Emerson Grace

The youth pastor at my church, Jason, and his wife, Kristin, had their second baby on January 6, 2008, at just 26 weeks gestation, 14 weeks premature. She weighed just 2 lbs. 2.4 oz, and was 13.78 inches long at birth. Emerson fought hard, and was doing well until Sunday afternoon, when she developed NEC (necrotizing enterocolitis) and her bowel perforated, and she died Monday at 12:20pm. She weighed 4 lbs. 14 oz. when she died, and prior to the sudden complications would have gotten to go home in another week or so. She lived for 9 weeks and 1 day.

I know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, and that Emerson is in heaven with Jesus right now, perfectly healed and free, but something like this is still very sad for those left to miss her. But I guess that when we grieve over things she will never get to do here, opportunities she will never have, etc., we aren't really grieving for Emerson, we're grieving for ourselves, and the things that we will never get to experience with her because she isn't here. Because anything that Emerson might have experienced in 100 years here on earth, pales in comparison to what she is experiencing right now in heaven.

I guess maybe someone who recently lost a baby said what I'm sort of feeling best..."When Adam and Eve were created there was no sin in the world - no mess, no problems, no pain, no sickness, no death. God created humans with no intention of them dying. It's because of our affinity to doing the wrong thing that caused death in the world. I think that's why death is so hard for people to walk through. It's because we were never created to cope with death. We were created to live." (Susie Sams)

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him."

Please pray for Emerson's mom and dad, and older brother Finn, who is only 12.5 months old.

Today

I'm watching one of my very best friend's 14-month-old baby for the week while she is out of town. Today is day three. The baby is really good...she sleeps 12 hours at night, takes a 2 hour nap in the morning and a 2 hour nap in the afternoon, and has only cried maybe twice since I've had her. Today, however, was just one of those days...
We started out with her sneezing an entire mouthful of baby food carrots all over herself, me, the floor, the kitchen cupboard, etc. It was really funny, but still a huge mess to clean up. Then we took a shower together (this was what her mom suggested we do...apparently she doesn't like taking baths). That didn't work so well, but the worst part was after we got out. I was wrapped in a towel, I set her down on the floor, and before I had a chance to put her diaper on, she jumped up and started chasing after my cats, which she loves. And not 30 seconds later, before my very eyes, on my carpeted floor, she pooped! And there was nothing I could do, I was across the room and by the time I grabbed her it was too late. I quickly put on her diaper and cleaned things up before she or one of the cats had time to make a bigger mess...Then, fast-forward to this afternoon. While she was napping, I decided to wash a load of laundry (since there were carrots all over her sleeper). And I locked my laundry room key in the laundry room with all my clothes! Could have been worse, I could have locked my house key in there or something (now that would have been an emergency), and I did manage to get the key out when another lady went in to do her laundry...Then, this evening, I had just folded an entire load of laundry, when someone sweetly unfolded it all for me. ;) And then when she turned around, I noticed that she'd found a pen somewhere and had a streak of black ink across her cheek! Fortunately it wasn't permanant! Now she's fast asleep for the night...babies are so sweet when they're sleeping (and most of the time when they're awake too). :)