Please pray for Carrie and Seth's flight!

Carrie just let me know that they are on the airplane in Sacramento ready to fly to Dallas. Seth is exhausted but kind of crazy because of the medication he is on right now. Please pray that he will settle down and sleep so he can get back on schedule when he gets home. I know Carrie would highly appreciate it, since there are a few things as frustrating as having a crazy kid on a packed flight. Thank you!

Gavin. 

Pictures of my other boys, Will and Isaac, who I also miss so much!

These are old, but worth putting on since neither Isaac more Will was in the photo in the previous post. Isaac was such a champ at catching the kids at the bottom of the slide at the park this past Wednesday. Look at cute little Gracie in her pink Crocs (Thanks, Natasha and Gary!) leading the way!

I miss my other kids

Such a cute photo, taken the morning they left CA for TX. I love to feast my eyes on them, although I miss Will because he was still asleep when this was taken. I haven't seen them for 5 days!

I forgot to ask prayer for Seth's appetite, too, please. He's interested in food but will only eat a few bites before he pushes it away. Thanks!! Carrie

Off oxygen (for now)

Seth has been able to wean down his oxygen until as if a couple hours ago he is off completely! Please pray he'll be able to stay off, Lord willing, and thrive. Until he can stay off all night long he'll need to stay in the hospital, so we have one or two more nights here, hoping to fly back to Dallas (where Gavin is busily packing) on Thursday. We want to be wise, though, and not rush him.

Meanwhile, Seth is charming all the staff as he says "hi" and "bye-bye" and helps with his inhalers by holding the spacer mask on his face.

Currently we are playing in the courtyard to help loosen up the secretions in his chest. When I see his nasal discharge I understand why his chest was so plugged up! This is one nasty cold. Marcie's nose testified to the same thing. :}

PLEASE PRAY THERE IS NO MORE ILLNESS ON TOP OF THIS ONE. The mom in the room next to ours had a nasty cough, so I realize there are a lot of germs around. Plus Seth's steroid treatments to reduce lung inflammation also lower his immunity, I believe. 

Gotta run, Seth is on the move!!

Love and gratitude,

Carrie

Seth Sunday night (re-posting; first attempt failed)

He's been crazy-busy today, announcing he was going to go "bye-bye" and heading for the door, then later asking for a "bath." He also crawled up under his crib-bed to play for a while, grinning at us and playing peekaboo. Wonderful!! :)

Eating breakfast while watching TV. The way he told me to open the blinds was, "uh-oh! Car!" He can see the ambulances from the window as we're on the ground floor, and the shade blocking his view was a real "uh-oh." The pulmonologist says his lungs sound much better today. His last treatment dislodged a lot of junk from his lungs. 

Thanks SO much for praying our little boy and his stressed, at-the-end-of-ourselves parents! He's still on oxygen and still has

lots more junk to get rid of from his lungs, so please CONTINUE praying!

Love and gratitude,

Carrie

Still improving, praise God!

Seth acts like his normal, happy, chuckling and grinning and charming self. The pulmonologist says he looks "excellent" and the nurse who just listened to his lungs marveled at the difference just since this morning. She said he sounds really clear.

He is still on 1 liter of oxygen, but the pulmonologist hopes to get him off entirely this afternoon. However, he likely will need some overnight as everyone's blood oxygenation decreases when they are asleep. Therefore, our earliest likely discharge date would be tomorrow or Wednesday. 

Gavin, my dad, Isaac, Will, Marcie and David are flying back to Dallas as I write this, so please pray for them. Naomi, Megan and Gracie are on a different flight back to Dallas as well (Naomi came just for the wedding portion of our visit; HUGE blessing she was here when Seth was admitted!), so pray for them too please.

I am in the cafeteria showing Seth the murals. Gotta run!

MUCH better and happier all around!

Praise God! Seth does not have RSV! He also may not have even pneumonia. The pulmonologist thinks all his trouble is due to mucus plugging caused by his lungs reacting to a virus (the nasty one all the kids have). 

Seth was much better today by the time I was able to leave for the wedding we came to California to attend. My parents swapped out with me, and the last minute chance to go to this very special wedding was a huge gift for me! I hated to miss it once the pulmonologist said, "Oh, he'll be fine!" about Seth's prognosis. It was so good to see him eating and playing with toys when I left, especially since this morning he was just sick and sounded and acted terrible.  Thank you all so much for praying!!! 

Seth and I will not be able to travel to Texas on Monday as planned. Gavin, Isaac and my parents may go ahead with the babies. We still don't know when Seth will be able to leave the hospital. He is on decreased oxygen already, thank God. He really perked up late this afternoon!

Thank you for your continued prayers especially for wisdom and peace for us and for protection over all the babies. We appreciate all who remember us as we look to our Lord, trust Him and wait for His guidance and direction. 

The pulmonologist was surprisingly positive about us returning to PNG as planned on June 8th, saying he'll be sure we're well-stocked medically, ready to pounce on any cold or breathing symptoms, and that Seth can handle a 16-hour flight "no problem" once he returns to his healthy baseline. The doc estimates that to be by mid-week, but only The Lord knows! Hence the need for prayer, wisdom and peace. :) 

Please pray also for our spiritual, mental, emotional and physical protection as a family. This week has really felt like a battle. We know the Ultimate Victor, though! 

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

God is and will be exalted in Papua New Guinea regardless of our presence or absence there. It's so comforting to be only a tiny, beloved part of our Father's perfect plan.