Eli's miracles
This update on Eli is past due I know. Sorry I haven't written sooner on his condition. He has been changing so rapidly and improving daily. Plus, I have had so much to say that my blogs are already too long- sorry guys and thank you to all who are reading them.
So Eli. Cute, little Mr. Eli, as his daddy used to say.
Eli is sucha joy and comfort to us now in these days. These days are long and hard but Eli helps us all get through them. He gives us reasons to smile, reasons to laugh and reasons to rejoice. He also surely gives me a reason to get my sleepy self out of bed in the morning- he's hungry and needs to eat. I have no need for an alarm clock- oh well. :)
So as most now know, Eli was also in the car accident. He was injured very badly. He was covered in glass when he got to the hospital. While AJ's parents were waiting for the news on AJ they were holding Eli and picking the glass off of him. They said that holding Eli is what got them through those agonizing long hours that horrible night.
Eli and I were life-flighted to the ER in Orlando. I was released the same night with little more than a broken heart and a stitched bottom lip. It wasn't until Eli was transferred to the nearby children's hospital that we learned of all his injuries.
During the accident Eli had a stroke and lost oxygen to part of his brain. He also got some bruises on his brain that had bled. Both really bad. The first day the doctors had no answers for us other than to wait and see what happens next with Eli.
The accident happened Sunday evening. By Tuesday Eli had only gotten progressively worse. Part of me wanted to worry about him. But at the same time I had so much hope. I new that he had to be ok. This would be just too much to handle if he wasn't. God didn't spare his life for nothing. I new he was going to be an amazing man of God and to do that he also was going to be whole and have a good mind.
Tuesday morning Eli started to have seizures as well. This was very scary because he would stop breathing well during them and the nurses had to give him oxygen. That is hard for a mother to see. Eli was very hard for me to see. He also wasn't able to eat yet. He was getting his nutrition through an IV. He was starting to lose weight.
So that night I went to my in-laws house for dinner. There were a lot of other people there offering their sympathy and support. Earlier that day Eli had many tests done on his brain. Well, after dinner I received a phone call with the results from the tests. The prognosis was that if he is lucky he might one day be able to walk! That was horrible news. They were basically telling me that my son would be brain damaged. It was so hard to hear. I started to cry but said well, I know I'll be able to handle- God will give me the grace that I need. But I really hoped that it wouldn't have to be this way.
That night sitting at the table after the phone call was definitely the lowest point I have had since this all happened. The lowest point of my life. I mean I was at the bottom of rock bottom. It was horrible.
Stovall Weems, our pastor when AJ and I lived in Jacksonville, was there that night. He had great wisdom right then. He said let's all gather together and praise God. He didn't say let's all gather and pray for Eli or pray for Kellie or ask God for anything at all. Instead he said, let's worship the Lord. That was the exact thing we were supposed to do. That night as we were all telling God just how great He is and how much we loved Him something definitely broke through. The worship was so sincere there in the family room. I could feel the presence and love of God like a warm breeze wrapping itself all around my skin. It felt good. God is good.
So I went back into the intensive care unit, where Eli was, on Wednesday morning. The nurse for once was happy to see me. She said Eli woke up Tuesday night starving and wanting to eat. She said she gave him 4 bottles. What a miracle. He also didn't have any seizures all night.
That was the beginning of what I now know is a miraculous recovery. There was even a bad cut on Eli's chin. It was there Tuesday and absolute gone- erased from him- when I saw him on Wednesday. God is amazing and He is certainly faithful.
Maybe sometimes we don't need to ask God to do things for us but instead we simply need to trust Him and declare that He is able and faithful. Maybe there is more power in worshiping God than there is in simply asking Him for things. After all He created us so He could love us and we could love Him in return. We were simply created to worship Him.
All in all Eli spent 8 days in the hospital- 6 of which were in intensive care. He is on seizure medication for 6 months but has not had a seizure since that Tuesday night that we all worshiped God.
Eli came home from the hospital acting more like a 3 week old than a 3 month old. But now he is again sleeping all through the night. He is laughing and showing emotions and expressions. He recently discovered his voice and is having so much fun experimenting with all the sounds he can now control and make. It is really fun to watch and hear him talk! He is using all his limbs now too. He is reaching out and grabbing objects that spark his curiosity.
His favorite thing to watch is the ceiling fan- moving and stationary. His favorite song is the Final jeopardy Song. His favorite toy is his bouncer seat. His favorite stuffed animal is scuba Steve- a turtle with snorkel gear (he is really cute). I'm sure you will start noticing him in many pictures. Eli is very ticklish and will belly laugh if you get him in just the right spot.
He is acting as normal as any 4 1/2 month old would and should act.
Thank you all for your prayers. They have made such a differance in our lives and Eli's condition. We have a long hard rode ahead of us and will continue to need a lot of prayer to make it and be victorious. But we will make it. I am so thankful for the network of people that God has surrounded us with. The outpouring of love has been wonderfully amazing. Thank you- I really mean that with all I am. Thank you.
Eli's recovery has been complete and completely miraculous. He is my miracle baby in so many ways. He is such a blessing and a joy. I love my son. I love him so much, more than words can express. I am so thankful for him. AJ left me the best gift he could have possibly left- Eli, our son.
posted by Kellie # 10:30 PM
