7 Weeks

7 weeks of getting to stare at this sweet face.

49 days of getting to hold this sweet hand.

Weeks and days that I wouldn't trade for anything.

We have learned to cherish every moment and to celebrate the smallest of milestones.
Our brave Samuel David has shown more strength than any of us.  He is a fighter, and we are confident that God is going to use his courage and strength to do great things for Him!

Samuel has continued to progress well over the past week.  The doctors have said that he looks great for now from a cardiac standpoint!  The surgery did exactly what it was supposed to do!  There is still another heart surgery in Samuel's future, but for now his little heart is pumping right along.  Praise God!
Samuel has continued to do well weaning off of his sedation meds, but it is a slow process, and there is still a ways to go.  He has also done well with his tube feedings!  He is now up to his goal amount for feeds with no issues!  We are praising God for this huge step which has already allowed Samuel to start growing and gaining strength much more quickly!
The next big goal is to see if Samuel can handle being extubated.  He has had a breathing tube since minutes after he was born, so his lungs have become very dependent on the ventilator.  His lungs are also very crowded because of his small thoracic cavity.  They have been able to make a few slow weans over the past 11 days since surgery, but he is still getting a lot of support from the ventilator.  We are praying that God will heal and strengthen Samuel's lungs to be able to breathe on their own!

Hopefully within the next 2-3 weeks we will have a better idea of how much longer we will need to be in Deleware.  We are trusting God's timing, and know that He has us right where we should be for now.

Thank you all for continuing to pray with us and follow Samuel's journey!  We have been encouraged to receive notes and emails from so many of you.  It's such a sweet reminder that God has surrounded us with a huge community to support us, even when we are so far away from home.  God is so faithful to provide what we need!

This is His story, and it is all for His glory!