please pray.

Do you remember my sweet friend, Danielle? My organizery twin. My friend that loves lists and organizing so much that I know it will put a big smile on her face when she hears I got my new lime green mini notebook in the mail today?! (Now we are notebook twins, too!) 

Do you remember her sweet baby girl, Britton? Hidden inside that sweet little mouth is a cleft palate that needs to be fixed. Three months ago she was scheduled for surgery, but as he was ready to start, the doctor discovered that her little mouth was just too tiny. Even with his smallest knife, it just wasn't safe for him to continue. So her surgery was rescheduled. For tomorrow. 

Britton's cleft needs to be repaired before she reaches 18 months. If they wait longer, it will affect her long term speech. (This little miss is already talking way more than Gretchen! My favorite... when you ask her what a penguin says... "Waddle!") Britton is 17 months old now. So from what I understand... they WILL be doing the 3-4 hour surgery tomorrow. If her mouth is still too tiny, the surgeons will figure out another option. (And we don't really want to spend time thinking about that option...)

I watched Gretchen run all around the house tonight... watched her climb up onto the couch and chairs... and tried to imagine what it would be like to have her in arm restraints for two weeks. I cannot even imagine. Britton will be on a liquid only diet for the first two weeks... applesauce, baby food and broth-like substances for weeks 3 and 4. It's not going to be easy... for this little one, or for her mommy and daddy. 

Miss Britton did get some exciting news awhile back, though. This sweet little girl found out she's going to be a big sister at the end of October! So, so happy for them!! Danielle does so many things really, really well. Sadly... she doesn't do pregnant well. She gets sick. Really sick. The kind of sick where they give you medicine to make you not be sick. The kind of sick where you just want to crawl in bed and stay there. But this momma doesn't need to feel sick right now. This momma needs to feel strong.

So will you pray for this sweet family? 

Pray for Matt and Danielle as they hand their precious daughter over to a team of doctors and nurses. 

Pray for Britton... that her little mouth would be big enough for them to safely perform the surgery... without the scarier option. 

Pray for her surgeon and all the doctors and nurses.

Pray for Danielle... give her strength and peace and a calm heart (and stomach). 

Pray that this sweet smile will be seen again soon... 

 "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." 

Isaiah 41:10

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 

And if we know that he hears us -- whatever we ask -- we know that we have what we asked of him." 

1 John 5: 14-15 

He hears us, Danielle. 

He hears all of us. 

Praying that you will feel His arms around you tomorrow. 

Love you, my friend!