A Year of Life with a Faithful God

"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments." Deuteronomy 7:9

Eliora is one year old! In the days leading up to her birthday, Chris and I made a list of examples of the Lord's faithfulness to our family over the past year, truly overwhelmed by the victories and blessings He has lavished upon us. We know that we are undeserving of these blessings and still quick to forget them, especially when a trial arises, so we took time to remind each other and tell others, too, of the goodness of God expressed in Ellie's life.

We made our list, we invited our family and friends at Ellie's birthday party to add to it, and I write this post to declare and remind all of us that God is a faithful God. Revelation 12:11 prophecies that we overcome our foremost enemy by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. With this precedent for recalling the Lord's faithfulness by testifying about the death and resurrection of Jesus and His work in our own lives, here are just some of the ways we have seen the Lord's hand in our family's lives over the past year.

I reflected on the birth which took place a year ago. We were blessed with an uncomplicated pregnancy and fairly normal delivery, but I did lose half of my blood volume after Eliora was born. We saw firsthand that life comes by the shedding of blood. Christ is our ultimate faithful-to-the-end, life-giving example as we can only be born again because of his blood shed for us, making a way for eternal life. I am so grateful that the shedding of my blood brought about a child of God who is precious beyond words, that I could image my Creator in this way as a mother. I am also grateful to live in a time and place where a transfusion was possible to help replenish what my body lost.

We are so grateful for the BIG VILLAGE that surrounds us; our amazingly supportive family, church family, and friends who have served us when we were in need. Our moms stayed with us and helped fight the Battle of the Bottle when we were afraid that Ellie would fail to thrive. Many from Oak Park Baptist Church brought us meals in those early weeks when our exhaustion was mighty. Beloved friends prayed with me when my heart was weak and overwhelmed. We have been given free babysitting so that we can focus on our marriage for a couple of hours, outfits to clothe our sweet daughter, and hands to hold our baby so I could steal a nap. Chris's work gave him a paternity leave so that he could be home with me for the first days of Ellie's life. Food, clothing, sleep, help, encouragement, prayer... our most basic and desperate needs were met without fail through God's people. Jehovah Jireh always provides.

Ellie's little feet have brought us on such an interesting journey. Her diagnosis on day one of Congenital Vertical Talus promised casting and surgery; it also directed us to genetic testing that revealed Ellie's Syndrome months or even years before we might have otherwise known, allowing us to get the help we needed sooner. At the same time, her results got lost for a few weeks, and we believe that buffer was also a blessing to not find out right away why feeding was such a challenge. Had we known her diagnosis sooner, she likely would have ended up on a feeding tube and we might not have pushed her as hard to drive her own volumes. God's faithfulness with the timing of everything was perfect.

Eliora's CVT diagnosis softened to oblique talus and still apparently warranted no treatment. Two weeks ago I followed up with ortho once again, and this time, the x-rays showed her talus bone completely aligned as it should be. Not only did we skip the casting phase, at this point she might not even need surgery! For those of you who have been praying her feet into the right direction, let me tell you, God has heard our prayers and He is responding! To be clear, her feet still point outward (though not as severely), so some stretching still needs to occur. We believe the Lord is healing and renewing her feet from the inside out. It perplexes the doctors, but not us. Even missing the casting window makes sense to me so that no one can receive the glory for this miracle except for the Lord. We can't thank Jesus enough! Praise Him with us!

By the way, we are NOT against utilizing the knowledge and skill of doctors! They are such a gift and a means of grace. As a perfect example, I finally had wrist surgery in December to release my dorsal compartment and relieve the tendonitis that plagued me all year. Recovery was humbling even though the surgery was minor; my family saw how terrible I am at asking for help, but the Lord used the situation to increase my dependence on Him and remind me that I am not as self-sufficient as I like to think. He also healed me through this procedure; two and a half months later, I feel almost 100% again! Such a praise.

Another discovery came in December during a routine cardiology check-up for Ellie. After five repeat Echos, her ASD (small hole) was nowhere to be found. What they did find was, they think, an abnormal vein in her heart. Essentially, three veins are routed to the right chamber and one to the left instead of two to each. This means that some oxygenated blood is being recirculated through the lungs, creating a little bit of extra work for her heart. The doctors are not particularly concerned about this as her heart sounds normal and strong, so we will follow up once again in a year and perhaps have a sedated Echo eventually to get a better look. We're so thankful that this isn't more serious; the Lord's protection is evident.

Also in December we decided to pursue helmet therapy for Ellie's brachycephaly (flat spot on the back of her head). The cause for her mishapen skull goes back to her motor delays and hatred of tummy time - lots of time on her back. The idea behind the helmet is to give the skull space where we want it to grow, mostly for cosmetic reason,s and hold it tight where we do not want further growth. For the first couple of days we really weren't sure if we could handle this undertaking; Ellie got extremely upset and turned blue every time we put it on, she hated it so much. With time she adjusted and we found our rhythm for daily baths and helmet cleanings. Last week I followed up with the orthotist and he reported that we have seen very little growth in her head since using the helmet and that head growth slows dramatically after children turn one year old. In sum, we decided to stop using the helmet as the potential for noticeable results is tiny and not really worth the work and discomfort. We were committed to it for months, but we are also at peace with letting it go. Although we did not see more than 2 milimeters of correction, that is completely fine, and it was another challenge the Lord was faithful to see us through.

Physical Therapy has been the most difficult and rewarding avenue of grace when it comes to Ellie's care team. She has historically been so resistant to exercise and how we push her to make neurological connections through movement and strengthening, but the past couple of months have brought about tremendous progress and growth for her. She is rolling around like a maniac (my friend Beth's words which I have joyfully adopted), tolerating tummy time, and sitting up unassisted. I even learned today that Ellie's maternity leave therapist told our returning PT that Ellie made the most exciting progress during her months away. The Lord has provided excellent therapists and care providers for us, and Ellie is being strengthened by Him to respond well. We continue to watch her personality blossom, her joy increase, and her playfulness bring a smile to the face of even the toughest of nuts to crack.

Our sweet baby has brought laughter to even the ICU and a hospice room recently as we gathered around Chris's paternal grandmother who joined the ranks of heaven earlier this week. Gigi would have loved the raspberry blowing contest between Ellie and her great aunt and would probably make a joke about the wrong animal. The Delposen family welcomes your prayers as we process how the Lord has called Grandma home in his perfect timing and leaves her children, grandchildren, great-grandaughter and friends to mourn her loss. We celebrate her life as one who trusted Jesus in the face of life and death. Eliora brought her so much joy over the past year, and I am exceedingly grateful for the time we shared living under one roof with her Gigi.

God is faithful, friends. Thank you to those who have brought him glory with us and celebrate sweet Eliora as an amazing example of his goodness. I urge any reader who does not know the Lord to turn away from sin and believe in the One who does so many wonderful works. His name is Jesus, the Son of God, who died for the sins of his people and rose again, defeating sin and death. He is the only reason to have any hope in a world where we witness brokenness through genetic defects, relational hardships, trauma, sickness, pandemics, and death itself. He is making all things new. He is the only Faithful One.

Prayers and Praises:

We are buying a house! Praise God for his provision! Please pray for our move to go smoothly at the beginning of April and for Eliora to adjust well to her soon-to-be-home.

We are pursuing braces for Ellie's feet to help hold them in the proper position especially for weight-bearing on her feet. Please pray that they would be effective and comfortable for her. We are scheduled to take them home on March 20!

Please pray for the Delposens and Grandma's family and friends as we mourn her departure from earth. There will be a Celebration of Life service on Saturday - you can join us in praying that this would be a time of bringing much glory to Jesus.