Joshua's 'Baby Story' Cont....

Friday, October 26, 2007
Update on Baby Joshua- 10/26
I just wanted to up date you on Joshua… He is doing amazingly well after his surgery last Saturday. The doctors say he has exceeded their expectations in how well he is doing. I told him that Joshua has hundreds of prayers going up for him and the doctors – he said "that is just what we need" (Dr. Vaughn is a Christian – don't know about the other 2 but think they are too).
Joshua is off the respirator and his pain meds and is doing great. He is on a "bubble" pump (big head gear for tubes in his nose) which is to keep his lungs open and the alveoli open because he can't move around much. He has a drain tube down his throat from his mouth to his stomach and a couple of IVs – one for nutrition and one in his chest to do all the blood work etc. so they don't have to stick him all the time. Then he has a couple of monitors – heart and temperature I think - and a couple of other drains in his lower abdomen. He looks like he is in a little cocoon of tubes, wires, and wraps… we can't hold him so we just pet him and hold his little hand (he grabs it back) and talk and sing to him. He was a bit more active yesterday and opened his eyes a little and cried a tiny bit when the nurse turned him over . Michael was with him and got to hold a pacifier in his mouth. I couldn't go yesterday because I woke up with a cold; please pray I get over this cold so I can go see him soon! We did get the Chromosones Test back today and he is completely perfect!!
NO SYNDRONES!!! Praise The Lord!!!!!!!!

The plan now is to wait – letting his little intestines heal before they try the feeding tube to see if it all works – with no leaks and no blockages. Dr. Vaughn will assess the situation and all his "signs" to see if he is ready for this on Nov. 2 – then if everything looks good (no leaks) they will try the feeding tube. Here is your BIG prayer: that the healing is complete and good and that there will be no leaks or blockages and that he absorbs his food and not just eliminate it. Wow – our bodies are amazing – it's the most complicated thing in the universe – God is just too amazing to grasp. I just pray that HE will make it all work like he meant it to in the first place – no one else can do this but Him!

The adoption is in the works… hopefully (and prayerfully) it will all be finalized before Joshua can go home. He will be in the NICU at least another month the doctor is saying… Please pray for all the adoption red tape (it will take about 35 days). We meet with the attorneys to sign all the paper work next week, and then our homesteady is next week also.
Michael and I met with the grand parents & their other daughter on Thurs. night and we spent 4 hours visiting with them. They are wonderful and we feel as though Michael, Gavyn, & I are all three blessed with another family! We all get along so well you would think we have known each other for years! God is so faithfull in this whole process, we are shocked how everything is coming together SO EASY!!!
Thank you for you tireless and faithful prayers for this little one and for all of us – we are blessed over and over again by all of you.
With love ,
Michael, Selah, & Gavyn

P.S. we came up with a middle name finally... we decided since Joshua's 1st name is my older brother's name we thought we would give him a name from Michael's side too, so we went with Michael's older brother, Ryan- means little King!
Joshua Ryan Thalken-
We think this is cool because even though Gavyn will carry on the Thalken blood, Joshua will carry on the Family name's- he is just as much apart of our family and a son to us as Gavyn is! We never thought it would be this easy to fall so in love with a baby you didn't carry for 9 months, but we have and it is such an amazing love- now we understand better the adoption love that Jesus has for his adopted children!!! Such a Beautiful, un-describable feeling!!!!! This whole thing has brought us closer to the Father~ It is amazing!!!!!!!!!