Friday, May 11, 2012

Our 2 Month Birthday... (5/11)

Well, Thatcher turned 2 months yesterday, and he had a really good birthday, atleast in the end.  First of all, thank you all for praying, God answers prayer.  We have seen that time and time again on this journey, and it's pretty rediculous for us to ever think otherwise, or that He is not in control, or that He doesn't hear us given where we've come from and been through.  Thatcher got out of surgery on Monday, and we were told everything went swimmingly.  There were no complications, no issues, he handled anesthesia well, very straight forward.  Well, come friday we are still on the ventilator and his belly is leaking stomach contents around the g-tube.  By friday afternoon he was gagging constantly due to his ventilator tube, and his gagging had caused the leaking to turn into more of a consistent dripping.  The site grew very red and irritated, until finally the dripping turned into more of a pouring of stomach fluid.  Thus irritating his skin more, causing him to squirm, causing the tube in his throat to move slightly, causing irritation in his throat (reminding him a tube was there), causing him to gag and start the whole process over again.  It was a terrible cycle to watch, and made even worse by the fact that we couldn't really do anything to step in and help so we just had to watch and pray.  Well, Thatcher realized that that was all he could do to...
"God, please let them take this tube out... I really don't like it, and I know you can help.  You helped before, and You can do it again.  Amen."
Anyways, he threw praying into the mix and when he was calm in between these cycles he would pray.  So what can you do as parents but join him?  So we prayed, we prayed that the doctors would take the tube out, that he would stop gagging once it was removed, that his stomach would stop leaking and would heal quickly.  We prayed for strong breathing, we prayed for healing, and we prayed for God's will to be done.  Around 10 or so, a member of the surgery team came by to look at the leakage and decided that he should be taken off of feeds and his stomach vented to relieve presure and hopefully ease the leakage.  He even considered taking him off of feeds and putting him on an IV (well, he would have had to have the IV in his head, and that's the only place we can hold him to calm him down from his seizures, so we prayed that wouldn't happen).  It did help with his gagging and the leakage to stop the feeds and vent his stomach and then, last night around 11:30 Thatcher was finally taken off of the vent!  He took a second to realize what the change meant for him, that he had to breathe on his own, and he desatted twice right away, but since then he has been doing great with very sporadic yet manageable desats.  He has restarted his feeds and his G-tube looks much better.  God has answered our prayers, and He is absolutely in control.  Join us in praising the Father for his goodness!

Speaking of goodness, some of yall have been asking about our friends we asked yall to pray for.  Well, the last we heard is that the surgery was a huge success.  That Addie started producing urine while she was still in the operating room, that she was off of the vent after 1 day when they expected her to be on for 4 days, and momma is doing well too, dealing with some pain and nausea, but she is in good spirits and praising God for where they are in their journey.  Thank you all for praying with us for them.

Again, we proclaim it, we believe it, God answers prayer.  Prayer is powerful and effective.

Father, thank you for where we are today.  Two months in, Lord and you have been with us every step of the way.  Help us to remember where we've come from, what obstacles and mountains you've already carried us through, we don't want to take your mercies for granted, Lord.  Thank you.  Thank you for the answered prayers, thank you for the "little" miracles, thank you for the reminders that you are with us and you are for us, that you are with Thatcher and holding his right hand.  Thank you that we are back on nasal canula, thank you that his G-Tube seems to be working and he seems less irritated, thank you for answering our prayers.  God we pray that you would stay present, we need your presence, we desire your presence, thank you for your peace that your presence provides, thank you for the confidence we have in You Lord, that you will never leave nor forsake us.  You are good.  You are so good.  You hear us! You provide for us!  You are here for us!  God would you be glorified through Thatcher, through us, through our journey.  Be lifted high in all the earth.  Lord, we lift Thatcher up to You, we ask for healing, complete healing.  Lord would you remove the hindrance in his brain and allow it to grow and develop, would you cast out the seizures that torment him, allow his windpipe to strengthen and grow, and help his stomach to handle eating with ease, Lord.  We trust you, God.  We trust that you are healing him, we know that you are able, and we believe that you will and that you are, thank you.  Help us to rest in your will, and in your presence, knowing that it is good and perfect, knowing that you will hold us up, we can have full confidence in that truth.  God be praised.  To you be all the glory and honor and praise, to you who is able to do abundantly more than we can ask or imagine, Lord.  We are asking to be amazed... and You never fail to do so.  Thank you for who you are, thank you for what you are doing.  We love you, we praise you, and we trust you.  It is in the powerful name of Jesus that we pray.
-Amen

24 comments:

  1. Praise!!!!! May God continue to clothe you all with compassion and healing! Thank you for speaking His truth into my life.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this baby and you even though we have never met. I praise God with you over the victories God has given and ones to come. The photo of his hands in prayer is precious.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looks like Thatcher is gaining weight :) He looks great! He's grown a lot from the last pictures you posted. Wishing you guys all the best and... Happy Mother's Day, Whitney! :o)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Praise God for all You are doing in Thatcher's life! I will continue to pray for him and his devoted, loving parents!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sweet Thatcher!! You are so precious!! Praying without ceasing for you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your story has captivated my heart. Praying to our Mighty Savior for you and your precious little one.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You don't know me or my family, but we are members of Riverview and have been following your story through your family up here in the Texas panhandle. You guys are amazing and I LOVE that you are willing to share your struggles and your victories. You bring life to the song "Praise You in this storm"... Stay strong in your faith and your love. Thatcher is absolutely precious - I pray for God's healing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello,

    It seems as if our sons have some of te same issues. We really feel your pain and hardship. I would like to befriend you on Facebook if that's ok with you. My name is Chad Bolt and my wife is Danielle Bolt. It feels much better when you know families that are going through the same type of things. God bless your little trooper!

    ReplyDelete
  9. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, THATCHER! We love you and not a day goes by that we don't pray for you and your mommy and daddy constantly. Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from Heaven above with wisdom, power and love ... our God is an awesome God! "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." Ecclesiastes 3:11 We love you, Eric, Whitney & Thatcher.

    ReplyDelete
  10. HAPPY FIRST MOTHER'S DAY!
    I PRAY EVERY TIME THATCHER COMES ACROSS MY MIND.
    I LOOK FOR THE MIRACLES THAT GOD GIVES TO HIM.
    GOD IS BEING GLORIFIED THROUGH YOUR SON.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you for sharing your journey! Prayers go up daily for Thatcher and his family!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Prayers to you and your family...

    On a side note, since his brain needs healing and growth, you have been delaying vaccines right? As they are known to cause seizures and problems with brain growth, also lower immune systems, it might be worth it to delay/not vaccinate... Just in case the doctors had vaccinated normally already, it might be wise to stop them...

    ReplyDelete
  13. Happy Mother's Day, Whitney! You're already an amazing mommy.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Vaccines have also been known to prevent death from very preventable diseases. Please research more before you make a decision either way. Praying for you and Thatcher!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Do research either way. But delay if anything. The ingredients in vaccines are not recommended for those with seizures, and can and do cause seizures. Please read vaccine inserts.... doctors won't usually tell you this. You have to ask the question yourself. The only way he would be at risk is if there are recently vaccinated people around him shedding on him, and even then probiotics, good vitamins, etc are much more reliable and effective, without extra risk of seizures, brain atrophy, metal poisoning, etc...

    Vaccines don't save lives or prevent sickness, but please do research. I wish I knew before losing my first. I learned from it though. But wish someone would have told me before our loss.... (((hugs)))

    ReplyDelete
  16. "In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6–7

    I've seen how devoted y'all have been to the Lord throughout your journey, and I pray that God's peace will saturate your lives. I pray for his comfort both emotionally for you two, and physically for little Thatcher. I have been touched and inspired by the faith of your family, and pray that God blesses y'all immensely. How lucky Thatcher is to have such wonderful parents!

    ReplyDelete
  17. "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."

    Romans 12:12

    ReplyDelete
  18. Still praying for each of you!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Yes, vaccines prevent sickness and do save lives. I read an article in the last few weeks about a healthy baby whose unvaccinated mother had picked up pertussis. The baby developed a cough and within a few weeks had died of a completely preventable disease, and reading the comment that vaccines "don't save lives or prevent sickness" completely terrifies me. Vaccinateyourbaby.org has several cases available to read of the importance of vaccinations. Definitely talk to your doctor or your nurses about receiving the vaccination sheets.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A "healthy" recently vaccinated baby? They would have had a lowered immune system due to the vaccines. Check out VAERs for deaths due to vaccines... Deaths can and do happen... Even the vaccine inserts say so, that death, SIDS, etc can happen after vaccination. Read about "the marvelous health of unvaccinated children". That are very healthy kids that never get sick, and if they do get sick, they shake it much faster than their vaccinated friends.

      I am so sorry for the loss of this child... May God hold you and your family in His arms and comfort you as He holds your angel in His arms also...

      Delete
  20. Does anyone have an update on sweet Thatcher? I have been checking everyday, hoping to read the latest.

    ReplyDelete
  21. How on Facebook?!! Ive been following their story and would love an update!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Today in worship I thought of an awesome God who answers prayer and so loves His people. He loves you both and baby Thatcher too. He is not slow to answer. Although it sure seems like it sometimes. Praying today and everyday as our awesome God brings you what you need in each day. ~db:)

    ReplyDelete