Dear Folks,

Our God is an awesome God!  Stephanie and I celebrated Alison’s one-week birthday yesterday at 2:21 PM by our precious little girl’s side.  We were able to sing her Happy Birthday. 

We are so grateful for the many prayers you have offered up to the Great Physician on Alison’s behalf.  We praise the Lord for each day He gives us to cherish and love our beautiful daughter.

Thanks to your prayers, Alison is beginning a slow and steady upward movement again.  Saturday and Sunday were trying days as she lost the early momentum she had been blessed with. 

Alison had been making strong moves Thursday with regard to her vital signs and the oxygen blood gasses (gage of oxygen inside her red blood cells).  The doctors began lowering her medications to see where she wanted to go, but she could not sustain the momentum because she was not yet strong enough.

When our little Alison was born last Monday, her gasses were in the lower 40’s.  By Thursday, her gasses had risen to the 240’s.  Then she began to struggle and they dropped back to the low 60’s. 

Today I am thankful to report that our little Alison is back up to 88.  She needs to get to the 100 to 150 range, and stay there consistently, so the doctors can begin removing some of the medicines from her system and begin to lower her dependence on the oscillating ventilator.  One of her attending doctors said their focus remains in assisting her to create large numbers of red blood cells with high levels of oxygen.  Please pray that Alison’s body will be able to correctly oxygenate her tissues.

On Sunday, Alison’s doctors switched her from the oscillating ventilator to a traditional ventilator, but she did not respond well.  She was quickly returned to the oscillating ventilator because she seemed to respond better.  Some additional medicines were added to help her recover and she received a needed blood transfusion Sunday due to the number of tests that were being run and the amount of blood that was being drawn from her body.

Sunday afternoon Alison began to level out and Monday she began a slow accent.  Her heartbeat has declined (an answered prayer) and her oxygen count has improved (an answered prayer).  Our little Alison is still very sick.  She continues to have pulmonary hypertension and immature lungs-- which continue to aggravate each other.  These two conditions are why the doctors still consider her critical.  Please pray that the pulmonary hypertension will ease and her lungs will continue to mature and heal from any stress that may have been caused by the ventilator.

Alison’s swelling has lessened a bit (an answered prayer).  Please pray that her organs will be able to continue to excrete the fluids that are causing her small body to swell.

Today, the doctors began making adjustments to the settings of the oscillating ventilator, including a few minor reductions.  These reductions are helping to relieve some of the pressure on her lungs, which is allowing her heart more room to work efficiently.  She received another blood transfusion this morning to help raise her red blood cell count, which in turn will allow more oxygen to reach her tissues.  This will help quicken her body’s ability to heal.  The doctors have also begun to lower her medicines in small increments and are waiting to see how our little girl responds.  Please continue to pray for her lungs and heart and their ability to work in tandem to deliver strong amounts of oxygen throughout her little body.

Baby Alison had an EEG this afternoon and we hope to hear back from the neurologist this evening or in the morning to see if her little brain is healing from its’ potential early trauma.  Alison had an early EEG last Tuesday which showed moderate damage from the lack of blood and oxygen to her brain shortly before her birth.  Stephanie and I are a little nervous because this is the other half of the battle our little girl is so valiantly fighting.  Please continue to pray for Alison’s brain and pray for continued peace for Stephanie and me.

Our little girl is making slow but steady progress this week.  The doctors seemed pleased with her status today.  After seeing her slide this weekend, we have been overjoyed with her stability and improving vital stats.  Our Lord has been merciful to us and is providing our family some relief from our heavy hearts this weekend.  I continue to talk to Alison and tell her how proud I am of her and how much her mom and I want to see her come home.  She truly has her mother’s spunk.

Please continue to lift up the doctors, specialists and nurses who have been so good to our little girl.  The joy in their faces when Alison is doing well and the sadness when she is facing challenges are telling that they share in our love and concern for our precious daughter.  Woman’s Hospital is indeed a special place and the people who work there are special and generous folks.  Please pray that the Lord will continue to give them wisdom and love for our baby girl.

Stephanie is steadily improving.  She is a courageous lady.  She has continued to cut back on her pain medication and is walking around like she did not have major surgery last Monday.  Her primary doctor did a remarkable job with the delivery of our baby, and your prayers have been instrumental to her quick recovery.

I am fortunate to have married such a wonderful woman who has been a strong and valiant companion for me throughout this journey.  The look in her eyes when she gazes at her little girl is truly special and her desire to bring her daughter home, and her belief she will do that, has never wavered.  I truly love my wife and am so proud of her.

Please pray for me as I need to reengage with my career this week.  It is going to be a difficult week for me because I want to spend as much time with my wife and daughter as I possibly can.  But the realities of this world require me to work and earn a living for my family as Stephanie and Alison heal.

We still do not know where the Lord will take us on this journey, but we are gaining additional hope, with each passing day, that the Lord is answering our prayers favorably to what we are seeking.  We still pray daily that He will do what is best for our little Alison, but our selfish desire remains bringing home a healthy little girl to share with our families and friends for many years to come.  We anxiously await that joyous day.

Please continue to lift up Alison, her mom and dad, her grandparents and extended family to our Lord and Savior.  Our strength has clearly been a response to your fervent prayers and our little daughter’s improvement has been because you have petitioned the Great Physician for His healing hand.  We are truly appreciative for your love and concern for our little angel and willingness to hold us up in prayer to the Heavenly Father.  May the Lord richly bless you and your families for your sacrifice on our behalf.

Blessings to you,

Langston and Stephanie

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