Prayer for Ben

I thought I'd post this email we sent out last night to our close friends and family. I'm happy to say Ben ate really well this morning and is taking to the Pediasure like a champ!! The way he is gulping it down makes me think he didn't like the rice milk (duh!!!) or the whole milk & Carnation Instant Breakfast we've be trying for the past 3 weeks. His liquid intake this morning was dramatically more than normal for him!!! Thanks for all the emails and encouragement thus far. xo



We've had a long day at TX Children's so I wanted to send along this update for the purpose of prayer. I'm really tired so I'd appreciate if we didn't have a ton of phone calls tonight. We need to regroup, pray, and rest as a family tonight, I hope you understand.

We saw the GI and dietitian today. Some of you might be unaware of the entire situation so here is a quick update. Ben (from birth) has had kidney issues requiring surgery around age 1. We have a big appointment on the 29th in Houston to see how much of his left kidney is functioning. We then have an apt on Feb. 1 to schedule surgery (one of two types- remove his left kidney or recreate the valve that flows into his bladder). On top of that over the last 6 months, Ben's growth curve has not increased or stayed the same and he has dropped into the "failure to thrive" zone. Today's appointment was to deal with that. We have several tests and blood work scheduled for this Wed at 9:30 in Houston. We are testing for a variety of things including liver and kidney problems, cystic fibrosis, and other GI issues. We will be taking measurements of everything he eats and drinks over the next three days, and have several follow up appointments during the coming month.

We are hoping for the best and praying for God's mercy and protection. If you could pray with us on the following dates and appointments we would be grateful. If you could also put Bennett on your church's prayer lists, we would also appreciate that. I'm hoping at the end of this all we have to deal with is his surgery, please pray for strength for whatever else comes our way.

Jan. 9- tests for GI problems in Houston
Jan. 15- follow up with dietitian
Jan. 25- with pediatrician
Jan. 29- tests with urologist for kidney function
Feb. 1- apt to schedule next step concerning surgery
March 3- follow up with GI