Immeasurably more...

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." [Ephesians 3:20-21]

Do you believe that He is able to do "immeasurably more" than all we ask or imgine? If not - buckle up!

What defines a miracle? A sign or a wonder? Whatever makes us lose our breath, when we experience something that truly is unfathomable, indescribable and immeasurably more than our human, finite minds can grasp! Well this morning...God's miracle, sign and wonder was knocking Norwood out of the park!

"Norwood Knockout Day" was coined by our incredible friends/neighbors Jason and Jenn this morning, when they delivered breakfast muffins through my driver's side window at 5:25am as we pulled out of our drive! And I can't begin to tell you how that "rally cry" has encouraged Kel and I - and all involved - in Jackson's big day!

We all aware and know of the intensity and evasiveness of the Norwood surgery, but as our team of doctor's prepared in the wee hours of the morning to re-construct/create Jackson heart...I have never been so surrendered in my life! I mean here we are...watching our 8 day old son go down the hallway in the arms of a stranger for his third surgery to date, to save his life...and all we could do is wait in God's Grace, Peace and Strength! Talk about feeling "out of control!" as a daddy and mommy, but we all know who is in complete control! And did God ever show up this morning...immeasurably!

At 8:00am - the anesthesiologist carried Jackson down the hall in his arms to prep for surgery. We were told to rest and make sure to eat by our Nurse Jackie as we waited patiently through the 4-5 hour long surgery with our small group from church. We were not expecting any updates during the wait - so you can imagine our surprise when Linda (a Nurse Liason) came into the waiting room at 9:30 and called out "the Barrett's?" I stood straight up...as my heart skipped a beat! But with a little smile on her face she shared that Jackson was doing great, anesthesia went very well, Jackson was on the heart-lung machine already and the Norwood surgery was underway! Talk about a great surprise...

But that was not the greatest surprise of the morning! At 11:00am, when Linda appeared again to share that the surgery was a complete success (in less than three hours) and that Jackson did extremely well with no complications at all...and the surgeons were wrapping things up...I wanted to dance down the hallway! And as hugs, tears, smiles and phone calls and texts were shared around the room, yet another surprise was delivered a few minutes later when Joanne (surgical team doctor) stopped by quickly - with a huge smile on her face - to share her encouragement of how well Jackson did! And yet another...a half an hour later...when Dr. Morell (our lead surgeon) came into the waiting room to share that "the surgery could not have gone better! But we still have a long road ahead! This is a marathon, and we are only half way there!" But hey...we are half way there!! I can't begin to tell you the joy that filled our hearts and the room as the news broke! Talk about amazing...

But then God really displayed surprised us with His Glory and Miracle...as He completely knocked Norwood out of the park! If you remember...we were presented the "best case" scenario last Friday that had Jackson coming back from surgery:

• "open-chested", which would hopefully be closed within 48 hours - due to swelling of the heart following the reconstruction.
• on a heart lung machine - that would be removed hopefully within 24 hours.
• and hopefully transitioning off meds by the end of the week, stepping down to the NICU by the end of next week, and a slight possibility of being home before Christmas!

Well - God said..."Give me your best case scenario, and I will blow that out of the water!" Jackson's surgery went so well he came back closed-chested and off the heart-lung machine! And Joanne, just whispered in our ears as I write this that everything is a great sign to have him home before Christmas...BUT in the words of the Attending Doctor in the CICU - Dr. Constantinos " even though it may possibly have been the best Norwood surgery we have ever performed, the next 6-18 hours are critical, as many Norwood patients decline before getting better!"

How awesome is our God! Right now - as of 4:30pm...he continues to remain stable, but in the last hour his oxygen levels have dropped and are working diligently to adjust! Please continue to pray - as he is not out of the woods by any means...but we put our Trust and Hope in the Lord to continue revealing His Glory - immeasurably - as He holds and heals Jackson!

Thank you so much for your prayers and support this morning and through out our journey, and please keep them coming!

Continue to find rest in God alone..for our hope comes from Him - alone! He alone is our Rock and our Salvation! He is our Fortress, and we will not be shaken! Trust in Him at all times, pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge! [Psalm 62:5-8, emphasis added]

Below are a couple of pictures post surgery - but please prepare yourself before looking as it is definitely hard to see our little warrior in this condition...

And if you happen to be a Pittsburgh Penguin’s fan...Jackson's first two visitors post-op were Marc Andre Fleury and Brent Johnson, who delivered a Christmas present from the team to our "little warrior" (which is the new nickname for Jackson in the CICU this afternoon)!

All Eyes on Jesus!