Smiling to life

Be glad in the Lord at all times: again I say, Be glad. Let your gentle behaviour be clear to all men. The Lord is near. Have no cares; but in everything with prayer and praise put your requests before God. And the peace of God, which is deeper than all knowledge, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.


Vitoria smiling with daddy



It is the same to me if I am looked down on or honoured; everywhere and in all things I have the secret of how to be full and how to go without food; how to have wealth and how to be in need. I am able to do all things through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:4-7; 12-13 

Our beloved Vitoria is pretty good! The only inconvenient is that we are having a very hot summer this year in Brazil, and she is suffering a bit. Usually, she can keep a good temperature by herself, but sometimes, when it is very hot, she has some problems, she gets very hot and extremely angry. So I need to be aware to let her cool, only with diaper and no clothes, or give her a cold bath.

We have also very good news: Marcelo started a new job two weeks ago! We thank our Lord for the way everything happened; it was a very simple and easy process. We thank everybody who prayed for us and we ask please that you keep on praying so that everything works well in this new job.

Our precious daughter is having many progresses: she´s everyday more expressive and perceptive. She is answering much more to our voice, turning her head in our direction when we talk to her, crying much more, even yelling when she needs something. Since she was one month at home, she sleeps alone in her own bedroom. She used to sleep the whole night, but lately she is giving me some work, waking at night crying. She needs to sleep with a special boot for correction of her club-foot, and sometimes she cries until I take the boots off. She also discovered that, if she turns her legs many times, she can take the boots off too - sometimes I only realize she did it in the morning!

She is also smiling when we play and cherish her! It is a discreet smile, but enough to let our hearts overflowing with joy, knowing she is happy and she feels loved. She cries when some strange person takes her, and stop crying when I take her - this is so amazing!



she likes to grab her dress

 She has a strong personality. She knows exactly what she likes or not, she has her favorite foods, her favorite position to sleep, to stay in our arms.. there are moments when she closes her mouth and doesn´t want to eat, and in other moments she eats everything and asks more. When she is angry in our arms, she pushes us with her hands, and even pinches us!

Another good news is that, last week, she got her first tooth! I never imagined a tooth would make me so happy, though she´s been a bit angry and having troubles to fall asleep, and I suspect soon she will get another tooth. She puts her tongue out and doesn´t let anyone see the teeth, so I guess I won´t take pictures of them so early. Everything in her is a surprise, and we are happy she started teething in the right time.

I am very involved looking for a good institution to take her, a place that can offer her all therapies she needs, to help her neurological, sensory and physical development, so that I don´t need to take her everyday in a different place, sometimes to be assisted by doctors that are not well prepared to her condition. I will have an interview in an excellent institution on March, 1st, and we are praying that God open the doors of this institution for us, if it is the best place for Vitoria.

We know God is in control and will guide us to the best place, in the best moment, so that we can offer the best for her. While we wait in Him, we live one day after another, to enjoy at most all happy moments we´re living with our precious baby girl.




 

  

Prayers

I ask you all prayers for Leandro and Daniela, baby Davi's parents,. With so much pain in my heart I received news that this precious baby went to Heaven on Sunday, 4 pm, due to an unexpected breathing problem.

We pray that God can bring comfort and peace to his parents' heart , and to all people who had the privilege of being close to him. We are so thankful for his life and for the precious time God allowed his parents to live with him.

We cry with them, and hope in Jesus for the day they will meet him again in Heaven, when finally there will be no more tears.

The story of baby Davi

I will give you praise, O Lord, with all my heart; I will make clear all the wonder of your works.
I will be glad and have delight in you: I will make a song of praise to your name, O Most High.
 Psalm 9:1,2
 

O Lord, our Lord, whose glory is higher than the heavens, how noble is your name in all the earth!You have made clear your strength even out of the mouths of babies at the breast. Psalm 8:1-2b

A few days ago I received news that filled my heart with joy. This beautiful boy you are seeing is called David, he is one month and 21 days old, he lives with his parents in Terra Roxa, a small town in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and he is a precious miracle from God!

During  pregnancy, his parents, Daniela and Leandro, found out that Davi had anencephaly. Despite many uncertainties and contrary opinions, they decided carry him to term. They kept on loving and waiting for him. Waiting in God.

A great friend from his family, Isabela, began researching more about anencephaly at internet after Davi was born. She found out Vitoria´s blog and contacted me. She and her husband Wilton are very close to Davi´s parents and have followed very closely his pregnancy and his first days of life.

We were immensely happy with their contact and asked them for the privilege of posting Davi´s story on Vitoria´s blog. Davi is just a few days at home, and his parents are very involved, getting used to the new routin of a newborn at home.

Davi was born in Bebedouro, a city close to Terra Roxa, where he still needs to go for appointemetns and all special cares, as when he pulls the feeding tube out, because where they live there are not health resources. We ask everyone to join us in prayer for this precious baby and his family. May God bless Davi everyday with health, that he grows strong and happy, and may God bless his parents in this wonderful mission of taking care of him.

I share with you this beautiful and exciting story, very similar to Vitoria´s story, but yet so unique and wonderful. A story that is being written by God, because it was not cut short by men.

Well, it all started with trying to get pregnant, after six months of trial, if I'm not mistaken, one beautiful day we received the news that Dani was pregnant with her first and long awaited son. My husband and I were with them in the first ultrasound. What a joy to hear his strong heart beating.

In the second ultrasound, the news: it was a boy, but there was a problem, he had anencephaly. My husband had driven her to make the exam, because her husband works far and would arrive only at night. When he arrived home, at first I thought that was a bad joke, but when I saw tears in his eyes I knew it was serious. This ultrasound was done in the third month of pregnancy

Since then we went through many moments of doubt and uncertainties. Dani, who had never attended any church, felt a strong need to look for God to understand what was happening and what God wanted from her.

The doctors advised her to terminate pregnancy, because they said she was also putting her life in risk. They said the baby could die in her womb, her belly would grow too much because of excess amniotic fluid and, if she carried the baby to term, he would die right after be born.

But, trusting in God's grace and in the power of His Word, she told doctors and everyone who had told her to terminate pregnancy, that if God had given her this child, she would carry him to term, and that only He would take his life back, if it was His will.

Daniela, during Davi´s pregnancy

 So months passed, and David grew with the grace of God.

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Daniela´s pregnancy was a blessing, and she didn´t have any health problem

On December 15th, David was born. He weighed 2,450 kilograms and measured 47 cm. Everybody in hospital treated him very well, giving him the most possible comfort. He stayed in the incubator for one month, and during this time he could not receive visits. He received oxygen in the incubator and he was nursed through a feeding tube. On his first week of life, he was bottle-fed, but he vomited a lot and he got very tired, so doctors decided it would be better for him to use a feeding tube. Nurses changed the dressing on his head twice a day.

Daniela with David, still in hospital

On 15 January, one month after his birth, he was released to home. We received him with so much love, joy and thanked God for the grace of his life and for allow us to live such a beautiful miracle.
Davi´s parents´s life is so busy, but I think the joy of having the presence of this miracle renews theirs strength every day.

We hope that, with one more example of a baby alive with anencephaly, one more prove that God exists and still performs miracles in our lives nowadays, many other families choose to carry their babies to term, even facing a difficult diagnosis like anencephaly. May many people understand that for the one who believes, nothing is impossible.

Daniela and Leandro with their first son Davi at home



 

Davi has just pulled his feeding tube out

Isabela Vieira - 02/05/2011, Terra Roxa, SP, Brazil

Davi´s feet and his dad´s feet when he was a baby

Isabela visiting Davi



Wilton and Isabela, close friends to Davi´s parents, receiving Davi at their home



 

Playing in the swing seat - Brincando no balanço