Be Still

I'm not great at this. Why is it so hard to just sit and clear your mind to allow the Lord to speak? I've tried to do it over the past few weeks of waiting and it seems Satan uses that as the perfect foothold to create fear and doubt. So, the alternative seems to be filling my mind full of useless television shows and internet sites. But, I will keep trying. That's what it is all about, right? Constantly trying to become the people Christ created us to be.

We were so blessed with Elise's appointment. I truly felt the prayers surround me as we sat in the office waiting for the results. I just knew that she had to be okay. For the past few days I hadn't allowed myself to think of anything else other than positive results.

The neurosurgeon said that her brain is perfect and so is the membrane that holds the brain in. He saw nothing on the MRI or CT scan that looked less than perfect. The radiologist saw a small amount of tissue in the nose that could have been a sack of fluid or tissue, but was unsure. Dr. Sami said he did NOT see this when he was looking at the scans, but that we would do another MRI in one year to see if that "spot" was still there. He said he honestly thought the only thing the radiologist saw was the sinus cavity.

We also met with the plastic surgeon who advised us to get nothing done until around the age of 13. No bone reconstruction or anything. This was shocking ( I thought he would recommend doing it very soon), but kind of a load off because we don't have to think about it. He was very nice and extremely thorough, as was our neurosurgeon. Two huge blessings. They took photos of Elise to send out to some other medical professionals because they said they honestly had not seen a case where the nasal bone was split with no actual reason. I want to stress that we think Elise is gorgeous. I have never seen a brighter smile or more precious cheeks. However, we met with the plastic surgeon simply to discuss options. It is tough to be a girl in this world that stresses outer beauty. Our goal for both of our girls is that they know God made them exactly as they were intended to be.

As soon as they left the room to grab some paperwork I started bawling. I was so elated with the news and then, an odd thing happened. I started crying even harder for those parents that do not receive good news. The parents that are left sitting in that room with an enormously difficult road ahead of them. It was almost too much to bear. I'm so thankful Ross was able to be there with me. That man has such a calming presence. Love him.


Elise is excited, to say the least. She is ready for everyone to quit talking about her forehead and nasal bones and just tickle her and let her try to drink out of a sippy cup :)

My Grandma Cates was in from Tennessee and got to meet Elise for the first time and Elise was tickled about that as well. It was great to get to spend some time with her.

And while we are on a happy kick, Elise thinks her Gampy is hysterical.


Thanks for the prayers. I cannot stress enough how much we felt them. The texts and messages were overwhelming and humbling and encouraging. Thank you for remembering. Amelia knew we were going to the "head doctor" and was very concerned that all would be okay. She prayed for Elise and has such a tender heart, especially for her sister.