Slideshow - Levi is 5 weeks old!

Levi is Five Weeks Old!

Last night, I got to hold & "kangaroo" my beautiful son for the very first time. He turned 5 weeks old yesterday (Tuesday, December 4th)- so hard to believe. He is off of the Ventilator (Praise the Lord!) and weighs 2 lbs and 11 oz now. They removed his IV - he is really happy about that and had another brain ultrasound done yesterday morning that came back Normal =] He is now on vapotherm at 4 liters and has even been able to go down to 21% Oxygen several times today! We are sooo blessed.

Slideshow - Four Weeks Old

Levi is One Month Old!

Levi is now one month old! He turned four weeks old this past Tuesday, November 27th. The Lord is so good! We are truly humbled by this entire experience. Tonight was very special for me. He fixed his beautiful little eyes on his Mamma as I got to hold his hand and cup my hand around his perfect little head for a long time. He must have really enjoyed it because he did not desat any for me while I was touching him. He is very quick to let you know if he does not enjoy something by dropping his sats (saturation of oxygen in the blood). He now weighs a whole 2 pounds and 8 ounces. Today we were very excited to find out that they took away his IV fluids and he is receiving "full feeds" = 6.5cc/hour. For every 25cc of breastmilk, they recently began adding a pack of breastmilk fortifier. This gives him 2 additional calories (24/25 cc) to help him turn into a little butterball =] The only medication that he is currently on is caffeine which helps with his blood oxygen saturation & heart rate. After 10 days of being only on vapotherm (a little bit of oxygen to the nose), he decided he needed a break and was ready for the ventilator again. He remains on a very low setting on the ventilator and breathes quite a few breaths independently over the b/min that he receives from it. Levi was able to get down to a setting of 10 on the ventilator so they attempted to put him on C-PAP (continuous positive airway pressure): Air is delivered to a baby's lungs through small tubes in the baby's nose. The tubes are attached to a ventilator (respirator), which helps the baby breathe, but does not breathe for him). He did not care for it too much so they tried something called a Nasal IMV (Nasal Intermittent Positive Pressure Ventilation). He really did not like that. So they let him have his way and put him back on the ventilator. Two nights ago, Levi extubated (took it out) by himself so, again, they attempted to try him on C-PAP. Every time that he does this, they want to try C-PAP to get him weaned off of the ventilator. They are discussing using Lasix which is a diuretic to get any fluids off of his lungs to facilitate breathing. Each day he produces more tissues in his lungs that make him stronger. We are certain that God has our son in the best of hands at Richland's NICU. God has granted these amazing individuals with divine wisdom and understanding. They are all so awesome up there. His oxygen level stays between 25 – 30% for the most part. 21% is the goal and is what the rest of us breathe. He is scheduled for another brain scan on the 4th of December. The first one came back perfect which of course was very encouraging. He is scheduled for his first vision test on the 17th of Dec. He will not receive a hearing test until it is time for him to come home. Levi loves the recording that we made for him. Every night when we visit, we add a recording to it when we read him his Bible story. Bedtime prayers with him are also amazing. He has a picture of Teddy and Naomi that he gets to see all the time. His isolette (bed) is decorated with pictures that they have colored for him as well as a John Deere quilt that I made for him. He knows how much he is loved. We love and appreciate all of you, your prayers, and your support!!! May God Bless each of you in His great abundance and may each of you grow in your faith as a result of our little Miracle child.

Slideshow - Levi is three weeks old!

Slideshow - Levi is two weeks old!

Slideshow - Levi is here!

Levi is here!

On October 27th, we were sitting in the living room and I was commenting on the fact that Levi was kicking pretty good. All of a sudden, I looked at my husband and said "we have to go to the hospital". My water had broken. My lovely sister who "just happened" to be staying with us was able to put the kids to bed as we raced off to Lexington Medical Center. Upon arrival, we told them that we were 23 1/2 weeks pregnant. Immediately, they took me to Labor and Delivery where the sweetest nurse came in and told me that the only thing I could do was to pray that the Dr. would decide to have me taken to Richland Memorial. She grabbed my hand and began to pray with me. As soon as she said the word "Amen", a nurse came in and said that I was being rushed to Richland (Praise the Lord!!!). After going code to the hospital with my husband following right behind me, we were admitted to a room where they wanted to do an ultrasound. We had just had one showing that the baby was breach and the Dr. at Lexington believed me to be 5 cm dilated. If this was the case, they informed me that it would require a c-section for myself and no hope for my child. After looking at the ultrasound, the Dr. at Richland discovered that the baby was now head down (Hooray) and that I was only 1 - 3 cm dilated. A team of doctors came in to let us know that if the baby was born between now and 24 weeks that they would not be able to treat the baby. It is only after 24 weeks that they consider a baby to be "viable" and worth saving. Full of faith, we prayed and believed that God would protect us and see us through at least 3 more days. A nurse then came in and said that it was inevitable for anyone who had broken their water prematurely to become infected and the baby would have to be taken. Again, I prayed and believed God that that would not be the case for me. In Psalm 91, God specifically promised me in my Spirit that "No plague would come near my tent" and that God was going to give Levi a "long life and sustain him". The nurse did encourage us that some women can lay in the bed for the duration of their pregnancy which would have been February 19th for us. I was completely prepared to lay there for the next four months so I could be his incubator. On October 30th, we finally reached our "Oasis" as my doctor called it of 24 WEEKS :) They moved me to a room on the East wing where other women, like myself, wait and wait perfectly still for the arrival of their babies. That evening, I felt Levi moving around a good bit and asked my husband to press the nurse button. His grandparents that we were visiting with were asked to leave the room for a moment while they hooked me up to the monitor to make sure I wasn't beginning to have contractions. The doctor came in and was getting ready to do an ultrasound when all of a sudden she decided to "take a peek" J and realized that his head was crowning. Just as in the movies, it was "STAT" and off we flew down the hall to the nearest delivery room. We entered into a room of about 15 doctors just watching in awe as I had our beautiful son - at 24 weeks. The entire time, I just kept for praying aloud and thanking God– sometimes in the Spirit - for his perfect health and protection. We know that he is a miracle and a gift from God. We are just thankful to be considered Levi's parents. Later that night we learned that he was born at 8:09 pm weighing 1 lb 9.2 oz and measuring 12 5/8 inches in length. We got to go to his room once he was considered stable. I put his little hand around my pinky finger and we said his first good night prayer with him. He is so beautiful. Ever since then, we have been blessed with praise reports from his doctors and nurses. Two mornings ago, they did an ultrasound on his head to determine if there was any bleeding or other concerns. God just told me to thank him that Levi has the mind of Christ. Just this morning, we got the report from his nurses that the Ultrasound came back saying he was normal, normal, normal J. We serve a big God. We are blessed and know that Levi is covered by the Blood of Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, and surrounded with warring and ministering angels. Jesus is in the business of doing miracles. It is our prayer that God would use Levi to bring others to believe in and know Him on a personal level. We have peace that surpasses all understanding and joy in all circumstances. It is our desire and hope that each and every one of you will begin to live your lives this way. Every moment is a blessing. We love all of you and are soooooo thankful to have you in our lives. God bless you richly in His great abundance!!!