It is Brandon's first Father's Day and Carter and I just wanted him to know how much we love him! We were in Birmingham for Father's Day, so we took Daddy to the McWane Science Center. Thank you for being such a great Daddy! We love you!!!
10 Months!
He's growing up! Carter has really started babbling this month. He talks and squeals all the time. He has started to get his first tooth and still dances to anything with a beat. He is so sweet! Brandon and I have started daring to take him out of the house. We try to take him places we know people will not be really close or have the opportunity to touch him. This month we took him to the Zoo and he LOVED it! Carter's favorite animal was the giraffe. We also went to the University of Alabama Birmingham this month to meet with Carter's new Neurosurgeon. While in Birmingham we went to the McWane Science Center. I have never seen Carter so alert and awake. He danced, squealed and laughed the entire four hours we were there. He LOVED it and I think it was great for him to socialize a bit.
We changed Carter's formula to soy formula and it has made a huge difference. He seems to be much stronger and more alert. He is even starting to “chunk” up! He weighs 14lbs. And is 24 ½ inches long. Now that he has more energy he goes from sitting, to his belly, to rolling over and he is so proud of himself. He loves to play paddy cake. He rolls his arms and throws them in the air when I say “throw it in the pan.” He still loves to swim and goes at least once a week. We are looking forward to our exciting, yet busy July. Please pray for Carter to stay well as we travel back to the University of Alabama Birmingham and Johns Hopkins.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
At the Zoo...YES the bear is real!!!
Fetal Medicine Center Reunion
When Brandon and I found out the devastating news that Carter would have O.E.I.S. Complex UMC was there. This past Saturday the Fetal Medicine Center had a reunion. We were thrilled Carter was well enough to attend. We are extremely blessed to be so close to such a great center. We were one of the first patients of the UMC Fetal Medicine Center. We are extremely grateful to the wonderful Doctors and nurses! Thank you!!! Below is a short video of the reunion.
9 months
Carter turned 9 months old on the 20th of May. This has been an extremly busy month for Carter. Carter had surgery, two CT scans and multiple Doctors visits. After a rough few weeks he is now recovering well.
Carter weighs 13lbs and is 24 inches long. He LOVES to eat crackers and puffs. His new favorite thing is to smile really big every time I try to take a picture of him. He loves to go swimming at his Nana and Papaw's house and dance (bob his head and wiggle his arms and legs) every time he hears music. He is still a mommies boy anad he loves to give kisses. On June 20th we will be going to the University of Alabama Birmingham to meet with Carter's new Neurosurgeon. Then we are off to Johns Hopkins in July. We have a very busy summer, but we are looking forward to all of the new adventures.
Cheese...
Cheese...
Cheese...
and....CHEESE!!!
Trading Colors at Brandon Elementary School...
Traditionally, Brandon Elementary School students are clad in their school colors of red, white, and black. However, on May 16, 2011, they traded those colors in. Students, faculty, staff, and parents showed up in their light blue in support of Carter.
Although the skies were grey and the weather was cool, Brandon Elementary definitely brightened the day. It was awesome to walk down the halls and see everyone wearing a shirt that was designed to help my son. The Brandon community has definitely showed its support for Carter and our family. I am very happy, grateful, and proud to work in a loving community. Not only is the community supportive of Carter, but each and every person that I work with also shows us love in many ways.
Our family is definitely better because of BES and the Brandon Community. We want to extend our thanks to you and all that you have done for us. Thank you so much.
FBC Florence Hard at Work
Stacking, pulling, checking, banding, and shipping was the task at hand for FBC Florence church members, particularly those in our Sunday School class. In just three outings all 3,072 t-shirts were sorted and organized. This would have been impossible without the incredible turn-out each time we met. Carter even made a brief appearance to survey the sea of light blue t-shirts in our church's library. With a system that was a smooth as silk the job of getting the shirts out was very efficient and for that we appreciate all of your hard work and organization Laura Clark and Melissa Banks. We also want to thank each and every one of you that showed up and helped us. The love and support of FBC Florence has been absolutely overwhelming and we can never thank you enough. You have adopted us and you love us as you love your own families. We love and thank each and every one of you.
6 year anniversary
Would our sweet baby survive? Would he have Trisomy 18? If he did survive what would his quality of life be? We had so many questions and so few resources. I remember feeling so out of control. I remember thinking how could my sweet baby be so sick? I took care of myself. I was healthy and even took prenatal vitamins before I was pregnant. Brandon and I had wanted a baby for so long and now the baby given to us may not survive? Why? Why did you choose us God? Why did you choose my baby to go through all of this? Now, I know exactly why.
God’s plan is so perfect. Even if we did not understand it at the time, God had big plans for our little family. Brandon and I are so grateful and honored that God chose us to be Carter’s mommy and daddy. With the power of our God on his side, Carter has overcome the odds. We were told Carter had a high chance of having Trisomy 18 (incompatible with life). He did not. We were told due to all of Carter’s birth defects he may miscarry before being compatible with life. He did not. We were told Carter had a large open myelomeningocele. The doctors said it would affect him mentally and he would have no sensation below his waist. Carter has full sensation and right now he is mentally 100%. We were told to expect up to a six month stay in the NICU after Carter was born. He was discharged after 4 weeks. We were told, due to all of Carters birth defects we should consider an abortion. Just as God chose to give Carter life, we chose life. I could go on and on about all of the miracles I have seen in Carter’s short life. Carter is a miracle, a blessing and most of all a precious gift from God.
Surgery update...
Carters surgery started around 7:30 am. The surgery was anticipated to last around one hour. Due to Carters anatomy it lasted 2 1/2 hours. The Doctor was able to repair Carters hernias, just not to the degree he preferred. There is a chance the hernias could occur again. The toughest part of the surgery for Carter was pain control. Due to Carters spinal defects, he was unable to receive the usual epidural they use for pain. After Carters pain was under control he started having complications. Carter first started having EXTREME swelling which developed into two hematomas (bleeding under the skin). The Doctors were extremely concerned and monitored Carter closely. With pain medication on board, Carter was able to relax and the hematomas stopped bleeding. The swelling gradually went down and the Doctor felt comfortable allowing us to go home the next day. We go back to the Doctor Monday to see if the hematomas have reabsorbed and the swelling reduced enough to avoid another surgery. If the Doctor feels like there is too much swelling or the hematomas have not reduced enough, he will perform another surgery to drain the fluid and blood. Carters swelling continues to go down daily and he continues to be full of smiles!
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6
Here we go again...
“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths:
guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are my God,
my savior and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25 4-5
Here we are again, kneeling at the feet of Jesus. Asking for comfort, strength and healing for Carter. He is scheduled to have surgery on Monday the 9th at 8 am. He will stay in the hospital approximately 1-3 days. I know through all of this madness, there will come good. For God said whoever believes in me shall not perish but have everlasting life. I know one day Carter will have no more pain, no more surgeries and no more tears. God's plan for Carter is perfect. God gave me a precious gift and I cherish it everyday that I have with him. I have been told many times that I am strong, but the truth is, I'm not. God has peeled me down to my core many times and he has always brought me back up. God has placed his arms around me and allowed me to only focus on the important. I like to say I am in my own little bubble that God has created for me. I may not be able to tell you what I did the day before or what day of the week it is, but I can tell you anything about Carter and his medical needs.
“He makes my feet like the feet of deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.” Psalm 18:33
No matter what happens or how hard it gets I know God will be right by my side. He has already brought Brandon and I through so much and for him I am grateful.
“God is my refuge and my strength, an ever present help in trouble therefore I will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” Psalm 46: 1-3
I will not fear! He knew Carter before I ever knew he would exist. He cared for him in my womb and will continue to care for him until the day he calls him home. God already has Carter's future all mapped out and to God I am overly grateful.
“Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the Lord Most High , the great King over all earth!” Psalm 47 1-4
Please pray for Carter to stay comfortable and pain free. Please pray for strength and healing. Please pray for strength, patience and comfort for Brandon and I. For your prayers we are truly grateful.
Back to the hospital
For the past month Carter has been in and out of the Doctors' office with high fevers and respiratory issues. This weekend Carter seemed to be getting worse. We took him to the after hours clinic on Saturday and they started him on new antibiotics and more medicine for congestion and his newly developed cough. Not long after Carter received the new antibiotics Carter developed a rash over his entire body. We still do not know if the antibiotics are the cause of the rash or his high fever. Sunday Carter was much worse than Saturday. He was more fussy and ran a fever all day. After much consideration I decided not to go to work, but to stay with Carter. This was a huge blessing. Around 8 o'clock I noticed a golf ball size mass protruding from Carters groin area. It was a large hernia. This is extremely dangerous in Carters case because he does not have as much colon as most babies his age. We rushed to the ER at UMC and were admitted. We are still waiting to find out when Carter will have surgery. Because of the high fever and congestion Carter has had, there are concerns about doing the surgery immediately. Our doctors also want to consult the doctors at Johns Hopkins before any decisions are made. Carter is receiving I.V. antibiotics right now and we are awaiting details about the surgery time.
8 months old!
Eight months have already passed since the day God allowed Brandon and
I to meet our little miracle. This month has been extremly trying for
Carter. With the exception of a few days Carter has been sick almost
the entire month. It started with respiratory issues that developed
into a respiratory infection and now Carter has a virus that has caused
him to have a very high fever. Besides not feeling good Carter is
waking up 2-3 times a night. This is extremly exhausting for his mommy.
We are praying that all of this illness will reside and Carter will
start feeling better.
We recently visited a G.I. specialist for Carter's growth issues.
I know it looks like Carter has really grown in his pictures and he
has, just not as fast as he should. Carter is now 8 months old and just
now starting to grow out of some of his newborn clothes. Honestly,
Carter being small has been the least of my concerns. We just wanted to
make sure Carter was not missing out on any nourishment. Carter
requires more calories than most babies his age, due to his bladder
being on the outside of his body. His body burns more calories in an
effort to keep his bladder the same temperature as his body. The
specialist also thought Carter's trunk may be growing at a slower rate
than his arms and legs, due to his spinal defects. As a result of his
myelocystocele's being repaired a few of Carter's vertebrae are fused
together. The specialist said Carter is not being malnourished and she
will continue to follow him for now. She will only intervene if it
becomes neccesary.
The G.I. Specialist was extremly impressed with Carter's
development. She said he is actually ahead for his adjusted age. One of
Carters biggest accomplishments is he can now situp by himself.
Although, he does get a little excited and fall over sometimes. This is
a huge accomplishment for Carter, because all of his abdominal muscles
are not connected. Carter said his first word this month and has not
stopped talking since. His first word was mama. Although, he now likes
to call me Maaaa! Carter can also say yum and hey. He loves to wave hey
and bye-bye. He also throws both of his arms in the air when we say
TOUCHDOWN! He is extremly friendly and loves other kids. He is also
extremly loving. At night he rubs my face to go to sleep and "sings"
himself to sleep at naptime. He also loves to grab my cheeks and with
his mouth wide open give me kisses. Needless to say I get soaked with
drool. But arn't those the best kisses? I am thrilled God chose such a
bright personality for Carter. Aside from prayer I think it has really
helped Carter do as well as he has.
I to meet our little miracle. This month has been extremly trying for
Carter. With the exception of a few days Carter has been sick almost
the entire month. It started with respiratory issues that developed
into a respiratory infection and now Carter has a virus that has caused
him to have a very high fever. Besides not feeling good Carter is
waking up 2-3 times a night. This is extremly exhausting for his mommy.
We are praying that all of this illness will reside and Carter will
start feeling better.
We recently visited a G.I. specialist for Carter's growth issues.
I know it looks like Carter has really grown in his pictures and he
has, just not as fast as he should. Carter is now 8 months old and just
now starting to grow out of some of his newborn clothes. Honestly,
Carter being small has been the least of my concerns. We just wanted to
make sure Carter was not missing out on any nourishment. Carter
requires more calories than most babies his age, due to his bladder
being on the outside of his body. His body burns more calories in an
effort to keep his bladder the same temperature as his body. The
specialist also thought Carter's trunk may be growing at a slower rate
than his arms and legs, due to his spinal defects. As a result of his
myelocystocele's being repaired a few of Carter's vertebrae are fused
together. The specialist said Carter is not being malnourished and she
will continue to follow him for now. She will only intervene if it
becomes neccesary.
The G.I. Specialist was extremly impressed with Carter's
development. She said he is actually ahead for his adjusted age. One of
Carters biggest accomplishments is he can now situp by himself.
Although, he does get a little excited and fall over sometimes. This is
a huge accomplishment for Carter, because all of his abdominal muscles
are not connected. Carter said his first word this month and has not
stopped talking since. His first word was mama. Although, he now likes
to call me Maaaa! Carter can also say yum and hey. He loves to wave hey
and bye-bye. He also throws both of his arms in the air when we say
TOUCHDOWN! He is extremly friendly and loves other kids. He is also
extremly loving. At night he rubs my face to go to sleep and "sings"
himself to sleep at naptime. He also loves to grab my cheeks and with
his mouth wide open give me kisses. Needless to say I get soaked with
drool. But arn't those the best kisses? I am thrilled God chose such a
bright personality for Carter. Aside from prayer I think it has really
helped Carter do as well as he has.
Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your
paths straight. Proverbs 3:5,6
To him be the glory!
A thank you just isn't good enough in a case like this. We have been overwhelmed at the outpouring of support from our family, friends, and community. Of course, we are talking about the T-Shirt sales to benefit Carter and his upcoming surgeries. The generosity of God's people was not only seen in the T-Shirt sales, but in other generous donations and acts of kindness. Saying that we are grateful, appreciative, or thankful is a HUGE understatement. So, here is our attempt at saying Thank you.
Knowing that Carter would be having multiple surgeries and lengthy stays at Johns Hopkins, in Baltimore, MD, Meagan and I knew there would be financial and logistical difficulties to overcome. However, there was never a feeling of doubt, worry, or anxiousness about how we would deal with all of that. With our faith in God we knew that his plan is always perfect and that He would show us how to handle the situation.
About a month ago, sometime in March, our Sunday School teacher, John Dickerson, approached us with an idea that our class had to raise money to help with the financial burdens of our upcoming trips. The class decided that a T-Shirt sale to benefit Carter would be the route they would take. Melissa Banks and Laura Clark headed up the project and Melissa designed the shirt. When John approached us with the idea, 200 shirts was the initial goal with a lofty goal of 500 shirts. We believed that it would be an incredible feat to sell 200 and just out of this world if we sold 500. I don't know why we as humans ever put limits on what our God with unlimited power can do, but we do. Only through the help of the Lord the project was a huge success. Over 3,000 shirts have been sold. As much as we would like to thank everyone involved in this project we know that it is only through God that this happened and was successful. All Praise and Glory to our Lord God Almighty for having His hands all over and in this fundraiser and for First Baptist Church of Florence, especially our Sunday School Class.
To God: We are so thankful and unworthy. Please, continue to use us and Carter in whatever way you have planned. We know there are many people in this world with causes greater than ours, so let us be doers of your will and lights in this world. Your unworthy children...Amen!
To Our Sunday School Class: I don't know that words can express it, but we are so thankful to have you not only as leaders of this project, but to have you as brothers and sisters. You have overwhelmed us time and time again with your prayers, your cooking, your gifts, countless other ways of support, and now your hard work in this project. Y'all have adopted us as not just people to say hey to on Sunday mornings or in the local stores, but as your own family. I don't know that it is possible to truly understand how we feel until you are in a similar situation, but know that we love y'all and we would not see the fruits of God's love without you. You are all special to our family. We love you and thank you.
Many people outside of our wonderful church have been more than supportive and helpful. A special thank you goes out to Rankin County School District and particularly Brandon Elementary School. BES has bent over backwards in the T-Shirt selling effort. A large portion of the shirts were sold through the school. Several students even emptied their piggy banks and brought in the savings to my class room and said “We want to help out Carter”. It's hard to crack the shell on this hard-egg, but several times over the past few weeks fighting back tears has been the biggest battle in my class. Students have written letters of encouragement and prayer, my class has raised money on their own, and the Brandon High Key Club made a large donation to Carter. We never know why God does the things he does, but placing me in the Brandon community has been a blessing to me. It isn't the financial support that has been the biggest blessing, either. Seeing that the world cares, that there are so many good people, and the biggest blessing that God CAN DO ANYTHING! Never did we doubt this, but we continue to get to see His work from the front row seats. Thank you to Brandon Elementary and the whole Brandon Community.
As impossible as it may be, we want to tell all 3,000 and counting people who have purchased a shirt, “Thank you”. It is absolutely astonishing to know that there will be over 3,000 people wearing a shirt that was designed to Praise God and help our son at the same time. It is going to be an awesome feeling when we are out and about and we see someone we may not know wearing the shirt. Although we may not know you personally, we know that you are our brother or sister. Your helpfulness, kindness, generosity, and support towards our family is greatly appreciated. We know that you are a big part of God's plan for our son and our family. Thank you for allowing God to work through you.
Of course this would not be complete without showing our gratitude for everyone at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. We especially want to thank those who have personally taken care of Carter and Meagan. The Wiser and Batson Hospitals have become a very familiar place to us. Your warm smiles, kind words, and prayers have helped make difficult times much easier to handle. You, too, have been a part of God's plan for our son and our family. We appreciate what each and every one of you do. We do not know how we would have made it without your help through our NICU stay, numerous doctor's visits, and post-op care. We have seen God work through Carter and through many of you. Thank you so much.
Each and every person that has said a prayer for Carter or us, said a kind word, read the blog, bought a T-Shirt, donated your time, money, or cooking, helped with the fund-raiser, or in any way helped with anything we thank you. We know that there has been a countless number of hours spent doing these things. It isn't possible to measure your kindness or hard work, but we thank you. The most important thing we want everyone to take away from this is the lesson God taught us. No matter how much hard work goes in to anything none of this would be possible with Him. Just as we humans often do, we put limits on things, such as a number on the amount of T-Shirts sold But our God has no limits and shows us he is in control and he is the God of all. Thank you again and God bless you all.... Jesus looked at them and said “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
Here are a few pictures of very sweet gifts we have recieved.
Not feeling well...
Carter has not felt well the past few weeks. He has had RSV and now a respiratory infection. Although, he has been sick he has still been full of smiles!!!
First time out!
Carter's first trip out of the house. We decided to take him to the Mississippi coast for the day. He LOVED the water, sand and getting out of the house!!!
7 months old!
Growing Up!
Carter is already 7 months old. He is doing really well. He is still healing from his spinal surgery, although you would not know it by how active he has become. Carter caught an infection in his incision a few weeks after his surgery, which ended up being MRSA. After trial and error with the right antibiotics, and a lot of prayer, the infection has cleared up. The next step for Carter is another evaluation at Johns Hopkins in July. This is to see if his bones are strong enough for his "BIG" surgery. If they are we will schedule the surgery in the next months. If they are not strong enough we will go back in about 3 months for another evaluation. Our urologist at Johns Hopkins likes to perform the surgery between 12 and 18 months of age. In a way our lives are on hold until we find out the dates of the surgery. We just take everything day by day right now. We are just so grateful to God for choosing us to take care of one of his true miracles. This journey has been full of many ups and downs, but everyday we give thanks to God for allowing us to be Carter's parents. We have truly been blessed. How awesome is it that we have living physical proof of just one of Gods miracles. God is good!
Brandon and I have been overwhelmed by all of the orders received from the t-shirts that our sunday school class is selling to benefit Carter. We have felt so blessed, so loved and encouraged by all of the support we have received. We want to thank each and every one of you who have either prayed for or purchased a shirt. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! A special Thank you also goes to Laura Clark and Melissa Banks for designing the shirts and heading up the fundraiser. No one in our class should go without thanks, so to John Dickerson's S.S. Class at FBC Florence we say "Thank you." We feel so undeserving and have been humbled by all of the support. What a great day it will be when I can show Carter the shirt and explain to him how many people prayed for and supported him. Brandon and I are so blessed to have a great church, so many great friends and family in our lives.
T-shirt order form
This is a t-shirt order form made by our wonderful sunday school class. It is to benefit Carter and his upcoming surgeries at Johns Hopkins. Thank you for all of your support and especially your prayers!!!
Spinal Surgery...
This seems to be the only thing that calms Carter down when he is in pain.
A few of these were taken before Carter had surgery. I thought they were too cute not to share!
Pick me up!
Carter's spinal surgery went well and he is recovering quickly. The doctor's found two myelocystoceles, a torqued and tethered spinal cord. Although the surgery was a success, Carter's spinal cord will have to be monitored as he grows for any further complications.
The myelocystoceles were spinal cord defects. They were protrusions from the cord that included cysts and fat. There were also nerves in the myelocystoceles that had to be carefully handled while removing the abnormalities. One of the myelos was considerably higher than expected causing Carter to have a large and long incision on his back. What we thought was a sac filled with leaking spinal fluid ended up being a myelocystocele. Once the higher myelocystocele was repaired the torqued cord pretty much fixed itself. The cord was also untethered in the process.
Carter has done great since the surgery. There have been moments of pain, as expected, but everyday is a little better than the day before. Pain management and comfort has been our biggest focus because he has been forced to lay on one side of his body only. Carter has moved his legs and feet some, but we know that the road ahead is still a long one. The doctors, nurses, and Meagan have been taking great care of Carter and he could not have a better group of people at his side.
We thank everyone for the support, concerns, kind words, and most of all your prayers. We know that without God and his people who will drop to their knees and call His name that we would have none of the blessings that we have. Continued showers of blessings rain on us through this wonderful gift of a son. All praise and glory to God for another answered prayer in this procedure.
Cry to Jesus...
Today we recieved the results. Carter has a cyst on the left side of his spinal cord that is completly surrounded by spinal fluid. He also has a sac under his spinal cavity that spinal fluid is leaking in to. The main concern is infection. If the cyst was to get infected the infection would quickly spread into Carters spinal cavity and could become fatal. With this being said Carter will be having surgery.
The surgery is scheduled at Blair E. Batson on Wednesday, February 9th. Carter will be in the pediatric intensive care unit after surgery. His hospital stay should only be 3-4 days with a 4-6 week recovery at home.
Please pray!! Pray for our mighty Gods hands to wrap around Carters small body and protect him. Pray for strength and healing for Carter to get through the surgery and for all of the nurses and Doctors involved in his surgery and recovery.
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