Doing well...

It's been a couple of days since an udate and I know some really like to hear more often, but there's not a lot of new news. He is stable and the lung infection (pneumonia) seems to be gone. He is getting hemodialysis again today for a couple of hours to get the blood pressure under control. I think he has been on that a few times in the past 3 days. We are still praying for him to be extubated and they are going to start to "sprint" him soon. This means they help him to use his muscles around the diaphragm more somehow by changing the setting on the machine. I really don't understand it all, but Amy and Scott do. According to Amy, Jonah was smiling quite a bit yesterday. We asked how he did during yesterday's earthquake and they said that Jonah was staring at his animals above his head on the mobile as they danced around for him. I guess he was briefly entertained. :) A big thank you to Robynn for commenting and inspiring us all so much with your abiding faith in the midst of your own battle. I also cannot wait for Jonah to meet you and your family someday. I have the vision in my head and know it will happen sometime. Thank you to the Goodell family and all others for praying for Jonah, Scott and Amy everyday. God is so good and we can't wait to see what is in store for both these families.

A day filled with Good News!

Hi all,
Well, after the last couple of days of prayer and tears and trust and you know how it goes.... we got wonderful news today! Scott said that Jonah's blood pressure has been GOOD for a day and a half. He also said Jonah will be leaving the isolation area and return to his normal NICU spot. His infection must be better. He may be going to the PICU (Pediatric intensive care unit) in a couple of weeks. I think this is a good step. He has been smiling A LOT today which must mean he is feeling well!! I'm so excited to go down and see our smiling Jonah. He will be 11 weeks this Wednesday. Scott and Amy are feeling good because their little baby boy is feeling better. Praise God from whom all blessing flow. Praise God all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost! Amen... I wish I could sing it with you all. Thank you all for your comments of support and prayers. Jonah and all of his family feel them!

At the end of the day..

Amy called me and said that the Doctors decided to put Jonah on hemodialysis again today for a couple of hours to see if they can get fluid out of his veins. He doesn't look bloated but he could have some extra fluid there. The hemodialysis can help to reduce this. They will do this for a couple of days. The great news is that Jonah wasn't disturbed by this at all. Amy said he was looking around and didn't seem to be uncomfortable. Praise God! They are going to do an ultrasound on his brain to make sure everything looks good there, although he is not giving any indication of a problem. Thank you for your comments of prayer and support. Please feel free to comment anytime and let us know you're standing with us all. Just click on 'comments'. :)

I spoke with Scott today and he said that Jonah has a staff infection in his pic line( the line used to administer meds etc.) The doctors have put him on another antibiotic to take care of this. They also are doing a CAT scan on his brain to find out why his blood pressure has not been going down. Usually it will go down after dialysis, but lately has been staying high. I'm just updating you all so we can continue to pray for little Jonah. I know you will and thank you. It's hard to understand this, but thankfully we have a God who does and we will continue to trust him and have hope.

Continue in prayer

Today things are going along as they have been. Jonah needs our prayers for the medications to continue to bring his blood pressure down. He also still has an infection in his lungs and we pray for healing. Of course, we continue to pray for him to be extubated from his breathing tube. This seems like so much to have happen some times, but we know that "with God all things are possible." Mark 10:27 And again..."whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24 We will keep believing for Jonah, Scott and Amy. We love you and you're not alone. Thank you all for remembering them.

Another good visit

We spent Saturday and Sunday with our 'precious threesome' and Jonah was doing well. He continues to improve daily but still has a long way to go before he will be able to go home. Our main prayer is for him to be extubated (removal of ventilator) within the next 2 weeks. They are figuring out the correct amount and types of blood pressure meds for him. He has recently begun laying on his tummy for a different feel and he seems to like it. This also enables him to begin to strengthen his neck muscles. When the ventilator is removed he and his parents will feel much more relieved. His lungs are good but his muscles are weak because he has not been using them very much these past 2 months. They will be working him out before they extubate him. Pray, pray, pray for this sweet little guy's comfort and well-being. He and his mom and dad feel your prayers. Thank you as always, Nancy

Wonderful Parents!

We had a good visit today with Jonah, Scott and Amy. Jonah looks better than he did last week and he was awake a good part of the day. He is struggling with high blood pressure and is now on 3 or 4 different medications for this. Please pray for this situation and that his blood pressure would decrease and he wouldn't need as many meds. Scott was reading the bible to him (and himself, I'm sure) and Jonah seemed to enjoy hearing his daddy's voice. Amy is reading him a Spanish/English picture book and after about the fifth word, he gives her a big yawn, closes his eyes and goes off to sleep. :) He may be bi-lingual by the time he is one year old....They are such loving and attentive parents to their baby boy! Wow, he continues to amaze us with his sweet personality. The nurse and respiratory therapist said today that he really recovers quickly and settles back down after any procedure. He is such a sweet baby! Thank you for your prayers. Please keep them coming. New pictures to follow.. Nancy

Improvement...

I got a text from Scott today that said "Jonah's pneumonia is better and he is better and God is good". I'm so happy to hear that news because I know what it's like to be there and have things go wrong and go right all in one day. Praise God for the good news today! Please check out www.robynnsbattle.blogspot.com today as she needs our prayers. I saw her on the Sacramento local news via an email and she looked so good. It was wonderful to hear her speak and testify to God's strength and her faith. She is having pain again and we need to hold her up in our prayers. Thank you so much for remembering these two precious people and we know there are many more who need our prayers as well. We need to lift all those up together who are struggling with various situations in their lives. God hears and knows all things and we are one in the spirit of Christ holding eachother up. "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20
In His Love, Nancy

Jonah is 2 months old today!

We are so thankful to be able to say he is 2 months old! On May 14th we didn't know if we would even meet our little son, grandson, and nephew. We know this is all because of God's grace, healing power and love for little Jonah. All of your prayers have made the difference. He is feeling better today but is still fighting the bacteria and does have pneumonia. Funny thing is... Scott told me today that he is actually breathing easier now then when he didn't have the pneumonia. He does have a larger breathing tube and he is getting breastmilk through the feeding tube. He is a bit jaundice due to his liver function. These are all conditions that you can continue to pray for. He is still our miracle boy and he is a little fighter. God bless you all.. Nancy

Feeling better!

We spent the day with Scott and Amy and they even left the NICU for a few hours today and went to church in Thousand Oaks. We had lunch with friends and returned to Jonah to find him feeling better, as the antibiotics and the many prayers had obviously "kicked in". Thank you Lord for your touch and the prayers of your people. He is now in an "isolation room" because he has a bacteria "bug" that they want to make sure doesn't move around the NICU. Scott says it's a blessing because he is in his own room where it is quiet without the bells and whistles of the other babies monitors. He was very alert today, looking around and obviously feeling much better than yesterday. Scott, Amy, Brad and I were singing to him tonight and his eyebrows were visibly expressive. He is so darling! Amy and Scott are quite comfortable taking care of his needs such as changing him, taking his temp, feeding him through his feeding tube and monitoring the dialysis. Wow... they seem to be taking on the duties of the nurses who are all so supportive and kind with them. Thank you again... Nancy

A little "Bump" in the road

Brad and I are visiting this weekend and Jonah is having a difficult time right now. I'm glad we're able to be here to help and encourage when we can. Jonah is on medication for his infection but with prayer and these meds, I'm sure he will be feeling better soon. He has grown so much in 3 weeks since we've seen him and is such a darling baby boy. I put up some new pictures of him... one without his ventilator last week, and one with Scott before it was removed.

Scott and Amy are faithfully by his side each day for hours, and of course they need your prayers for strength and encouragement. After just one day, it takes it's toll on me, so I know they are getting their strength from the Lord. Pray also that the new medications for his blood pressure would do their work. Jonah is still a very sick little baby, but we know that God has a purpose in all this. We still don't know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future. "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12 This is what Scott and Amy are teaching us. "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6 Keep believing for Jonah, Scott and Amy and thank you again for your prayers. With Love, Nancy

Please Pray

Today Jonah is having a hard time. He has an infection in his trachea area and is having a more difficult time breathing even with the ventilator. The doctors are deciding which antibiotic to give him. Please pray for healing for his infection and for his breathing. There are ups and downs in his journey and today is one of the downs. Thank you for your continued support through prayer. love, Aunt Amanda

New Pictures!

These are the photos that were sent from Scott's cell phone and they are precious! Thank you to Alex (friend of Pop's) for your computer/cell phone skills to enable us to get these put on the site. Please continue to pray that Jonah will be able to be off the ventilator again soon and then Scott and Amy can hold him close each day. Thank you. Nancy

Back on ventilator

Well... Jonah is back on the ventilator for a time because he was struggling yesterday to breathe. They think it's possibly because he may have an irritation or inflammation in his windpipe/trachea from the ventilator tube. They will give him steroids to deal with the inflammation and then try again in a few days maybe. They are also taking a culture to see if there is an infection. This is all a bit of trial and error unfortunately, but we know that God is the great physician and Jonah is still (as always) in His hands. Please keep Jonah in your prayers for comfort, healing and the ability to breathe on his own. Thank you for your words of encouragement and prayers. Nancy

From Amy and Scott

Thank you all again for your prayers. God is hearing them and is honoring them through Jonah. Please keep praying for him to stay off the ventilator (breathing tube). He is doing well, but his little lungs are working really hard. We continue to trust God and his plan for Jonah.

Also, if you would pray for the other babies in the NICU, many of them are very sick and they and their families need the Lord's healing touch as well. We have become close with Jennifer and her baby, Bear (this is his nickname). He needs lots of prayers, because the doctors are saying he has brain damage from seizures that caused lack of oxygen to his brain. She is hopeful he can have a normal life some day, but the doctors are not as hopeful. Please pray for her and that the Lord God, Jesus Christ, will show himself real and mighty to her through this situation.

Thank you for your prayers, they are the best gift anyone can give.

Scott & Amy Goodman

Psalm 37:4&5

He's off the ventilator!

Praise the Lord! Jonah is now off the ventilator and just has a small oxygen tube in his nostrils. I wish I could send the text message picture that Scott sent me to all of you, but as soon as I get down there, I will take more photos and post them on this site. Thank you again for all your prayers for Jonah and family. He is our little miracle boy and we look forward to what God has planned for him and his next step of healing. Love and thanx to all.. Nancy and family

Big day tomorrow!

If things continue as they are today and tonight, the doctors have decided to "challenge" Jonah and take him off the ventilator! Wow! and Praise the Lord for this day and progression in his healing! Please pray that this will be so and Scott, Amy and all of us will be able to see all of Jonah's darling face without the tape and ventilator. I'm sure if this goes well he may be able to take milk from the bottle as well. Oh what a happy day!

"In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears." Psalm 18:6

"Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song....."Psalm 28:6-7
Stayed tuned for more wonderful miracles! Love, Jonah's family

Continued improvement!

I just spoke with Scott and he said that Jonah is off of fentenol (the pain med) for now, his vent settings are lower, he is up on feeding, and dialysis is working well. We are thanking the Lord for all of this good news and steady improvement.
Jonah is napping today quite a bit because of lack of sleep last night. At about midnight an ambulance hit the hospital and the main water pipe broke which set off the alarms and flashing lights in the NICU as well. This went on until 5:00 a.m. this morning. He is getting some much needed sleep today. Keep up those prayers for this precious threesome, Scott, Amy and Jonah and thank you so much! Nancy

update

Jonah is continuing to improve. He is taking "baby steps", but Amy and Scott are seeing his ventilator decreased gradually every other day. Our prayer is for him to be able to breathe totally on his own soon. He is still being fed via his feeding tube with Amy's breastmilk and is growing. He is on the peretineal dialysis and getting his excess fluids off. I have some darling pictures on my cell phone that Scott sent that I wish I could share with you. In them Jonah is with his mom and dad and is noticeably aware of them. We will be visiting them on Sunday and Monday and will take more pictures then.

Happy 4th of July! Jonah's Papa says shoot a rocket off for Jonah! :) Here is a verse and a promise for us all: ".....being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Phil. 1:6 Thank you for your prayers for Jonah. He is 7 weeks old already!! Praise the Lord! In Him, Nancy