Saturday, March 30, 2013

Kinnaird, party of five


Well, at least the adults are looking at the camera.  I know I haven't posted pictures in a while and this was my attempt to get a good picture of my family.  It was the best we could do.  

Today was Daniel's birthday and we had a great day.  It made me appreciate my husband for about the millionth time since we've been in the hospital; if we're still here on MY birthday, I will probably be a little grouchy about it.  But not Daniel- he had a good day, even though the extent of his birthday celebration was cinnamon rolls for breakfast and a dance party with our kids.  OK, that is pretty awesome.  And we had lunch with my family, and that's pretty awesome too.

Caleb has been doing fairly well.  He has had a couple bad days here and there, days where he is working really hard to breathe and retaining a lot of fluid.  We are really thankful for his improvement since a few weeks ago.  He continues to put on weight and his cheeks are getting so fat that they make me laugh just looking at them.  I know some of it is him retaining water, but some of that is also legitimate weight gain.  Whatever it is, it's super cute.  I love this kid.  Here he is wearing Incredible Hulk hands.


On Monday we will have been in this hospital for 5 whole months.  I never would have dreamed that would be the case.  I keep thinking surely he will get a heart soon, it's GOT to be soon.  I honestly have to choose not to think about it, because if I start thinking about how badly I want it to happen, I start to feel this desperate feeling that actually hurts.  It physically makes me ache.  So I just put it out of my head the best I can.  Overall, we are doing well.  We have a lot of fun together and that makes the days here enjoyable and not sad.  Also, we have so much to look forward to!  Caleb WILL get a heart, we will go home to our new house, we will have a life again outside the hospital... 

Aaaaaaaand we're going to have another baby!  That's right, we thought life was getting a little boring and maybe we should add some excitement.  :)  In truth, we've wanted to have another child and have always tried to plan around Caleb's stuff.  Then we finally decided, forget it, we have to keep living!  We have no idea what our future looks like and if Caleb has proven anything, it's that we have no control whatsoever over his journey.  So we went for it!  And we are SO excited!  And so are the boys.  Everyone is sort of rooting for a girl, but a family with 3 brothers seems pretty stinking great too.  Either way, this baby has already brought us so much joy and excitement and it's just another assurance that we have wonderful days (even if they are exhausting days!) ahead of us.

Here are some specific prayer requests we have right now:
1- Please pray for this issue of Caleb retaining fluids.  For the last week, it's been a daily issue.  Please pray for that to improve.
2- Pray for Daniel's job.  This is his busiest time of year and you can't even imagine what his day looks like.  He is with his family every waking minute and starts work as soon as the boys go to sleep.  He has an awesome attitude but he is getting so weary.  Please pray for energy and stamina and focus!
3- Please pray for me as I'm carrying a baby through all this.  I am 8 weeks along and mostly just feel tired.  Fortunately we have tons of support and I take a nap every day.  How spoiled am I?  It's not too shabby to have awesome nurses who say, "Why don't you lay down, I'll change Caleb's diaper".  

Thanks for your continued prayers!  And Happy Easter!  


16 comments:

  1. WHOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!! Hallelujah!!! Could not be happier for you all! Big hugs from the Raines!!

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  2. Just reading your story wears me out. After all that has happened, you still encourage others with your attitude, your strength, and your complete trust in God. Thank you for not giving up, and for being such a good example of what a Christ follower looks like. We are praying for God's will to be done in all areas of your life. Keep looking up, and trust God to lead you in the direction He would have you to go. We love you all, and may God continue to bless you.

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  3. CONGRATS TO THE KINNAIRD FAMILY!!!! Praise God from who all blessings flow!

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  4. Katie-
    I'm an old friend of your mom. Congratulations, I'm so happy for your family. You're all in my thoughts and prayers. Stay strong. Your faith is amazing and may Caleb receive his new heart soon!
    Michelle

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  5. Awesome! So much joy! Congratulations to the four of you. The Lord has special plans for your family. This is really neat!!!

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  6. Congratulations to you and Daniel!! What exciting news !! Yes, three boys are pretty awesome, but a girl WOULD be nice too ! Continued prayers for all of you. May you feel God's strength in your weak hours, His comfort during your despair and His presence daily. God Bless you all and Happy Easter !!

    Tracy Klotz

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  7. Katie, thank you for adding me to the group, Pray for Caleb. I have to admit that I was concerned about you when I first saw your picture for the latest blog update;however, now that you revealed your pregnancy I can understand why you look so tired and drained (I don't want to sound rude or mean). I am praying for Caleb often since I understand that being in the hospital for so long is taxing on the entire family along with the costs associated with everything imaginable... food, transportation, hospital care....and those are just a few of the tangible costs. The emotional costs are high also. So I include prayers for relief of the costs involved in waiting for the new heart. Caleb's small body won't allow for the artificial heart pump to be an option...it is a heavy device and does well with the adult and teen bodies. God has his plan and timetable... prayers for that timetable also. We took in photos of our everyday things for our son to include some normalcy for us all:pictures of the pets, changes in the weather since he can't see or play outside. among other things. Enjoy your Easter! And congratulations on the upcoming new addition to the family!

    Terry Roberts (Brady Reese's mom)

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  8. Congratulations to your beautiful family! You folks walk the walk. Recently I did a story on a New Castle man who is 82 and has had his new heart for 25 years. Both he and the heart are awesome! Blessings and happy Easter. He arose!

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  9. Congrats to you all. We pray for you all constantly. So happy God has blessed you with a new little one on the way! Happy Easter!!

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  10. Wonderful news - so happy for all of you! Sarah and Nick recently found out they're having another boy (Aug). Such blessings! It'ss beautiful how you have so many moments of peace and joy during such a difficult time. Praying expectantly (pun intended).

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  11. So happy for your wonderful news and continuing to pray for your family. Your strength in all this inspires me. God is great and will continue with you in this time of need. You'll remember me from elementary music. God Bless.

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  12. What a blessing the you are expanding your family, there is nothing like having a precious baby around. Prayers going up for Caleb that a heart becomes available soon, for a renewed life for him. Blessings for your family for continued strength for all, you are walking testament's for the Lord.

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  13. Wow! What great news! I'm sure all the grandparents are "nervously" excited! Daniel's cousin Sarah just had a baby girl 2 months ago after having 5 miscarriages. They're a lot of work, but oh so many blessings! Caleb is still top on my prayer list, along with his rapidly expanding family.
    Love, Aunt Patty

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  14. Oh! Such wonderful news! Praying for your family and thank you for sharing and updating!
    The Simmons:)

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  15. Katie, So excited about your new little one. Continuing to pray for you family and for little Caleb.
    Debbie Hicks

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  16. Good for you guys for going for another baby in the midst of everything! We are pregnant with a third child and tried to wait until our second baby improved (he has a G tube with severe food allergies and eosinophilic esophagitis). We didn't know what he had when we got pregnant with our third and thought it was something he would just outgrow one day. Now we are glad we didn't wait because it is just something we have to live with. You got to keep on living, that's for sure!

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