Happy 33 weeks to our miracle from God above! What a strong warrior you are! How we love to hold you and watch you grow in strength while cradled in God's healing arms. We love you so much and can't wait to bring you home for the first time. Your big brother Easton loves you so much too and can't wait for you to be home so he can help you and play with you. God has truly blessed us with such a beautiful fighter! Love, hugs, and kisses always~ Mommy, Daddy, and Easton
It has been a few days since I have posted. I look back and realize what a gift this blog has been. It was my calming medicine so to speak to keep me together and keep me strong through my hospital stay and the unknown of when Asher would arrive. While I am at home adjusting while our miracle is wrapped in God's loving arms in the nicu, my blog is a place I look forward to as it brings me peace to share God's amazing works with all of you and it gives me a place to write out my thoughts on this miraculous journey God has blessed us with. Being back at home and taking care of Easton and doing needed chores, plus spending special time with my miracle, I realize I won't be able to post daily as I did, but my goal is to post twice a week as sharing this journey God has blessed us with with all of you means a lot to me as I love to share how amazing God is. I also want to continue writing about this beautiful ride so I can share it with Asher one day to show him how miraculous God is.
In these past few days God has blessed Asher and us with a lot of beautiful blessings that I am about to share with you....and I hope I don't leave any of the blessings out... as God is so gracious.
Thursday's Blessings: Asher was up to 29 ccs of feeding and doing very well keeping it digested. Since it was my first week on my own with Easton, Mom wasn't here to see her miracle grandson. She also didn't get to experience him being held in our arms yet, as dad was here the Sunday prior to experience the special moment. So my parents met us at the hospital in the evening. It was James' night to hold our little warrior, so we went in together first to see how he was doing. As always he looked precious. I believe James changed his diaper and it was another stinky lol. The nurses always joke at how much he stinks up his enclosed bed, and I will tell you they aren't joking! An air freshener would be nice lol. As he rested in his daddy's arms, my mom got to see him out for the first time. She couldn't get over just how small he truly is, and of course her heart melted at how sweet he is. My dad then visited and cherished the time watching him cuddle with his daddy. As always it was hard for James to put him back in the bed as we could both lay there all day and night with him, but we were happy leaving seeing him all cozy back in his bed.
After we left, my mom and dad treated us to Cracker Barrel for supper. Yes it was a treat as we shared dinner with them, but I cherished it the most because it was my first time in 3 months that I was eating inside a restaurant. It felt good to be out of the house eating with my family. I praised God for the beautiful moment. I really got to witness how much of a gift going out to eat is, as before I looked forward to going out, but didn't cherish it as much as I do now.
Friday's blessings: Asher was still on the less supportive machine, but God truly blessed him as he was at lower levels. He was close to room air, so Dr. Pyle's next mission was to ween him off that machine and onto normal cpap..or a normal ventilator. We truly look up to Dr. Pyle for his positive goals and outlook in every situation. He is truly an angel us Asher's life and ours...as God is working through him to heal Asher.
When James got home, he handed me an envelope. I opened it and a smile came to my face. Inside were two cards. I was to open one before the other. The first one was a nice card to congratulate us on our miracle. It then explained the beautiful gift that was in the other envelope. It was a special bracelet made with love from a student in my class from this past school year and her amazing family. It was made in morse code, so in morse code the bracelet says "Dancing in on angels feet". On the card of which the bracelet was in was this quote, "Precious one, so small, so sweet... Dancing in on angel's feet... Straight from Heaven's brightest star... What a miracle you truly are." The saying was so beautiful and the bracelet means so much to me. Asher is truly dancing as the Angels surround him and continue to help him grow in strength. Thank you Emily, Libby, Jeremy, Abby, Will, and Luke for this thoughtful and unique gift. It is a treasure I will cherish forever. Your kindness and prayers are truly appreciated!
Adam, James' brother came in the early evening. Easton was excited as Adam played with him outside before we left for the hospital. When we arrived to the hospital, Adam kept Easton entertained as James and I headed in to see our blessing for God. We arrived a little early, so we waited in the lobby of the nicu until visiting time was back open. While we waited, our hero doctor, Dr. Pyle, came by and talked to us. His smile always lights up the room and makes us smile. He updated us again on Asher. We then got to talking about our to do list before Asher gets home. It is crazy how fast time flies by, and it has sort of hit us that we have some things to start checking off our list in preparation for Asher's arrival home. Somehow we then got to talking about Dr. Pyle's 3 girls. I never knew their names, but as he was talking he mentioned that one of his girl's names is Ella. I then stopped him and told him that was funny because the girl name that we always had picked out was Ella. He then said that her name was Ella Grace. My eyes widened as Ella Grace was the name we always had picked out. We laughed and said that great minds think alike lol. We enjoyed that time with Dr. Pyle to not only get an update, but to just share in his humor for the night. He just knows how to make the best out of every situation..... and God sent him to us because He knew that he was the doctor that would keep us strong.
It was my night to hold him, so I sat in the recliner as his soft skin was placed on me and he snuggled on my chest. He got all cozy in a position where he and I saw each other face to face. His beautiful eyes widened and observed his surroundings. His strong neck muscles allowed him to lift and move his small precious head around. It melted my heart. Usually he would fall asleep pretty quickly in my arms, but that moment he was wide awake and very alert. It was such a blessing to see. Adam came in and visited and couldn't get over how much he had grown in a week and how observant and strong he was. James then came back in a little later to cherish time with him. By then he was repositioned with his head on my chest and his eyes closed as he was comfortable and asleep. He weighed around 3 pounds, 10 ounces that evening. Before I knew it, it was time for our miracle to go back in his bed and head back home so Easton could get to bed. As always, I didn't want to leave and wanted to stay there and hold him all night, but God, Josh, and all of the Angels and Saints were right there with him, so that made me feel at peace. I praised God as he blessed us with beautiful mommy/son time.
Saturday Blessings: I woke up excited as I looked forward to meeting my sister and parents at the hospital. My sister drove down for the day and was staying over until Sunday morning. Easton was so excited as he would get to have a sleep over with his Aunt. He loves playing toys with her.
Before leaving for the hospital, I placed a pizza in the oven for lunch. As it was baking, James came in and said that Jane was at our house. Jane is my good friend who I taught with at Holy Family. She had just retired a year ago and was blessed with watching her grandchildren, especially Cooper, who was born premature at 28 weeks. So, she understands the journey and has been a strong prayer warrior for my family and I ever since I have known her. She was in the area and had a special gift for Asher, so she surprised us with a visit. It truly made my day so special to get to see her. In her arms was a special Noah puppet that was blessed by a priest. It is adorable and I know Asher will love it, as Easton does already! Back a few posts I talked about the significance of my sister seeing 2 yellow butterflies and my dad 2 doves on my roof on a rocky day for Asher, but a day that God blessed us greatly and pulled him through. Jane wanted to bring us smiles to cheer us up and related it to Noah's Ark, as God was blessing them with seeing pairs, just like pairs of each animal entered the ark. So she joked and said, "Asher's Ark". So, of course she had to get him a Noah puppet. :) It was so nice to see Jane, and Easton enjoyed her company. Of course anyone who visits he assumes is there to play with him lol. Jane sat at his little table as he ate his pizza. He brought her over his little trucks. Then he wrapped himself up in blankets and pretended to be a ghost. Jane then helped him roll up in a beach towel of his and he thought it was so much fun! So, Jane thank you so much for visiting us and bringing Asher a special puppet that he will forever cherish, and that I will have a story to share with him about why you chose Noah. Thank you for making Easton smile and laugh as you played with him. You truly mean so much to us, and we can't ever thank you enough for the amazing prayer warrior you are for us. God truly blessed me with a great friend!
While Jane visited, Dr. Pyle called me with an update. He informed me that Asher was off the less supportive machine and now on a regular cpap ventilator breathing room air. Chills hit me and my eyes opened wide with joy. I couldn't thank God enough for His beautiful blessing. Hearing that he was breathing room air meant the world to me. He said that Asher was a rockstar and it made me smile. All because of God's amazing, miraculous works, Asher was truly a rockstar as God was and is his rock!
With James being blessed with a work truck that is a double cab a couple weeks ago, we decided to sell our Camry as it has sat in our garage basically all summer. So as James washed, waxed, and shampooed the Camry, I took Easton with me to the hospital to meet my sister and parents. For the first time in 3 months, I was driving my car! It was the weirdest feeling. It made me flash back to that scary moment when I wet my pants and didn't know what was going on driving everywhere to figure out the problem. I then sang praise to God as I was sitting in my driver's seat with Easton in the back heading to see my miracle. I felt so free driving to the hospital. As I drove, a yellow butterfly crossed my windshield... a beautiful sign from God letting me know that He is with me and reminding me of this miraculous journey he has blessed us with. Again, as driving is a routine, before I drove and didn't really think much about it. But the feeling of the steering wheel in my hands and just the freedom to drive, listening to Christian music, and enjoying God's creation surrounding me was a moment I will forever cherish.
When I arrived to the hospital, my parents met me in the entrance. Lacy was about there, but mom and I went ahead in as I was going to see if I could hold Asher. When Mom and I arrived, it made my eyes fill up with joy as the blue less supportive machine was gone and replaced with a smaller device. He had just ate, so he was all peaceful on his belly inside his bed. I was hoping to hold him as my sister never got to see him out of his bed yet, but he was so comfy, that I didn't want to disturb him. The nurse agreed as he took a while to calm down a little before, as he has moments like that. I forgot to mention the other day, I checked him on the webcam and he was trying to escape his bed! The nurse told me this was his normal adventure lol. She also told me they had dropped his bed temperature down to 29 Celsius, and when it gets to 27 and he weighs 4 pounds and is doing well on oxygen, he will be close to transferring to an open bed. So she joked that he was trying to escape to say he is ready.
Mom and I enjoyed watching him sleep peacefully. We then went back out in the lobby as my sister had arrived. She was a little disappointed to know that Asher was sleeping and I wasn't holding him as she was hoping to see him out. I then told her that we would come back in the early evening and James will hold him and she could then see him out. That made her happy to know. She then came in the nicu with me and smiled big as she saw her special nephew laying comfy in his bed. She then agreed that there was no waking him up as he was too cozy. My dad came in next and again cherished time with him. We then said our love yous and I told Asher Mommy and Daddy and Aunt Lacy would be back later to see him.
After we left, Lacy headed to our house as my mom and dad ran some errands. We relaxed and played with Easton as James was still shining up the Camry. He also decided to shampoo my car which was never done in the 7 years I have had it. My parents came a little later with a gift for Asher. Mom knew we were in need of some onesies, blankets, burp cloths, wash cloths, etc. for Asher, so being the Grandma and and amazing Mom she is, she went on a little shopping spree for Asher. We were so grateful for my parent's gift as it will help out a lot! Thank you Mom and Dad for being here for us always and blessing us with this gift of necessities. Also, they got Easton a small gift of course of a horse family, crayons, and coloring books. I had mentioned to my Mom earlier in the week that Easton needed a new coloring book as he had colored on every page of the ones he had while at the hospital and how he needed new crayons as all of his were in pieces lol. So that meant a lot to us and to Easton of course!
After James was done, we then headed to eat and then to the hospital. My parents headed back home, but my sister stayed with us. She couldn't wait to see Asher out of his bed and in his daddy's arms. As she visited with James, I sat out in the lobby with Easton who was passed out as he was very tired. As he laid by me on the couch, I sat and prayed the Rosary. With all the events of the day, I hadn't got the moment to pray. So, it felt good to sit and relax with my hand on Easton's back as he slept and pray. Before I knew it, Lacy was heading out of the nicu and it was time for me to head in to say gnite and my love yous to my miracle boy. When I entered, my heart melted at how precious Asher looked in his Daddy's arms. James wanted to again lay there all night with him. It is so hard to put him back in his bed. However, we again smiled as he laid back in bed all cozy and happy. We said our gnites and love yous and then headed back home.
Sunday's Blessings: In the morning I woke up and got ready for Church. I looked forward to another moment to sit in God's beautiful home and praise him with my family. When we got to His beautiful home, I sat and smiled as Easton kept asking where Father Ed was as he looked forward to seeing him each Mass. I again cherished the whole Mass and sang my praises to Him all throughout the Mass. After Mass I headed to my classroom to help Jan, the wonderful lady doing my maternity leave, on a few things she had questions about. It was nice to get to see her and talk with her. I know she will do a wonderful job, and I am so blessed to have her covering for me. The classroom looked great, and I know the kids will love her!
We then headed back home so I could pump and get ready to head to the hospital as my sister wanted to see our little miracle one more time before she headed back home. When we got to the hospital, Lacy and I went ahead in the nicu as James entertained Easton in the lobby. Asher was just getting his stinky diaper changed and was ready to cuddle in my arms. The nurse placed him on my chest skin to skin. She then started his feeding...up to 30 ccs! He would open his eyes a little a couple times, but most of the time was so comfy that he slept. The feeling of him laying on me was so beautiful. Lacy took a few pictures and video of him. Then Dr. Pyle walked in and Lacy finally got to meet him for the first time. He had to joke with her about him missing Skyping on her wedding day as he joked that he was going to interrupt their ceremony through Skype. He sat and talked with us for a while and told Lacy how Asher is going to know the song "Purple People Eater" pretty good as that is the lullaby he sings him when Asher tries to escape his bed or gets mad. Lacy enjoyed meeting him and could see right away why he is an amazing doctor. Shortly after him visiting us, Lacy had to head back home. She said her love yous to Asher and looked forward to seeing him in a few weeks.
I then sat in the nicu with my miracle boy for several more minutes... and cherished each moment. I looked up and there was James holding Easton in the nicu lobby window. Easton's eyes were smiling as wide as his smile. For the first time, through the window, he saw Asher out of his bed in his Mommy's arms. He was so excited and loved seeing his baby brother for the first time in real life. Seeing him so happy and excited melted my heart. What a beautiful God Moment it was. Easton is a proud big brother and what an amazing big brother he will be to Asher!
Time was then up as Asher needed to be back in his bed, and we had to head home to eat and go grocery shopping. The nurse laid Asher back in his bed and he fell right asleep. I told him my love yous and walked out in a smile knowing that God was right with him. James then went in to check on him and tell him his love yous as I watched Easton in the lobby. We then headed home, stopping at Dairy Queen before as Mary Jo, a retired teacher from Saint Wendel, had sent us a nice card with a Dairy Queen gift card, which was so kind and thoughtful of her. She wrote a note to be sure Easton told us to get him ice cream... and he deserved it as he was a big brother who shows so much special love to his little brother. Thank you Mary Jo for your beautiful card and your thoughts and prayers. They mean so much to us, and Dairy Queen was a delicious treat for all of us!
When we got home, James phone had rang several times about calls on the car. Our first interested buyers were going to come at 3 to look at it. It was a father looking for a car for his son. We couldn't believe how fast we were getting calls. We sold his Dodge Truck in the Spring pretty quick, but didn't think the Camry would go as fast. So, we prayed if in God's will that the car would be sold today.
We ate lunch and then I made a list as we were going to go grocery shopping before the interested buyers came. It was my first time grocery shopping with James and Easton since the journey began. Honestly I always enjoyed grocery shopping as it was time where I could get out of the house. So I looked forward to shopping with them. I sent praise to God for giving me the strength to make it through the whole store and still feel energized. It felt so good to be able to walk and not feel tired.
When we arrived back, I helped put the groceries away as James prepared for the interested buyers to come by. 3:00 came and they arrived. As it was the hour of prayer, I sat in the sitting room and prayed my Rosary. I added in a special prayer that if in God's will he let the Camry be sold so we could get another goal of ours checked off before Asher's arrival home. After praying, Easton asked me to take him outside. I walked him outside as he rode in his little truck. There in front of my eyes was James taking off his license plate. God was truly beautiful! The first interested buyers were purchasing the car! I smiled and lifted my praise up to God. The father and son were very nice and we shared our story of Asher briefly with them. The father's wife was on bed rest 2 out of 3 of her pregnancies. So it was neat getting to share our stories as he too had went through the experience of bed rest with his wife. God had truly blessed us with the sell of our car and to an amazing father and son.
James then entered the kitchen a little later with another blessing from God. He got a call from interested renters for our rental property that James is in the middle of updating a few things, as we need to rent out both sides. His mom's lady who does her nails told his mom that her daughter and friend needed a place to rent. Bonnie then mentioned our rental property to her. Her daughter and friend then went by it and are interested. This was truly a God Moment! God knew it was another goal of ours to get checked off if possible before Asher's arrival home. We didn't know if we would get it rented before, but I kept praying that God bless us with it rented in His perfect timing. How beautiful are God's works! James will be showing them the property this coming weekend and work on a few things while there. So, I pray that if in God's will we get the one side rented, and that God may lead us to another renter for the other side in His perfect timing. This will help us greatly, so we can focus on what is most important once Asher gets to come home.... God, Asher, Easton, and our family.
In the evening we ate supper and then relaxed. With all of the events of the day, we weren't able to go back out to see our miracle in the nicu even though we wanted to. However, we looked forward to seeing him Monday evening. We knew he was in amazing hands as God was holding him in His healing arms surrounded by Josh. the Angels and Saints, and your powerful prayers. I called to check on him. The nurse informed me that he was doing well and breathing room air. He had a big weight gain too! He now weighed 3 pounds, 13 ounces. What a big boy!! I again sung praises to God for keeping our little warrior strong!
Dear Loving God, thank You for Your miraculous works and beautiful blessings! You are an amazing and merciful God. We praise You for sending us a miracle, Asher, who is now 33 weeks. He has changed our lives and led us to a closer relationship with You.Thank You for blessing Asher with Dr. Pyle as You work through him and all the doctors and nurses to heal Asher and all the babies in the nicu. Thank You for blessing Asher off the machine and to a normal cpap where he breathes room air. Thank You for keeping him strong and helping him grow. Thank You for the blessing of holding him in our arms and seeing him alert and curious of the amazing world around him. Thank You for family and time with my sister over the weekend. Thank You for all of the God Moments You have sent us this week. You love us with an everlasting love that is like no other. We trust fully in You and have complete faith that You will heal Asher and his lungs in Your perfect timing as You know the most beautiful plan for our little miracle. May You continue to shine Your miraculous works through our little warrior for all to witness the power of Your healing grace and to grow closer to You as You heal Asher. You are truly miraculous in all Your ways! We love You above all things! Amen.
All of you amaze us with Your endless prayers throughout this miraculous journey. Your prayers are so powerful and truly do wonders! Let us continue to sing praises to our amazing God for all of His beautiful works in our lives! Let us continue to unite hands with God, Josh, and all of the Angels and Saints in this amazing fight for our little miracle. We love all of you so much! Asher is the strong warrior he is because of our miraculous God and your powerful prayers!
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