Tag: answers to prayer

Mandy Is getting Better!

Mandy Sitting Up Almost On Her Own
Mandy Sitting Up Almost On Her Own

Hi Guys,

I have some major updates.

Mandy is doing fantastic! She is gaining weight steadily now, and is up to 11 pounds. She is starting to look around, and pay attention to the things going on around her. A couple of days ago, I was watching the Occupational Therapist working with her. She was sitting in a little chair, just slightly propped up. She was holding her head up and playing with a toy that played music and vibrated. It brought tears to my eyes thinking about everything that Teresa, Mandy and I have gone through over the last 10 months. It has been an incredible journey and its just beginning. Mandy has surprised us over and over again. She is truly amazing! God has uniquely created her and despite her challenges she will fulfill the plan that he has set up for her. We just have to raise her up according to the scriptures and know by faith that she will not depart from it.

But alas I digress…..

Mandy has seen several doctors since my last post, including her Cardiologist, Pediatrician and a plastic surgeon who will hopefully fix her cleft palate. The cardiologist is very happy with her progress. The last set of echograms look really good. There is another hole in her heart, but he is hoping that it will close on its own.

Her pediatrician is pleased as well, with her weight gain and progress.

The plastic surgeon was concerned about her size and her “failure to thrive” She wants to see how she develops and will follow up in about 6 months.

Finally Mandy’s surgery has been postponed until the middle of November. They are going to put tubes in her ears and check her hearing again under sedation. Ill let you know when it is, once they finalize the scheduling.

Thank you for all the prayers. God is truly amazing and never lets us down!

Love In Christ
Michael and Teresa Blaes

PS I have been asked several times to share the back-story behind Mandy’s story, and am starting to work on it. Ill post it as I finish it.

PSS. Please share your thoughts by clicking the comment link below.

A Sincere Thank You and an Update

mandy0325.jpgHi Guys,

 I just wanted to express my heart-felt thanks for the donations that came through. We were able to raise enough to cover the next two payments.

 It was just the timing that threw the budget out of sync. We had some unexpected expenses that came at the wrong time.

 Again Thank You

 Back to Mandy……

We started training on Wednesday, and so far everything is going well. The facility that she is in is awesome, and the staff are incredibly patient and hospitable. I practiced suctioning some more, and began to learn how to setup and change her feeds. Friday I am supposed to learn now to change out trach.

According to Mandy’s doctor, she will be at the hospital for about a month. They have to wean her off of one of the medications before they can release her to our care. And of course we have to know how to take care of her.

 Mandy is not a fussy baby  at all. She cries when she needs something, diaper changed, trach suctioned, etc. But once the need is filled she settles down right away. She has a very soft cry that you really have to learn to listen for. In fact it is uusally the monitors that let us know something is wrong.

 One of the funny but annoying things is she is starting to wiggle more, moving her arms and legs. But everytime she moves too much it sets off the monitors. The technology is just not geared for children. 

To be honest, its refreshing, seeing her move around, and not have to be sedated all the time. At one point she was on 3 different pain medications all at the same time. So she was always groggy and not very responsive. Now Im starting to see her personality emerge, and it is really cool.

Thanks for all the prayers,

Love in Christ
Michael and Teresa Blaes

But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” Matt 19:14 (NLT)

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PSS. Let me know what you think of the new banner.