Fuzzy Teeth

Three weeks and growing up fast

This bromeliad onesie is from our Florida friends Heather and Peter. Whenever he wears it, it's a shout out to all my swamp friends. Especially Labor Day Swamp Walk Weekend! We'll be down to visit when the snow flies. Come on snow.




Where to begin...well since I'm typing with one hand (sleeping baby in the other) I will keep this short. Having a newborn is all-consuming! I find it absolutely amazing that the day can pass without me having a moment to even brush my teeth! So this blog update is for you, friends and family. I stay fuzzy-toothed to bring you these adorable photos :)

Settling In

Happy to be home!

Already sporting his global conscience in threads from Auntie Ali and Uncle Noah-

Warm and dry after my first bath at home-


Daddy doing such a stellar job of getting me clean-

Grandma Rude holding me - how I love to be held!

Whew! A few days at home and things are going as they should. Somewhat sleepless for Mom and Dad. Just like having a newborn:) It's so much fun to be taking pictures, taking baths, taking naps. The fussy times we cherish, too. All the things new parents are privy to do...but Josh and I can safely say that we are not taking any of these moments for granted. This is indeed a privilege. And is he ever making up for lost time! He is only happy when he is held. Too much time not being able to hold went by, and so we are more than happy to oblige him. He's a little love.

Ezra had his first doctor's appointment outside of the hospital yesterday. His lungs sound pretty good, but it looks like it will be around one month before his lungs are mostly healed. We look forward to having visitor's once we get our doctor's "ok." Until then we are on high germ alert (code red). Lots of hand washing and Josh has to change his shirt every time he comes home from work to make sure he does not bring any germs home from camp. We are confident Ezra will continue to heal and be ready for action before we know it.

Homecoming

Welcome Home Ezra

If you've been checking the blog lately, and noticed there have been no updates for the last few days, this would certainly be a "no news is good news" situation! Ezra naps at home as I type! Ooh, good time to grab another photo. Smiling in his sleep! We love it. His smiling has revealed a dimple on his right cheek. Way too cute.

Let me give you the quick version of this last weekend. We began breastfeeding on Saturday the 16th and if you've heard that breast milk is super food, well now you've got to believe it! He improved so much over the next 48 hours that our doctor told us on Monday that he would be ready to go home the next day. What a miracle! Nurses that had been off for the weekend, arrived back to work on Monday to see a whole new baby. No one could believe the speed at which Ezra progressed. We believed that God would heal him, but Ezra's quick recovery rate surprised us, too! Monday night he roomed with Josh and I in our hospital room (kind of a trial to see if he would be ready for home). It was blissful and sleepless. Ahhh, welcome to parenting!

We finished up with some tests and signed paperwork and thanked the amazing staff at St. Mary's NICU department and then we were off: carrying our small boy in his carseat down the sidewalk towards the car. Can it be? Are we actually going home? Josh and I cried tears of joy and thanked God over and over and over again. We still feel a bit dazed as you can imagine. But we're home together as a family. Taking it one delicious baby smile at a time.

How can we thank you enough for your prayers, for meals brought to us, for sweet, beautiful baby cards, for your support via small paragraphs filled with such encouragement and hope? At the end of our day it was a spark in the darkness to read what people had posted and know that we were not alone, but there were others who loved us, who ached with us, who stood with us. Who prayed on behalf of us. What a gift! And what a gift to go through something like this and then to be able to come out on the other side and see that it was just that. Josh and I have been given a huge gift of faith and love. YOU are a part of that. So we can't thank you enough. It's impossible. But we know that God will meet you, too, just as He has met us.

And stay tuned, as Ezra's adventures are sure to continue.

Super Baby

Grandma "Imma" Salminen holds Ezra after 2 long weeks

No more oxygen!

We love you, Ezra Monroe

No more oxygen! Today Ezra moved one step closer to coming home. After having been on oxygen for almost 2 weeks, this afternoon he is breathing on his own accord. Way to go, baby! He had just about had it with the nasal cannula he had to wear and he pulled it at constantly. All those tubes are finally coming off. You'll notice from the pictures that he still has a feeding tube in, that runs through his nose. He is receiving some electrolytes with a wee amount of medication to help him continue to clear out his lungs from the feeding tube. Apart from that, he is off of all his medications and sedatives. The last of his IV's are being removed today.

And there's more super news: He's breastfeeding! A tough feat for many babies with breathing issues, breastfeeding does not always come easy to little ones like Ezra, especially when they have been on ventilators and had to endure tracheal tubes. Sucking and swallowing can be hard to do. But our little one is mastering the art:) With a little more practice he'll be a champ. The more he eats, the more weight he gains, and the faster we get to go home!

Josh and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Ezra has come this far only by the goodness and grace of the God we serve. God heard the prayers offered up by so many. We are the body of Christ, his arms and feet, his eyes and ears, his mouth, asking God for mercy and tenderness. This experience is a testament to the power of prayer. Remind yourselves of Ezra. Remember God's faithfulness. Remember how He listened. He's listening now.

Its a beautiful day.

Ezra came off the vent this morning and we are filled with much excitement. As you can see, Natalie was able to hold him...and is continuing to hold him while I am writing. I have a feeling that Natalie may ask for a feeding tube so she does not have to leave.

We again are very thankful for your support and prayers. Ezra still has a few milestones to overcome, yet he is progressing well.

Peace,

HOPE

Though Mama might not exactly wear that :)

We will hold you again!

A Resting Heart Swells with Gratitude

Natalie here. Josh just headed back to camp and I am headed back to bed. I am feeling worn. Little Ezra will not be coming off the vent today. That's okay. Maybe tomorrow. I check the blog. Your comments fill us with gratitude and thankfulness. They close the gap when we feel emotionally isolated. They remind us we are loved. THANK YOU FOR REACHING OUT.

The Lord has been revealing to me (I'm sure for longer than I have been aware) that it is okay for me to rest during all of this. Not only is it okay, but it is His desire that I do so. "But how could I possibly rest when my baby is in the hospital and can't even breathe?" I question. I tell God, "No, I need to pray, read the Word, pray, read. I need to do something."

I believe God shared something with me recently as I sat beside Ezra's isolet in the early morning hours. "Rest. There are people praying for you." And then I heard it. The "for" in "for you" was "on behalf of you." Just as Jesus intercedes for us, there are people, you who are reading this blog, interceding for my baby, my husband, for me and on behalf of me. I discover, on day 9, that sometimes you just can't do it all. And Christ never meant for us to.

If you feel led, please continue to pray for our family. Perhaps you would like to partner with someone else you know who is praying for Ezra and fast together. Here's a verse of beautiful poetry from Isaiah 55 that has brought me peace in these last few days...

"When you are set free,
you will celebrate
and travel home in peace.
Mountains and hills will sing
as you pass by,
and trees will clap."

First Meal

Ezra received his first meal on Tuesday. Though it was through his nose, he took to it well and was fed every 3 hours. We were able to watch him as he ate his first meal and were excited to find that he was digesting it well. Aside from eating through his nose, he takes after his father on how much and how well he eats.

Natalie and I were able to enjoy a night out to my sister Kristen and her husband Tom's last night. This 4 hour stretch was the longest that Natalie has spent outside of the hospital.

This may be a big day for our son as it has been mentioned they may take him off the vent again. We thank you all for what you have done and given, yet ask that you continue to pray for him and continued improvement.

Peace,

One Week Old

Today Ezra turned 1 week old. This week in his life has been more action packed than any week of Natalie or I combined.

Today is also a day where we feel Ezra has taken 2 steps backward. After being off the ventilator for 4 days and showing signs of improvement, he began accumulating fluid in his lungs again. We have been told that Ezra has pneumonia symptoms and is now back on the oscillating ventilator. He has IVs in once again.

I was able to be back with the camp staff last night for the banquet. Natalie and I are very thankful for a supportive team at Covenant Pines.

It has been a long week and we would like to keep people updated, yet we are beyond exhaustion. We thank you for your prayers and ask that you continue to pray for Ezra's health. We trust that the Lord will provide.



Peace,

Night Out

For the first time since Monday night, Natalie was able to leave the NICU at St. Mary's. It is amazing what a cup of coffee and an hour sitting along Lake Superior can do.

Ezra is continuing to improve. He continues to rely upon the support of the NICU to help him through the days. He is six days old and has not yet eaten. His respirations per minute continue to be twice what they should be. Thus, he has not eaten as he may aspirate once again while eating. He is receiving electrolytes and lipids from the NICU and mom continues to do her good work pumping every 2 hours, building up a storehouse for him when he is ready. It will be a feast.

Grandpa and Grandma Salminen stopped in today along with Uncle Micah and Cassy. Grandma Rude is in with Natalie as I type. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Grace and Peace.

2008 Opening Ceremony

Alright, well, not quite the climactic event that was taking place in Beijing.

Ezra continues to show signs of improvement. His recent addition, as you can (or cannot) see in the top photo is the oxygen shield for his head. Too often his hands would pull the oxygen line fed to his nose, so as a replacement the staff gave him a space helmet.

Grandpa Salminen is greeting Ezra in the lower photo. We, again, would like to thank everyone for their prayers and support for our family.

08/08/08

Well, Ezra is one day stronger. We were able to hold him for the first time last night, since his birth on Monday. What a joy to feel his warm little snugly body! It was a bit of a trick to do with all of his tubes (we call him our "tubeasaurus") but wonderful, so wonderful, so very wonderful to hold him. Mama is tearful at the thought.

Today he is needing a bit more oxygen, meaning he will need to stay in his isolet for a while longer. This is the part where our patience really needs to kick in. Of course we want to bring him home, but we also don't want him to leave the hospital without being well. So we face each day, hour really, with hope of simple goals being met. Somedays they are met, others they aren't. Today, Ezra just needs to breathe. We will eventually get to the unassisted part, but today we just want his little lungs and heart to keep up the good work. We face these hours knowing that he is being prayed for by so many. We face it knowing that the Lord will not burden us beyond what we can bear. We face it knowing that Ezra is in the care of a wonderful medical staff and most importantly a Loving God.

Ezra Unplugged

Well, at 10:55 this morning, Ezra was taken off the ventilator and is now breathing solely under his own ability. He is still receiving oxygen, antibiotics and medication for his blood pressure, but he is doing much better. It sounds like Natalie will be able to hold him tonight.

We would like to thank all of you who have been with us in prayer, helping us with food and small errands. We would also like to thank you all for sharing the news of the birth with others. Natalie had a great email set up with his photo and everything, but we have been unable to send it through this network. It will come soon.

Many thanks.
Grace and Peace

NICU Photos

Our sweet baby boy, working so hard!

Ezra Monroe 1 Hour Old

Welcome, Ezra Monroe! You finally came to us after such a long wait :) and you are worth every minute of it! Ezra was born at Natalie's parents' home in Fredenberg, Minnesota on Monday, August 4th, at 3:07 pm. He weighed in at 8 lbs. 4 oz. (8-4 on 8-4) and measured 19 3/4". His birth was absolutely beautiful and supported by our wonderful midwife and her excellent support staff.

Shortly after he was born we could tell he was having difficulty breathing. His labored breaths led us to make the decision to bring him to St. Mary's hospital in Duluth to have him checked out. We are tremendously grateful to God for leading us to make that decision. Our little Ezra was indeed struggling and had to be put on oxygen immediately. After many tests, it has been determined that Ezra is suffering from Meconium Aspiration Syndrome, which is like pneumonia. Because of the fluid in his lungs, his heart is operating as if he were still in the womb.

Today is his second day in the hospital. He made many improvements today and we rejoice with the Lord knowing that he is getting better. His condition will just take some time to improve; along with patience, hope and prayer. Please pray for our little boy as we continue on this journey as a family. We know that our God is sovereign and we can trust him with this situation.

Josh and I will update this as we know more. Thank you so much for your concern and prayers. We know that Ezra is loved already by so many. And that is an immeasurable gift.