Fierce Pierce

Big news today: after weeks of begging, we finally got a dr who agreed with us that it was time to pull Pierce's feeding tube and practice some "tough love." Basically, instead of keeping P on a strict 3 hour schedule taking 58 mLs each time (in which they usually end up putting a portion of the bottle down the feeding tube due to P's lack of interest), P will be able to set his own schedule. Well, within reason. He'll have to eat every 2-4 hours, but he has no minimum or maximum requirement. Tomorrow morning, when the drs round, they'll evaluate how he did. The best news of all is that Pierce has done so well all day! He seems to be self-regulating and so far, he's taken more than he would've gotten on his other schedule. Please pray that this works. Pray that Pierce will have the strength and endurance to complete enough bottles to gain weight and thrive (his chronic lung disease makes bottle-feeding a very difficult task).

Also, we still do not have the results of the ultrasound. Please pray for stable or smaller ventricles. Pray that there has been no negative change so that we can avoid a shunt.

Many of you are probably wondering- when will P go home? To be honest, that's the question on EVERYONE'S mind. Literally every hour of the day, I'm thinking about that very thing. What a great day that will be! But for now, I'm afraid we have no answer. It's really dependent on when our little guy decides he can successfully bottle-feed. He'll also have to pass a few tests (car seat test, hearing test, etc.) and be released by the neurosurgeon and eye dr.

Our prayer all along has been that Pierce would be able to come before, on or close to his due date (August 4th). And while we are very thankful that Pierce is doing SO well, we are still unsure about when Pierce will be coming home. Will you please join us in praying that God would bring him home to us soon? Pray for patience and contentment for us as we are weary and tired of spending our days in the hospital. Pray also that God would demonstrate His glory as He continues to heal Pierce, and that through our suffering Christ would be glorified.

Much love,
Lindsay, Nik and Pierce Franks