A Little Visitor

I found this little guy in our backyard when I took Kona out this evening (after getting home from a date which included dinner at Stevi B's - with a coupon - and a movie at the dollar theater; total price - $16.68. Now that's a Hotalen date!).




He didn't look too happy with us. He just sat and stared at us staring at him.



Kona was surprisingly uninterested. He's a sweet dog. Not a smart one.


Don't you just want to take him home and make him your fluffy little birdy pet?


I think his name should be Pierre. He looks French to me.


Maybe it's the aloofness.

Jack's Memorial Service

The service for Jack was last night. Everything went well and it was really a very nice time of celebrating his short life. So many friends and family came out to support Shannon and George and we all really appreciated the outpouring of love. Several members of the family shared testimonies. Here's the text of what I was able to share:

"When my I first heard that Jack was sick and might not make it, my first response was sadness followed quickly by anger. Where was God? Why was He allowing this to happen? But over the two weeks we got to share with him, my heart changed.

When we first got to CHOP two days after Jack’s birth, I expected my sister, who is so crazy about her kids, to be devastated. And she was. But she was also drawing so much strength from her faith in God. I watched her and George over those two weeks exemplify what it means to really, truly trust God. I know their hearts were breaking at the thought of losing Jack, but over and over again I heard them say that they KNEW God was able to heal him and they KNEW His will for Jack was perfect. No matter how much they wanted Jack to stay here with us, they trusted that whatever happened God was still good, still in control and still the perfect, loving God they believed him to be before Jack got sick.

I also watched their beautiful example of love for each other. All marriages go through tough times, but I can’t imagine anything tougher than this. And Shannon and George allowed all of those around them to see what real love looks like. I watched them support each other, pray for each other, comfort each other. I watched each allow the other to cry when they needed to, laugh when they wanted to and grieve in their own way.

And I watched hundreds of people – many who have never even met Shannon, George or Baby Jack – pull together to pray for him, faithfully for two weeks. I saw close friends and strangers touched by Jack’s story and his parents example of faith.

Shannon – as my big sister, you have always been my idol. But never more than now. Thank you for showing me such a perfect example of faith; of what it really means to trust God in every circumstance. Even when we don’t understand His plans.

Shannon and George – thank you for your example of true love. Thank you for allowing us to learn by watching you. Thank you for showing Jamie and I what a Godly marriage looks like even in the toughest of circumstances.

And Jack – thank you for the two weeks you spent with us. Thank you for allowing God to use your short life to draw many of us, including me, closer to Him. I will miss you little buddy, but I so look forward to the day we can worship our Savior together.

I still don’t know why God allowed this to happen. But I can still trust Him. And I’m no longer asking where He is. He’s right here and has been all along. And though I’m heartbroken over Jack’s death, I know God is still in control and He is good. No matter what happens, He is still good."

Remembering Baby Jack

Memorial services for Jack will be held Wednesday May 20th at Laurel Hill Bible Church, 1260 Blackwood Clementon Rd. Clementon, NJ. The service will start at 7:00 PM and you may arrive at 6:00 PM if you wish to visit with the family beforehand. There will also be refreshments served in the church fellowship center following the service.

Shannon and George would like anyone who would like to share how Jack has touched their lives to write down their thoughts and email them to us. These will be displayed in the welcome center of the church on Wednesday night. You may email George and Shannon directly, send a message to my mom's Facebook inbox with the subject "Memorial Service", or leave a comment here. Just be sure to let me know you want it shared at the service.

We are all so thankful for your kind words and prayers over the past couple of days. I wanted to let you know that Shannon and George have suggested that anyone who wants to honor Jack's memory could send a donation to Compassion International or consider sponsoring a child. There is a button now on my sidebar to take you directly to Compassion's website.

People have asked about meals and their financial needs. They have requested that instead of prepared meals, gift cards to grocery stores or restaurants would be more useful at this time.

Thank you again for all your love, support and prayers!

With Hope

Our Baby Jack is home with Jesus.

God is Still Good

We may not have our sweet little baby boy with us for much longer. He's struggling to get the oxygen he needs, and the doctors are saying they cannot turn his ventilator up anymore. He's having some bleeding on his lungs and doctors are afraid any more pressure in them will cause him to bleed more severely. While adjusting his ventilator could buy him more time, the bleeding would eventually lead to his death and would be painful for him. Doctors are encouraging Shannon and George to have him taken off the ventilator. Right now, we are at CHOP waiting for George's family to join us. Once they are here and have gotten a chance to see him, doctors will be taking him off the ventilator. There is always the possibility that Jack could start breathing on his own. This would take a miracle, but we know God is more than able. If we don't get that miracle, Jack may live off the ventilator for only a short while or he may hang on for several more hours.

Pray that we get our miracle.

Please be praying for Shannon and George as they deal with this heartbreaking time in their lives. Pray that God would strengthen them and comfort them and show us how to best support them. Pray that God's will is done in this little one's life and that we are all able to trust in His loving sovereignty. And pray for the lives that have been touched by Jack in his short time with us.

Oh My Stinkin' Goodness

Not that my night with the girls was crazy or anything, but today, after having spent the past 18 hours with Shannon in her house, I got home and checked Jack's Facebook group to see if there were any new updates. To say that Christin had a stomach bug would be grossly understating the magnitude of the yuckiness we encountered last night. Poor little Christin was absolutely miserable, and while I'll spare you the details suffice it to say there was more than one point during the night that I vowed to NEVER have children of my own. Christin was ill, Lindsey was beyond exhausted but refusing to sleep choosing to scream instead. At one point, I was holding Lindsey - in absolute hysterics - in one arm and holding back Christin's hair and "assisting" her with the other. It was a bit insane for a while there. But we all managed to get a few hours of sleep and after several truly miserable hours, Christin seemed to rebound quickly. And I may just be willing to give Jack and the girls a cousin or two at some point. But I'm shipping them up to Aunt Shannon's house if they ever get the stomach flu.

Jack is holding steady and is trending upward again, but very slowly. Doctors were considering trying to run his new pic line again today, but I haven't yet heard if that's a sure thing. Shannon and George have a meeting today - right now actually - with Jack's doctors and hopefully I will have some news from that meeting soon. In the mean time, prayer requests remain the same: liver function, kidney function, lots and lots of urine!!

So I Don't Get in Trouble...

I wanted to jump on here really quick for a super brief update. I'm at Shannon's again for the night helping with the girls (who are NOT thrilled about bedtime today!!).

Jack had a decent day and his urine output was up from the previous days, but not what it needs to be. They tried to move his pic line from his belly button to his arm or leg. The veins around the belly button close as a newborn grows and cannot be used for too long. They were unable to run them and the poor little guy had to endure a few attempts in his right arm and leg before they decided to wait. They'll try again later; possibly tomorrow, but I'm not totally sure on that.

Shannon said she did see him open his eyes at one point, so that was very sweet for her to see! He's still with us and fighting!!

He had a good day, but he still needs to have some major improvement in his kidneys and liver. Keep praying!!