Sunday, April, 20, 2008, 9:01 PM: Jace is one month old!

O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine oceans depth its flow
May richer fuller be.

O Light that follow’st all my way, I yield my flick’ring torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray, that in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead, and from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

Thank you for your continued prayers and interest in our family growth-walk in sanctification. I really liked this hymn we sang at the close of the Lord’s Supper this morning, for it carries both the poignancy of the buffeting of life that we all receive, and yet it contains the promise of hope renewed. Poignancy and Promise certainly describes our Journey with Jace! This road has been filled with both pain and renewal; in short, a roller coaster!

We take each day as God grants it with Jace.

On Friday, he seemed to take a turn for the better as his lungs begin to partially re-inflate, and he was able to take more breast milk in his gastric tube. He still is just under 4 pounds and very, very fragile, but yesterday, the doctors decided to remove him from the warming bed he has occupied since birth. He now resides in a normal (or as Dan says “severely steel institutionalized”) bed and can be dressed in tiny smocks or onesies as well as being swaddled for sleeping. It’s really pretty cute! I think he’s become a little ‘doll’ for his parents now that they can actually dress him! Madelyn and I did the grandparent/aunt thing last night and ran out and bought a few ‘necessities’ for the little man. Lauren just laughed at me today went I brought up an armload of ‘absolutely must-haves’ and said she KNEW I would get too much! Oh well, aren’t we supposed to over-purchase on the first grandchild? I’m just doing my duty.

Jace is still jaundiced, but his liver lab numbers are improving, and we hope the continued breast milk/formula/vitamin K supplement he is receiving will continue to agree with him. His VSD, the hole between his two ventricles in his heart, is growing louder, indicating the improper blood flow may be increasing. They have added a drug for congestive heart failure to his supplement to try to remove some of the fluid back-up from the heart into his lungs. Tomorrow, they may remove him from the pressure-inducing CPAP breathing device and see if he can keep his oxygen levels up on a cannula without the added pressure. The next major tube removal will be the PICC line that has been his primary source of nutrition until the gastric tube could be used.

For Prayer:

1) Jace tolerates his feedings as they increase in amount and duration.
2) He is able to breath sufficiently on the cannula alone.
3) He remains infection-free now that this first hurdle has been surpassed.
4) The doctors would set a tentative date for his homecoming.
5) No more emergencies arise delaying his discharge.
6) His VSD would some how be healed or reduced by God’s good hand of healing.
7) His parents have wisdom as they provide for this special and special-needs little boy for as long as he is with us.
8) For rest for all of us and to remain illness-free! Both Barry and I have been struggling with something respiratory which is greatly sapping our strength, but then we are a bit on the oldish side!
9) Sean, our son, finishes his classes in Spain on Wednesday, 4/23. He surprised us yesterday by telling us he will be coming home on Thursday, weeks earlier than planned! He felt with Jace’s tenuous condition, if something happened while he was ‘selfishly’ traveling Europe and he COULD have come home earlier and chose not to do so, well, that would just be ‘shameful’. Those musings are not mine, but Sean’s evaluation of his situation! We gladly welcome him home even early!

May the Lord bless each of you on that road of sanctification He has planned for you. Remember his promise to sustain no matter the trial on that trail.

Blessings,
Kathy for all the family