Palm Sunday

As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' " Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" They replied, "The Lord needs it." They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you." Luke 19:28-44

Palm Sunday...today is the Sunday with a split personality. It starts with an upbeat gospel recounting Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It is a festive affair, complete with a parade route strewn with palm branches. But we quickly progress to the stark reading of Jesus’ passion, bearable only because we already know its happy ending. Mel Gibson’s film did us a favor in reminding us how shockingly brutal the whole business really was. If you have not seen "The Passion of the Christ" or if it has been awhile, I encourage you to watch the movie this week.

I never thought that I would be uttering these words again, and I am still in shock as I type them, but I am pleased to announce that Joe and I are expecting another child. I am pregnant!!! After trying for so long to conceive another child and enduring 2 years of fertility treatments to conceive Kyle, we are amazingly pregnant so soon after his birth. At this point, I am really not sure what to say, other than the Lord works in mysterious ways.

Good news...Our big boy weighed in last night at a whopping 2 pounds!!! It took almost 6 weeks for him to get there, but he finally made it! Praise God! Kyle's spinal tap is still coming back negative. His oxygen level continues to be a little high, the vent settings have been between 45% and 50%.

Something I forgot to mention earlier in the week...on Tuesday Kyle had an eye exam. The eye exam itself was very brief, and took place from the comfort of his isolette. Prior to the exam Kyle was given eye drops to numb his eyes. During the exam the nurse held Kyle's head steady while the doctor put a clip on his eyelids to hold them open. I was not allowed in the room during the exam, but I am told the clip looks like an awful torture device. The doctor then peered into Kyle's eyes with the aid of a light mounted on his forehead and a set of hand-held magnifying lenses. The whole thing took less than five minutes. Kyle didn't enjoy it very much and promptly fell asleep the moment it was over. Eye problems in preemies are fairly common. When Kyle was born, his eyes were only about 30% developed, which is normal for as early as he was. So far, Kyle is on target for his age, but the doctor said that issues come into play when the babies eyes do not continue to develop properly outside the womb. Because of this, the doctors will give Kyle weekly eye exams to make sure his eyes continue to develop normally.

"Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna:Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord."~John 12:13~

Much Love,

Jennifer, Joe, Madison, Kyle and ?????

P.S. APRIL FOOLS ABOUT THE PREGNANCY! I'm NOT pregnant...hopefully, you're laughing about my little prank and not upset! :)