The New Plan

Last Monday we all had a plan. Kelly & John were to be at the hospital at 5:30am on Tuesday morning to be induced. Our plan was that they were going to have a healthy, happy baby boy and surely we would all be home by Thursday or Friday. Well, God had a different plan that none of us were aware of. It has taken us several days, but we are beginning to embrace the new plan, God's plan. Dad, my family, and I came to Arkansas today. It is has been so encouraging to see Kelly & John. They both seem so peaceful. They are, of course, both still extremely focused, stressed, and concerned about their son and his future but they feel peace. Kelly has smiled, laughed, and seemed more like herself today.

As you know, if you have ever seen a newborn, newborns have funny movements, they startle easily, etc. All of us are so aware of Max and his state of being that we are constantly asking, "is that a normal newborn movement or reflex, or is something going on in there that is causing a problem?" Please continue to pray for peace for Kelly & John and the rest of the family as we are still so concerned about Max and what the future holds for him. Please continue to pray that his brain will recover completely and that he will have minimal to no deficits.

Max's head circumferance is another 1/2cm larger today. It is now 36.5cm. The neurosurgeon is supposed to be back in to evaluate Max either tomorrow or Monday. He will then decide his plan of action regarding a shunt. The physical therapist will probably be back on Tuesday to evaluate Max and watch Kelly and John do his exercises and stretches.

Prayers of Thanksgiving
~Max nursed well today for about 45 minutes. They plan to try to nurse twice tomorrow
~Max is doing well with his bottle feedings (mixture of formula and breast milk) They are still feeding him through his NG tube every other feeding so he doesn't tire out
~Max's blood sugar has remained stable for >24 hours without an IV
~Max's temperature was 98.6 tonight
~Max has been resting well and has had several periods where he is awake and alert
~We are all getting our minds and hearts wrapped around the "new plan" and we are excited to see what God has in store for Max
~Max's exercises and stretches are going well and he is loosening up

Prayer Requests
~That the growth of Max's head is normal growth.
~That the blood on Max's brain will continue to be absorbed and that the fluid will drain as it should so that Max will not need a shunt
~If a shunt is needed, please pray that it will be placed without difficulty and that Max will heal completely, without complication
~That Max will suffer no increased intracranial pressure from the excess fluid on his brain
~That Max will have healthy brain tissue and will have suffered no brain damage
~That Max will have minimal to no deficits
~That evaluations from the doctors, nurses, and therapists will continue to be encouraging and that they will show that Max is right where he should be physically, mentally, and neurologically

I know I have said this over and over but we can never Thank You enough for all of the prayers that you have said on Max's behalf. It has been so encouraging to us to know how many people are following Max's story and continually lifting him up to God. We beg you to continue your prayers for Max without ceasing.

We love you all,
We keep praying,
Karie