Update on Henry and Harper

UPDATE AS OF THURSDAY NIGHT, MAY 12, 2011
 
DEAR FRIENDS,
MARK AND I JUST WANT TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON OUR SWEET BABIES.  HENRY AND HARPER ARRIVED WEDNESDAY, MAY 11TH.  HENRY WEIGHED 3LBS AND 14OZ AND WAS 18 INCHES LONG.  HARPER WEIGHED 2LBS AND 4OZ AND WAS 15.8 INCHES LONG.  MARK AND I ARE SO GRATEFUL TO GOD FOR THESE LITTLE ANGELS.  WE ARE SO IN LOVE WITH THEM THAT IT HURTS.  
 
HARPER SURPRISED US ALL.  WE WERE TOLD RIGHT BEFORE SURGERY TO NOT GET UPSET, BUT THAT WE WOULD NOT HEAR HER CRY BECAUSE SHE WOULD HAVE TO BE INTUBATED IMMEDIATELY.  MARK AND I HAD PREPARED OURSELVES TO NOT SEE EITHER ONE OF THEM AT FIRST.  WELL, LITTLE MISS HARPER SHOWED OUT WHEN SHE ENTERED THIS WORLD.  SHE CRIED AND WAS ABLE TO BREATH COMPLETELY ON HER OWN.  SHE DEFIED ALL THE DOCTORS.  ONE OF THE RESIDENTS WHO WAS ABLE TO OBSERVE THE SURGERY EVEN BEGAN CRYING.  IT WAS AND IS TRULY MIRACULOUS, AND WE ARE GIVING GOD ALL THE PRAISE AND GLORY! AS OF TONIGHT, OUR HARPER GIRL IS STILL BREATHING ON HER OWN.  THEY DID HAVE TO GIVE HER A FEEDING TUBE BECAUSE OF SOME ABDOMINAL DISTENTION, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, SHE IS GREAT AND CONTINUES TO DEFY ALL ODDS.  I WAS EVEN ABLE TO DO “KANGAROO CARE” WITH HER LATE THIS AFTERNOON.  THAT JUST MEANS I WAS ABLE TO HOLD HER SKIN ON SKIN.  SHE IS JUST PERFECT AND SO TINY SHE ALMOST LOOKS FUNNY KICKING AND STRETCHING.  
 
HENRY IS STILL VERY CRITICAL.  WEDNESDAY MORNING, THE DOCTORS HAD PREPARED US FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE HIM, AS THEY BELIEVED HE WOULD HAVE TO GO IMMEDIATELY TO LABONHEUR.  TWO HOURS AFTER I LEFT THE RECOVERY ROOM POST OPP, ONE OF HIS NEONATOLOGISTS CAME TO SPEAK WITH US IN OUR ROOM.  HE BASICALLY TOLD US THAT HENRY WAS NOT STABLE ENOUGH TO TRANSPORT TO LABONHEUR, AND THAT IN HIS OPINION, WOULD PROBABLY NOT MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT.  OUR DOCTOR WHO DELIVERED THE TWINS WAS ALSO IN THE ROOM WITH US.  HE AND MARK CARRIED ME DOWN TO MEET HENRY FOR THE FIRST AND POSSIBLY LAST TIME. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON/ NIGHT WAS AWFUL, BUT BY PRAYER AND THE GRACE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, HENRY MADE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT.  HE IS VERY MUCH STILL TOUCH AND GO.  THE MASS IN HIS CHEST WAS A LOT BIGGER THAN ANY OF THE DOCTORS HAD SUSPECTED.  THE MASS IS TAKING UP HIS ENTIRE RIGHT CHEST CAVITY, AND BECAUSE OF ITS SIZE, HAS ALSO DISPLACED THE LEFT LUNG TO THE POINT THAT THE LEFT LUNG HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DEVELOP PROPERLY.  SO, IN LAYMAN’S TERMS, UNTIL THEY REMOVE THE TUMOR, HENRY DOES NOT HAVE A RIGHT LUNG, AND MORE THAN LIKELY WON’T HAVE ONE WHEN THEY DO REMOVE THE TUMOR, AND HIS LEFT LUNG WILL NOT INFLATE ON ITS OWN.  THEY SAID HIS LEFT LUNG WAS MORE LIKE A 21-WEEK GESTATION LUNG RATHER THAN 32-WEEKS. IN ORDER FOR HIM TO HAVE SURGERY, THE LEFT LUNG NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO MATURE TO THE POINT THAT THE SURGEONS CAN TAKE HIM OFF THE OSCILLATORS (THIS IS A BREATHING MACHINE THAT IS BREATHING FOR HIM, NOT A VENTILATOR THAT IS ASSISTING HIM) AND TRANSPORT HIM TO LABONHEUR.  EVEN WITH SURGERY, IF HIS LEFT LUNG DOES NOT STABILIZE AND DEVELOP, HE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN LIFE.  
 
 
WE ARE JUST CONTINUING TO ASK FOR PRAYER FOR OUR SWEET BABIES.  WE ARE PRAYING SPECIFICALLY FOR A MIRACLE FOR HENRY.  IN ORDER FOR HIM TO LIVE, HE IS GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE SURGERY, BUT WE ARE FAR FROM HIM BEING STABLE ENOUGH TO ENDURE SURGERY.  WE ARE ALSO PRAYING THAT HARPER WILL CONTINUE TO IMPROVE, GROW, AND WILL BE ABLE TO FIGHT OFF INFECTION THAT CAN SOMETIMES OCCUR IN SUCH SMALL BABIES.  
 
MARK AND I ARE SO HUMBLED BY THE OUTPOUR OF LOVE AND PRAYER FROM OUR SWEET HOMETOWN AND EVEN FROM PEOPLE THAT WE’VE NEVER MET.  WE ARE LITERALLY BEING CARRIED BY PRAYER.  I WOULD BE LYING IF I DIDN’T SAY THAT THIS IS THE HARDEST THING THAT EITHER ONE OF US HAS EVER GONE THROUGH, BUT WE KNOW THAT GOD IS GOING TO SEE US THROUGH TO THE END.  AS MUCH AS WE LOVE HENRY AND HARPER, WE KNOW THAT GOD LOVES THEM, AND US, SO MUCH MORE.  WE ULTIMATELY ARE PRAYING THAT HIS WILL BE DONE, BUT WE ARE ALSO PRAYING THAT HE WILL GIVE US PEACE FOR WHATEVER THE OUTCOME.  MUCH LIKE THE PAST 5 WEEKS, THIS SITUATION IS VERY FLUID AND CHANGES DAILY.  WE WILL TRY AND UPDATE THE BLOG AS OFTEN AS WE CAN.  WE TRULY CANNOT EXPRESS HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATE AND COVET YOUR PRAYERS.  HENRY AND HARPER ARE SO LOVED AND THAT MEANS THE WORLD TO US.  MARK AND I FEEL TERRIBLE THAT WE CAN’T TALK WITH EACH AND EVERY PERSON WHO CALLS, TEXTS, OR EMAILS, BUT PLEASE JUST KNOW THAT WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR YOUR CONCERN.  
 
MUCH LOVE,
B.J. AND MARK