David is turning ONE! (and needs prayer)

Little David is not quite so little anymore . . .
On November 24, 2008, David will turn a year old!

Since you have interceded for David's life and health, we'd like to ask you to pray for him once more. . .

David has been diagnosed with RSV and will be on anti-inflammatory steriods for five days to keep his bronchial passages open so that he's able to breathe. The good part is they caught it early, so he doesn't have to be hospitalized or undergo breathing treatmnents. The bad part is the steriods make him more susceptible to colds, so he will have to be quarantined until flu season has subsided. Please pray for complete health for David and for a strong immune system!

In the meantime, David's birthday is coming up on November 24! As we wind up David's first year, we would love to hear from those of you who have carried him in prayer. Please send pictures, cards, and notes with your birthday wishes to David at:

David Langager
1738 Dryden Dr.
Spring Hill, TN 37174

or e-mail him at davidsdailyupdates@gmail.com.

Praise God we're not updating daily anymore!
Praise God for David and his precious, precious LIFE!

"No Distance in Prayer" by Heidi Meyer

An article for www.goodnewsdaily.com written by Heidi Meyer in hopes of winning a writing contest and donating the prize (a trip to Hawaii) to John and Susan Langager. Following is the final, published draft:

For some people, finding the right person takes a very long time. For those of us who have experienced this, it feels as if life has almost passed us by. My friend Susan and I found our wonderful husbands and began trying to have families late in life, Susan even later than I.

After two miscarriages my husband and I had our first son John. We endured two more miscarriages before we finally became pregnant again. Even though we received blood work that indicated that there were serious problems, God answered our prayers and brought our son Joshua into the world healthy and whole.

My friend Susan became pregnant halfway through my pregnancy with Joshua. Days after my son was born, Susan’s water broke at 19 weeks, putting her into pre-term labor. She was rushed to the hospital, but because she was only halfway through her pregnancy, they sent her home knowing that the child had approximately 48 hours to live. They gave her the option to abort, but Susan decided to go the distance, however far that meant and however hard it might be. After I received the news of her situation, I began to pray. I stood in the wee hours of the night, holding our new precious son in my arms, crying out to God for a miracle for Susan and her husband John.

One week passed. Susan prayerfully returned to the doctor to determine the status of the baby through an ultrasound. The fluid around the baby was still completely gone, but miraculously the baby was still alive. Susan was put on complete bed rest. We continued to pray and hurt for her plight. For five weeks Susan lay in bed, praying around the clock for the tiny life inside to make it. Many prayed and at each appointment the news was the same: no fluid, but the baby was growing and was still alive!

At 24 weeks Susan was admitted into a special unit at a nearby hospital for monitoring. It was at this point that baby David was considered “viable” by the medical professionals. At 26 weeks Susan delivered baby David, who weighed a mere 2 pounds, 1 ounce. Immediately, Susan’s friends and family set up a website with pictures and updates to encourage fervent prayer. People from all over the world volunteered to pray around the clock. There were many challenges, from swelling on his brain to a serious staph infection, but with each setback came specific answers to prayers. David came through it completely healthy. A whole community rejoiced as two grateful parents were able to bring “little” David home. David did so well he weighed 7 pounds 5.9 ounces when he left the hospital. Miracles still do happen, and God still hears people when they pray.

Although I have always wanted to go to Hawaii, I would like to submit this story on behalf of Susan, John, and baby David (who would not require a ticket to travel for some time). I have experienced difficulties and heart-rending hours in prayer for my child, but I cannot imagine lying in bed for hours on end, not knowing if the heart inside has stopped beating or if the news I receive next will break my heart.

Susan and her husband have had great courage. They have been through so much and have spent countless hours traveling and living out of suitcases to be beside David as he struggled, not only to breathe, but simply to live, developing outside the womb in an Isolette for three long months. Now that David is healthy, I would love nothing more than to see them holding their little guy in a beach hat and just enjoying the beautiful gift of life in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

David's Story, written by Heidi Meyer

A little explanation of the story to come:

On February 29, I received an e-mail from Heidi Meyer, the sister-in-law of one of Susan's dearest friends, Rachel Hall. Rather than explain, I'll simply copy and paste a portion of what she wrote:

*****
Hi Lori and Rachel,

I am Heidi Meyer, Basil Hall's sister (which Rachel already knows!), I live in Kansas and have been praying for David.

. . . I am writing for an unusual reason. I got tired of the regular news sites like CNN some time ago and so I found a site called: "Good News Daily" - http://www.goodnewsdaily.com/. They are a great site and it has seemed to hint that the founders are Christians. They give great press to Christian things.

They are having a Good News Daily.Com “Creative Writing Contest”: "Win 7 nights on the Big Island of Hawaii Free All Expense Paid Vacation for two!" Good News Daily.Com is looking for the very best positive news story of the year! The winner and a guest will receive a 7 day all expense paid vacation to the Big Island of Hawaii and dinner with the Founders. They will also receive a trophy called the “Gerstenberger Prize.”

. . . I think it would be such an awesome thing if we could win this for them. I welcome any input. Thank you so much for your help.

In Him,
Heidi Meyer
*****

We think it would be awesome if everyone reading this could pray for John and Susan and David to win the trip to Hawaii (assuming they're OK with the story being submitted).

If you're a good proofreader, please let us know if you notice anything that needs help. I'm going to post the story separately so anyone wanting to read it doesn't have to wade through the explanation. I just figured you might want to know who wrote it, as well as the motivation behind it.

This is such a beautiful picture--and single example representing countless others--of the love of Jesus reaching across hundreds of miles to touch our dear friends, the Langagers.

David's Coming Home Pics

Coming home . . .

entering the house for the first time . . .

enjoying his bouncy seat and all the bright colors!

What a little cutie pie!

Pictures of David at Home

First bath at home

Oooooh, fishies!

Would you believe he weighs 8 lbs. 14 oz? He's a growing boy!

David is HOME!

2:15 p.m.

Wonderful News!

David came off the nasal canula at 2:00 a.m. and never went back on it. Susan called to say that they are out of the hospital, in the car, headed to the Interstate on their way HOME!

David will go back for his one month checkup, which is when they'll do the circumcision.

Please pray for his complete healing.

You all are AWESOME!

David's Surgery Successful

6:30 p.m.

Ginny King called with a report on David while she and Susan were in the recovery room together with David at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital (Ginny is a friend of Susan's who just completed her nursing degree and is now working at the hospital). John came up to visit for a little while, but he had to leave early to go study for his tests tomorrow. Please pray that his exams go well.

David came out of surgery at around 3:30 p.m. Everything went well.

They found two hernias and repaired them both. He came off the ventilator great in O.R. even before they pulled him out to recovery. Mom's been holding him the whole time.

David has taken some fluids already in the form of Pedialyte. Please pray that he's able to maintain the fluids.

He's on zero oxygen right now. He's holding his oxygen levels great on his own with no support at all, not even a nasal canula.

Please pray that the night goes smoothly with no dips in his vitals. Pray that he maintains his own oxygen all night on his own.

At 6:30 they wanted us to pray for them to get a room soon since they were still waiting on one. I don't know if they're in a room now or not. I guess it never hurts to pray retro-active prayers. :0)

6:45 p.m.

Susan called with an addendum to the report:

David was put on a nasal canula for a little while because his stats were on the low side. Please pray that he gets off oxygen as soon as possible but not sooner than he can handle it.

Thank you!

Prayer Update for David's Surgery

Susan says, "Thank you for the prayers since the last posting. He's gotten a little more regular, and we haven't had to use any more suppositories. Praise God!"

Susan has to have David at the hospital at noon, so she's guessing that the surgery will be around 2 p.m. on Monday. Please pray for a steady hand for the doctor, that they'll be able to take care of everything, and that he will
come off of the ventilator and off of oxygen and and heal perfectly.

Please pray for John, too. He's under a lot of stress this week with work and school. He's taking two courses at TSU this semester. Pray that he'll have stamina and endurance to make it through rest of semester and pray for
favor with his professor. Thank you!

Update to Thursday's Prayer Request

Susan and Baby David are back home now, Praise God. David is doing well. He's sleeping peacefully now that he's finally soiled a diaper (a somewhat runny diaper, but a soiled one nonetheless) due to a little Karo syrup in this afternoon's bottle. Last night, during a stretch of a couple hours, he would pass gass every five minutes or so and wake himself up. He doesn't like to sleep on his back--especially when he's gassy. With the new "Back to Sleep" marketing campaign, parents are encouraged (read: barraged with fear-based messages) to place their newborns on their backs to try to avoid SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). David would have much preferred to be born during the tummy era.

The urologist today told Susan that he could fit David in on Monday for his hernia surgery, so she will find out tomorrow what time they need to be there. She thinks it will be 11:00 a.m. The nurse told her that they typically do baby surgeries in the morning, but since the doctor is fitting David in after his other scheduled procedures, Susan thinks the need to do the surgery was rather pressing.

On the night before the surgery (Sunday), David will need to drink Pedialyte instead of formula--he would normally need to fast, but because he's so tiny they want to ward against dehydration. Please pray that David will be willing to take the Pedialyte even though the taste and consistency is different from what he's used to getting in his bottle.

Since John will be teaching on Monday (he has mid-terms to administer next week as well as his own mid-term to take at TSU) Susan will be meeting Rachel Hall at Vanderbilt. The doctor recommended waiting on the circumcision until the swelling from the surgery subsides, which could take as long as two months. They're willing to do the circumcision up to four months adjusted age--they go by his due date rather than his birth date.

One of the primary concerns the doctors have about David's hernia surgery is how long it will take to get him off the oxygen once he's put back on it. Since he's a preemie, his situation is different from that of a typical newborn. He will be put back on a ventilator for the surgery. We need to pray that he will want to be off of it and breathe on his own. David (and Susan) will be spending at least Monday night in the hospital. We'll keep you posted as to how long they will actually need to stay.

While I'm thinking of breathing and hospitals . . . before John and Susan left Centennial with David, they were required to watch a CPR video that showed them all sorts of horrific images and planted a myriad of fearful thoughts in their heads. All the way to the doctor's office today, nearly an hour's drive, Susan was plagued with thoughts like: "What if he stops breathing in his carseat? He's so quiet when he's sleeping. He could stop breathing and I wouldn't even know it." PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray for angels to be released over David, that the burden of worry would be lifted from Susan and John, that fear would FLEE in Jesus' name, and that God would flood their home and their minds with PEACE.

Let me encourage you to pray for the Langagers this weekend and throughout the week. The hospital experience could turn out to be heavily emotional and exhausting, or God could carry them all the way through. Let's pray for God's favor and peace at every turn, for his anointing on every aspect of the procedure, for a miraculous recovery, and for rest in the midst of it all. Bless you!

Thursday's Prayer Request

2:15 p.m.

Please pray. . .

Susan is really stressed out right now. She has been concerned about David's hernia, and he hasn't been able to poop since yesterday even though
she's given him two suppositories. He's uncomfortable and fussy and not sleeping well. The hernia's getting darker and a little bigger.

David had an appointment set for tomorrow with the urologist, but since Susan was concerned about it, she called and he said he could work David in today. Susan was in her pajamas with David asleep on her chest when she had to throw everything together and get out the door really fast to drive downtown by herself.

She had to pack the diaper bag, but she didn't know what to put in it since this is the first time out she's been out by herself with David. She had planned to be able to sit back with him tomorrow and watch and take care of him, but now she's got to figure out where doctor's office is in downtown Nashville, navigate through the parking garages, meet David's needs . . . all of which are stressful on their own. If you've ever had to do any of the above, you can imagine how stressful it is with all the variables converging at once.

So Susan is asking for prayer today. She needs prayer for peace and clarity for her and prayer for David as well. He's not sleeping well (which means neither is she), he's uncomfortable and gassy, he hasn't been able to poop (which is, of course, no fun), and the hernia seems to be getting worse.

Thank you for continuing to pray!

Quick Update

The most recent pictures I have of Baby David: Tummy Time
Valentine's Day
Looking at Mommy

David weighs 7 lbs 5.9 oz and measures just over 20 in. long.

Please pray for Susan's dad. Her mom and dad were planning to drive to TN tomorrow, but her dad has been experiencing major back pain and hasn't been able to move.

Meals are going well so far. We're still looking for meal volunteers for the last two weeks of March, so if you'd like to help, just send an e-mail to Lori Todd at loritoddis@yahoo.com. Thanks!

David is HOME!

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Susan and John brought sweet baby David home yesterday (Sunday) afternoon. Susan said he did great on the ride home and when she called, he was fast asleep in her arms while she enjoyed her comfortable new rocker/glider. She sounded exhausted but full of joy.

My husband pointed out that for most new parents, the first three months feels like running a marathon. John and Susan have already run a three-month marathon, and the newborn stretch at home has just begun. Please continue to pray for them. They still need our love, support, and prayer.

If you'd like to make a meal for the Langagers (breakfast, lunch, or supper), bring a frozen meal to the Firehouse at Grace Center, pick up take-out from a local restaurant, bring groceries, donate a grocery or restaurant gift-certificate, or deliver meals that someone else has prepared, please call me or send an e-mail so I can get some meals scheduled for them in these first few weeks at home. Thanks!

Lori Todd

loritoddis@yahoo.com

(615) 496-8079

OR

You could mail cards (whether it's a gift card or a card of encouragement) directly to the Langager family:

John, Susan, and Baby David Langager

1738 Dryden Drive

Spring Hill, TN 37174

One more night

David and his mommy and daddy will be spending one more night in the hospital to be sure David's lungs are strong enough to come home.

Susan said she didn't get any sleep last night, so please pray for grace and strength as Susan and John transition into being full-time with David. Even though he's been with us for three months, little David is still a newborn who wakes in the middle of the night for feedings (he woke up every two hours last night and shifted enough to wake Susan every five minutes). Since John and Susan have day jobs, so they definitely need deep, refreshing sleep when they can get it.

Please pray that their sleep would be multiplied. Pray for David to be as a full-term, healthy, perfectly formed newborn whose parents can rest and enjoy him (and not be worried about every little sound and movement throughout the night). It's hard enough trying to sleep when you're in the same room with your first baby; it's even harder when your sweet baby has been relying on oxygen and tubes to breathe. Lift them up, prayer warriors. They need us to pray now as much as ever.

Thursday Night's Update--Today is David's Due Date!

Big Yawn
Sweet Sleeper
Oooooooh, Hydrotherapy!
******
7:40 p.m. Thursday

David's doing wonderfully well. Last night (Wednesday) he was up to 7 lbs 1.9 oz. and as of tonight (Thursday--his due date!), he weighs 7 lbs 5.3 oz. He measures over 20 inches long.

He passed his hearing screening (praise God), and he's doing beautifully on room air (double praise).

Tonight he had a carseat trial tonight for 45 minutes, which is as long as it takes to go from the hospital to home. They checked his stats continually to make sure he didn't have any problems. He did fine. He was sound asleep in his carseat during the trial. (Susan is thankful because she has been praying he will like his carseat and be a traveler!)

Susan and John have to watch a CPR video tomorrow night. They're also going to be spending tomorrow night rooming in at the hospital with David--without monitors. If everything goes as well as expected, they'll be bringing him home on Saturday afternoon, which is less than 48 hours away! WOO HOO!!!

Since David will need prayer coverage during his hernia surgery, we'll be keeping the blog up until then so you'll know when and how to pray. When he goes back in for the surgery, he'll need to be reintubated and put back on the ventilator. With preemies, they always worry about how they'll come back off of the ventilator, so we'll definitely need to cover him in prayer.

Susan said he's so amazing. Nurse after nurse and respiratory therapist after respiratory therapist has commented on how beautifully his head is shaped. They don't think David looks like a preemie. They've said that if she were out grocery shopping, they would never guess that he was born prematurely. That's because our God is amazing!

***

Be sure to check out the new pictures of David on the blog. He looks so big!

Or if you're having trouble seeing them, you can go straight to the web album:
http://picasaweb.google.com/herroyalexcitedness/DavidPics6

Keep praying through the weekend, prayer warriors!

***

If you'd like to make a meal for Susan and John once they're back at home, e-mail me at loritoddis@yahoo.com, and I'll get you on the calendar.

Tuesday's Update on Thursday

"I love hydrotherapy!" David reaching for Mommy's hands

I finally sat down to check my e-mail tonight at around 11:00 p.m. As I was getting up to find my phone so I could post David's most recent update, I was thinking, Susan's probably wondering what's going on with me. She called yesterday with two updates, and I still have yet to post them. When I picked up my phone, I had a text from Susan saying she was worried about me. I love that girl. :0) We've had a lot of activity and a little drama around here recently. My kitchen is freshly painted a deep red thanks to my fabulous sister Heather and my son's mouth is sporting a deep red hue thanks to a pretty serious climbing incident. I actually had to take him on an emergency trip to the dentist this morning. Praise God, his tooth is not damaged, and his gums and bottom lip are already on the mend. I thought about little David on the way home from the dentist's office. I wonder how Susan and John will do when he starts running and jumping and climbing and falling down . . . Judah told me yesterday that he's supposed to get hurt because he's a boy. Oh, boy is he a boy.

Speaking of boys, I'm sure you weren't expecting a Judah update, so now for the latest on our little David. (Sorry this is getting out so late, Susan! This is precisely why I don't have a paid gig at the moment.)

David is getting closer and closer to coming home. They've got him down, as of this morning, to 25% and .1 liters. 21% is room air. They're working on weaning him down to room air today. Susan's big prayer is that once he gets there, his lungs won't get tired out and he can stay there.

He's doing really well on his feedings.

Last night he hit 7 lbs., .5 oz.

They talked to the urologist at Vanderbilt and decided not to do the hernia surgery before he comes home. They're planning to take him back to do that and have him circumcised at the same time. They want his lungs to get a little older before he gets intubated and put on the ventilator again for surgery.

Big prayer focus:

• pray he can stay on room air once he gets there
• pray that his lungs are strong enough
• pray he doesn't get tired out
• pray for no complications before his hernia surgery

In more recent news . . .

Susan says, "Officially, as of 3:15 this afternoon, my son is off oxygen; he's on room air. He's had two feedings (I gave him his 4:00 and Daddy gave him his 8:00) and he had massage therapy this afternoon, all of it not on oxygen." Woo Hoo!!!

Please pray that his lungs stay strong enough and don't get worn out, and pray that he's able to stay off oxygen. If he's on room air for 48 hrs, which will be Thursday afternoon, then we get to start talking about rooming in over the weekend and bringing David home on Sunday. That's the goal right now. We'll know more on Thursday.

And . . . because it's so late at night and it's taken me so long to get this posted, you're probably reading this on Thursday. Hopefully, we'll have another update today.

Sweet Baby David

David's doing really well. He keeps gaining weight, which is great. He weighed 6 lbs. 10.9 oz. as of Wednesday night. Please keep praying for him.

Susan and John were almost going to bring him home this weekend, but he still would have been on oxygen. The doctor came in on Wednesday and met with Susan, and he told her that he thinks they can slowly wean him off oxygen at the hospital in approximately two weeks (maybe as early as 7-10 days). He's now at 60% oxygen and 1 liter and doing really well.

Susan is thrilled at the prospect of David getting off oxygen at the hospital because they would have had to wean him off the oxygen so slowly at home. He could have been on it for as long as three months. That means three months of having tanks of oxygen and backup tanks of oxygen and portable tanks of oxygen and monitors and . . . a lot of unnecessary headache and stress. Please pray that David will be able to come off the oxygen over the next week and that he will be tube-free and home soon!

His bottles have been changed now to every four hours, and he's taking them six times a day. He's allowed to have as much as he wants. He's been taking anywhere from 60-85 ml at each feeding. At one feeding on Wednesday night, he took 110 ml. Susan says, "No wonder he's gaining weight!"

She asked us to pray that he would "come home strong and healthy and not on oxygen." She also wants us to "keep praying for his lungs."

Prayer Warriors, keep praying!

David's first bottle

Time to Pray!

David's oxygen had to be turned up again last night. He had a couple spells, and they say that if he has a spell where his stats all drop so that they have to touch him to get them to come back up (touch his cheek or something), then that's an automatic five more days in the NICU. Since his stats dropped last night, he will be there at least five more days.

The nurse last night kept turning up his oxygen and turned up his liters as well, so that he was eventually at 80% and .3 liters. The doctor (neo-natologist) said she didn't think he needed his liters turned up, so she turned them back down to .1, but his oxygen is all the way back up to 100%. He's doing great on that; however, if they really want him to come home in five days, he'll probably still be on oxygen. Susan still really wants him to be off the oxygen before he comes home. At the same time, she doesn't want to tax David's lungs, so we need to be in prayer that God will heal his lungs.

If David has any more spells between now and the end of the current five days, then another five days gets tacked on, which means the five days isn't a guarantee, but it's definitely something we can pray toward!

Also, please pray that Susan won't get the cold John is fighting. He's feeling better today, but he's still feeling congested in his chest and sinuses. Susan's throat is a little scratchy, but overall, she feels healthy.

We had the long-awaited baby shower last night, and as Susan said, "Last night was so wonderful and so overwhelmingly good." She was shocked and overwhelmed by the extravagant love that was poured out. David now has some wonderfully cozy clothes and blankets to be snuggled in, a place to sleep when he arrives, a fancy bathtub for his favorite activity, and a host of other baby-related items. When David comes home, Susan will have a comfortable rocker/glider and ottoman for plenty of cuddling and reading and maybe even a little snoozing. Many prayers were prayed, prophetic words were spoken, much food was consumed, and the entire evening was captured in writing and photos. Thank you to everyone who participated, making it such a rich experience.

And now for a picture of "Mommy's Twins":

The Release Approaches . . .

David now weighs 6 lbs 2.7 oz, which is only 3/10 of an ounce lighter than Susan was when she was born!

He moved to all bottle feedings as of yesterday. (GREAT news since he needs to be on all bottle feedings before he can come home.)

As far as his oxygen goes, they had him as low as 25% and .1 liters, but now he's back up to 40%. Susan is not really concerned because she doesn't want to push too fast. She said he could go home on the oxygen where it is now, but she would really prefer to bring him home not on oxygen at all.

Please pray that David will be completely weaned off the oxygen before he comes home--and that he comes home SOON!

Another prayer request:

John has a horrible cold. He went to the doctor today, and the doctor said it is just a cold, but Susan doesn't want it to turn into something else. They're praying Susan and little David don't get it, so please join them in praying protection for Susan and David and healing for John.

As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that this is one of the last updates I'll be posting. David will get to go home soon and he will grow and change so fast. I'm sure Susan will still take a million pictures and document his growth and development, but the purpose of this blog is too quickly drawing to a close. I'm getting a little teary just thinking about it. It's been an honor and a privilege to have walked so closely with the precious Langagers. I have thoroughly enjoyed being the reporter and the sounder of the shofar*. Blessings to all of you prayer warriors. Thank you for responding to the call and praying for David and his mommy and daddy. What a beautiful testimony of God's love, provision, power, mercy, and grace.

*A shofar is "a ram's horn blown as a wind instrument, sounded in Biblical times chiefly to communicate signals in battle and announce certain religious occasions and in modern times chiefly at synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur."

Getting Closer . . .

They're actually talking about David's release from the hospital! As of Sunday, no one at the hospital was talking about it. Today is Wednesday, and the discussion has begun!

Susan says, "We're getting closer to bringing David home."

He's taking a bottle now for every other feeding, so four times a day he takes a bottle, and four times a day he's fed through his feeding tube (which is now going through his nose).

His oxygen on the canula has been changed. They turned it down starting today from 1 liter to .5 liter and they turned it up to 100%. When she left tonight at 6:00, he was already down to .1 liters at 100%. Throughout the night, they will be slowly weaning him down, but he could go home on oxygen at .1 liter, anywhere from 20% to 100%. That's HUGE.

They need to get him on all bottle feedings, but as Susan says, "We're getting closer!"

You'll want to check out all the new pictures, too. He has changed so much!

Grow, Baby, Grow!

"Hey, it's Susan calling with a small update. My son's doing great! He had his last eye exam today, and the doctor said he doesn't see any problems and doesn't think he needs to see him again. Praise God on that."

He did so well at his 5 pm feeding--he drank his bottle in 11 minutes--that today they increased his feeds from 40 ml to 45 ml every 3 hrs.

(His first few bottles were taken in 25-30 minutes, so this is a huge improvement!)

At 5 pm today he drank 45 ml in 13 min! He's doing great on his bottles.

David grew another quarter of an inch. He now measures 18.5 in. long and weighs 5 lbs. 10 oz. He's been a little constipated and had lasics today, so Susan's kind of expecting that number to go down a bit. His head had normal growth for the week, so he's growing, taking his feeds well, and completely free of infection. He just needs his lungs to develop, and he could be home free!

"Thanks for the prayers!"

The Invitation

He's getting bigger every day!

David is doing great. He's up to 5 lbs 7.2 oz as of Friday night.

Susan gave him his first bottle Friday night. As of Friday, his orders were to get one bottle a day and see how he would do on that since it expends a lot of calories to drink a bottle. David did so well that they changed the orders to twice a day on Saturday. She gave him one Saturday afternoon and they gave him another that evening.

Today (Sunday) she was able to give him another bottle at 5 p.m.

The doctor increased his calories up to 26 to help compensate for the extra calories burned by sucking on the bottle.

I got to see him today, and he looks completely different. Except for the tiny tubes going into his nose and mouth that are taped on his face, he looks completely normal. He was wearing the cutest striped, hooded outfit (with pockets--of course, every baby needs pockets!) from The Gap. And he had a million facial expressions that kept me laughing and ooooh-ing and aaaaah-ing the whole time I was there. He looks like he's ready to go home. He is such a sweet baby. All the nurses know and adore him, and they all say that his temperament is peaceful and mild. Thank you, Jesus!

Susan's right knee is 85-90% back to normal. Praise God! Her left knee is still very sore and swollen, but her right knee had been worse before, so she's praying and walking it out, working through it, and continuing to ask for prayer. John is completely free of pain. Hallelujah! Thank you, Lord!

Susan says, "Thank you so much for your prayers. We definitely wouldn't be where we are without everybody's prayers."

Positive Updates--Woo Hoo!

Yay! We have some good updates for you!

NOTE: This update came last night (Wednesday), but I'm just now getting to post it.

John is up and about. He was moving around Tuesday with a cane and his pain meds. By Wednesday he wasn't taking the pain meds, nor was he using the cane. Praise God!

David is doing great as well. He weighs 5 lbs. 2.7 oz. He is up to 40 ml every 3 hrs. His oxygen on the canula is down to 30%. And . . . he was moved to a pediatric crib Wednesday afternoon!

Today they started hydrotherapy: a physical therapist comes while Susan gives David a bath and he gets to do some exercises in the water, which she says, "Is perfect for my son. Of course, he's going to love it. He loves his bath. I'm excited about that."

All in all, every one is doing great!

Prayer points: Susan's knees need complete healing and David's lungs need to grow grow grow.

Beautiful Baby Shower Invitations

We had some beautiful baby shower invitations designed by Lillian Boeskool, and we want to be sure that everyone who wants one gets one--especially family members who might live far away but who enjoy scrapbooking.

If you'd like to receive an invitation, please e-mail Lori Todd at loritoddis@yahoo.com. If you're already on the Evite, then you'll be receiving an invitation in the mail.

Thank you and God bless you!

Monday Night at 8:00

David's doing great on the canula. The oxygen setting is down at 35% which is awesome. His weight last night was 5 lbs 3 oz. He's grown 1/2 inch, so he now measures 18.25 in. long. His head circumference is great, and he's doing really well. Susan was with him last night.

She went to see him this afternoon and held him for an hour, and he's doing great today, too.

She took John to the doctor today and his back pain doesn't appear to be disc-related. The doc thinks it's just muscular. John was on his back in bed today with a heating pad. The doctor prescribed three different meds and a cane. He's moving around a bit, but he's still hurting a lot.

Susan's knees are still hurting.

Please continue to pray for all three of them.

Prayer Request and Update

As of 8:00 p.m. on Sunday . . .

Big Prayer Request:

John and Susan were getting ready for church this morning, and when John bent down to put on his sneaker, he twisted and wrenched his back. Now he's flat on his back. He can't move. He can't sit up. He's been bed-ridden all day, and Susan has been taking care of him. He had already planned to take off work tomorrow to help Susan check out of the RM House, so he has a day to recover, but if he's not any better in the morning, Susan's going to take him to the doctor. He needs big-time prayer.

Susan's knees are still paining her. The right one, which was the worse one, is much better, but now the left one has gotten worse.

They need some serious prayer.

Update on David:

David is doing REALLY well. As of noon, he's on just a heated canula, which is just oxygen. You see them in medical shows and Susan had one for surgery. It's a tube that goes behind your ear and across your face and has two little straws that go up your nose. That's HUGE.

He'd be in a big boy crib if they had one available, but there's not one available yet.

They're mixing her breastmilk with formula, and it's going right through him. Hopefully his tummy will get used to the formula soon since her body has stopped producing breastmilk.

That's all for tonight. Please be in prayer for John and Susan--let's pray them PAIN-FREE!

A Quick Update

Pictures of Mommy dressing David for the first time.

I got a short update from Susan tonight, but I lost it! I'll try to remember as much as I can . . .

David is back on the C-PAP as of Thursday morning.
His feedings are up to 37 ml every 3 hours.
His body temperature (and something else) has been going up and down, so he hasn't been able to be moved to a crib yet.

Our main prayer concern is lung development. His lungs need to GROW.

Susan is back home now. She has checked out of the Ronald McDonald house and will be traveling more but getting more rest at night with her dear husband.

If you live in Nashville and want to bless her, consider taking her out to dinner in the Hillsboro Village, West End, or Green Hills areas--especially when John isn't able to be there--or visiting with her and praying for David at the hospital between 6 & 8 p.m. during the shift change at the hospital when she can't be in the room with David.

Don't forget to pray for those lungs!

Pictures (from David)

Mommy talking to me after my bath
My little hand
My little foot
Dinnertime with Daddy

In two weeks . . .

You are invited to:

A Baby Shower Celebration
in honor of
David Holcroft Langager

February 16, 2008
6:30 p.m.

Presented by:
Erin O'Barr, Rachel Hall, Lori Todd, Rachel Norris, and Eileen Zegel

At the home of:
Eileen Zegel
452 Pearre Springs Way
Franklin, TN 37069
(615) 790-3522

Directions:
Travel Hillsboro Rd. South, turn right on Hwy 96 W. At the main entrance for West Haven, turn left. Turn right onto State Blvd., left onto Pearl St. (follow to the end), left onto Townsend, and right onto Pearre Springs Way (last house on the left before the curve).

If you'd like to be added to the Evite (which sends out a reminder e-mail) or if you're interested in contributing toward a group gift, please e-mail loritoddis@yahoo.com.

He's a growing boy!

almost sucking his thumb

David's doing well. He is still gaining weight and growing even while being sick. Susan says, "I'm just amazed at the little guy."

He grew .75 of an inch last week. He is now 17.75 inches long and weighs 5 lbs. 4 oz.

The only new orders for the day are that they're going to increase his feeds by 2 ml, so by tonight he should be back up to 32 ml every 3 hours, which is where he was before he got sick.

His oxygen is at 50% on the ventilator, so he's getting closer to being weaned off it, but he's not quite ready for the C-PAP yet.

That's all the news for tonight. Susan sounded especially happy on her voice mail, which is wonderfully encouraging!

Awesome News!

The Happy Langager Family

Good News:

David's feedings have increased again--he's now taking 22 ml every 3 hours.

They're getting David ready for the C-PAP, but he's not quite ready to go off the ventilator yet. They're still working on that.

Really great news:

David's blood culture came back negative for staph, so the antibiotics are working, and he's no longer under Contact Isolation. Woo Hoo! (When John and Susan go in and scrub at the sink and put on their sterilized cotton gowns to enter the NICU, they were also having to put on additional disposable long-sleeved gowns and plastic gloves before they could touch David. They no longer have to do that.) Thank you, Jesus!

And now some EXCITING news directly from Susan:

"Praise God! Praise God! He is answering our prayers! Yet another direct answer to prayer: David had another head ultrasound today, and the official results are THE HEMORRHAGE NO LONGER EXISTS! There's no sign of the hemorrhage, and his brain ultrasound looks normal. The nurse was so surprised when she saw that; so that, to me, speaks even more of God's faithfulness and his miraculous healing. That is wonderful news. The other wonderful news is that I got to hold my son tonight in the rocker for an hour and fifteen minutes, and it was heaven."

I wish I could put a recording of Susan sharing this message. It's priceless.

NEW PICTURES!

I've added a new slideshow of recent pictures to this blog in the upper right-hand corner. If you click on it, a new window will pop up so you can see larger versions of the photos, download them to your computer, or order prints. Enjoy!

David's doing better!

More good news to report on this chilly Saturday afternoon:

Susan says, "David's doing well. The level of staph in his blood is going down, so the antibiotics are working. If everyone could keep praying, that would be great."

David is taking up to 16 ml every 3 hrs on his feeds and is tolerating it well. (The fact that he's getting his mama's milk again is a great sign--remember that the doctor told Susan that babies who let him feed them do exponentially better overall).

He's weighing in at just under 5 lbs. He's now at 4 lbs. 15.8 oz., but he has some edema--some swelling going on--so he may lose a bit when they put him back on the lasix (sp?).

They're talking about trying to take him off the ventilator and back on the C-PAP this week. Susan says, "That would be wonderful."

A HUGE thank-you to all who are praying. We love getting all these good reports!

Good News!

Good News to Report!

David's final results for the MRSA (the drug-resistant staph) are negative. Praise God for this direct answer to prayer!

He's still battling a staph infection in his blood, and "we need to be praying big time against that one," says Susan.

They changed one of his antibiotics yesterday to see if that would kick it. They also did a full body X-ray to see if they were missing anything--checking for anywhere else the infection might be.

Another good report:

Yesterday David underwent a spinal tap to test for meningitis. The first round of tests came back, and the head of the neo-natology group told Susan that he can say with 99.9% certainty that David does not have meningitis. Thank you, Jesus! The doctor also said, "Clinically, he's better."

Susan says, "He's still got IVs, still has lines going all over the place, still needs major prayer for the staph infection to go away . . . Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your prayers. We wouldn't be here without you."

immediate request

Wednesday 5:15pm

David needs our fervent prayers right now as he undergoes a spinal tap. The doctors are checking to see if the staph infection is in his spinal fluid, which would mean he has meningitis. They'll have partial results tonight, and are still waiting on the blood culture results from earlier this week.

Pray, pray, pray, and spread the word if you're able! Lord Jesus, eradicate the staph infection from his body right now!

Prayer Push Needed

John was able to be with Susan tonight when she went back to see David at 8:00 p.m., after the nurses' shift change, which is good because the Langagers still need major prayer.

David is still not doing well. He has a staph infection in his blood. Susan and John are praying that it's the kind that's not drug resistant. They don't know yet which kind it is. They're doing blood cultures to try to find out. We'll get the results for the one they did yesterday on Thursday since it takes 72 hours to grow the culture. They're taking another one at 4:00 a.m. and those results will be in on Saturday. Please pray that the staph infection is not drug-resistant and that it clears completely, quickly, and miraculously.

A full course of antibiotics runs approximately two weeks. Susan thinks he may be on the ventilator that long. Right now he's scheduled to be on antibiotics for a full two weeks.

With all that's going through his IV: different antibiotics, his TPNs and lipids (nutrients and fats), etc., his veins aren't holding up very long and they keep having to switch the IV around. He even has an IV that goes through his head.

David is now on contact isolation which means even the nurses have to wear scrubs and extra gloves when they're near him. According to Susan, "It's kind of a scary time." She was feeling a little low tonight and appreciates everyone's prayers.

If you had been feeling as though you didn't need to pray as much or as often because David was doing so well, this should be a good wake-up call. David is riding on our prayers. He desperately needs us to pray fervently and daily and without rest. Pray without ceasing.

Urgent Prayer Request

8:17 a.m.
We have an urgent prayer request. Last night, David took a turn for the worst. He was struggling more and more to breathe, and they had to put him back on the ventilator. They don't know what caused the struggle. It could be chronic lung disease and he just got tired on the C-PAP and needed a break, or it could be an infection. They're really not sure. So they're going to stop his feedings for now and they intubated him this morning. They'll put him on antibiotics for 2-3 days while they run blood cultures and a host of other tests to try to determine why he was having such a hard time. They don't know at this point how long he'll be on ventilator. They need to get more information.

Susan said it was bit of a shock last night because when she and John were there with David, they got to give him a bath. There was a regular crib there, and the plan was to wean him out of the intubator and into the crib overnight. Instead of going forward they went backward.

Please pray.

We know the God of the universe. We know He cares for David. And we know our prayers are powerful and effective.

David's Progress and New Pictures

Langager Family Portrait (Daddy's favorite picture)Baby David on the C-PAP

10:00 p.m. on Friday

David now weighs 4 lbs. 8.9 oz. and is doing great. He has officially doubled his birth weight! John got to hold him tonight for a while and finally heard him cry for the first time. He said it was heartbreaking to see him cry but not be able to hear him.

David tried to find his thumb tonight. Susan said he got his thumb right up to his mouth and started making faces as though he were sucking his thumb, but he hadn't quite found it yet. She took several pictures. So cute!

His oxygen ranges anywhere from 68 to 84% depending on what he needs and when or how he's laying. The C-PAP, which is similar to what an adult with sleep apnea would use at night, is still working well for him.

He has some blood work in the morning, and is doing great over all.

AWESOME TESTIMONY:

Dr. Palmer returned from some time off and said to Susan, "I like going away because every time I come back he's doing great." He looked at David's chart and said, "He's doing everything we could ask of him."

Susan mentioned that David had doubled his birth weight, and Dr. Palmer replied, "Now we just need him to triple his lung size."

Please pray specifically that David's lung size will triple over the next couple weeks. Your specific prayers prayed in faith are bearing amazing fruit. Thank you for praying!