two weeks home

Well, I really can't believe it (in fact on Friday I actually couldn't remember), but Samuel has been home with us for two weeks now. He'll be 7 weeks old on Wednesday. He's gaining weight and we are adjusting to life with our 3 kids all under one roof. The long and the short of it is that Colin is probably having the hardest time. He's not yet prepared to give up the baby spot and no matter how much time he spends in time out or how often I tell him he's now a big boy, he just doesn't like seeing us hold Samuel. We trust (hope?!) that he'll make the adjustment before too long. You can pray for us all on that front: that Sara and I would be wise and gracious parents for Colin particularly and that he'd adjust well and soon. Anna Catherine continues to love her littlest brother and delights in holding him as much as possible. Samuel is sleeping well (actually continues to sleep through the night!) and also continues to have - as one friend puts it - 'rock star hair.'

On the Doctor front ... we actually had no appts this past week and enjoyed that fact very much. We will make up for it in these next two weeks as we've got 8 at this point. His list of specialists in 7 ... and growing. Biggest issue on the medical front for Samuel is our determining the site and timing of his cleft lip / palate repairs. In a previous update I'd mentioned the NAM appliance (nasal alveolar molding) that the doctors we'd seen in Charleston want to use to help form Samuel's palate pre-operatively. As it turns out this is something of a new treatment and most of the major medical centers are employing it - at least in some cases. We have found that there is actually a closer facility to us that uses the NAM - Emory in Atlanta. They actually do over 400 cleft lip and/or palate repairs a year and have been employing the NAM as a treatment option longer than MUSC has and therefore has more experience with it. We have decided to head down to Atl and consult with their plastic surgeons. That appt is set for this Friday. We will have to see some serious red flags to keep us from going to Atl for all of Samuel's clefting repairs. It's an hour closer. They seem more experienced in this type of thing. Our insurance will cover these doctors. It's also closer, in case I hadn't mentioned that. So, that's the main thing this week is a day trip to Children's Hospital at Scottish Rite just inside the Perimeter of Atlanta. I am assuming that we may come out of that consultation with some good ideas about dates for Samuel's surgeries.

Please do continue to pray for Samuel's health. At times he seems like just any other newborn. Then we are reminded that he's not. He remains at a high risk for pneumonia because of his aspirating. His spitting up is a bit better but he does continue to reflux and since he doesn't swallow real well, that stuff might be ending up in his lungs instead of in his stomach or all the way out. We continue to wait on the 'button' which his G-tube should be converted to. Please pray that that would come in (still on back order - I'm trying really hard not to be really cynical about this) as it's not real easy caring for a newborn with a foot long tube hanging out of his belly.

Overall, things are going well. We're getting by physically on 3-4 two hours naps during the night and the occasional afternoon nap as well. I'm heading back to work this week. We're going to try half-days and see how everyone does. I am very grateful to my elders who have given me these 6+ weeks free from Redeemer responsibilities and for those elders and staff and others who have filled in for me while I've been out. Thank you. And thank you to you who have been so faithful - even if from a distance ... and even if unknown to us! God has taken good care of us and continues to do so ... through his Body.

Pressing on,
grant