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.

Habakkuk 3:17-19a " Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines; though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food; though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the LORD. I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength. . ."

Although our troubles are not the same as Habakkuk's, our response is! Though this has been a long haul and will continue to be a long journey with many bumps along the way; though Timothy is still in the hospital after almost 6 months; though he is currently battling illness right now as the fever rages; though there may be future health and development issues, yet, we will exult in the LORD who is in control and Who is our strength each and every day!

Actual Age: 5 months
Adjusted Age: 1 month
Weight: 5 lbs. 7 oz.

Timothy is still battling fever and some type of infection. More tests were done today to check for the source of infection. He is still losing weight in spite of the fact that his feedings were increased.

He is now receiving 2 ounces of breastmilk every 2-3 hours. He is tolerating the feedings very well. Each feeding time begins with seeing how much he will take from the bottle. Right now, because he's not feeling very well, he doesn't have the energy to suck a lot, so he doesn't take more than 1/6-1/4 of the amount from the bottle. The rest is given through the G-tube directly into his stomach.

Praise - tolerating the increased fedings and even seems to be enjoying it/feeling more satiated
- the nurses are able to bring the fever down with one dose of Tylenol, however, that still has potential to negatively affect his liver
- he is sleeping well most of the time

Prayer - wisdom and insight for the doctors as they treat this illness
- fever reduction without Tylenol
- weight gain
- strength and rest for mommy and daddy, it's been a rough week!

2 Cornithians 12:9a "And the Lord has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. . .' "

We are so glad that even though we feel weak and weary, God is still powerful and He is our source of strength.

Actual Age: 5 months
Adjusted Age: 1 month
Weight: 5 lbs. 8 oz.

Timothy is still battling fevers. His temperature usually spikes (103-104) once a day, not always the morning anymore. He is obviously uncomfortable when he is this hot and it's very difficult for him to get the rest he needs. He also has lost some weight, probably due to this "bug" and the energy he's using to fight it.

He had his eye exam on Wednesday and we have not heard any specific results, except that they will check again next Wednesday.

Today his doctor indicated that it's getting close to time for him to come home. It may be very soon, 1-2 weeks! This is of course, only if no new, sever problems pop up. We are very excited about the possibility and a little nervous as well. There are still several aspects of his care that we need to learn and practice, as well as some medical insurance questions to settle.

Praise - He continues to feed very well from the bottle and we are still praticing breastfeeding 1-2 times a day
- he is growing and developing
- his lungs seem to be adjusting well now that he has the trach

Prayer - fever to stop and healing from whatever "bug" he has
- weight gain
- that his nutrition would not be affected by this illness
- for mommy and daddy as we make preparations for him to come home

Nehemiah 8:10 ". . . the joy of the LORD is your strength."

We definitely claim this verse!

Actual Age: 5 months
Adjusted Age: 1 month
Weight: 5 lbs. 13 oz.

Timothy continues to battle fever (today it was 103.2 at one point). It seems to occur in the morning. They give him Tylenol and then within a couple of hours it begins to decrease and by the afternoon is gone. The Tylenol helps but they are trying not to give him much at all because the liver can be affected.

He also has his eye exam tomorrow. This is not a pleasant procedure so please pray for comfort for him.

Praise - he continues to eat well from a bottle in spite of not feeling up to par because of the fever
- the fevers do not last all day
- the arm is healing well
- his lungs remain clear and he's breathing fairly well although he does require more oxygen and works harder at breathing because of the fever
- the joy of the LORD is our strength!

Prayer - fevers would disappear and he'd be healed of whatever "bug" or infection he has
- eye exam Wednesday - that there would be no new blood vessel growth indicating the surgery was successful; the doctor's are skeptical so this would be an awesome display of God's power!

New pictures are up!

Psalm 66:8-9 "Bless our God, O peoples, and sound His praise abroad, who keeps us in life and does not allow our feet to slip."

Actual Age: 5 months
Adjusted Age: 1 month
Weight: 5 lbs. 13 oz.

Timothy is still battling a fever again. It kinda comes and goes throughout the day. The doctor is running some more blood tests to make sure there is no infection. It may just be a viral thing that we have to wait out.

Thanks to all of you who are keeping us in your thoughts and prayers! We appreciate you so much! Please keep praying!

Psalm 81:1a "Sing for joy to God our strength. . ."

Actual Age: 5 months
Adjusted Age: 1 month
Weight: 5 lbs. 13.2 oz.

Timothy has had a really big breakthrough - it appears as though he is now able to swallow. We've been trying the breastfeeding thing and we're having some trouble so we still have a long way to go, but we have discovered that he does very well with a bottle. He's been taking about half of his feedings by bottle before he gets tired. When he does get tired of sucking we give the rest through the G-tube.

We have also discovered how much he likes to be held! He settles right in and sleeps really well. Tonight mommy caught daddy and Timothy taking a little nap together in the NICU rocking chair! :)

He had a fever over 101 degrees Saturday night. They gave him some Tylenol which helped the fever to come down, but they are not really sure what caused it to spike like that. They took several blood tests and so far they have come back normal.

We are still awaiting the MRI results of the brain and he has a follow-up eye exam on Wednesday.

Praise - He is doing very well drinking from a bottle
- gaining weight
- lots of good sleeping time
- fever came down; so far, no signs of infection

Prayer - no more bouts with fever
- healing of his eyes
- mommy and daddy - peace; strength; communication; flexibility - we are having to make a lot of adjustments