News about Noah!

As I sit here and right this.... I am still in shock! I can't even believe I get to write it! What a crazy insane day!!!

After what has felt like FOREVER of un-knowing we finally got a call today and to the point they said "he is ready to go home"! This happened at about 12:30 today. I was like seriously.... after weeks of calling and not knowing anything at all.... whether he was even out of a coma they were ready to send him home! Like tonight?? In a week?? When!!!!

So initially that is all we knew... I was freaking out, okay what does that mean is he okay, can he talk, walk, eat..... ahhhhhhhhh what is his prognosis what will his life look like. The case worker had NO IDEA!!! I was like okay... well can I talk to someone who does. Waiting for 20 minutes to talk to someone who did was like waiting for paste to dry.... for real!

Finally, I get a call from his social worker at KU... who by the way, is amazing. I truly appreciated her candor as she felt no need to paint a flowery picture or give me an overly optimistic outcome based on what I wanted to hear, yet she was so helpful and answered my questions so thoroughly.

Ok, drum roll please.... in a nut shell. She told me that he has had the most extensive craniotomy procedure done they had ever seen at their facility! In order to allow the brain to swell without causing more damage they remove an actual portion of the skull. She said that initially the doctors had given him 24 hours to live and that was being optimistic. She also said he will continue to need extensive therapy for the next several months, probably every day..... long pause.

Okay, I said but what does the future look like???? Well, she said as my heart sunk, "the nuero surgeon who did his surgery said that in a year from now, you probably won't even be able to tell he even had an accident." LONG PAUSE.... and I am sobbing. I just kept saying "we were all praying" and then more tears. She continued to tell me of how all the doctors and nurses have fallen in love with Noah and how he is truly a "miracle boy"! That he can walk, and eat, and talks ALL THE TIME!!! She said "I don't know what you were all praying but whatever is what don't stop because it's working!" "Would you like to meet him?" More tears.... followed by a when... today?

At 2:00 Paco and I headed to KU to meet our little Noah boy. Just last night my husband sent out his monthly news letter and had an entire section dedicated to Noah. He just kept saying I feel like God has such a plan for his life, to be like Noah in the Old Testament and that his body will be restored and that it will be a sign and a testimony of Jesus and His coming Kingdom.

We get to KU and I am on an adrenaline rush and we run into the gift shop and grab a stuffed giraffe. We get to the PICU and they let us right in. We walk into a room filled with balloons and streamers and the most adorable little Ethiopian boy and my heart just melts.... I look at my husband and he gives me that "don't cry" look. He has a large scar across the top of his head that extends from ear to ear. He is still pretty swollen but the nurses said the swelling has gone down a lot since his last surgery on Thursday when they replaced the portion of the skull that initially had been removed.

"Hi Noah, my name is Liesl, how are you today?" Big smile, "Okay i guess". He starts blowing a kazoo. "I like your little piggy" (he had a stuffed pig on his bed) The nurse says, "Noah can you show her your pig". He lifts it up for me to see. "what does a pig say" I ask. He wrinkles his little noise and proceeds to grunt like a pig. "Pigs stink!"

"haha, yes they do stink". The nurse came in with some medicine and asked if she could put it into his PICC line (a fancy IV).... he say no. She said she had to and so he let her. I asked him if I could sit on his bed, he said "sure!" He was watching Airbud quite inattentively. He proceeded to tell me all about what would happen next, but still remained rather quiet. He looked tired. We stayed for about an hour and he fell asleep.

They said that since his surgery he is on IV pain medications and has been more tired and not eating much however prior to that he was riding bikes down the hallway and eating several bananas at every meal. The said I have my work cut out for me as he eats NON-STOP!

He was very polite, saying please and thank you often I was surprised.

We discovered that he just celebrated his 4th birthday on July 16th!

We will probably get to bring him home this up coming Sunday or Monday so we have our work cut out for us! I have to go every day to learn his therapies and then next week we will have to drive down town every day to continue them but they say he is doing remarkable and is extremely determined! He still has some left sided weakness but is expected to do well.

Now we are just getting things ready for his arrival! If you would continue to keep in your prayers. He has already had such a rough adjustment this year already being adopted from another country and then having this accident occur. (In case this wasn't clear before.... Noah had been previously adopted from Ethiopia last November.) Pray that the Lord would give him peace and joy. That he would bond quickly and that him and Frances would both adjust well. That our house would be filled with the Holy Spirit and the fullness of God.

Pray for provisions as we will be needing a lot in a short amount of time.

I also work 2- 12 hour shifts this up coming weekend so our time is a bit crunched.

Thank you all so much for your prayers... KEEP EM COMING! We need them! Will keep you all updated as I know more.

God is so good and what more can I say. :)