What an up and down week we have had. Malachi suddenly started running a fever on Wednesday evening so we started to go through the checklist…could it be pneumonia, a shunt malfunction, something viral, did he simply get overheated? Do we risk taking him to the doctor where he could possibly catch something worse? Do we just wait it out and see what happens?

We went with the watch and wait method. He had been at the barn for horse therapy earlier that afternoon and it was a hot day. With the help of some Motrin his fever was gone by 10pm that night and we were feeling pretty confident it was just an overheating/brain issue. As he always does, his temperature continued to drop the opposite direction so we worked to stabilize it and he got to sleep in the big bed with mommy and daddy and watch cartoons that night (a super special treat).

To play it safe I kept him home from school the rest of the week, but he seemed back to normal. Tonight at church he vomited out of the blue and started running a fever again. We will be watching him very closely, as both of those can be signs of a shunt malfunction. If the fever is still there by morning we will likely need to take him in for imaging.

Even with the threat of a potential emergency brain surgery (which we aren’t even confident is needed) I am working myself into a frenzy trying to process how we will manage both boys. We would need to keep Levi away from the hospital and germs, but Malachi undergoing surgery, particularly on his brain, is a tough thing for momma to go through alone. It is easy to forget how complicated things truly are when we are at home and everyone is doing so well. We will just continue to pray that this is a brain regulation issue and no intervention is needed.

Levi is being his same wiggly self. Our home looks like a Babies-R-Us as we have devices, seats, jumpers, bouncers, and swings everywhere. When I set him on the ground to roll around he ends up with the cords wrapped around his neck and pulling on his g-tube; when I am feeding Malachi and cant get to Levi quickly this can become dangerous so I rotate him through his gear. He still gets plenty of time on the ground but only when we can closely supervise him.

Levi has mastered the “throwing things” cause and effect game and LOVES it. He also has to see mommy at all times. He recognizes his name and will turn to you when you say it.

Malachi got a new dinosaur toy that wraps around his arm and it has been a HUGE hit. He uses his imagination to pretend like it is biting us and will ROAR. It is fun to see him try to engage play with Levi. I took a video for you all:

This week the boys are scheduled to meet with their new feeding therapist. I am very eager and excited to see how this will go. We need some forward progress with both boys and I need just the right person to help me tackle it.

Tonight’s verse comes from Matthew 5 which is where Jesus gives his sermon on the mount. If you get time this week you should read through the first 10 verses.

When I read scriptures I have read many times before, I always try to look with fresh eyes and be open to anything that God wants to highlight for me. As I read my mind started processing some of the words and led to some further studying.

Here are a few of the questions I struggled through:

-“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (verse 3)    I found myself what it meant to be poor in spirit. It almost sounds like a negative thing, like someone who isn’t close to God, or spiritually bankrupt. But after spending some time reading commentaries I understand that it means being humble and acknowledging our constant need for God.

-“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (verse 6)   I started to think about what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness. If you look at the word “righteous” in the New Testament it comes from a greek word (“dikaios”) which means observing diving laws or upright, faultless, innocent, and guiltless. Can we ever achieve the title of “righteous” with that definition? The Bible uses that adjective with several people: Job, Abraham, Noah, David. How did these sinful people earn such a great compliment from God?

While I know that none of us can remain sinless, I do know that it brings God joy when we hunger and thirst to live a lifestyle that honors Him. He sees our hearts and our motives. Righteousness should always be something we strive for, even though we know we will mess up along the way.

-“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (verse 8)    This one made me stop and think. When I think of a person that is pure in heart the first thing that comes to mind is my Malachi. What a pure little heart he has, and Jake and I are confident that he will spend eternity with God- probably running like a wild man on his perfect little legs.

But I do want to share something really unique and special with you….

And in doing so, I recognize that some of you may think I am crazy haha. I am a spiritual person, but what happened this week was a new one for me.

This week Malachi has been staying up way later than normal. Jake has to work so he and Levi go to bed and Malachi and I stay in the living room, talking and playing while I wait for him to tire out. Earlier this week I had a discussion with him and I told him if there was a room full of little boys and I could pick any of them to be my son, I would choose him again and again. We talked about how special and unique he was and how God designed Him beautifully. Malachi was eating up the conversation and signing “more” so I kept the talk going.

We talked about how much joy he brought his mommy and daddy, and how he was being such a great example to baby Levi on how to make good decisions. I talked to him about how much God loves him and how he points people to Him. He grinned his sweet little grin at me, kissed me on the cheek, and gave me a big hug…reminding me that his sweet little brain understands almost everything I tell him.

We snuggled chest to chest on the couch and he started to drift towards sleep. Then suddenly he started giggling. And BIG TIME. Usually I can pinpoint what is making him giggle, but this time it was just so random. Then he sat upright, pushing himself off of my chest and looked straight behind me.

Malachi has corticol visual impairment so he is legally blind. He really struggles to see things, but he locked his eyes onto something and tracked it. He was so focused on something and whatever it was was continuing to make him laugh hysterically. My blood ran cold as the whole thing creeped me out a bit in a cool way. There was clearly something else in the room- he saw it and I felt it.

We have always felt that Malachi sees angels and I have no doubt that he saw one that evening. He sat up and tracked that angel with his eyes for 18 minutes straight with a strength and a visual ability that he has never had before…especially for that length of time.

I kept laughing at myself for getting freaked out (which happened multiple times) as I realized that God knows I can’t handle seeing an angel. I know it sounds silly and irrational, but after the first few minutes I started wondering if I this was a sign I was about to lose Malachi.

Malachi finally calmed down and started to snuggle again. We were a few minutes away from him being asleep and it happened again. He sat bolt upright, giggled uncontrollably, and tracked it again for another 10 minutes. At this point I was laughing as I watched the sheer joy on his face. I don’t know what that angel was doing, but Malachi thought he sure was doing some funny stuff.

And yes, I still got the chills and slightly freaked out the second time too haha.

Malachi has acted this way once before when we went to a church service in Ohio. We were confident that evening too that he was watching angels. His whole demeanor and body changes. And the eyes tracking is just incredible. Undeniable.

When he finally drifted off to sleep after the second tracking I thanked God for sending His angels into Malachi’s world. I thought about all of the dark times Malachi has gone through. All of the scary surgeries, hospital stays, loneliness in his trapped world. Knowing that God has been sending Malachi so many joyful, comforting moments made me smile.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. While I believe that this verse is talking about the future life in Heaven that Malachi will have, I also am thankful that God’s face shines on my sweet boy during his time here on earth.

Please be in prayer for Malachi as we sort out the fever mystery. He and I are headed to bed right now and with fever reducers he is hanging out at 99.1. Usually if it is just a temperature regulation/brain issue it drops much lower than that so now I am beginning to lean toward sickness or a shunt malfunction. Pray for Jake and I to have wisdom.

And please continue to pray for Levi’s miracle too. That those vocal cords suddenly start moving, like nothing was ever wrong.

Much love,

Leah