This week is a big one! On Tuesday JT is going to the pediatrician for a weight check! The pediatrician has already given us permission to stop adding formula to JT's food which is a huge praise! We are praying that he weighs enough continue to not need formula, that we can go to on demand feeding, and that he is just growing appropriately. Jake and I are hoping and praying that he weighs between 8 and 9 lbs! It's a big prayer, but we have a big God!
JT will also be receiving another synagis shot. This is a shot to help prevent RSV. RSV is a lung infection. In older children it is simply a bad cold/cough. If JT gets it, he could die. Sadly RSV is making its way around our church. Please pray with us that Ethan doesn't get it and in turn JT doesn't get it. God has been so amazingly faithful with our health this year, especially Ethan's. So far this winter Ethan has had a runny nose here and there but nothing more. We truly believe that God has a shield of protection around him this winter and we are SO thankful for that! What a huge blessing!
This Wednesday we will also be taking JT for another eye exam. As I am sure many of you remember from my last eye exam post things didn't go well. We know JT can see we just don't know what. We are praying for improvement this time. We are praying that those stubborn blood vessels grow stronger and move forward towards his retina. We are praying that JT isn't going to be blind.
Jake is also visiting a ear nose and throat doctor this week. For the last couple of months he has had something bothering his throat. Please pray for the doctors wisdom. Pray that they are able to determine what is bothering Jake and pray that it is an easy fix.
Lastly on a side note, as you know we got into a fabulous car accident and are now driving a rental :-P Today the rental began to give us problems so we will need to take it back and get another rental. We also learned that it is going to take a month for them to fix the damage done to our car. Pray that the Lord would give me patience. I know its silly to be impatient about a car. I should and am grateful that we even have a rental. It's just frustrating to have so much going on and not be in your own environment. It's just one more thing to worry about. So if you would, pray that our van gets fixed quicker than predicted and that we don't have any more car problems.
Thank you all for joining us on this journey. It is so nice to know that we have people not only praying, but praying specifics. God IS listening! He IS answering! So thank you. Thank you for loving us enough to take time to pray for us, to put for a petition in our name to our loving Father in Heaven.
May God Bless you all!!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Good news this time!
Well friends, as many of you know JT had an appointment on Monday at the hospital with the Developmental specialist. Chris is her name. Chris saw JT 2 times while he was in the NICU so it was nice to follow up with her. Chris is very supportive and encouraging which is a nice change! She was SO impressed with JT! She said he is doing "excellent!" She worked with him some on the mat and really just observed. For the most part he looks like a normal 3 week old! We have to keep reminding ourselves that although JT is almost 3 months old he is really only 3 weeks old and should be on track for a 3 week old and not a 3 month old. It's hard to do sometimes.
Anyway, she gave us some things we can do at home to help his brain learn new skills. They are all things you would do with a normal infant.
At the end of our visit she said that if she hadn't seen the MRI and known about the PVL she would never guess that there is anything wrong with him. You might recall that she also said that the day he was evaluated in the hospital. So I take that to mean that he is growing and developing wonderfully!!
This is such blessed news! Last week as I was leaving the ophthamologist I honestly had had enough! God tells us he will give us no more than we can bare and I had all I could handle. I am so thankful to God for this good news and for this reprieve in our lives. It gives me hope and encouragement. It gives me sanity if only for a while :-) (I say this as Ethan is dumping all of his legos on the kitchen floor while JT is sleeping! LOL)
God is so good and just when I have reached my limit and am exhausted with doctors appointments, physical therapy, lack of sleep, a toddler and his 2's, He shows me a light. He guides my steps and gives me strength for the next day, the next trial. I am so thankful that Jake and I lean on the Lord for our strength. Neither of us would be able to handle JT and all of his We hope that this week you will not only keep JT's eyes in your prayers but that this week you will focus your prayers on praising God! Thanking Him for answering our prayers. Thank him for the encouragement and for sustaining us. Thank Him for our marriage and the strength we are finding in each other. Thank Him for Ethan! An amazing big brother who loves and cares for JT! Thank Him for loving us even though we do not deserve it! We too will be thanking God for these things this week. But, we will also be thanking Him for you as we have been doing throughout all of this. God gives us each other to lean on to rely on and we are so thankful that we have to to lean on for strength and encouragement.
Many blessings!
Anyway, she gave us some things we can do at home to help his brain learn new skills. They are all things you would do with a normal infant.
At the end of our visit she said that if she hadn't seen the MRI and known about the PVL she would never guess that there is anything wrong with him. You might recall that she also said that the day he was evaluated in the hospital. So I take that to mean that he is growing and developing wonderfully!!
This is such blessed news! Last week as I was leaving the ophthamologist I honestly had had enough! God tells us he will give us no more than we can bare and I had all I could handle. I am so thankful to God for this good news and for this reprieve in our lives. It gives me hope and encouragement. It gives me sanity if only for a while :-) (I say this as Ethan is dumping all of his legos on the kitchen floor while JT is sleeping! LOL)
God is so good and just when I have reached my limit and am exhausted with doctors appointments, physical therapy, lack of sleep, a toddler and his 2's, He shows me a light. He guides my steps and gives me strength for the next day, the next trial. I am so thankful that Jake and I lean on the Lord for our strength. Neither of us would be able to handle JT and all of his We hope that this week you will not only keep JT's eyes in your prayers but that this week you will focus your prayers on praising God! Thanking Him for answering our prayers. Thank him for the encouragement and for sustaining us. Thank Him for our marriage and the strength we are finding in each other. Thank Him for Ethan! An amazing big brother who loves and cares for JT! Thank Him for loving us even though we do not deserve it! We too will be thanking God for these things this week. But, we will also be thanking Him for you as we have been doing throughout all of this. God gives us each other to lean on to rely on and we are so thankful that we have to to lean on for strength and encouragement.
Many blessings!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Not the news we hoped for
Today I took JT to the Ophthalmologist. After waiting for over an hour we finally saw the doctor. The exam took a matter of minutes and at the end of it all she said "well, it's not good".
I of course went some what numb upon hearing that, just like the first time I heard JT had brain damage. So what she said next is my version of a recap, about all I can remember. Some of the information might be a little off since I was in somewhat of a daze listening to her.
She went on to explain that there is a ridge or a wall so to speak that has developed. Justin has gone from stage 0 to stage 1... not good. The only question I was able to ask was what are the chances that his eyes will get better. She said they will most likely get better but we really have to watch him. So JT will now have to have an eye exam every 2 weeks and if things continue to look dim we will go every couple of days.
For those of you who worry that I haven't cried, I cried. I called my dearest girl Em and cried on the way home. Knowing that God loves me and my family and knowing that He has a plan in all of this wasn't enough in that moment. My heart broke, my heart sank. But God has sustained me once again. I told Em on the way home that I am done! I can't take anymore! I know God tells us that He will never give us more than we can handle, but I think I am done. After 2 car accidents, brain damage, eye problems, burning my fingers in hot cooking oil, the van completely breaking at the hospital... I have had enough! But as I sit here and right this I can feel God's loving arms around me saying, lean on me! Let ME carry you! So, I sit here and put my trust in Him. I am not happy but I am not depressed either. I have faith, it may be the faith of a mustard seed, but that's all He asks of us anyway.
I told God while I was driving to PT tonight that He needed to give me a song to worship Him with b/c I was angry. Some of the words from the song He gave me "...Here am I, all of me. Take my life, it's all for thee...
He reminded me that I am not my own, but I belong to Him. He made me and He made JT. He made us all! Our purpose in life is to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, no matter the situation or circumstance!
If you want to listen to the song go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEzbwcMG9Gc
Thank you all for your prayers and support. Sometimes just know that we are being prayed for is enough to make it through a day of bad news, or sad news.
Many blessings to you all!
I of course went some what numb upon hearing that, just like the first time I heard JT had brain damage. So what she said next is my version of a recap, about all I can remember. Some of the information might be a little off since I was in somewhat of a daze listening to her.
She went on to explain that there is a ridge or a wall so to speak that has developed. Justin has gone from stage 0 to stage 1... not good. The only question I was able to ask was what are the chances that his eyes will get better. She said they will most likely get better but we really have to watch him. So JT will now have to have an eye exam every 2 weeks and if things continue to look dim we will go every couple of days.
For those of you who worry that I haven't cried, I cried. I called my dearest girl Em and cried on the way home. Knowing that God loves me and my family and knowing that He has a plan in all of this wasn't enough in that moment. My heart broke, my heart sank. But God has sustained me once again. I told Em on the way home that I am done! I can't take anymore! I know God tells us that He will never give us more than we can handle, but I think I am done. After 2 car accidents, brain damage, eye problems, burning my fingers in hot cooking oil, the van completely breaking at the hospital... I have had enough! But as I sit here and right this I can feel God's loving arms around me saying, lean on me! Let ME carry you! So, I sit here and put my trust in Him. I am not happy but I am not depressed either. I have faith, it may be the faith of a mustard seed, but that's all He asks of us anyway.
I told God while I was driving to PT tonight that He needed to give me a song to worship Him with b/c I was angry. Some of the words from the song He gave me "...Here am I, all of me. Take my life, it's all for thee...
He reminded me that I am not my own, but I belong to Him. He made me and He made JT. He made us all! Our purpose in life is to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, no matter the situation or circumstance!
If you want to listen to the song go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEzbwcMG9Gc
Thank you all for your prayers and support. Sometimes just know that we are being prayed for is enough to make it through a day of bad news, or sad news.
Many blessings to you all!
New Photos
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Prayers for JT's eyes
Hello once again friends. So I actually wrote this a few days ago and forgot to post it. sorry for the past tense. The appointment is today at 2:15pm.
This Thursday is JT's next eye exam. We are really praying that his blood vessels have developed. If the blood vessels have not reached his retina's then we will begin to go back to the hospital a few times a week. They will then begin to look for abnormalities in his eye development that could cause blindness. So as you can see we are REALLY hoping and praying for a miracle! We are asking God to develop all of his blood vessels so we don't have to have any more appointments with the Ophthalmologist. Thank you for praying with us!
On a side note, if you would, please keep me in your prayers. I am continuing to heal well from knee surgery but am still unable to do many things. I will also find out on Thursday if I will be able to climb stairs, chase after Ethan.... without having another surgery. If not then Jake and I will need to determine the best time (for me to be on crutches for 6-8weeks... is there ever a good time for that??) for the next surgery and rehab. Pray that God will enable this to occur. As I am sure you can imagine the medical bills around here are fierce. We need God's intervention on this. He tells us that He will provide and so far He has! You have heard me say it before but I will say it again, we have been SO blessed! God has certainly taken care of us. We are just putting our hope and our trust in Him and asking him to bless our finances as well.
Thank you all for your love!
Melissa
This Thursday is JT's next eye exam. We are really praying that his blood vessels have developed. If the blood vessels have not reached his retina's then we will begin to go back to the hospital a few times a week. They will then begin to look for abnormalities in his eye development that could cause blindness. So as you can see we are REALLY hoping and praying for a miracle! We are asking God to develop all of his blood vessels so we don't have to have any more appointments with the Ophthalmologist. Thank you for praying with us!
On a side note, if you would, please keep me in your prayers. I am continuing to heal well from knee surgery but am still unable to do many things. I will also find out on Thursday if I will be able to climb stairs, chase after Ethan.... without having another surgery. If not then Jake and I will need to determine the best time (for me to be on crutches for 6-8weeks... is there ever a good time for that??) for the next surgery and rehab. Pray that God will enable this to occur. As I am sure you can imagine the medical bills around here are fierce. We need God's intervention on this. He tells us that He will provide and so far He has! You have heard me say it before but I will say it again, we have been SO blessed! God has certainly taken care of us. We are just putting our hope and our trust in Him and asking him to bless our finances as well.
Thank you all for your love!
Melissa
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
First of the doctors appointments
Hello everyone!
We hope you are doing well! Everyone here is doing really well and adjusting nicely. Since JT has been home we have been busy to say the least. I had my knee surgery on the 29th and am in physical therapy 3x a week all while going to 2-4 doctors appointments for JT. Here is the news on me and my knee, then I will get into news on JT. When the doctor went in to clean my knee they realized that the problem wasn't the broken cartilage in my knee. Instead my knee cap is misaligned. The doctor told me in order for me to walk up stairs, jump, run... I will need to have my knee cap repositioned. So, sometime in the near future (this summer most likely) I will be having another sugery. This time the doctor will fracture my leg in order to move my tendons over to put my knee cap in the correct position. (UGH!) The frustrating part is that the recovery time is 6-8 weeks on crutches. So please pray that Jake and I are able to time the surgery well and that this will be the end of my knee pains!
Okay, enough about me... onto JT. In the past two weeks we have had numerous appointments. When we visited the Ophthalmologist we learned that JT's vision is still underdeveloped. The blood vessels in his eyes are not fully developed so we will be returning every 2 weeks for a while and then every couple of days. (there go my hopes of not returning to the hospital for a while). We also learned that the reason we have to go see them so frequently is b/c if the blood vessels don't fully develop and reach his retina he could be or go blind. So please pray that his blood vessels will develop properly and as soon as possible.
We also went to see the neurologist at Children's hospital. This appointment was a little more of an introductory appointment. We will be seeing this doctor for the next few years. We were able to see JT's brain MRI at the appointment and sadly the brain damage was much more extensive than I ever thought. HOWEVER, the doctor even said that we have great reason to hope. He is so young and the brain is amazing! The functioning parts of his brain are able to learn the skills of the part that is damaged. She said that she believes he will walk and talk it's just a matter of when. Please continue to pray for JT's development. The damage to his brain affects every single area of development. Motor skills, social skills, cognitive skills, vision... I know some of you are just breaking down right now, but don't. We have a big God and a good God. He tells us that He has plans to prosper us and not to harm us. Although this could be a hard road for our family we have faith and strength in God. He can and does carry us in times of need and trouble. When we can't take another step He will carry us. He sustains us, He loves us!! We are so blessed and our faith in God keeps us grounded and strong. We are not upset by this news, instead we are encouraged. God is amazing. We are so excited to see how God is going to use JT for His glory! We are excited to share with you how God uses every situation for His goodness and glory!
We have had two other appointments in the last two weeks. We saw a specialist from the county and JT will be "evaluated" in a few weeks. This again was more of an introduction to the county. The bottom line is, JT is too young for them to really evaluate anything. Although he is over 2mos old his adjusted age is like 1 week. (his due date was Jan. 7) So he is treated like a 1 week old not a 2 mos old.
Our last appointment was with the cardiologist today. JT has two small holes in his heart which are normal for all babies and they should close up. He also has a small murmmer which should cease soon as well. The cardiologist said that he looks good, we have nothing to worry about and we don't need to see him again... YAY!
So our prayers are just for sustaining strength, and energy. Its hard to wake in the night with a newborn but even harder when you have to take 2 little ones to appointments daily. Please pray for Jake as he has been able to take time off of work to come to all of JT's appointments. He has been so strong for us all while continuing to do his job. His boss has been supportive and encouraging and we have been so blessed by him. (his name is Cormak) Pray for my knee that it continues to "heal" as much as possible so that I can have the next surgery.
We have been so blessed by you all and are so thankful for your love, support and prayers. Please continue to pray for us and for our family. We will continue to lean on the Lord and trust in Him. We draw our strength from Him and can't imagine how hard this would be without His love for us.
This is the last update I will be sending out. If you would like to follow JT's progress please check out our blog. If you want an update when we make a new post you just have to subscribe to the blog. You won't get any junk mail, just an email from our blog letting you know we have a new post. We are also able to post pictures to it as well.
We truly pray that God blesses each of you.
Love in Christ Jesus our Rock
Jake and Melissa
We hope you are doing well! Everyone here is doing really well and adjusting nicely. Since JT has been home we have been busy to say the least. I had my knee surgery on the 29th and am in physical therapy 3x a week all while going to 2-4 doctors appointments for JT. Here is the news on me and my knee, then I will get into news on JT. When the doctor went in to clean my knee they realized that the problem wasn't the broken cartilage in my knee. Instead my knee cap is misaligned. The doctor told me in order for me to walk up stairs, jump, run... I will need to have my knee cap repositioned. So, sometime in the near future (this summer most likely) I will be having another sugery. This time the doctor will fracture my leg in order to move my tendons over to put my knee cap in the correct position. (UGH!) The frustrating part is that the recovery time is 6-8 weeks on crutches. So please pray that Jake and I are able to time the surgery well and that this will be the end of my knee pains!
Okay, enough about me... onto JT. In the past two weeks we have had numerous appointments. When we visited the Ophthalmologist we learned that JT's vision is still underdeveloped. The blood vessels in his eyes are not fully developed so we will be returning every 2 weeks for a while and then every couple of days. (there go my hopes of not returning to the hospital for a while). We also learned that the reason we have to go see them so frequently is b/c if the blood vessels don't fully develop and reach his retina he could be or go blind. So please pray that his blood vessels will develop properly and as soon as possible.
We also went to see the neurologist at Children's hospital. This appointment was a little more of an introductory appointment. We will be seeing this doctor for the next few years. We were able to see JT's brain MRI at the appointment and sadly the brain damage was much more extensive than I ever thought. HOWEVER, the doctor even said that we have great reason to hope. He is so young and the brain is amazing! The functioning parts of his brain are able to learn the skills of the part that is damaged. She said that she believes he will walk and talk it's just a matter of when. Please continue to pray for JT's development. The damage to his brain affects every single area of development. Motor skills, social skills, cognitive skills, vision... I know some of you are just breaking down right now, but don't. We have a big God and a good God. He tells us that He has plans to prosper us and not to harm us. Although this could be a hard road for our family we have faith and strength in God. He can and does carry us in times of need and trouble. When we can't take another step He will carry us. He sustains us, He loves us!! We are so blessed and our faith in God keeps us grounded and strong. We are not upset by this news, instead we are encouraged. God is amazing. We are so excited to see how God is going to use JT for His glory! We are excited to share with you how God uses every situation for His goodness and glory!
We have had two other appointments in the last two weeks. We saw a specialist from the county and JT will be "evaluated" in a few weeks. This again was more of an introduction to the county. The bottom line is, JT is too young for them to really evaluate anything. Although he is over 2mos old his adjusted age is like 1 week. (his due date was Jan. 7) So he is treated like a 1 week old not a 2 mos old.
Our last appointment was with the cardiologist today. JT has two small holes in his heart which are normal for all babies and they should close up. He also has a small murmmer which should cease soon as well. The cardiologist said that he looks good, we have nothing to worry about and we don't need to see him again... YAY!
So our prayers are just for sustaining strength, and energy. Its hard to wake in the night with a newborn but even harder when you have to take 2 little ones to appointments daily. Please pray for Jake as he has been able to take time off of work to come to all of JT's appointments. He has been so strong for us all while continuing to do his job. His boss has been supportive and encouraging and we have been so blessed by him. (his name is Cormak) Pray for my knee that it continues to "heal" as much as possible so that I can have the next surgery.
We have been so blessed by you all and are so thankful for your love, support and prayers. Please continue to pray for us and for our family. We will continue to lean on the Lord and trust in Him. We draw our strength from Him and can't imagine how hard this would be without His love for us.
This is the last update I will be sending out. If you would like to follow JT's progress please check out our blog. If you want an update when we make a new post you just have to subscribe to the blog. You won't get any junk mail, just an email from our blog letting you know we have a new post. We are also able to post pictures to it as well.
We truly pray that God blesses each of you.
Love in Christ Jesus our Rock
Jake and Melissa
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