This is the blog for Gavin and Carrie Jones and family. We live in Papua New Guinea and are working to see lives transformed by the living Word of God through Bible translation. Gavin is a helicopter pilot. Carrie, who has her degree in Public Health, works in the lab at our busy rural clinic. Our son, Isaac, was born in 2004 and our quintuplets, Will, David, Marcie, Seth, and Grace, were born in 2012.

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. The you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. -Proverbs 3:3-6

Friday, November 16, 2012

Update on Seth, others

Hi all,

You'll note the infrequent posts from me nowadays with more babies at home, including Grace this coming weekend on oxygen and a blood oxygen monitor that will alarm if she pulls her cannula out of her nose. :} She's eating great, though!

Seth had a rough couple of days with some more withdrawal symptoms, so was given another weaning dose of methadone to help him through it.

I got to give him a tub bath two days ago - what fun to strip him down to nothing but his cannula and bathe his pudgy body in the warm bedside baby tub! I told the doctor it made me feel like a real mom. I loved cuddling him up in towels and dressing him afterwards. He seemed to enjoy it all, too!

Thank you a million times over for your continued prayers. We are SO thankful Seth has been able to remain on CPAP only! His oxygen requirement was at 50% just now when I called, but he's been as low as 40% from time to time. He is growing increasingly relational, which increases our need/desire to be with him. Volunteers at home are more critical than ever and immensely, intensely appreciated! We are still in need of baby caretakers if you are at all available and able - or if you'd like to donate to a "nanny fund" in lieu of coming yourself. For those who are hesitant due to some fearfulness, please be assured our babies are no longer scary-tiny preemies; they are 2-week-old normal-sized babies (except Will, who's huge, but still too sluggish with eating to come home; they suspect painful reflux is the cause so put him on special formula). Even Grace with her oxygen cannula and monitor is very low maintenance, and Lord willing she will be on it only for a short while longer.

So if there is anyone waiting in the wings, we sure could use the help! We will pay for your immunizations if that's a barrier for you, and mileage if distance is a problem. (Do you feel wanted yet?!) ;)

Our particular needs include a night volunteer every other Friday night (Gavin and I will work with the night volunteers; see below for how we're working it - we just need an extra set of hands to make it when 4 are home!). We also need standby night volunteers in case one of the regulars gets sick, and a few additional daytime volunteers. Please email jonesquints@yahoo.com to let Stacey and us know if/when you can spare a few hours.

This is a very humbling thing to have to be so needy, but if in order for me to continue to function and pump for Seth, I truly do need the help!! The volunteers who come in the morning, enable me to recoup the sleep missed the night before. (I'm awake anywhere from 12:00 to 2:00 a.m. doing the final bedtime feeding, then up again for the early morning feeding anywhere from 4:30 to 6:00; Gavin, God BLESS him(!), does the 3:00 a.m. feeding, then is up before 7:00 to get Isaac to school and head to work at the SIL Center - or deal with the myriad of baby and healthcare details and paperwork, if it's piled up to the point he needs to take a day off.) The afternoon volunteers allow me to get up to Children's Medical Center to be with Seth, who, as I mentioned, is needing his mom and dad more and more.

So I'm laying it out there, being transparent and very needy! :) Again, we cannot thank you enough for all the prayers, notes of encouragement, gifts, acts of service, diapers, and more. Please forgive me if a thank you note has not yet arrived, or if I let it slip through the many cracks in my mind. We thank God for each and every one of His provisions through you! We know He will continue to supply all of our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To Him be all the glory - we stand amazed at what He has done, excited about what He is going to do, and filled with gratitude towards Him and you.

In His Grip of Grace,
Carrie

8 comments:

  1. Jones family, I live in Florida, and pray for you all daily, I check this blog often during the day, to see if there are specific prayer needs. I can't come help in person, but can pray!((hugs)) to you all, and Carrie, you are an amazing mom! :)

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  2. I too am to far away to be of any help to you physically but I pray each and every day for every baby, Isaac and both of you. Sorry I can't do more.....thrilled to hear Seth is doing well and progressing and so happy to hear Marcie is home and doing well too! Prayers continue...

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  3. I am too far away, but wanted to say I hope you don't think people are wanting/expecting thank-you cards AT ALL!! I can only say for me, if I was able to help out, I would much rather you take time with your babies than writing thank-you cards!

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  4. Father, you know the needs of this beautiful family as You created these little blessings, please supply their every need and provide the help care for them and to give Carrie and Gavin peace and rest. Thank You for the progress that is allowing Grace to come home, and we pray that Will and Seth will soon follow. All praise and honor are Yours, Lord. Amen. NKL

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  5. Okay, OKAY...I'll come and help. You did say you would pay for mileage right? :) I would TOTALLY be there if we weren't 5,000 miles away. I would be holding those two home babies and swaddling the snot out of them because you know I'm great at swaddling! Miss you guys and wish I could be there to help! I would get whatever shot I needed just to be able to smooch those miraculous faces.

    Love you Joneses.
    Kelly

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  6. If only Australia was just a little bit closer! Praying for you - and so excited about your babies gradually coming home.

    Sandra.

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  7. Praying for you and your babes! I had 3 preemies with reflux and once we found the right formula for them (like I said "for them" it was Enfamil AR), it was a night and day difference. One was stuck in the NICU until we switched to what my other son was on and then was home 4 days later. The dr reading the first (done at 3 weeks old) and second sleep studies (6 weeks old) commented that it didn't even seem like the same child. I'm praying that's the same outcome for your David and he will be home quickly!

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  8. If I didn't have my own little one--just one--I would be over in a heart beat. Praying for the right people to come alongside and help during this time.

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Gavin, Carrie, Isaac, Will, David, Marcie, Seth, & Grace Jones

Gavin, Carrie, Isaac, Will, David, Marcie, Seth, & Grace Jones

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