Updates

Well, as you can see, I've changed my blogger template. I think it fits me.

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Christian has basically stopped eating for almost a week now. He caught some gross stomach virus that's going around. He was vomiting like crazy starting from Monday night. I had to wash two of his bed sets, one of my bed sets, one of ben's bed sets (he sleeps on the couch due to his chronic snoring) and lots of other blankets. Have you ever seen a toddler projectile vomit down to his feet while laying flat on his back? It was so sad and so awesome at the same time. I've never seen anything like it.

Anyways, he's been puking and diarrheaing all week. One day, after washing sheets and cleaning up puke all day long, I really had a bad bout of depression. It really hit me when Ben and I were kneeling next to Christian as he was puking into his puke trash bag - I just started crying..and then Ben started crying...and Christian was puking... and I was thinking, "how much more can God throw at us right now?!" I wanted to seriously die right then and there.

I feel so bad for Christian. Poor guy. On top of that, since he's not feeling well, he's grumpy and testy and defiant - so he keeps getting in trouble from his parents. He's not liking life too much right now. AND...he looks like a lollipop. He's got this big head with this skinny little malnutritioned body that's just screaming for food but all he'll eat is a couple of nibbles of this and that.

In spite of his sickness, he managed to go to school on Friday for his school's Christmas performance. He didn't sing - he just sat there on stage. He clapped a few times and did some hand motions but that was about it. It was still insanely cute though and we even captured a moment where he looked like he threw up in his mouth a little bit and kept it down. lol...


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There is good news and bad news about Lauren.

The good news is that she's almost 4 lbs now! Can you believe that? She weighs 3lbs 14oz now. Just a couple more ounces and she'll be 4 lbs. She looks so big to me now... She's beginning to look less sickly and looks more like a very small infant.

The bad news is that she was diagnosed with early onset of stage 2 ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) on both her eyes. ROP is a common micro-preemie condition where the blood vessels in the retina grow abnormally. There are 5 stages with stage 1 being the least damaging (maybe needing glasses) to stage 5 (blindness). She's been getting weekly eye exams. The exams prior to this diagnosis showed no signs of ROP but then it jumped to stage 2. That's not good. She gets another exam on Tuesday and it needs to either stay the same or regress. If it gets worse, she may need to undergo surgery. If that happens, she may lose her peripheral vision and there is risk of scar tissue building up and that would do damage to the retina and then screw up her sight even more. They say alot of stage 1 and stage 2 ROPs can resolve on it's own. Let's hope that's what happens here. It just scares me more because it seems like it's progressed rather fast which is a bad sign.

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Prayer Requests

Please pray that Christian gets better from this virus - he's been a wreck physically, mentally and emotionally as a result of all this. He's not his usual spunky self. He seriously looks depressed. Doesn't want to eat, doesn't want anyone near him except his mommy and daddy and all he wants to do is lay in bed.

Please pray that Lauren's ROP resolves on its own. The mere thought of her undergoing surgery just makes me sick to my stomach.

Please pray that Lauren gets off her nasal cannula soon. She has RDS (Respiratory Distress Syndrome) and if she continues to have to rely on any type of oxygen assistance it can progress to BPD (Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia) which is a lung condition where she continues to have breathing difficulties.

There's a ton more prayer requests but I'll keep it at the immediate ones for now.

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I know everyone is probably very curious to see pics of Lauren. At first, I was hesitant about posting any pics of her because, well, they aren't very nice pictures when it's of a teeny, tiny infant laying in an isolette with wires and IVs all over her body. Also, posting pics or providing updates on this blog gives me a sense of control in a situation where I basically have no control over (I'm a HUGE control freak). So I wanted to find the right time to begin posting pics of Lauren's progress and I think I'm beginning to feel a little more comfortable with the idea. However, the times when I'm writing up new posts, is when I'm usually in bed on my laptop and all of my picture files are on my mac in the living room and I'm too lazy to go out there to use the computer. But, one day very soon, I will begin posting pictures.

Thanks everyone for all your support and prayers. Despite the problems Lauren is facing, she is still considered to be doing relatively well for her size/age...and I know that has everything to do with all of our friends and family praying for her. Please don't stop praying - she still has such a long ways to go before she can come home.