God's Promise: Canaan Rebecca Daniel

Hi everyone. This is Courtney, posting on Becca and Nathan's behalf. I'm a very old friend from childhood, and feel humbled and honored to join the Daniel's on an incredible adoption story that is overflowing with miracles. Many of you know what's happened recently but for those who need a quick catch-up, here is a brief background.

I have 4 kids, two of whom are adopted and are full biological siblings. Their birth mother became pregnant and my husband and I asked Becca and Nathan to adopt this baby girl. They said yes, and God confirmed each movement along the way (and I can't wait to share with you in the coming days all of those God sightings).

At 25 weeks and 1 day along, Canaan Rebecca Daniel was born, and the Daniel family rushed to Northwest Arkansas to say their goodbyes, as the doctors told them this little girl was not expected to survive. But as we all know, God is in the business of miracles, and she is alive! One pound of pure miracle, with a head full of hair and a lot of grit and determination within her.

We are planning to update this blog frequently, as her medical needs can change within a minute, and we know the power of PRAYER matters. Assume though that no news is good news. If you don't see the blog updated, know that things are still moving along and that Canaan is still fighting. We are expecting one miracle after another, so we are asking each of one of you to share Canaan's story, and to boldly approach God's throne along the way with us. Canaan has an incredibly long road ahead of her, and I know we all want to help out in any way we can. That said, here are the praises and prayer requests for today:

PRAISES -
She endured a lumbar puncture yesterday to test for infection and the results came back with NO INFECTION! Truly wonderful news and a blessing!

She has been able to increase the milk she is receiving, which means her stomach is being able to digest more food. More food = more weight gain. Becca is also going to donate her breast milk to put into Canaan's feeding tube  Bring on that liquid gold - we are ready to see Canaan get nice and chunky thighs!

PRAYER REQUESTS -
We need to beckon the throne together and pray for ZERO BRAIN BLEEDS. These are measured in 4 levels. Levels 1 & 2 are common and okay typically. Levels 3 and 4 are very scary. While this is common in a baby so tiny, we are all praying for a full miracle that Canaan have zero brain bleeds. The brain scan happens tomorrow (day 5) and again at day 14. So amp up your prayers tomorrow because this will be critical for Canaan's continued improvement.

And of course, please continue to pray for her to get off the ventilator. Pray for strong lungs and for her oxygen levels to be normal.

These are the prayers Becca and Nathan asked me to share, but I will add to please continue praying for their family. They are all doing well and feel so sustained by your prayers and encouragement, but continue to lift them up as you lift up Canaan.

OTHER UPDATES -
Becca and Nathan are where they need to be: they have good doctors, great care, and there is no talk of transporting Canaan to another hospital, nor do they want that right now. Wake and Fenley are doing AWESOME. Because the hotel is right by the hospital, Becca and Nathan are able to take them swimming, read books, play, etc. Wake is on a fun adventure and Fenley's prayer and faith is deepening daily. The faith of a child is truly powerful to watch!

So how can you help? Right now, pray. We will have many more updates as they get used to their new normal. Becca's new home is Northwest Arkansas, and it will be a while before they are able to bring Canaan home. They are taking this day by day, and continue to keep their focus on God and family. They have temporarily deactivated their Facebook accounts, not because they don't want comments, but simply to not become distracted. So please leave comments on this blog post - they need the encouragement and appreciate all the love you are sending!

A beautiful note drawn by Canaan's nurse, Ashley

Canaan was born on 7/7/17. The doctors say the first 7-10 days are critical so they need Canaan to make it to 7/17/17. You see a theme here with the number 7?? As a helpful sign to remember to pray, any time you see the number 7, lift up a breath of prayer.

One final reminder. Baby Wake (as my kids like to call him) was a 0.001% miracle. And look at him now! So we need God to do it again with precious Canaan.

I leave you with some songs Becca and Nathan have on repeat right now. May we lift His name in praise and expectation for a multitude of miracles.

Glorious Unfolding, by Steven Curtis Chapman

Miracles, by Jesus Culture


Humbly yours,
Courtney