Smiley Baby

    Brooks is really working hard everyday to recover and feel better. We thank God that he gives us peace and comfort everyday. God has made Brooks such a fighter. During the course of the week he has had lots of changes. The doctors have weened his Nitric Oxide from 20 to 5. At the beginning of the week he was on 4 liters of oxygen. Today he has been weened down to 2.5 liters of oxygen. He has been doing great.
   We set up his pack and play in his hospital room and decorated it with lots of color and his stuffed animals. He absolutely loves his tummy time!! He loves to lay on his tummy and "swim". We are so pleased that he is getting some adequate time to develop his motor skills.
   Prayers are still greatly needed. This week Brooks took a field trip to Children's Hospital for a test regarding his feeds. They closely watched him eat through an X-ray. The results showed that while swallowing some of the formula slipped down past his vocal chords. If this happens to children or adults we cough and our eyes begin to water. Brooks doesn't realize it, so the liquid just goes down the wrong way. In order to fix this, they have thickened his feeds to the consistency of honey. He loves it!!
   The doctors also wanted a consultation with an ENT to make sure that his vocal chords were not damaged due to the entubation. Oddly, the ENT was Blake Golden, a guy I went to high school with. He was very gentle with Brooks. He said that Brooks' vocal chords look good. He has no paralyzing of the vocal chords and they are moving properly. He said that they are probably just sore from the entubation.
   Another concern regards his kidneys. This week he had several diapers containing blood in his urine. The doctors strongly suspect kidney stones. They have a specialist coming to run tests next week. I am praying that God will heal his body. Brooks is such a strong and happy baby. I know as he grows he will bring glory to God.
   Thank you again for continuing to pray for my sweet baby. He is so precious and has a great outlook, especially with everything he has been through.

Little Rascal

     Last Friday Brooks had to be entubated because his carbon dioxide levels in his blood stream were too high. He spiked a fever and they were unable to stabilize Brooks without the ventilator. They ran many tests trying to see if he had an infection or a virus. Everything came back negative. On Tuesday, he gnawed on a nurse's finger. She joked saying that he bit her. The next day, a new nurse  heard about the little bite and joked around about it. Later she had to reposition his ventilator tube and he bit her finger! The little rascal is teething and that is what set him back. As the week passed Brooks showed much improvement and was taken off the ventilator on Thursday afternoon.
     He has had a great attitude all week. If you are a parent you already know what happens during the teething process: drooling, constant gnawing, fever, sinus drainage and the worst part diarrhea. His little booty was completely broken out. They had to mix a special "butt paste" for his booty.  The nurses and respiratory therapist have been so helpful. They gave me a special oxygen mask for his booty. Once a day I would cut a small hole in his diaper and oxygenate his booty. He absolutely loved it, just laying on his tummy with oxygen blowing on it to soothe his bottom.
    We are still asking for your prayers specifically for his lungs, motor development, and we found blood in his urine. He had an ultrasound on Friday night. I will meet with the doctors tomorrow to see what the plan is for the blood in his urine. Brooks is a fighter and he never really complains. I am learning so much from my son. He has so much to cry and complain about yet he does not. I am growing spiritually and emotionally everyday just from watching this sweet miracle that God has blessed me with.
    I give thanks for all of your continued prayers and for your words of encouragement. You will never know how much they have meant to us!

Thank You for the Prayers

    Brooks remains on the ventilator, but he is showing much improvement. Brian and I have been completely overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit working through so many people to take time out and pray especially for our baby!
    On Saturday the Alabama Juniors' Volleyball team took special time out of their tournament to pray for Brooks and play in honor of him too! They played hard with a 13-2 record. I received a picture of them praying for Brooks. About 30 minutes later, Brooks became very alert! I had time to play, talk, and sing to him. God is so good and he uses others to bless us!
   Today at church, many people were moved to pray for Brian, Brooks and I. Later some of the prayer warriors from church came to the hospital to pray for Brooks too.
This weekend I've been overwhelmed by fear.  After all of the hope, love and prayers from our family, church and friends; I am overwhelmed by the love and peace of the Holy Spirit.  Thank you God for sending people to give us great peace and comfort!
   Continue to pray for Brooks' lungs to heal, his pulmonary hypertension to cease, and that he will come home healthy soon. I love you God! You are my healer, the great physician, and comforter.  "Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles." Psalm 119:50

Prayers Needed!

   I have not been good at updating during the month of March. I am sorry for that.  I know so many of you have been praying faithfully everyday for our sweet baby. If you are like me, you like to know what to pray for and you like to know when some progress has been made. Brooks had a good month in March with some small ups and downs.
     Our prayer concerns are many. Today we were contacted by one of our doctors. I was teaching so I did not answer my phone. I checked it later to see that I had a missed call and a voicemail from Brooks' doctor. On the voicemail he left me his personal cell phone. Ok I was freaking out to say the least. I called immediately only to find out that Brooks had gotten worse overnight. They had to put him back on CPAP, he needed a blood transfusion, steroids, antibiotics, up on the nitric oxide and oxygen.
   Lately I've been experiencing some anxiety and high blood pressure over this whole situation. I have prayed about it,  discussed it with my physician, talked with family, and friends. I know that I will make it through this because God has promised to walk beside me. One of my good friends reminded me earlier about the power of God. She said, "Remember footprints. He will carry you through everything, and He will carry Brooks with his other hand."
    We just need your prayers in any form or fashion. We need people calling out to God daily, united with us to get our baby better. I know that God is good! I feel it, claim it, and sing it everyday. I will continue to do it because He has gotten me this far, He will not forsake me now.

Thank you for all that you have done for us! I can not express the joy and love that we have felt from family, to friends, to new friends through this situation, and through complete strangers that just love God. Thank you for being here for Brian, Brooks, and myself. We need it more than you will know.