Just wanted to drop a post to officially notify you that Ezra IS now sleeping in this house. We brought him home from the nursery yesterday, and he has been VERY busy adjusting to life at the Mathew House since then.
WE are all SO grateful for each one of you! You have all been so encouraging and helpful, as we’ve been riding this life’s roller coaster. I don’t know how the broken world makes it through times like these.
Ezra seems to be a healthy boy. He weighed 5lb 4 oz and was 17¾ in long when he was discharged yesterday! That means that he gained 2¼ lbs and grew 1¼ inches in less than 1 month! the nurses and doctors said, repeatedly, that they were shocked at his growth and recovery rate. “Praise The Lord. He must be the One who made it happen.” was all we could tell them.
“We are still in the woodwork!” as someone in my house likes to say, though. Tmama will continue to monitor her BP, as Severe Pre-E (Severe Preeclampsia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-eclampsia for those of you with a few minutes on your hands…) continues to be a concern for 6 months AFTER delivery. She also DID have a MAJOR surgery in a major rush, so she is still healing from that bit o’ fun. Ezzy is eating like a little piggy! Every 3 hours, the boy ingests a highly nutritious blend of… well, whatever Tmama ate AND extra calories from formula, (it works out to be about 16,000** calories per day!) He still may have some issues to deal with since he was 2 months premature, but so far he has been a healthy boy.
Also, I’m sure that many of you have been wondering what this will mean for our life and ministry. Join the club! We are still trying to figure out what “routine” looks like for our new definition of family, and we’d appreciate your prayers for wisdom and patience and flexibility as we make the necessary adjustments to what we thought was “routine.”
Also also (?), While we love each and everyone of you in your own peculiar way, Ezzy’s little body can’t handle all your loving. His immune system is UBER delicate, because he was so early. Remember, if whatever bug you’re carrying is making you feel sightly “yucky” or “blah” or perhaps, “meh…” It WILL make Ezra feel REALLY BAD and MAYBE DEAD. RSV (Respiratory Synctial Virus<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_respiratory_syncytial_virus>.) is a killer for little babies, and YOU may not feel “too bad.”carrying it around… So, IF you have not had your flu shot this year and are not sure that your tdAp (tetanus diphtheria and pertussis) vaccine are up to date, PLEASE don’t make me ask you to stay in the cold, outside. on my porch. We will try to keep life in perspective and the realities thereof, but basically, No Flu Shot = No Baby Lovin’ From Ezzy.
One more thing to be praying for? We are maxed out in our mini (van, that is.) and as such, we’re going to need something bigger, sooner, rather than later. If you’d be praying that we’d locate a suitable vehicle for VERY LITTLE money (which is about all we have left) we’d greatly covet those prayers.
Love you guys and miss seeing your faces! 🙂 Joshua (for the 7 of us!)
**edit- as i typed that #, i realized it seemed REALLY high. i did! but when i check it with the nurse, she said it was 24 calories/ ml of formula and breastmilk. it was actually 24 calories per OZ. of formula and breastmilk… proving ONCE again that units really DO matter.