Holidays are here again

The holidays are here again, and usually they just come and go without much memory. This Thanksgiving for our family was special for several reasons. This is the first Thanksgiving my wife and I have had as new parents, my wife got to come home for the first time in five months riding in a car, and we got to spend it at our house with the family. Shawnda got to spend time in the nursery with the twins, and when it came down to dinner, she ate the best I have seen in a long time. Since that day, my wife has really been making some big strides. She is eating well again after several weeks, and working hard at therapy. She went to the doctor last week to have a procedure performed to help with extending her left arm, and it was extremely successful. She is working on keeping it good and stretched on her own. She is also sitting up well in the wheelchair that she uses considering that it is made for someone much bigger than she is. Next week, she will be going back to acute rehab, and they are going to fit her for a wheelchair that fits. I am still shocked at how well she remembers names. I still have to ask her who someone is because I am terrible about remembering things. In general, she has had a phenomenal attitude during the past five months. I am so proud of her for staying in good spirits, and for working so hard. I really can't wait until she is back home so that she can spend some time really loving on the babies (and me.) And we can do the same in kind.

From Thanksgiving 2008

The twins have been in Huntsville for a very long time. They caught their first cold a week before Thanksgiving, and I thought it would be best to limit their exposure to environments where they can catch anything more serious. My wife asks about them all the time, and I miss them being around because they are always doing something new and fascinating. The amazing thing about them is that when they caught a cold, instead of crying and being in a generally poor mood, they learned how to roll around. The only way I knew something was wrong is because their breathing was unusual, and the younger one had a temperature. They are getting really big now, and starting to really develop their own personalities. Madison is really fun loving; she smiles and talks to everything. Morgan on the other hand is really laid back, and likes to absorb her environment.

This Christmas, my gift will be two lovely children, and a beautiful wife. It is truly miraculous to see where we were five months ago to where God has delivered us to today. On June 19; I was worried that my wife may not survive, and whether our unborn children would survive. Today, I see two delightful children, and have the unique honor of being married to one of the most beautiful and courageous women around. She fought for the lives of three people, and they are all doing wonderful. I thank the Lord for watching over our family, and for us growing stronger as a couple, and adding to our family.

Well, I started back to work this week also. I can't believe it has been over two months since I had a chance to post anything. All is going well, and I hope that you and your family are blessed during this holiday season.

Long time...

A lot has happened over the post several weeks. My wife has been discharged from long-term care, to acute rehab. She is doing well, but since she has been in bed for so long, had to be discharged to another facility where she will be to get stronger. She is in very good spirits, and now has acquired a telephone. She is making her calling rounds, so you may be getting a call very soon out of the blue. Unfortunately, the phone that she has is not capable of making long distance calls, but we are working on that.

Our M&M's are dong wonderful also. They finally have grown enough to get their shots, which they handled like little champs. They both cried a little, but stopped as soon as we picked them up. I think I will send someone else in next time to get their shots because it is so painful to see them in pain. After the shots, the slept pretty much the whole rest of the day. They are back to normal now though.

We are continuing to pray, and working with Shawnda to get her stronger at which point she will be returning to acute rehab.

Quick update

It has been a while since I have been able to post an update, but believe me, a lot has happened since the last post. Probably the biggest, and in my opinion most exciting news is that my wife has been discharged from the neurosurgical unit at UAB. We have moved on to a long-term care facility to do rehab. The staff at the hospital has a very aggressive plan for getting my wife to the point where she can begin acute rehab so that she can return home. Also, since school has started back, we have lost a very valuable asset in helping take care of the kids. My mother had to return to Huntsville, and I have been alone with the girls. The first couple of days, I was very anxious as I did not know what to expect, but now we have settled into a routine. During the day, they go to an aunt's house so that I can go to work, and in the evenings we get to spend time together. I don't know why people make this out to be so difficult, it's a piece of cake. Just remember, anytime that they sleep sneak in a quick nap, and be very flexible. ;-)

Today the girls got to go to the hospital to see mom after their pediatrician visit. I was actually hoping that it went a little smoother, but they were hungry and tired from a long day at the pediatrician. They are getting very big, but still require lots of sleep. This does require some getting used to because everyone I speak to expects that they should be up more because they are so old. I have to keep reminding myself that they were seven weeks early, and are doing great! Nonetheless, seeing mom was very therapeutic for mom, the babies and me. It was great having my entire family together in one spot. In fact, I still have this big ol' stupid grin on my face... I think we will do that more often.

All so fast

It's been a busy week, and a lot of things have happened. Many prayers have gone up on our family's behalf, and God has shown us the power in His word. On Friday, I got a rather strange phone call from my sister. We were both at the hospital that evening, and it was pretty late, so I thought she needed to relay some information from the doctors. What she told me is that my wife was saying "Madison, Morgan, Che; I Love You." What was truly miraculous, is that when she called, and asked my wife to repeat what she said; those were the exact words out of her mouth. Now, not hearing my wife's voice for some time, I was completely speechless. I tried to put it on speaker so that everyone could hear her, but I was too excited and anxious to do either.

To further improve on things she has had a conversation with my sister-in-law visiting from Mississippi, and even showed a bit of whit with my other sister. When she entered the room she said hello to my wife, we asked her to speak, and she said "bon jour" back to her. My wife is still a very proficient signer, and all of her sisters can have a conversation, and I not have a clue what they are saying (hope they are not talking about me), so I guess I better get more diligent on at least learning the alphabet.

My sister visiting from out of town got a taste of what it is like to be living in a house with twins over the weekend. If any of you see her ask her about her experience. All I can say is for anyone who has not had the experience of keeping newborn twins, it is an experience you should savor. Just make sure you have lots of patience, and a working knowledge on how to swaddle a baby. I am sure that will be one of the most memorable four hours of her life. I actually thought she got off a little easy, since we let her do it in the middle of the day when they are easy to calm. Next time I will wait until 2 am; now that will be fun!

The doctor told us Friday that he was considering yet another shunt revision to correct the proximal end, but the swelling that he has been worried about has subsided considerably. We are believing that all is well, and my wife will be discharged from the neurosurgery unit in no time.

Step closer

GOD IS SO GOOD!!!

The past couple of weeks have been really exciting. My wife is more alert now, and able to move both hands. She continues to get stronger each day. There are pictures of both the girls in her room that she looks at constantly. I can't wait until she can tell me which one she thinks looks like her. The day won't be very far away because it was just announced that she is going to be upgraded from ICU. She is going to begin rehab soon also. She still will be getting lots of rest, but each day brings us a step closer to all being back at home.

This whole experience has definitely strengthened our family. It has made me realize that you can not take any day for granted, and how important it is to remember how important loved ones are. As soon as my wife gets out of the hospital, we are going to spend a long time just enjoying each others' company. I know right now, it will probably be centered around looking after the girls, but I really look forward to being able to share my stories of pooh with my wife. They are both so precious, and I want to be able to spend time with all three of my girls at one time.

Healing

The last week has been very busy. We were blessed to be able to take Madison and Morgan home last Friday, and they are enjoying being back together. It is funny because they both turn the same way to sleep. Madison loves to smile now, and Morgan loves to pucker her little lips up as if she is kissing someone. The ride home was quite an adventure for all involved. We started out to our house which is an hour away 30 minutes before it was time to eat, and Madison let us know about it because we were late feeding her, and ever since she tells us every three hours she wants to eat.

They are both so precious, and I enjoy spending every waking hour that I can with them. We are all excited, and anxious to have mommy back home very soon.

My wife is recovering very well. The doctor placed a cranial shunt on the right side of her head Monday. After the procedure she was wide awake, and looked absolutely fabulous. I also spoke to the respiratory therapist, and she said that her breathing/oxygenation was also improving, and that they would probably be removing the respirator today. Much to my surprise, when I saw my wife today, the breathing tube was removed!!! I must say that my wife looks absolutely gorgeous, and I am so excited about how well she is improving.

To God be the glory! I am so grateful that our two daughters are home now and growing well, and that my wife is soon to follow. I know that we have been thanking God for all that he is done, and we are now seeing the manifestation of His word on my wife.

Excited

The babies are coming home later today. We were planning to stop by to visit mommy in the hospital, but had to change plans because of a small setback regarding the antibiotics my wife is on. This is still a very exciting day, and it is impossible to sleep. So far, I have managed to wash the car seat covers, install the bases in the car, and now I just need to pick up the babies. The girls are getting really big now. Morgan is almost 6 pounds, and because of Madison's healthy appetite, and higher calorie formula; she has almost caught her sister weight-wise. Both of them are almost drinking 8 ounces of formula per meal. In fact, the nurses had to move one of their feedings up an hour because they were both hungry.

I told my wife the girls were going home during one of the visitations yesterday, and she looked at me like she was ready to be home with them. We put picture of the girls in her room that were taken for Independence Day, and she looks at them a lot. The nurses said that whenever she mentions anything about Madison and Morgan, my wife responds. I am looking forward to the day when we are all back at home watching the videos of the twins' first days with us.

Turn to God

I was at church today, and the minister was talking on how to deal with times of crisis. Although the topic was geared more toward economic crisis, it was evident that the principles could be applied to any type of crisis. There are a few things that stood out in his message to me.

The minister stated that if we have faith, then we are not dependent on a worldly source to provide for us. He also said that in a time of crisis that we should turn more to God. These two statements immediately struck a nerve with me because I was agitated by some of the reports given by the doctors initially regarding my wife's condition. I was keying on the diagnosis they were making, and not listening to God's word. The situation that we are living in is not what God will deliver us to, but merely what it is.

My wife's condition has continued to improve each day. She is no longer running a fever, and the swelling from the surgery is greatly reduced. She is starting to respond to our voices, and even smiled at her mom and me yesterday. It won't be very long now before we are all home again. Thank you all for the prayers, and keep lifting up all the families who are going through a crisis. We can't put our guards down when we think we are in the clear.

Tomorrow will be the girls first day at home. I am very excited about that. I plan to get video of them leaving the hospital, and arriving at our house.

Confined babies

We spend all of our adult lives trying to get or stay free, but little babies just loved to be confined. In fact they love it so much that if you let them free, they get really irritated at you. I was visiting my babies yesterday, and being a new father; it took me a bit too long to get them changed. They are so used to the nurses who can get them changed, and swaddled in under 10 seconds. It is like they are running a pit crew in there. I think my comments to the staff when we leave here will be that they should slow down when changing or feeding newborns because as a new parent we never seem to match the speed and efficiency that they having in dealing with our children. Now I get this look from my girl like what is taking you so long poky. Well I finally got them swaddled again, but of course they are going to test whether or not you did a good job. If they can kick a leg free, you immediately get notified that you have failed, so tuck those knees under their little chin, and wrap them as tight as you possibly can again, and then your little one will be happy as she can be.

Blessed day

A whole lot has been going on over the past few days. There are a few small things left to do before the babies come home this Friday. Well, I guess I should say baby. Our oldest daughter's heart rate dropped to 62 today for about 5 seconds. At the hospital we're at, they call it a "Brady", and babies can not go home without experiencing such an episode for five days. The good news is, it self-corrected, so the doctors/nurses did not have to do anything. It very well could have been related to a monitor becoming detached, but there is not much to argue about on that, since they are well equipped to handle such things here at the hospital. Better yet, "rules is rules." Well both of them will be home Monday, which is a blessing. The girls also had there auditory tests today, and all is well with their hearing.

My wife is making excellent progress. Today she opened her eyes again for the first time. The incision made to perform the cesarean is healing nicely. Most of the swelling that was in her face has diminished significantly, and she is moving BOTH sides or her body tiny amounts.

To me, these are huge steps. This only goes to show what God can do, if we only believe. Almost two weeks ago my wife gave birth to two healthy baby girls, who happened to go through a major surgery. My wife has gone through three different medical procedures, that the doctors said would leave her in a state where she can not function up to the capacity that she previously had. The doctors, were amazed that after my wife's second procedure was performed that she was still alert enough to sign to the nurses and other staff caring for her.

Many people would wonder how positive can be seen out of all that has happened, but I believe that God will fully restore my wife, and our family will go on to share this testimony with thousands of people. I want to thank all of you for your prayers, and words of encouragement, and also wanted to tell you that God is amazing.

Please continue to pray for all of the families dealing with a loved one who is ill. There are several families that I have met over the time we have been in the hospital that have less than good news to report. Please pray that their faith stays strong, and that the spirit shows them that God's work does not have to match the report of man.

Miraculous

I have seen and witnessed miracles, and I know that the devil will fight until the end. He is a very tenacious adversary, but God has prevailed. Our two new babies are going home soon, and so is Mommy. They are a sign of God's salvation, mercy and grace. It is miraculous that they are almost ready to leave the hospital. Both of them are no longer attached to any machines, and are going to be going to normal baby cribs shortly.  We will be attending discharge classes on Wednesday so that the babies can be released from the Hospital.  This is only one and a half weeks after the babies were born at 33 weeks.

We proclaim God's healing over my wife, and she will be coming home to join us soon. We rejoice in the word of the Lord, and believe in His healing abilities. God is guarding over my wife's body as it heals, and is preparing her to take on her new role as mother, and witness of His miraculous works.

Faith not sight

Yesterday, the doctors performed another operation to correct another aneurysm that was discovered in my wife's brain. The aneurysm was about 6 mm from the previous one, and they fixed it by inserting coils into the vein. The doctor said that the operation was successful, but that she suffered a stroke, and the needed to do an additional hemi-craniotomy. The doctor told us that this was a very risky surgery, and that usually they do not offer it to anyone unless they are young and otherwise healthy. A little bit of fear entered my heart at this point, and I wondered why this could be happening to my wife. God had brought her this far, and I could not understand why she had to endure anymore pain. My uncle turned to me at some point, and said that sometimes things begin to look worst before the manifestation of healing comes.

I began to pray, and so did the other members of my family. After some time, there was peace, and I began to rejoice because I knew that Angels would be guarding the hands of the surgeon doing the operation on my wife. Furthermore, I have witnessed the power of God throughout the time that we have been here. I have seen healing happen when there was no hope of recovery given by the doctors. And I realized that statistics are just what they are. God does not work based on statistics, but by faith.

So my prayer is of joy and rejuvenation. My wife is healed, and so other the other families who are here with me. All of their loved ones will leave this place whole. This will be one of the greatest stories of God's mercy, and how he protects his children. The light is in sight, and we are marching on. Our two girls are doing wonderfully, and are awaiting their mother's touch.

God's promise

Today the doctors came to say that they believed my wife had another seizure early in the morning. My mother-in-law arrived shortly after the doctors gave me the news. She was very calm, and said to me that everything was going to be alright. God would not have brought our family this far to let everything go now. I also spoke to my wife's uncle who reaffirmed what she said.

I ran across this verse in the Bible:

Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 103:2-5

After reading this verse, I immediately knew that there was no reason to be afraid or worried because my wife would be just fine. She has proclaimed the victory, and we are all in agreement that she is healed. As believers in God's word, we walk by faith and not by sight. We place our faith in him to provide healing, and restoration. The enemy will always attack to destroy our faith when we are weak, so we must remain strong in the word and works of the Lord.

While I have been in the hospital with my wife, I have seen miracles. I have seen families lifted from the depths of despair. I have spoken to people who have lost sight of God's healing only to see God work miracles in their lives. We must always remember that God has love for us, and wants us to live prosperous and long lives on this earth. He has promised us abundant life, and his richness in the earth is ours as long as we believe.

Looking up

I spoke with the doctor who performed my wife’s craniotomy, and he is extremely optimistic on how she is recovering. They tried to shut the stints out last night to see how she was maintaining pressure without assistance. It was not getting extremely high, but they did turn them back on because the pressure was creeping into the 20’s. With very little assistance, the pressure was running around 10 continuously when I last visited her. They plan to leave the tubes on for a couple more days, at which point they will close them again to see how she is maintaining pressure. The doctor said that he is going to have her out of NICU on Monday.

Madison and Morgan are doing just fine. Madison was measured at 18.5” yesterday, and Morgan is still coming in at 18”. Both are eating well, and starting to gain weight again. The doctors expect that both of them will be off of the jaundous lamps, and IV by this weekend. Morgan is no longer on IV, but has to suntan a little bit longer. Madison is done tanning, but has an IV to help her gain a little more weight. Madison has gained back about 4 oz. or so. Morgan has only gained back about .5 oz., but she did not lose as much weight after birth as Madison.

The power of prayer

My wife was admitted into the NICU unit at around 1:00 a.m., June 20th. My mother in-law, had spoken to our aunt, to have her pick up my nephew so that they would be able to drive me to the hospital, since my wife had to take Lifesaver to the hospital. When we got there, my wife was already admitted, and one of the doctors explained the details of my wife's condition. After hearing the news, I became afraid for my wife's health, and that of our then unborn children. The hospital was very responsive, and had neurologists, and OB's working on my wife's case in the NICU.



After we received the news of my wife's condition, my wife's aunt called from New Orleans, and said that she heard what was going on, and prayed about our situation. She said that there was nothing to worry about, and that Shawnda and I will have this testimony to tell as she will make a miraculous recovery, and our babies will be born healthy and strong.



Now considering the grave extent of the situation, it was difficult to see the light, but amazingly our baby girls were still in fantastic condition. Again we received phone calls from family members saying that they knew what was going on, and there was nothing to worry about.

The hospital scheduled my wife's surgery for 2:30 p.m. on Friday, and rescheduled for 4:00 after deciding that they were going to be performing both operations at the same time. First the neuro-surgeon would do the craniotomy, and the OB would do the cesarean. At 6:45 p.m. the neuro-surgeon came out to say that the surgery was a success, and shortly after the nurse told us to go to the fifth floor to see the babies as they were wheeled by.

Frightening day

My wife made it to her 33 week OB visit on Wednesday of last week. Everything was fine at the visit. Her blood pressure was fine, or low enough to not raise alarm. Thursday, when I called to see how she was doing before I came home from work, she said that "Today is not a good day." I asked her what was wrong, and she said that she was not feeling well, but nothing unusual. I told her that I was going to be late getting home because my phone was not working properly, and I needed to get it fixed. After getting my phone looked at, I called my wife from my new phone to let her know I would be coming home soon since my phone was fixed. I got home, cooked dinner, and began to clean up the kitchen so that my wife and I could watch I program that she recorded that she thought I would find humorous. I told my wife to wait until I finished cleaning up, and I would be in.

She sat down, and started to forward to the program, and then complained of a cramping sensation, so I asked was it her uterus to which she replied, "Yes." I resumed my kitchen work, and my wife said, "Oh God." in a very quiet voice that just did not sound right, so I went to check on my wife, and I found her with all of her muscles tensed in a fully elongated state. I tried to grab her hand, but could not. After a few seconds, her entire body went limp, and she was totally nonresponsive. I tried to get her attention, but could not, so I immediately called 911. The ambulance got there really quick, but it seemed like a lifetime had passed before they arrived.

When they arrived, my wife was regaining conciousness, and could tell the paramedics that she was in pain, and answer most of the questions that they asked her. She seemed stable while riding in the ambulance until we got to the main highway at which point she had another seizure, and the ambulance rushed her to the nearest hospital.

On the ride to the hospital, I called my mother in law to let her know what was going on. She was on her way from Bible study, and outside of Tuscaloosa when I called. I told her that we were on our way to the hospital where my wife's gynecologist was located. She said that she was going to meet us there.

After the second seizure, my wife was hooked up to several machines to monitor her vitals. When they took her blood pressure, it was through the roof. I remember seeing the top number at 215, and I felt entirely helpless. I did not know what was wrong with my wife, or how my two baby girls were doing with all of the things going on around them.

It seemed like my in-laws arrived just in time because somehow they arrived at the hospital in what seemed like 15 minutes from the time that we arrived. They stated to me, that I should not worry because they had prayed about it, and that my wife was healed, and our two baby girls were going to be fine. They both sat with me as the doctors announced that my wife had bleeding in her brain, and there was nothing that could be done at this hospital. Amazingly, the twin girls that my wife was carrying were seemingly unscathed by anything going on around them. Their heart rates were normal, and all there vitals looked excellent. The hospital called around and there were two hospitals capable of taking my wife's case.

Microsoft TechEd 2008

What better way to kick off a blogspot but by attending Microsoft TechEd North America 2008. This being my first TechEd event was quite an eye opener. Besides the fact that I did not pack for the beautiful Florida weather did not difuse my excitement about attending this event.