Stones of Remembrance

We discussed stones of remembrance at church last week. Several times in the Old Testament the Israelites set up stones to remember what God had done for them. They do this after God parts the Jordan for Israel to cross over.

Joshua 4:23-24
He said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

It is so important to remember the things the Lord has done because that will increase our faith and enable us to trust that the Lord will be faithful in the future. As I think about Graham's heart, I have hope that the Lord will heal him completely, either miraculously or through surgery. I look forward to giving God glory for this for years to come and I pray that one day Graham will understand what the Lord has done for him and choose to follow the Lord. Of course Graham will have an enormous scar on his chest as a reminder, but I would love to have an actual stone of remembrance for Graham's healing to ensure that our family and anyone who enters our home will know that "the hand of the Lord is mighty" and will "fear the Lord forever." You can order actual engraved stones online. Perhaps we will do that. Or perhaps we will find another creative way to create a stone of remembrance. Thinking on this gives me great hope as I look forward to Graham's healing!

Another Good Report

We went back to the cardiologist today and he was quite surprised at how well Graham is still doing. His blood oxygen level was still at 99/100%! He weighs 12.5 lbs. The doc did another echo and everything looked good. We don't have to go back until February 18. We are so thankful for how well Graham is doing, allowing us to continue to push back surgery. The doc said he can only attribute this to the ballon catheterization that he did before thanksgiving. But we know it is because of all the prayers for Graham. Thank you for your continued prayers!

First NCSU Game and Laughing Video

We took Graham to his first NCSU basketball game last night. He did great! He slept through almost the whole thing, stirring for an instant whenever the crowd erupted because of a bad referee call or a great offensive play. Here are a few pics from the game.

And here is a video of Graham laughing. He only laughs like this for daddy. Notice Jet going crazy in the background. He doesn't want to miss a good time.

 

Christmas and Pictures

We had a great time visiting family for 7 nights for Christmas celebrations. Matt and I came home with colds and pinkeye, but so far Graham has remained healthy. Praise the Lord! Here are a few recent pictures.

 

Christmas at the Laneys'

 

 Graham loves his glow worm! He smiles and coos at it instead of falling asleep... but at least he isn't crying!

 3 months old

First walk with the baby carrier.

snowman toboggan

Acid Reflux?

Well, the hospital is our favorite place to be on holidays! Graham has started having these strange episodes where he tenses up and stops breathing for a few seconds. After he eats and is laid on his back for a diaper change he will stretch out his arms to the side, become rigid, bulge his eyes, and stop breathing. He first did this on Christmas Eve while at Matt's parents' and when I called the pediatrician's nurse advice line they said to take him to the emergency room. The emergency room doctor didn't find anything and sent us home. Graham continued to have episodes and the pediatrician wanted to see him. She didn't seem concerned and put him on acid reflux medicine. She also gave us a referral to the neurologist just to be sure. We are not too worried but the episodes are scary when it happens. Hopefully the medicine will help and he will grow out of it. This little guy sure likes to keep us on our toes!

Good report!

We went to the cardiologist yesterday for the first time since leaving the hospital. It was all good news. Graham weighs 11lbs 5oz! He gained a pound and a half in 11 days (since he was weighed at the pediatrician). His blood oxygen level was still at 99, which is what a normal baby would have. The balloon catheterization has done what we hoped it would, buying us some more time before the full corrective surgery. We will not see the cardiologist again until January 11. The doctor said we should be able to schedule surgery 3 to 4 weeks ahead of time... So Graham will probably not have surgery until at least mid-February. Graham's lungs sounded good and he will stop taking Lasix after this week. So he will only take medicine 3 times a day instead of 4! (He will continue taking the heart medicine.)

We were thrilled that Graham is doing so well. We will have peace of mind while traveling for Christmas. Thank you for your prayers. Praise the Lord for hearing and answering our prayers. He is good!

Graham has been doing better every day. He is back to his normal self and smiling and cooing more and more! He even went 7 hours in between feedings last Friday night! Here are a few pics: his 2 month photo and a photo with Santa!