Thanksgiving

Madison and Kyle with Linda

Aunt Karen with Kyle

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

The lovely woman wearing the purple shirt in the pictures above is my Aunt Karen, who is in town from Georgia and was finally able to meet baby Kyle on Sunday! Many of you have read Karen's beautiful messages on the comments section of the blog. Since Kyle's birth, she has been one of his biggest supporters and has been responsible for him being on prayer lists across the country. Also included in the pictures is my third cousin Linda, whom I had not seen in over 20 years. She heard about our situation with Kyle and has been praying for him faithfully. Linda and her husband Dan are closely affiliated with the Crystal Cathedral (Robert Schuller) and they in turn have been praying for our family. The Crystal Cathedral even requested that Linda and Dan return to California with pictures of baby Kyle! We know God has been evident throughout this entire situation, but his blessings continue to amaze us. Reuniting long last family is just one more reason we have to praise Him.

Kyle received his first RSV shot last week and will continue to receive them monthly until RSV season ends in April. If you are not aware of RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, you are among the majority. Most people have not heard of RSV, even though nearly every child has had the virus by age two. For full-term babies, RSV typically is not any worse than a common cold, but for preemies, the virus can be quite different. Babies born earlier than 36 weeks are at the highest risk for serious complications like pneumonia, bronchiolitis, and other, sometimes fatal, complications. We are very fortunate that our insurance company has decided to cover these shots, as they are $1300 per month. As such, it is something that is not typically covered by insurance unless there are extenuating circumstances. With Kyle being born at 25 weeks, having such a low birth weight as well as chronic lung disease; he is among the highest risk factors for contracting RSV and developing serious complications. This website offers a great visual comparison of a preemie’s lungs, and therefore why they are not able to fight the virus, compared to the lungs of a full-term baby: http://www.preemiecare.org/LungsTrees03-4.pdf Fortunately, our pediatrician said that since she has begun administering the shots, only one baby has contracted RSV and it was a very mild case.

Every November, you hear about being thankful and grateful for all the blessings in your life. Sometimes you hear the word "thankful" so often that it ceases to have meaning to you. This Thanksgiving, I have definitely viewed the subject of "thankfulness" with a new energy and focus. Of course every day is a good time to be thankful, but we especially show our gratitude to God this year during Thanksgiving time. We are amazed at God’s love and faithfulness. Oh, we knew about it before, but the depth and the vastness of it we are still in the process of comprehending.

Love and Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Jennifer, Joe, Madison and Kyle