4/14 Update

I would like to start with the fact that my brother is over 50 years old today. Rachel (eldest daughter) bought him a hat that says "Where's my senior discount." He visited after work yesterday and seemed in pretty good shape for his age. He seems really concerned the new administration is going to mess with Medicare. :-)

Dr.'s Johnson and Pappano came through this morning and our daughter seems to be holding steady with slight improvement on the brain blood flow. She remains quite a mystery and is puzzling doctors all over the globe. The right lung is still expanded and the chest cavity does not seem to be building up any additional fluid just as Pamela's amniotic fluid seems to be staying fine after the reduction last Wednesday night.

Pamela is having contractions today so we really need for those to disipate or stop. She also is having some breathing problems and her back is completely tired of being in bed this long. Hopefully we can sneak her out a little today. Please pray for her about these issues as you lift up our daughter. Dr. Johnson made a reference to hoping for headscratchers this morning and later referred to us calling in favors on asking people to pray. When I told him we had specifically been asking people to pray that he would have positive headscratchers I think he enjoyed that.

A really tricky decision is likely coming up and we certainly ask that you pray that we would have wisdom and clarity with it...Actually our main prayer is that our daughter keeps making positive steps (baby steps, if you will) and that we don't get to make the decision. If she continues with the high blood flow through the brain or if other things show any signs of deterioration we will be faced with the decision of whether to go in again and take a blood sample from the umbilical cord. While the procedure Sunday night had a risk of likely 1-3 percent this procedure has a risk of about 20% chance in standard hydropic babies of causing a plunging heart rate that about 60% of those lead to the death of the baby. An additional decision is if we go in and take the blood sample is to whether or not to treat the baby with a transfusion if she tests as anemic. This procedure would actually need approval from an ethics board because they do not have a diagnosis and the fear is that you may be treating a baby that ultimately may not improve. If she was born like this they would treat her with a transfusion and Pamela see her as just as alive and as a person now as she will be the day she is born. From our perspective we would want to treat her if she needs it just like we would at birth. The call on whether to take the chance or not will be determined by her condition and how we are sensing He leads. Please pray we won't need to make the decision and that we will be sensitive to God's leadership if we do.

If you have been forwarding this to people please continue to do so. I have received requests to add others to the distribution list but it seems I have to create another one in the email server I am using and I have not made time to do that yet.

I am pretty sure I saw our daughter flash the "hook'em horns" during an ultrasound this morning so I am counting that as another positive sign. Watch your comments back on that...I am in a sensitive state right now. :-)

Cousin Suzanne came up yesterday and brightened Pamela's morning. She got to hear some of the questions and comments by the hematologists which I am sure was riveting for her. She had left a few minutes and then came back with a drink and a styrofoam box for me to eat (actually the contents, not the box itself). I was convinced it was a 3 pound hot fudge brownie sundae but even after I prayed and thanked God for it it turned into a barbeque baked potato. It was great. It did show the difference between Suzanne bringing you lunch and Scott. I hate it when she makes the right choice.

Thanks for all your prayers...please keep them up,
Terry