Timothy James

I was admitted to the hospital on Dec. 8th because my amniotic sac was leaking and I had begun to dilate. I was ordered to lie flat on my back until the baby came ( I was due April 2nd!). Well, on Dec. 17th my water broke at 7:15pm and Timothy James decided to come early. He was breech and already on his way out, so the doctor did an emergency C-section and at 10:20 pm he was delivered. He went straight to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and has been there ever since. Timothy was only 25 weeks along in his development (a "normal" pregnancy lasts 40 weeks) so he still has a lot of growing to do.

Psalm 33:20-21 "Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name."

It has been a while since we've updated and we're sorry about that. Life just gets so busy at times! But we are grateful that we are able to be so involved and realize that each day is a gift!

The kids are doing well, in spite of constant ear infections since our last post. Timothy has been to see the ENT and as a result, this Wednesday, April 30th he will be undergoing surgery for 2 procedures.
1. tubes will be put in his ears to drain that thick fluid that seems to pool in there
2. the hole in his trachea will be surgically closed since it has not closed on its own

We would appreciate your prayers during this week as we have pre-op appts., surgery, and recovery. Thank you for your continued love and support.

PS - we will try to post some pictures toward the end of the week and let you know how things went.

Lamentations 3:21-25 "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I have hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him."

It's hard to believe we're already halfway through February! We've had lots of happenings - Tiffany's 1st birthday, our kids' first trip to the snow, also their first trip to Disneyland, and various Dr. appts.

Timothy's sister, Tiffany, turned one on January 12th. The day she was born it snowed, so in remembrance of that special day we had a snow-themed party complete with snowflake cupcakes and our very own Tiffany as the snow princess! (See the Winter 2007 album under the new photos link).

We also took the kids to the snow for the first time. Timothy loved riding the sled but he wasn't so crazy about the cold, wet snow :) Tiffany spent much of her time eating the snow:) see the pics in the Winter 2007 album

Our Disneyland trip was very successful. Timothy loves rides - the faster the better. His favorite ride was spinning in the teacups with mommy and auntie Cara at the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. (see pics in Winter 2007 under new photos link)

Timothy now has a new eye shell in his left eye. That eye is underdeveloped and not really functioning much. As a result, the color of his pupil is changing/fading. The eyeball is smaller so he has a special shell (like a giant contact lens) that fills the eye socket and stimulates normal bone growth . The previous shell was clear but his eye was getting cloudy looking (as one of our 3-year old friends put it "it looks like a crocodile eye"). Now he has a painted eyeball on the shell and it is much more natural looking.

We have weathered a lot of illness over the last 3 months, but thankfully there have not been any major complications! Thanks for your continued prayers for his development and health!

Welcome to 2008!!! It has been a couple of months since we've updated - with holidays, birthdays and illnesses we've been a little busy.

Our kids are doing great!! Timothy had a super 4th birthday and we had a very special holiday season as a family of four. Be sure to check out the new pics in the Winter 2007 album under the new photos link to the right.

This week we are back to our normal schedule of therapy 2 days a week and school the other 3. Over the Christmas break, we entered the wonderful world of potty-training!!! That will be our biggest challenge over the next few months.

We hope you had a wonderful holiday season and that the new year year holds outstanding things for you!

We hope you all had a safe and Happy Halloween!
Check out the new photos link for our Halloween pictures!

Psalm 40:5 "Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts toward us. There is none to compare with Thee. If I would declare and speak of them they would be too numerous to count."


God has been working wonders in Timothy's life this weekend. On Friday Oct. 26th he went in for an eye exam, hearing test, and bronchoscopy (scope through the mouth down to the lungs).
The ophthalmologist checked his eyes for glaucoma (increased internal eye pressure). His was slightly above the normal range due to his previous eye problems but she decided not to treat at this time. His hearing tested in the normal range.

The bronchoscopy showed a clear airway so the ENT agreed to remove the trach. They kept him for observation for 2 hours and then sent us home! This is a huge milestone! He is doing great and we are so thankful. Please pray for continued healing of the trach site - that it would heal properly without any complications. Also pray for Timothy as he adjusts to this new state. He needs to re-learn how to breathe and clear his throat and lungs. He is also working on finding his voice again as this is an entirely new sensation and skill without the trach. We are confident that God will see him through this transition phase.

Check out the new photos link for pics without the trach!

Well Fall is here! And great things are happening in our lives.

Recently we took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch and the kids had a blast. Timothy really enjoyed all the activities. See new pics in the FAll 2007 album on our Webshots (new photos) link to the right.

Timothy is making great progress in his physical therapy. His latest accomplishment is moving from a lying position to sitting up all on his own! This is a HUGE milestone for him that we've been working on for about 6 months.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we approach his upcoming surgery for his trach removal and eye exam. He really needs to stay healthy for the next 2 weeks!

Isaiah 55:8-9 " 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are My ways your ways,' declares the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than you ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.' "

Well there has been a change regarding the surgery date. It is now scheduled for Friday, Oct 26. This will allow the ophthalmologist to do a comprehensive eye exam at the same time as the trach removal. We do not know why it has to be so much later than the original date, but we are trusting in God's promise in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord..." God's timing is perfect and we will rest in that knowledge.