Sunday, June 3, 2007

June 3, 2007

"The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him." Exodus 15:2

Kyle gained a little weight today, up to 5 lbs 3.2 ozs.

Kyle is still receiving 42oz feedings every 3 hours. Twice a day his feedings are given via bottles...and yesterday, he took almost all of his bottles for Daddy! His first bottle he took 40 cc's and his next one he drank 37. Kyle is getting the hang of sucking, swallowing and breathing all at the same time.... (and I think Daddy is getting the hang of it also). Any amount that Kyle does not take in the bottle is given to him through a bolus feeding method. The bolus feeding is administered via a syringe connected to Kyle's feeding tube, but lets gravity do all the work. Kyle has very little residual from his feedings and hasn't had any spit-ups. Also, Kyle's feeding tube has been taken out of his mouth and placed in his nose. Hopefully this will help with the bottles....I can imagine how difficult it would be to drink from a pop bottle if I had a straw in my throat...

It has been very therapeutic for me (and I hope for Kyle also), spending time together feeding, cuddling and rocking!

Tomorrow (6/4) would have been Jennifer's due date....It saddens me to think how different things could have been.

We can not thank everyone enough for all of your thoughts and prayers!!

Much Love,

Joe, Jennifer, Madison and Kyle

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Joe, I made a brief appearance at the baby shower as I was hostessing another one at the exact same time at my church for my pastor's wife and new baby girl! Jennifer was surrounded by loving friends and family and I am certain she came away feeling tremendous support. The gifts were piled high and the food display was impressive---I was tempted to stay and enjoy myself and forget about my responsibilities at the other!!!
Just as this week was beneficial for Kyle and you, I am certain the respite was good for Jennifer and Madison. Hopefully, your family will be under one roof very soon and celebrating the victory over all obstacles faced to date to get you to the point of reunion.
Laura

Anonymous said...

Jen, Joe, Madison and Kyle-
Having your entire family back in Ohio is so close to being a reality, but must seem so far away at the same time. I'm sure you are all physically and emotionally exhuasted. It is wonderful that your faith continues to provide the much needed strength during this entire adventure.

I want you to know that even as Kyle's obstacles have gotten somewhat less challenging, we continue to pray just as hard for him to get strong enough for the trip home. I have so many friends who continue to ask about and pray for Baby Kyle!

You are in my thoughts and prayers daily. I can't wait to hear about the amazing homecoming celebration...I'm sure your family will practically be waiting at the Ohio border to celebrate Kyle's arrival!

much love,
Kara Lewis and family

Anonymous said...

We are praying for Kyle's eye surgery today, as well as all of the needs of your whole family.

Also, I just could not get away from the feeling that someone who will read today's comments needs to hear this devotional from today's on-line The Purpose Driven Life:
Will God Help Me?
by Jon Walker

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' and 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Luke 10:27 NIV)

You learn to trust God by obeying him in small ways.

At this point in your faith-walk, you probably agree that God is the supreme ruler of the universe, powerful enough to overcome any problem or defeat any enemy. "Everything comes from him; everything happens through him; everything ends up in him." (Romans 11:36 MSG)

And if that is true, then our struggle to take a step of faith is not over the issue of whether or not God can deliver – he clearly can do that.

The real the question is: Can we trust God to be sensitive to our needs (or what we perceive to be our needs)?

Perhaps the resistance you and I exhibit when we’re faced with a faith-step is because we seriously doubt God will look out for our best interests – “Yes, I believe God can work this out, but will he?”

And this often lapses into the speech of behavior that says, “I know I can work this out, but I’m not sure God will – at least I’m not sure he will do it the way I want to see it done.”

The incredible thing is this: God patiently understands your hesitancy, so he made the first move toward establishing a loving, trusting relationship with you. He didn't wait until you could be trusted to receive his love, and he doesn’t insist you become trustworthy before he trusts you with precious gifts. (Romans 5:6-8)

This means that by taking small steps of faith, obeying God in small ways, “We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand – out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.” (Romans 5:2 MSG)

So what?

· God is trustworthy in everything (Psalm 33:4) – He is love (1 John 4:16b), and therefore patient and kind; he's never rude or self-seeking; he's not easily angered, and he keeps no record of wrongs; he does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth; he always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres; he never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) He is always fair (Deuteronomy 32:4), and he’s never failed to fulfill one of his promises. (Joshua 21:45)

· Meditate on God’s faithfulness – When you struggle to trust God, meditate upon his faithfulness and love. Remember that, for now, we "know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled." (1 Corinthians 13:9-10, MSG) "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way." (Proverbs 3:5-6) God is calling you to grow up in your faith and to trust steadily in him. (1 Corinthians 13:11-13, MSG)

· Take your fears (lack of trust) to him – God's perfect love casts out all fear, and that means you can safely tell him about your doubts and fears. He isn't angry when you struggle with your faith. Imagine a father watching his child take those first baby steps. Like a father overjoyed that his child is learning to walk, your Heavenly Father encourages you to take small steps of obedience.