Providence St. Vincent Medical Center Ceremony

Providence St. Vincent Medical Center had a really nice ceremony for all the babies that did not survive during the last few months tonight.

Erin and I were invited of course because of "Herricle" James.

It was a very nice ceremony.

It's unbelievable how much James has changed our lives. I think that Erin and I are both (sometimes reluctantly) seeing the miracle that James is ("Even if it isn't the one we want.").

I still can't articulate it, but it is there. Some day I'll write it down.

Cowgirls

We are concluding a much needed great vacation in one of our favorite places: Sun Valley, ID.

This is a note to self, not to mess with the women in my life under any circumstances. One is a converted cowgirl and the other is a native.

I'm including pictures to help me remember.

Mending

I haven't said much here in a while.

My dear mother is still here. She was just talking about this blog and how much she liked it so I figured I better update it.

Erin is out on a girls night out. She is healing wonderfully. My mom has been doing healing touch on her since she got here. It seems to have helped. Erin's doctors are amazed at how fast she has healed.

I'm not quite sure yet what the miracle is with James. But I'm positive there is one. At some point I'll write about it, but not yet. I have lots of ideas what it is. Its probably a couple things. One thing is for sure, our family will never be the same. We've grown.

Erin is Home

I brought Erin home today.

All her blood tests looked good. She has about 6 weeks of recovery in front of her, but is already making great progress.

We saw Dr. Buckmaster today and he was optimistic about her recovery. Erin will see him next week to have a checkup and get the staples out of her incision.

Lauren was so happy to see her mommy walk through the door.

We got to say one last good bye to little James' body today. He was so small, but so sweet. He had obvious Barnicle and Herrick features. Its very sad thinking of what could have been.

Whenever we got really sad in Erin's room today the sun would come out. When we walked out of the hospital the sun broke and shined right on us. We couldn't help think that it was our little guardian angel James telling us that he was going to be there helping us through this.

Happy Birthday Erin

Today is Erin's birthday. Unfortunately, she will be spending it in the hospital.

Looks like we'll get her home tomorrow (Sunday) at the earliest.

Anyone who has read this blog the past few months understands what a lovely person Erin is.

She put her heart and soul into giving James a chance at life.

She sacrificed a lot and did it with a smile.

Words can not express how proud I am of my wife.

Happy Birthday Erin!

Better Day

The weather in Portland has been beautiful the last two days.

I can't help but think that James had a little bit to do with that.

The day he was born and died was very cold and grey.

The sunshine has really helped lift my spirits.

Lauren has been a joy to be around in the hospital. Children are wonderful. She was very sad to hear about her brother James. She didn't know what death was until yesterday. She asked to pray to him before we went to bed last night. Today at the hospital, she wanted to go to the hospital chapel to say hi to him. Although this is sad, its also comforting.

Erin continues to get better. She is walking around a bit and the color has returned to her face. Her blood tests are looking good. She is smiling.

We no doubt have a long road in healing the hurt of losing James, but after today, I know that with time and love we will get there.

Steady Progress

Erin is making good progress in her recovery.

She got the catheter out last night and is starting to walk around a bit.

She was transfused some more blood yesterday to bring her levels back up.

We are looking forward to getting her home when she is ready. Seems like it will be Saturday at the earliest.

Thanks everyone for all the emails / comments. They really help.