9.25.13 Update on my precious niece Adalynn

Thank you, thank you, thank you for praying!! God is working!

Dear Family, Friends, and Prayer Warriors,

You continue to humble us by your outpouring of prayer and support for our daughter Adalynn. The past 11 days have been a surreal time in our lives and we praise God that we can write you with an update on how God is continuing to heal Adalynn.

Adalynn is beginning to move her arms and legs from time to time and stretch herself out. She is still very weak and movements are not real frequent without stimulation. The medical staff has been able to lower how much the machines are assisting Adalynn’s breathing. Praise the Lord she is able to do more of the breathing on her own. She is also now being fed through a tube that goes from her mouth down into her stomach. After a rough start, she is now tolerating these feedings well. Another huge blessing is that we have been able to continue to hold Adalynn the last few days since she has been breathing better on her own. Prior to a test yesterday morning, Tuesday, Adalynn had been held continuously since 10PM Friday (9/20) night.

As we continue to pray for our sweet daughter, Adalynn, we wanted to update you with some specific prayer requests.

· Pray for video EEG test results.
Yesterday, Adalynn completed a 24 hour EEG (a brain test that shows brain activity) with video to help determine if she is having seizures, since she is at high risk for having seizures. We anticipate the results Wednesday (9/25) morning. The results will likely determine whether or not she needs to continue receiving medications.

· Pray for continued improvement for her breathing.
Adalynn is making progress and we pray that over time the support being given would no longer be necessary.

· Pray for visible evidence of a “suck and swallow” reflex.
If Adalynn is able to develop this “suck and swallow” reflex, there is hope she could also begin to eat without the tube she currently receives her feedings from.

· Pray for Adalynn’s brain functions.
Adalynn’s brain functions continue to be our biggest concern. Please continue to pray for miraculous healing of the global brain injury she endured in the birth process.

We give thanks that God has surrounded us with people who care for us and our precious daughter. We know God has purpose for Adalynn’s life. We celebrate the ways God is working in Adalynn’s life and those that are praying for her.

Please use this information to update the prayer warriors you called upon and express our thankfulness.

Ransom and Beth

9.19.13 Update: Prayers for Adalynn Susanne

Family, Friends, and Prayer Warriors,

We are so humbled by your outpouring of prayer and support for our daughter Adalynn.  On Tuesday, 9/17, twelve hours before the rewarming process began on our precious daughter we called out asking you to approach the throne in prayer on our behalf. God provided prayer warriors in the masses and across the globe and we praise God for your prayer commitments covering all 24 hours of the rewarming process. We give thanks that you have and will continue to pray for Adalynn and our family.

Following the rewarming some additional tests were completed. A continued prayer request for Adalynn involves the findings from the MRI of her brain.  This test showed that her entire brain has been affected by the lack of oxygen during the C-section birthing process; specifically the 13 minutes that her body went without a heartbeat. The medical interpretation from this test is that Adalynn will likely not have any cognitive or physical function because of this injury, but we know that God is not limited by medical interpretation.  

The past 36 hours have been a whirlwind of emotions to say the least but our God has been constant. We are clinging to His promises and every victory!  We praise God that we have been able to hold Adalynn for several hours since she has been rewarmed.  Her kidneys have begun to function better and just this morning her breathing tube was removed from her throat. She is now receiving assistance through a special breathing device in her nose. God has done many great things! The doctors are working to improve Adalynn’s breathing and down the road will need to insert a feeding tube for her nutrition.  Once these steps are complete and her breathing is stable, Adalynn will likely be able to come home with us!  We do not know how long this could take, but we praise God that our daughter will come home.  We are so thankful for the beautiful daughter God has blessed us with and we continue to pray that God will continue to do miraculous things in her life.

No words can thank you for your love and support.  God is just beginning to write Adalynn's testimony and we give thanks for her life.

Please use this information to update the prayer warriors you called upon and express our thankfulness.

Ransom and Beth

The birth of Adalynn Susanne

We need a miracle!!!

On Saturday evening , September 14th, a precious child of God {my niece} named Adalynn was born to Ransom and Beth (Beth is my husband's only sibling). When Adalynn entered this world her heart stopped and it took 13 minutes for her doctors to get her heart pumping again. Since her birth she has remained in the neonatal intensive care unit on multiple life support machines and has been undergoing a special cooling process to help preserve some of her vital organs. Wednesday at 1200 AM (at midnight tonight) the doctors will begin rewarming her body over the following 24 hours. This rewarming period is a very critical period as the doctors begin to see the true extent of injuries to Adalynn's organs, including her brain and kidneys.

Please join us in praying for Adalynn especially during this critical time. Our vision is to have at least one person praying and worshiping God every single minute during the 24hour rewarming time period. We are looking for you to commit for at least 1 hour that you will be praying and worshiping God during this time. We recognize a continuous hour of prayer might not be obtainable in your schedule on Wednesday. While we ideally wish for an hour of your time, we know God hears every prayer and ask that you please pray for Adalynn. Please let Ransom, Beth, Adalynn and our family know of your commitment by sending an email including your name. Also include the specific hour of time that you will be in prayer if you are able to make this commitment.

Email address: prayingforadalynn@gmail.com

Praying for an hour seems like a long time, but here is a simple guide to help organize your prayer time. For the first 15 minutes spend time thanking God for who He is and the hope and confidence that He has given us by sending His Son to die for us. The second 15 minutes pray for God to touch Adalynn's life and that His plan for her life would be fulfilled. That a miraculous physical healing would take place if it is His will. The next 15 minutes spend time praying for Beth and Ransom as they stand together through this very difficult time at their daughter's bedside. The final 15 minutes thank God for the blessings He has given you. If you have extra time after you have finished praying, sing songs of praise to God. This is only a suggestion of how this time can be spent.

Words cannot adequately express this experience but it gives us great comfort knowing you are praying on our behalf.

You are invited to use this email and information given to enlist additional prayer warriors.

{Fun Find Friday}

{Wordless Wednesday}

{Tuesday's Tip} clean sink

Let's be honest, cleaning the kitchen is an endless task! It is not just the dishes that accumulate after preparing and enjoying three meals a day but it is also the counters, floor and sink tubs that need our attention!  I try to keep up with the kitchen throughout the day but I often do not attend to the filthy floor and sink tubs as I should. Before long the sink tubs become gross and I no longer want to be cleaning dishes in them.  You'd think I would learn to keep them in better condition!  Anyways, due to the fact that I let the sink tubs get mucky last week, I can now share Tuesday's Tip with you highlighting a product I use for cleaning.

Let me introduce you to Bar Keepers Friend.
BKF is a cleanser and polish with mild abrasives.  It can be used in your kitchen, bathroom, for laundry, general household cleanup and for auto cleaning.

My mother introduced me to this product with raving reviews and a guarantee it would clean up my sink.  I am unsure if it is due to not having a garbage disposal or what but the sink tubs in this home seem to get gross fast!

My apologies for the side-ways photo; when it uploads, it rotates like this!  The condition of the sink tubs above is what they looked like following me wiping them down with a Clorox wipe. Sideways or not, I hope you can see the lines and markings that will soon be cleaned! 

Directions for using Bar Keepers Friend as printed on the product:  Sprinkle BKF on a thoroughly wet cloth and rub gently.  If applying BKF directly on metal, porcelain or plastic, make certain surface is wet - then rub gently until rust or discoloration disappears.  Rinse.  For difficult stains, rust spots, tarnished surfaces...make a paste by adding a few drops of water to BKF.  Let paste remain on stain no longer than one minute before rubbing. Rinse immediately.

Rinsing sink so I can place BKF directly on porcelain

BKF sprinkled in the sink tubs

Scrub BKF with a rag and rinse well

Sparkly clean sinks!

Yea for clean white sinks again!  

I will post a disclaimer that this cleaning product contains oxalic acid and should be kept away from children.  While I do try to use more 'green' cleaning solutions, sometimes I just commit to using stronger products to get the job complete.  I used this product when my son was taking a nap and had it secured in a location my child is not able to access by the time he awoke.  As always, please be safe when using any cleaning products!

Let me know if you use Bar Keepers Friend!  I highly recommend it for those tough stains and rust spots!

Have a great afternoon!

parent fail

So, apparently yesterday was Grandparent's Day!  Did you celebrate?  We receive the big F for Failure as we did not recognize the special day and acknowledge the special grandparent in our lives or the grandparents of our child.  Can we get a re-do?  Thank you to the friend who did post about Grandparent's Day last night on Facebook so that I can at least send a belated message!  

Happy belated Grandparent's Day to Grandma Connie, Poppy, Grandma Bev and Granddad!  You each bring such joy into our little love's life and we are so blessed that he will grow up knowing the love you each have for God, your spouse and our family. 

{Wordless Wednesday}

{Tuesday's 10} August

Happy September!
I hope you had an enjoyable Labor Day weekend!  We made the journey to our home town in crazy thunderstorms so I could assist in hosting a baby shower for my sister-in-law on Saturday. It was a beautiful celebration! I will be posting more about the big day in the very near future.  We also got to spend time with lots of family and kick-off fall with a visit to our favorite orchard.  The clinic was closed and handsome husband was not on call so we got to enjoy the beauty of a three-day weekend and returned home yesterday evening.  We are blessed!

Now onto today's featured post:

{Tuesday's 10}
Ten Highlights from the month of August

1.  Road trip 

Handsome husband attended a board review course at the beginning of the month so little love and I took a road trip to see family.  Our first stop was my sister's house.  I got to see two dear friends and their littles.  It was a busy but wonderful day!  Little love and I then went on to stay at my in-laws and to visit with other family members.  So thankful for the special relationships we have with our family and the joy of being together...although we did miss daddy.

2.  Handsome husband's first day at his first 'real' job 

We are so proud of daddy and his dedication in pursuing his dreams!

3.  Music In the Park 

Our family loves to listen to music especially when we can hear it live.  We loved attending the Music In the Park events in our old town and were happy to be attending an event in our neighboring town.  We went early and stopped at the local ice cream store and then ventured down the block to enjoy a night of music.  Little love was very social;he wanted to meet all the dogs and dance!

4.  Electrical work complete 

One might not see this as a highlight however, the work that was completed will keep us from being highlighted in the paper for bad electrical work causing a problem!  When we purchased the house some of the electrical work was not up to code.  While we made appropriate negotiations, getting the work completed was our responsibility.  We are happy to report that our house is now electrically secure! 

5.  House guests

We hosted our first guests that are non-family members!

6.  Richland Park Equestrian Time Trials 

This was an awesome equestrian 3-day eventing that took place 30 minutes from our home.  We were able to attend as spectators and view the cross country event as well as show jumping. Little love seriously spent the first five minutes gasping out of excitement with his hand over his mouth in disbelief that we were that close to horses/riders and able to watch them run and jump.  Definitely will be attending again next year!

7.  Lyrics on the Lawn

Our town library hosted Lyrics on the Lawn this summer with live music.  As previously mentioned, our family loves live music so we went to view/listen to a family bluegrass band.  Little love provided quite the show moving throughout the spectator viewing area with his blue lawn chair.  It was adorable and he even had a song dedicated to him!

8.  Hobby Lobby

Yes, Hobby Lobby is a highlight of my month!  Hobby Lobby is the closest craft store to our new house and a thirty minute drive. Handsome husband and little love went with one night to initially purchase some items for my baby shower planning.  It turned out even better when handsome husband and I found some new furniture and decor items for our home.  The addition bonus is that little love enjoys going to HL and it sounds so cute when he says "Hobby Lobby"!

 9.  Baby Shower

I love to organize and create so assisting in hosting a baby shower for my sister-in-law was like a dream come true!  Besides the joy in anticipating the birth of a miracle, I got to use my gifts to bless someone - now that is a celebration!

10.  Landscape service

Celebrating that husband and I will no longer be push mowing our large yard!