Update October 13, 2007

Sierra Rose was still doing well today. Nurses slightly increased the amount of milk they are giving her. Sierra was also able to suck on R's finger for several minutes today. This is a good sign--it indicates that she has a sucking reflex. Having a good sucking reflex will enable Sierra to drink from a bottle and then to nurse.

I shot a short video clip of Sierra and will try to upload it Monday.

It was good to be home this weekend. I got to hold Sierra for the first time!

Thank you for your inquiries as to everyone's well-being and thank you for your continuous prayers.

--MK

Update October 12, 2007

Today there's not much to report. Sierra Rose continues to remain more active, moving her arms and legs throughout the day. She also opens hers eyes. At this point, we're not sure what the extent of her vision is, but she did pass her hearing test this week.

Since Sierra Rose has been doing well physically, it's time to pray for her mental healing. As you may recall, doctors said that she had brain damage in the following areas:
1. Decision making--one side of the brain
2. Vision--one side of the brain
3. Sleep--both sides of the brain

We believe that God can heal her completely if that's what would bring Him most glory. Please join with us in prayer as you have been doing so faithfully already.

--MK

Update October 11, 2007

As promised, here's a more recent photograph of Sierra Rose.

Update October 10, 2007

Dear Friends,

Thank you for praying faithfully. Sierra Rose has experienced continual improvments over the past several days. I'll try to post a more recent photograph of Sierra here tomorrow.

IMPROVEMENTS
-Sierra was removed from the ventilator on Monday and she has been breathing well on her own.
-Sierra has just one IV (and she's only taking seizure medicine) and a feeding tube.
-Sierra's warmer has been turned off. She has been able to maintain good body temperature on her own.
-These improvements have allowed her parents and family members to hold her much more easily.
-Sierra has continued to be more wakeful. She opens her eyes several times each day and wiggles around a lot.
-Sierra has been digesting milk well. Nurses increased the amount she receives to 5 cc (cubic centimeters) per hour.
-J's family is in town. They have been a huge blessing to the family.

AREAS OF PRAYER
-Sierra's myoclonus is up and down, but mostly down. Pray that it continues to subside.
-Pray that Sierra will be able to digest even more milk so that she can graduate to a bottle.
-Sierra appears to have at least a mild sucking reflex. R and a therapist are going to train her even more. Pray that Sierra's sucking reflex will increase so that she can graduate to nursing.
-Pray that Sierra will be able to process and eliminate the mucus and other elements that accumulate.

Thank you for being our friends. It's encouraging for us to know that so many people are praying for little Sierra Rose and the rest of the family.

--MK

Update October 9, 2007

Sierra Rose has been off the ventilator since yesterday. She is doing well. Look for more information (and hopefully a picture) tomorrow.

Thanks for your prayers!

Update October 8, 2007

Sierra Rose did well over the weekend. She was removed from the ventilator this morning. So far, everything has been going well. Everyone will observe her closely today to see how she does.

Please pray that Sierra will breath on her own completely and that she won't have any more sleep apnea.

I'll post another update tomorrow.

Update October 5, 2007

Thank you for praying faithfully for little Sierra Rose and for the rest of the family. Below is the latest update. It addresses the different areas mentioned in the last e-mail update and on this blogsite. By the way, this will probably be the last update until Monday--I usually don't have Internet access on the weekends.

Sodium--It is still high (147) but Sierra isn't losing fluids like she was the last time it was high.

Myoclonus--This has subsided greatly.

Sonogram--Yesterday or the day before Sierra had a sonogram performed on her head. The sonogram did not reveal any new problems.

Digestion--Sierra had some milk left over in her stomach but has been digesting better.

Waking Up--It seems that Sierra is finally beginning to wake up. She had her eyes opened at several points during the day. Sierra has been more responsive. When she yawned she also stretched her arms and legs. It is also evident that she has good hearing; she hears and reacts to different sounds in the room.

Keep on Praying! God is doing good things because of your prayers. Here are the main needs:
-Pray for the sodium level to go down.
-Pray for digestion to continue improving
-Pray for the sleep apnea to go away entirely. Sierra's doctor believes that she can be removed from the ventilator now, but R and J aren't comfortable with this yet. R requested prayer that God would give them wisdom to allow the doctor to remove the ventilator.

Thank God
-Yesterday R and J were able to hold Sierra Rose for about 3 hours total.
-Today R and DAK were able to hold Sierra for another 3 hours.
-Sierra has gained weight. She now weighs 7 pounds.
-Sierra's overall physical condition has improved considerably since first entering NICU over 2 weeks ago.