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 57: 9-11 "I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens and Your faithfulness to the clouds. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth."

As you celebrate this Thanksgiving we hope that you and your family find much to be thankful for. - Jon & Sheri

Actual Age: 11 months
Adjusted Age: 7 months
Weight: 12 lbs. 15 oz.
Length: 22 1/2 inches

Well, we got the speaking valve ( known as a Passy Muir valve, after the inventor/designer). When we put it on for the first time on Friday, Timothy cried for several minutes. It was the most wonderful sound I have heard in 11 months!!! It may be hard for you to understand why I would enjoy hearing him cry, but just try to imagine, never having heard your child cry or make any sound for a year! It was very exciting. We put it on him a few times a day for just a few minutes at a time because it takes some getting used to. It actually changes the way he has to breathe and that takes some processing for him. He does not always cry right away when we put it on him now. Now he is beginning to try to figure out how to make other sounds. This is going to open up the door for developing his speech and language skills.

Praise - He tolerates the new speaking valve very well
- he continues to grow and develop every day
- We have so much to be thankful for!

Prayer - one of our nurses is ill so mommy has baby duty all day by myself. please pray for strength for me and healing for our nurse
- continued growth, especially of his legs (they are on the short side proportionally speaking)
- no problems related to his brain condition (his head is on the large side, so the doctors are keeping an eye on it)
- continued healing of his lungs, brain, kidneys, and eyes