The World Outside!

Hey, folks -- Brian here.

Things with Jude are gradually improving, although we still don't know exactly when he'll be going home or what the exact criteria are for his discharge. Even though we still don't have all the answers yet, in the last few days Jude has shown some improvement, i.e. he hasn't thrown up quite as much, so we're very thankful! Praise God! Along with Jude's improvement, Rose and I are getting a little more sleep at night while we stay at the hospital with him. Double praises!

In the days ahead, please pray with us that God would grant healing to Jude's body and that He would give wisdom to the docs taking care of Jude, that they might discern the right ways to tweak Jude's treatments and adjust his meds so he'll feel better.

Yesterday was a big day, folks. After 6 months of anticipation, we hit a milestone: Jude got to go outside! While in the NNICU and PICU, Jude had a number of "field trips" to other parts of the hospital for surgery as well as other tests and procedures. Even though the context of each "field trip" usually wasn't a happy one, it was always so cool to see Jude's face when he was en route between different areas of the building: His eyes would get HUGE with fascination as took in all the sights on the way to and from his destinations. If that's how he responded when he got to see different places inside a building, imagine our excitement for him when he got to see.....THE WORLD OUTSIDE!

Loading up in a wagon for our excursion! (Thanks to nurse Nessa for outfitting us and making this trip happen!)

Whoa! We're outside with Jude!

It's so bright and windy out here!

You think anyone would notice if I made a run for it?

This girl loves her little brother.

First outdoor family photo. :)

Can we go outside again!?