We're taking a tub bath tonight, baby! Why, you ask? Because Rowan's umblilical cord stump has fallen off on its own! Yippee.
I generally temper the content of these blog posts because of the varying belief systems of our loved ones who read. But the way this happened bears my recounting the story in detail, so if you'll be bothered by my attributing a miraculous (albeit small in the scheme of things) work of healing to God, you should stop reading now. Also if you're a colleague, supervisor, or student of mine and believe you may lose professional respect for me because of my belief, you should stop reading now too.
Rowan's umbilical cord has shown only change for the worse over the last few weeks. It had begun oozing blood onto the inside of his clothes, and showed no signs of shriveling up or detaching. The pediatrician just Friday said it does not appear that it will come off on its own, and she advised us to schedule an appointment with the pediatric surgeon (who I intended to call first thing Monday morning). But on Sunday at church, Susan, Yolanda, and I prayed for Rowan's umblilical cord to dry up and fall off. And overnight it went from firmly attached to hanging by a thread. And this morning it fell off completely.
It's easy to forget that even the most simple, physical things have a supernatural component. It's easy to forget that children of God are so deeply cared for by Him that we can bring even a seemingly mundane petition, and sometimes He'll choose to move miraculously even when a different, run-of-the-mill solution would have affected the desired result. I'm really thankful not to have to subject Rowan to a minor surgery to have this over with.
So, look out for pictures of Rowan's first tub bath. They're coming soon to a blog near you!