Sweet Baby Home

We have been home now for almost one month. Things are going well.Nate seems to have an increased appetite since we have been here. We usually end up giving him more than his allotted amount of milk. The nurse practitioner recommended that we just let him eat as much as he is willing to eat. So, we have just gauged this per feeding.

Somehow the little guy has his days and nights all confused. He sleeps very soundly during the day, and is wide eyed ready to party at night. Actually, all of our newborns have been this way, so we count it a blessing because it just signifies normal behavior.

The apnea monitor has not been a big deal at all. I was really dreading having to deal with it at home. But, having it gives me a peace of mind that I was not expecting. When he is sleeping during the day, I don't feel the need to check on him every five minutes because I know the alarm will sound if he has an issue. Also, it hasn't alarmed very much. I had heard that the monitor can be annoying by giving off false alarms. I am so thankful this has not been the case.

All in all, we are doing great. Nathaniel had a follow-up appointment last Wednesday, and was 7lbs! He is scheduled to receive a physical therapy evaluation tomorrow.He had some physical issues that need to be addressed. No one could really tell me what these were. I got the idea that this was fairly normal these days(Miles did not have this extra evaluation). I am trying to not be concerned about this until we know more.

I am so thankful for all of your encouraging words, and most of all prayer. There is nothing more powerful than when God's people come together collectively and pray for a common cause. I simply can't thank you enough for sharing in our journey.

Please know we ask God,as a family, every time we sit down to dinner (most of which I haven't had to prepare) to bless all those who have prayed for us during this difficult time for our family. Thank you all for showing my family what it means to serve.

Have a wonderful, blessed Holiday Season as we all honor Christ.

Nathaniel 11/10

Today he weighs 4lb. 11.6 oz. Yesterday he was at 4lb. 9.8oz, and Tuesday he was 4lb. 7oz. As you can see, our prayers for weight gain have been heard and answered. Also, last night he took an entire bottle in ten minutes. This is another milestone we have been waiting to happen since he will need a bottle of high calorie formula twice a day when he comes home.

I am able to feed him three times per day now. I come to the hospital at 8 am 2 pm and 8 pm for his feeds. Likely we have only the rest of this week and one additional week before our sweet baby comes home. Please pray for us as we juggle life, and this back and forth routine for the next ten days.

The end is in sight and Todd and I feel God moving and hovering very close. Not only to sustain us, but to help us grow spiritually. These kinds of events in ones life tend to expose weaknesses in individuals, families, and marriages. We want to glean every lessons and change all that needs to be changed. We never want a trial to be for naught. We have repenting to do, and character to be changed. When God brings these things to light it is our responsibility to take care of the issues or else suffer the consequences of disobedience. Please pray we deal with the changes as He would have us deal with them!

I am so humbled by you all reaching out to us yet again. We understand our walk is not ours alone, but is shared by many. Please forgive all of our shortcomings as we all strive to walk closer to the one who enables us to forgive!

All my love,

Andria

Nathaniel 11/7

Well our little guy was up to 4 lb. 4 oz. and he dropped a little weight yesterday. But, he is up to two oral feedings a day, so that could be the reason. He is burning some extra calories by eating- wouldn't it be nice if we all burned calories just by eating! He weighs 4 lb 3.9 oz, so still significant gain the last few days. 

He has improved his oral feeding skills. The last two times he nursed he did not need extra food due to the length of time he was latched and eating.  Todd gave him his first bottle yesterday. He took just a little because he was very sleepy, so they just gave the rest through the feeding tube. 

Still, he struggles with reflux, so that is one prayer request, as is his weight gain. Todd and I are trying to discern a good balance of being at the hospital and keeping things rolling at the house with the other children. I can tell Miles is feeling the effects of mom being gone. He has taken to sucking his thumb- something he only used to do at bedtime. 

I would love to be in Nate's hospital room around the clock, but right now we don't think that is what God would have us do.  So, if you would, pray for a momma's heart to listen to God for what is best for ALL of our sweet kiddos!

November 2nd update

Nathaniel 11/2

Baby boy is back up to his birth weight at a woppin' 3lb 13 oz. We are very pleased and feel this is a direct answer to our prayers. Todd and I were growing a little concerned that Nate had not reached that milestone after two weeks in the NICU. 

Also, he was able to get his nasal cannula removed. They removed the two stickers on the side of his head, which signals that they are very confident he will have no need of the oxygen again. Very encouraging. 

I spoke to the speech pathologist today. She has been evaluating him over the course of the last week and feels that we can now begin oral feeds once per day. We will start him out nursing before bottle feeding, since he has already made some strides in that area. I was able to nurse him for the first time today. 

We are all still doing quite well, but are very busy between the hospital and home. Todd has been working tirelessly to paint the pink room to green, and get us set for winter which includes several stacks of firewood. 

Spencer and Hattie have very much enjoyed their break from regular schoolwork, and are keeping up with the housework. This is a huge blessing to mom. 

We have had no needs that have not been met by neighbors and friends. Many thanks for the wonderful food for our family and the tender care given to my children while I am with Nate. You are God's hands and feet to us, and we are so grateful!

Nate slideshow

My very good friend, Lisa McSpadden, came to take pictures of sweet Nathaniel. I cannot imagine a life with children without Lisa Mac pictures. She has a gift from God to capture all the emotions and stories of our lives. Thank you dear friend! Click the link below to view the slideshow. This was Spencer's very first time to see Nate. 

http://c3385711.r11.cf0.rackcdn.com/101091.mp4

As far as an update- we are asking for God's prayer warriors to lift up Nate regarding his reflux. We need his sphincter muscles to develop and work the way God designed them to work. We know this will come, but it is an obstacle for us right now. We are asking God to help this process along so that Nate's Brady episodes will cease and so we won't have to use formula with thickit for his feedings. 

Thank you!

Many Blessings to you from us!

The Bittles

Nathaniel 10/18

This morning I was able to hold our precious Nathaniel for the first time. I sang to him, recited all the books I know by heart, quoted scripture, and prayed for his good health along with the other babies in the NICU. He did very well, so I was able to hold him about an hour. What a precious time! We can hold him once per day right now. So, I offered to let Todd hold him tomorrow. Knowing a mother's heart he graciously said he would rather I take the once per day and he will hold him when he is up to twice per day.

.

His billirubin number went from 4 up to 8, so he is under the lights with his "shades" on right now. Most preemies have this issue, even some term babies. It is not at all worrisome.

Yesterday he had a successful BM and another this morning while I was there. I mention that because it is a direct answer to our prayers.

His oxygen flow was at 4 last night when Todd was there. They were able to back him off to 3 early this morning and now he is at 2. He seems to be tolerating the reduction in air flow without any apnea episodes.

Also, while I was holding him he received 4cc of milk. He had no residual from that feed, so at 2:00 they will be advancing his feed to 7cc every three hours.

For some reason they are not feeding Nathaniel my milk right now. I think he has to be a bit bigger to tolerate breast milk. However, they are using my colostrum to swab in his mouth. This way he gets the benefit of the antibodies. It is believed he can absorb this through the tissue in his mouth.

We have a room to paint, clothes to wash, and a car seat to clean. We've got to get in gear. This baby will be home before we know it!



Thank you for your continued prayer for our sweet one. We are thankful he is doing well

Much love,
Andria and Todd

Baby Bittle #5

Our little Nathaniel Todd showed up in Bittle surprise fashion not to be outdone by his siblings. He was minutes from being delivered in the car had his dad not had the skill to drive as though he was in a NASCAR race! I always new those driving tactics would come in handy!!



He weighed 3lb 13oz and is in the Willow Creek NICU. He is doing very well. Today, he got 4cc of milk and is already on a nasal cannula. The nurses and doctors say he is quite remarkable for a 32 weeker. Not surprising, though, as his big brother did well in the NICU almost four years ago.


Love to you all. Keep little Nate in your prayers. We want him at home as soon as possible. That is, when his "work" in the NICU is done. We say work because we know God has a purpose and a plan. He can use the tiniest babies to the mightiest of men. And we feel quite sure that Nathaniel (meaning God has given) was born October 15 for a very good reason!

Andria

Emma's One Year Birthday Celebration

Revelation 4:11 " Your are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being"

Today we are celebrating the short life of Emma Grace. We are having a one year birthday party for our precious departed daughter. We are celebrating because, although we miss her, we are so happy that she is living the life we all long for. She is in the place we are created to desire.

I received a beautiful card from some of our dearest friends. I would like to quote some of things they said.

"Sweet Bittles, We absolutely love and are celebrating your sweet Emma's life. One year later she continues to be one of God's greater blessings in our life. Someday we will grab Emma's hands and jump and twirl for joy with her over her perfect body and beautiful life in Heaven! Until then, we will miss her along with you while also being blessed by the life she is living in Heaven as she fulfils her call and purpose"

"When I see Emma Grace I'm going to ask her to tell me all about our God and all about the only home she's ever known. What a gift your family has given to Emma by her having been birthed into your family for eternity, but the only home she has ever truly known is the one we are all longing for. The most ideal home and existence there can ever be. Heaven is her home. I'm so happy for her."

I include these cards because I wanted to reveal our perspective and the perspective of some of those that were impacted by Emma Grace's short life. God continues to bring us, our children, and our family complete healing. Emma means "universal" and we all know what God's grace brings to our life. Todd and I want Emma's story to be told and we want all of those who hear it to believe that God's grace is universal. God didn't just choose to heal the Bittles during their trial because we are any more special than anyone else. He offers His grace and His healing to everyone who will choose to receive.

In honor of Emma, we have put together a package of books with a cover letter. We are praying over these gifts. Knowing God will put them in the hands of those who need them. The books are "Heaven is For Real" by Todd Burpo and "Have Heart" by Steve Berger. These two books have helped me personally by making sense of what I was already feeling. I have cried many tears for my daughter, but I have been so happy that she is going to enjoy her wonderful life with a loving Savior. As much as we love her, He loves her more.




This morning I made the kids chocolate chip waffles (a rarity around here). Hattie was up first. She was so excited and loved the yummy taste of the sweet waffles. I told her that as good as these taste, the food in Heaven is so much better. We got into a conversation about that. She shared that she probably would even like the tomatoes in heaven! I had to laugh. Her last quote was "The bad stuff in Heaven will be good and the good stuff will be even gooder". That sums up what our minds can comprehend for now. But like my friends who sent their sentiments, I am looking forward to getting the scoop from Emma when we get there.

Blessings to you all! And again, thank you for reading!

Ultrasound

Today we went to the Doctor for an early ultrasound. Everything looked just perfect so far. I am about 11 weeks along. We will know more at the 20 week ultrasound, but it was so nice to see that sweet little bean with a tiny, perfectly formed head. Todd and I were so very thankful and pleased. Thank you all for your prayers.

One Year Later

Now that most of you understand that the Emma Is… book was our announcement that Emma Is a big sister, I wanted to give you the rest of the story.
Spring of 2010 our fellowship group was having regularly scheduled meetings. We called these “storm gatherings” because back in February God had warned us that there would be a holy storm come to our group. This meant we were going to experience some tough things together as a family, and He wanted to prepare our minds and hearts. So, we began meeting once/week for several weeks.
On April 6, 2010, we had one of these meetings scheduled. Todd and I went to have a regularly scheduled ultrasound that morning and found out our baby had anencephaly. We went to the meeting that night not really knowing how to tell our dearest friends. We were gathered in the kitchen about to dive in to something our leader had prepared when everyone’s attentions was diverted to one of the babies taking his first steps. The whole kitchen erupted with laughter, clapping, smiles, and awes. I immediately thought “my baby will never do that”. It was more than a momma’s heart could bear and I ran to the bathroom with uncontrollable tears.
Todd helped console me, called everyone into the living room, and we told them our news. The hours that followed were some of the sweetest in our long journey. We gathered around, prayed, praised God, and just all offered Him again our lives, our children, and agreed we knew He knew best for us and accepted anything from Him-even difficult news.
Well most of you know the rest of that year brought many ups and downs. We were able to walk through that time being sustained by a small group of friends who were Jesus’ hands and feet.
After Emma went to heaven, we felt very sure we were to have more children. God kept confirming for us that our family was not complete. During the months of trying to conceive, I had some difficult cycles and was beginning to wonder if God planned to finish our family through adoption. Todd and I had this conversation and decided to ask God what to do.
In the meantime, our group had felt the nudging of God to get together to commemorate the day we all discovered the news of Emma Grace. We felt it was important to discuss how God through Emma had changed us, and what work He still had in front of us.
April 5, 2011 I was lying in bed in the evening and Todd came in to the room and asked if I was sick. I told him that I was either fighting a virus, or I was pregnant. So, on April 6, 2011 I took a pregnancy test and was thrilled to discover that God had given us another precious life. We went to our scheduled-by-God meeting that night and shared stories of God’s work along this journey. At the end of our talk, Todd let everyone know that very morning God had seen fit to deliver some different type of news. Of course, everyone jumped for joy and had tremendous excitement for our sweet addition to the Bittle family. Then we all sat back in awe of what we had just seen Him orchestrate.
Do you see, my dear friend, how involved God is in the details of our lives if we only allow Him? He redeemed April 6th for us forever. That could have been a difficult day for us for years to come. However, now, we will see April 6th approaching and think only of God’s favor, love, faithfulness, and mercy.
He wants to do the same for your life. He counts all those tears. He sees the hardships we endure, and has a plan. Let us allow Him to work out everything in our life for the good!
Blessings to you all! And again, thank you for reading!

Emma Is..

Below is the link to a book I have written one year after we found out that Emma Grace had anencephaly. We titled the book "Emma Is..." because that is how we view her. We discuss her in present tense because we know she IS alive and well in heaven. She IS living out her created purpose in glory with God the Father. Thank you for viewing!


"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFRv1WTGSc8"

God's new addition to the Bittle Family

If you have read our other posts, you know Hattie has had her heart set on a puppy. Todd and I thought about this request. We prayed about her puppy and decided it might be something we consider down the road. We have wanted, for some time, to move to the country. What better time to add a dog to the family than when you have a place for it to roam?

As some of you might understand, God had a different plan for our family. Christmas Eve morning while we were camping out in Todd's parents pasture, a family of three pups and a momma wondered about. As he was holding up one of the puppies, Todd asked Hattie to open the camper door. She immediately exclaimed "you got me a puppy for Christmas!". Of course, we had no idea whose puppies these were, so he let her know that these dogs did not belong to us.
Over the next few days, she did little else but play with the dogs. I believe it was Christmas evening when we made the decision that she could bring one home. This came after Todd had inquired about the puppies to all those living close to his parents. When we picked out the one puppy (all brown) that we would take back to Fayetteville, we put her in a dog box. We named her Noel and immediately fell in love with her. She started to whimper, cry, and bark. Hattie and the kids felt very sorry she seemed so unhappy in her new captivity, so Todd tossed in one of her sisters to keep her settled until we departed the next day. This one action led us to bring home two dogs instead of one. After much deliberation, we named the second, very big sister, Kimber.

Christmas night, while petting Noel, Hattie said "Mom, God did this! He set this whole thing up!". I believed my sweet daughter was right. God knew what we all needed, and now we are enjoying the company of these two sweet, vivacious puppies.

Some of you have asked their breed. As far as we know, they are lab/husky mix. Noel looks like she inherited most of the lab genes, and Kimber looks a little more like a husky. Both are very beautiful, sweet dogs. We have all been blessed by their presence. Thank you God! You are always so faithful to give us what we need when we need it.