Family photos

My three very handsome men! I am so blessed. (the shirts say Handsome just like daddy)





Ethan loving his little brother. Giving gentle kisses.

JT is home, the end of 2009

Hi everyone,

Well we have had JT home for almost 2 weeks and everyone seems to be adjusting well. Ethan LOVES his baby brother. He is able to say JT and Justin. He hates taking a nap b/c he has to leave him and when he wakes up he is asking for him. This morning he woke up, heard JT and wouldn't stop saying his name until we went to see him and give him a kiss. My sweet little angel! Jake went back to work for a few days, then took a few days off for Christmas, then is working tomorrow and taking the rest of the week off to take care of me and the boys after my surgery. What a great man!! I have to say adjusting to having 2 has been entertaining!! I told my girlfriend that 2 is WAY more than 1. No one ever really seems to tell you that.
Anyway, thank you all for keeping us in your prayers. We have and will continue to just stay home away from germs for as long as we can. If you would, please pray for the next 2 weeks. Tuesday is my knee surgery and then on Thurs we take JT back to the pediatrician for another check up. (the equivalent of his 2 week check up even though he is already 8weeks old). Then the following week we see the neurologist at Children's on Tuesday and the ophthalmologist at Arlington for a follow up on Wed.
Please pray that neither of the boys get too overstimulated. Pray that JT get's glowing reports from all of his doctors! Please continue to keep Jake and I in your prayers. Keep our marriage in your prayers. We are doing well, but needles to say a child is a stress factor on a marriage, this is a bit more. Give thanks to God with us for Jake's work. Jake is able to take all the days off he has and is able to join us for all of JT's doctor's appointments too. They have been so good to us and we are so thankful!
God is good. We are encouraged daily. And, although we are so tired, Jake and I have found moments to just enjoy each other, laugh and make our marriage stronger.
We are so thankful for each and everyone of you. We hope and pray that you all had a very Merry Christmas and that Christ was your reason for celebrating. As I am sure you can imagine, Jake and I are REALLY looking for a more peaceful 2010 :-)

We love you all and are just so very blessed!

I Christ Jesus OUR rock!!
Melissa

Blizzard 2009

Here are some pictures from the nearly 18 inches of snow we got. Ethan LOVES the snow. He would stand at the window saying "no" for snow and "boots". Sadly the snow was so deep he couldn't really play in it. But we all had fun anyway, and yes JT even got to come outside too. (haven't downloaded pics of JT yet, I will post those later)



This was only 3/4 of the way through the snow storm. After it was all over, we tried to take the same picture, but the snow was so deep it was packed down.

Ethan and mommy going for a walk in the snow.


Ethan and daddy were making snowballs and eating them.

JT is HOME!

Hello wonderful family and friends,

If you haven't heard yet... JT IS HOME! I got a call from the NICU on Monday morning asking if I wanted to bring Justin home...um YEAH! I called Jake at work asked if he wanted to take JT home. His reaction to me was the same as mine was to the NICU... "really? what? wait, really???" So yes, really, we went and picked up our boy! I couldn't stop smiling!! We have been home now for a couple days and are adjusting well. Ethan LOVES his little brother! Sometimes I think a little too much. He hates going to take his nap b/c baby isn't with him. (He does say both Justin and JT but still calls him baby most of the time) When JT is napping in the pack n play and Ethan hears him squeek he goes back to check on baby. Ethan gives him gentle hugs and kisses and like any 1.5yr old he tries to poke his eyes out :-) LOL Jake and I are both getting use to (if that's even possible) the lack of sleep once again. Honesty, we are just happy! Thank you! Thank you all for everything! Mostly we want to thank those of you who have prayed for our family without ceasing. God has certainly heard your prayers. Again, we ask that you continue to keep JT in your prayers. Pray for his development in 2010! I will continue to keep you updated as there are things to update. But for now, I am going to gratefully sign off and just enjoy my family!
We love you all dearly and can't express our gratitude for you! Thank you isn't enough.

All our love in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior!
Jake, Melissa, Ethan and JT

We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your requests. - Psalm 20:5

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. - Psalm 95:1

PS if you would keep me in your prayers. I am having knee surgery on the 29th of Dec. The action never stops in this house!

JUSTIN IS COMING HOME!!!!

Praise the Lord!!! Justin has been given the all clear to come home.  We are scrambling right now and getting prepared to pick him up today.  Thank you all for your prayers and support.  More news to come as this story develops. 

PDL Emails

I don't know how many of you subscribe to the Purpose Driven Life devotionals, but I encourage you to sign up HERE.  The one today really sums up what Melissa and I have been attempting to accomplish in this trial with Justin.  Here are some of the verses used that really give us strength during this time.

"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!"(Philippians 4:4 NLT)

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough troubles of its own." (Matthew 6:34)

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.." (Philippians 4:7 NLT)

You can read the full devotional HERE.

  

Update on JT

Hey all

So, the good news is that JT has had all of his discharge tests and passed every one! All we are waiting for is for him to eat (by mouth) all of his meals. Right now he is doing an average of 6 a day, he needs to get to 8 in order to come home. He is doing a great job and Jake and I are anxiously awaiting the news that we can bring him home. Should be in the next week... we hope! One of the tests JT had was done by the developmental specialist. I was there when she performed her exam and she told me that if she didn't know he had signs of PVL she would have never guessed it. (PVL is the damage to the brain we have been praying for since the first week). Due to the PVL he also had an MRI this week. It turns out that the damage to JT's brain is "extensive". They have told us that he does have cerebral palsy. With that said, they do not know to what extent the CP will affect him. I know some of you will want to go to the computer and do all kinds of "research" on this, but I would encourage you not to do that. Jake and I although unsure of what will occur in the months and years to come love our son and NOTHING will change that. We know that Justin Richard Foulke is fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139 tells says:
¹³ For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. ¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
We also know that God has plans to prosper JT and not to harm him or us. God tells us in Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Knowing those two things brings peace to us. Justin is a gift to us from God! He is God's child first and God has big plans for him. We don't know what they are and we don't understand, but we will trust in the Lord with all our hearts!! Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. - Proverbs 3:5

We are so thankful for your prayers and encouragement. We are also thankful for the time and space we will need in order to process and adjust to the changes coming our way. At this point in time JT will be seeing a neurologist at Children's Hospital every few months to be evaluated. Obviously, we would greatly appreciate your prayers in this matter for the next several years. Our prayer is that JT is a fully functioning child and that the Cerebral Palsy doesn't hinder JT in any way. We are also praying that God will use JT for His glory! We would also like to encourage you all to remember the great blessings and answered prayers that have been bestowed upon us so far! God has answered SO many prayers throughout this process. He is a good God and He loves us! Our family is facing challenges in the coming year but the Lord is our Shepard and we will not fear!
Thank you again for all your love, patience and understanding.

Many blessings to you all! We will be sure to let you know when JT is able to come home. Then once he is home, we will let you know when we will allow people to see him. Please remember, those of you who are in the area that a cold for JT isn't just an annoying cold. He will have to go back to the NICU if he gets a cold :-(

Love in Christ Jesus our Rock!
Jake and Melissa

PS - remember where JT got his name.... Just in time! Just in God's PERFECT time!!

MORE GOOD NEWS!!!

Hello again,

I know this update is a quick one, but when it's good, no great news we just have to share! The developmental specialist saw JT today and she said that if she didn't know he had PVL (the brain damage) she would have never guessed. His exam was "normal" meaning no signs of anything wrong!! Now, this is still a prayer request b/c as he grows and develops the delays could show themselves later. She did tell me he is a high risk child b/c of the PVL. But, with that, right now, today, he looks fantastic! ALSO, it looks like he could be coming home... this weekend or early next week! He is going to have a ton of "test" this week. He has to have an MRI on his brain, and do other smaller tests. They asked me to bring in his car seat which is another big sign that they are getting ready to send him home. So, with these tests all he needs to do is continue to be a great eater so we can get him off the tube. Looks like we are going to get our early Christmas present :-)
If you would, please first give thanks to our Lord and Savior for ALL of his mercies throughout this process. Then please pray for his MRI. Pray that he is able to stay as still as possible and that they are able to get clear pictures of his brain. Pray that his brian has healed and the PVL is no longer a concern. Pray for his Apnea study, pray that he is able to breath with ease and has no issues. Pray for his brady's, he continues to have some here and there. Pray for his eating, that he continues to do the incredible job he is doing.
Pray for Jake and I. Having JT come home is so overwhelming in so many ways. We couldn't be more excited, yet somewhat nervous and cautious. Pray that we would continue to feel the peace that passes all understanding. Pray that we would continue to put our trust in the Lord. Pray for Ethan. He has been such a fabulous little man through all of this. Pray for the change that is going to occur in his life when JT comes home. Pray that Ethan will love his little brother and care for him. Pray that Jake and I would learn how to make both of our children a priority. Pray that we will be able to spend special time with each of them individually as well as together.
Thank you all for your time in reading our updates, for your love, support, encouragement and prayers. We are so extremely blessed!

We love each and every one of you!
Jake and Melissa

Update on JT

Hi everyone,
WHAT A DAY! Today was such a fantastic day! JT weighs 4lbs 8oz and... is in an open crib! This is a HUGE praise!!! They wait to put babies in an open crib when they are strong enough to maintain their body temp while exerting a lot of energy to eat. He is on 4 feedings a day. Which means that he either nurses or gets a bottle 4 times a day and is still gavage fed the other 4 times. So we are half way home in terms of eating :-) I sent Jake a picture as soon as I could and told him he should see my smile... it was ear to ear! I couldn't stop. I was so happy I almost cried! God is so good!



I know most of you have been waiting for an update on JT's eyes and development. He did see the Optomologist on Wednesday and everything looks like they expected. Basically, his eyes are under developed, but they are "normal" for his age (gestational age 35 weeks) He will have another eye exam in 4 weeks. The funny thing is, the next eye exam will be on his actual due date. As for the developmental specialist, she hasn't been in to see him yet. I think she will see him this Wed. but am not certain. So no news on that.

Again, Jake and I want to thank you all for your prayers. The Lord has sustained us through this ordeal and we know it is because of your prayers and His love for us. We are encouraged daily by people telling us they are praying for us, meals, people watching Ethan, phone calls and emails. The Lord IS our strength and we continue to make it through this because of His gracious mercy. Please join us this evening in giving thanks to our Lord and Savior for His blessings and wonderful news. Oh I am just so happy today!

Oh, one last bit, we still don't know when he is coming home. I believe it is soon but am not getting my hopes up. There is no official word on when they might be sending us home with him, but be sure we will let you know when we do.



May God bless you!
Love in Christ,
Jake, Melissa, Ethan and JT

Praise!

JT weighs..... 4lbs today! YAY! It's a great milestone :-) He is also around 18 inches long. I attached a couple pics so you can see his progress... he is getting chubby cheeks now, just like Ethan :-)

Love you all!
Jake, Melissa Ethan and JT

Prayer for this week

Hey all,
This is a short diddy for you. JT is going to be seen by the optomologist this week as well as a developmental specialist. Please if you would, pray for his vision. Pray that everything would look normal and there wouldn't be any concerns. Also, please pray for his development, but particularly his motor development since that is the area of concern when it comes to the damage to his brain.

We really are so thankful for all your prayers. I know I say it in every email, but I need you to know that God is gracious and good and He is answering our prayers, your prayers, so thank you!!

I will let you know how things go when I get the results :-)

Blessings to you all!!
Jake and Melissa

Update on JT

Hello everyone,

Jake and I once again want to take a moment to thank you all! We are SO thankful for your prayers!! Since yesterday was Thanksgiving it is only fitting that we carry that over to today and tell you all we are thankful for. First, we are thankful for or Lord and Savior for watching over JT every day and night as he is in the NICU. We are thankful that He hears our cries and answers our prayers! We are thankful for you, our family and friends for your prayers and for your help in taking care of Ethan. We are so thankful for the NICU staff. They are so loving and so wonderful to us and to JT. We are thankful for our church family and pastors who care for us and for our needs. We are very thankful that JT has put on weight!! Today he weighed 3lbs 13oz. His little cheeks are filling out and I am beginning to see a little double chin :-) This is such an answered prayer! He is also eating just over an ounce of food per feeding. AND, I am beginning to nurse him. Jake fed JT a bottle yesterday and loved every minute of it! JT is still learning how to eat so one or two feedings a day where he actually does the work is about all he can do right now. We are looking forward to the his continued weight gain and development so we can feed him more and more and get him home! He is maintaining his body temp. but is still in an isolette. They don't want to stress his body too much too soon. As he gains weight they will look into putting him in an open crib. We don't want things to move more quickly than is best for Justin, but it's hard not to get excited!
We continue to pray for JT's Brady's. He continues to have them daily. He decides the best time to have a Brady is when Jake and I are there. But he almost always brings his heart rate back up before a nurse can even get into the room. So, he is getting better. We are just looking forward to them stopping all together! The nurse practitioner told me that if JT continues to keep up the good work we are looking to get him home between 36 and 37 weeks. So, we are looking at about 2 more weeks...maybe we will get the sweetest Christmas present we can imagine!

Again, thank you for keeping us all in your prayers. We continue to feel God's presence and peace in our lives. We have a loving God and we know he hears all of our prayers. He answers them in different ways, but we know He hears us and we are so thankful for that.

May God bless you all!

Love in our Lord and Savior,
Jake and Melissa

Update on JT

Hi everyone,

This week has been fairly uneventful which is nice. JT continues to do well. Yesterday we spoke to a few doctors about his weight gain. Sadly, he isn't doing well in this area. He is able to digest my milk well but he hasn't been able to put any weight on. He keeps fluctuating around his birth weight, but has yet to surpass it. They can't/wont try to bottle feed or allow me to nurse him until he can gain and maintain his weight. So, right now that is a big prayer. He is also still in an isollette which is normal. He is at room temp and is able to maintain his body temp well which is a huge praise! But again, they can't/wont put him in a crib (one step closer to coming home) until he gains and maintains his weight.
Our other prayer request sounds slightly scarier than it is. JT (as most premies do) suffers from bradycardia. Basically his brain is still very immature and it forgets to tell his hear to beat. His heart rate then drops sometimes very low. His Brady's (as the hospital calls them) have become more frequent this past week. They aren't sure if it's because he is off of the breathing machines or if it is b/c he is eating more and suffering from reflux. They are going to give him a few days to see if he needs to go back on the CPAP machine. The praise in this is that even when his heart rate drops his blood oxygen level remains high and his breathing remains strong as well. Plus, he is able to pull himself out of these little attacks.
Lastly we ask that you would pray for health of our family. When anyone in the household is sick I cannot hold JT. Ethan has been sick and last week Jake was unable to go to the hospital at all due to a fever. Thankfully, I have not gotten anything, and being as sleep deprived as I am that is a miracle! So if you would, please pray for our health. Pray that God would just have a shield around us. We want to see and love JT as much as we possibly can but we also want him to remain as healthy as he possibly can.
We continue to find strength and endurance in the Lord. He is so loving and faithful! We are so blessed and we know that God is going to use JT and this situation to His glory. God deserves all of our praises and thanks. We want to thank you all once again for all of your prayers and encouraging words. God is listening to your petitions on our behalf, we know that! Thank you for taking time to love us from where you are and to pray for our family. The blessings we have received from God are abundant.

Our Joy is in the Lord!

Many thanks and blessings to you all,
Jake, Melissa, Ethan and Justin

GREAT NEWS on JT!

WOW!!!! What a day! Jake and I have been so blessed today we are just beaming! This morning we were blessed at church by the love and support of friends. Then when we got home we had received love and support through the mail. Later in the evening we had a great visit from our neighbors who just wanted to check in. We have been so cared for, it's just amazing!
Tonight, we went to visit JT, and..... he is off all breathing machines! This is a miracle and a huge praise!! Yesterday when I was visiting him they had just changed him from one breathing machine (sipap) to a lower grade machine (cpap) Then after he was on the cpap for a week (this is what they told me yest.) or so they would lower the level of the machine again. But tonight when we went in, he was off of everything!!! We could see his beautiful face for the first time since he was born. He had a bath and they dressed him in a cute little onesie. Oh he was so perfect!!! The only thing on his face now is simply the tube to feed him. They are watching him for the next day or so to make sure his little body can handle all this hard work, but he has been off all machines for 12 hours now! God is so good friends!! We are so thankful and so encouraged. It can be disheartening receiving hard news day after day so this just picks us up and gives us a huge energy boost!!

Thank you! Thank you for your prayers! God is listening. We hope you will join us once again in praising the Lord for his provision and mercies! YAY GOD!

Love in Christ who gives us strength
Jake and Melissa

Hello everyone,

We hope you are doing well. Yesterday JT had another sonogram of his brain. Jake was able to talk to the doctor at the NICU and today I had a chance to sit down with her to discuss JT. Our huge praise is that the bleeding in his brain is no longer an issue!! YAY GOD!!!! The other news we received wasn't so good. JT has something called PVL (Periventricular Leukomalacia) This is the first thing they noticed on the sonogram and the big thing we have been praying for. Before I go any farther, we would encourage you to not look this up on the internet. You will drive yourself crazy! Plus so much of what is on the internet is not from professional resources. Okay, so basically he has damage to the white matter of his brain. The damage seems to indicate that he COULD have motor development delays. The doctor told us that he will most likely have to go through years of physical therapy beginning at a very young age. She also said that they believe he will experience most of the delay on the left side of his body. HOWEVER, there are cases where although there is damage it never shows. The brain is able to heal itself. It is important for you to know that Jake and I are at peace in all of this.

Today I am sitting here writing you in a peace and calmness that only the Lord can provide. I have had a few people express their concern for me in the sense that I haven't had many break downs. Believe me, I have cried at times. But the strength that I have, that Jake and I have isn't ours. We have strength in the Lord. When you look at us and wonder how we are making it through, it's important for you to know that we aren't doing it with our own strength or courage. We don't have that much strength or courage. We are doing this by leaning on the Lord and trusting Him! God is walking with us and when He isn't walking next to us, it's because he is carrying us. When we can't manage to take another step, He lovingly scoops us up in His arms and carries us. I was thinking that it's like when Jake scoops Ethan up in his loving arms. Ethan feels safe and loved and at peace. That is how we feel in the arms of our Father in Heaven. We feel loved, safe and at peace. The other thought that struck me today was that God tells us in the bible that He will never give us more than we can handle. Then I thought, WOW! God must really have faith in Jake and I. We are so blessed to be going through this. We are being put through an incredible challenge and thankfully God is right here with us. We are blessed not only by and through this challenge, but we are blessed by our family, friends and church. We have been given the opportunity to go and visit JT EVERY SINGLE DAY since he has been born. It's amazing!! I have a child at home who needs to be cared for, and that need is being met. I have a husband who has the ability to work around visits to the hospital, although it's a challenge his company and his boss are allowing him to flex his schedule... what a blessing!! Even in my sheer exhaustion my joy is in the Lord.

JT may have some serious struggles in the years to come, and he might not. But anyway you look at it, he is a blessing! He is a miracle from God and Jake and I are so blessed to have our two boys. We have an amazing life and we are so thankful for all God has given us. Please join us in praising God for all of His gifts.

We will be praying and have been praying over JT every day! We will continue to pray for healing because God can and does. We know that you will be joining us. We know that when we don't have the words to pray, you are there praying in our stead. We thank you for that. We know God is listening!

Overall Justin is doing very well. He continues to eat well, and he is on the next lower level machine for breathing. He is breathing 100% on his own. The machine just gives some added pressure so his lungs don't collapse when he exhales. As for the issues with the brain, we won't know anything until he is 6mos to a year old. So for now we are going to love him and do what we can to help him develop. Mostly we are going to pray for him.

We love you and are so appreciative of all of your love and support.
Jake, Melissa, Ethan and JT

Hello all,

First I want to thank you all for praying for our family and for our little guy. God is good and in hard times we need to rely on His love and peace. That is what Jake and I have been doing. We are trusting in the Lord in these hard times. He is our strength and I am so thankful for that strength, b/c I don't have what it takes without Him!
I am sure you are all wondering about the brain sonogram so I won't keep you waiting. The news wasn't what I had hoped for. I was so excited going to see Justin today! I was thinking about the email I was going to send out tonight. The email that was going to say that everything was fine. Sadly, that is not the email I am sending this evening. The doctor told me that the area of concern was "unchanged" and that they saw something else. My heart sank as I was holding my precious little angel in my arms. The doctor began to tell me that he has a brain hemorrhage. His brain is bleeding. Then she proceeded to tell me there is nothing they can do about it. All they can do is watch it to see what happens. So, they are going to do another sonogram on Friday to see if there are any changes. Then they are going to call a specialist at Children's hospital to take a look at the sonograms.
The prayer is that the bleeding doesn't go into his ventricles. Please join us in prayer. I don't know what God's plan is, but I know that it is good, no matter what! My prayer is for healing! My prayer is that Justin's brain is miraculously healed!! Please also pray for my heart and for my strength. I need God to fill me with peace.
Jake is amazing and so strong! He is keeping me grounded and reminding me of God's love and grace. He is a fantastic husband and I am so blessed! Ethan is doing incredibly well! He is with someone new everyday and he just plays happily. I hate leaving one son to go and see another. It is the worst feeling, but Ethan makes it so much easier. He is such a huge blessing in my life.
Again, thank you all for the prayers.

Love,
Jake and Melissa
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

PS - know that I will update you when we learn more about Justin's condition.

How to help the Foulke Family

From our friend Rebecca Smith....

Hi Friends of Melissa and Jake-

I attend McLean Presbyterian Church and am organizing meals and child care for the Foulke’s while JT is in the hospital. We are hoping to arrange meals on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and child care for Ethan for a few hours a day Mondays – Thursdays. To manage all of this I am using the “Lots of Helping Hands” (LHH) web site. If you are interested in helping, please go to the LHH website:

http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/619602/

Fill out the right-hand side of the form which is a Request to Join the Community. Once you have done this, I will receive an email back stating that you are a "pending member". I will "approve" you on the LHH website and then you will be automatically added to the community and sent instructions for setting a password, signing-in and looking at the calendar to see how you can help.

Please feel free to pass this email on to others and give me a call if you have any questions.

Many thanks!

-Rebecca Smith

Pictures!!!

Prayer request for JT

Hi all,

We have a prayer request specific for this weekend. We got a call from one of JT's doctors the other night to let us know how his brain scan went. The good news is there is no bleeding in his brain. That is a huge praise!! Then she proceeded to tell me in doctor terms (no definite answer or explanation) that the radiologist had some concern about an area in his brain around some ventricles. When I asked what the concern was she said that nerve fibers of his limbs run through that area of the brain. That was about all I could get out of her. She said she wasn't overly concerned but sometimes I feel like they say that so you don't worry too much. Honestly, I am not worried, but I would really love some prayer on this paticular issue. Justin will have another brain scan on Monday to determine if there are any changes. When I asked if changes were good or bad, I got the "it depends" answer. So sadly I don't have much information just that there is concern over an area of his brain. So please pray that the brain scan on Monday comes back showing no reason for ANY concern! JT has been doing SO well!! He is so strong and such a fighter. The doctors are all impressed with how he is doing and so are Jake and I. Please pray that God would continue to have his hand upon Justin and that his brain would be fine!

Thank you all so much for your faithfulness and prayers! We can feel the presence of the Lord in all of this. We are comforted daily by His grace and love for us!

In Him who gives us strength,
Jake and Melissa

1 week later

Hello everyone!

I can't believe it's been almost 1 week since I had JT. So much has occurred since his birth. The big news and praise is that I got to hold him today! I was able to hold him for about an hour. It was so wonderful!! So here is the full update. JT started off on a ventilator then was taken off and put onto a sipap machine. The sipap was a little too much work for him at the time so he was placed back on the ventilator. After about 48 hrs he was then placed back on the sipap machine. So far he is doing very well! He is breathing normal air with no added o2 and they are reducing the sipap machine as his lungs get stronger. We saw the cardiologist yest. and were there while they did a sonogram of his chest. The open valve in his heart has closed. HUGE PRAISE! They also performed a scan on his brain to look for bleeding and although we haven't heard the "official" results we have been reassured that if there was any concern we would know. So, that too is a praise! They will begin feeding him my milk through a tube probably tomorrow and if he is able to handle it they will increase his feedings daily.
The nurses tell us daily that Justin is a firecracker! He lets them know whenever he is unhappy! He is a fighter and FULL of life :-) They love to see babies with fight and he's got some! The nurse today asked us who in our family has the temper... uh oh! :-)
One of Our two biggest prayer requests are for JT's lungs. He has severe lung disease due to the premature birth and the fact that he was unable to get any steroids to help his lungs develop. Although he is doing very well and the lung disease is normal we are praying it goes away quickly and that his lungs strengthen. Our second prayer request is for Ethan. Ethan is such a low key laid back little man and he knows that something is wrong but he doesn't understand what. He has had some hard days and some unusual (for him) meltdowns. All normal and all understandable. Please pray for him. Pray that he knows his mommy and daddy love him so much! He isn't use to having me leave him daily. He is so amazing and so strong! He has been with friends/family everyday since JT was born and has been amazing for them! Please just pray for his adjustment to all that is happening. Ethan amazes me and I am so blessed to have him as my little man.

Praises:
- I was able to hold JT!
- The amazing support of of friends and family. We have so many people offering to watch Ethan for a while so we can get to the hospital. We are SO blessed by so many people!
- Ethan has been his wonderful amazing little self for all who have watched him.
- JT's heart has healed
-JT's head scan was clear
- I have an incredible husband who is working hard at his job and is keeping our family together
- Jake and I have complete peace about JT and our family. We trust in the Lord with all our hearts!

Prayers:
- Pray for Ethan to adjust to all the radical changes going on. Pray that we would find ways to show him how much we love him daily.
- Pray for the healing of Justin's lungs
- Pray that Justin is able to eat and his digestive system is able to handle milk
- Pray that JT begins to gain weight slowly. (They need him to gain weight slowly b/c if he does it too fast they will have to slow him down. His little body can only handle so much weight)
- Pray for our marriage that we would continue to love and support each other in whatever way we can.

Thank you all for your prayers and words of encouragement. Jake and I have such a peace and we know that God is listening to you all! We are so thankful for you and for your love. God is good and He is in control of all that is occurring. We have complete faith in Him!

May He bless you all!
The Foulke Family

PS I am sure I have missed people on this email, please feel free to help me out and pass it on. thanks!

First update on Justin

Dear family and friends,

First we want to begin by saying thank you! We are so appreciative of your prayers. We have a mighty God and he is so good to us! JT is strong and beautiful!! For those of you interested I will give the short version of what has happened, then I will tell the long story for anyone who wants to read it. I know long emails can be draining to read :-)

SHORT VERSION:
I had contractions at 25 weeks which were stopped. Had contractions on Tues. night which were stopped. Had contractions on wed. which induced labor and well, he arrived! My labor progressed too quickly for them to stop it with drugs. JT's heart rate was strong the entire time and he was delivered fairly quickly. He was then taken to the NICU to receive care. He was put on a ventilator and within the day was placed under bilirubin lights. Within 24 hours he was taken off the ventilator and placed on a cpap machine (tubes up his nose instead of a tube down his throat) within 24 hrs of that he was back on the ventilator. The breathing on his own was just a little too much for him. He was getting too tired and burning too many calories. that puts us int he present. He is on a ventilator and is in and out of the bilirubin lights. He is doing well though and we are so thankful for him!!


LONG VERSION:
I had contractions at 25 weeks which my doctors were able to stop. I had contractions on Tuesday night which my doctors were again able to "stop". I was also given a test both times that can determine with 99% accuracy if a baby will be born within 2 weeks. Both times the test was negative which meant that I WAS NOT going to deliver in the next 2 weeks. :-) Justin decided otherwise! I received some pills that were suppose to stop labor. I took on on wed. as the contractions were continuing and waited an hour. The contractions just got worse and worse. I finally called my doctor and they wanted to see me. We went in and I was 5cm dialated. The immediatly sent me to the hospital to have the contractions stopped. When I arrived my doctor looked at me and stated very clearly that it might be too late to stop the labor. After an exam she told me the train was rolling and there was no way to stop it. I was going to have my little boy! Just like Ethan the labor was FAST! Within a few hours Justin was ready to arrive! Thankfully they were totally prepared for him, he cried as soon as he arrived to let Jake and I know he was present! :-) They allowed me to hold my little boy for about 1 min. but it was a delightful and blessed minute! Then they took him off to the NICU to get help. He was placed on a ventilator and put in an incubator. After a few hours Jake and I were taken down to see him. He is so tiny and had so many cords and wires and tubes all around him. It was slightly intimidating! The nurse was wonderful. She told us what everything was and why it was there. They also give lose expectations of what the next few weeks are going to look like. We were allowed to put a finger on him but not much more than that. So much of him hasn't developed yet. Too much stimulation can be damaging. So for now we visit and look at him a lot. Talk to him a little and touch him a little just to let him know we are there. Anyway, back to details :-) about 24 hrs after birth the doctor felt that he didn't need the ventilator. He felt it was too much for my little man! So they decided to put him on the cpap machine. This machine is tubes up the nose instead of a tube down his throat. It also provides less assistance in breathing and allows Justin to do most of the work on his own. about 24 hrs after that the doctor (another doctor) decided that Justin was working too hard and that the ventilator would need to be put down his throat again. After they placed the ventilator back down his throat they informed us that his trachia is off center and he is a very difficult child to intibate :-( Its normal but just more difficult. He was very upset after that!
This evening the hospital was kind enough to call us and tell us that after we left he had a good day! His oxygen levels are good and he is resting well. (they want him to rest more to allow his body to heal, they gave him some drugs to help with this) They also informed us that he was unable to have some tests due to the ventilator and that those tests would be done on Mon.

HIS NAME:
I figure many of you will ask so here is the story behind the nick name JT
When I had contractions at 25 weeks Jake and I began to talk about names. I said what do you think about Justin. Jake thought for a moment then said "I like it... Just in time" I cracked up! He then said we could make his middle name cool by spelling it Thyme. Again as I am cracking up I said that's it Justin is out! we are NOT naming our child Justin. Over the next few weeks we kept talking and making Just in time jokes. When we were in the delivery room I REFUSED to have a child without a name. We talked about Justin which I also said was OUT! and Caleb. Jake really wanted Justin so we decided to name him Justin Richard. Richard is my brother who passed away a few years ago. So, I know his initials are JRF, buuuuut, to me, he is Just in time! So he is JT!


PRAISE:
- Justin is here and alive!!
- Our hospital has a very good NICU with wonderful doctors and nurses!
- He was able to breath on his own for almost an entire day!
- the peace that Jake and I feel over all of this!

prayer request:
- Justin has an open valve in his heart that needs to close. Please pray that that would heal and close asap
- He will have a sonogram of his brain to determine if there is any bleeding. Pray that there is NO bleeding in his brain!
- Pray that next time he gets off the ventilator he is able to stay off
- pray for the healing of his throat (he had some blood in his lungs after they put the tube in. The tissue in his throat is raw and bleeding)
- pray for Jake and I and our marriage as we learn how to support each other through all of this
- pray for Ethan as this is a HUGE adjustment and I will be gone daily to visit Justin.

Once again,
thank you all!! We are so appreciative of the love and support we have received from you all. God is so good and we have peace. I will try to update you all again weekly if possible. If there are any drastic changes I will try to let you know ASAP!

May God bless you all as we have been so blessed by you and your outreach to us

Jake and Melissa

PS - if you are in the area and are interested in helping us in any way my amazing and dear friend Emily Abrantes is organizing things for us. Please feel free to contact her at emily.m.abrantes@gmail.com. Please give her time to get back to you as she has two young boys of her own to care for.

* PICTURES TO COME LATER

Praise!!! Day 1

Huge Praise!!! Justin is off of the ventilator. He is breathing on his own now with slight help from CPAP machine which just applies pressure through his nose. Thanks for the prayers. God is at work. Please continue to pray for his lungs to strengthen. Also pray for his heart as there is a valve that has not developed yet (normal at this age). Pray for our emotions as well. As we get closer to going home without Justin, it is becoming hard to keep back the sadness.

Justin Richard Foulke (born)

Justin Richard Foulke
born 4:52pm
3lbs 4oz
16.5inches

Born 10 weeks early!! He was quite a surprise. He officially came at 29 weeks and 6 days, according to the doctors. We only got to hold him for few moments before being rushed off to the NICU.

Many of his organs are not developed enough, most importantly his lungs. He is required to be on a respirator until he is able to maintain a minimum number of breaths.