Batman

I know, I know, I haven't posted anything about the wedding. I will, I promise. It was amazing, so much fun, and exhausting. We spent most of last week trying to recover from the weekend.

We had a fun 4th of July weekend, topped off with a crazy Sunday evening, Monday morning.

We got the kids to bed around 9:00 last night and Dave and I sat down to eat some dinner. This isn't normal for us - we usually all eat together, but we weren't really hungry when the kids ate and we didn't expect it to take so long for them to go to sleep. So, we're sitting at the table and all of a sudden Dave starts saying, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" and runs into the bathroom and closes the door. I have no clue what's going on, so I run in there with him. Turns out there is a bat flying around our kitchen. Nice.

We're not really sure what to do, but decide we definitely need to get Elizabeth's door closed. I have read articles on how bats can bite children while they sleep and their teeth are so tiny that the kid doesn't even wake up. We go upstairs and close her door and then find the bat in the laundry room, which is upstairs. Dave closes the door and we think we have him trapped. We call around and find out that Animal Control will come pick it up if there was human contact. We don't know if there was human contact or not, but it's a possibility since the bat was upstairs where Elizabeth's room is.

It was an interesting process of going through what we need to do, researching, talking to several people, and praying. My mom prayed on the phone with me last night, because I was fairly scared - mainly about the possibility that Elizabeth could have been bitten. Then Dave and I sat down and prayed.

For me this was the first time that I have had to really sit down and deal with something potentially life and death with one of my children. I know that the odds are incredibly low that the bat even got near Elizabeth, but we don't know for sure. So, as we prayed, I told God that I knew she belonged to Him and that he has plans for her. That I trusted that all of her days were numbered before any of them came to be (Psalm 139:16). And I told Him that I trusted him. And I do. I really do. Was I scared? Heck yeah! Can I even fathom the pain and heartbreak of losing a child? Definitely not. But do I really and truly believe that God loves Elizabeth WAY more than I do and that he will protect and provide for her and take her home in his timing? Yes, I do. I struggled throughout the night with fear and anxiety. Something that as a mom I haven't really had to deal with much. But every time I felt that fear creeping back in, I told God - I trust you. It was a difficult night. Exhausting both physically and emotionally.

Animal control got here about 11:15 just as Dave and I were trying to settle down and get some sleep. The guy came in and looked all over the laundry room and couldn't find the bat. Great. So, it either got away - not good, or it's roaming the house somewhere - also not good. Dave and I decided to sleep in the living room because of the very real possibility that the bat was camped out in our bedroom.

About 2:45 I was awakened by a strange chattering noise and see our dog, Stache, standing over something at the entrance to our living room. I figure it's the bat and call Stache to come over to me. I don't want him to get bit, forgetting that he's probably the safest one of all of us, since he's current on his rabies vaccines. I wake Dave up and we sit for a moment trying to figure out what to do. Next thing we see is the bat slinking (best way I can describe it) up the hearth of our fireplace. VERY creepy looking. Dave throws a sheet on it and eventually gets it captured in a container. I am EXTREMELY thankful for Dave. He did something that he wasn't too thrilled about to protect his family. I can't even think of what I would have done if he hadn't been there and been willing to take care of us.

The bat was picked up this morning by Animal Control and taken for testing. We will find out the restults in a day or two. We have talked to our doctor, who is not concerned since there is no evidence of a bite on any of us. We will wait to find out the results of the testing on the bat to make any hard and fast decisions on whether we will be getting shots.

I know that plenty of parents have to deal with much more serious issues than this, but I am thankful that I serve a God who cares about my fears and concerns. He is a God who comforts me where I am and holds me close to him no matter what.

The next few days will be ones of waiting and praying and trusting. We trust God to show us the best plans for our family. If you would like, we would love for you to join us in praying for wisdom for us and the doctor as we make decisions.

Sorry if this post seems rambling, just trying to get thoughts down without enough sleep. Hopefully tonight will be better.