9 Months & Unplugged!

We keep getting asked what is new with Benjamin, so I guess it is time to write more :).  For starters, Benjamin is 9 months old!  He had his regular check-up with the Pediatrician today and we learned that our miracle boy just keeps surprising us...he is at 42% for weight and 47% for length!  Considering that he was at zero in June, this is amazing!  His doctors/dietician are very pleased (and if you haven't guessed so are his parents. :) )

Medically speaking, he is also doing really good.  His digestive system still gives him fits and he still has problems with a sore belly (many articles of our clothing, lots of carpet, and a bean bag can attest to this.)  So when is that age where they stop puking, again???


New foods!  Benjamin's first non-milk food was...prune juice!  Yum :)  The dietician recommended it for helping his system move along.  Last weekend he enjoyed his first rice cereal, which he seems to enjoy and today he had part of an orange in his Munchkin fresh food feeder (great invention!) and he loved it!  Messy, but fun.

Christmas lights!  Benjamin loves lights and to have a tree in his living room all lit up is simply magical.  I love to get him up from a nap and watch his face go from sleepy to bewildered at the sight.  I decorated with sparkling snowflakes on the ceiling that catch the light which he enjoys too.

Unplugged?!?  A couple weeks ago we decided that it was finally time to let go of the monitor that measured his heart rate and oxygen saturation.  It had been months since he had real drops and even then he didn't need assistance.  Honestly, we were the ones who needed it, not Benjamin, and we finally weaned ourselves off of it (with the help of an apnea mat under his crib mattress :).  It was mixed emotions for me - on one hand we were letting go the last "attachment" and yet on the other it felt like a piece of my security was gone.  I had to (and still have to) stop and remind myself that this boy is in God's hands, and He has brought him so far.  In Psalm 139 He reminds me over and over again that before Benjamin was even a thought, God knew how many days he would have and our having the monitor or not having it will not change that.  That simple truth is the only reason I can sleep at night...thank you, God.

Jamie

PT, Glasses, & RSV - Another Update

Good things to report...praise God!  The day after Benjamin's Neuro-development appointment his Physical Theropist came by.  We shared the test scores with her and she was very impressed by them as well as how much change had happened since the previous visit.  He was able to show off his new speaking abilities and she worked on rolling over with him.  He is a long way from doing it on his own (at least the right way), but it makes for a good activity to do together.  We are working on tummy time a lot these days...here is a fun view :)

Today was his Opthamologist appointment.  This one was much smoother than our first one in early July!  We even found our way to the Eye Institute on the first try this time.  Of course there was that part where Benjamin choked on a little spit-up and threw up all over himself and his car seat when we were checking in...yeah, that wasn't as fun, but we are pros now and had him cleaned up in no time.  The doctor reported mostly good things...not cross-eyed, eyes track together as they should, a little trouble looking up-though not much of a concern.  He is still near-sighted, but there is no need to take action at this point and the goal is not to get glasses until he is closer to school aged if possible.  It is possible that his vision can change for the better.  We are praying for his vision to be improved, but honestly, I am not very worried about it.  We don't have to go back for about 4 months.

Friday is our first RSV vaccination...finally!  This is to help him against the Respiratory Syncytial Virus that can be life threatening.  It is very expensive and he has to have one a month for the next 5 months.  Though I am not a huge fan of vaccinations and sticking my baby with needles, we will gladly do this one.

Halloween Fun

Last week was Benjamin's first Halloween experience.  My sister Jodi was in town so we kicked off the weekend by a visit to Grandma & Grandpas.  Benjamin was decked out in his happy ghost onesie that Grandma bought him.

We were enjoying my dad's warm shop and I had started carving my pumpkin.  I turned away for a few minutes only to find Benjamin's hand in my pumpkin!  Of course he was aided by his aunt Jenny who insisted that he needed to get the full Halloween experience and feel pumpkin goo between his fingers.  You can tell he has a really high opinion of slimy textures :)

Then on Saturday night we got together again and Benajmin decided he better dress up - at least a little.  He already had a cute little outfit with stripes and owls, so we decided he would be our little "jail bird."  And what is a jail bird without a ball & chain.  Lucky for Benjamin he already had the chain! (aka his monitor lead.)  He enjoyed hanging on to it and swinging it around.  No trick-or-treating for us this year, but considering he hasn't had an solid food, I suppose candy wouldn't have been a good idea anyway.

No trick-or-treating for us this year, but considering he hasn't had an solid food, I suppose candy wouldn't have been a good idea anyway.

This picture is several weeks old, but it was cute.  Remember the preemie pumkin?  Here are both of our preemie pumkins held by Aunt Lisa.

Today was our first Neurological development appointment.  We weren't sure exactly what to expect.  First they weighed & measured him (13lb 13oz, 23.5") and then the physical theropist tested him in all sorts of areas.  If you didn't know what was happening, you would just think she was playing with him, but really she was seeing how he responded to different stimuli - toys, bells, voices, balls, bright colored cubes, my voice versus a stranger's, etc.  After that he had a physical exam with the Pediatrician that specializes in development.  We don't have the official results, but they gave us the quick version (which I didn't catch all of) and basically we didn't find out much that surprised us.  He is behind in some of the areas that are highly influenced by his vision and his same extension issues (arms & legs held straight out away from the body).  He is, however, slightly ahead of his developmental age in speech.  That's my boy!  All of my hard work of talking to him since he was in the womb has paid off :).  It was really neat at the end of the appointment when the Pediatrician shared what a joy it was to see him.  She said that a team meets together ahead of time to discuss the case and reads his history.  She said that they never know what they are going to walk in and find at these appointments.  Being that he was a 25-weeker and has had 5 surgeries, chronic lung disease, and generally a rough start, they were so delighted to see the baby in front of them.  Healthy, growing, happy, and not looking like he has been through what he has!  It was yet another reminder of the miracles of God...only God could do this!

After our appointment we stopped off at the NICU to say hello to some of our friends.  We were only able to see one of Benjamin's main nurses, but it was fun to see her again.  She mentioned that their was a grandmother of a little guy that could really use some hope, and asked if she could send her out to see Benjamin.  The woman came out and was amazed that he was a micro preemie.  She asked if we would follow her to the maternity ward and show Benjamin to her daughter.  It turned out that a little guy named Logan Daniel was born yesterday at 26 weeks, weighing 1lb 11oz.  It was their first baby and boy did I recognize the look on their faces - excitement, fear, confusion, and bewilderment.  We didn't have much time, but we were able to show them our miracle boy, give them a few pointers, and leave them with a little encouragement.  This young family has a long road ahead of them.  Pray for them.  They need it.  It was so good to be able to share hope and the goodness of God.  I pray for more opportunities to do so in the future.  Oh, how good it is to be used as a vehicle for encouragement!

Update & Prayer Request

Life at our house is busy...but good.  I am getting settled into a routine at work, Brian is settling into a new routine of school and hanging out with Benjamin, and Benjamin seems to enjoy his time with daddy, grandma, and aunt Jenny while I am at work.

Benjamin has most definately found his voice.  He "talks" to us quite a bit and also enjoys talking to the light.  As I am writing this he is talking in his room (even though he is supposed to be sleeping).  He is holding his head up very well and he loves to be talked to and sung to.  One of his current favorite toys is a gift from our friend Tracey.  It is a stuffed "Hungry Catepillar" that is crinkly when you touch it and has bright colors and fun tags all over.  We have been working with him on reaching out and touching toys and so a few weeks ago when I put him in the car on the way to church I put it in front of him on his car seat.  As we were backing out of the driveway we heard this "crunch, crunch" and thus the fondness began.

He has been doing very well overall health-wise.  He has had some eating/digestive concerns, but they seem to be resolving without medical intervention.  I will spare you the poo details (even though I am amazed how our nightly conversations often include the subject.)



Tomorrow is a big day for Benjamin - his first Neurological Development appointment.  We get to leave bright and early in morning traffic and head up to the hospital in time to feed him before his 9am slot.  We have heard on the news that the ER there has been overflowing with people due to the whole swine flu ordeal.  That makes me a little short of enthusiastic to be there at this time.  So, I am asking for prayer again for protection from illness, and that all will go well with the exam and that they will be able to see all they need to make a clear analysis.  I am not concerned about the findings since I really believe he is doing well, but we want to do all we can to help him be his best.  One more thing - next week we go back to the Opthamologist to have his eyes checked.  We appreciate prayer for positive results, even though I feel a little silly asking for that since God has answered so many big prayers...our boy is healthy and happy...what more could we ask for, right?!?

Jamie

A Family Photo & A Pumpkin Friend

This last week was "Customer Service Appreciation" week at work.  This meant that I was spoiled with food and treats at work all week.  Part of the week included daily contests.  Wednesday's contest was to carve or decorate a pumpkin.  I wasn't planning on participating because I just didn't have the time, but Tuesday night I told Brian about an idea I had, inspired by our little man.  Next thing I knew he ran to the store and came back with this (Benjamin got ahold of it first of course!)

We borrowed a few items from Benjamin including a binky, a hat that his aunt Lisa had originally made for him, and a diaper similar to the ones he wore when he was first born.  Here is what we came up with:

We won by default (no one else entered.)

Thursday's contest was for the best family photo.  The only rule was that it could not be professional.  I had an idea that I thought would be creative and I would not have to really see myself.

It wasn't perfect since our little guy is a wiggle-worm and never stopped moving, but Brian did some great touch-up and changed it to black and white.  This time there was competition and some really good pictures, but we won again!  It was all Benjamin I think.  And yes, Brian does have huge feet :)  It was a fun little adventure.

A New Season

Time is again escaping me as I realize that Benjamin is rapidly approaching his 7 month mark on the calendar (and up to 12lbs 10oz!)  Well, life at our home is changing a bit as I headed back to work last week and Brian headed back to school.  The transition has not been as difficult as I thought yet since I am have only been working part time for the first week and a half and Brian is only taking 9 credits, but Thursday brings on full days and maybe a little sadness for mommy.  All in all, I really enjoy my job, so as long as I can keep focused, I think I will be ok.  I doubt it will affect Benjamin too much at this stage since he will be spending quality time with Daddy, Grandma, and Aunt Jenny.  We feel very blessed that I have a good job to go back to and that God has enabled close family to take care of him.

This afternoon we had a visit from Karen, Benjamin's favorite physical therapist.  He is still doing pretty good developmentally.  He is weakest in his head control and still is battling the extension issues that comes from being premature.  This means that he prefers to be straight - arms out, feet stretched, head back.  This position feels natural to him.  If he is in discomfort, it is what he retreats to.  For example, when he is sitting on my lap and is uncomfortable from the need to burp, he will launch himself into extension and bounce off my lap if I am not careful.  Sometimes I wander if I should installing a 5-point harness on my lap.  Ok, that is exaggerating a tad, but this all said, bringing his toes up or his hands in takes a little more work than it would for a full term baby.  It also means that he could be a great high jumper! :)

A couple weeks ago we went "sort-of camping" with some friends (we stayed in a house in the woods.)  I learned that spending the night away from home with a baby is hard work!  Our car was so stuffed full that I had to load items up on my lap to fit everything!  Our poor car probably looked like a dog dragging it's rear end.  I fully understand why a lot of people buy SUVs or vans, but then again I am sure I would fill them up too.  The short trip was fun and I absolutely loved the fresh air and peaceful environment.

As for prayer, protection from illness tops the list, and we could also use continued prayer for Benjamin's development and our family's adjusting to new schedules.

Thank you for continuing to pray with us and walk this road with us.  We have been so richly blessed and surrounded by wonderful people that love and care for our family.  A special thank you to all of you who have blessed us with meals, gifts, shoulders, encouraging words, and just being there.

6 Months of Miracles

Sunday marked Benjamin's 6 month birthday. Today we made a visit to his pediatrician. Nothing too noteworthy other than his stats. To his adjusted age, he is 31% on his weight (11lbs 6oz), length is 22% (22.5") and 27% head. We were very excited to see his progress and thanking God for His continued blessings on our little boy.

Benjamin is generally a happy, smiley baby. Even his doctor commented on his disposition, especially how well he handled his shots. He has been "talking" more and as I write this he is in his bedroom yammering away. I wonder where he gets that from... :)

Please continue to pray for protection for Benjamin. I have had a scratchy throat the past 2 days and am so afraid of developing a full on cold and passing it on. I have been washing my hands like crazy and going through lots of sanitizer and EmergenC. Please pray for protection over Benjamin. Thank you!

Jamie

Time Marches On...

It has been a few weeks since I have written...time goes by all too quickly! Benjamin has continued to stay off oxygen for a month now. It has been so amazing. He is still on the monitor when he sleeps and anytime we travel farther than a few miles and we always have an oxygen tank nearby, but he is mostly like a normal 2-month old at this point. Praise God! Thank you all again for your prayers for our baby boy. Never would I have imagined that night in the hospital as I cried with labor pains and my heart cried knowing my baby had come too soon, that Benjamin would be where he is today. He is a miracle attributed to the Creator alone.

Our little family has been enjoying a few outings before the cold season hits, where we will need to go into a time of as much isolation as possible. We were blessed with a shower thrown by my coworkers a couple weeks ago and came home with many needed items for Benjamin (thank you to my friends at TE!) We have been able to go to church the past 4 weeks as a family too, which has been a blessing as well. Our biggest adventure yet was when we helped Benjamin's Aunt Lisa celebrate her birthday with a 2 mile hike at a nearby park with a couple beautiful water falls. Benjamin seems to enjoy hikes - especially when snuggled in the front pack with mama. :) It was a fun and beautiful day. This past weekend we ventured out and joined my dad's side of the family for a few hours of the annual camping trip up at the woods. It was very rainy and we almost turned back, but the clouds broke up and we enjoyed a few dry hours. We were so glad the weather cooperated so that we could introduce Benjamin to the gang.

Last week we had another visit with Benjamin's physical therapist from the early intervention program. She informed us that he would probably walk early for his corrected age because his extension muscles are so strong, which was a surprise to me. His challenge, however, will be to crawl and roll and she would like to see him do these before he walks. These movements require rotation movements that do not come as naturally to micro preemies. Benjamin is stiff for a baby. He is strong, but not nearly as flexible as a full term baby. He cannot pull his toes up near his face and only touches his hands and feet when we assist him during his stretches. This is a result from missing out on the last months of being curled up in the womb and going straight to a laying-flat position at birth.

Benjamin is such a joy to us. Brian and I can just sit and stare at him or play with him for hours. He is smiling more these days and has learned to frown too. I feel a little guilty, but we love his little frown. It is one of the cutest things I have ever seen. Maybe someday we will capture it on film.

I start back to work 2 weeks from Monday. Though I am looking forward to a "normal" schedule and a little more adult interaction where I can discuss more than the latest diaper blow-out, burping accomplishments, or Benjamin's medical status, I am finding as the days pass I get a little sad and nervous thinking about leaving my baby for 10 hours each day. He will be in good, experienced hands. I am just thankful to have this time and I try to be intentional about savoring special moments of being together. I would appreciate prayer for the transition if you think of it.

Ears To Hear

A quick update on yesterday's visit to the Audiologist...he passed both ears!!! Praise Jesus! We are done with that doctor for another 6 months or so. They will continue to follow him to be sure he does not have progressive hearing loss. She even gave us a print out that shows that he passed and I fully intend to keep it as proof for when he is a teenager. :)

Saying Goodbye to O's?

We have very big news to share...(drum roll)...Benjamin has been without any oxygen assistance for an entire week!!! Could we actually be saying goodbye to his O's? I sure hope so! Before I kick the oxygen tank to the curb (figuratively speaking of course - if abused the big heavy tank could explode, not to mention this seemingly delightful action would likely result in broken toes for me) I know Benjamin's lungs need more time and strength. His Pulmonologist recommended keeping the tank around through the cold season, as it is very possible he will need assistance if he became sick. He is also still on a couple diuretics, which we hope to discontinue in the next couple weeks. That will be the real test of how strong his lungs are, since the diuretics apparently make it easier to breathe by getting rid of extra fluid. Benjamin is still on the monitor and will be for quite a while as needed. Regardless, there is rejoicing in our home! Thank you, Jesus!!!

Benjamin is up to 9lbs. I remember one of the first days after Benjamin was born our friends Don & Diane came for a visit and gave him his first outfit. It was newborn size and said "beary cute" on the front with fuzzy bears and a couple trees embroidered on it. At the time I thought it was huge compared to the little baby in the NICU, but Diane reassured me that he would wear it some day. That day has come and almost gone! He is starting to outgrow some of his newborn clothes.

Do you remember 1972? If you happened to be around, you might remember a dandy little toy invention made that year by Fisher Price. It was called the Happy Apple and was a large apple with a smiley face and chimes inside. I remember our family had one. I did not appreciate it all that much, but now I do. We have been loaned one by Benjamin's physical therapist. She says they are great for children's development because just the slightest touch produces a chime and they are weighted so they will stay upright, allowing for hours of chiming fun a baby learning about his surroundings. Benjamin seems to love his borrowed Happy Apple. Here he is enjoying it:Here he is abusing it:
Tomorrow (Tuesday) is Benjamin's appointment with the Audiologist. If he passes both ears he might not have to go back anymore. Please pray for good results (and accurate equipment!)

A Breath of Fresh Air

Benjamin will be 5 months on Thursday (7 weeks adjusted) and continues to grow and amaze us. If you check out his big boy stats on the sidebar you will find that he is over 8 and 1/2 pounds! He has outgrown his preemie clothes and is on to newborn and 0-3 month articles. A big piece of news is that Benjamin is getting closer to being off oxygen. For the past 10 days or so, we have been conducting trials where we remove his oxygen and keep him on the monitor. The result has been nearly no oxygen during the day (we still keep it on him at night until we are more confident) with only a "whiff" here and there and some help during carrides. Today we visited the Pulmonologist, who manages his oxygen, and he confirmed that we can continue the trials and move forward as Benjamin allows. His mommy CANNOT WAIT to be free of oxygen and a monitor. I daydream about going places with only a diaper bag, not tripping over tubes and cords in my living room, and not hearing alarms go off.

We visited the audiologist last week. I was very excited to see that he passed the ear that had failed in the NICU, but then he failed the ear that had previously passed. He went on to start the beginning of a 3-hour long test to determine if there was any potential loss until he decided he had enough of having his ears poked and solved the problem by throwing up all over the audiologists equiptment. She was very gracious and despite the mess she still ooh'd and ahh'd over him, and after booking 2 more appointments (*sigh*) she let us go home.

Are we adjusting to our new life at home? Somedays. I never in my wildest dreams believed that one so little could be so very time consuming. God was so smart to make babies cute. Otherwise Eve would have only had one and none of us would be here. I have also figured out why the oldest son had a special blessing in the Bible and inherited the family goods. That was his reward for the survival of being his parents first child. Since Brian and I were both the youngest of our siblings growing up, we never fully appreciated the fact that our parents got to work out most of their parenting on our older siblings. Poor Benjamin. Good thing he is a survivor!

Another Then & Now

I decided to do another size comparison. On Apirl 1st, when Benjamin was just over 2 weeks old, we took the picture below of both of our wedding rings on Benjamin's wrist. This is a great illustration of how tiny his hands and wrists were.Here is a picture from today with my wedding ring, when he is 4 1/2 months and weighing closer to what a typical newborn would weigh. He could only get 2 fingers in it. What great growth God has blessed him with! This will be a great one to pull out on his wedding day...

Then & Now

I thought it would be fun to recreate a picture that was taken in the early days of the NICU using the same objects. The first picture was taken April 23, when Benjamin was about 6 weeks old/9 weeks before his due date, days before going off the ventilator. He is with his little bunny pal that stayed by his side nearly the entire time in the NICU. The bankets are the same as well.
Here is Benjamin today at 4 1/2 months. Check out those chubby arms! In case you are wondering, the darkness in his skin color on the first picture is not an exposure issue, rather it was due to high biliruben levels. He has changed a bit!I liked this one too.








It wouldn't be a photo shoot without some outtakes!
Bunny attack!









Eating Bunny









My favorite of the series...big yawn. Aren't you impressed on how he covers his mouth? He is such a well-mannered boy.

BIG News and a Mystery

Monday we visited the Pediatrician for Benjamin's 4 month appointment. He had his weight, length, and head measurements charted according to his due date and we were quite pleased. When he left the NICU he was pretty much at zero % in all areas. Drum roll please....weight 12%, head 14%, length 33% (!!!). We were so excited that our little micro baby is now just a small baby! By the way, that comes to 7lbs 2.6oz and 20.25". Way to go Big Ben!

As for the mystery, the most asked question of the last 4 and a half months is "what happened or why did he come early?". I finally got all my paperwork transferred and met with my doctor today. The lab results show that there was an infection, but it did not make sense to my doctor, as the type of infection it showed should only occur if my water had broke and I should have had a fever. This was not the case. I was disappointed since I received the lab report last week and saw there was an infection and had previously been told that if there was an infection, my chances of a future premature baby were the same as any other woman. This is not so, according to my doctor. It looks like Benjamin still has a 30% chance of having a premature sibling. Though this was pretty disappointing to me, I find myself still wondering what exactly happened with Benjamin and why. As a Christian, I don't believe in luck or total randomness. I will probably wonder about my sweet boy's entrance into the world and the challenges he has gone through my whole life, but for one thing I am sure: He is a miracle, he is a fighter, and God has plans for him.

More news - last time I wrote about Benjamin and his love for cannula removal. Yes, he still grabs it an pulls and we are forever trying to get the prongs to stay in his nose. Yesterday I gave in and decided to keep them pulled back from his face and turned off his oxygen. He made it 25 minutes without needing any oxygen assistance. The most he previously could do was about 10 minutes or so. Please join with us in praying that God will strengthen his lungs and help him to breathe on his own. It would be so nice not to drag an oxygen cord through the house or have to switch him to a backpack tank every time we need to leave the house. Sometimes it feels like a ball and chain to us, though we have come very far in the last month (we are near-professionals at our 3-legged race now.)

Yesterday, the Early Intervention ladies came to evaluate Benjamin. Not only did they ooh & ahh over him, they paid him some great compliments in multiple areas. While they were at our house, Brian fed him. One of the ladies paid a Brian a huge compliment on what a great dad he is. They are trained to notice the tiniest details and she commented on the way Brian interacted with Benjamin and how well he responded - gentle touches, the way he talked to him, eye interaction, etc. Brian is an incredible dad. I can tell they already have a special bond and before I know it Benjamin is going to be following his daddy wherever he goes.

Please join us in praising God for growth & recovery from his last surgery. Please pray for vigor to return in his eating (he has been fighting us the past few days on eating and we are trying to figure out why - there are a lot of variables), strength of lungs, and good sleeping for all of us!

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family.

Jamie

Back to Home

Time flies when you are taking care of Benjamin! I have hardly had time to do simple things like dishes, laundry, etc. My life is filled with demands of a newborn (or at least an adjusted newborn) and the many, many doctor/specialist appointments that come with a micro preemie.

We were discharged from the hospital on Thursday afternoon. Scarcely can I remember a time when I was more relieved to see our house! We had 3 sleepless nights at the hospital (especially the last one) and I had more than one meltdown, but by the grace of God we made it and Benjamin is doing well. He now has 3 more scars to add to his collection, now totaling 6. He still has spits up more than we would like and has some painful digestive stuff, but all in all we think he is doing pretty good. He lost an ounce from the time he was admitted to his followup appointment on Monday, but we hope he will recover that ground soon. Some good news is that prior to the surgery he grew enough that he is now reduced to 24 calorie milk, which is much nicer than the rich 30 cal milk he was on when he left the NICU, and he was able to drop one of his prescriptions.

Since the surgery we have tried to keep things pretty mellow, but we have enjoyed time with family. Tuesday night we had dinner with Brian's family as we said farewell to Brian's brother David after enjoying a 4 week visit. Wednesday Benjamin and I went for our first visit to Grandma & Grandpa's farm. We enjoyed a long walk through the filbert orchard and found a few cherries on a wild cherry tree. It was so peaceful and restful. Benjamin got his first lesson in patty-cake, Grandpa style. Oddly enough, patty-cake is part of his physical therapy!

Benjamin is a strong boy. We had a visit with the Physical Therapist from Early Intervention yesterday. We learned that even though Benjamin is medically looked at as being 3 weeks, some aspects such as muscle tone are more advanced since he has been dealing with gravity for 4 months. He can lift and move his head (and has been for 6-8 weeks) and can roll over when he is on his belly. His grip is super strong and so are his legs. She explained that micro preemies tend to have very strong muscles that push their limbs away from the body, where as full term babies have stronger muscles that pull their limbs close to the body. If given the choice, Benjamin would lay with his legs fully stretched and arms wide open, where as a full term baby would probably curl up a bit more. I was doing some of his arm stretches the other day and while stretching his arms over his head, he did a horizontal pull up! That's our strong little man!

Remember Benjamin's history with tube removal? Well he isn't so fond of his nasal cannula and has decided he had enough with it on more than one occasion. On Sunday Aunt Jenny and cousin Amy came to play for a couple hours so that mommy and daddy could go to church and Benjamin showed off his removal trick.

Here are a few more pictures of our active boy taken this morning.

Back to the Hospital for Surgery #5

Benjamin decided to remind us that the ride is not over yet, and may not be for a while. He had been a little more fussy over the weekend, but yesterday morning when after I fed him he never quite settled down. He was very uncomfortable and no matter how much I held him I could not sooth him. I thought it had to do with his digestive system since he had been spitting up so much so I thought maybe we could wait it out. After 3 or so hours of crying I found the source of his discomfort and it appeared to be a hernia from the signs the surgeons had previously told us to watch for. It took several phone calls to multiple doctors offices to figure out who we should go to. The surgeons recommended bringing him in...next week. I insisted on speaking with the nurse practitioner who was part of the team that worked with his ostomy. She also recommended that we keep our appointment for the following week and that it should be fine. I then asked who he could see to manage his pain. As Benjamin screamed in background, she agreed to see him later that afternoon.

A couple hours later we were being told that we would be admitted and Benjamin would need surgery that night or early the next morning. It is strange what can happen in a day. I woke up that morning with plans of dishes, diapers, laundry, feeding, hopefully a nap, and maybe some cleaning if time allowed. Never would I have imagined that we would be back in the hospital. The surgical staff was surprised. They also were concerned as Benjamin had developed a rare situation where the intestines where blocked and blood flow was compromised. Inguinal hernias are not uncommon in preemie boys, but apparently the blockage is, or at least to this degree. Once again, our Benjamin has defeated the odds and come up with the "unusual" senario...if we were into gambling, we would most certainly send him to Vegas with the odds he has!

After a sleepless night on the Pediatrics floor with lots of doctors and nurses coming in and out, we moved down to surgery at 7:30. He ended up with a double hernia and both were repaired. Benjamin seems to have handled it well and is now exhausted, but eating and breathing ok. He is requiring more oxygen than before the surgery and has dipped down some, so they decided to keep him overnight.

Even though this was very unexpected and difficult, there were some pretty incredible things...Brian's evening class was cancelled so he could be with me and Benjamin, the very busy surgeon's office was able to fit us in rather than just being admitted through the ER and the staff knew was familiar with Benjamin's case, and we caught it before it came to a potentially serious and possibly life-threatening point. Also another piece of good news is that he weighs 6lbs 10oz! It is good to see him grow.

We value your prayers for Benjamin for quick recovery, protection, strength in breathing, and overall health.

Two Appointments, Two Praises

The week has finished off pretty good for Benjamin. He is still spitting up quite a bit and still has a snorty nose, but we have had a few good doctors reports to give big praises to God for. Wednesday we went to his Ophthalmologist. We were a little late, but thankfully Brian and I have become a more coordinated 3-legged race team with Benjamin, his oxygen, and monitor so we were able to make up a little time in speed. That means it only took us 30 seconds to walk 20 feet instead of 3 minutes :). Good thing the Ophthalmologist was later than we were! After an hour in the waiting room Benjamin had his eye exam and the conclusion...no more retinopathy!!! The lasor suregry was a success as far as we can tell. Benjamin does have nearsightedness (so do both of his parents), but the doctor told us not to be concerned with that now as many newborns do and it usually resolves itself in the first year of life. We just praising God that he doesn't have to have another surgery!!! We don't have to go back for another appointment until November.

Thursday we visited our favorite surgeon, Dr. Bliss. We had some concerns, but Dr. Bliss looked at him and said he looked like a healthy boy. He looked for the inguinal hernia again that was a concern several weeks back and found nothing again! I am still amazed that 3 separate Neonatologists believed their was a hernia and started discussing surgery, then we (and many of you) prayed and just a couple weeks later no one could detect it, including 2 of the doctors that saw it orignally. Our God is an amazing God! Dr. Bliss gave us some counsel on potential problems to watch for for the next 13 years or so in relation to his ostomy surgery, but told us that there was no need to see him anymore unless we wanted to bring Benjamin back just to say hi. Yeah!

Happy Independence Day from our family to yours! Take a minute to thank God for and enjoy the many freedoms he has provided to us through this great country and even greater freedoms available through Him!

At Home With Benjamin

One week ago today, we left the NICU and started the next chapter of our journey as a little family. In some ways it feels like it has been a month instead of a week. We spent the first days just trying to figure out how to be parents to a preemie at home. We still haven't figured it out, but are definitely getting more comfortable with it.

Benjamin is eating like a pro. I think his friend Aiden (see 5/2 blog) must have given him some pointers on eating. We are not sure how this is possible, but Benjamin weighed 4lbs 14oz on last Tuesday, and today he weighed 5lbs 14oz at the Pediatrician's office. That is exactly one pound gained in a week! He had lost several ounces in the NICU do to poor eating and diuretics the week before leaving and had just gained it back when we left. Do you think we should stop giving him ice cream, chocolate, and bacon? I'll have to ask his doctor about that.

Friday we had our first outing, a visit to Benjamin's Pediatrician. We must have looked quite the sight as we fumbled with a baby, a car seat, a monitor, and a tank of oxygen. I remember thinking that we must have looked like an uncoordinated team doing a three-legged race when they called our name to go to the back to the exam room. It's a wonder that we didn't trip over the wires and cords!

Saturday was a bittersweet day as we said our final goodbye to Brian's mom and celebrated her earthly life and passing to be with Jesus. It was good to see family and hear a few stories about her life. It made me realize that there was so much about my mother-in-law that I didn't know and want to learn so that I can pass down stories to Benjamin about the Grandma that anxiously awaited his arrival and dreamed about swinging on the front porch and sharing a cookie with him. I wonder if heaven has a front porch swing and cookies? If so, I hope that Helen is enjoying a good swing and a chocolate chip cookie with Jesus. Here's to you, Helen. We miss you.

With the events of last week over, as family members go back to work or travel back home, it is time to start a new "normal".

New things to pray for: Benjamin is very snorty and plagued with boogers (sorry, but there is no real gracious way to talk about snot.) He gets plugged up and has a hard time breathing. They also plug his cannula sometimes, which of course blocks or limits the oxygen he gets. I have become good friends with the bulb syringe, especially at night. Please continue to pray for health as we slowly start to expose Benjamin to more of the world, and for strength of lungs and the ability to remember to breathe so that we can work toward being cannula, monitor, and tube/wire free!

Thank you for your prayers and praises to God on Benjamin's behalf!

Jamie

In DueTime...Home at Last

As I type this I am sitting in my living room watching my baby boy sleep...that is right, BENJAMIN IS HOME!!!!!!!!!!! After spending 103 days in the NICU (but who's counting?) we are home at last, and 1 day before his original due date!

The past few days have been a blur of activity as we prepared for Benjamin's departure. We had to meet with numerous doctors and specialists for final instructions, trainings, etc. We have been saying goodbye to the staff, which has made leaving bittersweet. These are the people who saw him come in as a 1lb 9.6oz baby with multiple complications. They used their talents to keep him alive, but they were more than just hospital staff. I cried on the shoulders of more than one nurse there. They made me laugh when I needed it most, they celebrated milestones, both large and small, and gave encouragement when things didn't look so well. His primary nurses became almost like family and even went together and bought him a going away present. It was definitely strange to walk out those doors with Benjamin, knowing we would not be back. I savored the moment. I so vividly remember walking in the NICU for the first time and seeing his first nurse Linda. Oddly enough, it was Linda that discharged him and escorted us to our car.

So, now we are trying to figure out how to be full time parents of a preemie with some special needs. It is pretty challenging to get around with oxygen and a monitor, but we will figure it out. Hopefully I will not panic every time the monitor goes off for very long!

A few things to pray for...that Benjamin will grow and gain weight well so we can start reducing the fortification of his food. It is really thick and makes him spit up more. That we will adjust to having him around and doing a lot of the things the nurses used to do with grace and joy. For continued protection over Benjamin in regards to health and breathing.

I can tell it will take time to adjust to this...it has taken me about 6 hours to complete this entry!

Sunrise, Sunset

It has been one extremely tough week. We have experienced great joy in Benjamin's progress and expected discharge, but are saddened by the passing of Brian's mom yesterday morning. Sometimes it just doesn't seem fair. Helen wanted so badly to get to hold Benjamin and was just a matter of days from beting able to. Right now we are working through a flurry of emotions with both this loss and preparing for Benjamin's long awaited homecoming. There is so much to process that it can be overwhelming at times. It is like it is the sunrise of Benjamin's time here on Earth and the sunset of Helen's. Please keep praying for us and Brian's family, especially his dad. We know that she is in a far better place, but we miss her.

As for Benjamin, he is eating ok (much better today than the past several days), his oxygen requirements are down, and he is on the fast track to going home, hopefully Tuesday. He has lost weight over the past week, so they increased the fortification to the maximum level in hopes that he will start gaining again. We have been enjoying out own private room in the NICU. I asked how we were so lucky, and they told me that he is the old man of the unit and he earned it. Today was Benjamin's 100th day in the NICU. It has been nice to have a little more space and privacy.

Today Benjamin had his second hearing screen. He failed the first one for both ears. Today he passed on his left ear, but his right ear failed again, so he will be seeing an audiologist. Another doctor...Here is who Benjamin will be seeing after leaving the NICU: Pediatrician (of course), Pulmonologist for his oxygen needs, Dietician for his nutrician, Surgeon that did his ostomy surgery, Opthamologist for his eyes, Physical Theoropist for neorological development, and now Audiologist. That is too many "ists" for me! Whatever it takes to keep him healthy I suppose.

Please pray for Benjamin's health during the transistion. We have been reminded several times this week that he needs to be protected and essentially kept in isolation of sorts as much as possible when he goes home because of his fragile immune system. Please also pray for Brian and I as all that is happening at once is very stressful.

Thank you dear friends for your prayers.

Tonight I write with both joy and sadness. Joy because Benjamin is expected to come home next week. This week has been a flurry of training, meeting with doctors and specialists, and other things in preparation for our transition to home. Benjamin has been moved to the standard nasal cannula, similar to what he will go home on and has done great. He hasn't been eating quite as well, but still in the acceptable range. He has lost a few ounces, but the doctor feels that is ok for now. We have been enjoying a more private room at the NICU that has been wonderful. Now all we need to is tie the loose ends and we will be on our way home!

Amidst the joy is some sadness. Helen, Brian's mom, is really struggling to breathe. The cancer has really affected her lungs. She is being cared for by hospice and we are praying for peace, healing, comfort, and rest. Please pray for her and Brian's dad, Erle too. She has been wanting to hold Benjamin for a long time and has not been able to see him since he was about a week old. We want Benjamin to know the arms of his grandma.

Lastly, Brian's birthday is today.

I will try to upload more pictures soon. I have some really cute ones of Benjamin and his daddy. He has to be one of the sweetest babies I have ever laid eyes on!

3 Months and Counting

Happy 3 month birthday (yesterday) Benjamin!

Benjamin is really starting to eat well. Friday night at about 8pm he decided he had enough of the feeding tube and took it out himself! Since then he has taken every feeding by mouth without needing the tube!!! This is fabulous and we are praying that he will be able to continue this trend as it will enable him to come home. I believe that he must eat on his own at least 3 days straight and gain weight before he can come home. The next challenge will be to breathe better on his own. Right now he is still on a nasal cannula, which they expect him to go home with. He was down to a pretty low flow, but this evening they had to increase it a bit, possibly due to lots of energy in eating and an eye exam. Please pray that his lungs are strengthened.

He is growing! He is 4lbs 14oz. We are hoping that he will grow in length more this week too. He gets measured tomorrow, so we will see then. Possibly the biggest news of today...he moved out of the Intensive Care Nursery and into the Intermediate Nursery! It is still part of the NICU, but it is the side for graduates that will be going home soon. For 93 days I have watched dozens of babies come into the unit, stay awhile, and move on over to "the other side" and now it is finally our turn!!!

Our most asked question these days is of course, when will he go home? It could be as early as a week if he can be weaned down on his nasal cannula and eat well. We still have a lot to do to get ready for his discharge like taking an infant CPR class and carseat class (yes, we actually have to take a class on carseats! I guess it is not as straight forward for preemies?), cleaning our house that has been under some minor construction (thank you Curt and John!) and totally neglected the past 3 months, and setting up Benjamin's new room. Good things are coming! YEAH!

Getting Closer to the Big "D"

The past week was good, but busy. Benjamin has started doing better with feedings and has taken the entire prescribed volume of milk on several occasions. I usually get to feed him and therefore have been spending more time at the hospital. He hasn't had a brady episode that I know of since the one a little over a week ago that I wrote about last time (thank you God!) He is still not gaining much weight. He actually lost weight a few days and as of yesterday was just getting back to the weight he was a week ago. My thought is that this is because he is burning more calories eating and keeping himself warm (which he is doing ok with again). To hopefully help with weight gain, they decided to fortify his milk, and as of yesterday they are fortifying it even more.

Despite being small, he has still received a good report overall from his doctors. Multiple doctors and nurses have commented on how good he looks and behaves for being born so very early and also having gone through so much. They have said that he doesn't have the typical "25-weeker look" and "toaster head" (skinny long face from laying on his back so long and having his head moved only side to side.)

One thing to keep praying about, but I am already praising God for is that his doctor checked up on the potential hernia situation and she believes that there is no hernia!!! I asked her if it could have resolved itself and she said no, they do not resolve themselves. What a miracle! The 3 doctors that have seen him before her were convinced that he did have the hernia. They will have a surgeon look at him to be sure.

The past few days we have been hearing the big "D" word more than once - discharge! That's right...the end of this NICU marathon is almost in sight. It has been 12 1/2 weeks since we walked through those doors for the first time and it sounds like we might be leaving for good by the end of June, possibly within the next two weeks! Benjamin will likely go home on oxygen and a monitor, but we will be home! All he needs to do now is eat every feeding completely for a few days, pass the car seat challenge (1 hour sitting in a car seat without having any breathing/heart rate issues), and not have any apnea episodes or severe oxygen desaturation episodes for about a week or so. Basically, he has to behave like a full term baby. He is getting close! We are praying that he will be a strong eater and good breather. How what exciting things await us in the coming weeks!

Zero % ???

Yes, it is true. Despite the fact that Benjamin has been consistently gaining and growing, he is hanging out at 0% for both weight and length for babies both born and unborn for his gestational age (36 weeks). What does that mean? He is a very little guy, but a mighty warrior nevertheless! He is now 37 gestational weeks and will be 12 weeks old on Friday.

Since Sunday morning Benjamin has been a little off. He has had a hard time holding his body temperature and has required more oxygen and a higher flow pressure on his nasal cannula. We think this is primarily due to the fact that he received immunizations spaced out from Thursday to Sunday, and hoping that he will bounce back soon. He has not been eating very well either. When I was feeding him on Sunday he gulped some milk and ended up having a pretty severe brady episode where his heart rate dropped for several minutes. It was one of the worse ones I have witnessed.

So he is small and is having some feeding/brady issues and not feeling so great, but the good news is that he is back on 100% milk (vs formula) which they tell me is like liquid gold to preemies and tonight he was a superstar and broke his personal record and took 35mL out of 41mL by mouth!!! Yeah Benjamin!!! I was very impressed since he only took 10mL total earlier that day. He is also healing up nicely from his surgery.

Here is a funny little thing about Benjamin. There is a little Fisher Price aquarium that plays music and makes bubbling sounds and hooks onto the side of his crib that belongs to the NICU. He seemed to enjoy the soothing music on multiple occasions, but I didn't know just how much until yesterday. He was sleeping and the aquarium turned off as it automatically does after a period of time. A few seconds later Benjamin started to squirm and then cry, so I turned it back on and within a few seconds he was peaceful again. I guess I am going to have to find one of those for when we get to take him home!

Speaking of taking him home, we have had multiple people ask when he will be coming home. It is completely dependent on his ability to breathe, eat, and grow on his own. One of his Neonatologists estimated as early as the third week of June to the second week of July. I think the third week of June is probably a little to soon, but I will be super excited if we get to celebrate the 4th of July together at home. It is so incredible to start thinking about coming home. Today was our 82nd day straight in the NICU and it will be strange not going up there every morning.

Eyes to See

Hurray!!! Benjamin had another follow up from his eye surgery today and his doctor said that everything looked good, the vessels are currently growing in the right direction and he won't need another exam for two weeks! This is such good news. Thank you Jesus! It doesn't mean that he won't have any vision issues, but he is headed in a good direction and will have sight.

Benjamin's digestive system is working good after the surgery. I changed my first stinky diaper yesterday morning. The nurses in the area cheered (not because of my extraordinary diaper changing talent, because it meant Benjamin's system was working :) ) Ahh, the little celebrations that make life wonderful...

Eating from a bottle is still a challenge for Benjamin. Sometimes he does great and other times he forgets to breath and has Bradys (where his heart rate drops). I know that it will be a long road ahead. I have heard nurses and parents say that they can stay in the NICU for weeks after everything else is fine just because they do not have feedings down.

Be sure to check out "Benjamin's Big Boy Stats" at the right to see how big our sweet little boy is.

Thank you for praying for Benjamin. God is good and faithful!

Benjamin and the Bottle

Benjamin has been doing really well the past few days. On Sunday we arrived to find he was moved to a crib again (versus the incubator with the hood up) and Monday was an exciting milestone...(drum roll please)...a bottle! Yes, Benjamin was allowed to taste and see that the bottle is good. Ok, so it was only 5mL of Pedialite (1 tsp), but he was able to take it by mouth and not through a feeding tube! Now he is transitioned over to formula again and has increased his volume to 20mL every 3 hours. He gets pretty tired easily, so sometimes he can eat some, other times he just falls asleep. Tonight he broke his record and was able to guzzle down a whopping 13mL - way to go Benjamin! We have to celebrate the small stuff...it gets us through.

Today I was also notified that Benjamin may need yet another surgery. The doctor believes that Benjamin might have a inguinal hernia. It did not sound like it was a huge deal and not urgent at this time, just something that would need to be taken care of before he went home. Apparently this is a very common surgery done on micropreemie boys. Still, my heart sank a bit I must say, and part of me wanted to say "Why God, why another one? Isn't 4 surgeries enough?" Please join us in prayer that this isn't the case, and that the situation will resolve. I am relieved that it is not serious, but I would prefer that Benjamin not have two more scars to show for his time in the NICU.

Benjamin Unplugged

Today was Big Ben's second day post surgery. When we walked in, the first thing his nurse said was that he had been very naughty. I guess he was fed up with his ventilator and decided to "unplug" himself from it. Yes, my son yanked out his breathing tube. It didn't come all the way out, but enough that they would have to redo it, so they decided to let him try going back to the nasal cannula that he was on before the surgery. He was doing pretty good on it, but did have some apnea (momentarily stopped breathing) episodes this afternoon. I am praying that he won't have any more. His nurse said that was only the second time she has ever seen a baby do that in 26 years of working in the NICU.

Overall he is recovering pretty well. He didn't get a swollen as I thought he would and it is nice to only see tape on his belly and not an ostomy bag. He started to become much more active today too.

Benjamin's Grandma Helen is doing better today too as she recovers from her surgery. Please continue to pray for healing and wisdom for treatment options and decisions that they will need to make in the coming days/weeks.

Thank you Jesus!

Wow. What a day. I am writing this after spending over 12 hours in the NICU today. Though I used to do that nearly every day in the beginning, it was particularly exhausting today. Benjamin's surgery was supposed to be at 11:45, but like most hospitals, they went by their own clock and 11:45 turned into 3:15. Benjamin did good in the morning, but then must have remembered that his tummy was empty and became a bit agitated in the afternoon. He made it through surgery great and they did not have to put a central/picc line in (praise God!) and there were no complications (praise God more!!!). The only negative thing that the surgeon had to say was that the scar was not as straight as he would have liked. If the straightness of a scar is all the surgical staff is concerned about it is a good day!!! Through the surgery and really for most of the day, I felt a great amount of peace. Thank you for all who were praying for that specifically. I felt your prayers tremendously.

Right now Benjamin is resting and healing on the ventilator, but they expected to put him back on the nasal cannula sometime over the night. He was a bit uncomfortable later this evening, but after an additional morphine "bullet" he seemed to calm down.

Things to keep praying for: that he will be comfortable and for quick healing, that the intestine will heal properly so that he will not have to go through this surgery again, that his breathing will be strong so he can successfully come off and stay off the ventilator, and that when they reintroduce foods early next week (or even possibly over the weekend!) that his system will handle it and he will eat like a little piggy and get super big and fat (ok, we will settle for just "grow".)

I don't have a very good update on Helen, Brian's mom. All I know is that her surgery went well without complications. Please continue to pray for healing and wisdom.

Thank you prayer warriers!

Twas the Night Before Surgery...

It's almost here. We have waited over 9 weeks, knowing this surgery would come and now we are counting down hours instead of weeks or days. It is with a mix of excitement and a bit of nervousness that I write this. I can't wait to look at my son's belly and NOT see his intestines (sorry if that sounds disgusting, it is a fact of life for us.) I am still concerned about the actual procedure, especially since they were unable to successfully put a central line or picc line in today. They mentioned that they will likely put one in during the surgery tomorrow. When I heard this my heart dropped since one of the more serious complications occurred when trying to do this when they put in the ostomy. Here is where the rubber meets the road on faith, I suppose. I know that Benjamin is in some of the best hands in the northwest and even the nation, and better yet I know he is in God's hands.

He did well today, but they removed his normal food at 6am and replaced it with Pedialite. It was not nearly as satisfying as his normal food and he spend most of the day a little fussy. This is new to us as we have not really heard him cry much. He would only settle down with a paciifier in his mouth and some good snuggling. He is not able to keep the pacifier in by himself for very long, so I called for backup and his aunt Jenny came to hang out for a couple hours to help cover when I needed to step away from him. For about a 30-40 minutes in the afternoon, he was accidentally unplugged from his oxygen, but amazingly he did not drop in oxygen saturation - basically he was breathing on his own with room air and did great! That was so encouraging!

My mom was able to hold him for the first time yesterday. It was the first time Benjamin had been held by anyone other Brian or me. He sure loves his Grandma!

We have to send out a big thank you to some of our neighbors and members of Bethany Church. Last weekend we were totally blessed by this wonderful group of people lead by our neighbor Jeannine that did a total yard makeover for us. Our grass was really tall and seeding out, weeds were taking over the flowers, and our vegetable garden spot was looking really scary. This amazing group of people transformed our weed patch into a beatuiful, welcoming yard. It looks better than it ever has! THANK YOU! May God give you back the hours you gave to us and then some!

Thank you for continuing to pray for us!

Jamie

Eventful Day & Counting Down

Benjamin is now 4lbs! He is still around 16 1/4" long. He has recovered well from his eye surgery and we are getting ready for the next big surgery day...Thursday. Since he prolapsed more over the weekend and again some today, it is a really good thing that it is only 3 days away. Please continue to join us in prayer that he will be healthy and strong going into the surgery and that everything will go smoothly without complication, and that God will protect the prolapsed part of his intestines until he can get into surgery.

Today was a fairly eventful day for Benjamin - in a good way mostly. First thing this morning he had his first try at a bouncy chair, which he seemed to enjoy. Then since he was on room level oxygen and did so well on his CPAP check in the morning, he was moved to a nasal cannula, which is less breathing assistance. Shortly after that he enjoyed another bath with real baby shampoo this time! In the afternoon he spent some time being held by Daddy.

Here are some pictures from today:

Benjamin on CPAP this morning in his bouncy chair.Benjamin on nasal cannula (Brian's hand)Hanging out with Daddy.

Benjamin loves his pacifier! It is his new best friend.

All,

Quick update: Benjamin's surgery went well today! Thank you God and thank you all for praying! He had to go back on the ventilator since they sedated him, but he was already at low settings and room level oxygen when we left this evening and they expect to put him back on CPAP sometime tonight. The Ophthalmologist said that about 10% of preemies have this condition, but most of time resolves itself. Micropreemies like Benjamin have a higher risk since their blood vessels in the eye have not grown out very far when they are born. He was awake and even opened his eyes some this evening. They are just a bit puffy, much better than I expected. He was pretty tired so we are praying for good rest tonight and tomorrow.

What's next regarding his eyes? He has a follow up exam later this week to see if they will need to do more surgery. We are praying that he will not need any more, especially since his ostomy is being put back together Thursday, and that will be a major surgery for him. Four surgeries in 10 weeks is enough for us, thank you!

Thanks again for praying for Benjamin. We could not have asked for the surgery to go any better.

Jamie

At 8:51 am this morning:


We just got off the phone with an Ophthalmologist for Benjamin. He is requiring emergency eye surgery today. We knew this would likely happen after his exam on Thursday, but we didn't know it would be so fast. The blood vessels in his eyes are growing abnormally and if left alone will cause the retina to detach, likely causing blindness. This surgery has risks and likely some loss of peripheral vision, but the potential benefits greatly outweigh the risks at this point.

Please pray for protection for Benjamin, as he will be undergoing anesthesia, pray for the Ophthalmologist to have wisdom and supernatural skill.