Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!

Hey everyone!! We hope everyone is well and had a great thanksgiving! It's been forever since the last update! Let's bring you up to speed. Besides Lincoln crying because we are on the computer and not paying attention to him...he is doing great! He is getting to be such a big boy...in fact Kristen calls him her "little man." Lincoln is doing so much, and he is just about caught up to where he needs to be physically according to his Physical Therapist. He tells us many things by using sign language. He babbles allot and makes animal sounds. He is getting taller by the second and is just about to break the 20-pound mark. Oh ya...he started walking this past week (although a little shaky still)!! Last time we talked we were leaving for LA to have another biopsy done. Obviously the results were great, and since then Lincoln has only battled a few colds and still is doing great! In fact, he had an echo and check-up yesterday with Dr. Caton (his cardiologist), and everything looks great! We also just got word from his cardiologist down at UCLA. He told us Lincoln won't need his next biopsy until his annual (in February), which is the year anniversary of his transplant...that will be 6 months after his last biopsy...and they don’t usually like to go that long in between them. Lincoln is eating better but nowhere near where he needs to be for his caloric intake...but he is growing and the Dr's are pleased. Lincoln finally got to celebrate some of the holidays spent inside the hospital...outside the hospital for the first time! He was a pediatric cardiologist for Halloween...which was a hit with all of the Dr's and nurses! We celebrated mommy and daddy's birthdays and Grandparents day. Our first Thanksgiving home was especially great...there was a lot to be thankful for! We just got back from LA this last weekend where we went to the UCLA annual pediatric heart transplant party. Yes...that’s Lincoln and Tom Arnold...he was at the party too. And the group pic with all the kids are all kids who have had heart transplants! Lincoln is in the upper left of the picture (the smallest kiddo there). It was great seeing our UCLA family and friends. Which reminds us...please be praying for 3 families that we know that were in the hospital the same time Lincoln was. One family lost their little 2 yr old girl due to pneumonia and another family's 3 yr old boy is currently rejecting his new heart. Both of which received new hearts while we were down there waiting with them. And the third family has a 13 yr old girl who needs a heart desperately as she is extremely sick! We also went and saw the Clovis annual Christmas parade...which was cold!! We had to leave early because the noise freaked him out! Please keep praying as Lincoln still faces the daily battle of being rejection free! Well, we hope everyone has a blessed and merry Christmas and a happy New Year! 2007 was a tough but great year for the Carter's and we can’t wait to see what God has in store for 2008! See ya then...We Love You All! J&K

Be Praying!

I got a call from Josh this afternoon (Mon). Yesterday Lincoln had a fever of 104 that wouldn't come down so they took him to the hospital. Doctors say that his echo looked good and they don't think the issue has affected his heart. It's most likely a viral or bacterial infection but they won't know for sure until more blood work comes back in the next couple days. Josh said that even though a bacterial infection could be cured with antibiotics, it actually moves much faster in the body and is more likely to move towards his heart. A virus acts differently and would actually be a better prognosis, generally speaking. Please be praying for Lincoln (he's just not acting himself) and for wisdom for his medical staff, also for Josh and Kristen--for strength amidst fatigue, faith amidst disappointment/discouragement and for unity in their marriage as they face yet another difficult time. Thanks, guys!

Michelle Aaron for the Carter's

For those of you wanting a little more detail...they were visiting Kristen's parents in Roseville and actually took Lincoln to Sutter Hospital in Sacramento on Sunday. He stabilized enough Monday afternoon that they decided to transport him to Children's, where they are more familiar with Lincoln's history and more familiar with transplant patients. So....a praise that he was stable enough to come back to Children's and be close to home, but his fever isn't really coming down, and thus the concern...

Be Praying!

Just a quick note to say "BE PRAYING!" We are heading back down to UCLA for Lincoln to undergo another heart biopsy. This is a scheduled appointment but it's never easy seeing Lincoln having to be intubated and wheeled back to surgery. The procedure is scheduled for tomorrow (Mon) morning and will last a couple of hours. If all goes smoothly, he will be discharged tomorrow afternoon. Please pray that the surgery goes well and that there is no evidence of rejection! Also be praying for Josh as he has had a bad bout of tonsillitis since last Monday and hasn't been able to be around Lincoln for a week....and for Kristen who is very tired from having to pull double duty taking care of Lincoln. A few positives....this week Lincoln started crawling for the first time. Lincoln also pulled his NG tube out by accident and we decided to just keep it out and see what happens. Well, Lincoln has been doing excellent without it, eating almost everything he is required to and also doing very well taking his medication by mouth! We will update you with pictures when we return! Thank you all for your prayers and support...we love you all! J&K

OK, We're Back!!

Thank you all for being so patient with us! Although when we started getting threatening emails and people coming up to us and saying "NOTHING SINCE MAY 9th!!".....we said to ourselves, "I think we better update!" You would think that now that we're home we would have all the time in the world to update....NOPE!.... It’s just the opposite. Lincoln consumes every part of our lives with his special needs, so needless to say we have been extremely busy....but OOHHH how fun it has been! Let’s see what you have missed the last two and a half months: There was Kristen’s first Mother’s day with Lincoln; Lincoln going to the Zoo with mommy and friends; Lincoln's first time in the swimming pool; Finally being able to go to church; Lincoln turning 1 and having a big birthday party; Going up to Hume Lake for Father’s Day; Going to the movie theater with mommy and daddy; Going to the park a bunch; Lincoln's first Fourth of July seeing fireworks (last year he was in the NICU at UCLA), and who can forget the pictures taken at his first professional portrait session. Also during that time Lincoln went down to UCLA to have another catheterization for a heart biopsy. He did so well and there was no evidence of any rejection. He has also been to his pediatrician and his cardiologist numerous times and each visit he does great. He has been sick only a few times...one of those times resulting in a trip to the ER but everything turned out fine. He is eating a little bit better, although he still has his NG tube. Lincoln has also achieved some new milestones in his development. Some of his new words include: "Uh-daa, Dada, Mama, Yaya, Baba and Uh-Oh" and some others we're not sure of or of their spelling. He likes to wave Bye-Bye, clap his hands and dance to music. He rolls over, scoots on his bottom when sitting up, and stands up while holding onto you. He is so close to crawling...we're thinking in a week or two. He has 5 teeth...2 upper and 3 bottom. Overall, Lincoln is doing great. He is developing just fine and growing like crazy! Please be praying for his next biopsy down at UCLA scheduled for mid-August. He is also a little under the weather due to teething and getting a cold. Thank you all for your continued love, prayers and support! We Love you all! J&K