September 13, 2006 

 Dear Friends,

Our Lord continues to be most gracious and merciful to our precious Alison.  Alison’s doctors, respiratory therapists, and primary nurses at Woman’s Hospital are working hard to help our little princess get well.  Little Alison is responding to all the love and care she is receiving.  Praise be to our Lord!

Alison’s swelling continues to recede.  Her little head is beginning to resemble her pictures from her birth day.  Her body is becoming smaller and resembling that of a newborn baby.  Her upper chest cavity is still draining the fluid from the leeching of her lymph nodes; but the fluid is showing significant signs of slowing down.  Praise be to the Lord!  Please continue to pray that the Lord would touch Alison’s upper chest cavity and lymph nodes with healing.

Our little girl has her first bedsore.  It is on the back of her little head.  After lying on her back for the vast majority of the past five and a half weeks, we have been blessed that she has not had any bedsores to this point.  The nurses are treating the sore to try to help it heal.  Until the tubes can come out of her chest sides, she will have to remain on her back.  Please pray that the Lord would heal and nourish her little skin so that she will not get any more bedsores.

Alison’s little lungs continue to grow stronger.  Her ventilator rate of breaths has been as low as 20 cycles per minute (it is currently 35 to help strengthen her blood gasses), her oxygen support has been as low as 30% (it is currently 35%), and her oxygen saturation is currently 95%.  Praise be to the Lord!  Her attending neonatologist told us yesterday that they will not lower her rate again until the tubes are removed from her sides.  Please continue to pray that the Lord would touch Alison’s lungs with healing.

Monday night, we witnessed our little girl breathe on her own (overriding the ventilator) for a minute and a half.  Her breaths were strong and her oxygen saturation was 100%.  We believe we are seeing the early signs that her lungs are beginning to stand on their own.  What a tremendous miracle from our Heavenly Father and an answer to untold prayers.  The Great Physician is blessing our collective petitions with mercy!

Alison’s medications continue to be reduced.  Her feedings continue to increase as the doctors try to make sure she receives adequate nourishment to help fuel her little body.  She seems to be responding well.  She is still not back on her mother’s breast milk, but she will be when the time is right.  Please pray that the Lord would allow Alison’s little body to receive the correct amount of nutrition it requires.  Please pray that the Lord would protect Alison’s little brain and heal any potential trauma.  Please pray that the Lord would protect Alison’s little ears and eyes and heal any potential weaknesses.

Our little girl is resting well and when she is awake, she just looks around the room, yawns a little, stretches her little arms and fingers and listens for her mommy’s and daddy’s voices.  Whenever I talk to her, she tries to look my way.  I do not know if that means she is afraid of who her daddy is or if she is looking forward to the day I can hold her.  J  The Lord is clearly present with her because we rarely see her try to cry now, and her medications have been reduced.  Praise be to the Lord!

Our precious girl is having a good week and the doctors seem pleased with her progress.  We have heard several of Alison’s caregivers openly express that the Lord has been with her.  Your prayers to our Father in Heaven have been an instrumental part of our little miracle.  Our Lord has been more than faithful and we just stand in awe of what He has done for our precious gift, Alison.  All Stephanie and I can do is say “Thank you!” to our Heavenly Father.  His mercy has sustained us; and your petitions to Him have been an important lifeline for Alison, Stephanie and me.  Thank you for standing in the gap for us through prayer.  Your sacrifice of prayer is evident.  Please continue to pray for our little girl.

Blessings to you,

Langston and Stephanie

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