Monday, January 08, 2007










Happy New Year! We had a great Christmas and we hope all of you did too! We had lots of family and friends come for a visit and Lincoln got spoiled with lots of gifts. The last three weeks have been very busy for us. Josh got sick on Christmas day and spent a week at home in bed followed by Kristen getting sick the next week. She too had to stay home and recuperate...she is still feeling a bit under the weather. It was so hard to stay away from Lincoln for so long but we can't afford to get him sick. It was a hard couple of weeks for us also as we had to say goodbye (for now!) to Lincoln's special friend Holly. As she was waiting for a heart too, her heart got tired and she went to be with Jesus. You may have seen her in some of the previous pictures...she was a bundle of joy. Please pray for her family as they are going through this rough time and missing Holly so much. To cap that week off...Lincoln got very sick. He has spent almost a combined 5 months in the hospital so far and has never been sick! That is a huge accomplishment...PTL! However, when you are in the hospital for so long...you will inevitably get sick. We think Lincoln got Sepsis (a bacterial infection in the blood) and has been on a huge regiment of antibiotics. He is starting to feel better but for a few days it was scary. We are still not sure if what we saw was his heart weakening or a bacterial infection....but continue to pray for a quick recovery anyway. Lincoln's heart remains stable. The last echocardiogram showed no change...which is good. He still has great pulses and blood pressures. He is only requiring a little bit of oxygen and his heart rate, although a little elevated, remains stable. He is still getting his food through his NG tube and is actually starting to get some meat on his bones! His little arms and legs are starting to get chunky. He turns 7 months on the 12th and he is 12 1/2 pounds. He has seemed to have made a full recovery neurologically from his stroke. Fluid balances and keeping his lungs clear seem to be the daily struggle for him and the doctors. Other than the sickness...Lincoln is doing fairly well. Learning to be patient and trying to trust the Lord has been the biggest battle for us. Dealing with the loss of Holly has brought the emotions and fear to the surface. At one point she was doing better than Lincoln, so it's scary to think that Lincoln's heart can get weaker at any point. The daily routine of the hospital and the atmosphere in the PICU is so overwhelming. We know God's ways are higher than our ways and we just have to trust and know that His timing is always perfect. Please continue to pray for a new heart for Lincoln and for us as well. We miss and love you all and can't wait so see you again. Talk to you soon! J&K

20 comments:

Stephanie said...

Adorable pictures!!!! We are continuing to pray!

Terri@SteelMagnolia said...

Those are the stinkin' cutest pictures!! ... I can hardly believe he's 7 months old ...
he's so cute you guys ... I just love him... I wish we were in a position that we could come see you ... but we are homebound w/ Matthew until March or April... after RSV season.

Oh Josh and Kristen... I sure don't know how you're doing it...
We spent 6 months in the ICU and ONLY 3 months out of state....I THOUGHT THAT WAS SO HORRIBLE...
I thought I was going to go crazy ... and look at you three... I feel sad for you. I just pray to God that little Lincoln Carter gets a brand new heart SOON so that you guys can get on with a "normal" life.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING AND GETTING US UPDATED... AND LOVE LOVE LOVE THE PICTURES.

All our love,
Mike, Terri & Magoo!

Terri@SteelMagnolia said...

Oh, and I reaaaallly hope you know just how much we LOVE your little man ... we really do!!!

Sometimes I just cry when I think of him and that little face!

I'm sending you bit heart (((Hugs))) ... Matthew sleeps w/ his little stuffed giraffe that you got him while at Stanford.

We think of you all day... every day.

Anonymous said...

Hi Josh and Kristen,

It's so good to hear from you again. I didn't even know that Lincoln had been sick. I continue to pray for Lincoln daily, as always, and trust that Our Heavenly Father knows the perfect time for everything.

The pictures are sooooooooo cute of Lincoln. He looks like he has such a sweet personality. The last time we were in S. Cal. I had a cold so was unable to visit. I can't wait to see his little face with his eyes wide open and smiling. The last time I saw him he was asleep.

Hang in there...I'm so sorry about Holly, that had to have been so hard for you.

Just wanted to thank you for the update and keep sending pictures! We LOVE those!!!!!

Love, Linda P.

Anonymous said...

Hi Josh and Kristen,

Thanks for the update and the great photos. Love the one of Vicki and Lincoln of course!

Glad you are both feeling better and trust you will stay well. I will be praying Lincoln gets over his infection as well and continues to gain weight. He is sooooooo adorable! Looks like he really got spoiled for Christmas.

I will be praying for Holly's family during their loss as I know that must break their hearts. I am glad Holly is with Jesus now. I pray that Holly's family will turn to the Lord and seek His comfort during this time. I know you have really shown them God's love during this time and I know God will use it in their lives.

Well, gotta get back to work. Will send this update out tonight to all the prayer partners. God's blessings to each of you as you continue on this journey of faith. I know God will continue to give you the strength you need to keep on keeping on with Him. Give a big hug to Lincoln and keep some for yourselves.

Love ya much,

aunt donna :-) Isa. 40:31; Jer. 29:11-13

Anonymous said...

My heart broke when I read about the loss of Holly. I can only imagine how a bit of your hope was lost along with her but keep looking to the Lord to get you all through each day. His strength is perfect. It was so great to read the update today and see how great Lincoln looks. He get cuter with every post. Praise God that he seems to have made a full recovery from his stroke...what a wonderful answer to prayer. We will be praying for you guys and your health as well because it must just be awful to have to stay away from Lincoln when each moment with him is so precious. You guys are in our thoughts often and we can't wait to see you, all THREE of you, again soon!

Love you lots!
Melissa

Anonymous said...

Hey Guys,
Sorry to hear everyone had been sick. Those pictures are just so cool. It was nice to see both of your families with you three during Christmas.
Well, we hope to get down there again sometime this month.

Love you guys and we continue to keep you all in our prayers...

Love
John, Julie, and Alyssa

Anonymous said...

How adorable!We think of you everyday Sorry about Holly,prayers to her family.We will see you in February,yeah!Mackenzie is scared about school we remind her of how brave Lincoln is,she flashes one of her golden smiles of courage.Meeting Lincoln has given her faith, thank you for sharing him.With love, The O'Gorman Family

Anonymous said...

Our prayers are with you and Holly's family. (Which means, God is.)
Love, Jan and the ESA crowd

Anonymous said...

OH BOY!!! It was sooooo good to click on the blogsite and find NEW pictures and info. PTL!! We remain faithful and fervent in prayer and LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! We'd heard from Grandma that Josh was sick, but so sorry to hear that Kristen caught it too. We knew you'd have ALOT of company over the Holidays and now that things have slowed down a bit, we will make every effort to get over there and see you three. Stay strong in the Lord and continue to "dwell in the secret place of the Most High" (Psalm 91) All our love and prayers,
Marty & Norm

Anonymous said...

Dear Josh,Lincoln, and Kristen,
how is Lincoln doing? I hope he
is doing great. I'm missing eating dinner with you.
You have been in my prayers.
My favorite picture is the one where Lincoln is sticking his tongue out. From:Madison Young.

Anonymous said...

HI GUYS, JUST CHECKED AND FOUND UPDATE. IT WAS REALLY HARD WALKING BACK THROUGH THOSE DOORS YESTERDAY, BUT IT WAS EASED BY SEEING YOU GUYS AND LINCOLN. IT WAS ALSO WONDERFUL HOLDING HIM. I HAVE REALLY MISSED YOU ALL SINCE NOV. I WISH I HAD MORE TIME. AND WHO KNOWS, I MIGHT BE BACK. WE LOVE YOU ALL. AND OUR PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU. SEE YA OR TALK TO YOU SOON. HOPEFULLY WHEN YOU CALL ME AND TELL ME LINCOLN HAS A NEW HEART. PLEASE DO SO AS SOON AS YOU KNOW. WILL CLOSE FOR NOW, ALLEN

Anonymous said...

Those are great pics. The red hearts on our necklaces really pop out. Love ya and miss ya guys.

Auntie

Anonymous said...

we are praying! Love, Your Hume Family

Anonymous said...

Dear Josh & Kristen,

It was great to see more pictures of Lincoln! I'm sorry we haven't been able to come visit, but school and the boys are keeping us busy. We were so sorry to hear about Josh's grandpa, but we rejoice that he is resting in the arms of the Lord. I hope you are both healed up now. We were hoping that Sam would have State Cup for socccer in LA, but we are in the Bay Area the last weekend of the month. Kyle and Sam are both growing - Kyle is taller than Dan now by about and inch. Maybe we can come down one weekend in Feb when we have a 3 day weekend. We continue to pray for all 3 of you.

Dan, Leeanne, Kyle & Sam

Nancy Jensen said...

Lincoln is such a sweetheart! I found your blog on Terri's and Jeanne's blogs. Terri and Jeanne are such great heart moms! Anyway, Jessica and I looked at the most recent photos of Lincoln and we just love him to pieces already. Jessica is my heart child and she has surpassed anyone's expectations. She kept saying "I know how he feels" as she saw Lincoln on the vent, on oxygen and living in the hospital. Jessica is 18 years old now and has survived 5 heart surgeries, strokes, lung bleeds, blood infections, etc, etc... you name it... but she is still with us and is cheering Lincoln on too!

I went to the first few entries and saw little Lincoln's pictures post surgery and read so many entries of how he would struggle then improve. It brought back so many memories from when Jessica was that little... but I hope that knowing that Jessica is this old and still fighting gives you hope for Lincoln. We are praying and cheering for him too!

Feel free to read Jessica's story on our family website: http://www.angelfire.com/oh4/jensenland/
and read updates, etc, on my blog.

We'll be checking back frequently.

Anonymous said...

Hi There,
Just a short note to say I love you guys, and am continuing to pray for all of Lincoln's needs. I also pray that the Lord will surround you with His love and comfort...that He will give you rest and peace in Him. I wish I could come and give you a bit of respite, but since I can't I'll continue to pray.
Peggy

Anonymous said...

Good post.

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