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.

As we celebrated Timothy's 1st birthday yesterday, we did a lot of reflecting over the past year. It is absolutely incredible to think about all that has happened as we looked back through pictures from the week he was born and compared them with recent photos. We rejoice as we celebrate all that God has done in his little life and in our lives as well. We still have a long road and many challenges ahead of us, but we face the future with condfidence, reminded of how God has brought us through to this point and knowing, without a doubt, that He will continue to carry us through the days ahead.

A little recap:

Then (Dec. 17, 2003): 1 lb. 10 oz.
Now (Dec. 17, 2004): 13 lbs.

Then: 13 3/4 inches
Now: 23 inches

Then: intubated, and breathing was done by the ventilator
Now: tracheostomy with oxygen, and breathing on his own!

Then: fed fluids through an IV
Now: fed breastmilk by mouth and via gastrostomy tube, and baby food by mouth

Then: eye patches over his eyes because they were not fully developed yet
Now: 2 beautiful blue eyes which have some vision

Then: lying on a warming bed with a Saran Wrap tent over him to help him maintain his body temperature, unable to be held because of his fragile condition
Now: lying in the arms of mommy & daddy, able to be cuddled every day

Then: prognosis was bleak and he was not expected to live long due to damage to his intestines, liver, lungs, heart, kidneys, brain, and eyes
Now: 12 surgeries later, he is a happy, thriving baby boy making monumental developmental strides at home with his mommy & daddy!

"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'." Lamentations 3:21-24

Hebrews 4:16 "Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need."

There have been countless times throughout the past year when we have approached the throne of grace through prayer for ourselves and for Timothy and God has always provided the grace, strength, help, and encouragement we have required in times of need. What a mighty, loving God we serve!

Actual Age: 11 months
Weight: 12 lbs. 15 oz.
Length: 23 inches

As you can see Timothy hasn't gained a lot of weight this month, but he has gained some length (exactly what the nutritionist wanted). He is still above the 75th percentile for his weight to length proportion. He's doing great!

We had a great report from the pulmonologist regarding his lungs today. She said that each month she sees him and listens to him he is improving. Once again she made some adjustments in his medications, lowering the frequency of breathing treatments and discontinuing another medication altogether. This is definitely a positive answer to our prayers!

Timothy has developed an oral aversion, a state common to baby's with G-tubes for feeding. Basically, it means that he doesn't really like to have food in his mouth, so he has pretty much quit taking milk from the bottle. We continue to try feeding him this way when he is awake, but as soon as he exhibits a negative reaction (ie. pushing the bottle away, shaking his head back and forth, etc.) we stop. It is possible that he will grow out of it in time.

Praise - Timothy continues to be healthy.
- He has been using his right arm with increased frequency
- He has also been opening his left eye more often

Prayer - that Timothy would not continue having an oral aversion to food in his mouth and would begin taking more nourishment through his mouth
- increased kidney function - the specialist said that whatever damage is there ( and there is damage) cannot be corrected (medically-speaking :) but sometimes the kidneys can begin functioning better as the child grows older