In early June, I leaned that Calvary Chapel of Santa Barbara's assistant pastor Lars Linton and his wife Emily, were expecting their second child in mid-July. In my relatively brief time of attending Calvary Chapel of Santa Barbara, Lars has always been an encouraging friend and my faithful "buddy" sitting next to me regularly at Thursday morning Forge men's bible studies.
In anticipation of the big event, I emailed Lars and offered to take family portraits of their newborn baby, shortly after she is born. I told Lars that to get the best pictures of the baby, we would need to shoot withing the first week of her birth, that way we could get shots of her "folded" up tight, else her tummy might get too big and she could not curl up quite as comfortably. Lars and Emily were excited at the proposition, so we all eagerly waited
for the day that their newborn baby would be brought into the world.
On July 6, 2012, the day came that would change the Linton's lives for the foreseeable future.
On July 6, 2012, the day came that would change the Linton's lives for the foreseeable future.
Emily had a good, short, period of labor and she delivered a beautiful baby girl named Lindy Grace.
Merely hours after her birth, things started going terribly wrong. Aas Lindy started losing color, it was quickly discovered that baby Lindy was born with a congenital heart condition known as Tetrology of Fallot which does not allow her to get the oxygen she needs. Mere hours after Lars and Emily were celebrating the arrival of their precious baby girl, she was whisked away and transported to UCLA Medical Menter where she would be kept in the NCIU and eventfully undergo open heart surgery just two weeks later. Details of Lindy's experience can be found at her blog page at lindygrace.com where Lars and Emily document in detail, the events leading up to the surgery and in baby Lindy's recovery.
As a single guy with no kids, I cannot fathom the idea of having your two week old infant go through open heart surgery. The pain and uncertainty must be unbearable, yet throughout this entire ordeal, Lars and Emily's faith in the Lord has been tested, yet they have remained steadfast in God's grace and love throughout the entire ordeal. I eagerly await every blog post they make and am constantly encouraged by the faith and patience they are having during these trying weeks.
Last week, I received an email with a blog post that indicated that little Lindy would finally be arriving home in Santa Barbara. Shortly after that blog post, I received an email from Emily asking when we mght be able to get that promised photo shoot in?
YEE-HA! I was excited to learn that Lars and Emily wanted to do it soon, VERY soon, so we planned on Saturday morning, Sept 1st at 9:00AM at their apartment.
On Saturday morning, I packed up my gear and then said a quick prayer before heading over to their house, asking for the Lord to bring peace to baby Lindy during the process and not let the clicking of the shutter or the popping of the studio strobes to upset her and also that the adults would be patient and just roll with whatever little Lindy would allow us to do. Would she be fussy and cranky? Would she be uncomfortable laying on her belly with her feeding tube in the way? Healthy babies are unpredictable as it is, so how would a baby who just arrived home days before, after open heart surgery just a couple of week prior fare in the process?
I eagerly arrived on site and proceeded to take some natural light pictures of little Lindy for about an hour and then broke out the studio strobe and soft box to take family portraits and was out in less than two hours.
Lindy did very well the entire time with very little fussing and no major "biological surprises" to speak of. (Thank goodness! :0)
After all is said and done, I was able to get some beautiful images of some good friends with their precious new miracle baby girl. There are still many challenges coming up, including more surgeries as well as regular feedings, so that she can get the nourishment she needs for proper growth.
Still, I am awestruck that the life of a precious, fragile, 7 week old baby girl, is teaching us all about putting our trust in the Lord, during times of confusion and uncertainty.
Isaiah 41:10Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
=BM=
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