25 SEPTEMBER 2007

Dear praying sisters and brothers across the ocean,

Here is a link to a new, short video of Joseph taken yesterday.
http://video.google.fr/videoplay?docid=-1230213147388164562&hl=fr

Please accept our heartfelt thanks for your continued prayers. God is clearly answering as we mostly have encouraging news !

Joseph is finally putting some weight on ! ! He now weighs 1.520 kilos which is over 3 pounds I think. We thank God that he is alert and bright-eyed and we just love spending time with him ! !We have entrusted God with the repair of his brain so we feel freer to go about the normal parenting activities of cuddling and changing his nappy (diaper). We have now been given freer rein by the nursing staff to take him out of the incubator without their help, although we usually have to wait 3 hours between cuddles as he gets tired quickly. While he is in our arms he is still connected to a monitor as although his respiration is better he does occasionally forget to breathe and has sudden drops in his heart beat. The good news is that he corrects these ‘dips’ himself which shows that his brain is getting better at regulating his body.

He is continuing to be fed mainly by nasogastric tube but before every feed they give me time to ‘try him on the breast’ for half an hour – sometimes he does very well and other times he is a bit sleepy and just falls asleep on me ! Every day we feel more encouraged and thank God for every cuddle and chance to tell Joseph we love him. He remains in the most medicalised ward in the intensive care unit – I feel sad sometimes when I see other babies come and go and moving into the less medicalised wards while Joseph remains where he is, but God knows what He is doing, and I am encouraged to know that Love endures everything and with His love we can endure whatever He allows in our lives.

Please pray that we manage to find a new routine when my husband goes back to France next week to work. It will be strange and difficult not to have his daily support, but we know that God will continue to provide support and comfort. Please pray also for the continued healing of Joseph’s brain. (They may postpone the MRI scan to a later date as he is a bit frail for the moment).

God bless

Michelle, and Emmanuel