Happy First Birthday Levi!!!

Psalm 139:16

¹⁶ Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; 
And in Your book were all written 
The days that were ordained for me, 
When as yet there was not one of them.

I can't even begin to describe the feelings we have been experiencing lately. Just absolute thankfulness for God's provision over this first year. He knows every day before it happens. He knew a year ago today that Levi would survive even though we doubted. He knows right now all that will come ahead for our son. Please join us in thanking God for a year of life for Levi!

Levi if you ever read this down the road always remember this. God spared your life for a reason. You owe every thing you do to Him. We will do our best to point you in the right direction as you grow. Ultimately you will one day to have to make these choices on your own and we pray that you will choose to become a slave to righteousness rather than to sin (Matthew 11:28-30). We love you more than words can possibly say. You inspire us every day.

I would like to give a quick medical update to everyone that continues to pray. We get asked a lot "How's Levi doing"? Well its a lot easier to say just fine than to describe in detail all that he deals with. We aren't lying because he has done remarkably well since coming home. Only one sickness in 7 months which was an ear infection last week. Here are all of his issues along with how he is faring with each.

Details:

-VP Shunt - After the shunt placement Levi sailed on. He hasn't had any issues but this will be a life long maintenance issue. He is always at risk for malfunctions which would require future surgeries.

-Eyes - Levi's focus is getting better. He still has trouble locking in on objects. The eye doc has deemed him to be near sighted already. Some of this could get better over time. Most likely he will get glasses at a young age. If the focus issues dont clear up he may need surgery down the road for that.

-Airway/lungs - His airway is healing and getting stronger. He still has a long ways to go though. The path he is currently taking is good and wouldnt require surgery. He still relies on O2 for eating and sleeping. We may be pulling him off completely soon. If you watch him breath you would notice increased work compared to other babies but he is improving.

Physical - Levi gets PT twice a week currently. He is getting stronger. His legs are strong but his trunk is weak. He currently can sit up and push up with help. He is improving and we think he is getting very close to becoming more independent. He loves standing and bouncing in his jumper now. He does roll over pretty well now too. His left side is weaker than his right. We are told that many Preemies favor one side over the other though. We are seeing definite improvement.

Cognitive - With preemies in general there can be delays and disabilities. With having the brain bleed Levi is at even higher risk. We are seeing very good signs in this area though. He loves smiling and laughing now. He makes a good amount of noises and even repeats back some noises. Its still too early to tell what if any struggles he may have in this area.


Weight - Levi weighs 15lbs now! Up 31.5 from his birth weight.

All in all he is doing great considering where he was a year a go. He is more like a 6-7 month old than a one year old. We have a ton of work to do to catch him up. Levi has to be taught some things that babies normally learn on their own. Anjie and I are up to the challenge though! We are going to fight for this kid. 


PS We had a small party today to celebrate! As much as we wanted to throw a big bash it cold season and thats not the best idea for Levi.