Month 2_Day 8 - Sleep

I really need some sleep. Not much to report. His brain scan was a little better on the left side which is great. He got more added to his feedings today.

For my prayer warriors

Levi - Get off the vent, get rid of pnemonia, no more infections, no swelling, continued feedings...

Trent & Anjie - Rest



Month 2_Day 7 - Joy

James 1 ² My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing

It was very easy to choose the scripture for tonight. Sometimes going to church you can think the pastor is preaching straight to you instead of the entire congregation. Thats when you know he is allowing God to speak through him. This was one of those days where we just felt God had something to say to us. I don't think Anjie and I have come to full terms with this whole situation. I think its real easy for us to write this off as something that happened because of sin in the world. While that may be true the scripture is clear that God gives us these trials. Pastor Phil said something that really stuck. He said sometimes we give Satan too much credit for these things happening. Either way he allows everything but in our case He most likely gave it to us Himself. In a way its a compliment that he knew we could handle it. He knew that He could refine us at the same time as he shows his glory through the healing and growth of Levi. It's not easy to swallow at all. We just have to wait out the storm and hold to the promise the end result will be the perfection of our faith. I guess when you think of the eventual outcome its much easier to "count it all joy".

Levi is kindve on cruise control. You can tell the Pnemonia is present because he is a little higher on his oxygen requirements. He got his first soap bath tonight. That was pretty neat to watch. Of course he didn't like it but he was starting to smell some. He is still getting full feeds and is slowly getting raised on his additives. His bowels are working great still. He is still getting anti-biotics and breathing treatments. He is getting a heart and brain scan tomorrow so hopefully those are both normal.

For my prayer warriors

Levi - Get off the vent, get rid of pnemonia, no more infections, no swelling, continued feedings, good news from scans...

Trent & Anjie - Count it all joy

 



Month 2_Day 6 - Pay it Forward

1 Cor 4³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.


This is a really neat idea to think about. As God heaps his comfort on us we will be able to pass that on one day. We have been experiencing this plenty over the past weeks. We have had friends that have been through similar experiences really step up to support us. We have also had the same going on through people we had never met before. We have made many good friends so far along the way. God really has a way of putting people in our lives at just the right time to provide the needed comfort.

Levi is getting comfort now in the form of his ventilator. Its really not good for him but its providing the rest he needs. He really is feeling much better now. He is getting loaded up with milk. The milk has many additives in it that will help him grow. He is really having alot of good bowl movements. His stomach seems to be working great. There isn't much new to report today. We are just marching towards the next try at extubation.

For my prayer warriors

Levi - To get off of the vent. Get rid of the infection (pnemonia). Continued sucess in feeding. Grow! No swelling.

Trent & ANjie - Rest



Month 2_Day 5 - He's Back

Matthew 11:28 Come to^(B) me, all who labor and are^(C) heavy laden, and I will give you rest.


Levi is feeling much better today I think. At least he is acting more like himself. It was terrible to watch him suffer all week. We need rest bad. Not just sleep but rest. Our minds need to be renewed. Things should be quiet for the next week or so. At least we really hope that they are. We have no choice at this point but to run to Him. We have no strength of our own that can over come this.

Levi does have some pretty crazy stuff going on right now. As we said he will try off of the vent again in 7-10 days, His feedings got upped again and they are adding in more protien and calories. The hope is to beef him up some by next week. Levi has a IV line in his head now. Thats is just plain crazy to me. That is the best place to get veins in babies. Levi also has pneumonia now according to his lung cultures. He is getting antibiotics and breathing treatments to knock it out. This may be a contributing factor to him failing this week.

For my prayer warriors

Levi - get rid of pneumonia. Get off vent. No more infections. No swelling.

Trent & Anjie - Rest



Month 2_Day 4 - Back On

Rev 21 ^4(J) He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and^(K) death shall be no more,^(L) neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."

Believe it or not thinking about eternity right now is a comfort to me. No matter how much pain we experience. No matter how many tears we cry. This is all so temporary for us. We will one day walk into a land where these things do not exist. How amazing is that to think? I mean seriously that is so comforting right now. Don't get me wrong about this. We are still looking forward to seeing Levi grow up. I am not looking to get out of here quite yet. It's just a beautiful picture of what is to come. We will one day be relieved of all this world has to offer. Instead we will be ushered into this amazing place He is preparing now.

A friend sent an email today that has been through similar trials. She spoke wise words that are very real to us right now. She told us that God will let us off of the rollercoaster when we need off. He did give us a break today. Levi did take a step backwards but it had to happen. He ended up with a collapsed lung after all of this. He had to go back on the vent. Honestly Anjie and I were ready. We couldn't watch it anymore. We just don't believe it was his time. Levi's lung has already opened back up on his own. The doctor seemed surprised but hey we know who is in charge. The plan now is to give him at least a week and start over. Lets be praying for next time. The great news is never lost steam on the feedings during all of this. Thanks so much for your continued prayers and support. You guys are amazing!

For my prayer warriors

Levi - To get off of the vent! To rest, No infections, No swelling & continued feedings.

Trent & Anjie - Rest





Month 2_Day 3 - Uncle

Psalm 34:19 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit

You know that old saying when you are wrestling and you pin someone down? I think you are supposed to make them say Uncle. Anjie and I are ready to say uncle after the last 24 hours. The only thing we can do is continue to lean on His promises. He promises to give us comfort in times like this. We need it now very badly. Maybe we are just worrying unessecarily but how can we not right now? Levi has been having these apnea episodes ever since I posted the last blog. His heart rate drops from 180 to sometimes 40 and his breathing is almost not there. He has been "bagged" twice in the past 24 hours. This is putting a mask over his face to give him breaths and bring him back up. It is the scariest thing I have ever had to stand and watch. It is the most helpless you could ever feel. This is normal for a baby that has been on the vent for so long. Basically his brain is not telling his body to breath. Somwtimes it just takes manual stimulation. The staff is doing a great job during these episodes but it doesn't make us worry less. They are trying to give him plenty of chance to suceed. Its so hard to watch but we need to give him time to see if he can keep going. Anjie and I don't have a ton of confidence right now. We both feel like he will probably be back on the vent by the morning. I hope he proves us wrong!

It's still a positive that he has made it this long. Another positive is through all of the medication his feedings are going great. He was increased agian today. Lets celebrate these things right? So far no infections either and he never had any swelling to this point.

For my prayer warriors

Levi - If you read this tonight please pray that his breathing improves. No more vent! No infections. No swelling.

Anjie - Sleep & peace. She refuses to leave the hospital right now.

Trent - No worry & rest.

Sorry this is the first night I could't bring myself to post pictures. I really felt so bad for the little guy. He is on morphine to calm his nerves. I need some of that. I am sure you guys understand he is just not himself.

Month 2_Day 2 - Huge Day

Phil 4 ⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Yes I know that he could take steps backward. Right now though we are very excited. We have been rejoicing every day that Levi is even here with us. Today the joy is just overflowing. Rollercoaster ride doesn't fully explain the extreme changes in emotion you can have in here. The lows are pretty low but the great thing is the highs are through the roof. God has poured out his love on us in so many ways. We rejoice in Him. I am supposed to say it again I think...we rejoice in Him!

Levi is again off of the vent. So far he is doing great. His blood gas test was good earlier which is the gauge I guess for how he is doing. He is on about the same settings as he was before except for no tube. He is wearing a mask again so he doesn't love that. Its the Non invasive mask. He can still get back up breaths if he needs them. The next step is to go on the CPAP mask in a couple of days if he does well. Another big step today was to pull out his IV line. He has gotten to a level with his milk that he isn't getting fluids anymore. This is huge because with each line he gets out the risk of infection goes down. What a great day! Let's pray for no setbacks. We really would love to see him progress forward to getting out of here. Thats still a good time off but we are looking foward to it.

For my prayer warriors

 

Levi - No Vent! Progress from Non invasive mask to the CPAP. Tolerate feedings. No infections. No swelling.

Anjie - Rest here at the hospital. She is sleeping here tonight to see Levi through.

Trent - Rest at home & peace of mind

Month 2_Day 1 - One Month Old

Romans 12 ¹² rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

Please continue to pray with us. Its been a month now. I never thought I would count Levi's B-day in months but here I am. I am really just counting it in days. Of course we should celebrate this achievment though. One month ago Levi was born and I thought there was no way he would live. That may sound terrible to some but I knew nothing about preemies. It also shows a lack of faith on my part I know. Now through strong prayer support Levi has beaten the odds. He is a long way from being out of the woods. I still must give thanks that he has lived this long. Lets just keep praying and giving God thanks for every day. The winds of the storm continue to blow but our house can't be taken down. No matter what we will still proclaim victory.

Levi gave us quite a scare tonight. He had a mucus plug in his vent tube. It took a little while to figure out what was happening. He turned white as a ghost on us and his oxygen saturation dropped from the 90s to the 30s. He came through it just fine once the clog was suctioned out. I have to admit being the one who is normally not shaken. I was scared for his life. This was just another reminder of how delicate life is.

Other than that he had a quiet day. He is getting extubated tomorrow. The doctor wanted to give him one more day and plan out the attack. They think this time will be it but no promises. This will happen around 10 am so please join us in praying. Levi had his feeds increased again. He is getting closer to getting off of the IV fluids. He is no longer getting lipids because he is getting enough fat from her milk.

For my prayer warriors

Levi - To stay off the vent. No infections. Continue to tolerate the milk. No swelling.

Trent & Anjie - peace & rest

Day 31 - The Marriage

He who finds a wife finds a good thing
and obtains favor from the Lord.

Proverbs 18:22

 I believe Proverbs 18:22 of course so I realize what a blessing it is to have Anjie. God has truly blessed me to be married at all. He has really blessed me to give me Anjie specifically. It takes a special woman to put up with me in the first place. Anjie and I met at a singles function for our church here in Wilmington NC. We still go to ScottsHill Baptist now and hope to raise Levi there. It is such a blessing to be apart of a love filled bible believing church. Anjie doesn't actually remember that fondly the first time we met. I remember very well though seeing her across the room sitting on the couch. I was very interested right away but she was right out of a bad relationship so there of course was no interest other than friendship on her side. It's a good thing though because I was not ready to be a Godly husband for her. Over the next nine months we slowly got to know each other. It was the right way to build our relationship in my opinion. It was just friendship and it was all in a group setting. Mean while God renewed a hunger in each of us for His word and for His service. The whole nine months I really had a crush on her but I also had a huge amount of respect for her wish not to date. She made that very clear in general conversation that she was only interested in seeking God's heart. Did I mention that I was scared? Yep that was a big part of it too. I was never much with knowing how to deal with the ladies. We spent allot of time together at church and in bible studies along with just hanging out on the weekends. Eventually we became very good friends. Finally a mutual friend saw something between us and gave me some much needed encouragement to ask her out. Anjie said yes but our original plan fell through. We ended up taking a walk around Greenfield Lake and eating at Wendy's. I knew right away this was my kind of girl. She is still very low maintenance. We only dated for six months before we got engaged. We were married on June 3rd 2006 here in Wilmington at the same church we met at. I cant say things have always been perfect and rosey. I do know that even through some rough times we have had God has still been there. We know that marriage is meant to be permanent and we plan to make it work no matter what. Levi coming in the way he has really has put many of the petty disagreements we have in a new light. On a side note just to share a God thing with you. Anjie went to college with my brother and sister in law. I never met her through them but after she moved here. My brother apparently had been asking for prayer for me during their FCA meetings. He was concerned about some of my lifestyle choices. We put it together much later on that Anjie had been praying for me long before we met. Her prayers had an impact on many choices I made before we met. How cool is that?

Levi is having a quiet day. He is currently laying on Anjie. He is resting up for another try off of the vent. It should be tomorrow or Tuesday. He hasn't shown any signs of infection or swelling on his brain. He is tolerating his feedings very well.

lovinglevilikecrazy@yahoo.com

For my prayer warriors 

Levi - Get off & stay off the vent! No infections. No swelling. Get to full feedings from milk.

Trent & Anjie - peace & rest



Day 30 - The Pregnancy

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word. Psalm 119: 114
Someone gave me a great idea this morning with one of the comments. I guess I hadn't considered really that so many people we don't know would be reading this. I want to share more of our story leading up to this event and hopefully share my testimony as well in the process. I decided to work backwards so that the more relevant info will get to you first. The pregnacy is the place to start because that directly leads to the night we ended up at the hospital.

 

We decided at the beginning of 2010 that it was really a good time to try and have our first child. Actually Anjie decided much earlier but it takes two & I was finally comfortable with the idea. We never really tried hard to get pregnant. Instead we really just decided to quit blocking it from happening. We found out last fall that Anjie was pregnant. I found out through a text message from Anjie while I was at work because apparently thats the age we live in. It's never okay to do that to your husband ladies. Anyway the pregnacy was a little rocky but Anjie was never labeled high risk. She is a very healthy woman and we had no reason to believe we would have anything but a normal pregnancy. The rocky parts started during the very beginning. Anjie noticed some bleeding so we rushed to the hospital a couple of times. Each time we are assured that everything was fine on the ultrasounds. This was written off as a normal issue some women just have. I still believe that is true to this day. I guess the last scare came on Christmas night when Anjie got sick. She got a stomach bug and we ended up in the hospital just as a precaution. After a night of monitoring we were sent home and everything was fine. I still believe this was not related to Levi coming early. The end of the pregnancy came on the night of the 19th. Anjie had been having contractions for a little while. These were believed to be Braxton Hicks which are generally harmless. On the night of the 19th Anjie had complained of some more issues but we didn't think much of it. Anjie woke me up after midnight on the 20th with some spotting she had. I told her to call the doctor and we were imediately told to get to the hospital. Within 10 mins Anjie was examined and we were told we wouldnt be leaving the hospital. She was dialated 3cm and her sac was ballooning into the birth canal. The idea was to put Anjie on bed rest. She also started magnesium and got a steroid shot that was to jump start Levi's lungs in case he came. No matter how hard they tried to stop it Anjie was in labor. Each ultrasound from there on showed Levi putting his foot through the cervix. The last ultrasound showed him breech with both feet through. There was no choice but to take him. After 24 hours of labor Anjie has a C-section and Levi was born on Jan 21rst at 12:49 am. He weighed 1lb 9oz and was 12" long. I left alot out but this should get you up too speed. I followed Levi to the NICU where he has been since. The doctor on duty that night told us that Anjie could have jumped on a trampoline and not caused this. It just happens and there is no good explanation. They mentioned she may have an incompetent cervix but who really knows. Either way you can't really ever understand what God is trying to do. You just trust in him to see you through it.

 

Levi has had a really good day back on the vent. He was getting 21% oxygen most of the day which is room air. He will try again on Monday so pray towards that. Apparently his lungs are just fine. The extubation caused irritation due to the tube being pulled out. His wind pipe was swelling shut so they were forced to put him back. We just found this out so it makes us feel much better. Levi is ready so the next time he should stay off of the vent. His feedings were increased some again today. He is getting more than half of his nutrition from the milk now which is just great. Levi measured about 14" long tonight which is so awesome.

 

For my prayer warriors

 

Levi - Get off the vent. No infections. Good eating. No swelling.

 

Trent & Anjie - Peace & rest



Day 29 - Quick Update - Back on the Vent

Anjie & I found out this morning that Levi is back on the vent. Like I said these babies often take steps backward after making progress. We of course are frustrated but we know that he will eventually get there. I don't remember either one of us specifically praying for patience but God must know that at least one of us needs it. He is really teaching us at this point.

Levi got irritable in the middle of the night. He was just getting tired I think. There is another form of mask that works with the vent. Its called non-invasive & they may try that again next. That is better as a transition because when he tires out they can provide him the help he needs. They couldn't get a seal when they tried it before but that's really what he needs. The CPAP can't give him help so there was no choice but to go back.

Day 29 - Off of the Vent

(Luke 6:19 NKJV) And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.

 

We always knew from what the bible tells us that Jesus has the power to heal. Its been really amazing to watch it first hand. Of course we can question why he is doing in such a slow methodical manner. There is really no reason to question him though. I mean he is healing Levi isnt he? Thats enough for us. We know that He is behind everything that has happened to this point. We must have faith that he will continue to heal him. We must believe that He will continue to to guide the doctors & nurses. We give him all of the glory for every step that Levi makes. For every breath that he takes its all about Him. He is the great healer!

Levi made a huge step forward today. He got off of the ventilator! Of course we are just cautiously optimistic right now. Sometimes in the NICU these babies take steps forward and then right back. We believe though that this is Levi's best chance to stay off of the vent. His gases were good after the change and his oxygen sats were good all afternoon. Needless to say the rollercoaster has been good to us today. He is wearing an mini CPAP mask now which you can see in the pictures. Levi also continues to tolerate his feedings well. Lets not let up on the praying. Please keep on! It's amazing to me all of the people that we hear about that are behind us. We thank you so much!

For my prayer warriors

Levi - To stay off of the vent. To tolerate feedings. No infections. No swelling. To get off of the CPAP!

Trent & Anjie - peace & rest

Check out the new ring pic

Day 28 - Four Weeks

Ps. 145:14 The Lord sustains all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down.
I can't even believe its been four weeks. Looking back it is all a blur. Things that we worried so hard about turned out to be non issues. Levi have been on the vent most of his stay. He had a surgery come and go. He has started feeding and stopped feedings. Now he has started back on them again. Levi had that brain bleed too. Its still in the back of our minds. Will it have any impact on him at all? We will not know for a good while so why worry. One thing that has stayed the same through all of the changes is God's constant provision on this situation. He is still with us and He is still in control. He sustains our every second because we have no power to do so. It's a beautiful thing that we just can't explain with words.

 

Levi is having a really good day today. He is getting weened more & more on the vent settings. The steroids have really done their job. Levi should be coming off of the vent in the next day or so. We have to believe this time will be for real. Its hard to have confidence because of last Saturday but we must believe God will give him the strength he needs. Levi also has done well with his feedings. His last one didn't fully digest but hopefully that's not a sign of anything. He doesn't currently have any signs of infection which is a great blessing.

 

For my prayer warriors

 

Levi - To get off of the vent. To grow. To tolerate the feedings. No infections. No swelling.

 

Anjie - Rest!!!

 

Trent - Peace & rest.

 

Levi is getting more & more animated. Check out his cry face here. He can't make noise or tears so its kinda funny to watch.



Day 27 - Stay Positive

Romans 8²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[a] have been called according to his purpose.

It's easy to lose focus if you aren't careful. It's really easy to forget God's promises. He didn't promise that all things would be good. He promised anything that happens he will work for good if we love Him. Its all about obedience really. Things may not even work for good in the way that we think they should. Things will always work for good for us that love him within his purposes. The problem is we most likely will not always understand what he is doing at the time. We do know that His main purpose is to make Himself known to all of the nations. Somehow during this time of trials in our life God is using this to further the gospel. That is enough for Anjie & I. We can be content in that. To know that God is using your life to usher others into eternity with him is beautiful. It's worth any bit of suffering we may go through. We would do it again if it means seeing our loved ones be touched by the hand of God.

The hardest parts for me are leaving my son every night in someone else's care & not being able to pick him up and hold him. It's just not natural at all. It hurts everytime even though I know he is in great hands. It hurts to see him in distress at times and not be able to help him. One day he will be home with us and we will look back and see it all clearly. Thats how God usually works in my life. Usually He explains everything after the fact. He wants me to walk in blind faith with him and then he turns me around and gives me understanding after the storms have passed. I can't wait to see it all clearly one day. For now we must live in his promises. We believe Him fully and we know He will work this all out for good.

Levi is having a good day. He started steroids today for his lungs. He is already showing a small amount of improvement. In the next few days he will probably be ready to come off of the vent again. Lets pray he makes it this time. He is tolerating his feedings well. Hopefully he will start putting on some size which would help greatly.

For my prayer warriors

Levi - No infections. Tolerate feedings. No swelling. Get off of the vent!

Trent & Anjie - Peace & Rest

Day 26 - Quick update

Levi has had a good day. He is just kindve hanging out. He is tolerating his feedings well. His lungs are still not terrific but he is doing decent breathing. He really needs to grow which will help his lung function out. Its late but here are a couple of pictures. The first one is Anjie feeding him through a syringe.

For my prayer warriors

Levi - No infections. Tolerate feedings, Get off of the vent.

Trent & Anjie - peace and rest

\

Day 25 - Spinning Wheels

Isaiah 53

 ⁴ Surely he took up our pain
   and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
   stricken by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
   he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
   and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
   each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
   the iniquity of us all.

I am so thankful that He took all of our sin already. As we spend more and more time here it becomes harder and harder to stay positive. Don't get me wrong I am not saying we are becoming angry. It's just the little things that creep up on you. We get ill at dumb things because we are tired. It's easy for us to forget what he did for us. It's easy to forget the amount of suffering He went through on our behalf so that we may even have a chance at life. I need to continually remind myself of these things so that I don't become complacent and allow bitterness to creep in. Jesus suffered a tremendous amount for us. It doesn't even compare to this trial we are going through. I have no right or reason to complain at this point. God is still the same today as he was yesterday as he will be tomorrow. He is so good to us!

Levi is kindve spinning wheels a little. He is even moving in the wrong direction some it seems. Not much improvement to report. He did get a feeding so lets hope he tolerates these. His oxygen requirements have gone up some. The doctor is not ready to try steroids yet though. We are in a holding pattern as they call it.

For my prayer warriors

Levi - tolerate feedings. Get off of the vent. No infections. No swelling.

Anjie & Trent - Peace  & Rest

Here is a little video. Hopefully this brings Levi to life a little more for those who only see pics of him.



Day 24 - No Greater Love

Romans 5 ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

It is a great time to reflect on the tremendous love that God has for us. In the midst of all of our sin he sent his son to die for us that we may have eternal life. He does not desire for us to spend eternity seperated from Him. He desires every one of us to eternally live in communion with Him. God gives us all a choice to either accept this free gift or to deny the gift and be to our own desires. You can make up excuses if you like. I have done it my own mind at times. How can an all loving God send someone to hell? In reality he begs us all not to choose that road. The sad reality is that many will ignore his calls in their heart and will choose that wide path (Matthew 7:13). If you do not know this love we are speaking of please contact us lovinglevilikecrazy@yahoo.com . It is a free gift of grace that only He can provide. There are no amount of good deeds that can get us restored back into a right relationship with God. I thank Him so much for giving us a choice! There is no greater love on Valentines Day.

I am so blessed my life is full of earthly love also. I was blessed with great friends and family. I was blessed with a wife who is nothing short of a saint. Now I have been blessed with a son. Levi is helping me learn what unconditional love really is. I can give God enough praise for the wonderful blessings he piles on me.

Levi had a decent day. He had alot taken out of him yesterday and is trying to recoupe. If he can't get there on his own then he may need the help of steroids. If so it will be later in the week before he is ready to try it off of the vent again. Like anything there are risks with the medication. He really needs to get off of the vent though as it damages his lungs and causes them to not recover as quickly. He did not start eating milk today because his urine output wasn't great. Hopefully that will begin tomorrow.

For my prayer warriors

Levi - To get off of the vent! No infections. Tolerate feedings. Gain weight

Anjie - Peace & rest

Trent - Focus for work this week



Day 23 - Conqueror

Romans 8 ³⁷No, in all these things we are more than^(BR) conquerors through^(BS) him who loved us. ³⁸For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A good friend of ours shared Romans 8:37 with us as a possible life verse for Levi. I think it fits him perfectly. He came out of the womb conquering many challenges through Christ in Whom he receives his strength. As I continued to read I realized this verse tends to get left off of the front end of a very famous passage of scripture. To be conquered would mean to be separated from Christ's love due to sin which is only of this world. It's true though that through Christ we have not been separated one time from God's love during this journey. Through this time God is only building Anjie, Levi & I so strong that nothing will ever be able to take us down. Sometimes I believe God sees cracks in our foundation that we may never notice or may ignore as we think they are insignificant. God doesn't just want to patch them over and move on. He wants to tear it all down and build it new again. We thank Him so much for that! He is not a sloppy builder! He is the perfecter of our faith! There are no things now or things to come that I am afraid of at this point. I could have never spoken that with sincerity before. I would have been lying if I tried to say I wasn't full of insecurities. Now I feel fully confident to lead my family against any powers this earth has to offer.

I can't really lie to you Levi had a pretty rough day today. He actually is doing really well with his recovery from surgery. He was doing so well that the doctors felt he was ready to get off of the vent and on the CPAP. After some issues with getting a seal with one style he ended up with a good seal. By the time it was all said and done he just worked to hard and had to go back on the vent. This doesn't tell nearly the whole story of the day. Its just a quick summary. He should be trying again this week. Otherwise things are going well with him. He really does need to get off of that vent asap.

For my prayer warriors:

Levi - Get of that vent! Try some more food. No infections. No swelling.

Anjie - Peace!

Trent - Rest...trouble sleeping recently.

I through in a couple of extra pics to make up for the last couple of days.

Day 22 - Stable

I will get back to my normal posts soon. The stress of the last couple of days has really worn on us. We need some rest and my brain is just not up to the task. Levi is really doing well today in recovering. He is making some big steps in the right direction. He hasn't been weighed in two days and tonights weight was 2lbs! We are just so blessed to be on this journey with Levi. God has shown himself to us in a mighty way over the past three weeks. I will get some more pictures up tomorrow. I really just wanted to make sure and give a quick update to those of you who have been praying hard for him. God hears you and he is answering!

Thanks

Trent & Anjie

Day 21 - Back Home

Levi is back in his home now meaning back in his room. It's been a very stressful day.We have been nervous all day long. It's a kind of good nervous though. We realize that this was exactly what he needed and we are anxious to see him start moving in the right direction. Levi has good BPs for now so he is being weened off of some of the medications. He is back on the ventilator from being on the oscilator. It's going to be touch and go for a couple of days but we believe God has brought him this far for a reason so he will substain him. Levi is pretty out of it right now but is squirming around like he always has. Sorry for such a bird's eye view but we can't begin to tell you everything that goes on in here. Remember the email address is lovinglevilikecrazy@yahoo.com

Have a great night and most of all thanks to all of our prayer warriors!

Surgery Complete

We got word at 2:10 the surgery is done. He did well and is getting cleaned up before we see him. The doctor said he imediately was able to go down on his oxygen after it was done. That of course a great sign. Please keep praying for a smooth recovery. I will update again later. Thanks for your support!

Just Waiting

I know some of you are waiting to hear something. We are still waiting too. It's around 1:00 and Levi is just waiting. He has been prepped and is doing well. The surgeon will be by anytime. Thanks for all of the prayers! Levi had a bronchial spasm yesterday and scared Anjie to death. He had to have his tube pulled out for a while. One blessing came out of the ordeal. We got this great picture of his whole face. After it happened he breathed on his own for a little while. The doctor said if he wasnt having this precedure she would have put him right on the CPAP.

Day 20 - Surgery Tomorrow

Sorry this is going to be very short. We have had a late night. Levi is doing well right now. His surgery will be between 12-2 tomorrow. It is done right down the hall. There are many scenarios possible with his recovery. I will try to give updates tomorrow when we know something. Anjie had a long kangaroo session tonight since it could be a while untill the next. We are nervous but also understand that its what he needs. We understand that God is in control. We are praying that his glory continue to shine during this time.

Please pray the Levi tolerates the anestesia well. Please pray for the surgeon. Please pray for a quick recovery. Please pray God's peace on us.

Day 19 - Superman



Psalm 119:165 Great^(A) peace have those who love your law;
   ^(B) nothing can make them stumble.

We have no choice but to trust in Him to provide that great peace. We are still in the middle of a storm and it doesn't seem like it will let up anytime soon. Levi does need the PDA surgery. The scan showed that it is still large. The surgeon will come to assess him tonight or in the morning. After that we will meet with a member of his team. We should know soon after when the surgery will be. This is a scary time for us but everyone we talk to is in agreement that this is the correct decsion. The doctors think that most of Levi's symptoms are related to that PDA being open. We are very hopeful that he will get over this hump and then be able to focus on growing. The hospital here did this surgery 28 times last year so we have to trust that he will be just fine.

I created an email address today that you guys can contact us at. I believe many of you have had issues posting on here. Some of you may not feel comfortable putting your thoughts out for everyone to read. The thing is we gain tremendous encouragement through you. We have heard a few stories of God using this situation to touch lives. We would love to hear about these things more. We would love to get any encouraging words you are willing to send our way. You can write to Me, Anjie, Levi or all three if you would like. I will save any that are written to Levi to read to him once he gets older. Of course I have to protect my family so I will have to screen the emails before they get them. Hopefully no one will abuse this but you never know! Please understand we may not be able to reply to everyone but we will read them all. Here it is lovinglevilikecrazy@yahoo.com

For my prayer warriors:

Levi - For a sucessful surgery. No infections. Good experience with the anestetia. No long lasting effects. For the surgeons hands to be guided.

Trent & Anjie - For rest and peace during the surgery

 

No Levi doesn't really like flying but he has to do it every night anyway

`

Day 18 - Going Home

Is 26:3You keep him in perfect peace
   whose mind is stayed on you,
   because he trusts in you.

We are going to need his perfect peace tonight as we leave Levi for the first time to sleep at home. Staying at the hospital has taken it's toll on both of us. We have been told by virtually every staff member that we must get our rest. Without rest we could get sick and then not be able to visit Levi. This may be one of the hardest parts of this journey for  both of us. We have grown to really trust and appreciate the staff here. They must be doing something right for Anjie to be taking this step. Please say a special prayer for us that God will deliver that peace that only he can give. Please pray that Levi will do well while we are gone.

Levi is about the same as he has been. We are waiting on the results of the last heart scan. We feel that most likely he will need the surgery in the near future. We are more at peace with that now. It seems most of his issue are related to the PDA. Once we clear that hurdle we feel that he will be inline to grow and work on eating.

For my prayer warriors:

Levi - For a clear plan tomorrow after the scan results. For no infections. For no swelling. For good blood pressures. For good urine output.

Trent & Anjie - For rest at home! For peace away from him.

Day 17 - Life Support

John 1  ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

I sometimes struggle with the amount of support Levi needs to get just to stay alive. I want him to one day to just get off of that ventilator and breath on his own. I want him to just start drinking straight from a bottle and gaining weight as quick as I do. It's hard to swallow the fact that it's just not going to all happen right away. I think God really struck me today with this idea that we are all really on life support. He created all things and therefore has the power to end all things. He allows us every single breath we take and does not promise us another. I don't mean this to sound depressing but really to give thanks to Him. He allowed us another day of life and also allowed Levi another day. You see Anjie and I have this great faith and assurance that when our time here is done we will move on to eternity with our Father in heaven. That is an amazing hope to live with. We also both love this life he has given us here on earth. We want to stay here to be together as a family and watch Levi grow up. It's an odd conflict to live with. Either way our joy is in him. Either way we walk with God in an amazing relationship. So this is the most important question we could ask of you tonight. If your life support got pulled this second then what is next for you? Where would you be? This is not a scare tactic but out of love we want you all to have this same assurance we do. Please don't put it off for one more second. Just look at Levi again. Look at how fragile life really is. We are not guaranteed one more second.

Levi still has a long road ahead. He gets his next heart scan tomorrow. From there we see if he needs surgery or if the duct is closing on it's own. This is a scary thought in a way but I feel God is giving us peace about it. He is having a good day by his standards. He is pretty stable so its just a waiting game. He call the shots so we just hope to see improvement. He is getting milk again which is great news. So far no infections or swelling on the brain.

For my prayer warriors:

Levi - For the duct to close on its own without surgery. For no infections. For him to tolerate the feedings. For more bowl movements!

Trent & Anjie - For wisdom in decisions and rest.

Levi seems to always slip an arm or leg out. I think its a game he plays with the nurses!

Day 16 - Joined Together

1 Cor 12 ¹² For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. ¹³ For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into^[c] one Spirit.

It is so awesome to be a part of the body of Christ. I am not just talking about our church body alone but the body in general. There are many members of the body that meet in many churches that we hear are praying for us. It just really blesses our hearts to know that. Levi's name actually means joined together or united. Don't you think God knew exactly what he was doing when he made Levi? He has used Levi to break through many denominational barriers. He has joined us together in one purpose under Christ praying that his name be glorified through Levi. Many of you that are praying we will never meet but that makes it even more amazing!

As for the small portion of the body we meet with regularly we do not feel disconnected at all. You guys have stepped up in a mighty way to support us. Lord willing & Levi willing we hope to see you in the morning. We can't wait to meet with you in a time of worship.

Levi is doing about the same. He wasn't able to finish the third dose of medicine because his kidney function slowed too much. Hopefully the two doses he got was enough to make a difference. If not the next step looks to be surgery. He is still doing OK on his vent settings but has had a few rough spells. His urine output has kicked back up and his BPs ar decent right now.

Anjie slept in the parent room for the first time last night instead of in his room. Eventually we need to transition home at night but this is very difficult to think of.

For my prayer warriors:

Levi - For the PDA to close without surgery. For no infections. For no swelling. For easier breathing.

Anjie - For rest, wisdom, and peace when we finally start sleeping at our house.

Trent - For rest & wisdom.

Day 15 - The Storms Will Come

Matthew 7 ²⁴ “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ²⁵ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
²⁶ “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: ²⁷ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”


I realize that I already used this scripture once last week. I don't really choose how God deals with me though He gets to dictate that. He has been bringing this to my mind all evening. I used to work at a grocery store in highschool and college. Living around Wilmington we get threatened by hurricanes quite often. I remember very well the crazy days leading up to each storm. No one prepares for anything ahead of time. It seems that living in an area like this we would store up a few supplies for those storms that might hit. That makes entirely too much sense. Instead everyone runs to the store the day before and wipes out the shelves. I feel like thats how we treat God most of the time. Jesus tells us very simply how to weather these storms of life but we ignore Him. It's a proactive preparedness not a rash reaction He is speaking of. What if we were to live as if we know the storm will eventually come? Instead we assume they will not come and we take God for granted. We want Him to be there when the storms do come but we are only interested in a one way relationship. Thats not how it works to walk in a mature way with Christ. We must inernalize His words and also put them into action in our lives. I know its not always the comfortable way to live but it's how He refines us. Notice I said we & us allot? I am just sharing how God is dealing with our own hearts hoping he can use it to touch others.

As far as Levi's medical care I would say he is decent. He is higher on his vent settings today which makes us nervous but the staff seems to be okay with it. He is still above his birth wieght which is awesome. He gets the last dose of his medicine for the heart tonight. The doctor seemed confident that it should really start to show progression soon. We are watching the urine output to make sure his kidneys are functioning. We are really just in wait mode but please don't let up with the praying!

For my prayer warriors:

Levi - That the medicine will shut the duct. That his head will not swell. That he will get no infections. That his lung fuctions will get better

Trent & Anjie  Peace, Rest, & Wisdom

Either Levi had an itch he wanted to scratch or the nurse was in a hurry. Either way we got a good laugh at seeing him with his hands down his pants!