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.

This is a special promise that God gave Jon for Timothy's life. Since Timothy can't pray it for himself, we have claimed it as our prayer for him:

Psalm 119:17 "Deal bountifully with Your servant [Timothy], that I may live and keep Your word."

Age since Birth: 16 weeks
Gestational Age: 40 weeks

Well Timothy made it to his original due date, April 2nd! Praise the Lord! He continues to sustain his little life!

The latest issues being dealt with are:
- high blood pressure
- low potassium
- kidney abnormalities which showed up on the latest ultrasound
- small, but detectable amounts of blood in his urine

Praise - his incisions from his abdominal surgery are healing well
- some of the swelling, particularly in his abdomen, is beginning to decrease
-God is still in control!

Prayer - wisdom for the doctors in dealing with the latest issues as listed above
- strength for mommy & daddy (mommy's having a pretty hard time right now)

Romans 8:28 " And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

Age since Birth: 16 weeks
Gestational Age: 40 weeks

Timothy continues to deal with extreme edema (swelling).

He is now off the continuous Fentanyl drip (sedation) and all antibiotics except for his eye drops. He is beginning to "wake up" a little and move around some. Hopefully, this will begin to help work the excess fluid out.

He does have high blood pressure which could be attributed to several aspects of his post-operative condition - pain, edema, medications, etc.
The doctors and nurses are keeping an eye on it.

They are running additional blood tests to get more info concerning his possible immune system issue

Praise - He is tolerating being off the sedative and requiring very little additional pain medication
- they are beginning to wean him off the ventilator and he is doing well

Prayer - Blood pressure needs to go down
- continued weight loss (excess fluid)
- wisdom for all doctors, nurses, technicians, and other hospital staff involved in his care

Psalm 118:8 "It is better to take refuge in the LORD, than to trust in man."
*although we do acknowledge that God works through man to accomplish His will and we are very grateful for the hospital staff caring for Timothy!

Age since Birth: 15 weeks
Gestational Age: 39 weeks

Timothy's eye surgery went very well on Tuesday afternoon. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for him! He will continue to have follow-up eye exams to see if the surgery was successful in stopping the abnormal growth of the blood vessels. They will be able to tell better in 2-3 weeks.

He has gained A LOT of weight from excess fluid, over 1 pound! This is not
good however and can make it very difficult on his underdeveloped organs to function properly. He needs to lose it all in order for his bowels to begin working and for his lungs to handle breathing on their own.

Some results of the liver biopsy show that he may have a problem with his immune system. His regular doctor is gone for a week and a half, but when she returns she will be running some tests to see what can/needs to be done.

Praise - stability during eye surgery
- they are weaning the sedative
- they are slowly beginning to wean him off the ventilator (this will take days)

Prayer - weight loss (excess fluid)
- balancing of his electrolytes (potassium, calcium, salts, etc.)
- needs to have a bowel movement to indicate proper functioning and so it doesn't get blocked up causing more complications and swelling
- healing of the eyes, bowels, stomach, and all incisions from surgery
- freedom from infection
- wisdom in dealing with the immune system issue

Psalm 94:19 "When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations, O Lord, delight my soul."

Age since Birth: 15 weeks
Gestational Age: 39 weeks

Timothy is continuing to recover from abdominal surgery last Thursday. There is still excess fluid that needs to be assimilated back into his systems and processed out through his urine, but they are weaning him off of the anitbiotics and the sedative. So he is beginning to feel more and "wake up" a little. They are also still trying to balance his electrolytes.

Surgery #7 for his eyes (ROP) is scheduled for tomorrow (Tues) at
3:00 pm.

Praise - He continues in a positive direction with regard to his recovery
- He is getting the eye surgery done before he goes off the ventilator so he shouldn't have to go back on it after they wean him this time

Prayer - Precision for the doctor performing the laser surgery tomorrow
- freedom from infection (infection is much more likely to develop because of all the IV's and incisions he has - possible "doors" for germs to enter his system)
- rest for mommy & daddy
- continued strength and trust in the Lord and His perfect plan for the life of our family

Psalm 92:1-2 " It is good to give thanks to the LORD and to sing praises to Your name O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night."

Age since Birth: 15 weeks
Gestational Age: 39 weeks

Timothy is doing better today. He is beginning to process much of the excess fluid from surgery and losing weight (that's good! We think he gained about a pound of excess fluid- that's a lot for his little body!)

He is also doing well on the ventilator and requiring lower settings.

He is still having trouble with an imbalance in his electrolytes - his potassium level is particularly low and has been for several days now in spite of extra doses of potassium.

His platelet count is also low, but he received platelets and plasma today to help correct that situation.


Praise - He is making good progress on the road of recovery
- His nurses are very "in tune" with his vital signs and his post-surgery norms and are keeping a watchful eye on his pain level
- opportunities for Jon and I to speak to his nurses and doctors about the power of prayer and to attribute his recovery to God's working in his life

Prayer - His doctor will be assessing his condition tomorrow (Mon) to decide if and when the eye surgery will take place
- continued healing from surgery