail, and James’ mommy. What an awesome privilege and responsibility!