Update No. 6...So Much to be Thankful For

Good Father/Son Snuggles

Today started out rough, but in the end it has turned out to be a blessed day filled with things for which to be thankful.  Matthew had a terrible night last night.  He was up numerous times with fever and cough and ended up in our bed.  He coughed seemingly nonstop from midnight until noon today.  This morning we took him to see his wonderful pediatrician (for the third time since Thursday).  We think Matthew's illness evolved into an ear infection, so we have started an antibiotic appropriate for that.  We also got some medicine to help with the cough during the day, and another for the night (one with codeine so mom and dad can get some sleep).  Having relief from his cough, he slept 3 1/2 hours for his nap today, and woke up a much happier child.  He still has a touch of fever, but he has only had one dose of antibiotic, so we are hopeful that another dose tomorrow will having him on his way back to well.

Ely sporting her gown from
Aunt Ashley and Uncle Andy

Ely had another good night last night.  This morning, we were greeted with good news.  The nurse practitioner and neonatologist have examined Ely's charts and determined that what we thought was a breathing spell yesterday morning, was in fact NOT.  As a result, they now consider her to have gone 48 hours without any incidents.  This is a huge milestone, and one for which we owe God all the praise!!

This afternoon, Amy had an opportunity to visit with Ely's neonatologist, and he told us the best news of all.  They have determined that if Ely can go 72 hours without incident, they will be comfortable to release her, provided she shows no other indications of sickness or difficulty.  With 48 hours under her belt, this will put her at a possible discharge on Wednesday morning!  There is always the possibility of a setback, so we are not getting our hopes too high, but this certainly was encouraging news and we are hopeful of a not-to-distant homecoming.

We have been surrounded by friends and family who have prayed for us all, but especially for Ely, and we believe that God has answered our prayers.  Ely has done remarkably well these last two days, even better than we thought.  Continue to pray that Ely's condition will remain stable and that she will be able to join the rest of the family at home later this week.

Another piece of good news is that Matthew is no longer snubbing Amy.  For the last few days, he has clung to me very closely.  He has wanted little, if anything, to do with Amy.  It is his way of expressing his frustration over her leaving him for so many days - something he does to me on occasion if I have a long day at the office where I don't get to see him much.  Tonight he asked Amy to read to him and put him to bed, which was a remarkable turnaround.  Good medicine for Mom's soul.

Please also continue to pray for Amy, Matthew and me.  Amy has been struggling with asthma/bronchitis-like symptoms the last few days and has all but lost her voice.  She is not feeling as bad as Matthew, but certainly not 100%.  This is particularly challenging with her being only 4 days postpartum.  She has seen her asthma/allergy doctor today and been put on medicines that should help her knock it out.  I too have been fighting off the sinus crud, but haven't yet reached the stage of needing to go to my physician.  Pray that we will all recover quickly so we will be prepared for Ely's homecoming.

Hindsight is an interesting thing.  As we have looked back on these last few days, we have come to the realization that Ely's hospitalization was more blessing that not.  With Matthew's illness, Amy's asthma difficulties and my struggles to stay well, we would have had a difficult, if not impossible, task ahead of us in caring for Ely had she come home with us on Saturday.  The Lord works in mysterious ways, and it certainly does seem that he used her hospitalization to ease our burden.

We cannot express how appreciative we are for the calls, text messages and emails that have encouraged us so much during this challenging week.  Most of all we are appreciative for the prayer support of so many.  It is these prayers that have kept us strong and focused and allowed us to see the good in most circumstances.  Thank you all!

Brad