HOME SWEET HOTEL!!!

Hi dear friends...we are NOT in the hospital!!! We just got back into our "castle suite" at the Best Western. (It has never looked so good!!!)

We are now here for one more week. Our follow-up appointment will be either Thursday or Friday and our flight home is Saturday, October 6. Max has just settled in for a private viewing of Peter Pan (along with some Peter Pan loot he had waiting for him at the hotel, compliments of the local Disney Store (are we Baptists still boycotting that??? ooops).

Anyway, not sure how active the posts will be going forward, but I may include some pictures of Max throughout the week for his brothers and sister.

All of you continue to overwhelm us with your emails and posts. This has not been a week I'd like to repeat, but it has certainly reminded us of so many precious people and relationships God has blessed us with over the years.

PSALM 147:3 - "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

Max's heart has been healed!!! Thank you God for your amazing love!!!

Here are a some pictures of us getting into the hotel a few minutes ago.

MAX IS ON THE MOVE!

PETER PAN FOUND HIS WAY INTO MOM'S LAP

GETTING READY FOR HIS FIRST WAGON RIDE AROUND THE FLOOR

KIND OF BASHFUL AS WE RECEIVE WAVES IN THE WAGON PARADE

WHAT DID NONEE (GRANDMOTHER) BRING US FROM THE DISNEY STORE?

MOM AND MAX AFTER A BUSY AFTERNOON

FRIDAY'S REPORT

We are out of ICU and in a general recovery room (1532). Max is doing very well. In fact, if he continues to progress like he has so far, we could possibly be discharged tomorrow...UNBELIEVABLE!!! We'll be released to the good ole Best Western across the street, where we will wait for his follow-up appointment next week. We are told it will not be until Thursday or after.

The last "not fun" thing to do is remove the drain line from his incision site. He'll get a little morphine before it's removed, so we pray that goes smoothly. Every time anyone in scrubs enters the room he gets extremely upset (that's happening on the hour at this point), but we are able to get in bed and hold him so it makes those moments better for all of us.

Courtney slept in bed with him last night, so I get the privilege tonight. How thankful we are to hold him again!!!

I'll post an update later today and hopefully include some pictures of Max moving around!

CHECK OUT THAT SMILE!!!

John David, Hadley and Caleb,

Your little brother is getting better! He still gets sleepy and a little sad at times, but that great smile you love is starting to shine through! (the line on his chest is NOT blood, it is a special soap they put on his scar to clean it)

A Few Early Morning Thoughts

Dear Friends, how grateful we are for the last 24 hours. This time yesterday morning I was watching Max sleep in the hotel and now I am sitting in ICU watching him try to sleep. If any of you have been in this situation with a little one before, you understand the process. He is very frustrated with the restraints, the IVs, the bed, the...well, EVERYTHING! When he sleeps, he sleeps; when he's awake, he cries. He's been awake for over an hour but has thankfully drifted back to sleep.

Courtney went to lay down at the Ronald McDonald House here in the hospital around 3:30 after letting me get a few hours myself. We are both exhausted, but it's a good tired...a "Praise the Lord" tired!

Though the huge hurdle of surgery is behind us, we still covet your prayers for a few things:
- Max continues routine chest x-rays to monitor his lungs. As much as his crying breaks our hearts, there's nothing better at the moment to keep his lungs clear. His lungs need to stay that way.
- Max's emotional state. I intellectually understand that his time in ICU will be a distant memory if a memory at all; but, each moment he's awake and frantically trying to process his surroundings, I pray our Father would wipe these brief hours from his mind.
- REST for all of us! Pray that 3 hours of sleep will feel like 6 to our bodies. "For nothing is impossible with God" Luke 1:37
- Please don't forget about John David, Hadley and Caleb back home. Courtney and I miss them terribly!!!

Every post and email continues to be such an encouragement to us. Though we are far from home, we are far from lonely. We have all of you to thank for that.

THIS PICTURE IS FOR JOHN DAVID, HADLEY AND CALEB. MAX WANTS YOU TO SEE THAT HE IS O.K. I ASKED HIM TO SMILE FOR YOU BUT HE IS VERY SLEEPY. HE LOVES YOU GUYS A LOT AND KEEPS ASKING TO SEE YOU!

LIONS, TIGERS and MAX, Oh My! (and an orangutan)

Since we had an unexpected "extra" day in Houston due to surgery being postponed, we decided to take Max to the Houston Zoo. It was nice to have a little down time, but I have to be honest...delaying the inevitable has been pretty hard for us. Even so, Max had such a great time today laughing and playing, and the animals were exceptionally active (Thank You Lord!).

To be perfectly transparent, seeing him enjoy himself as much as he did made me want to get on a plane tonight and bring him home. Courtney and I both feel like we are betraying him, because he has no clue why we are really here (I KNOW IT'S AN IRRATIONAL THOUGHT BUT IT'S THERAPY FOR ME TO WRITE IT!). The desire to put myself on the operating table instead of my baby is so strong as I write this sentence. When we release him to the anesthesiologist tomorrow morning, I can only imagine the enormity of that desire!

Once again, Max is teaching me a lesson I'd rather not learn at the moment. Max does not belong to me. God's purpose for Max is much higher than mine! A testimony is being built in this child's life that surpasses anything I could ever create, manipulate or control!!! Does this change how I feel at the moment! NO. Will this simple truth impact my life forever? YES!

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” ISAIAH 55:9

Max and I just finished a great talk before he went to sleep. He can't stop talking about all the animals he saw today. So, enjoy some of Max’s favorite pictures from the zoo…they were hand-picked by him.

"MAX"imum Control

I can not begin to tell you how amazing Max was during all of his pre-op testing today! The extensive blood work was a little tough, but we never saw more than a few crocodile tears and a quivering bottom lip. He's a tough little guy!!!

Hairplanes and Castles!!!

Hi dear friends! All of your emails and posts have been a tremendous encouragement to Courtney and me. We have gotten every one of them!

We are settled into our hotel room (Best Western Inn and Suites Medical Center in Houston) and awaiting the activities of tomorrow. We report to the pediatric cardiologist clinic at 8:00 am to begin a myriad of tests (EKG, echo-cardiogram, blood work, etc.) that will take most of the morning. We are scheduled to meet with our surgeon, Dr. Fraser, at 1:00 pm to discuss the details of Tuesday and the days to follow. I'll update everyone on the time of surgery once we find out tomorrow.

Max had the best time on the flight to Houston today...he says he loves "Hairplanes"! If I had to guess, he had a much better time than the people sitting around us...he barely stopped talking from take-off to touch-down!!! (actually he was an absolute joy)

The minute we hit the downtown area, he began to get so excited over all the "Castles". Any building over 3 stories tall seems to be a castle in his eyes. He was so thrilled to get in our "castle suite" (hotel room) that he didn't want to leave to get a bite to eat.

By the way...for all our football fans out there, a little heads-up that Peyton Manning and the Colts were playing the Texans at Reliant stadium this afternoon about 1 mile from our "castle" would have helped. A quick 2 mile drive to the local Olive Garden took well over an hour! Thank goodness we were surrounded by "castles" with "hairplanes" around every corner!

For those of you who have been so precious to pray for Max, Courtney, and me in recent days, please remember his brothers and sister. John David (age 10), Hadley (age 8) and Caleb (age 5) have a big week ahead of them back home. Leaving them this morning was really tough for us. We are soooooooooo thankful that Courtney's sister, Erin, will be taking care of them this first week. She has stepped up to the plate in a mighty way to bring a sense of normalcy to their life! She is awesome!!! (love ya e!)

Early this morning, before the rest of my house was awake, I got a text message from a friend I admire so much, Eddie Baker. From his hospital room in Jackson, MS, he encouraged me to "enjoy the affirmations of God today" and reminded me "He is already at work!" Eddie just went through a brain biopsy this past Thursday and is waiting for his oncologists to give him the results of the pathology report. His words resonated a simple truth in my spirit...Eddie has not lost sight of the fact that God's mercies are new every morning; that God is not hindered, distracted, or intimidated by a diagnosis, a surgical procedure, or ANYTHING that we face! The unknown, the unexpected, the unbelievable...in the midst of it all, God is there. "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Tomorrow we begin a journey with Max that won't be fun. We know the procedure is not new, the process is not unique...many of you have already walked a similar road. Even so, the task at hand is new for us. Max's "hairplanes and castles" attitude is teaching me a huge lesson. At this moment he is sound asleep. He's not worried about tomorrow. As long as we stay by his side, he is content to take each moment as it comes (needles and all)! Max looks to us for comfort, sustenance, and rest.

Your tomorrow may not be fun either. So join me in a Max-like act of faith. Our Father is near...there's no reason to be afraid!

Max and Band-Aids

I guarantee that the activity on my posts will pick up once we get to Houston on Sunday evening. You guys have been awesome already with your encouragement and blessings. For now, I have to share what may seem like a strange request.

Max does not like band-aids.

Big ones, little ones, colored ones, plain ones...he wants them off. I was reminded of this yesterday when he fell and scraped his knee. I then thought about all the IVs, wires, post-surgery dressings, etc. that our little man will be exposed to over the next few weeks. The rational mind says, "We may have a problem." God in me says, "Be still and pray." (I've been hearing that a lot lately!)

So, dear friends, if you've never mentioned band-aids in a prayer before...this would be a great time to start! Max doesn't have to like 'em, just tolerate 'em! GOD IS SO GOOD!

Please Begin Praying for Max's Surgeon

Please begin praying for Max's surgeon now. His name is Dr. Charles Fraser, Chief of Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery. We are so thankful for the way God assigned our case to Dr. Fraser...I'll tell you more about that later.

Pray for Dr. Fraser's work days leading up to the 25th; pray for his family and his daily practice; pray that no unnecessary stress or diversion of focus will take root in his life while Max is under his supervision.

We love you all so much and are grateful for the faithful prayers of our friends!

SURGERY IS ALMOST HERE!!!

Max is scheduled for open-heart surgery on Tuesday, September 25th. We will fly out on the preceeding Sunday, the 23rd to get settled in and begin all the pre-op procedures. Please pray for us this week as we begin to 1) prepare for our journey, and 2) get everything at home organized so Courtney's sister, Erin, won't lose her mind trying to take care of our 3 older children and their busy weekly schedules!

How We Got to This Point

We slowly began researching our options and basically interviewing pediatric cardiologists and surgeons. First was UMC in Jackson, MS. We liked all the doctors and got great recommendations from other patient families, but a snag with our insurance pushed us to keep looking. After being impressed with Ochsner in New Orleans, LA, we were told that the current pediatric cardiovascular surgeon had just been recruited away to another hospital. Sooooo, off we go again.

So often, God denies what seems like OUR best options and leads us to His perfect plan. We finally drove to Houston, TX for a visit at Texas Childrens Hospital http://www.texaschildrenshospital.org/. From the minute we walked in the door, there was no doubt that this was the place where Max would have his surgery.

How the Journey Began

During a routine check-up at 7 months old, Max's pediatrician noticed a very slight heart murmur. He ordered an EKG for Max to make sure there was no serious problem. The EKG showed a hole about the size of a quarter (which is pretty big for a little guy like Max). The "official" term is an ASD (Atrial Septal Defect).

What It Is: The septum is a wall that separates the heart's left and right sides. A defect between the heart's two upper chambers (the atria) is called an atrial septal defect (ASD).
When there is a large defect between the atria, a large amount of oxygen-rich blood leaks from the heart's left side back to the right side. Then this blood is pumped back to the lungs, despite already having been refreshed with oxygen. This is inefficient, because already-oxygenated blood displaces blood that needs oxygen. If this defect is not repaired, over time, the body and it's organs wil begin to suffer because they are not getting the necessary out-flow of oxygen.

We were told then that it would need to be repaired. Though, immediate surgery was not necessary, it did need to be done.