Day 12--Every drop counts

Progress? I should say so--he voluntarily consumed, by mouth, 5 1/2 ml, ladies and gentlemen! That's 1 1/2 ml more than yesterday! Why, that's only a few drops more, you may say. But progress is progress, especially when the developmental therapist and the speech pathologist say that it was "high quality" sucking, swallowing, and tongue cupping.

Doesn't he look pleased with his progress? When I went back tonight after dinner to hold my little sweetie, he kept grinning at me in his sleep. It took about 10 tries, but I finally caught a little grin! He just melts my heart--would you want to say goodbye to a sweet little face like this? It's hard to leave him!

As I was gazing into his precious face tonight, I felt so much gratitude for the miracles the Lord has worked in his short little life. And as I thought of the huge hurdle he still has to jump--taking his full feed (currently 69 ml) by mouth--I thought of the time when Christ healed a boy that the disciples weren't able to heal, and when the disciples asked him why that was, he answered, "This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting." (Mark 9:29) Then I thought of the principle of uniting in prayer to increase its power. "For verily I say, as ye have assembled yourselves together according to the commandment wherewith I commanded you, and are agreed as touching this one thing, and have asked the Father in my name, even so ye shall receive." (D&C 42:3) So I would like to invite any of you to join with us in fasting and prayer this Sunday for Dexter. We are praying that he will learn to eat effectively so he can come home to us. "Ask and ye shall receive" is more than a nice idea--it's a promise. I know that the Lord keeps His promises.