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Our NY Letter

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  Greetings ! 2025 felt like 3 years in one for us. We began the year anticipating a surprise baby and expecting an impending PCS move , but little did we know how many layers would be added to those expectations! The biggest surprise came when our daughter, Cora Elise came about 3 months early in March 2025. In the long and heart-wrenching months of NICU life that followed, we were met with more uncertainty , as we were told she wasn’t developing normally or had an undiagnosed condition, and doctors continued to seek answers for her “delays” & setbacks. We visited daily trying to coax and connect with this tiny being, while fighting every fear and heartbreak we never knew existed. Meanwhile, our precious older 3, Aria, Annica, and Laurel, continued their little lives with parents doing their best to hold the family in harmony while asking God every day for hope and healing. We were immediately and continued to be overwhelmingly surrounded by blessing and support. With Coli...
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The Next Chapter

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The Next Chapter Begins.... Bright eyes Loves her tummy Well we are grateful to report Cora recovered well from her G-tube surgery. God even answered some specific requests when it came to her expected recovery needs. Her team said she was likely to come back needing breathing tube support and additional drugs to help her recover from the anesthesia effects- both of which we prayed during her procedure would not be necessary and both she did not need! Additionally, her nasal feeding tube had been removed overnight in anticipation for her surgery and as I held her before the procedure, Colin & I heard the clearest swallow we've ever heard! It just felt like a whisper of hope that we will not always be where we are in this moment with all its challenge. It was so difficult to let her undergo that semi-permanent procedure and watch your child be carried into an operating room. Certainly we could console ourselves with reminders of its necessity, but we remembered that she is God...
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Here Comes the Sun

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Here Comes the Sun...a New Chapter for Cora         Since our last update Cora has shown steady improvement! We realized we had become sensitized to almost expect that if we had a "good" Cora day without incidence or struggle, we'd have a "bad" one on our next visit. After 2 weeks on her new feeding system though without her daily difficulty, we began to see a new baby emerge and she has steadily shown her face. Now with more energy, we are starting to work on oral mechanics (read: skills toward eating eventually) after successfully preventing an oral aversion (IYKYK), and allowing as much floor "play time"- her "physical therapy", to evaluate how she's growing & moving and helping her strengthen as much as she can tolerate.  Praise!- she is on a current streak of 7 days without any apnea that she needs help recovering from! HUGE! With the help of some drugs to help decrease her secretions & the development of her gag/cough refle...
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#NewCora

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What a month it's been!      My apologies that it has indeed been a month, but when you hear about ours, you'll excuse the delay! We started this month by marking what was supposed to be her due date and discussing with her team what developments they'd be looking for to consider her eventual home accommodations of care. The first 2 weeks were the continued rollercoaster of good days and bad. We have been sensitized to almost expect a hard day if we had a calm day at all, and those 2 weeks were the epitome of that! Cora's breathing difficulties continued as they adjusted medication doses and feeding amounts while trying to evaluate her growth, even as she did make good progress in her weight.          About 2 weeks ago we started really praying about accepting whatever future God has planned for her, no matter how complex her needs or scary, overwhelming, or uncertain it might appear. We sought God throughout the week with that dual prayer of "Hea...
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