Jack is Wonderfully Made.

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.
Psalm 139:13-14

Before the foundations of the world were created, God knew that Jack Riggs would be born. He also knew that he would have cerebral palsy. Today, Josephine and I met with the doctor to review Jack's MRI from last week. She confirmed that scar tissue was present on both sides of the brain but more on the left side. This would explain the weakness of his right side. So, it is clear that he has mild to moderate cerebral palsy. The extent is not known. As he grows and matures, we will see how well he speaks. This will determine how severe the palsy is.

A few months ago I studied the story of a paralyzed man that Jesus forgave and healed (Luke 5:18). During my preparation, I examined the word for paralyzed. That word means palsy in the original language. At that moment the Lord gave me a peace about Jack as if to say -- If he has cerebral palsy it is ok.

So, today is just a confirmation of what we have suspected for a few months. The Lord confirmed the diagnosis during this week of Thanksgiving for a reason. So our prayer is for a constant attitude of thanksgiving. We give thanks that God has deemed us worthy to care for four wonderful boys including a child with cerebral palsy. But we also thank Him for His mercy towards Jack. At the end of Josephine's pregnancy the doctor was concerned that Jack might be dying. By God's mercy he lived and he is perfect because God knit him together in Josephine's womb.

So as Jack continues to grow and mature, we know that God will use him to help us grow and mature too. That is something we are very thankful for.

Jonah vs Ezra - Sparring

Turn your head 90 degrees and watch as Jonah and Ezra put their friendship to the test. What is stronger: The bonds of friendship or a roundhouse kick to the face? Watch and find out.

Super Stars - Twins Feed Themselves

Today Josephine went shopping while I took care of the boys (I call it her "vacation"). At dinnertime the twins usually sit at the table but tonight I decided to use their old trays. The trays attach to the booster seats. I had a hunch that having a tray might prevent the normal dinner time game - Sweep everything off the table onto the floor. So, I gave them the trays and placed a few peas on top. Soon the peas were flying to the ground. I tried the Gerber stars (aka flavored air). In an instant both boys were doing something they haven't done in 19 months - Grabbing food and placing it in their mouths. I sprinted over, got the video camera and started filming. Amazingly, they kept feeding themselves the stars.

When mommy got home I showed her the film and she was very proud. Another wonderful milestone reached. Now we can take the twins for Moroccan food.