A Light ? at the End of the Tunnel

Connor had his LAST surgery last Thursday and all went well. The doctors said surgery and about 2 weeks later, home! We were very excited. But his recovery has been tough as is his pattern. Praise the Lord he was taken off the ventilator a couple of days ago and his little tummy is finally getting rid of all the air that was put in it for surgery. (It has not been my experience that this is difficult for the male gender, but Connor continues to show us he has his own way of doing things).

A couple of weeks ago, I was visiting Connor with Sara and got to speak with one of the Neonatologists. He acknowledged our frustration over Connor’s digestive issues but marveled over the fact that his eyes are now mature and perfectly normal, his brain is not damaged in any way and is growing and developing normally. There are so many things to be thankful that Connor does not struggle with it would take pages to name them all!

These things and many others have led me to reflections on the goodness of God. He promises to work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). This always seems like a future promise to me. However, if God really is good as His word says then when He looks on His people and sees us clothed in Christ’s righteousness all He does for us can only be good! Not a marshmallow soft good, but a deep, real, strong good based on Christ’s work and God’s character. He is doing this not only for the Kevin Andrew Foster family but for the individuals of this family including for Connor personally. How does God do this for a little baby who has to have everything done for him? By His Spirit of course! By the Holy Spirit I pray not just for Connor’s physical healing but for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in this little guy even now. May he be along the lines of John the Baptist and proclaim from the beginning of his life the greatness of our God. Amen.

Grandma Kim

The Long and winding road…

Well, all of Connor’s tests came back negative for any blockages, his tube feeding was re-started and his poor tummy couldn’t take it A gastrointestinal doctor was called in for consultation, he made recommendations and the Neonatal team will come up with a plan shortly. Good news: this is common with anyone of any age who has had gastrointestinal surgery. Bad news: no immediate, easy fix. More labs, rest, a (not very) different formula, an antibiotic to build good bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, maybe a biopsy of the large intestine down the road as the problems seem to have intensified after his 2nd surgery (reconnecting the small and large intestines) and who knows what else?

The answer to that last question is: God does. The Scriptures tell us God is good. That’s not just an adjective. He is/defines goodness itself. If this is true (and I hope you know that IT IS) then we can rest assured that our God, who is goodness itself, is taking very good care of Connor through this whole situation. You are good and what you do is good; teach me your decrees. Psalm 119:68

Please pray for wisdom for the Neonatal team and that God will bless their efforts on Connor’s behalf and for His own glory. Pray that Kevin, Sara and the extended family will walk and not faint.

but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

Love,

Grandma Kim

Silence From The Desert...

Since the last update, Connor has had another surgery (hernias) and may be headed for another.  He continues to grow (8lbs. 9oz.) but is so far unable to tolerate full feedings, leading the doctors to think there may be a blockage somewhere although they cannot detect anything from any tests done so far (upper and lower GI’s).  Next Monday, 1/11/10, he will have a barium enema test to try to determine if and/or where the problem is.  

Many of you have asked why the blog has not been updated.  I think the answer is that discouragement has begun to set in.  It has been a long 4 months.  Please pray: 

1. For wisdom for the doctors, that the Lord will show them what the problem is and how to fix it quickly. 
2. For Connor to be able to tolerate full feedings AND be able to take a full bottle very soon, so that he can come home. 
3. For Kevin and Sara, that they will grow in faith, wisdom, unity, and maturity.
4. Against a spirit of despair for the whole family.

It is not to be imagined that He who has helped us in 6 troubles will leave us in the 7^th.  God does nothing by halves, and He will never cease to help us until we cease to need.  The manna shall fall every morning until we cross the Jordan. -C.H. Spurgeon on Psalm 4:1:

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness:  thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

Love,

Grandma Kim

After Math

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for Connor.  His surgery went quite well.  He is all reconnected and boy is he growing fast.  He is up to 5 pounds 8 ounces and he continues to grow every day.  He has pooped a tiny tiny amount, but they are waiting for a larger "sample" before they start to feed him again.  Hopefully he will be able to catch up to full feedings fairly quickly.  In other big news, he has come off of the ventilator!  Thanks to God!  He is still on CPAP which regulates his breath and he still needs oxygen so continue to pray that those would become unnecessary as well.  Once he can come off of the CPAP (even if he needs oxygen still) he will be able to start feeding like a real baby (with a bottle)!  Then, once he can eat a full bottle without choking or passing out, he will be able to come home!  His expected due date was December 3, this is the goal for him to come home.  We are hopefully optimistic that we could have a Thanksgiving baby.  Boy would that be something to be thankful for.  Please pray for Connor's continued development.  I can't wait until he is strong enough to play with. 

2nd Surgery

Connor's second surgery will occur in 3.5 hours. The surgery is to reconnect his small intestine. When he was only 1 week old, he had to have a piece of his small intestine removed as it had a hole in it. He was so little at the time that they couldn't reconnect it and simply left it disconnected and sticking out of the side of his stomach. He has had a colonoscopy bag attached around it serving it's role as an unattractive, see-through diaper. After today, he will no longer have this issue! He will then have to recover, learn to breathe on his own, and learnw to take a bottle before he can come home. But the end is in sight. This is a big step for him and although this surgerys not near as risky as the previous one was, every surgery is risky on a 4.5 lb infant. Thanks to everyone who is praying for him.

4 Pounds

Hey, long time no update.  Connor is doing fairly well.  He continues to skyrocket weightwise.  He now weighs 4 pounds 1 ounce.  Good thing Sara did not carry him to term or she may have broken her back!  He is still on the ventilator and he continues to scare his mama by desaturating his blood oxygen levels.  Hopefully he will start doing better so that he can come off of the ventilator.  He is supposed to be having surgery in a couple weeks if he can breathe well enough.  Please continue to pray for us.  We are very thankful for all the helping hands around us.  I do not know what we would do without all of you.  Thanks so much, please keep Connor in your prayers.

A Real Dad

Connor is doing well.  I was able to hold him on Saturday and umm, I still do not feel like a dad.  I don't know what I'm expecting to feel... older... grouchier... even more insane?  Whatever it is, it has not hit me yet.  It was very relaxing to be able to hold him and he settled down and was doing great (he likes me).  Then when I was done holding him I tried to get a picture of me kissing him.  Unfortunately his ventilator tape was not on very tight and all the weight from the ventilator had been pulling out and as I turned Connor slightly to get a better angle for the camera, he started beeping.  Lots and lots of beeping.  Then all of a sudden there were about 942734892 doctors, nurses, and interns crowding around him.  Sara started to get scared because his numbers were super low and it didn't look good.  Then all of a sudden he was fine and everyone left.  The xray lady came and let us know that his ventilator had been pulled out by one half of a centimeter which had caused him to choke and not breathe right.  He is now fine.  One thing they noticed when they were all standing around him is that he sounded like he had a cold in his lungs.  He is now on some type of medication to help with that.  I have no idea how long he will have to be medicated for.  So that was enough excitement for one day.  Since that time Sara has been able to hold him a couple of different times, which makes me kind of jealous.  Oh well, as long as he says "DaDa" before "MaMa" I'll be alright.

Technicals
Weight - 2 pounds 13 ounces
Length - 1 cubit
Oxygen Levels - 39%
Heart Rate - 165 bpm
Blood Sugar - normal

Please do not forget to pray for this little guy.  Thanks in advance.