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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.