Friday, October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween
This was Malachi's day before Halloween outfit. He was a very cute little pumpkin. We'll post his actual Halloween costume sometime tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Thrush
We have thrush. It's not fun. We're treating it with gentian violet and it's not pretty. 
Chi is holding his head up like a man far beyond his weeks.
Chi is holding his head up like a man far beyond his weeks.
Chi's first wedding
We sang at my friend Jackie's wedding this weekend. We were missionaries together for a year. Livi stayed with Grammy for the night but we kept Chi with us. He looked so cute all sprawled out on the bed. I got trigger happy. These are pics from the weekend.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
life as a little brother
This may be what the little guy has to put up with for the next 18 or so years:
Playing at the Park
We went to Wilson Park today since it was perfect weather. Olivia had a great time playing on the swing, slides, and in making sand castles. Malachi had an okay time hanging out in the sling and eating his bottle.
On an unrelated but too funny not to post note, yesterday, Malachi peed on his head and he was pretty angry about it. AND, today he projectile puked while laying on his back right onto his face. It was really gross and really funny! Poor little guy.
On an unrelated but too funny not to post note, yesterday, Malachi peed on his head and he was pretty angry about it. AND, today he projectile puked while laying on his back right onto his face. It was really gross and really funny! Poor little guy.
First Real Bath
Malachi's umbilical stump finally fell off on Saturday and he took his first real bath today. Olivia helped, of course. He liked it a lot until he got chilly and then he was pretty angry. Olivia let him borrow her Winnie the Pooh towel to snuggle in.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Chi Cuteness
This is one whole post with nothing but cuteness! I tried to replicatw some super-cute pics of our frien daphne on towels but he's already too big and wouldn't fit totally on the towels.
And my favorite:
And my favorite:
Saturday, October 11, 2008
We're taking names :)
We'd like to know if you prayed for/ are praying for Malachi. I'd like to compile a list of names. When Malachi's older and able to understand all of this better, we wan to be able to show him the huge amount of people that prayed for him and for us and also let it serve as a reminder to us that our God is Bigger and Stronger and More Loving than we can ever imagine. You can leave it as a message here on the blog, send it to amyaustin@hotmail.com, or send it via facebook for you facebookers. Thanks, all, for the many prayers on our behalf. We love you and praise Jesus for family and friends who love us like you do!
First walk and pediatrician
We had our check up with the pediatrician on Thursday. He said at this point, Chi is doing everything he's supposed to be doing so that's a good sign. We have another appt. in a month to keep track of development. Right now, he's eating plenty (and I mean, PLENTY), pooping, sleeping, reacting to noises and voices, and staring at lights. You can probably see how it's a little difficult to tell at this point, whether there are any problems. He too, was optimistic that there wouldn't be any long-term problems related to the seizures. Keep praying, please.
Malachi's decided that sleeping more than 1 1/2 hours in a row at night is overkill. That means I'm not sleeping more than 1 1/2 hours in a row either. Livi's not very enthusiastic about adding an extra nap in the day either. Pray for me :)
We went for our first walk a couple of days ago. Olivia was excited to ride with her brother in the stroller and throwing rocks in the waterfall. Malachi crashed after about 3 minutes of bouncing along the path.
Please keep praying for our little buddy Henry. His hand and arm seem to be improving some but still have a ways to go. He had another head ultrasound too adn they're waiting for results to come back. Please pray for a complete recovery for the little guy. I can't wait for the day that Malachi and Henry get to play together. What a duo they'll make.
Malachi's decided that sleeping more than 1 1/2 hours in a row at night is overkill. That means I'm not sleeping more than 1 1/2 hours in a row either. Livi's not very enthusiastic about adding an extra nap in the day either. Pray for me :)
We went for our first walk a couple of days ago. Olivia was excited to ride with her brother in the stroller and throwing rocks in the waterfall. Malachi crashed after about 3 minutes of bouncing along the path.
Please keep praying for our little buddy Henry. His hand and arm seem to be improving some but still have a ways to go. He had another head ultrasound too adn they're waiting for results to come back. Please pray for a complete recovery for the little guy. I can't wait for the day that Malachi and Henry get to play together. What a duo they'll make.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Home Sweet Home
We spent the day yesterday hanging out in our jammies and letting the kitties and Jack get used to having another person around. Livi has readjusted pretty well and quickly and is now back on her normal sleep and nap schedule. Chi has decided that sleeping long stretches at night is a good idea and I think he's right. We're still unpacking and getting things in order around the house and Austin went back to work today.
Chi weighed in at 10 lbs. 5.6 oz when we checked out of the hospital and was 22 1/2 inches long so he gained some weight and grew while we were at Children's Mercy. I did want to mention the Ronald McDonald House. It's really an amazing facility for people who have to be away from home. They're supported by donations. One way you can help out is to collect the tabs from soda cans and drop them off at a drop spot. Unfortunately, the closest one to us in NWA is Little Rock. Maybe if you want to start saving those, we can collect them and drop them when we're back in MO. I cannot say enough how incredible it was to be able to stay across the street from Malachi and be over with him as much as we could instead of spending a fortune on gas and lots of time away traveling.
Here are some other ways they could use some help:
http://rmhc.org/giving/ways-to-help
Also, we got an update about Henry (and Nikki, Steve, and An Na). Henry's having a pretty rough time. PLEASE PLEASE join us in prayer for him and his family. They're being transfered to Arkansas Children's Hospital. Also, this is from Steve's e-mail update:
"Once again we are reminded that things change quickly in the world of our man Henry. During the night on Sunday the Lord gave Henry’s family another opportunity to trust Him. It turns out that during a routine IV procedure on Henry’s left are, the clinician hit an artery. Monday morning we received a call from Dr. Ross outlining the details, as much as he knew. Henry’s left arm was a dark purple color from the elbow down, and cold. Since then the color in his arm is starting to return, but we don’t know if there is a remaining clot, or what damage was done. As of this morning, they have not been able to get a pulse in his hand and there is a potential that Henry might lose his fingers. This situation is really hard for us right now because the only answer we are getting back is “we just have to wait and see”… Due to his size and brain bleed situation, their treatment options are very limited. Please join us in prayer for Henry’s hand, that his blood flow would resume miraculously.
We don’t have any conclusive results on his head ultrasound, but it looks like things are not getting worse there. Praise God for answering our prayers on this. We should get more conclusive results later this week."
Here are some pics of Chi getting all his wires and IVs out, in his car seat to come home, and finally, at home!
Chi weighed in at 10 lbs. 5.6 oz when we checked out of the hospital and was 22 1/2 inches long so he gained some weight and grew while we were at Children's Mercy. I did want to mention the Ronald McDonald House. It's really an amazing facility for people who have to be away from home. They're supported by donations. One way you can help out is to collect the tabs from soda cans and drop them off at a drop spot. Unfortunately, the closest one to us in NWA is Little Rock. Maybe if you want to start saving those, we can collect them and drop them when we're back in MO. I cannot say enough how incredible it was to be able to stay across the street from Malachi and be over with him as much as we could instead of spending a fortune on gas and lots of time away traveling.
Here are some other ways they could use some help:
http://rmhc.org/giving/ways-to-help
Also, we got an update about Henry (and Nikki, Steve, and An Na). Henry's having a pretty rough time. PLEASE PLEASE join us in prayer for him and his family. They're being transfered to Arkansas Children's Hospital. Also, this is from Steve's e-mail update:
"Once again we are reminded that things change quickly in the world of our man Henry. During the night on Sunday the Lord gave Henry’s family another opportunity to trust Him. It turns out that during a routine IV procedure on Henry’s left are, the clinician hit an artery. Monday morning we received a call from Dr. Ross outlining the details, as much as he knew. Henry’s left arm was a dark purple color from the elbow down, and cold. Since then the color in his arm is starting to return, but we don’t know if there is a remaining clot, or what damage was done. As of this morning, they have not been able to get a pulse in his hand and there is a potential that Henry might lose his fingers. This situation is really hard for us right now because the only answer we are getting back is “we just have to wait and see”… Due to his size and brain bleed situation, their treatment options are very limited. Please join us in prayer for Henry’s hand, that his blood flow would resume miraculously.
We don’t have any conclusive results on his head ultrasound, but it looks like things are not getting worse there. Praise God for answering our prayers on this. We should get more conclusive results later this week."
Here are some pics of Chi getting all his wires and IVs out, in his car seat to come home, and finally, at home!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
WE'RE HOME!!!!
Sorry that we didn't update last night, everyone. We didn't have internet access. We were moved into one of the transition rooms so that we could get used to taking care of the little guy on our own before they sent us home. AND TODAY, we got to come home. YEAH! Thanks so much for all the prayers.
The blood tests all came back negative so there wasn't anything there causing the seizures. They tried the spinal tap one more time and still didn't get it and this time, he was much more alert and screamed at the doctors. So, the best guess now is that the little brain bleeds were what caused the seizures and they don't expect them to return. However, we're keeping a watchful eye on him. We'll also get to spend some time with developmental testing to check for delays.
We're very thankful to be home and resting tomorrow some while adjusting to normal life again. We're also so thankful for all of your prayers. We'll add some pics sometime tomorrow but we need to sleep some tonight. Please keep praying for our family.
We're also asking that you keep little Henry's families in your prayers big time. His mom and dad sent an update and he's having some brain bleeding issues of his own. Please pray for a quick and miraculous recovery. There isn't a whole lot the doctors can do about the bleeds (just like Chi's) so when God heals him, Jesus name will be lifted up. We love you guys!
The blood tests all came back negative so there wasn't anything there causing the seizures. They tried the spinal tap one more time and still didn't get it and this time, he was much more alert and screamed at the doctors. So, the best guess now is that the little brain bleeds were what caused the seizures and they don't expect them to return. However, we're keeping a watchful eye on him. We'll also get to spend some time with developmental testing to check for delays.
We're very thankful to be home and resting tomorrow some while adjusting to normal life again. We're also so thankful for all of your prayers. We'll add some pics sometime tomorrow but we need to sleep some tonight. Please keep praying for our family.
We're also asking that you keep little Henry's families in your prayers big time. His mom and dad sent an update and he's having some brain bleeding issues of his own. Please pray for a quick and miraculous recovery. There isn't a whole lot the doctors can do about the bleeds (just like Chi's) so when God heals him, Jesus name will be lifted up. We love you guys!
Friday, October 3, 2008
new clothes
We got to dress Malachi in his first non-hospital outfit today. We could have done it yesterday but the only clothes that we brought from home were newborn and clearly, he's too big for those already :) He's also in size 1 Pampers already. It's a good thing we didn't already open all the newborn stuff. We did get some outfits from Grammy and Annie that should fit him right now.
The spinal tap is now scheduled for sometime tomorrow morning. In rounds this morning, they decided that if they tried it again today, they'd probably just run into the same problems so they opted to wait until tomorrow.
The only thing left that was concerning to the doctors and nurses was that Chi wasn't really crying yet. They thought maybe his phenobarbitol levels were still a little high so they're checking the levels but we think he may just be a mellow baby. BUT, they did want him to cry so we decided to let him get a little hungry. Apparently, you can stick the little guy with needles in the heels and back and he'll barely make a peep but if he gets hungry, you're gonna hear about it. So, the nurses got their cries and we took a video for proof :)
We're working on all the discharge stuff. Today, he got to hang out in his car seat for a few hours to make sure that his breathing was okay in it and that he fit into it okay. And, being the car seat nut that I am, I was pretty happy to agree to that. The plan is now back to being home Sunday or Mondayish.
The blood tests are supposed to be in tomorrow so we should have a better idea whether the seizures were caused by bacteria or virus soon.
There's a good chance that tomorrow night we'll all stay in the hospital for an overnight visit. We could have done that tonight but it would also mean giving up our room at the Ronald McDonald House and in case we do end up being here longer, we didn't want to do that yet.
Thanks for visitors today....Amy W., Elaine and Keri (sorry if we mispelled that), Grammy, and Livi. Yesterday visitors were, ummm, Livi, Grammy, and Grandad. Hmm, the days are all running together.
And finally, the baby next door is doing great. Keep him and his family in your prayers. And another family whose 5 year old that Livi and I met today while we were playing with the train....her name is Mackenzie. She had a tumor removed from her liver today so keep them in your prayers too. AND, our little buddy Henry and his family that we play with a lot. An Na (Henry's big sister) is close to Livi's age and Henry was born 2 weeks before Chi but was supposed to be born around Christmas. They're at the Little Rock Children's Hospital.
Of course, keep praying for Chi. He's doing great and we know it's because of the prayers of you guys to a God who loves our little guy even more than we do and that's a whole lot.
The spinal tap is now scheduled for sometime tomorrow morning. In rounds this morning, they decided that if they tried it again today, they'd probably just run into the same problems so they opted to wait until tomorrow.
The only thing left that was concerning to the doctors and nurses was that Chi wasn't really crying yet. They thought maybe his phenobarbitol levels were still a little high so they're checking the levels but we think he may just be a mellow baby. BUT, they did want him to cry so we decided to let him get a little hungry. Apparently, you can stick the little guy with needles in the heels and back and he'll barely make a peep but if he gets hungry, you're gonna hear about it. So, the nurses got their cries and we took a video for proof :)
We're working on all the discharge stuff. Today, he got to hang out in his car seat for a few hours to make sure that his breathing was okay in it and that he fit into it okay. And, being the car seat nut that I am, I was pretty happy to agree to that. The plan is now back to being home Sunday or Mondayish.
The blood tests are supposed to be in tomorrow so we should have a better idea whether the seizures were caused by bacteria or virus soon.
There's a good chance that tomorrow night we'll all stay in the hospital for an overnight visit. We could have done that tonight but it would also mean giving up our room at the Ronald McDonald House and in case we do end up being here longer, we didn't want to do that yet.
Thanks for visitors today....Amy W., Elaine and Keri (sorry if we mispelled that), Grammy, and Livi. Yesterday visitors were, ummm, Livi, Grammy, and Grandad. Hmm, the days are all running together.
And finally, the baby next door is doing great. Keep him and his family in your prayers. And another family whose 5 year old that Livi and I met today while we were playing with the train....her name is Mackenzie. She had a tumor removed from her liver today so keep them in your prayers too. AND, our little buddy Henry and his family that we play with a lot. An Na (Henry's big sister) is close to Livi's age and Henry was born 2 weeks before Chi but was supposed to be born around Christmas. They're at the Little Rock Children's Hospital.
Of course, keep praying for Chi. He's doing great and we know it's because of the prayers of you guys to a God who loves our little guy even more than we do and that's a whole lot.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Today
They weren't able to get any fluid today from the spinal tap so they're trying again tomorrow. They said he did really great with it though so it wasn't a big dramatic thing for him like it would be for us. He cried a little bit but they gave him a sugar tablet for his paci and he was pretty happy with that.
Some good news....Malachi was moved to his big boy bed today instead of his bed with the warming lights. He doesn't look quite as gigantic in it. He's also had his feeding tube removed because he's nursing great. And he's also finished with all of his fluids so his lines for his IVs are gone too. It's nice to be able to pick him up and sit down with him without an army of nurses to help.
Malachi's been more awake today and lifting his head up to look around. He's also getting more upset when he's hungry and latching on quickly now so those are all good signs. No seizure activity still and he should be mostly back to a "normal" state of babyhood. We're just not sure what to do with a calm baby. Livi was the polar opposite of Chi as a baby.
The big plan to be home by the weekend is out the window. They're looking at the beginning of next week.
Livi stayed with us last night. We've really missed our big girl so it was good to be able to spend some time with her. She loves her little brother and is doing great with him. SHe made him a chicken to keep by his bed today in the little playgroup.
Please keep praying for his blood results and his spinal tap and results. Also, pray for the baby next door and his parents. He was born at 26 gestational weeks which is pretty early. It's rough on parents to be unable to hold their babies and these parents are only getting to touch him occasionally. Also, pray for us and rest (which has been a little better today) and trust.
I know we've said this before but God has taught us a lot this last week. We never would have expected our little guy being in the hospital would make us so keenly aware of spiritual warfare or that our marriage would be strengthened so much or the power of prayer.
We sing a song at Christ on Campus that has been constantly in my mind this week. Praises to Jesus, the maker and creator of all good and perfect gifts!!!!
Sing to the King Who is coming to reign
Glory to Jesus, the Lamb that was slain
Life and salvation His empire shall bring
And joy to the nations when Jesus is King
Chorus:
Come, let us sing a song
A song declaring that we belong to Jesus
He is all we need
Lift up a heart of praise
Sing now with voices raised to Jesus
Sing to the King
Verse 2:
For His returning we watch and we pray
We will be ready the dawn of that day
We'll join in singing with all the redeemed
'Cause Satan is vanquished and Jesus is King
Some good news....Malachi was moved to his big boy bed today instead of his bed with the warming lights. He doesn't look quite as gigantic in it. He's also had his feeding tube removed because he's nursing great. And he's also finished with all of his fluids so his lines for his IVs are gone too. It's nice to be able to pick him up and sit down with him without an army of nurses to help.
Malachi's been more awake today and lifting his head up to look around. He's also getting more upset when he's hungry and latching on quickly now so those are all good signs. No seizure activity still and he should be mostly back to a "normal" state of babyhood. We're just not sure what to do with a calm baby. Livi was the polar opposite of Chi as a baby.
The big plan to be home by the weekend is out the window. They're looking at the beginning of next week.
Livi stayed with us last night. We've really missed our big girl so it was good to be able to spend some time with her. She loves her little brother and is doing great with him. SHe made him a chicken to keep by his bed today in the little playgroup.
Please keep praying for his blood results and his spinal tap and results. Also, pray for the baby next door and his parents. He was born at 26 gestational weeks which is pretty early. It's rough on parents to be unable to hold their babies and these parents are only getting to touch him occasionally. Also, pray for us and rest (which has been a little better today) and trust.
I know we've said this before but God has taught us a lot this last week. We never would have expected our little guy being in the hospital would make us so keenly aware of spiritual warfare or that our marriage would be strengthened so much or the power of prayer.
We sing a song at Christ on Campus that has been constantly in my mind this week. Praises to Jesus, the maker and creator of all good and perfect gifts!!!!
Sing to the King Who is coming to reign
Glory to Jesus, the Lamb that was slain
Life and salvation His empire shall bring
And joy to the nations when Jesus is King
Chorus:
Come, let us sing a song
A song declaring that we belong to Jesus
He is all we need
Lift up a heart of praise
Sing now with voices raised to Jesus
Sing to the King
Verse 2:
For His returning we watch and we pray
We will be ready the dawn of that day
We'll join in singing with all the redeemed
'Cause Satan is vanquished and Jesus is King
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Spinal Tap
Malachi will be having a spinal tap this afternoon or tomorrow. They're checking for infection in the spinal fluid. Basically, they said the little spots on his brain shouldn't be the cause of the seizures so they're trying to make sure seizures weren't caused by infection. We don't have the blood test results back yet. Our nurse said she didn't think it would effect our chances of going home unless the early results came back with signs of infection.
Still no seizure BUT the next 24-48 hours are pretty critical in that the meds will be starting to wear off enough for the seizure activity to be present again if they're going to be there. Please keep praying for our little guy and for the seizures to be gone for good and for the spinal tap to come back clean.
Still no seizure BUT the next 24-48 hours are pretty critical in that the meds will be starting to wear off enough for the seizure activity to be present again if they're going to be there. Please keep praying for our little guy and for the seizures to be gone for good and for the spinal tap to come back clean.
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