Day 25 - Home, sweet home!

Savannah came home for the first time today, about 4 pm this afternoon to be somewhat precise!

So today is cause for celebrations and rejoicing and thanks! First to our Father, second to all of you who have stood by us over the last 25 challenging days.

Surely we would not have withstood the pressures of life without the help that you gave in messages of encouragement, calls to faith and reality, telephone calls, meals delivered to our home every day since her arrival, counselling, having our boys to play, our moms who traveled from far to help us in our time of need, my Dad who got everyone in Escourt praying on our behalf, donations to our financial needs when our productivity fell away, baby sitting to relieve us for an evening here an there - those were life saving moments where we could escape the constant stress and anxiety that comes with a child in hospital with an untreatable condition. Your support made each day bearable.

Although our little princess is home at last, some battles have been won, others begin. So before we face those, I would like to reflect on the many answers to prayer that we have experienced...

Savannah
is still breathing...
still a beating heart
still feeding on milk, even
still drinking by cup and sometimes a bottle
still clear of that chest infection,
pneomonia they called it, I think
stopped losing weight, now
stil putting on weight slowly (most days)
still breathing...
still..

"Be still and know that I am God"

Mel too has been restored, having recovered well from the Caesar, and is driving and moving about freely. On to the next season, the home run time, home but not alone.

What comes next? We do not know. What future lies in stall for Savannah, only God can tell, and he has not told me yet. So we will do what we do know - how to love these little gifts from God while we have them, cherish each and every moment while the priviledge of being their earthly stewarts continues. We will also endeavour to restore some balance in our household - balance that has been destroyed over the last while.

A loving father once prayed over us that our children would fall into our slipstream and would not hinder us, nor distract us from what God has called us to, and God willing we will be able to do that now. We are not going to create a mini-hospital at home with machines and monitors and implement super hygiene, although we will still wash our hands when necessary, and will treat Savannah as one of the four Grant children, lest we favour her through the time that we spend with each one. They each deserve our best, and love, I think, is not diluted by how many we share it with, but people are diluted by the love that we do not share with them.

If only I could live that out in my own home all my loved ones would be whole and would feel equally loved.

I hope to show you some pic's soon of the girl of the "open field", as her name prophecies; free from pipes, drips, artificial ventilators and a hospital crib. As much as we apreciate what those things did in bringing her to this point, we prefer the home pleasures of pink blankets and long endulgences in Mothers arms.

Lastly, a special thanks to the wonderful staff at the Lower Umfolozi District War Memorial Hospital and the Empangeni Garden Clinic, who have delivered our baby to us, albeit after more days than we anticipated. I have a newfound respect and appreciation of these professional caregivers who work 12 hour shifts and more every day, responsible for life every moment.

Thank you all and may God bless you from His riches in Heaven!

Day Ten - Stable and stunned!

Savannah seems to have stabilised sufficiently for the oxygen supplementation to be reduced to a minimum of 1 litre per hour. If this trend continues Savannah should be able to have her nasal tubes removed, which will be far more comfortable.

She is now taking 25 ml of milk at every feed and we have discovered how to feed her without causing any distress, by feeding very slowly. It is quite an exercise, involving measuring out the volume of milk into a little cup, then withdrawing the stomache contents, incase there is any undigested liquid, then attaching the large syring into which the milk is poured, which then makes its way down into her tummy over 5 - 10 minutes.

The doctors aretelling us that she is likely to be diagnosed with a serious condition called Trisomy 18. We are still waiting for the test results to confirm the situation, but based on various features that can be seen in Savannah's body, such as her clasped fingers, the abnormal ear formation,, some gaps and ridges in her skull and a small opening between the chambers of her heart, the doctors have advised us to prepare ourselves for certain eventualities that are quite common in children with Trisomy.

What does this all mean?

Well - short of God's divine intervention, Savannah will not lead a normal life. She would be in and out of hospital due to immune system weaknesses, and would have various challenges related to feeding, and normal bodily functions. Basically she would not lead a normal life, but would need intensive or high care for life, which is said to be short lived, if she make it out of hiospital.

Progress;

* taking enough milk to stop IV feeding
* breathing has stabilised, although there is still some recession

Prayer points;

* continue to breathe
* stop wight loss (she las been losing for the last three days)
* adds weight (she needs to get up to 2 kg before she will be allowed to brestfeed)
* pneumonia will be overcome
* that she will recover and have a full, normal life.
* that the boys, Mel and rest of the family can cope with the situation

Thank you for all your sms's, calls, visits, meals, flowers and most of all, your earnest prayers.

She wakes up sometimes when we visit, and seems to be able to follow our movements and responds to our voices (or smell)! 

A view of the nursery ward at the Lower Umfolozi Disctrict War Memorial Hospital that is home to Savannah. 

That patch of tape on her chest secures a monitor that regulates the heaters temperature according to her body temperature - it is set to 37.0 degrees celcius at the moment. 

We think that there is abit of ginger coming through her dark crop of hair. 

It is hot under the heater, so she normally sweats a bit. 

Look at that nappy to body ratio! 

She does have the odd grumble or spasm and then her whole body tenses up. 

Her nappy outsizes her substantially.