The Date
Well, today, January 2nd, finally arrived. It has been a day that I have been looking forward to for over a month now as I anticipated setting a specific date to meet our Maddox. Now we have it... February 5th, 2008. The day sits well with me and I feel like we are giving him a good opportunity to continue to grow over the next 4 1/2 weeks... assuming everything continues as "normal."
The appointments that we had today were a tremendous answer to prayer. We spent time with Dr. Rowe as he continued to look at Maddox's condition... not improved, but not a great deal worse either. His heart continues to look the same as it did almost 2 months ago, now with the exception of being a little more enlarged. The hydrocephalus remains, although at this point it hasn't increased enough to warrant a c-section. As I always mention, this child is extremely active and seems pretty playful for his peanut size, which was what concerned me most today. He has only gained 2 oz. in 2 weeks since our last ultrasound, bringing him to 2lbs. 5 oz. He also continues to fall farther behind in growth measurements- now just over 4 weeks behind. We are definitely praying that over the next month he will continue to add significant weight that will help him survive upon arrival.
After we met with Dr. Rowe, we had a little down time and then went to the hospital to meet with the neonatologist and a social worker. They were both fabulous and gave us the answers that we were looking for in regards to what the hospital can offer and what they are willing to do to treat Maddox. We discussed several possible scenarios and also what steps we, as a team, would take to ensure the best care for our son. We are so extremely thankful that this day went well and also thankful that we are in excellent hands as we continue down this road.
I do want to mention what a beautiful blessing the prayer pager was today. It started going off around 6am and continued throughout all of our appointments and beyond. At one point, during our meeting with Dr. Patel (neonatologist), he looked at us like we were crazy. I'm sure he thought our cell phones were "buzzing" off the hook! I smiled and told him it was our prayer pager... that it meant people were praying for us as it went off. He smiled and acknowledged that we must be getting lots of prayers for our baby... it was awesome!
Thank you again for each of you following this journey and walking this road with us. The encouragement and love has lifted us so greatly and as we move into these final weeks, I know that it will just continue to lift our spirits and bring us peace. We covet your prayers~ THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!
**A special thank you to Christine for keeping our Deacon ALL DAY LONG so we could make all of the appointments- you're so wonderful!
"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if there is anything excellent or praiseworthy- think on these things." Philippians 4:8
The appointments that we had today were a tremendous answer to prayer. We spent time with Dr. Rowe as he continued to look at Maddox's condition... not improved, but not a great deal worse either. His heart continues to look the same as it did almost 2 months ago, now with the exception of being a little more enlarged. The hydrocephalus remains, although at this point it hasn't increased enough to warrant a c-section. As I always mention, this child is extremely active and seems pretty playful for his peanut size, which was what concerned me most today. He has only gained 2 oz. in 2 weeks since our last ultrasound, bringing him to 2lbs. 5 oz. He also continues to fall farther behind in growth measurements- now just over 4 weeks behind. We are definitely praying that over the next month he will continue to add significant weight that will help him survive upon arrival.
After we met with Dr. Rowe, we had a little down time and then went to the hospital to meet with the neonatologist and a social worker. They were both fabulous and gave us the answers that we were looking for in regards to what the hospital can offer and what they are willing to do to treat Maddox. We discussed several possible scenarios and also what steps we, as a team, would take to ensure the best care for our son. We are so extremely thankful that this day went well and also thankful that we are in excellent hands as we continue down this road.
I do want to mention what a beautiful blessing the prayer pager was today. It started going off around 6am and continued throughout all of our appointments and beyond. At one point, during our meeting with Dr. Patel (neonatologist), he looked at us like we were crazy. I'm sure he thought our cell phones were "buzzing" off the hook! I smiled and told him it was our prayer pager... that it meant people were praying for us as it went off. He smiled and acknowledged that we must be getting lots of prayers for our baby... it was awesome!
Thank you again for each of you following this journey and walking this road with us. The encouragement and love has lifted us so greatly and as we move into these final weeks, I know that it will just continue to lift our spirits and bring us peace. We covet your prayers~ THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!
**A special thank you to Christine for keeping our Deacon ALL DAY LONG so we could make all of the appointments- you're so wonderful!
"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if there is anything excellent or praiseworthy- think on these things." Philippians 4:8
Comments
I LOVE the gift your church gave to you with that pager, and love that it was such an quietly obvious statement to that one doctor today that Maddox is a much-loved and much prayed-for little boy. You didn't have to push at all to let him know where your faith has brought you and others on Maddox's behalf; that pager buzzing quietly said it all for you. And to have it reminding you throughout the day of the continuous support ... this whole picture just made my day!
connie
~Stephanie