I love the idea that God will never give us more trouble than we are able to handle (with His help of course). Typically in my life when something goes wrong - everything goes wrong. Then I start to wonder if it can get any worse... And it does.
Today, however, God showed me that not everything is going to go wrong. It was 31 degrees below zero this morning and my 12 year old little Mazda started after only a couple tries. It was a miracle. An everyday miracle.
Showing posts with label God's goodness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's goodness. Show all posts
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Merry Christmas Everyone!
This year has been filled with many changes, many trials, and many blessings. We are pleased to say that through it all God has been incredibly faithful and gracious to us. Christmas comes along as a reminder that God loved us enough to send his own Son to be miraculously born on this earth to walk among us and eventually die to save us. As for our little family, we don't need a holiday to remind us of God's goodness, we see it every day when we look at our son, alive and well and growing faster than we can keep track of! Merry Christmas and God bless you all!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Adjusting to "normal"
It's late and I should be in bed, but Elijah is scheduled to be given some medicine every 6 hours, and midnight is the next dose so I have to stay up and wait for it. Chris went to bed a little earlier since he's in charge of the 6am dose. I definitely got the better end of that deal :-)
So I figured I should use this waiting time to give a little update on how things are going for our little family. Since we first got home Elijah has continued to improve. He's been walking around a little today without any support, really starting to build up to where he was before all this happened. And it's been interesting to see how as he builds up his strength and is able to get around on his own more, he is getting less and less cranky. So today was a great day! He played and laughed and chased us and let us chase him and just had a great time :-)
He's been sleeping really well too, which surprises me. I expected him to be on a crazy sleep schedule after the hospital, but he's fallen right back into his regular patterns. Although he has been wanting to wake up around 6am instead of 7am, which is way too early for me, but Chris usually gets him at that point (at least until next week when Chris starts working).
We have an appt for Elijah tomorrow to check up with his regular pediatrician. Hopefully we will get a good report. I know everything about his breathing has been great, he hasn't even sounded congested much at all since we've been home. The only small concern I have at this point is the bruising he has on his thigh. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but he originally had a line in his left leg and they had to take it out because his leg was getting really swollen and there were some clotting problems. Since then there has been a terrible bruise that covers the top of his inner thigh and the entire left side of his genitals, it looks really bad. I thought it was getting better at first but towards the end of our hospital stay I thought it looked worse. We pointed it out to several doctors several times and all they told us was to keep an eye on it. So they don't seem too concerned, but it's clear to me that it has not gotten better. So if you think of that, please say a little prayer. It doesn't seem to bother Elijah at all, but another complication is the last thing we need. Hopefully his pediatrician will have something to say about it tomorrow.
I feel like I have so much more to say, but I don't even know where to begin. Chris and I are just continually amazed when we think about everything that has happened and how God has been so faithful to us. We just can't get over how awesome our God is! We are so grateful for the miracle He worked in Elijah's life! We are so blessed by the faithfulness and the love of His people!
I just have to say one more thing tonight. At the most frightening point of Elijah's struggle, when he was coding and Chris and I were in the room with all the doctors and nurses surrounding him, when we came so close to losing him, I have never felt more love, more desperation for my child... and what amazes me most is that the way I felt in that moment doesn't even compare to the way that God feels about us. I just can't get over that. How wonderful it is to be so loved. Amazing...
That's all for tonight, I'm going to go give my precious baby his midnight dose of drugs and put myself to bed! Goodnight everyone!
So I figured I should use this waiting time to give a little update on how things are going for our little family. Since we first got home Elijah has continued to improve. He's been walking around a little today without any support, really starting to build up to where he was before all this happened. And it's been interesting to see how as he builds up his strength and is able to get around on his own more, he is getting less and less cranky. So today was a great day! He played and laughed and chased us and let us chase him and just had a great time :-)
He's been sleeping really well too, which surprises me. I expected him to be on a crazy sleep schedule after the hospital, but he's fallen right back into his regular patterns. Although he has been wanting to wake up around 6am instead of 7am, which is way too early for me, but Chris usually gets him at that point (at least until next week when Chris starts working).
We have an appt for Elijah tomorrow to check up with his regular pediatrician. Hopefully we will get a good report. I know everything about his breathing has been great, he hasn't even sounded congested much at all since we've been home. The only small concern I have at this point is the bruising he has on his thigh. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but he originally had a line in his left leg and they had to take it out because his leg was getting really swollen and there were some clotting problems. Since then there has been a terrible bruise that covers the top of his inner thigh and the entire left side of his genitals, it looks really bad. I thought it was getting better at first but towards the end of our hospital stay I thought it looked worse. We pointed it out to several doctors several times and all they told us was to keep an eye on it. So they don't seem too concerned, but it's clear to me that it has not gotten better. So if you think of that, please say a little prayer. It doesn't seem to bother Elijah at all, but another complication is the last thing we need. Hopefully his pediatrician will have something to say about it tomorrow.
I feel like I have so much more to say, but I don't even know where to begin. Chris and I are just continually amazed when we think about everything that has happened and how God has been so faithful to us. We just can't get over how awesome our God is! We are so grateful for the miracle He worked in Elijah's life! We are so blessed by the faithfulness and the love of His people!
I just have to say one more thing tonight. At the most frightening point of Elijah's struggle, when he was coding and Chris and I were in the room with all the doctors and nurses surrounding him, when we came so close to losing him, I have never felt more love, more desperation for my child... and what amazes me most is that the way I felt in that moment doesn't even compare to the way that God feels about us. I just can't get over that. How wonderful it is to be so loved. Amazing...
That's all for tonight, I'm going to go give my precious baby his midnight dose of drugs and put myself to bed! Goodnight everyone!
Monday, September 28, 2009
September 28th
We are home! We finally got out of the hospital today at about 3pm. We literally had no extra room left in the car after we shoved in all the stuff we had been collecting over our 3 week stay there. It is so great to be home, but it feels a little strange now since we have been so used to being in the hospital.
Chris and I had to do some grocery shopping right away after we got home, but since then we have just been hanging out here all night. Elijah was definitely happy to get out of the hospital, but he still had a pretty cranky day today. He is clearly frustrated that he can't move like he used to. He can pull himself up to standing, but he can't walk very well. And he can't stand up without assistance, which is really frustrating him. He's also pretty attached to Chris and I, he doesn't want us to leave the room. It is totally understandable that he is having a hard time, but it is definitely hard to see. And it's hard to comfort him because he just doesn't understand why he can't do what he could before.
Tonight he was so grumpy that we put him to bed right before 7pm, which is way earlier than he's been going to bed at the hospital. Poor kid is just worn right out! So are mommy and daddy :-P It's unfortunate because we still have to give him drugs every 6 hours, which means midnight and 6am tonight... no fun. We have to keep him on a tapering schedule of one of his sedatives. It's not a large enough dose to really effect him much, but you can't just stop cold turkey with it or he will have withdrawals. So we will be giving him this medication every 6 hours for a little over a week longer.
Even though our poor kiddo is still having some troubles, we are all more than thrilled to be home and out of that hospital! Tonight we unpacked, did some laundry, played with the kitties, ate some supper, put Elijah to bed, and watched a movie. It was great :-) Now I don't know why Chris and I are still awake because we are so exhausted!
Thank you again everyone for your prayers and support. Praise the Lord that we came out of this and we are actually home! I still can't believe the miracle the Lord worked on our behalf! I am planning on posting a blog of Elijah's journey in pictures someday, we'll see when I get around to that. In the meantime, please keep us in your prayers whenever you think of us. Since we never did find out what happened to Elijah, we are going to be on the lookout from here on out. Please pray for his continued health and safety! And please pray that we can all catch up on our rest and get back to the real world! Thank you so much, we love you all!
Chris and I had to do some grocery shopping right away after we got home, but since then we have just been hanging out here all night. Elijah was definitely happy to get out of the hospital, but he still had a pretty cranky day today. He is clearly frustrated that he can't move like he used to. He can pull himself up to standing, but he can't walk very well. And he can't stand up without assistance, which is really frustrating him. He's also pretty attached to Chris and I, he doesn't want us to leave the room. It is totally understandable that he is having a hard time, but it is definitely hard to see. And it's hard to comfort him because he just doesn't understand why he can't do what he could before.
Tonight he was so grumpy that we put him to bed right before 7pm, which is way earlier than he's been going to bed at the hospital. Poor kid is just worn right out! So are mommy and daddy :-P It's unfortunate because we still have to give him drugs every 6 hours, which means midnight and 6am tonight... no fun. We have to keep him on a tapering schedule of one of his sedatives. It's not a large enough dose to really effect him much, but you can't just stop cold turkey with it or he will have withdrawals. So we will be giving him this medication every 6 hours for a little over a week longer.
Even though our poor kiddo is still having some troubles, we are all more than thrilled to be home and out of that hospital! Tonight we unpacked, did some laundry, played with the kitties, ate some supper, put Elijah to bed, and watched a movie. It was great :-) Now I don't know why Chris and I are still awake because we are so exhausted!
Thank you again everyone for your prayers and support. Praise the Lord that we came out of this and we are actually home! I still can't believe the miracle the Lord worked on our behalf! I am planning on posting a blog of Elijah's journey in pictures someday, we'll see when I get around to that. In the meantime, please keep us in your prayers whenever you think of us. Since we never did find out what happened to Elijah, we are going to be on the lookout from here on out. Please pray for his continued health and safety! And please pray that we can all catch up on our rest and get back to the real world! Thank you so much, we love you all!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
September 27th
Sounds like we are getting released tomorrow! Praise the Lord! I will let everyone know if all goes well. In the meantime, here is a picture of Elijah cruising the hospital halls this afternoon. He pretty much thought this was the coolest thing ever.
P.S. Today was my wonderful husband Christopher's birthday. I am so incredibly grateful to have a husband who stands strong with me through all of our trials and who never goes a day without letting me know how much he loves me. I couldn't ask for a better husband or a better father for our child, I am so blessed to have him in my life. I love you Chris! Happy Birthday baby!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Elijah in the Hospital
Here is a video I took just a few minutes ago of Elijah playing in his hospital bed. As you can see, he has no idea what happened in the last 3 weeks, praise the Lord! :-)
Thursday, September 24, 2009
September 24th
We had so many amazing accomplishments today! This morning Elijah could not quite totally hold his head up on his own, or sit on his own, or pull himself up, or stand. And by the end of the day he was doing all of those! He's sitting up in his crib right now playing with a puzzle, acting like nothing ever happened. It is absolutely amazing. He's not up and walking yet, and he can't stand without holding on to something, but with how quickly he has been progressing I don't think it will take long!
He's also eating normal meals now. Maybe not the huge amounts he did before (I'm guessing his stomach shrunk up a little bit since we've been here), but he's probably eating the regular one-year-old kid portions now :-P
The greatest news of all is that since Elijah was being so wild and crazy all day he was constantly setting off his monitors, so they took them off! They will put them back on at night, but they said there's no reason for him to have them on when he is awake and playful. Also, they took out his feeding tube since he's eating now! AND they unhooked his IV fluids from his PICC line! So the line is still in, but it's just taped down and he's not connected to anything. So now he can move around freely, which is GREAT because he was getting himself all tangled up :-P
So since he got completely unhooked this evening, we were able to take him outside of the room a little! We brought him down the hall to look at the fish tank, and into the playroom for a little while. We also brought him back upstairs to visit the doctors and nurses up in the PICU and they were all thrilled to see him. They were all talking about how unbelievable it is to see him looking well. One nurse even referred to him as the "miracle baby". It's clear to us that with the way the doctors and nurses talk about him, they didn't expect him to make it. So he truly is a "miracle baby," God most definitely worked a miracle in his life.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, praise the Lord for what he's done in our baby's life!
He's also eating normal meals now. Maybe not the huge amounts he did before (I'm guessing his stomach shrunk up a little bit since we've been here), but he's probably eating the regular one-year-old kid portions now :-P
The greatest news of all is that since Elijah was being so wild and crazy all day he was constantly setting off his monitors, so they took them off! They will put them back on at night, but they said there's no reason for him to have them on when he is awake and playful. Also, they took out his feeding tube since he's eating now! AND they unhooked his IV fluids from his PICC line! So the line is still in, but it's just taped down and he's not connected to anything. So now he can move around freely, which is GREAT because he was getting himself all tangled up :-P
So since he got completely unhooked this evening, we were able to take him outside of the room a little! We brought him down the hall to look at the fish tank, and into the playroom for a little while. We also brought him back upstairs to visit the doctors and nurses up in the PICU and they were all thrilled to see him. They were all talking about how unbelievable it is to see him looking well. One nurse even referred to him as the "miracle baby". It's clear to us that with the way the doctors and nurses talk about him, they didn't expect him to make it. So he truly is a "miracle baby," God most definitely worked a miracle in his life.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, praise the Lord for what he's done in our baby's life!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
September 23rd
We are out of the PICU! Woop, woop! We moved down to the regular pediatrics floor at around 3:00 this afternoon. Our new room is much smaller, but it's kind of nice because now we can sit on the couch and be really close to Elijah, also we can see the tv :-P And this room has its own bathroom!
It feels so great to be out of the PICU, we feel like we've made a HUGE step towards recovery. Things are much more relaxed down here, we don't have a nurse sitting outside our door at all times, or coming in the room all the time to check everything. We can pick him up and hold him anytime we want, we don't have to ask permission or anything :-P We also got to give him a little food today. The speech pathologist came to look at him this afternoon and gave him some apple sauce and he took it great, so he told us that we can start him on a soft foods diet. So tonight he got some mashed potatoes and gravy and some cooked veggies. He was definitely enjoying having some food again. We are starting it off slow, so hopefully he will keep doing well with that.
He's also started talking more and his voice is getting better and better. And he's playing more than ever, as well. He wants us to read to him all the time! It's so funny, he will grab my hand and then put the book in it :-P What a goofball. He is also moving around like crazy, kicking his legs, trying to pull himself up on the crib rails (not succeeding), and he even rolled over today! He wants to get around so bad, but he gets all tangled in his tubes and wires. We're working on getting rid of those!
Here's a picture of Elijah feeling much better!
It feels so great to be out of the PICU, we feel like we've made a HUGE step towards recovery. Things are much more relaxed down here, we don't have a nurse sitting outside our door at all times, or coming in the room all the time to check everything. We can pick him up and hold him anytime we want, we don't have to ask permission or anything :-P We also got to give him a little food today. The speech pathologist came to look at him this afternoon and gave him some apple sauce and he took it great, so he told us that we can start him on a soft foods diet. So tonight he got some mashed potatoes and gravy and some cooked veggies. He was definitely enjoying having some food again. We are starting it off slow, so hopefully he will keep doing well with that.
He's also started talking more and his voice is getting better and better. And he's playing more than ever, as well. He wants us to read to him all the time! It's so funny, he will grab my hand and then put the book in it :-P What a goofball. He is also moving around like crazy, kicking his legs, trying to pull himself up on the crib rails (not succeeding), and he even rolled over today! He wants to get around so bad, but he gets all tangled in his tubes and wires. We're working on getting rid of those!
Here's a picture of Elijah feeling much better!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Holding my baby
Holding my baby for the first time in 15 long days!!!
I don't know why this picture insists on being sideways, it is facing the right way in the picture folder, oh well! Anyway, you can see Elijah's silly smile that I was talking about in my post yesterday :-)
Elijah and Daddy hanging out :-PMonday, September 21, 2009
September 21st (Part 2)
Elijah got the tube out today! We were so surprised because before they took him down we were told by several different people that they didn't expect to be able to extubate him yet. So we were still hoping and praying, but were prepared for him to come back up with the tube still in. But then one of the respiratory therapists came in and told us that they extubated him! They brought him back up and he was looking so great without all those tubes sticking in him! They put a mask on him that's giving him a helium/oxygen combination, but he is taking breaths all on his own and doing great! He is still very sick and still sounds very congested, but he can breathe! Praise the Lord!
So they expect to leave him on the helium/oxygen mix overnight at least. Then I asked when he would get the mask off and the nurse wasn't sure...
OK, I get distracted easily and left this post and since I stopped writing several things have happened! They took his mask off completely already tonight! His oxygen level has remained great and the doctor said he really doesn't need the mask on, so praise the Lord! We did have another little scare with his heart rate, it dropped down to 48 at one point, which is significantly low. And it had been in the 50's and 60's most of the evening, whereas it was around 120 just a couple days ago. So the doctors came in to look again and decided to run another EKG. I don't remember exactly what they said about it, but there was a small problem on the EKG, but both the doctors up here and the cardiologist both said that it was due to his breathing issues, so no worry there! The doctors are all guessing that the low heart rate is attributed to his drugs, he did get 3 at one time around 5pm and it was shortly after that that his heart rate started getting really low.
So they are going to watch him closely tonight and they have dropped one of his drugs completely (one that is known to lower heart rates) and are starting to taper the other ones again. But already since the scare he has woken up and his heart has picked up a little so it looks like the drugs are wearing off and he is doing ok.
So the best news of the evening is... I got to hold my baby! It has been 15 days since I held him last and I have just been aching to have him in my arms! So I sat in the recliner by the crib and the nurse handed him to me (he was sleeping at the time) and he just snuggled right into me and started waking up a little. Then he was just smiling, totally randomly, it was the cutest thing! He was just laying there, very peaceful, smiling at his mommy... We did get pictures which I will put up as soon as I can get them on our computer. While I was holding him he really woke up and was starting to point at stuff and tried to talk a little (his voice is very raspy), and even tried to get up and move around. That kid is ready to go! Daddy got to hold him too of course and we got some pictures of that as well. It was so amazing to hold our baby again!
Well that's all for tonight. All in all, it was a fantastic day today! Your prayers are definitely working! Now please pray that he continues to get better and doesn't take any backward steps. Also, please continue to pray for some answers. We didn't learn anything new today from the ENT guys, so we are still at a loss for what could have caused all of this. So keep the prayers coming, you all have been so amazing through all of this. We can never express how incredibly grateful we are. We love you all so much! Thank you!
So they expect to leave him on the helium/oxygen mix overnight at least. Then I asked when he would get the mask off and the nurse wasn't sure...
OK, I get distracted easily and left this post and since I stopped writing several things have happened! They took his mask off completely already tonight! His oxygen level has remained great and the doctor said he really doesn't need the mask on, so praise the Lord! We did have another little scare with his heart rate, it dropped down to 48 at one point, which is significantly low. And it had been in the 50's and 60's most of the evening, whereas it was around 120 just a couple days ago. So the doctors came in to look again and decided to run another EKG. I don't remember exactly what they said about it, but there was a small problem on the EKG, but both the doctors up here and the cardiologist both said that it was due to his breathing issues, so no worry there! The doctors are all guessing that the low heart rate is attributed to his drugs, he did get 3 at one time around 5pm and it was shortly after that that his heart rate started getting really low.
So they are going to watch him closely tonight and they have dropped one of his drugs completely (one that is known to lower heart rates) and are starting to taper the other ones again. But already since the scare he has woken up and his heart has picked up a little so it looks like the drugs are wearing off and he is doing ok.
So the best news of the evening is... I got to hold my baby! It has been 15 days since I held him last and I have just been aching to have him in my arms! So I sat in the recliner by the crib and the nurse handed him to me (he was sleeping at the time) and he just snuggled right into me and started waking up a little. Then he was just smiling, totally randomly, it was the cutest thing! He was just laying there, very peaceful, smiling at his mommy... We did get pictures which I will put up as soon as I can get them on our computer. While I was holding him he really woke up and was starting to point at stuff and tried to talk a little (his voice is very raspy), and even tried to get up and move around. That kid is ready to go! Daddy got to hold him too of course and we got some pictures of that as well. It was so amazing to hold our baby again!
Well that's all for tonight. All in all, it was a fantastic day today! Your prayers are definitely working! Now please pray that he continues to get better and doesn't take any backward steps. Also, please continue to pray for some answers. We didn't learn anything new today from the ENT guys, so we are still at a loss for what could have caused all of this. So keep the prayers coming, you all have been so amazing through all of this. We can never express how incredibly grateful we are. We love you all so much! Thank you!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
My sweet boy
I thought some of you might want a picture of Elijah, so my sister took one yesterday while he was doing really well and smiling and playing. So here is a picture of Elijah on his hospital bed, tubes and all. You can tell by his little grin that he is being a real trooper through all of this.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
September 19th
Elijah is getting his bath right now from the nurse with the assistance of Daddy and auntie Carrie, so I figured I should take this opportunity to update. He did pretty good today, was awake quite a bit and playing and smiling, it was so amazing. Last night after I posted and before we went to bed his heartrate was really low and we were a little concerned, but the doctors took a look at it and said it may just be because of all the trauma during the day, he was just in a really deep sleep. They also noticed on the monitor that his heart was skipping a beat sometimes so they decided to do an EKG, but that turned out normal, so no worries there.
So today he played a lot and slept a lot and basically just hung out. The ENT people came to talk to us and said that they plan on taking him down to the OR on Monday hopefully and taking a look at him down there. They will decide then and there whether or not he can be extubated yet or not. Our doctor up here is anxious to get him extubated, because it's not good to have the tube in there for long periods of time. Obviously they won't do it if he's not ready, but we are all hoping he will be ready.
They took him on a little ride down the hall and downstairs today to get a CT scan. He was pretty interested to watch the hallway go by, considering he hasn't been out of his room in 13 days. So we got the CT scan in hopes that it might show the doctors something new, but as far as they can tell, it didn't. They said that the radiologists will take a look at it later, but they didn't find anything they didn't already know. No answers yet.
So Elijah is on steroids now to help the swelling in his throat and they said today that they could hear a leak in his tube, which means that his airway is larger than the tube and he is breathing outside of it a little, which is good news. That means the swelling has gone down a little. When they extubated him the first time, there was no leak. So this is good progress so far. But I can only imagine how swollen he is and how long it will take to heal all the damage. On Monday (hopefully) we will have a better idea.
One hard thing about today is that he is starting to get pretty emotional. He is definitely sick of being sick and having the tube in and everything. He is especially upset if I walk away from him. Sometimes even when he can't see me and he hears my voice he will start crying. A couple times he's also tried to put his arms out for me to pick him up. It's absolutely heartbreaking. I want to hold him so badly, and just somehow let him know that he's going to be ok. It's so awful when he cries because he can't make any noise, but you know he is trying so hard.
I forgot to mention in the last few posts that Chris and I did get a room in the Rossi house, which is right here in the hospital. It has been great to have such easy access to our room, so we can stay with Elijah a little later at night and come back a little earlier in the morning. Also if either of us needs a break during the afternoon we don't have to go far.
We are just so happy that he is awake and playing and being himself. The nurses and doctors are just amazed at how well behaved he is. A lot of kids can't be awake while they are intubated, but he has just been a champ. It's so clear that he is covered in prayer! And Chris and I as well! We definitely have our weak moments, but we have just been amazed by the peace that we feel. We know that this whole situation is in God's hands and we know that He loves Elijah even more than we do! We are absolutely trusting in God to take care of our baby. He has already come so much farther than the doctors expected, we are thrilled by his progress. It's hard to see him slip up sometimes and it's hard to sit and wait, but we know God is working, and His timing is not the same as our timing.
Please continue praying, don't forget about us! We are proud to say that we have the most amazing and faithful family and friends. We love and appreciate you all more than you know! Please pray for complete healing and for answers!
So today he played a lot and slept a lot and basically just hung out. The ENT people came to talk to us and said that they plan on taking him down to the OR on Monday hopefully and taking a look at him down there. They will decide then and there whether or not he can be extubated yet or not. Our doctor up here is anxious to get him extubated, because it's not good to have the tube in there for long periods of time. Obviously they won't do it if he's not ready, but we are all hoping he will be ready.
They took him on a little ride down the hall and downstairs today to get a CT scan. He was pretty interested to watch the hallway go by, considering he hasn't been out of his room in 13 days. So we got the CT scan in hopes that it might show the doctors something new, but as far as they can tell, it didn't. They said that the radiologists will take a look at it later, but they didn't find anything they didn't already know. No answers yet.
So Elijah is on steroids now to help the swelling in his throat and they said today that they could hear a leak in his tube, which means that his airway is larger than the tube and he is breathing outside of it a little, which is good news. That means the swelling has gone down a little. When they extubated him the first time, there was no leak. So this is good progress so far. But I can only imagine how swollen he is and how long it will take to heal all the damage. On Monday (hopefully) we will have a better idea.
One hard thing about today is that he is starting to get pretty emotional. He is definitely sick of being sick and having the tube in and everything. He is especially upset if I walk away from him. Sometimes even when he can't see me and he hears my voice he will start crying. A couple times he's also tried to put his arms out for me to pick him up. It's absolutely heartbreaking. I want to hold him so badly, and just somehow let him know that he's going to be ok. It's so awful when he cries because he can't make any noise, but you know he is trying so hard.
I forgot to mention in the last few posts that Chris and I did get a room in the Rossi house, which is right here in the hospital. It has been great to have such easy access to our room, so we can stay with Elijah a little later at night and come back a little earlier in the morning. Also if either of us needs a break during the afternoon we don't have to go far.
We are just so happy that he is awake and playing and being himself. The nurses and doctors are just amazed at how well behaved he is. A lot of kids can't be awake while they are intubated, but he has just been a champ. It's so clear that he is covered in prayer! And Chris and I as well! We definitely have our weak moments, but we have just been amazed by the peace that we feel. We know that this whole situation is in God's hands and we know that He loves Elijah even more than we do! We are absolutely trusting in God to take care of our baby. He has already come so much farther than the doctors expected, we are thrilled by his progress. It's hard to see him slip up sometimes and it's hard to sit and wait, but we know God is working, and His timing is not the same as our timing.
Please continue praying, don't forget about us! We are proud to say that we have the most amazing and faithful family and friends. We love and appreciate you all more than you know! Please pray for complete healing and for answers!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
September 16th
Today was definitely our best day yet! Elijah is continuing to get better. Today he was awake for long periods at a time and was able to make eye contact with us, still pretty hazy, but eye contact nonetheless. He would also follow us with his eyes and look at different things and try to reach for them. He could grab onto some things, but his arms are pretty weak, plus he is restrained a little so he doesn't grab his breathing tube. We mostly just stood by him and talked to him, we even read him a few books and he just watched the pages go by and listened and sometimes tried to reach for them.
The absolute best part of the day was when Elijah smiled at us. We were playing peek-a-boo with his blanket and he couldn't help but give us a big smile. It looked pretty silly with the tubes coming out of his nose and mouth, but it was still the most wonderful thing I've seen since we've been here. Plus he was starting to act more like himself, he waved at us a little bit, and rubbed his head, and pointed at things... It was so precious to see him being himself again.
He's completely off his long-term sedatives, right now he is just on temporary ones that will fade away quickly after they are stopped. They are also doing test-runs where they turn off part of the ventilator to see if he can take breaths on his own. So far he has done great with those tests. It is possible that they will be able to take him off the ventilator sometime tomorrow! We are trying not to get our hopes up though, so we are expecting that it will be out by Friday for sure (if everything continues to go well).
Again, we are just amazed by his progress. Our little guy is coming back! Your prayers have made all the difference, please keep them coming! I am staying in the hospital overnights from now on since he is waking up, so I better get going and try to get some sleep! I will update tomorrow, please keep praying! God is so good! Thank you so much!
The absolute best part of the day was when Elijah smiled at us. We were playing peek-a-boo with his blanket and he couldn't help but give us a big smile. It looked pretty silly with the tubes coming out of his nose and mouth, but it was still the most wonderful thing I've seen since we've been here. Plus he was starting to act more like himself, he waved at us a little bit, and rubbed his head, and pointed at things... It was so precious to see him being himself again.
He's completely off his long-term sedatives, right now he is just on temporary ones that will fade away quickly after they are stopped. They are also doing test-runs where they turn off part of the ventilator to see if he can take breaths on his own. So far he has done great with those tests. It is possible that they will be able to take him off the ventilator sometime tomorrow! We are trying not to get our hopes up though, so we are expecting that it will be out by Friday for sure (if everything continues to go well).
Again, we are just amazed by his progress. Our little guy is coming back! Your prayers have made all the difference, please keep them coming! I am staying in the hospital overnights from now on since he is waking up, so I better get going and try to get some sleep! I will update tomorrow, please keep praying! God is so good! Thank you so much!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
September 12th
Nothing but good news today! Everything is looking good, and he is improving quickly. God is so good and the power of prayer is truly awesome!
We walked into his room this morning to discover they had removed some mattresses to lower his bed a little (he had been raised rather high because it helps with the blood flow through the ECMO, but that wasn't necessary anymore). They had also changed his sheets and blankets which are now covered in Hawkeye logos. For those of you who don't know, the Hawkeye's are the U of I football team and being a fan of them is practically a religion for this side of the state of Iowa. And considering we are in the U of I hospital and can see the stadium from Elijah's hospital room, it is a big deal...
So we spent our day wandering back and forth between Elijah's room and the waiting room. We've been spending most of our time on the couches there, using the computer, reading, doing crossword puzzles, etc... Today however we had a little excitement with the Hawkeye game on in the morning. It was funny how when the game came on all the families gathered together in the lounge to watch it and everything seemed to be normal for a little while...
The days are seeming to go by a lot slower lately. The first few days we were in the hospital were so hectic we had a hard time keeping our heads on. But now that we are in the waiting period we have been getting a little restless. We are just so anxious for Elijah to be able to wake up and respond to us. We miss him so badly, there aren't even words.
Like I said, things are continuing to improve. They lowered his ventilator today and he did great with that. They will probably lower it a little more tomorrow and see how he does. He's real close to being at the point where they can switch to the smaller ventilator. It sounds like that may be possible tomorrow or the next day, but we will see. Then I'm not sure how long he will be on that ventilator. Once he's off them altogether he will need to be in the PICU for 24 hours after that, and then he will be moved down to the regular pediatric unit.
Your prayers are making all the difference. His improvement is phenomenal. No one who saw him 5 days ago would have guessed that he would be where he is today. God is healing him miraculously fast and we are so thrilled and so grateful. Please keep praying!
We walked into his room this morning to discover they had removed some mattresses to lower his bed a little (he had been raised rather high because it helps with the blood flow through the ECMO, but that wasn't necessary anymore). They had also changed his sheets and blankets which are now covered in Hawkeye logos. For those of you who don't know, the Hawkeye's are the U of I football team and being a fan of them is practically a religion for this side of the state of Iowa. And considering we are in the U of I hospital and can see the stadium from Elijah's hospital room, it is a big deal...
So we spent our day wandering back and forth between Elijah's room and the waiting room. We've been spending most of our time on the couches there, using the computer, reading, doing crossword puzzles, etc... Today however we had a little excitement with the Hawkeye game on in the morning. It was funny how when the game came on all the families gathered together in the lounge to watch it and everything seemed to be normal for a little while...
The days are seeming to go by a lot slower lately. The first few days we were in the hospital were so hectic we had a hard time keeping our heads on. But now that we are in the waiting period we have been getting a little restless. We are just so anxious for Elijah to be able to wake up and respond to us. We miss him so badly, there aren't even words.
Like I said, things are continuing to improve. They lowered his ventilator today and he did great with that. They will probably lower it a little more tomorrow and see how he does. He's real close to being at the point where they can switch to the smaller ventilator. It sounds like that may be possible tomorrow or the next day, but we will see. Then I'm not sure how long he will be on that ventilator. Once he's off them altogether he will need to be in the PICU for 24 hours after that, and then he will be moved down to the regular pediatric unit.
Your prayers are making all the difference. His improvement is phenomenal. No one who saw him 5 days ago would have guessed that he would be where he is today. God is healing him miraculously fast and we are so thrilled and so grateful. Please keep praying!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
September 9th
I planned on waiting until the evening to give my updates, but we have learned some new information that I want to share right away! During rounds this morning the doctors looked at an x-ray of his lungs and they have significantly improved. They are still not healthy, but there has been a pretty big change (due to the power of the prayers that have been offered on Elijah's behalf). So because his lungs are looking so much better they have decided to try to start taking him off the ECMO, which is a huge decision! Originally they planned on leaving him on this machine for 3-4 weeks while letting his lungs rest completely. They never did get him solely dependent on the machine, he has also been on a ventilator this entire time. So since his lungs seem to be doing some work they are going to see if they can do the job just with the ventilator.
So this morning they turned off the gas on the machine for a trial period. So the tube is still in his vein, pumping blood through the machine and back into his body, but the machine is not putting any oxygen in his blood. After this trial period they decided that he is doing just fine without it so they are planning to stop the blood flowing through the machine tomorrow sometime. If he does ok after that, they will take him off completely and remove the tubes from his neck. Then he would be relying on his own lungs as well as the respirator. This morning the doctor said best case scenario is that they will get him off the ECMO tomorrow and he will be on the respirator for at least a week still to recover.
Keep in mind they still have no idea what has caused his lung failure, so it is still very important that we find that out so they know how to treat it and prevent it from happening again. Also they are keeping him on the ventilator so he is still breathing with the help of a machine. It is great news that they are trying to take him off the ECMO, putting him on that has been the most concerning event so far. We are thrilled to know that he may do fine without it.
We are very excited and praising God for this news, but this is still a serious situation and we need your prayers to continue. Please pray that he does well being off the ECMO and that they are able to take him off of it completely by tomorrow as they plan. Also please pray that they can figure out what has caused this so they know how to treat it and we have an even faster recovery.
Thank you everyone for your prayers, God is so faithful! The doctors and nurses are very impressed by his improvement. I told our nurse that there are tons of people praying for him and I saw her tear up. God is showing and He's going to continue to show His power through this trial. Praise the Lord for everything He has done so far!
So this morning they turned off the gas on the machine for a trial period. So the tube is still in his vein, pumping blood through the machine and back into his body, but the machine is not putting any oxygen in his blood. After this trial period they decided that he is doing just fine without it so they are planning to stop the blood flowing through the machine tomorrow sometime. If he does ok after that, they will take him off completely and remove the tubes from his neck. Then he would be relying on his own lungs as well as the respirator. This morning the doctor said best case scenario is that they will get him off the ECMO tomorrow and he will be on the respirator for at least a week still to recover.
Keep in mind they still have no idea what has caused his lung failure, so it is still very important that we find that out so they know how to treat it and prevent it from happening again. Also they are keeping him on the ventilator so he is still breathing with the help of a machine. It is great news that they are trying to take him off the ECMO, putting him on that has been the most concerning event so far. We are thrilled to know that he may do fine without it.
We are very excited and praising God for this news, but this is still a serious situation and we need your prayers to continue. Please pray that he does well being off the ECMO and that they are able to take him off of it completely by tomorrow as they plan. Also please pray that they can figure out what has caused this so they know how to treat it and we have an even faster recovery.
Thank you everyone for your prayers, God is so faithful! The doctors and nurses are very impressed by his improvement. I told our nurse that there are tons of people praying for him and I saw her tear up. God is showing and He's going to continue to show His power through this trial. Praise the Lord for everything He has done so far!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Hectic week
This week has been pretty crazy so far. Starting off with a very exciting weekend with Darren and Alaina. They came down on Friday and left before the buttcrack of dawn on Sunday morning. They generously took me out to eat for my birthday (which is this coming weekend) at my favorite place - Texas Roadhouse, yum!!! And we did some bowling (which I won) and some laser tag (which I got 2nd in, darn you Chris). We also went ice skating where I discovered I have professional potential... or something of that sort... And of course we played lots of board games and rock band which I love to do :-) So all in all, it was a good weekend with great friends.
However... despite all the fun had there was a big negative to the weekend. My baby boy came down with a nasty cold. It was really sad because he got it the night before they got here so he was miserable all weekend and didn't get to have any fun with his uncle Darren and auntie Alaina. Plus we couldn't take him anywhere since he was so miserable, and I didn't like to leave him for long, so that cancelled some of our entertainment options. I just feel so bad for him, he's so stuffed up and I can tell his throat hurts from trying to cough up all the gunk... Chris and I have a little cold now too, but nothing like Elijah's. He is still feeling pretty cruddy, but I think he's looking a little bit better. We're really praying he gets better soon, it's awful when your baby is sick and there's nothing you can do :-(
So I did the taxes today and I am totally pumped because we are getting back way more than we thought we would! I tell ya, having a baby is a real good tax credit :-P We are really excited about being able to pay off some bills. Chris even mentioned maybe taking a little vacation. We've been wanting to for a long time, but haven't had the money at all. Now that God's blessed us with this unexpected bit we will have to pray and see if there's room there for us to spend some on ourselves.
Well baby needs me, blog ya later! I know, I'm a dork...
However... despite all the fun had there was a big negative to the weekend. My baby boy came down with a nasty cold. It was really sad because he got it the night before they got here so he was miserable all weekend and didn't get to have any fun with his uncle Darren and auntie Alaina. Plus we couldn't take him anywhere since he was so miserable, and I didn't like to leave him for long, so that cancelled some of our entertainment options. I just feel so bad for him, he's so stuffed up and I can tell his throat hurts from trying to cough up all the gunk... Chris and I have a little cold now too, but nothing like Elijah's. He is still feeling pretty cruddy, but I think he's looking a little bit better. We're really praying he gets better soon, it's awful when your baby is sick and there's nothing you can do :-(
So I did the taxes today and I am totally pumped because we are getting back way more than we thought we would! I tell ya, having a baby is a real good tax credit :-P We are really excited about being able to pay off some bills. Chris even mentioned maybe taking a little vacation. We've been wanting to for a long time, but haven't had the money at all. Now that God's blessed us with this unexpected bit we will have to pray and see if there's room there for us to spend some on ourselves.
Well baby needs me, blog ya later! I know, I'm a dork...
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Keeping myself entertained
So I've decided to learn how to play piano. I've never played any sort of instrument, but I've always wished a little bit that I knew how, so I'm doing it. Chris is taking piano lessons right now and so he's got a lesson book and he whipped out his mom's old keyboard and I've been teaching myself the ropes. I've already gone farther than Chris, but I'm skipping over a lot of boring technical stuff... who needs it? But I just realized tonight that I'm not really learning, I'm just sort of memorizing the songs that I've played already... And I'm already getting to the point where it starts getting hard and I'm thinking I might not make it much furthur. But it has been entertaining me so I'm going to stick with it as long as I can. It makes me feel pretty good about myself :-)
Speaking of things to occupy my time... Darren and Alaina are coming this weekend so that means I get to clean. I know I don't NEED to clean for them, but I do really need an excuse to clean since I've been meaning to for a long time. So this is good! The only thing left in the basement of Phil and Kathy's is 2 bookshelves filled with books (obviously) and they just gave me the go-ahead to pack 'em up and put 'em away. So I am stoked for that. It's not like they take up much room, but they take up wall space and I think it will really open things up in here when they are gone. So if I get enough motivation I am going to do that tomorrow so that I can have it done before we have our guests :-P Yay, something to do!
Let's see, update on the munchkin... He can now roll from his back to his belly! He accomplished the belly to back roll waaaaaay long time ago, so this is pretty exciting that he finally figured out how to get back. Although now when you put him on the floor he rolls all over the place, silly kid... Also, he has stopped sleeping through the night. That I am not too thrilled about. He's started waking up at around 2am and 5-6am, which is really bizarre since he used to sleep straight until 6 or 7 or even later! It's been going on for a while now so it's not because of sickness or anything... It's possibly a growth spurt, but again I wouldn't think it would go on this long. I'm really hoping he's not making a habit out of it. I can't get him to go back to sleep unless I nurse him, but I don't see how he could be that hungry since he's been just fine sleeping all night before. Frustrating! Plus when he eats at night he always ends up peeing through his diaper so we have to change him in the middle of the night, which definitely sucks the big one. Thankfully I have the most wonderful husband in the world who gets up to change him every time, thank you honey!!! So yeah, I'm really hoping and praying that this habit breaks soon because it is totally exhausting!
Just want to add on here how much I love my husband. Not just because I know he's going to read this... but seriously he is a great man and I am so thankful for him everyday. I mean, he definitely knows how to push my buttons and he often drives me crazy, but I just don't know what I'd do without him. He is absolutely fantastic. We have been able to have so many more good times together since we've moved. Since he's not getting up at 3am to go to work and coming home for a couple hours just to leave again to go to school... Then constantly stressing about our bills and selling our condo and everything. We still stress about our bills, but they have definitely gone down since we've moved and we certainly don't fear being kicked out on the street anymore. I know this time together won't last long since he will be gone a lot this summer for military stuff and since he will be getting a job eventually so we can continue to pay our bills. But it's been so great being able to recharge our batteries a little bit and have time to spend together as a couple as well as a family with Elijah. God has truly blessed us beyond measure.
I guess that's about all that's new for now. Just livin' it up in good ol' Iowa :-P
Speaking of things to occupy my time... Darren and Alaina are coming this weekend so that means I get to clean. I know I don't NEED to clean for them, but I do really need an excuse to clean since I've been meaning to for a long time. So this is good! The only thing left in the basement of Phil and Kathy's is 2 bookshelves filled with books (obviously) and they just gave me the go-ahead to pack 'em up and put 'em away. So I am stoked for that. It's not like they take up much room, but they take up wall space and I think it will really open things up in here when they are gone. So if I get enough motivation I am going to do that tomorrow so that I can have it done before we have our guests :-P Yay, something to do!
Let's see, update on the munchkin... He can now roll from his back to his belly! He accomplished the belly to back roll waaaaaay long time ago, so this is pretty exciting that he finally figured out how to get back. Although now when you put him on the floor he rolls all over the place, silly kid... Also, he has stopped sleeping through the night. That I am not too thrilled about. He's started waking up at around 2am and 5-6am, which is really bizarre since he used to sleep straight until 6 or 7 or even later! It's been going on for a while now so it's not because of sickness or anything... It's possibly a growth spurt, but again I wouldn't think it would go on this long. I'm really hoping he's not making a habit out of it. I can't get him to go back to sleep unless I nurse him, but I don't see how he could be that hungry since he's been just fine sleeping all night before. Frustrating! Plus when he eats at night he always ends up peeing through his diaper so we have to change him in the middle of the night, which definitely sucks the big one. Thankfully I have the most wonderful husband in the world who gets up to change him every time, thank you honey!!! So yeah, I'm really hoping and praying that this habit breaks soon because it is totally exhausting!
Just want to add on here how much I love my husband. Not just because I know he's going to read this... but seriously he is a great man and I am so thankful for him everyday. I mean, he definitely knows how to push my buttons and he often drives me crazy, but I just don't know what I'd do without him. He is absolutely fantastic. We have been able to have so many more good times together since we've moved. Since he's not getting up at 3am to go to work and coming home for a couple hours just to leave again to go to school... Then constantly stressing about our bills and selling our condo and everything. We still stress about our bills, but they have definitely gone down since we've moved and we certainly don't fear being kicked out on the street anymore. I know this time together won't last long since he will be gone a lot this summer for military stuff and since he will be getting a job eventually so we can continue to pay our bills. But it's been so great being able to recharge our batteries a little bit and have time to spend together as a couple as well as a family with Elijah. God has truly blessed us beyond measure.
I guess that's about all that's new for now. Just livin' it up in good ol' Iowa :-P
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