12 weeks old!! 8-30-12

I am very sorry that it has taken me an entire week to blog again.  I have been so busy.  I promise to work harder at blogging more often in the future.  Bear with me as my life is pretty crazy.  It’s a good thing that God is at the steering wheel!   This has been a big week for our family.  We have grown in many ways.  It is amazing how God directs life.  We sometimes do not understand why things have happened but God has a plan for each one of us.  Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  This is such a great promise and reminder!  Everything happens for a reason.  Everything happens for God’s reason.

This week Jacob and I started doing a couples devotion.  In Delaware, our Sunday school teacher stressed the importance of growing together in God.  He used the analogy of a triangle.  God is the point of the triangle and the husband and wife are the points at the base.  As the couple grows closer to God, they move up the lines of the triangle to reach Him.  If they move closer to God together, they also move closer to each other.  If one moves closer to God, he or she moves farther away from his or her spouse.  We decided that it was way past time for us to grow in God together.  Anyways, we have been learning so much with this devotional time.  I encourage you to do devotions with your spouse or significant other! You will reap the benefits!     We are able to support each other, keep the other accountable, and grow in godly love.  God is doing great things.

Jordan has been doing pretty well this week.  We have been praying through his issues and we have seen some improvements and answers.  He has had a few bumps in the road though.  Last Friday was our first day of Kangaroo care.  We were so excited for this moment!  Jordan had a rough time with the transition from the incubator to my chest.  His oxygen saturation levels were all over the place.  We were actually able to hear him cry for the very first time.  Once he was settled and all tubes were once again connected he did great.  He enjoyed his time and his alarms actually went off because his oxygen levels were too high.  It was such an amazing experience to finally be able to bond and cuddle with this sweet boy!  He is still very little and it feels like I am once again a brand new parent.  He just feels so fragile.  His looks are deceiving though! He has the strength of God coursing through him!  What a mighty God we serve.

On Monday, it was Jacob’s turn to have some bonding time.  Jordan had a much more smooth transition from incubator to daddy.  Things went very well for the first 30 minutes of their cuddle time.  They had to place drops in Jordan’s eyes during the cuddle time since he was going to have an eye exam after we left.  About ten minutes after they did the drops in his eyes Jordan gave us all a heart attack.  For some reason he decided to stop breathing.  His oxygen saturation went down to 8% and his heart rate went down to 58bpm.  Here he is cuddling on daddy’s chest with all the drs and nurses trying to get him to breathe again.  What a frightening experience.  What lasted only about 60 seconds seemed like a lifetime.  It made me very thankful that Jordan is in a place where he can receive the necessary quality of care.  All I could do was stand there and pray “Please God help him breathe NOW!!”  The doctor explained two reasons as to why that can happen.  Sometimes babies have a reaction to the drops because they do not like how it affects their eyes.  This can cause them to stress and affect their breathing.  The other reason was that Jordan was maybe just too comfortable on daddy that he forgot to breathe.  The dr showed us some techniques to ensure that we are engaging him and stimulating him during our kangaroo time so that he still has to actively think about breathing.  I pray that we never have to experience that again.

On Wednesday our cuddle time was perfect!!  Thank goodness we finally were able to have a great session.  He didn’t have any problems during the transfer and kept his oxygen levels stable the entire time.  He made cute little baby noises for me and seemed to just be really comforted by our cuddle time!  I was able to cuddle with him for about an hour and a half!!  Such a great way to bond with my boy.  Jacob gets to try the cuddling again tomorrow.  I pray that things will go just as well for him.

Jordan has a few things going on with his health.  His ROP moved up to getting checked twice per week because they noticed that it was getting a little worse.  His current eye status shows that his ROP is still very mild and he does not need treatment at this time.  They will continue to monitor him twice per week to make sure it does not progress negatively.  Jordan has another infection but it is mild.  The culture shows the same bacteria that he had about a month ago, pseudomonas.  The antibiotics seem to be clearing it up rapidly and it doesn’t seem to be causing issues in his body.  Jordan went from a high level of breathing support with the ventilator to a low level of support with the CPAP.  Since he has been off of the ventilator he has only gained one ounce.  He should have gained half a pound or more.  The doctor thinks that this is because he is working very hard to keep his oxygen saturation up and he is burning too many calories.  They are treating him by raising the support on the CPAP.  It still occasionally gives him a mandatory breath through the nose mask so that his breathing can be comfortable and he can use more energy for gaining.  We need him to gain weight in order to heal the CLD (Chronic Lung Disease) in his lungs.  They can repair themselves but they need to grow.  Please keep this in your prayers.

Jason has finally been showing an interest in potty training! Hooray!!  I have been waiting for him to show me when he is ready because it’s not like I really have a bunch of extra time on my hands.  Lol.  For the past two days he has peed in the potty several times!  He doesn’t have a dry diaper yet though and he doesn’t usually tell me until after he goes but progress is progress.  He gets SO excited when he actually does go.  I think he really enjoys the praise! I love to watch him copy the godly examples that we set for him.  If one of us is doing devotions then Jason goes and grabs his bible and pretends to read from it.  The other day I looked up from my prayer after I had finished my devotion and Jason was sitting in his booster chair with his hands folded and his head bowed.  What a precious little boy! I pray that we can be great examples to him and lead him to Christ as it is our duty as his parents.

We received our assignment this week.  We will be heading to Seattle, Washington.  We are really excited about this but we were not expecting it at all!!  Now we can begin planning and preparing.  The base is connected to the army base and they have a great medical hospital that provides all of Jordan’s future needs.  I am looking forward to spending more time with Jordan.  This should be a smooth transition with only one direct flight.  We are going to need to buy cars when we get there and find housing.  We have been researching away since we found out and we know that God will work everything together perfectly.  He has the perfect house, vehicles, church, and situations for our specific needs according to his plans.  It really is amazing how much less stress you have when you let God handle it all.  My burdens are light!

The only thing that seems to be not working out so great at the moment is that I have to quit school in the middle of my program and pray that my credits will transfer to a new school.  I have been going through University of Phoenix for my teacher certification program but Washington State does not accept my program for licensure.  Transferring to another school is my only option to continue.  Pray that God would make this transition smooth and allow me to finish my program without too many wasted classes.  I am looking forward to the break from school while I transfer though.  I think I need some rest to regain my excitement.  I haven’t been very motivated for school recently.  It is all in God’s hands.

Lord I thank you for this day and this week.  I thank you that we have received many answers to prayers this week.  We are so thankful for the 6 week notice of orders.  It is really nice to have the extra time rather than only 2 or 3 weeks.  I pray that you give us the motivation to accomplish everything we need to do and that you would guide the transition and direction of our lives.  Help us to allow you to lead us.  I thank you for sweet little Jordan.  I ask that you would help him to gain weight steadily and healthy.  I ask that you would heal his lungs and give him a complete recovery.  Allow him to have no lasting problems with his severe prematurity.  Allow him to be a testimony of your power and allow us to be the voice about the miracles you are working in his life.  I pray for Jason and his potty training endeavor.  I pray that you would give us patience and understanding.  Help Jason to work on his skills and become a wonderful big boy!  I thank you for the time I am able to spend with my husband in our devotions.  I am really enjoying spending the time growing in you with my partner in love.  I ask that you would give us the strength and wisdom that we need for each day.  Help us to follow wherever you lead.  Prepare for us the things we need in Washington and make our transition smooth.  I ask all these things in your name, Amen

75 days old. 8-23-12

I know I haven’t blogged for a few days.  I have been busy.  This past weekend we decided to stay home since I was fighting a cold and we didn’t want to share germs with the little man.  I slept for a lot of the weekend and ended up feeling a lot better by Monday.  Monday was a great day for us.  We woke up late and didn’t have a very restful night of sleep but walking in the NICU to see Jordan on CPAP was the perfect day changer.  They had said that they were going to put him on CPAP on Monday but until he was actually on it, I wasn’t going to get my hopes up…or I wasn’t going to admit that I had my hopes up.  Lol.  It was so great to see him on the CPAP though.  We are so blessed with Jordan.  How amazing that he has graduated to this awesome step.  He is no longer considered to be on life support! What an awesome miracle his life has been.

Since they had just changed to CPAP, he was a little unstable with his breathing.  They told us that it takes a couple of days for him to adjust to the lower level of respiratory support.  Jordan also didn’t seem to like the CPAP mask at all on Monday.  I think he was glad to have the tube out of his throat but the mask over his nose was not working for him.  He kept trying to pull it off or move it with his hand.  Even when they tried to put his hands under the blanket he still managed to get them loose and mess with the mask.  Some of the faces he makes looks like he is trying to cry.  I can’t wait to hear his cry.  That seems like a weird thing to be excited about.  

Yesterday was a home day.  We did a lot of cleaning and then we had some friends over for dinner.  It was nice to do something different.  Looking forward to when Jordan can come home and be with everyone.  Yet also in all honesty I am scared of him coming home because I am not as qualified as his awesome nurses and doctors.  But I know by that time they will make sure I am ready to take care of him on my own.  Jason had so much fun having his friends over yesterday.  He loved showing them all his toys and having his own stuff around him!  It was cute to watch him. 

This morning we got an update from the email about a few things that they were doing to help Jordan’s breathing to stabilize while on CPAP.  They are giving him a medication that makes him pee more frequently.  They are also only giving him IV nutrition.  This is to eliminate the extra fluids that could make him bloated.  The CPAP machine causes a lot of air to go into his tummy so they have to take that air out so that his tummy doesn’t bloat and push up on his lungs. 

Today they placed him on a different type of CPAP.  It looks more like the oxygen nasal prongs except the prongs fill his nostrils.  This one is a little different but it doesn’t put air into his tummy like the other one so it is better for him.  They have the pressure setting high and the oxygen setting high as he is stabilizing.  He was doing a lot better today.  His oxygen was staying stable with very little Desats.  He also seems MUCH more comfortable with this new CPAP because it’s not a big mask but just a small tube.  He still messes with it but he doesn’t seem extremely irritated anymore.  Today his CRP was up a little so he was given a small dose of antibiotics.  It’s at 1.3 CRP but after the antibiotic it went back down to 1.0.  He is having a problem making platelets.  The doctors believe this is because of bone marrow suppression that is caused by having back to back infections and being on antibiotics for a long time.  They treat this by giving him a transfusion.  If they didn’t give a transfusion he would be at greater risks for bleeding.  Praise God he has had no bleeding in his brain whatsoever.  He also has one swollen lung.  This is normal for Chronic Lung Disease babies and it is improving with the CPAP.  He is actually doing very well and making a lot of progress.  We are so blessed.

Today since his oxygen levels were stable while we were there they decided to allow me to hold him outside the incubator.  This was the first time that I had actually cuddled him in my arms.  It was very amazing.  I was so very happy to be able to cradle him.  He even opened his eyes and stared at me for a while during the cuddle time.  I gave him a few kisses on his little head.  These were his very first mommy kisses.  What a special moment that I will always remember.  I have been looking forward to holding him.  Although it is amazing a perfect it’s also a little scary.  He is still so tiny and seems to me to be fragile.  It’s like he is my perfect and amazing baby but I once again have brand new mommy syndrome where I feel like I have no idea what I am doing or what I am allowed to do.  LOL.  I remember feeling like that with Jason but it’s a little different with Jordan because he is so much smaller.  Hopefully on Friday we will be able to start kangaroo care.  This is skin to skin contact.  It is beneficial because it maintains body temperatures but it also allows him to reconnect with me and the sound of my heartbeat.  It allows us to basically bond again after being separated so abruptly.  Most mommies get to cuddle their newborns right away.  We had to wait until he was almost 11 weeks old to cuddle ours.  Let me tell you, it was worth the wait!  He is absolutely perfect in every way!!

Lord thank you for the three wonderful guys I have in my life.  I have an awesome husband that loves me for being me.  He treats me like I am beautiful and supports me in ways that only a soul mate can.  I am honored to share this journey with such a loving man.  I praise you for bringing Jason into our lives two and a half years ago.  This very handsome and energetic little boy is a huge reason for the joy and laughter in our home.  He brightens our day, makes us smile, and loves us unconditionally.  We are beyond blessed to be his parents.  I praise you for the miracle that you have given us in Jordan.  This little body against all odds survived his early birth and is thriving.  He is fighting daily to overcome the issues that surround his prematurity.  You are working in his life daily and are allowing us to watch your work first hand.  You have timed out the many moments that we share to be perfect and complete.  You do miracles in his body daily.  We are beyond blessed to be his parents.  I ask that you would continue to watch over my family.  I pray that you would give Jacob guidance and purpose as he thinks about his schooling and his career.  Show him the paths you want him to take and lead our family behind him.  I pray for Jason.  That you would continue to give him the energy that makes his life full and exciting.  I ask that you would help him to learn the boundaries of life at our teaching.  Help us to teach him honor, respect, and most importantly, your love.  I pray for Jordan.  I ask that you would continue to allow progress to be seen.  I specifically ask that his breathing would stabilize and that his body would resume natural production of platelets.  Give him strength to fight each and every battle.  I ask that you would allow Jordan to outgrow every effect of his severe prematurity and allow him to lead a normal and healthy lifestyle.  Allow him to be a testimony of your power and grace.  Lord thank you for your blessings.  Guide us along this path and allow us to lean on you in our moments of weakness.  Give us strength, patience, and rest.  Lord please be with the plans for our move.  Orchestrate everything to be perfectly and smoothly and send us to a place where we can be used by you.  We thank you for giving us life and showing us what the meaning of love really is.  In your name, Amen.

10 weeks old!! 8-17-12

Jordan is ten weeks old today! How blessed we are to have this sweet baby boy in our lives!  It’s hard to believe that 70 days ago I was in recovery just hoping and praying that my baby boy would pull through.  How awesome that against all odds, Jordan is growing, developing, and staying strong.  This week has been a good week for Jordan.  The doctors are working on his respiratory system right now and this is the biggest hurdle that Jordan needs to overcome in his development.  Earlier in the week he had a few issues going on.  He had fluid around his liver and an issue with constipation that made his intestines expand.  Both of these issues were pushing up on his lungs causing difficulty with deep breathing.  They had wanted to take him off of the ventilator earlier but based on these issues they were unable to. 

Now all of the issues are gone and he is back to full feedings.  The goal is to avoid him ever having to go back on the ventilator once they take him off.  Based on this, they have decided to take him off the ventilator on Monday.  We are praying that there would be no obstacles that come up this weekend that would delay extubation.  We are really excited for this.  Once he switches to CPAP and he is stable, we get to hold him.  Like actually hold him.  Like cuddle him in our arms and give him smooches.  I am beyond excited for this moment.  It is definitely hard that baby boy is 10 weeks old and has not had any mommy cuddles and smooches yet.  But then again, he wouldn’t be getting any if he was still in my belly so I guess it’s an okay compromise.  We do get to look at him and watch the miracles happen in his life. 

Jordan had an eye exam yesterday and it determined that he does have mild ROP which is Retinopathy of prematurity.  It is a common ailment to premature babies because the retina is not fully developed when the baby is born and then it can develop too quickly or abnormally after the baby is born.  There are different stages of ROP and most premature babies have at least a mild case.  Jordan is no different and does have a mild case.  It is not serious enough for him to need laser eye surgery at this time and Is very possible that it will correct itself as he continues to develop meaning he may never need treatment for this issue.  He may need glasses in the future but for now this is not something that is going to delay him.  They will continue to check his eyes regularly until they are completely developed at about 37 weeks gestation.  He is currently 33 weeks gestation.  How awesome is it that our bodies were created so perfectly that they can heal themselves and repair themselves with new cells and new tissues.  God is so good.  Jordan also weighs 2.6lbs now.  He is getting SO big!!  He also looks like a regular baby now! LOL

It has been a little rough of a week for Jason and me.  We both have a cold.  I think Jason just had something mild.  He didn’t seem to show many symptoms.  I feel miserable though.  It is not fun being sick.  Today when we visited Jordan I stayed far away from his incubator.  As much as I want to cuddle him and touch him it is not worth sharing my cold.  Also because of my cold I am going to stay home tomorrow and not visit him like I normally do on Saturdays.  Gosh it is tough being a mommy sometimes! :D I just pray that I will get healthy fast because a week from now I could be cuddling my little boy in my arms!!  YAY!!! 

Lord I want to thank you for the blessings you have placed in our lives.  You deserve the full and complete credit.  I am not strong; Jacob is not strong.  YOU are strong.  You provide our strength.  We give you all the glory for the miracles that you work on a daily basis in Jordan’s life.  He is one of the smallest and youngest babies to ever survive birth.  What a great testimony to your power.  I pray that you would allow Jordan to live a full and healthy life and allow us to reach many people with his story.  Help us to be not afraid to speak about the miracle that you have given us.  I ask that you would continue to strengthen Jordan and help him to grow.  Continue to knit his body together in perfect harmony.  We ask that you would protect Jordan from any bacteria or viruses.  Put up a shield around him and do not allow anything in that would delay extubation any farther.  I also pray that you would allow for a smooth transition.  Help Jordan to stabilize and excel at breathing on his own.  Plan the timing perfect so that we may hold him and cuddle him in our arms.  We know you have the most perfect moment planned for us.  Lord please remove this cold from our house.  Allow us to regain health and strength so that we may be the backbone of this mission.  You are the heart.  Lord we ask that you would be with the process now for our move.  Allow the paperwork to be processed smoothly so that we may work on setting up our new home and our new life.  Send us to the perfect location where we can do the most for your purpose.  We ask all these things in your name, Amen.

65 days old!! 8-12-12

Jordan is 65 days old today! What a crazy journey this has been.  Crazy and yet so rewarding at the same time.  God has blessed us beyond measure with our two beautiful baby boys!  The last two days have been filled with improvements for Jordan.  His CRP level is continuing to go down and his intestines are beginning to shrink back to normal size.  His breathing is once again very strong and they have him on low support settings.  His CRP this morning was 0.7.  It was funny because as Jacob was talking to the translator he was like, “You mean 1.7?” She assured him that she meant 0.7 and we were very pleased to hear how low it is.  This is the lowest it has been for weeks.  Once it reaches 0.3 it is considered normal again.  Jordan is not currently on the antibiotics or the fungal medication because all the tests came back negative for bacteria or fungus infections.  It is awesome to see that even without any medication, the inflammation is going away! Hooray!!  So thankful that baby boy is pulling out of the woods with these infections.  Praying hard that God would protect his body from future infections and growth and would strengthen his immune system to fight off any predators.  Dr. also said that once again, they would like to take him off of the ventilator this week.  We are praying that there will be no more obstacles that cross his path that prevent this major step from occurring.  Once he is stable on CPAP, we should be able to start kangaroo care.  I cannot wait to snuggle my little boy against my body and give him real smooches.  It is hard to think about how he is already two months old and he has never gotten a real kiss from his mommy and daddy.  We know we must be patient.  Afterall, if he was still in my womb, we would not be able to kiss him there either.  Instead, we get a front row seat at watching the miracles that God does in his life.  What an awesome testimony.  God’s creation is beyond amazing.

We went to church this morning and then spend the afternoon and evening being lazy.  We managed to take Lucy to the dog park and let her run around with Jason and the other doggies for a while.  She needed a nice play time.  Sometimes I feel really bad that she spends so much time in the kennel these days but we are too attached to give her up.  We try to make up for it by playing with her extra-long in the evening.

I was contacted today by a young lady from our base whose daughter was just born prematurely (34 weeks gestation).  I ask that you would pray for their family and for peace for them.  Their baby is doing well.  I pray that God would allow me to be a comforter and encourager to them and to support them as we know how they are feeling living the NICU life.  It is not a fun thing to go through but our perfect babies are worth every moment. 

One song has stuck in my head this evening.  I don’t know where it came from it just popped up.  It means a lot to me and explains my wishes.  “Lord prepare me, To be a sanctuary.  Pure and holy.  Tried and true.  With thanksgiving.  Ill be a living, sanctuary for you.”  I pray that God would prepare my heart to be sanctuary that he can dwell in and work through for his purposes.

Lord I thank for this day that you have given us.  I thank you for the warmth and sunshine that you have designed.  I also thank you for not making it unbearably humid today.  I think you for the many blessings that you have given our family.  I pray that you would strengthen Jordan and put your loving hands on his body.  Give him immunity and allow him to finish healing from the issues that he has been dealing with the past few weeks.  You know his needs lord and you are orchestrating his health.  I ask that you would not allow any more obstacles to cross our path that will deter him from being taken off life support this week.  Allow the transition to go smoothly and perfectly.  Allow Jordan to take strong deep breaths and to be able to stabilize his oxygen on his own.  I pray that you would remove the cloudiness in his eyes so that the doctors might be able to see and plan for any treatments needed.  Give him perfect and wonderful vision.  I also want to pray for the family that I have met.  I pray that you watch over their baby girl and give them peace and comfort.  Help me to be a supporter where I have gained experience.  Lord be with Jacob and me.  Use our voices and our actions to plant seeds into the lives of many.  Give us the words to say.  Here we are lord.  Send us.  Use us.  Work through us.  Guide us.  Lord I ask that you would organize our move to the perfect location of your choosing.  I ask that you would set everything up and allow us to not be stressed or overwhelmed with the burden of moving.  Give us strength and safety.  Allow us to lean on you moment by moment and day by day.  We love you lord.  In your holy name, Amen.

Two months old!!

I can’t believe that it’s already Friday!  Where did this week go?  We have had a busy week and I haven’t had much time to update and type.  It is my finals week for my class and I have been swamped.  It is amazing how life takes you by surprise and before you know it, weeks and months have passed.  I cannot believe that my sweet little miracle is two months old!  How awesome this is!  We are so blessed by his life!!  Two months ago we were scared that he was not going to survive.  He has beaten the odds and remains a glorious representation of God’s power. 

Jordan has had a few issues that he is working through.  Two days ago on the 8^th we were informed that he had fluid around his liver.  This as well as gas was causing his abdomen to expand.  When his tummy expands, it pushes up on his lungs causing him to have difficulty breathing deeply. He has to work harder to do so.  The doctors wanted to take him off of the ventilator this week but they would not be able to with this issue.  When we visited on Wed he was having trouble with keeping his oxygen stable.  They had him on a higher level of support than previously.  They were unsure as to why the fluid is around his liver.  They had also stopped the antibiotics thinking that his CRP was still 2.4 because of a fungus.  They were using a fungal medication instead.  Today we received updated news.  All of their cultures for infections and fungus have come back negative.  They do not think he has a fungus or an infection and are still not sure as to what the inflammation is responding to.  Last time they stopped the antibiotics, his CRP went up quickly.  This time it went down.  He is now at 1.4 CRP so they also stopped the fungal medicine and will observe him.  We are so thankful that he doesn’t seem to have an infection.  Pray that his inflammation will decrease to negative levels.

There is still fluid around his liver but it does not seem to be getting bigger or causing any problems.  They ran some testing and his liver and kidneys are functioning perfectly.  They will keep an eye on this issue.  The biggest issue today was severe constipation.  They said his stool was rock hard.  Because of this, his intestines are enlarged.  They also push up on his lungs when they are enlarged which in turn affects his breathing and they cannot take him off of the ventilator until it is fixed.  They doctor does not seem to think this issue will take a long time to correct but it is the priority treatment right now.  They are giving him several medications as well as suctioning air from his intestines and adding fluid.  His body is tiny and constipation is not something he can deal with as quickly as an adult.  They are giving him IV nutrition today so that they can give his intestines a break.  They will continue breast milk feedings when his intestines start to shrink hopefully tomorrow.  We pray that God would have his hands on this problem.  The reason this is stressful for us is because it seems like issues keep getting in the way of him coming off of life support.  We so badly want him to graduate to CPAP.  God’s timing is perfect and we are learning patience and understanding. 

Another issue is that of his eyes.  It is common for premature babies to have issues with their eyes because they were not fully developed and then are required to develop quickly.  His eye checks have shown that his eyes are cloudy.  This means that the eye doctor cannot see the back of his eye clearly to determine if he has any sight issues from the premature birth.  Dr explained that Japanese babies have very dark eyes so it is easier to see through the cloudy but Jordan’s eyes are lighter and they cannot see it as well.  He said that his eyes should be clearer at this stage of his development but they can give him a few more weeks for the cloudy to clear up alone before they talk about solutions.  His future could involve laser eye surgery to correct any issues.  I am thankful that technology is advanced enough to have such options available to us.  I was able to see Jordan’s ultrasound today and it was really cool to see the different parts of his body.  I really liked to see his heart pumping on the ultrasound.  Doctor also showed me his brain.  I am so thankful that Jordan has not had any issues with brain bleeding.  Praise God for this release of anxiety.  Our journey is filled with highs and lows.  We are secure in the fact that God knows what he is doing.

Jason has been a little mommy’s boy recently.  He is getting his two year old molars in so he’s been slightly testy.  I have enjoyed his cuddles very much.  I think both him and I need some extra lovins every once in a while.  He has been playing cars with his toy cars.  He copies scenes from the movie.  My favorite is when he takes a big car up to a little car and says “VROOOOMMM!!!” He then proceeds to make the little car flip over on its back like tractor tipping.  It is adorable and I even caught it on video!  I love my sweet boy so much.  I can’t wait to have both of my boys home to cuddle and adore.  We are getting closer to getting him interested in potty training.  He will sit on the potty for me several times per day to “try” but he doesn’t ever actually go in the potty.  I know he will get it eventually.  He just needs to decide when he is ready.  He thinks its fun now to try so that’s a step in the right direction.  When he shows resistance we back off.  We want him to do it when he is ready and not feel forced.

I hope everyone is working hard on their quilt squares.  The deadline for these to be mailed is August 31^st.  A few of the ones I have seen look amazing!! 

Lord I want to thank you for the little and big blessings in my life.  Thank you for my wonderful and loving husband.  Even when we drive each other crazy we still enjoy each other and support and lift each other up. I can always count on my husband for the perfect hugs.  Thank you for blessing me with him.  Thank you for my sweet little two year old.  Thank you for the extra cuddles that he has been giving me.  I sometimes lose my patience but I know that you are teaching me and guiding me through it all.  I pray that you would guide his potty training progress. I thank you for my sweet little miracle Jordan.  We are so blessed to watch the miracles that you are doing in his life.  We have many ups and downs but you are teaching us daily to rely on you.  Give us strength as we grow weary.  Remind us of our purpose through this and allow us to glorify you in all we do.  Infuse Jordan with your strength Lord.  Please place your healing hands on these issues that he is having.  Allow these to clear up as soon as possible.  Please protect him from further issues that will delay the removal of the ventilator.  We also ask that you would place your hands on his eyes.  Clear them up and allow the doctors to see.  Heal his eyes and allow them to have no damages from prematurity.  Lord give me strength and courage.  Allow me to be unafraid to share my story and your purpose.  Guide us on the paths.  Lord please set up our move and guide us in that process.  Allow things to be smooth and not stressful.  Speak through Jacob and me to reach many for your kingdom.  We ask all these things in your name, Amen.

59 days old 8-6-12

Today  was a great start to the week!  We were able to sleep in this morning.  We had already planned on leaving later than usual to see Jordan because we were going to attend the Nebuta festival by the hospital in Aomori at night.  I was able to skype with my family this morning which I really enjoyed.  I miss all the energy that goes on in a house with so many people.  They were making home-made butter.  My dad and the boys were using a butter churner and my sisters were using a jar method.  They were having a contest to see who could make their butter the fastest.  LOL  Someday I hope to have contests with my boys  that are similar!  I just love my family so much!  Cannot wait until we are close enough to be surrounded by them!

This morning we left even later than we had planned on leaving.  We seem to be good at being late.  Today I was delayed in getting everything ready because I got out of the shower and found Jason and Lucy playing tug-a-war with Jason’s dirty diaper.  And Jason was running around with a bare booty.  Oh the joys of having a boy!!  I told him that we do not play with our poo poo.  Im not sure that it sunk in….

When we finally made it to Aomori, we were able to see baby boy.  Hes such a cutie.  He just melts my heart every time we see him.  His CRP level has been the same range for the last few days and has been fluctuating up and down a little bit.  The doctors do not think that he has or ever had a third infection.  All of the cultures that they have taken have come back negative for any growth.  Because they do not have positive data on the cultures, they have to look at all the symptoms as a whole to figure out what is causing the inflammation.  The at first thought it might be related to long term antibiotics because his platelet levels had been dropping but the platlet levels have been dropping quickly and not gradually like they would for long term antibiotics and the antibiotics don’t seem to be lowering the CRP anymore.  Based on these factors, they believe he may have a fungus instead of an infection and his body is reacting to this instead.  So they changed his medication to one that reacts to fungus and they will observe things to note any changes.

Jordan’s respiratory condition is good.  His breathing is strong and regular.  Because of this, they will take him off of the ventilator sometime this week.  Praise God!!  He will switch immediately to CPAP (continuous positive air pressure).  This is a nose mask.  The doctor said that he believes Jordan is ready for this step.  They did let us know that it is possible for him to get tired from taking on the entire breathing process alone.  If he becomes tired and starts having issues they may have to put him back on the ventilator for a day or two and then take him off again.  Keep this transition in your prayers.  We are praying that he would not need to go back onto the ventilator at all once he is off.  We are so blessed by this little miracle baby.  Once he is off of the ventilator he will no longer be considered to be on life support.  Jordan still has a long way to go before he can come home but this is the biggest step yet toward his complete health. 

After visiting with baby boy, we drove around a bit and then our friends met us in Aomori.  They brought Jason with them so we could all enjoy the festival together.  We walked to the festival and found a spot on a corner to sit.  We watched the parade for about an hour and a half.  The floats were huge and very detailed. They were all lit up and  very extravagant.  We enjoyed watching the floats and the dancers.  Jason loved the drums of course!!  He had a lot of fun.  They give out bells and he enjoyed playing with the bells.  It is difficult to describe the floats so I will share a few pictures.  We had  a great time.  We left before all the floats were done but they just kept coming lol.  We then enjoyed dinner at CoCo’s curry before we left.  This was good because not only is CoCo’s Curry AMAZING, we also were able to avoid the post parade traffic jam!  YAY!!

Lord we thank you for a great day.  We praise your name for the work that you are doing in Jordan’s body.  We thank you that he is finally ready to come off of the ventilator.  We pray that you would allow this transition to be a smooth process is no struggles.  We thank you for the wisdom of the doctors and their commitment to Jordan’s health.  We ask that you would allow the medicine to work on the fungus and allow his inflammation to be healed completely.  We are so blessed by Jordan’s life and we are honored to be his parents.  Thank you for choosing us for this journey.  It is awesome to watch this miracle first hand.  We ask that you would continue to give us endurance and strength as we still have a while to go.  Lord we praise you for allowing us to be in this location so that we can experiences things such as the Nebuta festival.  We thank you for the great day you have given us. I pray that you would allow us some rest and allow us to have a very productive day tomorrow.  We need to get a lot of things accomplished.  Thank you lord for this past weekend that we had with Youth Rally.  It was amazing to watch you work in the lives of the Japanese youth.  We were blessed and touched by the message as well.  Lord I pray that you would use us to plant seeds in the lives of many.  Jacob loves to serve you by playing his drums.  Give him the chances to use his talents to please you.  Lord use us as we go through this journey with Jordan.  Speak through my words and speak to many.  Give us strength and courage to share our faith and our story with those you place into our path.  We ask all these things in your name, Amen