Quite A Day!

Well, today was quite a special day! It started off normal, with the exception that I was actually able to get some housework done. My immediate task is to get my house cleaned and put back in order so that it will be ready when Asher is released. We have all been sick and the house just needs a good scrubbing / airing out! So, I tackled the kitchen today and started working on some of the laundry piles while Matt took Joel to the House of Prayer. Wonder of wonders #1...Joel actually wanted to go to church.....and he was content to just be held by Matt while he walked and prayed. That is not usual Joely behavior.......he usually wants to run laps around the sanctuary and climb up on stage to play on the drumbs, etc. But, today he was quiet which gave me some alone time to work at home. Later in the afternoon Matt's sister, Erin, came to watch Joel while we took the grandma's to a child CPR / car seat class given by the hospital. It is mandatory that we take the class before they will release Asher....and it was a good class to take anyways when you have kids. Well, Wonder #2 was that Joel took to Erin right away, said "bye bye" to us with no tears and was an angel all night long even down to going right to sleep without fussing! I was truly amazed because usually he puts his sitters through a breaking in process of seeing how much he can get away with before they get tough. Well, Wonder #3 was just after the class when we stopped in to see how Asher was doing. He had been moved to a new room (closer to the door...yippee!!!) on the "outbound" side of the CICU ward AND he was being fed BREASTMILK!!! Yup...they resumed his feeds with breastmilk and I'm just praying hard that he tolerates it this time! Please agree with us in prayer that this little boy's body will assimilate all of the fats in the breastmilk....and will have NO buildup of fluids around his lungs. They are taking him in for an x-ray tomorrow which will show if there is any more fluid pooling.

Tomorrow, I'm meeting with a gentleman from a medical supply house who is going to show me how to use Asher's new feeding pump. It is similiar to the one's they use in the hospital to dispense certain amounts of fluids over a particular time...only this one is smaller and more portable. Another step closer to bringing this little one home!!! I still have to spend a night with Asher and have the nurses show me how to feed him and give him his meds, etc. That should be coming up within a day or so.

Matt hasn't been feeling well today and we are hoping he doesn't come down with the stomach virus that Joel and I had over the past 2 weeks. He is worried about being sick around the time Asher comes home because he doesn't want to get Ash sick. I think Asher's immunodifficiency is really weighing on him (me as well) because we don't know what to do to help keep him healthy besides basic hygene and eating healthy. The thought that any old bacteria or cold virus could send him back to the hospital is rather daunting at the moment and we just want him to be a happy, healthy baby boy...at HOME! Please pray that Matt gets better soon and Asher doesn't come in contact with that nasty bug! Continue to pray that Asher's immune system will be made strong and not easily compromised!

Thank you all for keeping up the prayers...we desperately need them to continue even after Asher is out of the hospital. This little boy may have quite a few challenges ahead of him due to his 22q11.2 deletion syndrome and it is only by God's grace that he will make it through this trying time! I'm positive that God has a plan for his life...he was spared for a reason and I pray that God bring him to the fullness of his purpose!

~NEEDS~ I just wanted to post a need for those interested and wanting to help. I am in need of more Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags (BPA Free). I just burned through the first 50 in little over a week!! You can find them at Target for about $10 / 50 bags. Just letting the need be known!

Blessings!
~Erika~