What is to Come...

Dear All,

We wanted to let everyone know Malachi's heart surgery date of Tuesday, November 10th, 2009. He will be the first case at 8:00 am.

We met with Dr. Philips today, and he was very nice. We are very comfortable with him and appreciate his humbleness. Malachi's surgery will involve:
(1) removing any scar tissue that has developed since the last surgery (which took a long time to remove last time);
(2) they will attached his inferior vena cava to his pulmonary artery;
(3) they will ligate his "blind pouch";
(4) they will open up his Pulmonary artery and graft in artificial tissue to make the artery bigger;
(5) and they will remove the PA band that was left after his last surgery.

The surgery is very invasive and is estimated to last 8 - 9 hours, due to the rebuilding of the artery, and removal of scar tissue. There is also a greater risk of developing fluid in his lungs, due to being on a heart/lung bypass machine for so long. Dr. Philips did tell us that he leaves a hole on the right side of Malachi's Atrium that helps his lungs adjust to the pressure change, and this also helps with fluid in his lungs.

Malachi is estimated to be in the ICU for 3 - 4 days after surgery, and then he will go up to the heart floor (C5) after that. We are anticipating at least a week long stay in the hospital, possibly two weeks. We also found out that any type of respiratory infection, cold, or any other infection will delay the surgery about 6 weeks. So our biggest prayer is that Malachi will not get sick at all before surgery.

It was a lot of overwhelming information. It is hard to think of having to walk down this road again, but we are trusting that our Lord is taking care of us once again. Malachi will have so much to share someday, of our Great God's Protection. We are so blessed and honored to get to be his parents. Thanks for praying for us, we appreciate it more than you will ever know. We love you all!

In His Loving Hands,
April for all
Psalm 56:3-4

Great Quote!

"This life I've been given has not in any way been easy, but I would not give up my special heart for anything. It has taught me so many things and has taught others around me as well. I'm on a mission from God and I WILL complete it with no regrets or ever thinking that this heart I was given was a just a horrible mistake. God doesn't make mistakes." - quote from Lauren a 21 year old HLHS survivor.

The Next Few Months...

Malachi is wearing an eye patch to help his vision. He was diagnosed with Amblyopia (lazy eye) a few months ago. He now has to wear a patch over his good eye four hours a day to help strengthen his lazy eye. He looks pretty cute in it, as always. :o) Unfortunately, he does have to have surgery to correct his vision problems. They will go in and cut his optic muscle and reattach it to straighten the eye. This is normally a simple outpatient procedure, and will be done possibly during his heart surgery in October. He also has to have his tongue snipped from the bottom of his mouth because he is tongue tied. (This is also a simple procedure and will possibly be done during heart surgery.)

Malachi is scheduled for a Heart Cath on Thursday, September 3rd. It is his Pre-Fontan Cath. This will be to measure the pressures in his heart and check his Pulmonary Artery that is narrowed. This allows the surgeon to know "what he's getting into," so to speak. After the Cath we should hear when his Heart Surgery will be scheduled. (Probably Mid-October.)

Then he will go in for his heart surgery, which can take anywhere between 6 - 8 hours. We anticipate the longer timeframe, as Malachi has a lot of scar tissue that needs cleared away and he will have his Pulmonary Artery cut and grafted with artificial tissue. We also anticipate a long stay in the hospital, at least two weeks. (We are preparing for the longer, in hopes for the shorter!) After the surgery we pray it is the last one.

We have learned a lot about our Savior through all of this. He has been a Constant in our life. A Sustainer, and a Protector through it all. We don't look forward to the next few months, but we trust that God is taking care of us, as always. We pray that we learn all we can the first time!

Thanks to all who read the blog and pray for Malachi and our Family. We are so blessed!

Love and hugs,
April for all

More pics...


A picture of God's handiwork! I love his little chest!

Things I am Learning...

This is really good...

"'Have you entered the storehouses... which I reserve for times of trouble?' Job 38:22-23

Our trials are great opportunities, but all too often we simply see them as large obstacles. If only we would recognize every difficult situation as something God as chosen to prove His love to us, each obstacle would then become a place of shelter and rest, and a demonstration to others of His inexpressible power. If we would look for the signs of His glorious handiwork, then every cloud would indeed become a rainbow, and every difficult mountain path would become one of ascension, transformation, and glorification.

If we would look at our past, most of us would realize that the times we endured the greatest stress and felt that every path was blocked were the very times our Heavenly Father chose to do the kindest things for us and bestow His richest blessings." -A.B. Simpson

"If we could see beyond today
As God can see;
If all the clouds should roll away;
The shadows flee;
O'er present griefs we would not fret.
Each sorrow we would soon forget,
For many joys are waiting yet
For you and me.

If we could know beyond today
As God does know;
Why dearest treasures pass away
And tears must flow;
And why the darkness leads to light,
Why dreary paths will soon grow bright;
Some day life's wrongs will be made right,
Faith tells us so.

'If we could see, if we could know,'
We often say,
But God in love a veil does throw
Across our way;
We cannot see what lies before,
And so we cling to Him the more,
He leads us till this life is o'er;
Trust and obey."

Excerpts from "Streams in the Desert" July 29th.

In Jesus Holy, and Precious Name, Amen.

Malachi Rides a Horse!

Here are some photos of Malachi's first horse riding experience! He LOVED it! He is definitely a child that loves to try new things. He got really excited when the horse started to walk around. He yelled in delight. He was so cute! He is growing up so fast! No steps on his own yet, but I am pretty sure they will come any day!

Also, his Heart Cath is scheduled for Thursday, September 3rd. It is a Pre-Fontan Cath. They will measure the pressures in his heart and get an idea for the surgeons to know what to expect at the time of surgery. We don't have the surgery date, but expect it sometime in October. We are looking forward to having the surgeries past us. This time will be especially hard, as Malachi is older and can let us know more how he feels. We know that the Lord will be our strength and guide us through once more. May we learn all we need know the first time! Love and thanks for all for your faithful prayers!

Love,
April for all!

Proverbs 3:5-6

Malachi's First Beach Experience!

Here are just a couple of pictures of Malachi's first beach experience! We went to Panama City Beach, FL with Philip's cousin Matthew and his wife Annie. It was so fun and Malachi loved it, until the salt water got in his eyes!

He is getting so big and growing up so fast! He has started crawling, and when he gets excited, he "hops" like a frog! He is still walking and holding onto things, and we think he will take off and start walking by himself at any time.

He will be scheduled for a heart Cath sometime in August or September, and then surgery will be scheduled sometime in early October. We will update when we get the dates, and a reminder of what all will take place for his (hopefully, Lord willing!) last surgery on his heart. Thanks for your prayers!

We just got back from a fun week of camp at SEYC, and are getting ready to head up to PAYC! Everyone commented on what a miracle Malachi is! I sometimes take it for granted that he is here with us and doing so well! God is good! We are blessed beyond all else!

Love,
April for all

Here are a few more photos:

Feelings of...

Here are Malachi's new glasses! Malachi is looking more and more like my Dad!

Onto the post...

We have a sign above our bedroom door that states, "If your Bible is falling apart chances are your life is staying together." I believe wholeheartedly in that statement. I see it everyday I walk in and out of our bedroom. I see it when I am running into the bathroom to rinse out yet another container Malachi has puked in throughout the day. I see it when I get home from a day of running around to doctor appointments, and times out with family. It is a constant reminder, of how I fail sometimes daily to live out that statement... to be in the Word daily.

Times when I struggle and question things, is when I am not "wearing out my Bible." I was so humbled by a couple who came and spoke at our church over Memorial Day weekend, the Armstrong family. I was encouraged as well, by their focus and devotion to the Lord. I will never forget the words echoed by Mrs. Armstrong when they found out that her husband had cancer. She said, "Okay Lord please let me learn everything You want to teach me through this the first time, so we won't have to go through this again." She went on to say that she didn't want to "waste her suffering." I have heard that statement and even prayed that in my own life. What amazing truths!!! I cried the whole time, feeling hopeless in my own "wasted time" for the most part with Malachi's journey. So many times I have gotten so angry with what was happening, instead of learning what the Lord was trying to teach us. I think the worst thing of all is getting complacent, not really "feeling" anything, just kind of going through the motions, and not seeking out what the Lord had for us.

What a hard thing it is to be the forefront of suffering. Many days I feel as a failure and simply hopeless. Obviously those feelings are not from the Lord, but I do know He desires more for us and more from us. So I guess I am writing to seek a renewed sense of what the Lord has. I want a fire in my heart to get me motivated and moving towards all that the Lord is doing in our lives. He deserves all of me, not just parts. He deserves every bit that I am, so that He can use me. I must start by "wearing out my Bible." There is no way that anyone could know or understand what the Lord is teaching them, if they aren't talking to Him and hearing back from Him.

I have no clue if this post even makes sense, but I felt that I needed to write a good honest post. Thanks for those of you who read these. I appreciate you allowing me to be real.

Love,
April
2 Timothy 2:13