Weight: 4lbs 4.8oz
Length: a smidge over 15 inches
We are 73 days into this journey. 73 LONG days. And yet, with each day that passes, we are one more day closer to bringing our son home with us. Tonight, as we held Pierce, Nik and I thanked God for his life. We thanked Him for how He has used Pierce's life to touch the lives of so many. It truly is amazing how far Pierce has come. In fact, the staff is baffled at how well Pierce is doing. The other day, our nurse told us that she didn't believe them when they said he was a 10 week old 23-weeker. She said she's never seen a baby born that early do as well as Pierce is doing at this stage in the game. Many are quick to say things like, "He's a fighter," or "He's so strong," but we know this healing is of God. God has answered so many of our prayers affirmatively and for that we are so thankful.
I mentioned this earlier today, but we learned this morning that the neurosurgeon is now saying that Pierce may be able to avoid having a permanent shunt placed! This is great news because we all thought that he would most likely need one soon.
I know we have posted specific prayers all along on this blog and I'd like to quickly share with you my reasoning. One of the things God has taught us, through this difficult time, is that it is perfectly ok to pray specifically. It doesn't threaten Him one bit to go before Him and pray for Him to give you something. Throughout these past 10 weeks, we have begged and pleaded with God for many specific things. And while He has said "wait" and "no" to a few, He has said "yes" to many. John Calvin once said that when we pray specifically, we pray with a heart that is willing to accept God's will even if it does not align with ours (paraphrase). But praying God's will be done, does not mean that we cease to ask our Heavenly Father for something we want.
And so tonight I ask you to join us in praying for these specifics: It is our prayer that Pierce will be able to avoid any more surgeries (no shunt, laser eye surgery or hernia repair), that he will be able to come off oxygen before he leaves the hospital (they're planning on trying him off of it in a week or two) and that he will leave the hospital before his due date. And above all, we pray that God will glorify Himself through our situation and in the life of Pierce.
Special thanks to Liz for the handmade hat and outfit
An awesome comic book quilt (Superman) made by our dear friend, Sarah
Much love,
Lindsay
PS- Nursery painting will be underway tomorrow! Time to get things ready before Pierce comes home.
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so thankful for God's continued hand upon little Pierce. Continuing to pray!
ReplyDeletehe is precious!! i cant wait to meet him!! i will be praying for you guys and pierce!!! :)
ReplyDeleteWell my specific prayer will be that one of you actually get a job and stop begging other hardworking families to send their money to support you. You have some nerve to post a "fundraising" button on your blog asking for $30,000!!! How disgusting and un God like!
ReplyDeleteThere is absolutely no reason why at least one of you cannot work. Your baby is stable, and is tended around the clock by nurses. Other NICU parents work, so can you.
I'd first like to say that I have been following this little guy's ups and downs for a while now, and I'm so happy his little hat fits him!
ReplyDeleteSecond, to this Amanda Rose, in all the posts of this blog, not once can I recall the parents asking for money or begging as you say. If you look at the fundraising page, or even the little blurb up there, it was created by their friends...
Third, may Pierce continue to grow and be blessed!
Amanda Rose, have you ever had a preemie? My DD was born at 31 weeks and spent 64 days in the NICU. She didn't need nearly as much care as Pierce has needed, didn't have surgery, etc. Her medical bills were close to $500,000. We were responsible for 20% of that. And yes, many preemie parents work while their baby is in the NICU--my husband and I both did--but it's a sad commentary on our society AND it is extremely stressful. If your baby was critically ill, wouldn't you want to be near him at all times? And now that he's stable, it is time for this family to bond and prepare for his homecoming. Parenting a preemie isn't easy and comes with many more challenges than full term babies. Once Pierce comes home, it is likely his pediatrician will recommend he not be in daycare so he isn't exposed to a multitude of germs.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't want to donate, don't. But if this family has loving friends and family to help them out, who are you to begrudge them that?
Not defending Amanda, but It looks as though their friends may have started the fundraising button, but clearly the parents are the ones that posted it on this blog and continue to keep it up there.
ReplyDeleteJaime I cannot imagine how you ever were able to pay off that huge amount of money! That is a mortgage where I live!!
We had twins in the NICU, and it was a stressful time all around for our family. We were blessed with a wonderful medical staff, and both my husband and I went back to work until the babies came home. We would visit before work, after work and all day on weekends. When they came hime, my hubby took two weeks off from work to spend with us. I took a year leave of absence until I returned to work. It was hard, we had to cut out a lot of stuff to save money and live off one income, but it was doable.
Wishing Pierce all the best, and hope he comes home very soon to his parents' waiting and loving arms!
I am sad to see that people are making this about money! Pierce is a helpless little boy who is in God's hands and if the family members and friends want to help by donating to Pierce and his family than that is their decision! Nik and Lindsay have never asked for money and you don't know their situation! They stated in an earlier blog that their friends asked them to post the link on the blog! Just because the goal was set at $30,000, which their friends set not the parents, doesn't mean that is what their friends are expecting to raise! It is not our place to judge others! Please remember that there is a micropremie that continues to be raised up by God everyday! Praise the Lord that he is doing as well as he is! We will continue to pray and if we feel that we are in a place to donate our hard earned money to a family in need we will!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this post. The attitude of your hearts are beautiful and that is a hard thing to maintain when it comes to a situation involving your child. This is where the grace of God is so evident. We will be praying and just to let you know, The Elegant Owl jewelry sale is going very well! God's favor is definitely open it!
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