As the name of my blog indicates, I spend a lot of time thinking about home. Of course, my Heavenly Home is the one that is eternal, so that’s where I need to lay up my treasures, and that’s the one I’m striving for. But in the meantime, I have been given this tiny piece of the here-and-now—this home on the edge of town, this family, this neighborhood—in which to serve Him. And, though this is in the earthly realm, I want the things that happen here to be investments in the Heavenly realm.




Monday, July 13, 2020

Caleb's Bumpy Road


I took another unplanned blogging break these past couple of weeks when our family suddenly found ourselves dealing with a medical crisis involving grandbaby Caleb. 

At his two month checkup, Caleb was diagnosed with pyloric stenosis. He spent ten days in the hospital, requiring not one, but two surgeries to correct this condition. It was a long haul for that precious little boy. It was also hard on his mommy and his daddy who not only had to see their baby suffering, but, because of current covid-related restrictions, could not be together for those ten days. And it was hard on the extended family of grandparents, great-grandparents, aunt, uncles, and cousins who waited for frequent updates on Caleb's health from afar. 




But . . . Praise the Lord! . . . the second surgery was successful, Caleb rapidly began to improve, and he came home this past weekend! The little family is happily reunited! 


Doesn't Caleb looked happy to learn he is finally going home?



And here he is this morning, alert, handsome, and healthy!


"The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy!"
Psalm 126:3


36 comments:

  1. Oh my heavens! This is shocking news, but I am so happy that this is a happy ending. Do you mean to say that little Caleb did not have even one parent with him? What a distressful time for all. Very grateful that you had The Lord to lean on. He does indeed look happy (and adorable) and his mama's smile says it all,

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    1. Yes, it was a surprise to all of us! I had never heard of pyloric stenosis until a few weeks ago.

      Sorry to have been unclear. Thankfully, one parent was allowed to stay at all times, but only one switch per day. Still, it was very hard for both Kati and Andrew to not be together for emotional support during those long days. Even difficult things are a little easier when you can suffer them together. So grateful that the Lord has promised never to leave us nor forsake us!

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  2. Oh my! I'm so sorry for this event. Surgery on such a little fellow is delicate. One of our nephews had the same condition. I'm so glad that the issue is resolved and little Caleb is home. I'm sure there were many prayers lifted on his behalf.

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    1. Thank you so much, Lorrie! Indeed, there were many prayers lifted for Caleb and we thank the Lord for His mercy to him. Interesting that one of your nephews had pyloric stenosis. I had never known of this condition before a few weeks ago. We are blessed to live during a time that a cure is available. According to what I have read, it used to be a death sentence.

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  3. I am so glad to see Caleb's happy face after the ordeal he went through. Glad he's now home and being loved on by both parents. God is so good, all the time. I've never heard of his health issue, but glad surgery fixed it. Thanks for sharing and may things go smoothly now that he's home, growing in love. ~ FlowerLady

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    1. When Kati shared that photo of his sweet smiling face, there were happy tears! Yes, God is good, all the time!

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  4. Oh my, how frightening for you all and how horrible not to both be able to be by his side the whole time. Thankful that one parent could be there (I read your answer to Vee) Praise the Lord that they knew what was wrong and were able to correct it. What a joy filled reunion it must have been to bring him home again and reunite the little family. And...very hard to deal with all of this from far away dear grandmother!!

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    1. There were certainly many challenges for all during this difficult time! And we were all incredibly relieved when Caleb's second surgery was a success!

      (And this faraway grandmother is making plans to visit the little family and get some of those hugs I was longing for when Caleb was so sick.)

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  5. So hard for you all to go through the worry of a baby being so ill. Thankful for his recovery. Our lord is so good.

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    1. It was very hard and seemed to be so long. (I know that there are many people whose children are sick much longer or even have chronic illnesses, but it is hard to see a child suffer at all.) We are so thankful for our Lord's mercy on Caleb!

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  6. Oh my goodness. What a sweet, alert little baby, and he's been through so much! I am sorry to hear of all little Caleb and your family has gone through. Having become familiar with hospital protocols recently, I can't even imagine being the parent of a newborn who needed hospital services right now. Those must have been anxious and heavy days. I'm so glad he's doing well now. Praise God!

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    1. Thank you, Becki! It is definitely a hard time to be sick/injured, or to be the parent of a sick baby. "Anxious" and "heavy" are such good descriptions. But yes . . . Praise God!

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  7. Oh my! My heart did a lurch and was so happy to hear the good news that the surgery fixed the problem. What a sweet little face. What a happy reunion it must have been.
    Thank you for sharing with us.

    Wishing you a beautiful week ahead.
    Brenda xox

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    1. Thank you, Brenda, for sharing our joy! Ahhh . . . they are so happy to be back together, and I am hoping to share in some of that happiness soon!

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  8. Goodness gracious, Cheryl, I am so sorry your family has been through this traumatic experience. Praise God the outcome is good for this precious one. What a horrible trial for you all! I pray he will continue to keep that darling smile and have continued good health. Hugs to you, my friend.

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    1. Thank you, Martha Ellen, for your hugs and your kind words! It was a very trying time and very long days, but we are so grateful to know that Caleb is strong and returning to health! God has been merciful!

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  9. Thank God. I am praying for that little family to have many blessings, xoxo, Susie

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  10. Oh my, what an ordeal for first time parents. So glad to hear the surgery went well and baby Caleb is doing fine now. I know you will treasure even more your next visit!
    On another subject, I made the Blueberry Muffins from your previous post, the topping is delicious! Thank you for sharing.

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    1. That is true, Melissa . . . the next visit will be even more wonderful!

      I'm glad you enjoyed the muffins! I think the streusel topping takes them up a notch!

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  11. Precious boy! I'm glad this is all behind them! So stressful!

    He's darling.

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    1. Oh my, yes . . . SO glad it is behind them! So many things God teaches us through hard times, but hard it is when you are going through them!

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  12. I am so happy to hear that cutie is doing better. That must have been very hard as a first time parent. So glad they were able to figure it out. He is beautiful!!

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    1. Thank you so much, Michelle! Indeed it was a very hard time for them, but they were such troopers for Caleb! And, of course, I will agree with you that he is beautiful!! :)

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  13. Oh my goodness! What an initiation for new parents. It wouldn't be an easy thing for parents w any level of experience. And to have to face it with the extra dynamics of COVID-19 must have added quite a lot of stress. So happy to hear that Caleb is safely home and pray that it's all "uphill" for him from now on.

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    1. Thank you so much, Denise! Yes, it was quite stressful, but "uphill" it is now and we're so thankful! (My delayed response is due to a trip to visit the family, and now I've seen with my eyes that all is well.)

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  14. Oh wow - thank the Lord he is OK! What a scary thing for all. I have never heard of that! He is so sweet and hope he will stay well now.

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    1. Rosella, I had never heard of pyloric stenosis until it affected Caleb! These human bodies are so intricate, aren't they . . . created by a Master Designer. I am so grateful that He gave mankind the knowledge to correct many of the things that go wrong. A healthy baby is nothing to take for granted!

      Thanks for rejoicing with us!

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  15. So glad he is home! Those pictures of Caleb in the hospital are heart felt! His homecoming pictures are so wonderful. Happy to know he is doing well.

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    1. Thanks so much, Christine! Oh my goodness . . . those photos of sick Caleb were heartbreaking, and we are incredibly grateful that he is now thriving!

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  16. What a tough time for little called and his whole extended family! Covid has kept so many apart when they need each other. Praise God the second surgery was successful.

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    1. Yes, we are still praising the Lord for this answer to our prayers! Caleb continues to grow and thrive. He had a well check last week which he passed with flying colors!

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  17. Our first son who is now 21 years old, was diagnosed with pyloric stenosis when he was a little over 4 weeks old. I went every day for three days straight, so as to get someone to pay attention to this starving, dying child of mine. Our son was so depleted of any and all nutrients, even though I was feeding him A LOT, he would throw it right back up. I was told this was reflux, and no joke, as a first-time mom, I needed to relax and trust the professionals. After much insistence, this was a Wednesday, I finally was sent to the emergency room for further testing. Come to find out this first-time mother, as I was so kindly called by his doctors staff, was actually right and my son was literally dying. We received the best care once at the hospital and our son ended up having one of the best doctors for this situation. After about 10 tries to get an i.v. administered they had success. He was so dehydrated that every time they tried to put an iv in, it would just blow back out. After the midnight rush to emergency surgery, the doctor came out and said the surgery was a great success, however, our son was so close to death that if he had not received the life saving surgery, he would have passed away the next day. My heart leaped for joy that he survived and was alive and also sank at the same time. Thankful that God watched over our son and brought him through the surgery and angry and disappointed that it had taken so long for someone to actually help our son. I want to add that our son was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome early on. We think this a direct result of the lack of nutrients to the brain during his first 4 weeks of like. Early on we noticed that he was struggling, we sought help and got great care and he is now a high-functioning adult. He has come a long way, some things are difficult in life, however, what he lacks is multiplied by what he gained. He has an incredible imagination, a heart for those in need, is a hard-worker (he currently works two jobs), he's headed to college in the fall 21' for Biblical Counselling, can make friends of all ages, has no bones about going up to someone in need and helping out or witnessing. He actually spent his 18 birthday on the mission field in Uruguay helping a church build a new sanctuary. So, all this to say, God is still in the business of working miracles and He never fails. He creates beauty out of what seems to be impossible. Thanks for listening.

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    1. Wow, Hilltop Ridge Farm, that is an amazing story! Surely, God had his hand on your son's life! It is incredibly sad that he came so close to death because a mother's concerns were not heeded. But what a miracle that he was saved just in time! To God be the glory!

      Thanks so much for sharing your inspiring, faith-building story!

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