Skip to main content

We are Going Home

Noah and I have spent some time over the last few days trying to find words to add to the blog, but it wasn't until today that we felt as though we were ready to share all that has happened this week. We arrived to the hospital on Monday thinking that we would be bringing Magdalena home Wednesday or Thursday, and we would spend the night in order to learn how to best care for her. By Tuesday we knew that the earliest day would be Friday so that the hospital staff could have the time to get us ready for the big day.

Tuesday night we had our first "real" encounter with what Magdalena's syndrome consists of on a daily basis. We had just begun to feel comfortable with the type of feedings that we would give her. The day was ending when Magdalena's apnea alarm sounded to let us know that she was not taking in the amount of oxygen needed. After giving her a second to pull it up on her own, which happens frequently I began to rub her to help her a bit. I picked her up and rubbed her harder, but her oxygen levels and heartrate kept going down to dangerous levels. I really began thinking that this was it. This was the time in her life that I had dreaded. She looked as though she was a complete shade of blue. Everything else happened so quickly, but basically Noah called the NICU. Before I knew it the nurses were here giving her a little oxygen and getting her lungs and heart going strong again, as I sat on the couch crying and watching it all happen. She started breathing on her own, but the nurses decided to leave her on the oxygen for the night, and Noah and I agreed that would be good. Then, she became fussy to a point that Noah and I knew that something was wrong. After talking through it, we decided that she must be constipated which had caused her to drop in her oxygen level as she had to push so hard. This got her to the point where she was unable to recover her level because of her apnea.

While this was a great reminder to us of how fragile Magdalena is, we are so thankful that we get to keep spending time with her.

We are Going Home

Tomorrow morning we will be taking Magdalena home for the first time in her little life. We are so excited to be able to take her to her own room, but we are also a bit nervous about what will happen there. We know that God is sovereign, good and faithful to us, but we need the faith to trust Him fully. Please pray for us that we will be ready for whatever is to come!

We are also very excited that this Sunday, August 24, Magdalena is going to be baptized.  Please come and celebrate with us! While we are eager for this day, we will also need to be careful with Magdalena. Although we would like to share our precious miracle with everyone, please forgive us for being overly protective of her. It may not be best for everyone to meet her just yet.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers that have sustained us through these very trying times. Your prayers are God-honoring and we are so blessed by them. Dr. L, one of my professors, asked me about Magdalena yesterday and then said, "That little girl has mobilized more prayer from people all over the world than any of the rest of us ever could have." He is so right! What an amazing blessing she has been. May God be glorified in her!

Comments

  1. Thank you for sharing these things. I know it's got to be hard to write down what happened Tuesday night. You and Noah have held up under so much stress and are showing us a picture of just how much strength God gives in times of need. I'll be on my knees this morning. I love y'all!

    ReplyDelete
  2. God Bless you guys as you bring your little miracle home today. I sure can understand your apprehension of doing all that needs to be done on your own, but you will not be alone. You have the Great Physician, the One who created Magdalena right there with you. Praying that your trust in Him is given to you daily and especially at the times you need the extra strength. He will not let you down. I am blessed by you and your baby girl. Enjoy having her home. How wonderful that sounds.

    Love, Laurie in Ca.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am so glad you are going home and will continue to pray for your famaily. CAthy & Annabel

    ReplyDelete
  4. May the Lord surround you with strength and happiness as you bring your sweet girl home.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous8:57 AM

    Congratulations on bringing your sweet baby home. I have been reading your blog for a little while now and this is the first time I have commented. Wish I could be there on Sunday but I live too far away. I will be praying for your family.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am so thankful that you are bringing your baby home!!! It is such a blessing. If I may, as a NICU mom, suggest that you ask to be wheeled out holding Magdalena and have someone, besides Dad video it. Along with getting her in her carseat and then, have someone to record you bringing her into the house. I treasured this with our first. We will continue to pray for your strength and for Magdalena's health.
    Love in AZ

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hold tight and enjoy every moment as you venture outside the hospital walls! You can do this and with God's grace you will recognize all those "signs" when you need to. Your sweet little girl is proving she is quite a fighter!

    We are praying for all 3 of you!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I know you can do it guys...but what a blessing to know that God will be holding you and leading you through the whole time...you don't have to do it alone:) Thank you for sharing Magdalena with us. Wish I could be there Sunday for her baptism but I'm looking forward to seeing more beautiful pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Praying for you all as you take your precious miracle home.

    Praying for strength, courage and peace. Praying for wisdom for yourselves and medical personel. Praying for the peace that passes all understanding.

    Praying for you to be able to enjoy your little one. To just be in the moment and have joy. You are surrounded with love...

    God's blessings,
    Kathy

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous12:09 PM

    Praying that God gives you strength in raising your beautiful daughter!!!
    ~jody in Canada

    ReplyDelete
  11. praying for all of you

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous1:23 PM

    NOah and Julie,

    Praise the Lord, and praying for you all.

    Looking forward to the big covenantal celebration on Sunday.

    God bless!

    Ken

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi from the Drivers! Chris and I are still keeping up regularly with your updates. I must confess that I have not sent a message in a while mostly because everything that I think of writing sounds so trite and inadequate for what you guys are experiencing right now. Know that we are praying for your sweet family. I am sure it feels very scary, but I am so glad that she gets to go home and that you (Noah) and Julie get to use those diapers that Julie was hesitant to shop for. God is so obviously using Magdelena for His glory. She looks so sweet in those premie clothes! I will pray that God will grant her protection and space during her baptism- what a special time. God makes such AWESOME promises to believers for our covenant children. I wish I had space here to rearticulate our pastor's (George Robertson) lesson on baptism and God's covenant promises (if you are interested in hearing it, I think it was recorded- around 8/07). It is so humbling to reflect on all His gracious blessings to them. Enjoy the special time with her!

    Love, Katie Driver
    Psalm 139:13-16.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh and by the way, Julie looks like a million bucks in all of the pictures!! Hard to believe you just had a baby! Motherhood looks good on you :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sweet Julie,
    I am fervently praying you, Noah and Magdalena. I pray for you to feel His strength as you care for your precious little one! Congratulations!! - I know you are so excited to have Magdalena home. I've enjoyed reading the blog and am so proud of Magdalena. Keep it up, girl! :) Please know you are loved!!
    Katherine Ball

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous4:15 PM

    I'm so excited for you guys! We will be with you in spirit and in prayer on Sunday. (that is our old church!) Thanks for sharing her with us all!
    Lots of Love!
    Angie

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am so thrilled to hear of the progress of Magdalena. I have been continuing to lift you all up in my prayers. Thanks for keeping us updated through your blog. God has been glorified in it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous9:45 PM

    Congratulations! Be strong and tell everyone that they may share prayers but not germs - don't feel badly about protecting the baby's health like a mama bear! People who have never been responsible for a medically fragile child sometimes do not realize they should "look and not touch" - this mostly applies to the well meaning people at church, or the grocery store. Good luck, and I would say "God bless", but it is completely evident that He already has, and will always do so!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous5:10 PM

    Julie,
    I met you through Kameron Ball. I have followed your blog and am thankful to God for all the miracles. I believe I mentioned my Grandson, Aidan, who spent 8 weeks in NICU and has numerous surgeries. He has had a feeding tube for 2 years and it sounds like Madgelena might be coming home with one. My daughter, Sarah Anne has a lot of experience with having a child with unusual medical needs. She would love to talk with you or could email you if you prefer. You can contact me through email at janet.henderson@rcsd.ms if you'd like to get in touch. Be assured of our continued prayers for you and your family.
    Janet

    ReplyDelete
  20. We are thinking of Magdalena every day and praying for her health and happiness. She is so blessed to have such fabulous parents.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I am thinking of an praying for you both! Our God is mighty and gracious and His lovingkindness endures forever!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love to hear from you!

Popular posts from this blog

Magdalena Grace Roberts

This morning Magdalena left this world to be with Jesus. There really isn't too much else I can say but to please pray for Julie and Noah. For now, they do not want any calls, emails or visits. I will you keep you updated on the arrangements.

Making the Decision to Not Make the Decision

I get the question, "Are you going to have any more kids?" asked often. Since finding out Magdalena's diagnosis it was always a tough question to answer. We had always envisioned ourselves with multiple children, but there was always the lingering thought of having to endure this difficult situation again. Although it is less than a one percent chance that we would have another child with T18, the percentage still exists. When pregnant, I said multiple times that I couldn't do this again and my mom constantly reminded me that it is not always that difficult. Being pregnant was physically uncomfortable, but I was referring to the constant emotional exhaustion. As Magdalena continued to do well, Noah and I weren't sure when to begin thinking about other children. Noah and I discussed that I would work really hard at losing my weight, but I was willing to be five pounds more than what I was originally. People poked fun at my not eating Magdalena's birthday cakes

Hello World!!

Here are my first pictures! Julie is on her way to the room and doing great. As we have more pictures, I will get them up for you to see. Stephen