HENRY'S GOING HOME TODAY!

HENRY'S GOING HOME TODAY! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Henry's Christmas letter

Here's Henry's latest: Prior to this, Henry's family had sent out 2 e-mails. Henry had been refusing to eat in the first of those 2 and that's a pretty big deal when you're trying to go home. We (and I'm sure lots and lots of others) prayed for Him and his family. The next day, Henry started eating like a champ again. God is Good and he hears the prayers of his kids. And now, there's talk of going home again. :) We know it will probably be a while after he gets home that he'll be able to have other kids as visitors because there's such a big chance of germs being passed around but we're so excited that he's getting so near to being able to be home with his family. Thanks for praying for Henry and his family and for us!

"Christmas Blessings

Christmas Greetings from Little Rock. This morning we are praising God for the coming of His Son, and for His many blessings on our family, including all of you. What a special gift we have been given to be together as a family in Little Rock. There are so many families that are not together today, and we ask that you join us as we lift them up in prayer.
Henry is doing great with his feedings and there is continued talk of our release early next week. We look forward to being home together for the first time since September, and we are at peace with God’s plans and timing. It is amazing how He has comforted us during this long time away from home. His grace and favor is clearly on our family. Please join us in thanking Him for all He does for us.
Yesterday at the hospital we subjected Henry to what is likely to be a long childhood of being shoved in front of the camera. In this episode we stuffed him like a sausage into a Christmas stocking and put him on his sister’s lap. He didn’t seem to mind, and An Na enjoyed holding her brother for the first time (albeit with a little help from her Baba). I have attached a pic for your viewing pleasure, and future embarassment for Henry.
As we spend our day today at the hospital with our nurse friends and family, we will be thinking about our young friend from church Robbie Shackelford and his family. He is here in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and has been diagnosed with Encelphalitis. Here’s the latest report we have on him. “Robbie still has a lot of pain from his neurologically induced cramps and spasms which are now going up into his hips and back as well has his legs and feet. He has thrush in his mouth which is annoying him. His mind is as sharp as ever. He has built one Bionicle and is in the middle of his legos when his pain secedes long enough. Sometimes, he lacks the strength to snap some of them and gets a little impatient with his dad’s slowness in figuring out what to put where. He is moving himself around a lot more and has walked down the hall a couple of times.” Please join us in lifting Robbie up, praying for healing for his body, wisdom for his caregivers, and peace and comfort for his family during this Christmas away from home.
In closing, we continue to praise God for all He has done for us, is doing for us, and will do for us. On this special day we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and continue to submit ourselves to His will for our lives and family. We pray you know Jesus as we do and invite you to join us in celebrating who He is. If you want to know Him more, just invite Him into your life and He will come.
Merry Christmas,

Steve, Nikki, An Na, and Henry"

Merry Christmas

We leave for MO tomorrow so this will probably be my last post for a little while. Have a very merry Christmas!

Family pics

Samantha came to the Rock House to take some pictures for us. She did a really great job.

I get it now

I get the ducky thing now. It's a lot more fun with mor head control!

Buddha Belly

I'm over 15 pounds now...look out! To be fair, I don't usually look quite this, ummm, big boned. I did just eat and mommy perhaps took the pictures at a less than flattering angle...all the same, mommy does call me pork chop and there is a reason!

Henry again

Here's Henry's newest news:

"December 16, 2008

Hey friends and family,

Well, here we are...the week before Christmas! We hope you are all enjoying this special season and ready to celebrate our Savior's birth!

We're doing pretty well...but we could use some prayer for our sweet boy and his feedings. As you know, we made the difficult decision to start bottles in addition to the breastfeeding, in an effort to get us home as quickly as possible. Those were going OK at first...but as they increased the number of bottles he was getting each day, he started to tolerate them less and less. His heart rate would drop ("brady") and he'd leak lots of milk out the sides of his mouth. They thought maybe he was getting tired, so they asked if we would be willing to decrease the number of breastfeeds each day, to let him focus the majority of his energy on what he is "best at" right now. Reluctantly, we agreed. Unfortunately, he was still having a bit of trouble with his bottles, so they decreased those as well, in case fatigue was still the issue. That didn't seem to help much, so they decided to add a thickening agent to his milk, in case the problem was managing the large volumes of milk that come out of the bottle. Apparently, these thickeners often help quite a bit with the bradys, as well as the leaking. Unfortunately, it seems that this new consistency is just not his cup of tea (er, milk). He fought and spit and gagged and thrust the bottle out with his tongue for the first four attempts. They stopped mid-bottle on #4 and switched it out with a bottle filled with the natural consistency milk...and he did the same thing with that bottle now. I personally think he was expecting the same thickened milk, so he wasn't willing to try the new bottle. So, because it seems like the thickener was the change that coincided with his refusal of the bottle, that has been stopped and we're praying that he begins to take the regular bottles again tonight. Needless to say, we're a bit frustrated. It was a very difficult decision to begin the bottles in the first place...and now it feels like we've created an even bigger problem. Please pray that our sweet boy miraculously takes his milk by mouth very soon...in whatever way the Lord intends.

He has to take all of his feeds by mouth for us to go home...this is all that we are waiting on and working towards. The nurses who've all along sung a song of us being home by Christmas seem to be quieting down a little these days. But, we've assured them that we are just fine being here in Little Rock this year. We are thankful that we are all together...and we can celebrate Christmas just as enthusiastically here as we can at home.

I also have a special prayer request for Steve and I. We've been so blessed that these past three months have brought us closer than ever...praise God for that! But, it seems like the past few days have seen us both a little more on edge and sensitive. I think the time here is taking it's toll on us (and the enemy is taking advantage of that, of course.) We're both ready to go home and get back to normal. I can't speak for Steve and what is specifically challenging for him right now, but I know that I am having a hard time lately with feeling sort of displaced from my job as the mama of the family. Henry's nurses take care of him much more than I am able to (particularly in the area of feeding...which is hard for my still very tender feelings about our breastfeeding difficulties)...and Steve has (necessarily) had to take over most of An Na's care since so much of my time and focus is at the hospital. I'm just ready to go home and be the mama again! I know that I am far from enjoyable to be around a lot of the time. Anyway, any prayers you could say on our behalf would very much be appreciated.

Thank you, once again, for your prayers for our family. We love you.

Nikki (Steve, An Na, and Henry, too!)"

henry

Here's the latest on Henry. Thanks again, for praying, everyone! We've missed a couple of updates in between now and last time but we're soooooo thankful that he's doing so great.

"Happy Friday from Little Rock! Sorry for the delay in getting an update out; we have been busy with the day to day stuff that is our life these days. Hospital visits, doctors, nurses, feedings, meals laundry, trips to Fayetteville, play time, grocery shopping, all of these blessings from God to keep us busy, and to give us a feeling of normalcy in this unexpected journey we are on. Praise Him for giving us the freedom to manage our own lives, and loving it and drawing us close to Him when we turn them over to Him and His care.

Henry is doing well again this week. He continues to incrementally gain weight and is already up to 4# 14oz. He should cross the 5 pound mark easily next week. What an amazing change we see in him from 1# 13.5oz to the linebacker size he is today. His face is filling out and he is starting to get some meat on his bones. He is far from a chubby baby, but we are thrilled at how God is growing him right before our eyes. Please join us in praising God for this work, and praying for continued healthy weight gain and building strength in our boy.

Our plans for full breastfeeding apparently didn’t line up with God’s plan for Henry’s meals. Nikki worked diligently with him to help him learn but we think he is just too small and not quite strong enough to get all of his mama’s milk from the breast. We continue to praise God for Nikki’s ample supply and petition Him for long term success in breastfeeding. Henry’s docs suggested a breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and tube feeding routine that we have started this week. It seems to be going well and Henry continues to get his meals on time and in full. God really revealed Himself to Nikki in this process. With all she has been through so far, she was holding on tightly to her dreams to breastfeed Henry, and God allowed her to struggle with this, all the while staying right beside her waiting for her to let go and give it to Him. Lots of tears and heartache took her to the point of surrender, and then His peace washed over her. I continue to be amazed by my wife’s courage, faith, and strength during this trial. She has been getting lots of encouragement from friends with similar experiences, and continues to do her part for Henry’s meals. Praise God for not forsaking her, like He promises all of us, and for His endless supply of healing and comforting grace for Nikki, you, and me.

A few weeks ago we mentioned the developing hernia situation. Well that situation is in full bloom today. Henry has bilateral hernias that will require surgery. We are consulting with his docs to determine if we will have the surgery while we are here or return when Henry is a bit bigger and stronger. The ACH surgery team will advise his docs and we will likely know more next week. Please join us in praising God for his will in Henry’s life, and in praying for no additional complications or surgical challenges. If surgery is scheduled prior to our next full update we will send out a special note and prayer request. In the mean time, join us in praying for wisdom for his docs, and peace for Henry’s parents.
We are getting to that point in Henry’s stay that the topic of when we will be going home surfaces often. Currently there is no specific date planned, and we probably won’t know more until a couple of weeks prior to Henry’s release. Two of Henry’s nurses believe we will be home before the end of the year, but that is only speculation. Of course we would love to spend Christmas in Fayetteville, but we know it doesn’t matter where we are. We are here together as a family, and we can celebrate the birth of our Savior just as well in our great apartment in Little Rock as we can at home.
We have so much to be thankful for and we continue to be in awe of God’s work in our lives. He continues to provide all we need and more, and He continues to reveal Himself in as many of our situations and decisions as we invite Him. What an awesome God we serve and we praise Him for loving us so much. We praise Him often for you and for your notes, prayers, and phone calls. Thank you for being in this with us.

In His perfect care,

Steve, Nikki, An Na and Henry"

Like Father, Like Son

Grammy sent some new evidence that I do, indeed, look like my Daddy. You know what I look like and here's my Daddy when he was a baby:

Too young?

How old should one be to go backpacking?

Visitors

Mommy and Daddy have been inviting some friends over for supper. Here I am with some of my new friends from Korea, Japan, and Columbia.

Funny sleeper

I fell asleep in this funny position

And Round 3

Then Papa, Aunt Chas, and my cousins, Sara and Emily came to our house. More snuggling :) We also went ice skating but they don't make skates for babies so Daddy and Papa just got to play with me and Olivia soon joined us.



Ooohh! And who's this good lookin' young fella? Why, it's me. Oh, the handsomness!

Round 2

Then came Baba, John, and Aunt Annie and I got snugled some more and Mommy put me in this weird contraption for the first time. It's an activity center but Olivia was far more active in it than me.

Busy days

As you can probably tell from the lack of updates, we've been pretty busy lately. We had lots of company for Thaksgiving. First, grammy and grandad came down and I got snuggled a whole bunch. We went to the zoo, and I did this:

We went shopping and I did this:

We went to church and I did this:

We went to Chuck E Cheese and I did this and this:


But I also did some of this in between:

More on Henry

Here's the latest on Henry. Thanks for praying for him and his family. Livi prays for him at meals and before nap and bed. If we forget...well, we don't because she says, "Heeeeeey, you forgot to pray for Henwy"...usually when we didn't even forget :)

"Greetings from Little Rock. We praise God for all of you, your notes and your lifting us up in prayers. He hears your cries, and continues to answer our pleas for Henry’s protection and healing. Thank you and praise Him for being the Great Physician and Healer. I have attached a couple of pictures of His work in our family.
Continued good reports on Henry’s lungs and breathing. He has been off the vent and breathing on his own for the past 9 days. Some days are better than others, but overall he is doing great! Most of the time he is resting comfortably and breathing as you would expect a newborn to do. Other times he struggles to catch his breath, arches his back, turns all red, scrunches up his face, and looks really uncomfortable. It’s hard to watch, but most of the time he recovers on his own with no intervention. He is still receiving supplemental oxygen through his nasal cannula which the docs are reducing his slowly. He completed another round of steroids aimed at boosting his lung strength and capacity, and it seems to have worked well. This is a long and slow process, but we are encouraged and are able to see visible signs of progress, and that is very reassuring to Nikki and me. Please join us in prayer for continued lung capacity and strength as the supplemental oxygen is reduced, and for Henry to be able to relax and not struggle for a single breath.
Another great report we received this week was the result of his last head ultrasound. The report came back “normal”. Although we still don’t have an answer on what that means exactly, anything we get that is reported “normal” is worth celebrating! We are working to get a complete review of his last few ultrasounds to better understand what the docs are seeing and will report more when we get more. For now, please join us in praising God for stopping the bleeding on Henry’s brain, and for healing his ventricles!
Henry had his second eye exam yesterday and there continues to be no signs of ROP, and his eyes are developing normally. It’s hard to tell for sure in the low light of the NICU, but we believe his eyes are brown, just like Nikki and An Na’s. His feeds are continuing to go well and he is up to 240ml of mama’s milk each day. His feeding schedule is working towards bigger volumes over shorter time windows, just like he will eat when he comes home. He weighs 3# 10oz and by Saturday morning he will have officially DOUBLED his birth weight (hence the size 2X)! How is that for a miracle right before your eyes! Praise God for the healing and nutritional power of mama’s milk.
This afternoon Henry’s incubator temperature control mode was switched from "baby temp" to “air temp”. Up to this point, his body temp was being regulated by the machine. He had a little temp probe on his skin, and as his temp moved the incubator would adjust accordingly to maintain a programmed body temp. In the air temp mode, he will be managing his own temp. This is a big step towards Henry coming home. Please join us in praying for Henry’s system to be able to regulate his temp, and for him not to be burning too many calories staying warm. The other side of this is that he finally gets to wear clothes. I don’t know if he really cares too much about the clothes, but Nikki does and he looks great in his first outfit. Everything he has is a tad large, even the preemie-sized stuff, but he will grow into them we’re sure.
The rest of the family is doing well most of the time also. An Na had a really rough night last night, and I’m convinced she was being attacked. As she cried inconsolably in her sleep, Nikki and I prayed over her and she stopped immediately, woke up slowly, and clutched on to both of us for comfort. Praise the powerful name of Jesus and for His protection over our daughter. There are so many blessings covering us in North Little Rock that we have continued periods where all of this seems “normal”; if that makes sense. Then I realize that this IS in God’s world, and He just let me have a glimpse into his plans for us. Henry’s progress, Katie and Ed’s home, the peace and comfort being heaped on us by our Father, and more are all adding up to a relatively peaceful life in our home away from home. I mentioned this before, and it continues to hold true that my faith seems much stronger when things are going well. This week my faith seems strong, and I know He is preparing and strengthening us as He sees fit. Praise Him for sending us to faith boot camp in Little Rock, and we don’t want to be sent home one minute before He is done with us here!
In His care,
Steve (Nikki, An Na, and Henry)"

And if that wasn't bad enough....

She's taking video of things like me smiling when she whistles and of me stretching after I wake up.

Photo crazy

My mommy needs help, friends! She CANNOT stop taking pictures of me smiling. It's a little obsessive and I'm afraid she may need to be on some kind of medication.

My ducky

Mommy filled up this water duck thingy that Olivia used to play on. I didn't really get it so this is what I did:



Then Olivia showed me the error of my ways. OHHHH! I didn't know I was supposed to sit on it and give it kisses. It's a good thing I have a big sister to teach me this kind of stuff

Say CHEESE

Look what I've learned...it makes mommy so happy.

Regarding Henry

We've had some questions about our little buddy Henry and how he's doing. The picture is from a few weeks ago when his mama got to hold him the first time during Kangaroo care (skin to skin time with mom and baby).Thank you all for praying for him and please continue to do so. This is the e-mail that we received this morning from Henry's parents:

"Friends and family,

We’ve got great news to share tonight, so without further ado…

Henry was extubated yesterday! His doc decided during rounds yesterday morning that it was going to happen at noon, so we were able to be there and watch our sweet boy take his first breaths off of the ventilator! (Well, his first breaths this time…he was off the vent about 12 hours several weeks ago, but we were in Fayetteville that day!) He is still on oxygen, but in a less invasive way with nasal cannula (those little nose prong things). We don’t know how long he’ll be on the nasal cannula, but they’ve already reduced his oxygen level today because he’s doing so great! He’s resting so well…he just looks so much more comfortable today. His doc said that his chest x-ray this morning looked better than it has in a long time. Praise God for clearing Henry’s lungs and giving him strong and steady breaths all day!

I can’t remember if we updated on the results of his head ultrasound last Thursday, but if not, it was a good one! It looks like his ventricles have returned to near normal size and the clotting has reduced a bit. Any improvement is huge and we are so thankful for God’s healing our boy’s brain. They’ll do another ultrasound next Friday, so we’re continuing to pray for complete healing.

His breastmilk tube feeds are going well. They’re working on getting him to take the full amount slowly, but all at once, like if he were nursing. Right now he’s taking it over the course of 2 hours, and they’ll try it over an hour next. He also had his first occupational therapy session today. The OTs will work on oral stimulation to help him learn to draw his Mama’s milk when he’s ready. She said that she was impressed with him today, considering he came off the vent just yesterday. She said she felt 3 or 4 sucks in a row from his little tongue. After he’s taking his feeds all at once we’ll start working on nursing. We’re praying that he continues to tolerate his feeds and that nursing comes naturally to our little guy (and his mama!)

The rest of our family is doing well also. Baba and An Na have been spending a lot of time together, and it that has been good for both of them. This time together for them has been a Godsend, as nothing builds closeness like face time. Praise God for managing our lives. I’m doing well also, and am leaning hard into God for strength, and for protection against attacks for the enemy. He knows my vulnerabilities and exploits them whenever possible, but fortunately our God does not leave me to deal with this on my own and I know He is protecting me and my family. Praise Him with me for knowing what we need and when we need it.

This coming week we are praying for continued improvement in Henry’s breathing, and smooth going with his feedings. These are the primary objectives we need to have met before he can go home. Of course we are a way off from that glorious day, but please join us in praying for continued development and a healthy week.
In His care,
Nikki (Steve, An Na, and Henry)"