Marcus update #4

Hi. I was going to send out an update sooner, but the flu has been keeping me busy here. The kids have all taken turns getting sick. The latest one was this morning - he managed to hit 3 beds, the wall, the blanket covering the window, and his sister's hair all in one shot. Needless to say, the washing machine got used quit a bit today. The dryer quit a few weeks ago here, but it was so nice out today that everything got dry hanging out on the clothes line.

Ok... Marcus... On Monday this week he was up to full feeds (44 ml), and 4 lbs. 15 oz. He had no more IV's, his platelet count was really good (up to 92), and his total billirueben was down from 8.9 to 4.5. Everything was looking good and he was doing so well we were talking about possibly being days away from bringing him home.

On Tuesday he got sick. Very discouraging. He had blood in his stool, and in his stomach. He quit digesting his food, so they had to stop feeding him and go back to IV nutrition. They said he could possibly have an infection and they are giving him anitbiotics for 48 hours. They also said that it could be viral. So far today the tests have not revealed any infection. Because of the bleeding his platelets were down again as well as his red blood count so they had to give him a transfusion again.

He had an ultrasound on his stomach yesterday and his spleen is a good size and his liver has reduced in size a little. He had another echocardiogram today which showed that his PDA had closed now. The other 2 holes in his heart are about the same size as they were when they looked last (I believe that was about 2 weeks ago now).

So... please pray for Marcus to get better from whatever is making him sick. Continue to pray for him liver to shrink and for God to close the holes in his heart. Pray that he will grow strong and healthy and be able to come home.

Just a quick note about a previous prayer request I had posted... we were able to get our car running on Monday and it ended up being something that was a pretty inexpensive and easy fix (the Throttle Position Sensor).

Thank you again for your continued prayers for Marcus and our family. We hope that God will bless you as you seek Him and draw near to Him this year. Happy New Year - 2009.

Marcus update #3

Hello again. I got a little carried away with the pictures this time. He is a cute little guy though, isn't he? These pictures are from Friday the 26th. I got to give Marcus a bath in his bed that day. After his bath he was very alert and awake. Ok... on with the update.



Marcus is doing pretty well right now. Praise God. He is down to about a half a liter of oxygen, and he is up to full feedings (44 ml every 3 hours - as of today). He is about 4 lbs. 13 oz. now.

His platelet count is stable, but still a little on the low side. He hasn't had a transfusion for about 5 days now. This indicates that his spleen has probably shrunk some, and is not absorbing (or whatever it does) as many platelets as it was. They will be checking the platelets again tomorrow morning.

When they do that they will also be checking his direct billirueben (I have no idea how it is spelled - sorry). This is different than the newborn billirueben and does not respond to treatment with lights. It also does not effect their brain like the other type can. It is, if I understand it correctly, hard on the liver if not treated and allowed to remain at a high level. So they have been treating it with a medication (actogal - or something like that). The direct billirueben needs to be down to a certain level before they will let him go home.

What this means is that if his platelet count is good then we are just waiting on his liver to shrink and his direct billirueben to decrease. So, for those of you who are praying for Marcus, pray for his liver to shrink and get healthy. Also, continue to pray that the Lord would close the holes in his heart without surgery. Pray that he would continue to gain weight and get more and more healthy. And pray that he will be able to come home soon. He is minutes away from 4 weeks old right now as I write this and I miss him very much. My husband does too, and so do the kids.

On the home front please pray for the health of our family. We were exposed to a 24 hour flu over Christmas and a couple of the kids got it yesterday. I won't be overly descriptive, but it wasn't fun. So pray that the rest of our family doesn't get sick, and that Mikaila, Stephen, and Aliyah feel better very soon. They seem quite a bit better tonight already. I was planning on going to Phoenix tomorrow but have to wait another day to make sure I am not going to get sick.

We are also trying to fix our car so that I can get to Phoenix and stay down there for a couple of days at a time and spend more time with Marcus. So please pray that we will be able to get that done tomorrow.

One more thing I'd like to ask prayer for is that my husband, Chris, will either get more hours where he is working or find a better job that will be able to meet our family's financial needs.

Thank you, and may God bless you as you seek and serve Him.

Kim

Marcus 2nd update

Marcus is improving a little at a time. Chris and I just went down and visited him again yesterday and took more pictures. Basically what I am understanding needs to happen in order for Marcus to be able to come home is that he needs to get to where he doesn't need to get anymore transfusions of platelets. Right now he is getting them about every other day. Yesterday the doctor explained that Marcus's bone marrow is producing enough platelets but that his large liver and spleen are absorbing them (or doing whatever it is that they do with them), so that there are not enough in the rest of his body. So his liver and spleen need to shrink so that they are the proper size for his body, and taking only the amount of platelets that they should be for a baby his size.

His feedings are going well. He is up to about 22 ml every 3 hours, and he is gaining weight. He is up to about 4lbs. 11 oz. He still can't eat from a bottle or nurse, but he will work up to that and that is also not keeping him in the hospital. We can tube feed him at home, until he gets strong enough and learns to eat.

Marcus is still getting some oxygen too, but that is not keeping him in the hospital, and he will eventually not need it anymore.

So keep praying for Marcus. We hope that you have a wonderful Christmas.

I know that we are not the only ones that are going through a difficult time in our lives. If you have anything that you'd like us to pray for you can email me at km_rosengren@yahoo.com and I will pray for you.

May God bless you and keep you in His loving arms this season as you remember His priceless gift to us. I cannot imagine living life without the hope I have because of Jesus.

Merry Christmas,

Kim

Marcus's progress #1

Hi. We are the Rosengren's. This is our first family photo with all 8 of us. In the back row are Chris, Aliyah (21 mo.), Mikaila (10), Kim, and Marcus (17 days). In the front row are Christopher (9), Stephen (7), and Kira (3).

I have been sending out email updates concerning our newest addition, Marcus, but have been told that a blog is the way to go. So I am giving it a try.

Marcus was born on December 1st at 12:13 am. He was taken by c-section 6 weeks early. An ultrasound revealed a lot of fluid around his heart, and after 5 days on bed rest in the hospital with constant monitoring they decided that they needed to get him out to help him survive. He was very sick, and immediately after he was born the doctor had to stick a needle in his chest to remove the fluid so that his heart could function.

He is now 3 weeks old and doing pretty well. He is still in Phoenix Children's Hospital, and we are not sure exactly when he will be able to come home. But he is doing much better. He does have Down's Syndrome, and he still has some health challenges.

His bone marrow is still not producing enough platelets, and he is still receiving transfusions of platelets to make up for what his body is not producing.

He is still on some oxygen (1 liter), but is off of the respirator.

He is still being tube fed, and is up to 18 milliliters every 3 hours. He doesn't/can't bottle feed or nurse yet.

He is up to 4 lbs. 11 oz. today and is doing pretty well.

We have no new information on his heart, liver, or kidneys at this time. We are going down to see him tomorrow, and hopefully will touch base with a doctor or 2 while there.

Thank you for your prayers, concern, meals and genereous gifts. God's people have definitely poured out His love toward us in many ways and we appreciate them all. You have helped to lift the burdens of life right now as well as encouraged us. God is hearing your prayers. Don't stop praying. Marcus still needs healing.

God bless you, and we hope you have a blessed and Merry Christmas.

Kim Rosengren