Timothy James
"Precious to God"
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.
posted by Sheri
Stats at Birth
Date: December 17, 2003Time: 10:20 p.m.
Weight: 1 lb., 10 oz.
Length: 13 3/4 in.
Friday, July 09, 2004
posted by Sheri at 11:28 PM
posted by Sheri at 11:21 PM
Psalm 38:9,15 "Lord, all my desire is before You; and my sighing is not hidden from You... I hope in You, O Lord..."
What comfort we take in knowing that the Lord knows the desires of our heart. He knows how much we would like to have Timothy at home, how tired we are at times, the toll his condition is taking on us. He knows and He cares, so we put our hope in Him and trust Him for the strength to face each day.
Actual Age: 6 months
Adjusted Age: 3 months
Weight: 7 lbs. 4. 9 oz. (he lost quite a bit yesterday!)
Timothy is very, very close to coming home! It should definitely be within the next 2 weeks and may be as soon as next week some time! We are elated, and at the same time, very apprehensive. His medical supplies have begun to be delivered to the house and we are learning more about what his home care will entail. We are also having to do some rearranging to make room for all his medical stuff. Please pray for us as we prepare for his homecoming.
His eye exam went smoothly. He will be re-assessed next week. He is still receiving 6 eye drops (2-4 times each) daily. We are hoping that some of those will be stopped soon.
Next week his doctor will be setting up follow-up appointments for him at Loma Linda. He can't go home til those are in place.
Praise - his homecoming is imminent
- eye exam went smoothly
- we feel like we have had a positive impact on the staff in the NICU and hopefully some spiritual seeds were planted
Prayer - healing of his brain condition and continued motor development (I accidentally included this under yesterdays "praise" section instead of the "prayer" section)
- smooth transition to Loma Linda; all the necessary appointments to be made
- peace and joy for mommy & daddy as we prepare for Timothy to come home
What comfort we take in knowing that the Lord knows the desires of our heart. He knows how much we would like to have Timothy at home, how tired we are at times, the toll his condition is taking on us. He knows and He cares, so we put our hope in Him and trust Him for the strength to face each day.
Actual Age: 6 months
Adjusted Age: 3 months
Weight: 7 lbs. 4. 9 oz. (he lost quite a bit yesterday!)
Timothy is very, very close to coming home! It should definitely be within the next 2 weeks and may be as soon as next week some time! We are elated, and at the same time, very apprehensive. His medical supplies have begun to be delivered to the house and we are learning more about what his home care will entail. We are also having to do some rearranging to make room for all his medical stuff. Please pray for us as we prepare for his homecoming.
His eye exam went smoothly. He will be re-assessed next week. He is still receiving 6 eye drops (2-4 times each) daily. We are hoping that some of those will be stopped soon.
Next week his doctor will be setting up follow-up appointments for him at Loma Linda. He can't go home til those are in place.
Praise - his homecoming is imminent
- eye exam went smoothly
- we feel like we have had a positive impact on the staff in the NICU and hopefully some spiritual seeds were planted
Prayer - healing of his brain condition and continued motor development (I accidentally included this under yesterdays "praise" section instead of the "prayer" section)
- smooth transition to Loma Linda; all the necessary appointments to be made
- peace and joy for mommy & daddy as we prepare for Timothy to come home
posted by Sheri at 10:58 PM
Thursday, July 08, 2004
Ecclesiastes 3:1 "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven..."
We have faith that God is orchestrating all the events of our life according to His perfect timing.
Actual Age: 6 months
Adjusted Age: 3 months
Weight: 7 lbs. 8 oz.
Timothy is doing amazingly well. He basically eats and sleeps all day. We have 2 or 3 wakeful times when we "play" and do his daily exercises. These exercises are especially important for his motor/muscle development. His muscle tone is very low and he has some other delays as well. These issues are a result of his brain condition (periventricular leukomalacia - PVL). This condition has the potential to really affect his future motor development (it often results in varying degrees of cerebral palsy), so we have begun exercises now to give him every possible good opportunity for development. He needs all the help (and prayer) he can get!
His eye exam was rescheduled for today (Thursday).
There may be some changes in the plan to transfer him to Loma Linda. His doctor is consulting with the neonatologist over there today. There are 2 possibilities she is looking toward. 1. waiting til there is a spot available for him at Loma Linda 2. going ahead with plans to discharge him from Kaiser, but work with the people from Loma Linda on setting it up.
We would really prefer the second option and it's the one our doctor is leaning towards. Please pray that God would direct this situation to go the best way for all involved.
Praise - healing of the brain condition and that his motor development would continue to progress
- medically-speaking he is ready to come home, there are no more conditions that have to be treated on an onging basis at the hospital
- God has been providing us with exactly what we need all along the way
Prayer - eye exam today
- Hospital transfer/discharge situation
We have faith that God is orchestrating all the events of our life according to His perfect timing.
Actual Age: 6 months
Adjusted Age: 3 months
Weight: 7 lbs. 8 oz.
Timothy is doing amazingly well. He basically eats and sleeps all day. We have 2 or 3 wakeful times when we "play" and do his daily exercises. These exercises are especially important for his motor/muscle development. His muscle tone is very low and he has some other delays as well. These issues are a result of his brain condition (periventricular leukomalacia - PVL). This condition has the potential to really affect his future motor development (it often results in varying degrees of cerebral palsy), so we have begun exercises now to give him every possible good opportunity for development. He needs all the help (and prayer) he can get!
His eye exam was rescheduled for today (Thursday).
There may be some changes in the plan to transfer him to Loma Linda. His doctor is consulting with the neonatologist over there today. There are 2 possibilities she is looking toward. 1. waiting til there is a spot available for him at Loma Linda 2. going ahead with plans to discharge him from Kaiser, but work with the people from Loma Linda on setting it up.
We would really prefer the second option and it's the one our doctor is leaning towards. Please pray that God would direct this situation to go the best way for all involved.
Praise - healing of the brain condition and that his motor development would continue to progress
- medically-speaking he is ready to come home, there are no more conditions that have to be treated on an onging basis at the hospital
- God has been providing us with exactly what we need all along the way
Prayer - eye exam today
- Hospital transfer/discharge situation
posted by Sheri at 7:21 AM
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
Psalm 31:14-15a "As for me, I trust in You, O Lord, I say, 'You are my God'. My times are in Your hand..."
It gives us great peace to know that God has a plan and a purpose for everything that happens in our lives.
Actual Age: 6 months
Adjusted Age: 3 months
Weight: 7 lbs. 6.2 oz!!!!!
As you can see, Timothy's weight gain during the last 5 days has been incredible! We are so thankful that he seems to be doing well in this area. He has been sleeping a lot so we think he must be having a growth spurt.
The amount he takes from the bottle has decreased some, but we are still practicing. His total feeding amount by bottle and his "tummy tube" is still 2 oz. (60 mls).
His doctor returns from vacation tomorrow and she will be calling the neonatologist over at Loma Linda to discuss the details and timing of Timothy's transfer.
He has a follow-up eye exam tomorrow (Wednesday).
Praise - weight gain/ very restful periods
- his extra oxygen requirement is very low
- God is still in control
Prayer - eye exam would be quick and accurate
- details for transfer to Loma Linda would work out smoothly
It gives us great peace to know that God has a plan and a purpose for everything that happens in our lives.
Actual Age: 6 months
Adjusted Age: 3 months
Weight: 7 lbs. 6.2 oz!!!!!
As you can see, Timothy's weight gain during the last 5 days has been incredible! We are so thankful that he seems to be doing well in this area. He has been sleeping a lot so we think he must be having a growth spurt.
The amount he takes from the bottle has decreased some, but we are still practicing. His total feeding amount by bottle and his "tummy tube" is still 2 oz. (60 mls).
His doctor returns from vacation tomorrow and she will be calling the neonatologist over at Loma Linda to discuss the details and timing of Timothy's transfer.
He has a follow-up eye exam tomorrow (Wednesday).
Praise - weight gain/ very restful periods
- his extra oxygen requirement is very low
- God is still in control
Prayer - eye exam would be quick and accurate
- details for transfer to Loma Linda would work out smoothly
posted by Sheri at 11:12 PM
Monday, July 05, 2004
posted by Sheri at 9:05 AM
posted by Sheri at 9:02 AM
posted by Sheri at 8:59 AM
