Introducing: Lilly Mae

Our precious girl was born on November 27th at 9:46pm. Lilly was 8.1lbs and 21inches long.

Lilly was wanting to make an appearance at 35 weeks, but thankfully the doctors were able to prevent early labor and delivery. At 37.5 weeks, the doctors wanted to induce labor because Lilly was growing and I (Sarah) was having difficulty with my blood sugar staying level. We went in to the hospital on November 19th, fully prepared to have a baby, but after having an amniocentesis (a test to determine the lung development of the baby) done and the results coming back as borderline, the doctor decided to wait a week and let her lungs develop further. We went in to be induced on November 27th. Lilly was breach, so the first step was to see if it was possible to manually turn her. Yes, its about as pleasant as it sounds. My doctor did a great job though, and Lilly turned within about five minutes of trying to turn her. This meant that I wouldn't have to have a C-section! Woohoo! They started inducing me at 1pm and Lilly was delivered at 9:46pm.

We are so thankful for another beautiful, healthy little girl! She only briefly struggled with her blood sugar, but within 24 hours things had leveled out for her. We were very happy that Lilly didn't have to spend any time in the NICU! We have been so blessed with a wonderful group of doctors as well as an excellent hospital.

Noelle was SUPER excited to meet her new sister!

Kisses for Lilly..

Isaiah and Noelle meet little Lilly

Grandpa and Grandma Morrison

Grandma Johnson and Grandma Morrison with Lilly

We brought Lilly home on the 29th, and she was welcomed wholeheartedly by her older brother and sister. Both Isaiah and Noelle love having a little sister to love on! Isaiah asked me the other day if Lilly was our Christmas present. I told him that she definitely is! He was also extremely excited when I told him that we get to keep her!

Isaiah helping feed Lilly... such a good big brother!

Sweet girl!

Hahaha! We all fit in our car! Yay!

Garrett's Recovery!

It's almost been a month since Garrett's surgery and we just wanted to post an update:

Garrett's time in the hospital was filled with ups and downs as we walked through the first five days of recovery. After his first 48 hours, he was pretty much in the clear for any possible blood clots in his arm, although they left the doppler monitor attached for the remainder of his stay. His arm had minimal pain (mostly due to the fact that he can't feel his arm anyway... which turned out to be a blessing!), but his leg had quite a bit, especially after being given the okay to start walking around. Garrett also struggled with headaches through his stay in the hospital. Overall, things went well and we were encouraged by his quick progress.

Large incision site on Garrett's arm

First time getting to sit in a chair (and walking)

Walking the halls of the hospital

Garrett was released from the hospital on Tuesday morning, 5 days after his surgery. This was sooner than expected and we were so encouraged by his early release! We changed our tickets and flew out that afternoon, so eager to see Isaiah and Noelle.

So happy to snuggle!

We spent the next 8 days in Washington with family. Garrett's first three days were pretty rough. He went off the 'big' medication as the pain was completely controlled with tylenol, but almost immediately experienced 'detox' from the pain meds. Although difficult, it was pretty short lived and he was able to get out and about (in small amounts) within days. Our time was quiet and pretty relaxed in Washington, which was much needed for recovery. 

We returned to MT on the18th. Although its been lots of work being home, we have had lots of support from our church and YWAM family. People bringing food, watching the kids (while we go to multiple doctor appointments) and simply coming over to hang out and encourage us. In the midst of feeling overwhelmed and weary at times, we also feel extremely blessed. Garrett has had really great progress, with a few setbacks. Here are some praises and prayer requests for the upcoming weeks:

• Garrett still has a JP drain in his leg and its still draining quite a bit. Please pray that it will slow down so that he can get it removed. 
• Its almost been a month since the surgery and Garrett gets to remove his immobilizer on Thursday! 
• Garrett's leg is still recovering, and its a bit difficult to walk... so prayer for healing in his leg/muscle.
• As we watch Garrett recovering from a long anticipated surgery, we are also switching our focus to the newest Morrison, due to arrive in about four weeks! Please pray for the pregnancy and for energy to get everything done!

Again, thank you for your prayers and encouragement throughout this month! We feel so loved and supported by you all!

Blessings,

Sarah (for Garrett, Isaiah, Noelle, and Newest Morrison)

Day Two: Post-Surgery Update....

Garrett had a really rough night last night. Between the pain and the nurses coming in every hour to check the doppler monitoring the blood flow in his arm, he only got about an hour sleep total. When I came in to see him this morning, he couldn't keep his eyes open because of a headache that had come on during the night. They have been giving him a steady dose of tylenol through his IV today to help with the headache, and Garrett says that it kills the pain more than the morphine drip he is on. The doctors were right to say that the pain would be worse today for sure!

The doctors had restricted all foods and liquids today because of the chance that Garrett would have to go back into surgery if the blood flow in his arm declined at all. There is a great risk of blood clots with a surgery like this. However, this evening, one of the doctors came in and gave Garrett the go ahead to start with some juice and jello! Oh, how happy he was!

"I can eat!"

Then, just as he thought it couldn't get better... THIS came for him!

Chicken broth, more jello, and italian ice cherry sorbet!

Most of today was spent trying to rest... and honestly, just get through the day!  Garrett was able to talk to to number of friends and family on the phone, and I think that lifted his spirits a lot. (Especially talking to Isaiah and Noelle) :)

We were able to see some of his incision sites tonight. He has three on his leg and two really long ones on his arm (one of which starts on the back of his arm and wraps around to his collar bone). 

Dr. Hogden (one of Dr. Tung's associates) checking Garrett's incisions/stitches.

Prayer Requests: 

- Sleep! Garrett needs a some good sleep in spite of the hourly checks.

- Relief from pain and headaches

- Strength for tomorrow as they will probably have him try to get up and walk a little! 

Thank you again for your prayers! Praise God for His presence in all our lives... we feel this greatly today and are so thankful!

Blessings,

Sarah

Surgery Day!

Garrett went into surgery at 7:40 this morning. I was able to stay with him up until they wheeled him into the OR and we met 8 of the surgical staff that will be working on him today. 

Waiting to go into surgery...

Garrett will be in the OR for 10-11 hours, and in recovery for 2 hours before I can see him. The wonderful doctors and nurses have been giving me updates on him every two hours, and everything is going well. As I write this, they are doing the vascular work on his arm.

The doctors told us today, that tomorrow (Friday) will be the hardest day for Garrett. Today, he sleeps through everything, but tomorrow the pain will set in. Please pray for Garrett as he begins the recovery process this week. They are planning on him being in the hospital for 5-7 days, depending on how his recovery goes. 

Garrett's pre-op appointments on Wednesday went well, and faster than expected, so we were able to enjoy an evening out together last night. We went to the Gateway Arch and out to dinner. St. Louis has lots of history and we really enjoyed 'discovering the gateway to the west'. :) More than anything, it was a great time to relax and spend time together. 

I will continue to write updates throughout the week. Thank you so much for your prayers and support as we walk through another surgery and recovery. Your e-mails, calls and texts have reminded me that although we are away from all of you, we are not alone... and that is priceless. Thank you for your friendship and constant encouragement.

Much love, 

Sarah 

Garrett's Next Surgery...

In March, Garrett went to St. Louis for an 18 month, post-surgery follow-up appointment. Instead of seeing Dr. Mackinnon, who had done his previous surgery, he saw Dr Tung, one of her associates. Dr. Tung, who specializes in brachial plexus surgery, gave Garrett some ‘bad’ and some good news. Apparently, the nerve graft that was done 18 months ago was not successful. In other words, the nerve didn’t grow down his arm. While discouraging, Dr. Tung encouraged Garrett that the nerve graft could still be used for another surgery. 

Garrett, after his nerve graft surgery, 2 years ago.

This time, Garrett will have a free muscle transfer (NOTE: this is not a free procedure! It actually costs a lot... they are just using a muscle that is "free" because it is from his own body and transferable. Please see bottom of blog for financial needs :)) done on his arm. Dr. Tung will take a portion of muscle out of Garrett’s thigh and lay it the full length of Garrett’s arm. The previous nerve graft will be ‘plugged’ into this strip of muscle, which contains working nerves, and the brain will relearn how to use these nerves for his arm. 

Dr. Tung believes that if all goes well Garrett could regain the use of his elbow and wrist. 

In September, we will be going to St. Louis for the surgery. The surgery will be 8-10 hours and Garrett will be in the hospital for a week of recovery. Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for this trip and as Garrett is in surgery and recovery.

Financial Needs:

Many people have been asking us what our needs will be for the surgery. Thankfully, the surgery and hospital stay will be covered by our insurance. However, all other expenses will be out-of-pocket (i.e. travel, food and hotel). If you would like to give toward our expenses or if you have frequent flyer miles that you would like to donate, please contact us! Thank you so much for all your support and prayers!

Christmas Time!

We had a great Christmas this year. Here are some pictures from the month of December!

Christmas Tree...
Every year we go up Blacktail Mountain to cut down our Christmas tree. Why would you want to do that? Well, for a couple reasons: 1. It only costs $5 :) 2. Its actually a pretty fun tradition that is enjoyed by the majority of families around here 3. Its a great feeling to find your own tree... its kinda like you win. Last year, Garrett went up to get the tree with two friends (as I was sick from the pregnancy, Isaiah was only 11months old, and there was a lot of snow on the ground), but this year, we went up as a family... yes, all four of us. Here are some pictures:

 Isaiah having fun...

 Isaiah NOT having fun... it took a little longer than expected!

Garrett ended up going into the woods and finding our tree while we waited on the path. It was a BIG tree!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas pictures...

 Isaiah and his kitty

 Checking out the presents

 Yay! A fishing game! (Isaiah is already really good at this game)

Noelle opening her presents.

We hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas season as well! Much love to you all!