Posted in Noah Updates
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Hello Friends! It’s Jeff writing to you again since Kate has her hands full with Noah. Noah had his PEG-tube put in yesterday (Wednesday) and they will start giving him food through it today. He is in a good deal of pain and they are giving him Loritab and Morphine to help with it. There is also some swelling around the tube, but no signs of infection. Unfortunately, it seems that they created a “vicious cycle” in the sense that they hooked him up to a heart monitor and when the painkillers start to wear off he gets agitated. As a result of his discomfort, his pulse rate increases and this triggers and alarm on the monitor that starts blaring. The loud sound of the alarm startles him, causing his pulse rate to climb higher. This might sound funny if it wasn’t for the fact that it is just one more thing Noah and Kate have to deal with. Because he is hooked up to the monitor and an IV, it is very difficult to move him or even hold him, so Kate is having to find creative ways to comfort him, nurse him, and even change his diaper when necessary. If you were planning to visit Kate, today would actually be a good day. I will not be able to visit her today and her mother won’t be able to visit either, so she is pretty much on her own. Even if you can’t visit, just pray for her to find the strength to make it through the day. Noah is only sleeping in 1.5 to 2 hour naps, so Kate isn’t sleeping much either. They did NOT do a biopsy for mitocondrial testing during the surgery. The geneticist is hopeful that it won’t be necessary, but even if it is, we will have to go to the Despite all this, there are still things to be thankful for. Such as…… 1. Mealtime miracles! Ted and Connie, friends of our family, pulled off what I would consider to be nothing short of a miracle. They brought us a big pot of soup for our dinner last night. Amazingly enough, ALL the kids liked it!! My wife is an excellent cook, but it is still hard to find a meal that will satisfy everyone. When you have as large a family as we do, there is usually someone who isn’t wild about at least one item on the menu. However, as each child tried the delicious soup, their eyes lit up and they all agreed it was excellent. 2. Kate’s dad and step-mom are coming up from FL to help with the babysitting responsibilities. This is such a blessing since I will be able to visit with Kate longer and get into the office to get some work done more often. It is a long trip, but we are blessed that they are willing to make it. The kids are so excited!!! 3. Healthy children! As Noah was in the recovery center after his surgery, Kate was holding him and we were talking. I noticed another boy who was next to us on the other side of a curtain. I overheard the doctor talking about the reconstructive surgery they performed on his hip and how they would have to do the same thing to the other one at a later date. The boy looked to be about 4 years old and had several obvious physical and mental handicaps. In addition, I saw that he had a seeing-eye dog right there with him. It turns out that this boy has had many surgeries already and probably many more to come. In addition, this little boy has a twin brother at home, and an older sister as well. I just had to silently pray for this little guy and his family, in addition to thanking God that Noah’s situation isn’t nearly as severe as this dear child’s. We still don’t know what Noah’s problem is, but I can be thankful for many things that it is not. 4. Some of you have noticed that several of my “things to be thankful for” include food items. Well, it’s true that I do enjoy eating good food, and I must admit that I have occasionally been known to eat a little more than I probably should have. I must confess that the blame for my overindulgence in wonderful treats, and the few extra pounds around my middle that are the result, clearly is the fault of ONE person alone who needs to accept full responsibility. The person to blame is, of course, Kate. She is clearly to blame for this. Now you might be tempted to think that I might need to take some of the blame as well because of some kind of lack in self-disciple that keeps me from being able to stop eating before it’s too late, but that is where you would be oh so very wrong! In addition to being a phenomenal cook, she also is very frugal when she is shopping for our large family. As a result, she is able to buy lots of good stuff, for a reasonable amount of money. It would not be proper to let this good food go to waste, would it?!Plus she is teaching our daughter, Hannah, how to cook and bake. As a result, Hannah is constantly making cookies, cakes, brownies, bread….. come to think of it, I guess she is partially to blame as well – but I certainly am not! At least I wasn’t…. until yesterday!! Since my wife does most of the shopping with the kids, my role in shopping is to pick up the occasional gallon of milk, or pound of butter on the way home from work. The other day I needed to go into the store and get something from the freezer section. I didn’t realize that Breyer’s Ice Cream came in flavors other than chocolate, rocky road, and vanilla. Apparently, Kate has been holding out on me!! I discovered yesterday that Breyer’s also makes… are you ready for this?... SNICKERS FLAVORED ICE CREAM!!!! I'm telling you folks, I had an epiphany right there in the freezer section of Bi-Lo!! Now, this is just obvious proof that God really loves me. In fact, I have to do a little grocery shopping today, and I think that a container or two just might find its way into the shopping cart. Now, I know that you might be saying, “See Jeff, you are showing a lack of self-discipline”, but again, you would be so very, very wrong. The problem is my children. They are begging me to get it and I just can’t refuse these little darlings – could you?!?! 5. Radio station 106.9 WMIT out of Well, there are many more things I could list, but I will save them for next time. So, what do you have to be thankful for today?? |
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