Beginning a 3rd Day - 40 hours old

It was so exciting to wake up a 2nd morning and see Joshua asleep in his bed. We've pulled his bassinet right next to our bed so I can sit up and see him. I don't like to disturb him too much, but I do worry that he'll slow down his breathing and get too quiet. So when I check on him, I rub his cheek or his palms (he sleep with his hands in the air like "stick 'em up"). It's enough to make him flinch a little bit and peace floods my heart again. I remember doing the same thing with Oceana - worrying if she was too still - but he's doing great! As the pictures show, he's pink - so his heart and his breathing are good. He's eating well, and filling his nappies.

I have a love affair with these ears. Wouldn't you? I think this is the one Matt calls Joshua's cauliflower (rugby player's) ear. He keeps saying Joshua must have played rugby in the womb. Felt like it too.

These lips are just like Oceana's. His nose is flat across the bridge (because his skull sweeps back quickly at his eyebrows), but the bottom of it reminds me of Oceana. I'm a bit of an eskimo kisser too - he keeps getting nose rubs. :)

Family pictures - not on purpose. It's these pictures I think I'll really treasure in the future, because they're us - as we really are. I think we were showing Oceana that "Yes, Joshua has a nose, ears, mouth... but please don't poke them!" Oh the joys of a busy 21 month old toddler.

I'm ok. I feel pretty good for having just had a baby. Don't be fooled, I don't feel like doing much. But in the scheme of things, I feel so much better than I did after Oceana. I don't think I got off the couch for days with her. I probably have done too much - but that's what new mommy's do! We do too much and then say, "Wow, I shouldn't have done that." Then we collapse on the couch, bemoaning our stupidity and tell ourselves we won't do that again. And then we do. And the next time a friend has a baby we'll tell her to take it easy and lay low - and she'll do the same thing we do. It's a vicious cycle.

Matt's doing really well. I'm amazed by his faith. I was praying for Joshua last night, and it probably sounded a bit morbid - what I was praying. Matt reminded me that we don't need to pray like it's the end, since we don't know it is. He's still alive, so God can still do a miracle. It's so good to be reminded. I felt quite "reprimanded" by him, but he's so RIGHT! Joshua is alive, he's lived longer than the doctors expected, and doing so much better than we could have dreamed. Honestly, the only difference between Joshua and Oceana - for the first few days - is that we have to be careful how we hold him, and we have to change the cloths around his head several times a day.

His sack seems to be leaking cerebrospinal fluid. Basically, the fluid around his brain is leaking through a spot on the membranes covering his sack. The sack's about as large as his head. It has skin that goes up about halfway around the encephalocele. Then the skin stretched out and couldn't go any further and the rest is covered in ultra-thin membrane. One or two places on that membrane have herniated (stretched and poked through) a bit more and we think that's where there's a leak.

Please pray with us that the leaks stop and especially that he does not get infections because of the compromise to his brain. (If something can get out, something can get it in).
Please continue to stand with us, believing that there will be a miracle in Joshua's situation. He's already a testament to the faithfulness and miraculous power of our God - because he's acting like ANY normal newborn. He just happens to have a herniated brain sack besides. I'm amazed every time I think about it.

Thank you for all your prayers. Love you all! - Mommy of 2