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As you know, we keep getting the
miracles, little by little. His EEG was normal, meaning that his brain is "firing" properly, the swelling is down and
there are no seizures. When he went to his first "regular" pediatrician appointment, he got a vaccination and he cried.
He had never cried before that, but he cried then and continues to holler as he finds his voice. By now, he's crying
over a dirty diaper, a crampy stomach, or just wanting to be picked up. His eyes are still working on focusing, but
he is definitely responding to light and shadows - we're not sure how much he sees yet. He's also responding
to sound, as Ben makes all the ruckus he can.
He still has quite a battle ahead of him.
He needs to swallow so we can get him off the suction and the feeding tube. That will keep him out of danger of basically
drowning on his own secretions. His eyes haven't focused yet, and his movements and responses need to be more spontaneous
and natural. There are some signs of brain damage, but they seem to lessen as he keeps on fighting.
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Sam and I spent two hurricanes stuck in the hospital. It was crazy; nowhere
to sleep, machine food to eat, and entirely too much time spent listening to machines beep and squawk. Meanwhile, back
at the ranch, Tim found a way to take Ben's mind off of the storms and missing us...
What could be better?!?!
SAM IS HOME AT LAST!!
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Sam, at home, in his crib. He has a suction machine in one corner and the feeding
pump in the other. Medical equipment should never be near a stuffed unicorn or bunny. It's just not right.
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This picture was never meant for the world to see, but Tina wanted to see how
unbelievably enormous I was. This was just about two days before Sam was born. At this point, when I went out in public,
people would point at me and shout. Really.
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It's amazing to see Sam fight so hard and it's
amazing to know all the people whose lives he has touched. It's incredible to see God working through him. We
have met so many people, from nurses to old friends to strangers on elevators, who have told us they are praying for
Sam and are moved by him. So many people are praying and believing now when they had given up on prayer in the
past.
As for the rest of us, we're completely different
people than we were before we met Sam. Priorities have changed, patience has taken on a whole new meaning, and we take
nothing for granted anymore. We dodged a few hurricanes that were on track to do serious damage to our area (Ben will
tell you there is still a giant eye in our backyard).The last hurricane blew the roof off of Ben's play room, letting
water pour in through the ceiling. After Tim and his dad spent several hours cleaning everything up, the ceiling fell
in on Tim's head. Tim wasn't hurt, and basically, we couldn't care less about the room...Sam is
finally home.
We haven't gotten a prognosis from anyone;
we're just taking it day by day and knowing that God is healing him. Most of his doctors are agreeing with us; the others
will come around eventually. You don't survive what Sam survived for no good reason and we're sure that God has a plan
for him. What a story he'll have to tell one day. What a testimony he will be.
We can't thank you enough for all of
your prayers. Please keep praying for Sam as he keeps fighting this fight. We'll keep praying for all of
you and thanking God for blessing us with the friends, family, and even strangers who care enough about him to pray
so hard.
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