Lainey

As you know, David's mom is here now. She came in on Sunday morning and went to work right away, playing with Lainey, getting the laundry done, washing dishes, and going to the grocery store. They have been having a great time visiting the park, baking cupcakes (thanks Rick), watching movies and visiting the hospital. David's mom actually just extended her visit so she could be here until next Saturday, when my mom gets here, which is a blessing and a relief.

It is amazing how things have come together this month. After we went home for the Christmas holiday we thought we wouldn't be seeing our families again until September, at Jason's wedding. Since then, Emery has been doing so well that I felt like it would be a good time to revisit the idea of having gal bladder surgery, as recommended by the surgeon I had spoken with last spring. I had some pretty bad pain when I was pregnant with Emery and again during one of his previous hospital stays, so my PCP recommended an ultrasound. Sure enough, I have gal stones in true Stupfel fashion. My mom and brother both had problems with theirs and ended up with a few days in the hospital after surgery to take it out.

Anyway, I wanted to try and have mine out electively to avoid any future complications and a long stay in the hospital. We started tossing around good times for my mom and since she works for the school district in Oregon she is free to help me with the kids in he summer. David's mom decided to come a couple of months ago when she found out about a mandatory furlough week at work. So after thinking we weren't gong to see family for a long time we had both moms scheduled for a visit in June. What are the odds? Well, it is clear that God works things out even in advance. Even if I won't be getting my surgery done, our family will be cared for during a very unpredictable time. These are a few photos of Lainey from Wednesday while Emery was in surgery. They have some things to occupy siblings, which is nice. Right after the surgeon came to talk to us Lainey went into the consult room and started talking on this chord you see here. "We need to talk about Emery," she said, and continued consulting with whoever was at the other end of the line. I wish I could remember exactly what she said now, it was so cute. She picks up on everything lately.

Emery is doing well. There was a lot of waiting today, since the surgery isn't until tomorrow. His wound looks good and his vitals seem to be well managed. He had a few issues with temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure, but those seemed to be short lived. He moved around a lot more today, which is strange to see when he still has a big hole in his belly. They say that is good to see, though and that his pain is being well managed. His fluid ins and outs are remain fairly consistent and he is making good urine, so his kidneys seem to be doing fine. His blood work has been doing ok for the most part with a few electrolyte imbalances. He is off of the vasopressors and steroids today.

They gave him a bath and more pain meds tonight, so he is sleeping comfortably now. I hope he will be all rested and ready for tomorrow, which is supposed to be a big day. Emery's surgeon is hopeful that during tomorrow's exploratory laparotomy, they will be able to put things back together, place a G-J tube, and successfully close his abdomen. We are praying that they are able to avoid any ostomies or further resection of his intestines. His surgery is scheduled for 10:30am. I will post updates as I can. I keep thinking about this verse lately and I thought I'd share it: "Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of His power." Ephesians 6:10 The context is different but the verse is powerful.