Jayden's Thoughts

"Mommy, I LOVE sleeping in your arms. This is where I belong. I can't wait for you to take me home."
"Do you HAVE to put me back in the crib? Ohhhh. I guess my diaper IS full!"
"Oh, dear. Mommy doesn't change my clothes as smoothly as my nurses. I think she needs a little more practice before taking me home! I wonder when she'll find my head!""Yippee! Light!! Although this took Mommy a long time to find my head, I think it will be easier when I'm not connected to all these cables and wires."
"Ahhh. Clean diaper. Clean clothes. Soft bed. Now I can go back to sleep. Later I'll help Daddy. Thanks, Mommy!"

Christmas Visitors

On Christmas Day, a crew of us drove down to Indy to visit Jayden. He was in his new Christmas outfit!! Isn't he handsome? He does look like he's lost inside that Christmas suit! Although he continues to grow, he's still a little guy.
Daddy got to love on Jayden on Christmas Day. So did Mommy. 
Grandma Cookie was here from Florida. She got to hold her grandson for the first time. Both Grandma and Grandson were thrilled to be together.
Uncle Pete also came from Florida. He got to meet his nephew for the first time. They also spent some time bonding.
My Uncle Ken and Aunt Nancy were here from Pennsylvania. They also got to meet our son for the first time on Christmas Day. Notice the camera in Uncle Ken's hand. Jayden is getting quite accustomed to getting his picture taken!

Please Continue To Pray

Hello, Friends,

I hope you had a Merry Christmas! We had my whole family here -- my parents, my 2 brothers, my sister-in-law, my sister, my nephew, and several aunts and uncles! Our little home was full. It was a special time for all of us. It was the first Christmas we have spent together since I left for Bolivia 5 years ago.

Gerson and I went to the hospital to visit Jayden on Christmas Day. My mother also went, along with my older brother Peter.  We didn't want Jayden to spend his first Christmas alone!

This is going to be a short blog --- we just got our internet at our house running today so I have a lot to catch up on! Since now I have access again, I'll once again be more consistent in keeping up the blog. Just so you know, Gerson and I have now officially moved back to Marion and are living in our home on the Pioneer Faith Evangelical Church property.  We are making the drive to Indy to see Jayden every several days. 

Please continue to pray for us and Jayden. We are weary physically and continue to be emotionally drained.  I am mostly updating this blog to request prayer once again specifically for Jayden. He continues to puzzle the doctors and they continue to run tests on him. Tomorrow they will be doing a procedure on him at 8:00 that the doctors believe is necessary. Jayden continues to have problems with his breathing/heart rate dropping at various times and there doesn't seem to be a logical explanation. Therefore, tomorrow the doctors are going to be doing a lungoscopy, which involves antestesia (not sure about spellings on these medical terms) and having a scope put through his nose into his lungs. 

There are several risks involved in this procedure ---- going under antestesia, severe bleeding, and possible infection afterwards. Please pray for the doctor who will perform the procedure and pray that there are no complications. Pray for Jayden to have the strength for it as well. He's been through so much. They are giving him a blood transfusion tonight to boost his hemoglobin levels to reduce the risk of internal bleeding. 

Gerson and I will be driving down really early tomorrow morning to be in the hospital during the procedure. Pray for peace for us. 

Thank you.  We'll keep you posted. 

A Bit of Jayden's Journey

Thanks for following Jayden's journey. You've read what he's been through, but since Gerson was in Bolivia while most of this happened, I wasn't able to publish the photos. Now that he's back (Hooray!), I have access to our computer again. This foto was taken just a few days after Gerson left. Jayden was having breathing difficulties from aspirating some of his milk into his lungs. He had to "wear" this huge tubing for quite awhile. I hated seeing him like that, but I knew it was what he needed.
Jayden finally "graduated" to the nasal cannula. He still wasn't too happy about having something stuck into his nose!! He continues to be on the cannula is receiving from 25%-35% oxygen.  The doctor now thinks he is developing chronic lung disease.  Please pray that God will heal his lungs. He has had several scary "episodes" over the last few days that have involved a very dangerous drop in both heart rate and oxygen saturation. Please pray the doctors can figure out what is causing these and how to help him.
While Gerson was gone, Jayden also had to several blood transfusions. The nurses had had to take so many blood samples from him, they had a hard time finding a vein in which to put the IV for the transfusions. They ended up having to put the IV in his head. That was another hard thing for Mommy to see.
Jayden loves his pacifier!!! It calms him when he's upset,. He has his sucking reflex down!!
Jayden has also "graduated" to a "big boy" bed!! He is now officially out of the incubator and in a crib. He is maintaining his body temperature very well.  We are thankful for that! 
He is getting lots of loving from Mommy .  .  .
and Daddy!!! Daddy was glad to his little guy, and Jayden was thrilled to be back in Daddy's arms. When Gerson saw Jayden for the first time after he returned, he couldn't believe how much he had grown.  Last time we asked, which was several days ago, Jayden weighed 4 pounds 2 ounces!! That's another thing for which we are thankful. Please continue to pray for Jayden and his doctors and nurses. Each day is a new, and sometimes scary, adventure.

One Step Foward, Two Steps Back

It feels like each time Jayden has a great day, the next ones are difficult. Such is the case again this time. After having a wonderful day on Tuesday, he's had two difficult days. Instead of going into all the details, which I'm not even sure I could get exactly correct, I just will sum up by listing how he needs prayer. Basically, he's having lots of problems, and when he's treated for one, it causes other problems. As the doctor said, we're in a vicious cycle.

Please pray for the following:
1. God would give wisdom to the doctors and nurses as they test/treat Jayden.
2. God would touch Jayden's intestines and he would begin to be able to digest milk. Almost all, if not all, of his problems would be fixed if he could handle his feedings. It's IMPERATIVE that he begin to digest milk.
3. God would give Jayden strength. He has undergone so many procedures, shots, blood transfusions, IV's, etc., and he's a tuckered little guy.
4. God would protect Jayden from infections and further complications.
5. God would give Gerson and me peace as we WAIT and WATCH Jayden go through all of this. It's tough on Mommy and Daddy!

Baby Steps

Hi, again, Friends!

No, Jayden is not up and walking yet! However, he is taking baby steps of improvement with his health. I teasingly say that he's just been sad that Daddy has been gone, so he's been acting up. Now that Daddy is coming home tomorrow, Jayden is starting to behave again! What I DO know is that God is responding to the prayers of so many people and touching Jayden's body.

Yesterday was a good day. I actually held Jayden for about an hour in the morning and then for about 40 minutes in the afternoon. He was alert and expressive both times.

He is now off his antibiotic, and I wonder how much that had a negative effect on him. We also got his biopsy report back yesterday and it was negative! Praise the Lord! According to his blood tests, he has no infections. That's also wonderful news!

With all the good news is also the puzzling realization that the doctors have no answers for why our little guy is having so many problems. They are feeding him again using my milk, but they are doing it continuously so he gets little bits at a time rather than milk in "bulk." This seems to be working much better and as of yesterday he was digesting it very well. Pray that this will continue. We still don't know why he is having trouble with bowel movements. Please pray that he begins to have bowel movements on his own.

He is gaining weight, which is another huge praise. In addition, he's maintaining his body temperature well and yesterday moved to a "big boy" bed and was out of his incubator. I don't know whether he'll still be in his "big boy" bed today since he had to maintain his temperature all night long, but even if he had to return to the incubator, he's close to being out of it permanantly. That makes me smile! :)

Overall, he's doing much better and we are encouraged. Please conatinue to pray for him and the doctors/nurses as they care for and treat him.

Also, pray for Gerson as he travels home tomorrow (Thursday). He leaves Santa Cruz around 10:40 in the morning, goes through Miami (pray he has no complications with his visa and getting back into the States) and Charlotte, then arrives in Indy at midnight. We are anxious to be together again!!!

Announcing Graduate Gerson

I recieved a call from Gerson this afternoon and he had great news! His defense went super well and he graduated with "excelencia" -- which I think would translate to graduating with honors!!! He scored a 91 out of 100!!! We are rejoicing and praising the Lord for helping Gerson through the whole process. Thanks for your prayers on his behalf.

A Bit of Humor

As Jayden has had his ups and downs, the doctors and nurses have begun to affectionally call him a "stinker." If he begins to "act up," they tell me he's "being a stinker again." Yesterday I saw it in person!

I arrived at the hosptial late morning and waited until his noon check-up to hold him. Holding him is always the highlight of my day! The nurse got him out of the incubator and got him settled in my arms. He fussed a little bit, but quickly settled in for an hour-long nap in Mommy's arms. Before the hour was up, my nurse had to go to lunch, so she left me in the care of another nurse.

At 1:00 I called the other nurse over to us and explained to her that my hour was up and asked her to put Jayden back in the incubator. (Now, many of you may wonder why I don't just get him out and put him back. Someday soon I hope to, but he's connected to so many wires and has 2 IV sights --- one in his head --- and other wires to monitor his heart rate, breathing rate, oxygen stauration, etc., and I'm a little overwhlemed by all those wires and cables! I love holding him, but I don't like moving him and out of his incubator because of all those "things" he's connected to!!! The nurses have much more experience!!!)

Anyway, the nurse came over and settled him back in his bed. Normally, he fusses a little bit and then goes right back to sleep. However, yesterday he fussed and fussed and fussed! I had planned to stay until he settled down and then I was going to go get lunch. Little did I know that he wouldn't settle down!!! He continued to fuss and cry for the next 50 minutes. I kept putting my hand in the incubator and rubbing his little fingers. That often calms him down. Not this time! I spoke quietly to him, hoping my voice would comfort him. No such luck!

By the time his nurse got back from lunch, I was an emotional wreck! I KNEW this wasn't normal for him! What could be wrong!? The doctor had upped his feedings again to 5 ml, so I thought perhaps he had a tummy ache and was having trouble digesting the milk. I was beside myself because I didn't know how to help him!

When I saw his nurse had returned, I called her over and explained to her that he had been crying for almost an hour. She also said that wasn't normal and began to examine him. She checked his IV sites -- no problems there. She checked his stomach --- it wasn't distended or hard and he had digested 3 ml of the milk just fine. She checked his bowel sounds --- his intestines seemed to be working fine. She changed his diaper. She checked everything there was to check and declared him to be fine!

Hmmmm. I was puzzled. Why had he been crying for so long!?

Then the nurse turned him over and placed him in another position. Would you believe our son calmed down instantly and after looking up at us adoringly, went right to sleep???? That's when the nurse turned to me and said, "I've noticed that Jayden is super picky about how he lies in bed. He fusses when he doesn't like how we put him back!"

Yup. It's things like this that have brought on the name "little stinker" for our little guy! I was all worried, and all I would've needed to do was adjust him so he was more comfortable! Welcome to motherhood . . . Guess I have a lot to learn about my little guy, eh? I have a feeling this is only the beginning! Thankfully, instead of leaving the NICU crying, I left chuckling.

Ups and Downs

Good morning, Friends,

Each day is a new adventure!

On Thursday Jayden had his biopsy. The procedure went very well; however, that same day he had began breathing really hard and his oxygen saturation went down. The doctor took a lung X-ray, but that revealed no problems. The doctor also did some blood work on Jayden and those tests showed that his platlette (not sure how that is spelled) level was low and that he was still anemic. They took more samples from him to study the cultures to see if he had some sort of infection. In the meantime, they gave him another blood transfusion.

As of yesterday, the cultures showed nothing. We'll see today if anything has grown over the last 24 hours. His platlette level increased, but not as much as the doctor wanted, so Jayden received another blood transfusion yesterday. The blood transfusions are causing him to retain a lot of fluid in his little body, which may be the cause of his breathing difficulties. They are giving him diaretics to help him pass that liquid, and as of yesterday evening he had lost 3 ounces of fluids. He was breathing MUCH better after that.

He now weighs about 3 pounds and 5 ounces. Of course, it all depends on how much fluid he's retaining!! However, he is growing consistently. He is also now keeping down the milk. He's getting 6 cc's of milk every 3 hours!!! That's his personal best! He is having trouble having bowel movements, which is of some concern. At this point he's having some help moving things along! :) However, he needs to start doing that on his own!

Yesterday the nurse also informed me that he is maintaining his body temperature on his own! The incubator was set to the lowest temperature and he was still able to keep his temperature regulated!! That means he will soon be moving out of the incubator into what the nurses call a "big boy bed." I'm sooooo excited about that! Once he moves to that bed, I'll be able to hold him as much as I want because we won't have to worry about him getting cold. I'm looking foward to that a lot.

Thanks for your continued prayers. I'm learning that one day may be rough, but the next day may be smooth sailing. It's rough on the emotions, but the good days are like a breath of fresh air after the bad days.

Please pray for Gerson. This morning (at the time I'm typing this) he is in his pre-defense in Bolivia. As of last night, he was still trying to tie up loose ends concerning the equipment he needed for his power point presentation. He took our laptop, but he was missing a cable to make it work with the projector he has at his disposal. I don't know how it has all turned out, but am trusting that the Lord provided for him. Gerson sounded very tired last night and had spent HOURS walking around Santa Cruz looking for that missing cable, only to be unable to find it. He was pretty discouraged. So, do continue to pray for him. He has his final defense on Monday morning.

Thanks, again, for your prayers, emails, phone calls, words of encouragement, Scripture verses, and overall love and support. We can feel it! We love and appreciate all of you!

Biospsy Scheduled

As you've probably noticed, I don't write a new post every day. If you don't see a new post, it's usually because there's nothing new to report. When I get new information, I usually write to update you and tell you what I know.

Yesterday I was told that the surgeons weren't going to do the rectal biopsy on Jayden until he grew some more. The doctor decided to have have the nurses give Jayden my milk again and see what would happen. They started his feedings again yesterday afternoon and when I left, all was well.

This morning when I went in, the nurse informed me that the surgeons had decided to go ahead and schedule the biospy for tomorrow (Thursday) morning. Jayden had done a great job of keeping the milk down, but he wasn't having bowel movements.

Please pray for Jayden, Mommy, Daddy, and the doctors tomorrow morning as he has the rectal biopsy done. Basically, they will take tissue from his intestine to see if he has the nerves and muscles necessary to digest and push food through his digestive system. We won't get the results back for several days (possibly a week!).

I'm having a hard time knowing HOW to ask you to pray. If the biopsy shows he is missing nerves/muscles, he will likely have to have surgery but at least we will know what the problem is and the doctors should be able to fix it. However, having surgery always has risks and the recovery may take awhile. If the biopsy doesn't show any abnormalities, that would be good in that he wouldn't have to undergo surgery (at least at this point), but we would be back to square one as far as figuring out what the problem is with his digestive system. So, I'm a little befuddled as far as how I want all of this to turn out. I guess pray for widsom for the doctors, peace for Gerson and me as we wait, and that God will continue to heal Jayden's body -- either supernaturally or through the doctors.

Once again, thank you for praying. We sense the Lord's hand upholding us in these days.

The Journey Continues

Dear Friends,

The road sometimes feels so long. I guess that's where I'm at right now --- with what appears to be a long road stretched out before me. I know the end is out there, but it's so hard to see!

All my company is gone now. Today is the first day since Jayden's birth that I've been all by myself. Jamie left early this morning, and even Trent and Liz traveled this weekend. So, it's been weird to have no one around.

I went to the hospital around mid-morning. I took a book to read and stayed there until 4:00 PM. The nurse allowed me to hold Jayden for a whole hour today! He held my hand for that entire hour. He has quite the vice-like grip! I sang to him and prayed for him as I sat there with him in my arms. I also cried. It was so hard to see him hooked up to so many tubes and wires.

The doctor told me today that they will be doing a biopsy on his intestine (I think the large intestine) sometime this week. They are looking for the reason why he's having such a hard time digesting my milk. It will take 4-5 days to get the results of the biopsy, so we'll just have to wait in the meantime. He's currently not feeding on my milk; rather, he's back to the IV for his nutrients. Even though he's been on mostly IV nutrients, he contines to grow. He's up to 3 pounds 3 ounces!

On another good note, his chest X-ray this morning came back clearer than yesterday's X-ray. This means he's responding to the antibiotic. He was also the fiesty Jayden we are used to. He was pulling on his tubes, crying when he was mad, and not wanting to cooperate at all when the nurse was doing something to him!! It was good to see his fighting spirit was back.

Tomorrow he may get his tubes off for the air that he is on. Today he was bloated and retaining a lot of fluid, probably due to the humid, hot air that he is breathing through the tubes. His breathing was better today, and his loud cries assured us that his lungs are back on their way to being VERY healthy, so the doc is hopeful that tomorrow at some point he'll be breathing on his own again without all those bulky tubes.

The doctor also told me we could have a longer road ahead of us than what was expected due to these setbacks --- mostly this problem with his digestive system. I was not encouraged by that, but I also know that he's in a place where he is getting excellent care.

Pray for strength for me as I make decisions without Gerson beside me. Pray for Gerson as he is far away and wishes he could be here with us (also be praying for his thesis defense on the 8th). Pray for Jayden as continues to fight off infection. And pray for the doctors as they look for what is causing the digestive problem and decide on treatment. Thanks.

Minor Setback

Today was a tough day for Jayden (and Mommy!) in the NICU. Jamie, Aunt Betsy and I arrived late in the morning to visit him. As soon as I saw my favorite nurse's face, I knew something wasn't right. Sure enough, she told me that Jayden had had an "episode." His oxygen saturation was down and his heartbeat was very rapid. She was on her way to talk to the doctor.

As she walked away to get the doctor, I washed my hands, stuck them in his incubator, and put my index finger in his little hand. He wrapped his tiny fingers around my large one and held on in quite a tight grip for such a little one. He continued to hold on and look up at me until the nurse reappeared and needed to get into the incubator again. I had to step away.

The doctor came over and checked on Jadyen --- took his heartbeat manually and listened to his lungs. Then he told me that he was ordering a chest X-Ray and a blood test to check his white blood cell count. By this time I was in tears, so I decided I wanted to leave and not watch all the tests being done on his little body. I asked the nurse to call me on my cell phone when they were all done.

We left for about half an hour, then returned to the hospital after the nurse called. By that time there were four nurses working over him. I'm not sure what all of their roles were, but two of them were hooking him up to tubes to help him breathe easier. He's still on room air, but the tubes make it easier for his lungs and allow him to get the oxygen saturation he needs.

In addition, the lung X-rays showed shadows and the doctor feared an infection was setting in. He told me he was issuing antibiotics for Jayden. He also said that Jayden is anemic and they needed to give him a blood transfusion. So, I had to sign a consent form so they could get that done. After all that, we left again and let the nurses and doctor continue to work.

We ate lunch and then Jamie and I took my aunt to the airport. On the way back, we dropped by the hospital once again. This time I went up by myself and the nurse greeted me with a smile. She said, "He's doing better!" He was receiving the blood transfusion, and she told me that he was getting back to his fiesty self again. In fact, he had pulled out the tubing giving him the blood transfusion!! That's the Jayden we know!!! Although it wasn't good that he pulled it out, it showed the fight that we have seen so often in him and the fiestiness that everyone has admired.

The hardest thing about facing all of this today was that Gerson wasn't beside me. We've been so blessed with good news up to this point, it was hard to receive bad news so quickly after Gerson left. On the other hand, Gerson did call from Bolivia and he arrived safely, although his luggage didn't arrive with him! (Welcome to the life of a missionary! hahahaha!)

The other exciting news from Gerson is that the soccer team won the championship game today!!! The game is the reason Gerson wanted to be in Bolivia by today even though is defense isn't until the 8th of December. We are rejoicing that that the boys won. They will move up to the next league and they will move up as the champions! We are praising the Lord for the growth we've seen in these boys --- both spiritually and academically.

Thanks for your continued prayers for us. It's been a long road, and we're not at the end of it yet. I don't know where we'd be without the prayers of so many people. We love and appreciate each of you.

Daddy and Son Bonding

We've had a great Thanksgiving. My sister is here visiting and my Aunt Betsy took us out to eat for lunch. Then we headed to the hospital to visit Jayden. Daddy held him for LONG time today since he is leaving for Bolivia tomorrow.

He kissed our son, prayed for him, and loved on him. We talked about how much Jayden will grow in the next two weeks while Gerson is gone. Both Jayden and I are going to miss him. I plan to spend my days at the hospital during those two weeks. If anyone wants to come visit, I'd love having visitors during the next two weeks. I'm afraid it's going to be awfully quiet around here with Gerson gone and my Aunt Betsy leaving on Sunday. So, I'll be all alone. Drop in if you're in the neighborhood!
We received fabulous news from the doctor today. Jayden is growing each day ---- and up until today he's just been being fed by IV. (As you can see, he's still small enough to fit in the crook of Gerson's arm.) Today they started Jayden on my milk and he tolerated it so well they upped his "dosage." He's getting 4 ml (not quite a tablespoon) every 3 hours. In addition, although he is still in the incubator most of the time (except when we're holding him), he is one step closer to regulating his own body temperature. Before today, the incubator was regulated to adjust the temperature inside to his body temperature. If his temperature dropped, the incubator would heat up to help his body temperature rise. However, now the incubator, although still warm inside, maintains a steady temperature so that Jayden has to maintain his body temperature on his own. This is great news!! As the nurse said, it's preparing him for a "big boy bed" -- a crib. We were excited by all of the good news and thanking the Lord for continuing to answer prayer. 

Please pray for Gerson tomorrow (Friday) as he travels to Bolivia. In the next few days he will be studying hard to prepare for his final defense. His defense date is December 8th. Pray for me as I'm very emotional now and I've already cried a lot at the thought of his leaving. However, we both know he needs to go and finish his studies. We keep reminding ourselves of how faithful God has been and trust He will continue to uphold us in the days to come. We also realize that the last time we were separated was a LOT longer than what we will face this time. However, we would appreciate your continued prayers. 

By the way, Gerson is taking our laptop with him so he can use it for his thesis presentation. Because of that, I may not have a way to put pictures up for the two weeks he's gone. However, I will still be able to write updates to keep you all posted on Jayden's progress and Gerson's trip. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

A few days ago when I was walking out of the NICU, I saw on one of the whiteboards where a nurse (who, by the way, is one of my favorites!) had written, "Every day is a day of thanksgiving!" AMEN.

Each day we have much for which to be thankful. Today is the day when we FOCUS on just how thankful we are.  

I certainly am VERY thankful this year for all God has done in my life and in the life of Gerson and Jayden. We are still in the midst of trials and many days are tiring  and emotionally draining for us. However, I am so happy to be alive, have my husband by my side (until tomorrow when he returns to Bolivia --- but he has a visa to come back in 2 weeks!), and have a baby who survived a difficult pregnancy and delivery! God is truly a God who is the Giver of LIFE and Doer of miracles. For that I am thankful.

How is Jayden doing?  Once again, we can only give thanks to the Doctor of all doctors. Jayden's testing on his digestive system once again surprised the doctors. Everything came out okay for now, although the doctors plan to continue to keep a close eye on him to see if anything develops further down the road. However, yesterday they were going to try to give him my milk again! Now we are praying that his digestive system kicks in and can digest my milk. 

I was so encouraged the other day when the nurse who cares for Jayden the most told me that she thinks it's quite possible Jayden will be able to go home for Christmas. In her words, "We just need to get his digestive system working!" He's already showed incredible growth with just the IV that has been giving him his nutrients. We can't imagine how he'll begin growing once he begins to digest my milk! He just continues to surprise us with his strength and will-power. We praise the Lord for His goodness.

I hope you, too, can find many things for which to be thankful! Have a great day of celebrating God's goodness in YOUR life! 

Prayer for Jayden

Dear Praying Friends,

Tomorrow morning Jayden has an upper GI procedure to check his digestive system. As I mentioned before, he had trouble digesting my milk. The doctors aren't sure whether there is something wrong with his digestive system or whether his system just needs to develop a little more. 

The doctor explained to us that if his test tomorrow shows something questionable, the surgeons will want to do a biopsy to see if he is missing some necessary nerves. We don't know what that all means at this point. Tomorrow we will talk to the doctor about the results and go from there.

Please continue to pray for Jayden. We are praying and hoping that his digestive system just needs to mature a little bit more. We are hoping he won't need to have the biopsy or surgery. 

On the other hand, Jayden has gained 6 ounces in the last week!! This is truly amazing considering the only "food" he is getting is through an IV. He continues to surprise everyone with his strength and alertness. The only thing he is having trouble with is his digestive system. Pray with us that God will touch his little body and give the doctors wisdom as they continue to treat him. 

Gerson and I need prayer as well as Gerson will be leaving soon for Bolivia and we still have questions about Jayden's health. God's grace is sufficient; we know that and have experienced that, but we are emotionally and physically weary. So, we would appreciate your continued prayers. We'll let you know more after we talk with the doctor tomorrow.

jayden's Progress

Hello, Friends.

It's been a quiet week, but at the same time a busy week. Aunt Hazel left on Saturday and Aunt Betsy arrived to stay with us and drive us around since I can't drive for several weeks due to my medication, and although Gerson is "legal" to drive with his international driver's license, he doesn't know all the rules of the road quite yet. So, it's been wonderful to have my aunts here to drive us around, fix us meals, and spend time with us. It's been especially fun for me to become reacquainted with them after living in Bolivia so long!!

We have made many trips back and forth from the hospital. Jayden continues to capture the hearts of all who see him. I thought I was biased because I am his mother, but every nurse who cares for him says the same thing ---- they have fallen in love with "the little guy." 

We have been able to hold him --- either swaddled up well to maintain his body temperature, or what is called "kangarooing" which is where we hold him skin to skin against our chest. He LOVES being held by Mommy and Daddy. In fact, when I held him today I told the nurse if he was a kitten he'd be purring! He even tried to "talk" to us today ---- of course, it was just adorable although it will be awhile before he says "Mama" or "Dada"!

We ask for you to continue to pray for Jayden. He is still undergoing testing on his digestive system. He had trouble digesting my milk and they aren't sure whether it is because his intestines are very immature or if it might be because of another problem. The doctors are thorough and want to make sure they don't miss anything, and we are thankful for that. However, we continue to pray that his system just needs to develop a bit more and that no procedures will be needed.

I continue to heal from the C-section but am feeling better every day. I am on blood pressure medicine and it has helped to lower my blood pressure significantly. I go to the doctor for a BP check tomorrow and I'm hoping he'll lower my dosage. 

Gerson is planning to return to Bolivia next weekend sometime. I am having a hard time "letting him go." The good news is he hopes to be back quickly. Pray for him as he prepares for his thesis defense. He's been studying and preparing! Pray for safety for him as he travels and that he will have some very special times with his family before he has to tell them goodbye. 

We appreciate all the prayers, cards, comments, phone calls, and visits. Thanks for all your love in these days. We feel the support of the Body of Christ like never before. We praise the Lord for all the answered prayers we've seen in these months. As we approach Thanksgiving, my list of blessings continues to increase as I think how good and faithful God is. We continue to trust our Jayden and his health and progress to Him. We are praying Jayden will be home by Christmas! What a beautiful Christmas gift that would be! 

7 Days Old

This is a picture of Jayden taken several days ago. He is now a week old!!!! I just wanted to update everyone on Jayden's progress. Yesterday when we got to the hospital, they were putting a PICC Line (I think that's how you spell it) into Jayden. That means they were taking the belly button IV out and putting in a longer-term IV they can use for any medication that may be needed down the road as well as for his nutrition. The nurses told us the procedure would take at least half an hour if not an hour.

We left to get Aunt Hazel lunch since she hadn't eaten. (She flew in to be with us for a week and help us.) When we arrived back at the hospital an hour later, they were still working on little Jayden. They had tried 2 times to put the line in his arm, but neither worked. So, they ended up putting the line in his left foot. The nurse said he was trooper through it all and hardly cried. 

In addition to getting his PICC line, he is also now getting fed with my milk. He's only had about 4 cc's, but it is a start! Hopefully he'll start gaining weight soon. His jaundice has also cleared up so he is no longer under the lights. All in all, everyone is thrilled with his progress and every time we see him, we get good news.

Thanks for praying for Jayden. We are all amazed by what a fighter he is. We know the Lord is answering the prayers of His people. I go back to the doctor today. Continue to pray for me as well as I continue to recover. We love you all.

BUENAS NOTICIAS

EL ES JOSUE, MI SOBRINO, ES HIJO DEL HERMANO DE BETSY, ES MUY PRECIOSO Y MUY INTELIGENTE, EL TIENE 18 MESES.
LAS HUELLAS QUE VEN EN EL PIE DEL OSITO SON LAS DE MI HIJO JAYDEN, DESPUES DE NACIDO LO PUSIERON COMO ESTAMPA PARA SU RECUERDO, SON UNOS PIES PERFECTOS  Y GOLEADORES IGUAL QUE DE SU PADRE GERSON Y SU ABUELO FERMIN Y SU TIA SILVANA JEJEJE
ELLOS SON MIS MEJORES AMIGOS Y TAMBIEN MIS SOBRINOS POR PARTE DE MI ESPOSA, SON UNOS GRINGOS LOCOS, ELLA SE LLAMA KRISTEN Y SU HERMANO JOSHUA, ESTE DIA FUE HOLLOWEN Y FUERON A BUSCAR DULCES, ELLA COMO PRINCESA Y EL OTRO COMO UN VAQUERO. Y YO COMO UNA CALABAZA JEJEJE

HOLA A TODOS QUE DIOS LES BENDIGA MUCHO EN ESTE DIA, ESTOY MUY CONTENTO POR ESTE DIA POR ES EL DIA QUE HIZO EL SENOR, Y SOBRE TODO POR QUE MI ESPOSA Y BEBE JAYDEN ESTA MEJORANDO CADA DIA, SEGUIMOS CONFIANDO EN EL JESUCRISTO Y AGRADECIDO POR LO QUE EL ESTA HACIENDO EN NOSOTROS, ESPERO QUE DISFRUTEN LAS FOTOS DE NUESTRO PRIMER HIJO. LO AMO CON TODO MI CORAZON, EN ESTA FOTO LO ESTOY SOSTENIENDO EN MIS BRAZOS, ES LO MEJOR QUE ME HA PODIDO PASAR EN MI VIDA, EXPERIMENTAR EL CALOR DE MI HIJO. TE AMO JAYDEN ADRIEL TEJEDA. QUE DIOS TE FORTALEZCA Y TE DE SALUD Y CRECIMIENTO FISICO EN ESTE DIA. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH

Up Close and Personal with Jayden

This has been a special week in so many ways --- so many firsts. Each time we see Jayden we are surprised by how small, yet how fiesty, he is.  This photo was taken when Daddy was holding his son for the first time. He could have easily held Jayden in one hand. Look at how little Jayden is compared to his Daddy's fist. By the way, Jayden was super happy in his Daddy's arms. He was super calm and content and kept looking up at Daddy and me. Most of the time he opened BOTH eyes, but when I snapped this picture, he was just peeking out of one eye.
We've had lots of company and will probably blog specifically about all our company at a later date. However, my brother Andy was with us when sis Jamie snapped this picture on our camera. As you can see, it was Mommy's turn to hold Jayden. He was calm for me too! He's such a little, but precious bundle! 
The nurse who was in charge of Jayden yesterday told us we should choose an object to put inside the incubator with Jayden every so many days. That way we can compare the object with his growth. Or course, Daddy choose a tiny soccer ball (of course, next to Jayden the soccer ball looks HUGE) to put in with him. We placed his kicking foot (the left one is the one he often kicks) on the soccer ball and he started to cry. Do you think he already feels the pressure to be a soccer player??? We hope this is not sign of his like/dislike for his father's favorite sport! :)
Doctor Daddy. Gerson is always questioning the nurses and doctors. On one visit the nurse was using the stethescope to check on Jayden. Gerson asked if he could do his own little check-up. The kind nurse humored him and allowed him to use the stethescope to check on our little guy. Gerson declared him to be in good health! By the way, the care we have received -- both for me and the baby --- has been EXCEPTIONAL. The doctors and nurses have been incredible in every sense of the word. We are so blessed to have doctors and nurses who love our little baby and who are taking great care of him. We get a phone call ever day with updates on him. We also can visit with him 22 hours a day. We are truly blessed.
This is our home away from home --- or Jayden's home in the NICU. We are allowed to decorate his space however we want. As you can see, we put up his Bolivia T-shirts we bought for him before we left Bolivia. It'll be awhile before he'll be able to wear them! We also hung up several favorite soccer shirts and gifts from both sets of grandparents. Daddy went out and bought some sports things. In the left corner you can see a canister of 3 balls -- soccer, football, and baseball. That is the small soccer ball that Jayden was "kicking" in the other photo. That gives you an idea of his size! Also, there is a whiteboard where we have his name displayed proudly. We are proud of his "living" space. It makes it more homey and we will be spending many hours in that little space. Feel free to come and visit!!!! We'd all enjoy seeing you.

Keep praying for our little son. He's a fighter and the nurses and doctors are surprised by his strength. He's still not receiving any of my milk because the doctors are being cautious with him. His digestive system is still not where it should be but they are hoping it will be ready for milk within the next 24 hours. Please pray he can receive milk soon as he continues to lose weight. Thanks for praying for him and for us during these days. We'll continue to post pictures and give you updates. We appreciate you all.

Homecoming

Hello! This is Jamie again. Betsy came home from the hospital today and we're playing a game of Settlers (all of us siblings). Grandma and Grandpa are enjoying Joshua. We just took a supper break, so I thought I'd write a little update while I wait for everyone to gather for our game conclusion.

Betsy's blood pressure continues to be higher than normal so she's on medication for that. Her Dr. said it will probably be 6 weeks before we see it lower. She's very tired and experiencing some pain (who wouldn't?) but is glad to be home. 

Jayden is doing well. He got one of his billiruben lights off today. He's been on IV fluids thus far and they hope to start feeding him something of more substance tomorrow through a feeding tube. He's simply precious!

There's been a change in plans for Gerson. He was notified that they changed the date for him to defend his thesis from November 25 to December 8. So, he'll be sticking around a little longer before heading to Bolivia. Aunt Hazel and Aunt Betsy still plan to come and help Betsy over the next couple of weeks....for which we are all thankful. Betsy is still in need of some tender loving care.

Looks like it's time to get back to the game. Stayed tuned...I'm sure there will be more news (and pictures) soon.

Jayden's Birthday

Hello faithful blog readers! This is Jamie – Betsy’s little sis and personal administrative assistant among other things. I know you’ve all been waiting on your tip toes to hear of any news from Betsy, so I decided to write an update for you while Betsy continues to recover.

First, you should know I tried to post on Monday evening letting you know that Betsy was going to be induced. But for whatever reason, I lost everything I had written even though I had hit the publish button. The hospital WiFi is a little fickle apparently. Hence the surprise posting below!

They decided to start the process of inducing Betsy on Monday night because her health was continuing to become more fragile. The Dr. was concerned more for her health and knew Jayden would be fine if he was born at any point. I drove down and picked up my cousin Amy on the way Monday afternoon. Amy has had two high risk pregnancies and was willing to stand in the gap while my Mom and Dad were in route. Having never had a baby…I was so glad Amy was there to give Betsy helpful tips and coach her through the process.

Mom and Dad’s flight was supposed to arrive at 8:40 p.m. but their plane got delayed due to engine complications. Wouldn’t you know it? Doesn’t the plane know a baby’s being born! Come on! They quickly figured out a way to reroute their journey in time to arrive by midnight. Our cousin Tim picked them up and they got to the hospital around 1 a.m. Betsy was so happy to see them as were the rest of us.

Gerson is such a wonderful husband to Betsy. We watched him sit next to Betsy, hold her hand, and smooch her every now and then. It was evident he was absolutely exhausted, but he was determined to be in this for the long haul. Betsy’s blood pressure spiked up too high around 11 p.m. so they gave her an epidural at that point…hoping it would help her blood pressure to go down some. It did along with the help of some other medication. We were grateful for that because we didn’t want to have to make any big decisions before Mom and Dad arrived.

Early in the evening Betsy started having contractions. Amy and I started to quote The Princess Bride and Betsy soon joined in. Whenever she was talking she didn’t feel the pain of the contraction. So, we got into a rhythm of asking her questions to get her to talk for a while. It was a good focus point for her.

The night was long and hard on Betsy. Gerson and Mom stayed with her while Amy, my Dad, and I went back to Liz’s house to get a few hours of sleep. We were back at the hospital on Tuesday morning and Betsy looked tired and ready to be done with this whole labor process. They let her continue though until about 1 p.m. when they decided her body wasn’t cooperating to have a natural birth and it was time for them to have a birthday party via c-section. Gerson went in with Betsy during the whole c-section process and held her hand.

So at 2:03 p.m. Jayden Adriel Tejeda was born. Jayden means God has heard and Adriel means a member of God’s flock. Very appropriate for all that this little one has been through. He’s actually 2 lb 6 oz. I had been misinformed previously. He is 14 inches long and his lungs are very strong. They had to put a breathing tube in his chest because the medicine Betsy was on affected his breathing. As soon as the effects of that medicine wore off though they removed the tube and then gave him oxygen through his nostrils. Today, he’s completely off oxygen and is doing well. The Dr. doesn’t think the calcification in Jayden’s liver is anything to be concerned about at this time. They are keeping a close watch on it but don’t anticipate any complications from it. So, we’re praising the Lord for that!

Betsy said he’s a little fighter. Yesterday he kept sticking his foot out from under the blanket and kept trying to remove the blind fold he had on since they put him under a bilirubin light for jondus. The light should be taken off in a couple of days.

Betsy is still in the hospital and hopes to be released on Saturday. She’s doing well considering all she’s gone through. Yesterday and last night were hard, but today was a better day. In fact, she got to hold Jayden for the first time today! She was a very happy Mama, and the nurse said Jayden was the happiest he’d been all day when he was in his Mama’s arms.

In other news, Gerson is headed back to Bolivia this Monday, November 17 and will be there until December 3. He has to return so he can defend his thesis on November 25th and also so he can finish packing up their house. Please pray for him specifically on the 25th and leading up to it as his thesis defense is the last requirement he needs to fulfill before he can graduate. He has been functioning on little sleep of late, so your prayers for him to have clarity of mind, rest leading up to the defense, and the ability to present his thesis well are invited and welcome!

In light of Gerson being gone, we have arranged for Aunt Hazel to be with and care for Betsy next week. Aunt Betsy will be flying in right after Aunt Hazel leaves to care for Betsy during Thanksgiving week. I will also be with both Betsy and Aunt Betsy over Thanksgiving. We’ll probably find a restaurant on Thanksgiving Day and let them do the cooking and the dishes. While I enjoy cooking, especially for the holidays, I think I’ll be completely fine with letting a restaurant have the honors this year.

This weekend we’re going to have a Bennett Family reunion. Everyone will be here except for Peter (we’ll miss you Pete!). Andy, Elissa, and Joshua are driving down from Wisconsin with Elissa’s parents. Mom and Dad will be there already, and I’m heading down after work tomorrow. It will be so nice to have us all together. Mom and Dad head back to Florida on Monday, but it won’t be long before we’re all back together again since we plan to have Christmas in Indiana. We’re praying Betsy and Gerson will get to bring Jayden home for Christmas.

That’s all the news for now. I’ll do my best to keep you posted if Betsy is not able. Hopefully she’ll be feeling up to blogging again soon. Please know we all appreciate your support and prayers.

He's Arrived!

We're praising the Lord for a safe delivery. Both Mommy and baby are doing well. It was a difficult night for Betsy so they decided to take the baby via c-section. Jayden Adriel Tejeda arrived at 2:03 p.m. and weighed 2 lbs 2 ounces. Betsy's blood pressure is doing much better and everyone here is very relieved. Many thanks for all your prayers. I'm sure Betsy will keep you posted when she's feeling up to it (this is Jamie) but we wanted to let you know the good news. Happy Brithday Jayden!

Bedrest Again

This afternoon I find myself back in the hospital once again. The doctor called with my protein results --- my level has increased to 2608 from about 1600 a few days ago. We decided we would all feel better if I were in the hospital to get round-the-clock care and monitoring. They repeated all my lab work to see if my organs are being affected by the pre-eclampsia, and thankfully, everything looks good at this point. So, we're in a holding pattern with the baby and me being monitored and me on bedrest.

Gerson is here with me and will be able to spend the night here with me when he wants. I will probably be in the hospital until the baby is born, which the goal is to make it 7 more days at the least.

Thanks for all your prayers and words of encouragement. Please keep praying. As we know more, we will share it with you. 

Tears and Blessings

Yesterday was a day of tears.

The doctor came into the hospital room and told me that according to my protein test, I have entered pre-eclampsia. When a woman has a protein level of 300, she has entered mild pre-eclampsia. When she reaches a protein level of 5000, it considered servere pre-eclampsia and normally labor is induced. My test a few weeks ago came back with my protein level being 180, which relieved us greatly. However, yesterday my protein level was 1600. As you can see, that's quite a jump in a short amount of time.

Where does that leave us?  Today I am doing another 24 hour protein test. The doctor wants to see if my protein level is increasing rapidly or gradually. It the test shows significant increase in proteins, he will re-admit me to the hospital tomorrow. It my protein level has not increased, I will be allowed to come back to Liz's house here in Indy until my doctor's appointment early next week. He will probably do another 24 hour protein test on me at the time and we'll take it from there.

The doctor's goal at this time is to not have to induce labor for another week at least. He is afraid I am quickly advancing toward having to induce labor. I am currently at 31 weeks and his goal is to get me to 32 weeks. Of course, it would be better if we can wait even longer, but if we got to 32 weeks before having to induce, the risks decline significantly. 

I have been in tears as Gerson and I have had to process all this. Having a premature baby isn't what any parent desires. It means long weeks in the neo-natal intensive care and a lot of unknowns as we face the days ahead. I'm pretty much an emotional wreck as I think through it all. Thankfully, Gerson is here by my side and he's been super supportive and we've been able to make decisions together. That has been a huge blessing. In addition, we're getting the best care offered in Indiana for high-risk pregnancy and premature babies. We are thankful for our doctor and his advice and care. We are also thankful that Trent and Liz have once again opened their home to us for however long we need it.

I am reminded, "in all things, give thanks." Although we face uncertain days ahead, we have many blessing for which to be thankful. In addition to what I've mentioned above, we also give thanks to God for each of YOU who are praying for us. We continue to feel God's presence with us and we know He is hearing the prayers of his people. Thank you for helping to carry us through this hard time. We've seen His awesome hand work to get me here, provide a doctor for me and a place for me to live. We have also seen how God brought Gerson here miraculously. We know He's not about to abandon us now.

We're standing on the Rock. Thanks for your continued prayers. We'll keep you posted.

Back to the Hospital

Well, folks, I wish I had better news to share with you. I went to the doctor today and my blood pressure was 160/112 and I've been swollen like a whale. The doctor was concerned and admitted me to the hospital. They are monitoring my blood pressure, running all my lab work again, and giving me steroids for the baby's development in case of a needed early delivery. 

The good news is that Gerson is with me! I can tell you being in the hospital is not terribly exciting, but at least we have this new laptop on which Gerson can keep occupied as he sits by my bed. Please pray for us as we wait for the doctor to get the test results back. Pray that we all have wisdom as we make decisions. Thanks!

Stay tuned . . .

Moving North

A week ago Gerson and I were reunited. . . then there was the great SILENCE on our blog! Many of you (at least you, Keetha) let us have time to be reunited and probably thought that was the reason I hadn't updated my blog. Although we have enjoyed being together, we haven't purposely NOT updated the blog. Rather, we have been super busy moving!

On Wednesday we drove to Marion, Indiana, and stayed with my cousin Amy and her family. Amy has dial-up internet, so I didn't get online very much at all. Hence I got behind on both email and blogging. The good news is that we did begin moving into our little home on the Pioneer Faith Community Church property. My sis came down on Friday after work from Fort Wayne and she did a lot of organizing and cleaning. On Saturday we had a small group of of hard-working people help us move our furniture from storage to our home. (Thanks especially to Lisa and Dan for the pickup, trailer, and hard work!) By Saturday afternoon, we were moved in and ready to spend the night in our "new" house. 

We have so many people to thank --- everyone (you know who you are) has been so helpful and giving. THANK YOU! 

Today (Monday) we traveled back to Indianapolis because tomorrow I have my next doctor's appointment. We will head back north, the Lord willing, tomorrow or Wednesday morning. Now that we are "settled" we will be able to see some of you who are in the area --- like YOU, Keetha! :) So, be on the lookout! We're anxious to see you.

Keep praying for us. Gerson is still adjusting and he has to return to Bolivia in 2 weeks for the defense of his thesis for graduation from the university. He has to study hard in the next few weeks, and in the midst of it all, he's in culture shock! So, keep praying for him.

I will update the blog again if there is anything new from the doctor tomorrow. Continue to pray that the baby will grow, grow, grow. 

Thanks, again!! We appreciate all of you! 

Reunited!!!!

At 7:30 last night, Gerson and I were reunited in Indy Airport!!!!! Of course, this was AFTER Liz and I waited at the wrong gate for him. We didn't see his flight on the information board, and that should have been our first clue. Of course, I got all worried that something was wrong, but Liz, logical that she is, decided to go ask about the flight at the US Air ticket counter. Smart gal. She came rushing back and told me we were on the wrong side of the airport and needed to go to terminal D.

So, off we went, hurrying as fast as we could. How bad would it be if I weren't there to greet Gerson as he walked through his gate? I didn't want to imagine that, so by the time we got to D, I was pretty winded. Thankfully, we made it (by just a few minutes) in time to see my handsome husband coming walking in!!! It was a beautiful reunion!!! We hadn't seen each other for 6 weeks and 2 days! (I don't recommend that to any of you married couples!)

The irony --- Gerson made it through Miami and Charlotte airports by himself without getting lost. What did his wife do? She "got lost" in Indy Airport trying to pick him up! I have to chuckle at myself sometimes. Could it be pregnancy brain?

Today we went to my OB doctor together, and it was wonderful to finally have him by my side as we discussed Baby Tejeda. We had a good appointment overall. The doctor was supportive of us not wanting to do an amno unless further in the pregnancy other things come up. He did tell us that he would be really excited if the baby made it to 37 weeks before being born. Having said that, I guess this Christmas may be Baby's first Christmas after all!

Gerson and I cannot begin to tell you how much your support and prayers have meant to us through the last 6-7 weeks. We have felt upheld by the Lord and by His people. We will continue to give you updates on the blog as regularly as possible --- especially concerning the baby. Keep tuning in to see how God contines to work in our lives through YOUR prayers!

Gerson in Miami!

This morning at 9:00 or so I received a call from my hubby! He was calling from his gate in Miami. Now, you need to understand that he was a nervous wreck about going through immigtation and customs, as well as finding the ticket counter to get his boarding passes. He was overwhelmed with it all! I kept telling him he was an intelligent man and would be able to figure it out, and lo and behold, he did!

He has already bought his first Starbucks coffee and was contemplating buying another one. (I'm the one who hooked him on Starbucks. I may regret that before too long!) He's tired, but in very good spirits. He leaves Miami at 1:00 and will fly through Charlotte, NC. Then he'll fly to Indy and should be here by 7:30.

So, in about 10 hours we'll be together again. But, then, who's counting????? :)

GOD IS BIG!!!!!!

Our prayers have been answered!!! Gerson has been granted a visa and will be here on MONDAY night!

Thanks for praying. Pray for traveling safety and that he makes all his connections. GOD IS BIG!

2nd Ultrasound Update

Yesterday I had my second ultrasound in the States. My cousin Amy traveled to be with me, and my friend Liz also joined us. It's great to have so many people who are willing to come and be with me and support me during this time!

To sum up, the three of us came away from the ultrasound encouraged. The doctor said the baby had normal growth for the last 3 week period, which is a HUGE praise! That's one of the things I asked you to pray specifically for!!! God answered! According to the ultrasound, the baby weighs 1 lb. 11 oz.

There is still confusion about why the baby is so small. It's still about 4 weeks behind what the due date says it should be. However, having said that, according to the ultrasound there are no obvious deformities, defects, or problems. The baby is just small and there is still calcification in the liver. Both of those things might mean NOTHING, but they sometimes do point to genetic disorders. Usually, however, if there are genetic disorders, other things tend to show up on the ultrsound, which hasn't happened.

The ultrasound doctor did give me the option of having an amno done to rule out genetic disorders. Because Gerson is not here yet and we need to talk about it, I told the doctor that at this point we aren't interested in getting the testing done. We want to wait until my next ultrasound in 3 weeks to see if the baby continues to grow normally. PLEASE continue to pray for our baby --- that he continues to grow normally.

I go back to my OB doctor on Tuesday to "debrief" with him about the ultrasound. I'm praying Gerson will be here for that appointment! Gerson has his interview today and if he gets his visa in hand today, he will (the Lord willing) arrive Monday night in order to go to the doctor with me on Tuesday. PLEASE PRAY for that!!!

What do the next few months look like for us? As soon as Gerson gets here, we plan to begin moving into "our" cottage in Marion, Indiana. (Thanks to our church family who has been painting, cleaning, and getting it all spiffed up for us!) Gerson will have to return to Bolivia in about 3 weeks for a few days to defend his thesis to get his college diploma. I would like to be settled into our home by the time he returns to Bolivia.

In addition, my OB doctor wants to keep close tabs on me since my blood pressures continues to soar. I will meet with him once a week to continue to screen me for pre-eclampsia. I will also continue to have ultrasounds every three weeks to keep tabs on the baby's growth. So, we will be making many trips back and forth between Marion and Indy until the baby comes.

Continue to pray for us as we face our future here in the States. We will also be starting Homeland Ministry Assignment with WGM, sharing what God has done and is doing in Bolivia, as well as speaking about where God is leading us. We will have to take it easy until the baby is born, but I need to do a lot of paperwork and begin scheduling meetings. So, pray that as we face this next step together, the Lord will continue to give us strength and wisdom.

We can't thank you enough for all your prayers, words of encouragement, and love during these days. We appreciate each of you!!!!! We love you and area looking forward to seeing you in person soon. Many of you haven't even met Gerson. Can't wait to introduce you!

Change of Plans

Yesterday Gerson got a surprise phone call from the embassy in La Paz, Bolivia. The woman who called him told him that someone from the States had called the embassy and had explained my health situation to them. (I'm assuming that someone was from Senator Lugar's office, as they have been very helpful to us us during this whole process!) Due to my health, the embassy was willing to change Gerson's interview date to an earlier date!!!!

As I am writing this, Gerson is flying to La Paz. Today he will see a doctor who is approved by the embassy to get his physical done. He has had all the tests done and has the results with him. He just needs this doctor to write a letter giving him a clean bill of health. He should have that letter in hand by tomorrow.

Then, on Friday at 1:30 Gerson has his interview. Our contact at the embassy told him the earliest he will have his visa in hand is that same afternoon -- the latest would be on Monday. This means Gerson, the Lord willing, will be with me early-mid next week!!!! I'm one happy woman!

We have seen the Lord move mountians, and we thank you for being a part of it through your prayers. Continue to pray for Gerson as this was sudden and he was a bit overwhelmed by the quickness of it all. Pray that the details continue to fall into place and that his visa is granted with no problems.

In addition, yesterday Gerson was also told that he will need to return to Bolivia in 3 weeks to defend his thesis for his bachelor's degree from the university. The embassy has assured us that it will not be a problem for him to return for a few days to tie up that loose end. We stand amazed at how the details have come together. God's fingrerprints are all over it!

I am still struggling with high blood pressure, but the baby continues to be active and other than high blood pressure I am feeling well. I have my ultrasound tomorrow, so continue to be in prayer for that appointment. My cousin, Amy, will be going with me so I won't have to face it alone.

I love hearing from you, so write or leave a comment when you have time. Again, thanks for your prayers. I'll update this when I know more for sure.

More Good News

On Friday I got more good news from doctor. He did a test to check my protein level to see if I had entered pre-eclampsia. What he told me when he got the results was astounding!!! Not only had my protein level not increased, it had, in fact, DECREASED! PRAISE THE LORD! This is wonderful news that means I am not becoming pre-eclampsic. God continues to surprise me.

Please continue to pray for Gerson. He has to get a physical done this week to take with him to the embassy. Pray he can get an appointment with the one doctor at our clinic who does these physicals. Gerson thinks the doctor is in the States, which could cause a problem! It is the last of the paperwork he needs to go to his interview. He also had some testing done because he has been sick recently. He should get those results back on Tuesday. Pray with us that his test, too, will come back NEGATIVE.

Again, thanks for your continued prayers. We'll continue to keep you updated through this blog. Have a blessed day!

Champions!

Last night Gerson and his family went to see his youngest sister Silvana play in the championship basketball game. Here's Gerson, Cathy, Dad Tejeda, and Mom Tejeda.

They won!!! You are looking at the champions! Silvana is number 7.

Good Coming From Bad

Last night when I talked to my husband, he shared some exciting news!!! Now, if you are keeping up with our blog, you know Gerson is in Bolivia awaiting his interview for his visa and I am in the United States getting medical care for the baby and me. This has been the toughest thing our marriage has had to endure! Although it has challenged us, it has been a time of tremendous growth for our marriage as well as spiritual growth as we learn to depend on God as we never have before.

Last night as I talked to Gerson, he shared with me another way God is bringing good from our less-than-desirable situation. Yesterday afternoon at soccer practice, Gerson was feeling ill. He too is struggling with high blood pressure (do you suppose it's empathy for me??) and has had to go to the doctor for some testing. Anyway, he was not feeling well, but felt the Holy Spirit tell him to go ahead and do the devotional with the boys rather than ask his father to do it.

The devotional came from Romans --- I believe it was "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." When he finished reading the devotional, Gerson asked the boys (there were about 25 of them) if they were to die that day, would they go to heaven? They all raised their hands. Gerson asked them HOW they knew and went on to explain that good works, going to church, etc., do not guarantee entrance to heaven ---- Jesus is the ONLY way. Then he asked the boys who would like to accept Jesus as their Savior, recognizing that He is the ONLY way to the Father and eternal life.

He waited for a few moments as the boys took it all in. Then, one boy raised his hand. The next thing he knew, 12 or 13 boys had their hands in the air!!!!!!! He prayed with them and they accepted Jesus as their Savior! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!!

Now Gerson has a huge responsibility as he plugs these boys into small groups and church before he leaves so they can get the discipleship they need. Please pray for these boys and for Gerson and his dad as they continue to work with them in the next few weeks.

To be honest, I hate that Gerson and I are so far apart. HOWEVER, what he shared with me made me realize that God's not done with Gerson and that ministry yet. God is still using my husband to bring souls into His Kingdom. That makes all this that we are going through WORTH IT. Praise the Lord with us today. He's so much bigger than we can imagine!

Back to the Hospital

This morning I went back to the hospital. Thankfully, I didn't have to stay too long. I was in for about 4 hours.

Let me back up.

On Sunday I woke up feeling poorly. My feet, hands, and face were swollen by lunchtime, and by evening I had a horrible headache. By Monday my swelling had gone down, but my headache continued. Tuesday I woke up feeling better, but by evening my headache had returned. Each day my friend Liz took my blood pressure and it was usually around 145/90 or so. I slept very little last night, and decided to get out of bed at 6:00. I was nauseated, light-headed, and had a terrible headache. I called my doc this morning and he asked me to go into the hospital where I could be monitored for a couple hours.

When I arrived at the hospital, my blood pressure was 155/105. However, after I had lain down in the bed, my blood pressure once again dropped to 125/75 or so and remained that way the whole 4 hours I was in the hospital. The doctor took some more blood and did lab work which all came back normal. I am having a test done to check my protein levels to see if I have moved into pre-eclamsia. He also gave me medicine to get my headache under control. The whole time I was in the hospital, the baby's heartbeat was also being monitored and it was strong and steady.

At noon today, I was released but told to "take it easy." I have a scheduled doctor's appointment on Tuesday. The ultrasound is scheduled for Thursday. Please continue to pray for the doctor, the baby, and for me.

On another note, we did receive confirmation that Gerson's paperwork is in order for his interview! That is exciting! He still needs to get a physical done. Other than that, all is ready to move forward. We also now know that his interview is at 1:30 PM on October 27th. Please be in prayer specifically at the hour for him if you think of it. It can be scary!

Thanks for your continued prayers. We need them and we feel them. It's been hard, but God has been faithful and we know He will continue to be. We'll keep you posted on any new information.

Just Chillin'

On Sunday after church, my dad, grandpa, sis, and I went to a restaurant in a state park to eat lunch. While we were waiting for a table, Jamie and I decided to walk down to the river and enjoy the beautiful day and the beauty around us. I love the fall!
Here I'm blowing a kiss to the love of my life, Gerson Tejeda. Think it arrived all the way to Bolivia?

And here I am just a-chillin'. Notice the beautiful trees behind me that are trying to change colors. It was just gorgeous. By the way, the food was FANTASTIC and the wait wasn't long at all. We hadn't finished "exploring" when my dad came looking for us, telling us we had a table available.