Wednesday, January 28, 2009

God is faithful & good,

Well, in case any of you have not heard as of now, God has brought us a wonderful baby boy. Katelyn's water broke at 12:45 am on Monday, January 26. We arrived to the hospital a little before 1:30 am, and waited. . . waited. . . and waited some more. After she was prescribed petosin (sp?), she went into labor. She began having pretty heavy contractions around 11:30 am on Monday, and at 8:37 pm on Monday, January 26th, the Lord gave us a wonderful baby boy.

His name is Joel Alan. We like the name Joel, & we love the message of the book of Joel (in the minor prophets) that speaks wonderfully of God's patience and long suffering in redeeming His people. We are so thankful for a God who is faithful to love and forgive. Our prayer for Joel is that he will one day come to trust in & adore this Lord who loves and cares for him so much. His middle name, Alan, is Kateln's fathers middle name. We are so grateful for him and his love for Jesus Christ that we desired to include his name in Joel's name.

There is more to the story of his birth, which I'm sure will be told time and time again. Before Joel was born we asked God to do with him exactly as He desired. We knew that God's will is not always ours, but His will is always good. Well, the Lord is testing us to prove if we actually mean what we pray. On Tuesday morning, about 12 hours after his birth, the nurse noticed that Joel was breathing very quickly. The took him to the nursery and then directly to NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), where he currently is.

At first his lungs looked normal and healthy, but today they didn't look so good. They are partially collapsed and not fully developed. He has been on several different kinds of breathing treatments to help his little body obtain oxygen. Even though he was breathing fast (close to 90 times per minute), he was not getting near enough oxygen because he was breathing very shallow. Also, the rapid breathing has made it near impossible for him to eat because he can't stop breathing for a long enough period of time to swallow. Thankfully the hospital where he is staying is only two weeks old. The NICU is a stage 3 NICU which means that they can treat any infant with any problem. He is receiving excellent care, and for that we are grateful.

As of this morning, Joel was placed on a ventilator. The ventilator is regulating the depth of his breathing. He is still breathing fast, but at least he is receiving sufficient oxygen. They are feeding him through an IV which is allowing him to stay hydrated and nourished. Please pray for Joel. Our plan was not for him to be at the hospital while we are home (Katelyn was discharged at 3:00 pm on Wednesday, and her body is recovering very well!). Yet, Psalm 18:30 tell us that, "as for God, His way is Perfect!" We rejoice in knowing that our Lord's plan has not been "messed up" because Joel is sick. We would appreciate you holding us three before the throne of grace in a few specific ways, and we would be extremely grateful for your encouragement to us through prayer.

1) Pray that his Doctor, Dr. Woo, will have wisdom to treat him properly and quickly.
2) Pray that his current health difficulties will not lead to greater difficulties.
3) Pray that he will not acquire any greater illness or flu symptoms while there.
4) Pray for his parents to trust the Lord and rejoice in His goodness and grace even through this time.

Below our several pictures of Joel. He is a precious, precious child. We love him dearly! We'll keep you posted on his condition as time goes on.


5 comments:

Kristin said...

We are so excited about our new little cousin!! I have not stopped thinking about the three of you these past few days, and have been praying ever so much! What a sweet, beautiful baby boy... he makes me cry!! How gracious God is. I love you THREE SO MUCH and I will continue to pray for strength and grace and healing. Much love, Kris

Steve Schroeder said...

There have been a few times when I have undertood unceasing prayer, this is one of those times. God partnered with you to give you a son. He will now have to continue His partnership for His glory and for your good.
I love you and Joel dearly already! Can't wait to see him, hold him, and show him what a legend his grandpa is.

Jennifer said...

Praying for your guys. 14.5 years ago Jared had to stay in the hospital after he was born too, while I had to go home... it was tough. The Lord will get you all through it.

Jennifer & family

Unknown said...

So precious! Thank you so much for taking the time to post. My mom told me earlier today what had happened, but it was good to read about it and see pictures of little Joel. I tried texting you earlier to tell you I'm praying for the 3 of you (my mom too, non-stop!), but it came back with a funky message. I don't want to bother Katelyn, but if she wants to talk tell her to give me a call when she's up to it.
Rejoicing in God's Goodness,
Hannah

Edward said...

Justin and Katelyn, just a note to say we are praying for you three. We have been there and done that-no fun not taking your new baby home with you. But God is good all the time. It's wonderful to know we can trust him.
Uncle Ed and Aunt Jan