Family Photos

Myra 6 weeks

The girls

The Boys

The Klan

Christmas Photo - Myra is screaming and I don't like the pose, but oh well!

The girls in their outfits - this pictures didn't turn out the best, but I love their dresses!

Myra Stylin' in her New Nappies

We got Myra's BumGenius XS AIO cloth diapers in the mail this week! I had to force myself to not get all PINK because I know I will use them for other childREN. According to Mr. Prince, we are only having ONE more, but I have different plans....HA!


Isn't she so cute in them! We've used the BG one-size diapers since baby #2, but they are still huge on Myra. My other babies were 8lbs at birth and 11 or 12lbs by 1 month, so they moved into the one-size right away. Myra is still so dinky and the one-size hits her g-tube. So, anticipating buying another $100+ in diapers, we decided cloth would be better and an investment for the future. And PaPaw and Grammy were nice enough to purchase them for a "birthday" gift for Myra.

Myra Update : 8 weeks old

Myra has continued to do well these last few weeks. In a few days she will have now been home just as many days as she spent in the NICU - 30 days. These last four weeks went by a lot faster than the first four, that's for sure! And they have been much more enjoyable. =)

The children love to hold Myra. Boo Boo knows we use the Boppie to hold her, so he throws it on the floor, sits on it and then holds his arms up to hold her. He doesn't quite get why we use the Boppie when we hold her....ha!

Myra is having a lot more happy awake times than even last week. I think much of her gas issues are starting to work themselves out quickly (Praise!!). We have opted to not use the g-tube for burping so we can get it out next month (Praise!!). I think it's going better than I expected. We also have been giving her Zantac, but aren't sure if that's helping or not. I'll probably try to wean her off that in a week or so to see if her demeanor changes.

She has still had no seizures, as we wean her from her Phenobarbital. Praise God!! A seizure disorder was one thing I truly thought I could handle if it was controlled with medication, but God has continued to surpass my expectations with His Healing! Please continue to pray as she grows out of this dosage of medication, that seizures will not show up. How much easier life will be without a seizure disorder label and giving oral medications 2x a day.....

Myra's small head is of the greatest concern right now. I haven't gotten her head measured since early last week, but I personally have seen some changes in the last week. God is hearing all your prayers!! The ridge on the top of her head is starting to smooth out. I can't tell that much is changing in the back because I don't see it all the time, but so far I haven't noticed anything. It's still pretty overlapped back there. But, God has proved Himself to be All-Powerful, so we are just waiting for them to move.....expecting God to move them.

We will be starting therapy with First Steps next month. I am looking forward to getting some good advice on how to help Myra not prefer her right side. I have found that when she sleeps on me stomach to stomach, she prefers to turn her head to the left. So, I am trying to do this throughout the day to stretch out those neck muscles. Between that, positioning her on her side while sleeping, and a chiropractor, physical therapist and massage therapist, I see some great potential. Her tone issues are very slight, so I assume these will be correctly easily with a therapist.

We also have an MRI scheduled for December 8th. We had our 5th EEG done last week, too. After the 8th, I will meet with our new neurologist to discuss the tests. I really like our new neuro and look forward to hearing her opinion on Myra's current condition.

So, I am so pleased with how Myra is doing, hope you are too! God has definitely made Himself known as Creator and Healer in Myra's life. Last Sunday my pastor said...

A miracle is a strategically placed moment where God give us a tangible glimpse of His desire and ability to reorder and transform our world.

...I couldn't have said it better myself. Go God!

Myra Update - 6 weeks old

Well, in the last 2.5 weeks since Myra has been home I have had 25 appointments (8 or 9 have been home visits thankfully) and in the next month I have about 14 more scheduled. So, I have been busy...to say the least. =) Myra is seeing a pediatrician, neurologist, ophthalmologist, chiropractor, massage therapist and surgeon and is getting services from Parkview Home Healthcare and First Steps. I have a feeling this next year will be challenging dragging 5 children around to all these appointments. Fortunately, I have had help these first three weeks she has been home from Mr. Prince, my friend Andy and Grandmama, and I haven't had to venture out yet with all 5. Next week all that will change.

Myra is physically doing very well. She moves like a 6 week old baby with only slightly high tone in her legs. I haven't noticed her tremors for over a week now, but it's hard to tell since she has overactive reflexes anyway. But, she basically looks like a perfect little newborn. She is nursing full time and we haven't been using the G-tube. The surgeon said he will take it out in mid-December if we continue to not have to use it and she is gaining weight well. She is now 7lbs 13oz, a pound bigger than when she left the hospital 2.5 weeks ago, and they seemed pleased with her weight gain. She does have a herniated belly button, but her pediatrician said it is of no concern and will likely go away by 9 months old. Her bump on her wrist has gone away completely and was likely due to the IVs from the NICU. She is holding her head up well and tracking us as she watches us, so they are pleased with her current developmental status. She did pass her hearing test and will be seeing a ophthalmologist to check her eyes this month. So, physically she is doing well. Oh the praises God has received from this little girl and those around her!! We are SO very thankful that God chose to prove those NICU doctors wrong!

Neurologically, we still aren't sure how she is doing. She had a repeat EEG today and will be having an MRI this month, also. These tests will tell us a little more about how she is doing neurologically. She is still on Phenobarbital for seizures, but they are currently weaning her off this medication in hopes she will continue to not have seizures. A therapeutic level is between 20 and 40 and she is currently at a 17 still with no seizures. Please continue to pray she will not have any seizures. Both neurologists we have seen told us she is at high risk for having seizures at any point in her life. So, even if she doesn't seize in the first year, she could seize 10 years from now. So, unfortunately it's something we will always have to be prepared for even if she is able to wean from the meds right now. If she does seize, they will keep her on the Phenobarbital for a few years. We are also supposed to be watching for infantile spasms, which are different than seizures. I was told these are precursors to "not good news" for Myra, so we don't want to see these at all. We will be looking for these for the entire first year but are praying we don't see them. As far as her brain damage, the MRI will tell us a little more details but still can't predict the future. Her possible developmental delays and handicaps will show up over the course of her life. Good thing God will never leave us to deal with this alone...


Of greatest concern right now is the fact that her head has not grown since birth. She should have grown 2cm so far, but her bones on her head are still overlapped. They said this is because her brain has not grown, which is their concern. They aren't sure why her brain isn't growing, and don't know if it will grow at all. They said worse-case senerio is that her brain wouldn't mature at all beyond this point and her body would grow, but she wouldn't develop past an infant. Today was a hard day discussing all this with the doctors. I figured because she is doing well physically that she must be doing well neurologically. But, unfortunately, how she is doing now doesn't help predict how she will do in the future. And, the doctors can't make her brain grow, but I know God can! I am pleading with God to perform yet another miracle for Myra. Please join me, for God has answered the prayers of many for her in the past.

Thank you to all who have babysat, made a meal, called to talk, and sent up prayers. We feel very loved and supported. God has surrounded us with a fabulous church family and wonderful friends for such a time as this.

What am I thankful for?

God took my baby from this....


To THIS.....


So Thankful.....

Myra is HOME!!

Miracle Myra currently 1 month old, 7lbs 5oz

Well, our computer crashed the day we brought Myra home, so I haven't had a chance to update my blog. Our good friend was nice enough to rebuild the whole thing for a SECOND time over the weekend. We are truly blessed with our friendships these days!

The Klan has been waiting 30 days for their baby sister to come home!

Myra came home on Friday, October 23rd. She left weighing 6lbs 12oz and is now 7lbs 5oz, less than a week later! She is doing great! She is still full-time breastfeeding, too. She is having some gas issues from the nissen fundoplication and we are trying to work those out using Mylicon drops and Gripe water. I hope this won't be a long-term issue and she will start to feel better soon. After all she has gone through, I hate for her to be in more pain for many more weeks...

Angelica Pickles and Myra

We have received so much support and prayer during this time we are overwhelmed with thankfulness. A good friend of mine has organized meals 4x a week since Myra was born, continuing through the second week of November. My children would have had pb and mac and cheese for weeks straight if these wonderful meals weren't coming! It has been such a blessing! We have also had many friends and family provide childcare while we needed to be at the hospital. Another good friend from MI will be staying with us the first week Mr. Prince goes back to work and my mother is coming the following week to help, too. And I can't forget to mention the hundreds of people lifting Myra and our family up in prayer. He is listening and has been answering those prayers daily. Thank you so much!

Princess Pea and Myra

So, at this point we are doing well and adjusting fine. Myra seems to be doing better than anyone expected, and we know it's because her Father in heaven has been restoring her little body bit by bit, despite the doctor's diagnoses. I read her discharge paperwork this week and she was actually given 22 diagnosis during her 30 days in the hospital....all of which have resolved (except some slight hypertonia in her legs which will be treated with physical therapy). Wow! It's overwhelming reading through the paperwork and realizing just how sick our little girl was and how dire the situation was those first 48hours. But, we are so thankful for the peace that God graciously poured on us during those days and the hope and promises He gave us. He spoke to us very specifically through His Word and through many different songs during those weeks in the hospital. Those songs and scriptures I will always hold dear and can't wait to share them with Myra when she is older. I have also kept a daily journal for her, recording her condition and all the miracles God performed as he restored her. I'm so glad I kept up with it looking back on the experience.

Sid the Science Kid and Myra

As for the future, it is still unknown. Though, we know Myra's life is in God's hands and trust His omniscience and His love for Myra. He knows exactly what He created Myra for, and we've trusted that all along, whether in life or death. And, we are still asking for a complete healing for Myra. The doctors say she has "global atrophy" in her brain and that they can't pin-point specific areas of the brain that are damaged. They said we will see deficiencies as she grows and develops to tell us what has been damaged. But, we know the brain is an amazing organ that heals itself and creates new pathways after paths have been damaged. Anyone who works with the brain must know there is a Creator because of how complex it is and how unpredictable it can be. We are praying that whatever parts have been damaged are parts of our brain that we don't use anyway, or that God will restore the functions that have been damaged. Either way, we want Myra to have full capacity in the end. And, what greater testimony than a full restoration from a body that had no life when it was born!! And, it's quite obvious in this case that is was God restoring Myra. Even many of her doctors have attributed her success to God! The doctors sustained her body for a time, but they could not make her organs start to function, her breathing come back, her suck/swallow reflex come back, or anything else that has restored. Humans are still very limited when it comes to such medical conditions, and we are so thankful we had someone Greater to turn to in a time like this. I don't know how anyone could go through a situation like this without a belief in a Greater Power. And I'm thankful God found Mr. Prince and I early in our lives and prepared us for this situation, too.

Boo Boo and Myra

So, thank you to all who have been praying for Miracle Myra and we ask that you continue to lift her life up in prayer, praying not only for her restoration but for her testimony to "astound" anyone who hears it. Isaiah 29:14, "Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder."

This scripture tells our story perfectly....

2 Corinthians 1: 8-11 "We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many."

Myra, Day 28.....Homebound!

Well, Myra has been full-time breastfeeding since yesterday (though she will take a bottle a few times today while I'm celebrating Princess Pea's 5th birthday with her and Daddy visits). She is doing great and the doctors don't seem to think she needs any supplemental formula or even more milk through her g-tube other than what she is able to extract herself.

I have been bugging the doctors and nurses for a few days now to get all the details done so she can go home, and one doctor told me today it will be 24-48hrs and she will be home! Oh how nice it will be to parent my children all under one roof....though I might miss those 20 minute drives alone in the car someday.... =)