Here is Jeremiah’s Journey, starting from the delivery at
St-Justine’s Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, on August 10th, 2005 …

August 10

Today, on August 10, 2005, I breathed my first breath as I was escorted into the world at 9:13 a.m. weighing 4 pounds and 14 ounces. My parents were thrilled beyond words to see me for the first time. Mommy wasn’t able to hold me because the doctors had to quickly bandage my belly. Then the NICU team prepared me for the intensive care unit. Once in intensive care I was very stable and breathing on my own. Daddy was able to follow me but Mommy had to stay back and recover from her surgery. When Daddy spoke I knew he was there and looked right up at him (picture). Six hours after birth I was brought to the operating room but not before the nice doctor brought me to my mommy and she even got to kiss me. Then doctor Lallier performed surgery for four hours. After the surgery the doctor spoke to Mommy and Daddy and explained the specifics of the surgery and that it went well. He had to push the organs back into my belly and sew the skin over it. Then I was given a lot of medication and am recovering in the NICU. I am heavily sedated and “paralyzed” so that I do not move and damage the surgery that was done or feel any pain. Thanks for praying for me.

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August 11

Today Mommy got to see me in the NICU. She must be a strong mommy because she stood up and stayed by me for a while. I still have a lot of medication and will not be responsive for a few days. The doctor said at least three days before I can start getting off some medications. Brigitte is my nurse and watches me always. She said my blood pressure is low and needs to give me something to make it go up. All day when Mommy and Daddy would come to see me the nurse would tell them my blood pressure was fluctuating. Once Daddy came to see me for an hour and sang me songs. I don’t think he wanted to leave but he had to take care of Mommy too. Tonight at 10:00 p.m. my parents came to visit and they were happy to see that my blood pressure was good! God is so great; He is taking care of me.

We thank you all for your prayers,

Alex and Lianne

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August 12

Today I’ve been given a new medicine that has helped to keep my blood pressure stable. It has been stable all day! The doctors checked my belly to make sure I was healing well. Because my skin had to be stretched so much to cover the organs in my belly, the blood had a hard time circulating. The doctors make sure the skin is not black or blue, if it is, it means the blood is not getting to the skin.

Mommy came to see me today and was able to stay for a long time. It was just me and her and she read my some stories from the Bible.

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August 13

Today had been a great day! My blood pressure is stable and there have not been other changes. The doctor came to check my belly and my skin was turning blue. This happens often when the skin is stretched and blood has a hard time circulating. But he also said that it is healing very well.

Johanne is my wonderful nurse and this morning she washed me and combed my hair. When Mommy and Daddy came in they told me I looked handsome! Johanne said she tried a few hair styles before she got it right. She ended up combing it just like Daddy’s and I like it that way. She even offered to put gel and spike it up in the front but I guess I’ll just have to wait until I’m older for that.

Tonight my parents came to see me and we prayed together as a family, God is taking care of me.

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August 14

Today I have remained stable. Mommy and Daddy have been visiting me often. It’s hard for them to see me like this. I still can’t move and my whole body is swollen. But I am really just sleeping and I don’t feel much pain. Today my blood pressure went up, which is good, so they took me off one medication completely and reduced another! Praise the Lord! Mommy was released from the hospital today. Meme and Pepe Bourgoin brought her out for her first out-of-hospital meal. Then when Daddy called to see how I was doing the doctor told him that they stopped the medicine that makes me unable to move. It will take a few days before I start waking up and moving again. And to top it all off doctors also stopped giving me antibiotics because there is no sign of infection! Thanks to God for all these miracles. Thanks for your prayers; they’re working.

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August 15

This morning, very early, Daddy came to visit me and he saw my legs moving! This means the paralyzing is wearing off. Each time my parents came to see me I would move a little more. Also for the first time since the operation I left everyone a little surprise in my diaper. That means my intestines are beginning to work. This is great news because one of the doctor’s concerns is that my intestines could be blocked. Overall this has been another good day.

Thanks for praying!

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August 16

I am still stable today and moving more and more. This morning Daddy came to see me and when he started talking to me I opened my eyes and looked at him. It wasn’t long before I fell asleep again because I am still very tired. At lunch Mommy got a video of me tapping my feet as she sang to me. She says I have good rhythm.

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August 17

Today is my one-week birthday! What a great day to make a lot of progress, and that’s just what I did. First off, I started the day by passing my digestion test. Everyone is so happy when my diaper is full, hmmm, I guess it’s because they see that my stomach and intestines are working well. Also, early this morning, the nurses started feeding me slowly with water through a tube down my throat. This has been working well also and at 6:00 p.m. they gave me some of Mommy’s milk to eat! My blood pressure medicine has been reduced again. I open my eyes quite often now and see my parents there with me. This is great news and God has done many things for me today. I am more awake now; I can feel more pain. I cry but no one hears it because the tube that helps me breath stops my voice from making sounds. But Mommy and Daddy both know when I’m crying because I make very sad faces, especially when I move and feel the pain of my surgery. God has done many miracles for me today.

Thanks for praying!

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August 19

Today I am more awake and look great. My body has been quite swollen since the surgery but I am loosing some of that now. It’s really just water that stays in my body because of all the medicine and now that many of them have been taken away I’m not so swollen. During the night my caring nurse, Audrée, who has taken care of me for the last 6 nights, told Daddy I was her favorite! She says I’m not hard to care for and I had a good night. Mommy was so excited this morning when my kind day-nurse Madelene told her she could bring some of my own blankets from home and socks and hats to wear. Daddy asked the doctor today how long they expected me to be in the hospital. He said that the medicines would be removed soon and that the ventilator, the machine that gives me air, would take the longest to remove, between one and two months. I’m making very good progress and once most of my medication is removed I might be able to move to an intermediate care unit. Thank you, God, for this good day.

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August 20

Each day more miracles happen with my recovery. The doctors are very pleased with how quickly I am recovering. Slowly they give me less oxygen and I am able to breathe a lot on my own. This is mostly due to the reduction of my medications. One of them is almost finished and soon they will begin to decrease my pain medication. Mommy and Daddy think I am tough because I don’t cry very much, but I am going to need some prayers in the next few days for the pain I will feel. The doctors will watch closely to make sure I am not in too much pain. They give me medicine when I need it rather than continually so that I don’t become too dependant on it.

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August 21

Today, early in the morning, the nurses took away my sleepy medicine completely! Now I only have the pain medicine and tomorrow they will try to eliminate that too. Also, something awesome has happened: the doctors decided that I was breathing well on my own so they stopped my oxygen machine from pushing air into my lungs and just give me a bit of oxygen to help my breathing. This is great progress and Mommy and Daddy were so happy to see me breathing by myself. God is taking very good care of me because He loves me and because so many people are praying for me. My nurses and doctors are the best and are very kind.

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August 22

This morning the nurses began to remove my pain medication. I’m crying more often and they will give me medication when I need it rather than continually. The nurse also mentioned that she would like to take my respirator off completely very soon.

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August 23

What a great day! This is one that my parents will remember forever. Today my Mommy and Daddy held me for the first time! It was so nice just to sleep in their arms rather than in my bed. Also, the nurses removed my respirator so that I can breathe on my own. I did very well for a while but then they had to put it back because I wasn’t getting the oxygen I needed. It’s ok, the doctors said it’s normal to have to be put back on the respirator. They’ll keep trying. Please pray for my Mommy and Daddy, it’s hard for them to see me like this and not be able to take me home. Everyone is still pleased with my recovery and soon I’ll get to go home.

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August 24

Mommy got to hold me again today and I slept for a long time with her. The doctors have reduced my dose of medicine to every three hours instead of every two hours. Mommy was happy to change my diaper for the first time. I don’t know why she’s so excited about that!

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August 27

Each day that goes by I’m one day closer to going home. The nurses say I’m doing well and not in so much pain. The pain medicine has been reduced to half the dose every four hours as needed, and they haven’t had to give me any since 5:00 a.m. and it’s 6:00 p.m. now. Also, the doctors are going to try to take the respirator off again on Monday and see how I do. The doctors are concerned about my feeding because I haven’t gained much weight. They put extra calories in Mommy’s milk to make it richer so I can gain weight. This is happening because if I eat as much as I should there would be too much pressure in my stomach. I wouldn’t breathe as well if my stomach were to full.

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August 29

Today my respirator was changed. Instead of having a tube going to my lungs, the tube was shortened to three centimeters into my nose. This is great because it’s one step closer to removing the respirator completely. Also, Mommy saw my first tears today.

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August 30

Daddy came to see me this morning at 9:00 a.m. and he noticed that my respirator was gone! I had no tubes, no bag and no extra oxygen! When he asked the nurse why, she said that I kept pulling out the tube last night and each time I did I was breathing fine on my own. So she decided this morning to remove it completely. Dad was thrilled and he got to hold me for a while with no respirator. This was exciting for my parents and all of the nurses and doctors. Today at noon , Madeleine, my nurse who loves me very much, fed me with a bottle for the first time and they will keep feeding me every four feedings with a bottle to get me used to it. If all goes well, they may move me to an intermediate care unit soon.

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September 2

I have been off my respirator for four days now! I’m breathing so well on my own that I don’t even have wires connected to me to monitor my heart rate and breathing. The nurse said I’m doing so well that they don’t need to check those things anymore. Also, the bottle feeding is going very well! Every twelve hours Mommy and Daddy get to feed me with a bottle. Every three hours between that I am fed through a tube that goes directly into my stomach. I’m drinking a lot more now and soon I will be drinking as much as a normal baby drinks and I won’t need my I.V. Jesus still does miracles today!

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September 6

Things are going very well so far since I’ve been moved to intermediate care. The nurses are giving me more and more milk each day and I’ve been able to tolerate it. The doctors are still concerned, however, about my weight. I’ve been gaining each day, which is good, but it’s not quite enough. They will be giving me more calories in my milk to help me gain weight. Also I’ve been drinking from a bottle every once in a while and sometimes I drink well and other times I don’t feel like drinking. Today I was breastfed for the first time!!! This was so exciting for Mommy and the nurses were impressed. Mommy will keep feeding me every third feeding and if I don’t eat enough, the nurses will just give me the rest that I need through a tube. All this is possible because so many people are praying and God answers.

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September 10

Thank you all for keeping up with my progress. Everything is going very well according to the doctors and the only thing that I need to do before I get to go home is to eat enough at each feeding and gain weight. I have been gaining weight over the past week and this needs to continue. The doctors want me to gain a certain amount of weight each day. Part of the reason that I’m not gaining as much as I should is because I couldn’t fit as much food in my stomach as normal babies. Also, because some of my organs were outside of my body before I was born, they are taking longer to work properly. The more I eat the more my body gets used to taking the nutrients from the milk I get. The fact that I am gaining weight means that everything is working well and hopefully soon I will have gained enough weight to go home. I have also been breastfeeding more and more and Mommy and Daddy are very happy along with the doctors.

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September 13

Every day there seems to be good news. You might expect bad news eventually, but it just keeps getting better! Yesterday the doctors removed my last I.V. tube and then at three o’clock I went into the operating room to have my I.V. line taken out for good! Mommy and Daddy can now walk around the room with me unattached to any machines and they are thrilled. This means I am doing so well that they don’t need to put any medicines in me anymore. Also I have been gaining weight and feeding well most times. The nurses say that it’s possible that when I go home I’ll need to be fed through a tube once in a while with a little machine that my Mommy and Daddy will use to put milk in my stomach. I drink milk from a bottle well but sometimes I don’t drink enough and I really need to get a certain amount of milk each feeding. The machine will make sure that I get enough.

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September 21

Hi and thank you for keeping up with me and sending so many nice cards and gifts. It has been a while since I've written to you, so let me fill you in. For a few weeks now my biggest challenge was eating. Slowly after two weeks I have been able to be nursing all day and then I'm fed by a machine all night. This is great news because eating well and regularly has allowed me to gain lots of weight!

But the most exciting news of all is that yesterday the doctors told my Mommy and Daddy that I could finally go home with them!! Since 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 20, 2005 I have been home with my family; no more machines beeping, no more kids crying all around me. Just me and my family.

During this past week-end, the doctors and nurses taught Mommy how to use the machine that feeds me during the night and insert the tube that goes down to my belly; so now she is doing that here at home.

Thank you so much for praying for me. My parents were told that I might be in the Intensive Care Unit for six months, but thanks to the Lord today marks my six WEEK birthday!

God is soooo good!

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September 28

Today was my first time visiting the surgeon who did my operation since I left the hospital. I’ve been out of the hospital for a week now and love being with Mommy and Daddy. We met Dr. Lallier, the doctor who fixed my belly, to see how my belly is healing and to see what his plans are for my future recovery. He said all looks great and he won’t have to do another operation until I am about four years old or so (if everything goes well)! The only concern he would have is if my belly became infected where the cut was made. There has not been any problem so far and they will check on me again in two weeks to see how I am doing. Also, more good news came when a nurse came to visit me at my grandparents’ house and said that I gained eighty grams in four days! Hopefully soon I will not have to be fed by a machine for much longer (Mommy nurses me during the day but I am still fed by a machine at night).

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October 17

Thank you so much to all of you who have followed my progress and for all the cards, notes and prayers. It has been a while since I last told you what was going on in my life. The reason for that is because things have been going so well. I've been gaining weight and have had a few check-ups with the doctor. I really like being at home with Mommy and Daddy and Grand-Mama and Grand-Papa and Uncle Dan. I was very excited to see my other grandparents from northern Maine and my great-grandmother.

So far the doctors have not had any concerns until this past week when Mommy brought me in for a check-up. The doctors had a blood test done and the results showed that my CO2 levels were high. They wanted to make sure that I was breathing correctly so they kept me overnight to run more tests. Mommy was very patient and waited three days while the nurses and doctors ran tests. By the end of all of that everything was OK and they let me go home again. This is the third time that the doctors are concerned about the same thing. But each time the tests are run, everything looks OK.

I am eating very well and Mommy is hopeing that in a few weeks the doctors will allow me to nurse at night instead of being fed by a tube. The doctors will OK this if I gain enough weight. Daddy says my legs are getting chunckier.

I can't wait to go to my home in Maine and visit all of you who are praying for me. (See prayer requests.)

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November 4

What a day! Today was another hospital day. I had 4 appointments with different doctors for different things. They are all very careful not to miss anything and they give me lots of tests. I guess that’s ok because then I know the doctors are taking good care of me. One of the most important appointments was with the dietitian. They are the doctors who take care of my nightly forced feeding, they decide how many calories to put in my milk, how many milliliters I get per hour, etc. My mommy and Daddy would like to see me nursing all night soon, instead of being fed by a tube and honestly I don’t care for the tube thing either. So, my parents asked the dietitian if we could shorten the amount of time I get fed by a tube at night and add an extra feeding, and she agreed! As of today my Gavage (tube feeding), starts at 10 pm instead of 7pm, and ends at 7 am, lasting for 9 hours instead of 12! Mommy nurses me 5 times instead of 4 per day. This is really exciting for them but it can only continue if I gain enough weight. The reason the doctors have allowed this is because I gained enough weight over the past month to put me in the 5 th percentile curve. I don’t really understand it all I just know that I’m working toward a tubeless night’s sleep. If all goes well they will continue to wean me off slowly. I’ve been doing so well and spending lots of quality time with my family. Last weekend we even took a family trip for one night to a camp! Thank you all for praying.

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November 27

Thank you so much for keeping up with me and how I’m doing. I really like being home with my parents and grand-parents. Every once in a while I have to go to the doctor to get check ups. Wednesday the 23 of November, I went to see the doctor and he told my parents that the results of my breathing test last week weren’t very good. So they kept me in the hospital for 2 days to run more tests. Mommy and Daddy told them that I breathe better while sleeping on my stomach and so the doctors put a machine on my foot to see how well I take in oxygen. The two tests went very well! Then on Friday the 25 I had a test to see if there are any obstructions in my throat that stop me from breathing well. During one test, where the doctor put a camera in my throat, he saw a “bump” near the back of my tongue that the other doctors think is the problem for my breathing. In a way, this is good news because the doctor hopes this will solve the breathing problem.

I got to come home for the weekend, but I have to go back to the hospital Sunday night. When the doctors know what the “bump” is they will either remove it by surgery or treat it to reduce its size. They say that if it can be surgically fixed, that it would be the best and easiest option to help me breathe better. I will be in the hospital until this is corrected; please pray that this process would go quickly and smoothly.

Thanks for praying for me.

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December 3

After my temporary release home, me and Mommy and Daddy had to go back to the hospital. After many tests the doctors decided I needed surgery to remove a cyst in my throat. They were thinking that it was the cause for why I don't breathe very well at night.

On Wednesday, I went in for a thirty minute surgery and was out of the recovery room in a couple of hours. Everything went well and I didn't need oxygen or anything after that night. The doctors hooked up a machine to foot to see how much oxygen I take in on my own. The test was great and the doctors were very pleased. Then the next night, they did the same test over and it went very well. Friday, december 2, the doctors let me go home with Mommy and Daddy. In a few weeks, I'll have the same test at home to see how I am breathing. This is very exciting because if all goes well, I'll be going home to Maine to visit everyone there for Christmas!

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December 15

What a good night’s sleep! After three months of being fed by a tube at night, I’m tube free! The doctors told my parents on Tuesday that I could be nursed all day and night. This is really nice for Mommy who had to put a tube in my nose into my stomach each evening. It’s also nice for me because I didn’t like that very much. Tomorrow I get to go to Maine and visit my home for the first time and spend Christmas with Mémé and Pépé Bourgoin. Mommy and Daddy can’t wait to show me off to everyone up there. Thanks again for praying. Please remember my surgery planned for February to fix the cut on my belly.

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January 21

It’s been a while since you all heard news from my family. The reason you haven’t heard is mostly because I’m doing very well! The doctors say I’m healthy and have no problems. I still have to be fed at night through a tube, but that’s just because Mommy and Daddy want me to be strong and healthy. Now I even wake up at night to eat during my tube feeding. My appetite is going up and I’m gaining weight. (Daddy says I’m a “little fatty”.) Soon I’m going to have a small surgery to fix the scar on my belly. It’s not healing the way the doctor wants, so he’s going to fix it up a bit.

Finally we got the results from my breathing test that was done after the surgery to remove the cyst in my throat. All was very well and the doctor said I healed well from it also. Apart from all the hospital stuff, I like just being home and learning to do so many things. I make a lot of mouth noises. I call it talking, but my parents never understand what I’m saying. Oh yeah, today I cut my first tooth!!! Everyone was excited, but I don’t even know what it’s for. Daddy thinks I’m ready for steak, but my mom thinks it’s too early. Anyway, I’m doing very well and thanks for all the prayers. I couldn’t do this without God on my side. Please keep praying

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March 16

Hi. It’s been a while hasn’t it. I’m happy to say that I’m a big boy now and I think I’m almost a grown up. Well, I’m not that grown up but I am 7 months old, I weigh 14 pounds 8.5oz, and I can almost crawl! I can push myself backwards with my hands and go just about anywhere but I can’t see where I’m going. That’s ok though cuz I’m getting stronger and soon Ill be crawling everywhere. Oh yea and I can eat big baby food instead of just milk and I like to eat. Mommy and Daddy are happy that I eat a lot and the doctor is happy that I keep gaining weight. I really like being home with mom and dad and they love me very much. We have a lot of fun together playing with my toys, singing songs and reading stories but now its time again to go to the hospital to have my belly fixed. The doctor called and told mommy that my next surgery in scheduled for the 27 th of March. Please pray for my surgery that everything will go well and that I can go home soon after. The doctors are going to push my belly in and tighten up the skin and that will mean it could be hard for me to breathe, eat and even digest my food. Please pray that those things won’t happen. It’s kinda scary for mommy and daddy because they don’t like to see me in the hospital, so you can pray for them too. If everything goes well we can move back home to Maine in May and we will get to see many of you then. Thanks for being there for us and praying for our family!

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March 27

Well the day finally came. At 8:45 a.m. I was brought into the operating room for a second surgery on my belly. Mommy and Daddy were not sure what to expect. They didn’t know what exactly the doctor would be doing today, but they prayed hard for me, along with many of you, that the surgery would go well. After two hours in surgery, Doctor Lallier met my parents in the waiting room with a smile. At that moment, they were relieved to know that things had gone very well. Since then I have been with Mommy and Daddy in a hospital room recovering. My belly has been tightened and pushed in a lot and everyone is surprised to see how well I’m doing. I don’t have a respirator, I’m breathing fine on my own, I’ve been sleepy all day, but I did get to smile once, which made my parents very happy. The doctor says I will be here for a few days at least before I can go home. But all is going very well and I even get to nurse, which felt very good after not eating for many hours.

Thank you so much for praying. Please continue to pray that I wouldn’t feel too much pain and that my food would digest well and that my intestines would function properly since they’ve been moved around.

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March 29

The past couple of days have gone well. Each day, I get stronger and feel better. Yesterday, I smiled for the first time after the surgery, which made my parents very happy. I was in a good mood most of the time, except for the fact that I had a fever which made me a little cranky. The doctors didn’t know why I had a fever, but it wasn’t high enough to worry any of them. No one could figure out a reason why I would have one. Today they started me on anti-biotics just in case the fever was the result of an infection, but half-way through the day my fever went away and I felt much better. I was even able to sit on Daddy’s lap and play with my toys. I feel much better today and I hope I can go home very soon. Tomorrow, the doctors will take away the medicine that makes my belly numb – I think it’s called an epidural – and they will give me medicine by mouth rather than through a tube. Please pray that my fever doesn’t come back and that I will keep getting stronger and eating well.

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April 2

Back home at last! After only seven days at the hospital, I get to crawl around at home. It’s not so fun being in a bed all the time and I really like to move so it’s nice to have a big place to play. My surgery went very well, and I’m not even in pain. Even after the doctors took away the epidural, which was making my belly numb, they never had to give me the pain medication that was prescribed. I needed Tylenol for a few days to keep my fever down, and the doctors gave me antibiotics to make sure I didn’t have an infection. My fever eventually went away, and one morning, Mommy even found me in my crib, turned over on my stomach and I just looked at her and gave a big smile! My belly has been tightened and my organs pushed in a little more. Mommy and Daddy can see a big difference even in the way that I’m able to move around. The doctor says that he wants to see me in two weeks and in six months he’s going to tell us when my next surgery will be. Hopefully, I will only need one more surgery. Thank you so much for praying for me during this week, God carried me through it all!

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May 12

At my check-up the surgeons were very happy to see how well I’m doing and how well my incision is healing up. They said that they wouldn’t have to see me again for another six months.

Also, the surgeon, Dr. Lallier, said that it would be best to wait until I was 4 to have my next operation. He thinks I will only need ONE more!!! Praise Jesus!!! So the plan for now is for me to have simple check-ups till then, and have my final operation at four!

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August 10, 2006

"One whole year already!" It's what everyone keeps saying. I don't think it's really been long at all but everyone keeps telling me how big I am. I guess that's a lot better than worrying about my weight all the time. The doctors aren't concerned about any of that anymore. They say I'm growing fine and doing very well.

I guess I should tell you about some of my latest achievements. Well... First of all, I'm bilingual. Yes, that's right, I can laugh, cry and make noises in two languages. Nobody knows what those two languages are, but I do. Also, just this past week, I started walking around all by myself. Mommy and Daddy are very happy to see me growing so well and they love me very much.

My family returned to Montreal after being at home in Maine all summer. I have a few doctor visits and checkups in September and October after which we will be going back to Maine for a long time.

Please pray that the doctors will know what the best thing is regarding my final surgery in a few years. And pray that I won't have any other problems in the meantime.

I'm so thankful that God has allowed me to celebrate my 1 year birthday! It was so fun! Mommy and Daddy were hoping I'd stuff my face full of dessert, but I just picked at it a little, and Daddy ate the rest. I liked the sparklers the best, and I'd rather eat yogurt than cake... just like Mommy!

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December 18, 2006

One week ago today I was in the operating room for the third surgery on my belly. This was a bigger surgery than the doctors thought. At first the doctors were not sure how much they would be able to accomplish but to their surprise, they were able to complete the needed corrections by joining my stomach muscles together. They took out the patch that was holding things in and now for the first time I’m using my real muscles. It’s going to take some time to excersise them and learn to use them. I’m still in the hospital and It’s been a week already. I don’t like being in a small place for such a long time but today I got to walk down the hall with mommy and daddy for the first time in a week. I can’t wait to be able to run around and play again but the doctor says it’s important for me to go slowly. This was also a big day for me because I started eating solid food after being on a liquid diet for a few days. It’s nice to be able to eat soup with noodles in it and banana muffins but it’s even better to eat CHEERIOS! Did I mention I like Cheerios? Most of the tubes and wires I had are gone but I still have a few to give me the vitamins I need since I haven’t eaten in a few days. I’ve kept my food down well and I’m eating well but it hurts me when I’m digesting my food. Today I was hurting a lot and cried a few times. Now that the epidural is gone I feel more pain than before. Please pray that my insides will work well and that I wouldn’t be hurting so much tomorrow. Also please pray for Mommy and Daddy, I think it’s hard for them to be at the hospital. They need patience. Thank you so much for praying I’d like to be out of the hospital soon, maybe even for Christmas. The Doctor says I need to be able to eat on my own and gain weight before I can go home.

Thanks for your prayers.

JJ

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September 16, 2008

Three candles on the cake…what does it mean? Well, mommy and daddy tell me I’m turning into a big boy now. A lot has happened since the last time I wrote to you. Now I can talk, a lot more that is, than I used to. It’s not easy learning two languages but mommy and daddy are trying hard to teach me. I learn English from my friends, and mommy and daddy—well, mommy teaches me French (daddy just tries to keep up!). After three successful surgeries, the doctors and surgeons fixed my belly and now I can run and play…my favorite is swimming lessons (I still have to use my floaties, but not for long!). I don’t have to see the doctors for my belly again either. They said I was all better and now I can work on growing up to be big and strong like my daddy. I love to jump and climb and do all that boy stuff. O yeah, and I love playing with my little brother Seth, he’s 8 months old! My favorite food is chicken nuggets and French fries (“Fries, Chicken”). People always tell me I’m a miracle. I don’t know what that means yet but my parents do, and I know God does too.

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