Day 14 - Wonderfull Designer

Psalm 139:¹³ 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.

The detail in God's designs have always blown my mind. Knowing Levi for the past two weeks has really taken that to a new level. I love the outdoors because growing up my Dad always made sure we spent more time outside than inside when we were home. It's for that reason I came to really appreciate God as the designer of everything. Nature screams out at us the presence of a designer! Getting to be a part of Levi's medical care has only confirmed those belief's in my mind. Just looking at the detail of his hands and feet is a beautiful picture in itself. Watching his heart get scanned was quite amazing too. All of the chambers move in sync with each other to pump blood through the body. Its funny to me that our human brains can't even fully understand how the human brain works yet. Think on that for a minute. The complexity of the human body tells me that it couldn't have just all happened. Did we really all just form over millions of years out of nothing? Are we trying too hard to explain something when the answer may be right in our faces? Either way I think you must have allot of faith. Its up to us to choose where we put our faith...

Levi is doing well today. He seems more irritable this week. His dad is more irritable this week too so I think I can relate. His brain scan confirmed there is no extension of the bleed. This is great news. His urine output picked up enough that he is getting his medicine for the murmur to close. For now we don't have to consider the surgery. He had his first real bowl movement. I know that doesn't seem like big news but it actually is. He was taken off of the antibiotics because there are no signs of infection. As you can tell Levi is progressing forward again.

For my prayer warriors:

Levi - that he responds to the medicine and the valve closes fully this time. That he will not get an infection. That his head doesn't swell. That he lives another day.

Brandon- I met his mom today. Brandon was born at 31 weeks due to a ruptured placenta. He was without oxygen for a while which caused brain damage. I told his mom that I had a couple of people that would want to lift him up. What do you think? Can we lift up baby Brandon?

Trent & Anjie - rest, peace, & wisdom

Day 13 - Don't Worry!

Matthew 6:31“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

I really feel as if God is working on us in a major way when it comes to worry. I will not lie to you I have been worrying about Levi all day long. That's the kind of concern a parent should have for their child. Is that kind of worry even okay? I don't think it is to tell you the truth. God is in control and we have to believe He will take care of Levi. That's not even the type of worry I am talking about here though. It's the worrying about everyday provisions. We must seek Him first and he promises all of those other things will be taking care of. Anjie and I spent years before he was born just saving our money to get ready to have a child. We had this idea in our heads of what his birth would be like and what we would do to provide for him. Then BAM Levi shows up 16 weeks early and throws that whole beautiful idea out the window. The issue was that it was our plan and our idea and we never even consulted God. We never even considered that it could go down any different that we had dreamed up. Now God says you must rely on me. I will show you what it is really like to be without control. Its to the point that someone we had never met showed up today with dinner for us. How incredible is that? It's a beautiful picture of God's provision. It's also a beautiful picture of his children who love him washing the feet of others. That's a whole different blog post in itself though. What about Anjie having to go on leave 16 weeks early? We have no idea how that will all work out. All we know is that right now God wants to use our family to shine His glory to the world. Thank you so much for choosing us! Why did you choose us? I have no idea but I do know that God used the most unlikely people to do his work in the bible. Those of you who know me well are probably blown away by this blog. It just proves His greatness that much more right?

Some of you probably skip right to this section to get an update on Levi. Shame on you! Just kidding...Levi is doing better today than he has been. He had to get adjustments on his vent settings because he was working to hard to breath. He has been much more stable there. He hasn't started the medicine he needs for the murmur because his urine output was too low. He seems to be getting that going better now. Hopefully he will get to that point tomorrow. If not there is a possibility he will need the surgery to shut the duct. He had another brain scan ordered to ensure there is no bleeding still in case he does need the surgery.

For my prayer warriors:

Levi - That he will not need surgery but will get medicine and the duct will close this time. That the scan shows no bleeding. That he will get no infections. That he will not swell.

Trent & Anjie - Don't worry be happy now!

Check out Levi lifting his hands to the Lord! He's ready to get out to Scottshill and worship with his brothers & sisters.

Day 12 - Kangaroo Daddy

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. —Psalm 9:1

Just a quick update before bed. I finally took my turn to hold Levi tonight. I did have some anxiety there seeing as he is really tiny and I am not. It was a great experience. He did well but may not have been quite as comfortable as he is on his mom. I think that is to be understood though.

Things are still kicking along around here. Levi has plenty of hurdles to overcome but he is stable so no complaints on our end. We confirmed today that his PDA has opened back up some. The doctor feels comfortable running the second course of medicine now that some time has elapsed since the first. Of course we were hoping he wouldn't need it but it has to be done. We are just waiting on his urine output to get back to normal before starting it. So far there is no swelling on his brain which is of course great news. We haven't seen any confirmation of an infection which is great news. His breathing has been a little tougher but that's due to the fluid on his lungs. We are hoping its related to the PDA and that it all clears soon. The good thing is there isn't an infection in his lungs to be seen

For my prayer warriors:

Levi - That he will not get an infection, That his lungs will clear. That he will have  no swelling. That the PDA will close completely this time.

Anjie & Trent -Rest, Peace, & wisdom.

tr

Day 11 - Thankful Hearts

O give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known His doings among the peoples! 1 Chronicles 16: 8

I think we are both just living in a spirit of thanksgiving right now. We are so blessed to have Levi in our lives and are just loving every second of being his parents. People constantly tell us how special he is to them and how he is a miracle baby. It's hard not to agree with them. The reality is that most parents look at their children with those same loving eyes. All babies that are born are miracles and God deserves all of the credit. So many things have to go just right for them to come into this world. It's no accident or mistake at all. 

Today was interesting because I got back to work and Anjie was left to handle things on her own. She is such a strong woman and is so grounded in her faith that I didn't even worry. Of course she sent me texts to keep me in the loop, I think we are turning into a better team than ever before. Work did me some good to get my mind focused on other things for a while but of course I couldn't wait to come see Levi this evening. I know you shouldn't wake a baby but its hard to resist with him.

I think he had a good day today. He has struggled with his breathing some but he got fixed up. He needed a larger tube for his ventilator. After the change out and a good cleaning he is resting comfortably. I think his stats are the most stable we have seen in a while. This large tube also allows for easier suctioning. He has some thicker fluid in his lungs that needs to come out. Levi had to get back on antibiotics today too. He had a couple of suspect blood cultures so the doctor is trying to hold of a possible infection. There really is allot more to tell but it would take all night. I know its crazy that that is the description of a good day. He did live one more day right?

 For my prayer warriors:

Levi - For no infections. For no swelling. For his bowls to start moving better. For his lungs to clear. For one more day of life!

Anjie - For strength, peace & rest

Trent - For strength, peace & rest



Day 10 - Just Another Day

Psalm 40

¹I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.² He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.
 ³ He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.

 
I never thought we would feel settled here or that this would feel normal. The staff here is really amazing & with friends & family around all of the time you almost feel at home. Today Levi opened his eyes fully for the first time. I thought we should go throw a party or something. Its amazing how through a trial the little things become so huge. I am sure that after this things like going on dates or putting our toes in the sand at the beach will feel amazing.

The reality is that we are just normal parents. Those of you who have children can identify completely with these little victories. You would also do anything we are doing and more to see your child through a tough time. Children are truely a blessing from God. If you don't have children but are thinking of having them please don't let this scare you off. Every second we spend in this hospital during the tough times will be worth it to watch him grow up.

Levi has really had a great week. After last weekend I never could have imagined how far he would have come. He has been taking his feedings like a champ. He seems to be digesting but we are waiting on some movement now before moving forward. His head has not swelled yet which is great news so far. His BP is still very stable which is sign that the PDA is not an issue. He got his PICC (sp?) line in which will now be used for medicine & fluids. This is huge because it means he will not need a broviac implanted. There has been haziness on his lungs but it seems to be clearing with a diuretic.

For my prayer warriors:

Levi - No infections, swelling on the brain, no return of the murmor. This sounds funny but pray for a bowl movement and continued progress in feeding.

Anjie - Pray for strength as I try to go back to work.

Trent - Pray for focus and peace as I will not be around as much this week.

Day 9 - He is peeking at you...

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! Psalm 100:4

Family really does matter. We have been blessed with all of the support from that end that we could ever hope for. We have had a great visit this weekend with some of Anjie's family. We will definately give God all of the praise for that. He is so good to us in so many ways. Not once have we felt alone in all of this. It is so sad too me to see the other families in here that don't know Him and I wonder how they make it through. I just want to thank all of you who have our back out there. We love you and I promise we are not taking you for granted!

Levi is steadily progressing forward. As I think about his situation I still realize he could face many complications. We just have to hope and pray none of those things happen. He has been increased on his feeds and so far seems to be digesting it. We have been told this can be the biggest challenge. The nurses continually measure his head and no swelling yet. His PDA is still small which is also great news. He still needs a mainline put in so that may have to be done in the next day or two. We did get the results on a culture from his throat and there are no bad bacterias right now.

For my prayer warriors:

Levi - That he will remain stable. That his blood will clear out with no swelling. That he will get no infections. That the PDA will remain small or finish closing. That he will safely get the mainline  he needs.

Anjie - Peace & rest

Me - Peace & wisdom to lead my family

Levi is peeking at you. Yes his eyes opened almost fully tonight!

Day 8 - Steadfast Under Trial

James 1: ^12(U) Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive^(V) the crown of life,^(W) which God has promised to those who love him.

There are definately times that I feel like we might just break down. Just simple things such as hearing the baby across the hall crying can make you tear up. We can't wait to hear Levi cry one day soon. We can't wait to see him smile or even open his eyes one day. We fully understand though that before time began God purposed us for such a great task as facilitating Levi's life. We had to take the difficult track all so that through these trials the glory of God will be known. We realize that his glory may be known simply through the little miracles we see every day. The wonders of the human body just scream out there is a designer! We are truely thankful to have this opportunity to be parents. We will stand steadfast during these times realizing our treasures lay in heaven and not here on earth.

I never could have imagined that this blog would have such an impact on lives. I have been told many times that lives are being touched by this. It was started purely to keep friends and family informed. I do not at all like the attention that it brings on us. Do not point any impact the blog or Levi makes to any thing less than the Holy Spirit of God. We are only vessels in which He uses to make himself known to all nations. Answer that call if you hear him speaking do not deny it one more time.

I know you all want to know about the scan. God has answered your prayers and stopped the bleeding. One side of the brain looks clear the other side is starting to clot. This is the body naturally trying to move the blood out.This is where the damage is done though. As the blood is carried away along goes parts of the brain. That impact will not be known untill much later on. This does bring other possibilities into play. Those clots can impede the natural flow of fluids from the brain causing swelling. If this happens a sort of drain has to be put in to drain it. Of course the less procedures the better so we don't want that to happen. His aterial line was removed today so he needs a new line of some kind put in. The first try wasnt sucessful so hopefully it will happen next try.

For my prayer warriors:

Levi - For the blood to leave quickly leaving no damage. For the line to go in next try. For no swelling on his brain. Please God no infections anytime soon!

Anjie - Peace of mind, continued healing & rest.

Trent - calmed anxioties and rest