Acoustic Gig at Powell Night Out

Looking forward to our acoustic gig this Thursday night (5/3)! Come out and see us at Powell Night Out at 6:30pm! We'll be playing on the porch of the Market at Serendip (30 West Olentangy Street Powell, OH 43065).

Here's some more info about Powell Night Out - "Experience an evening in downtown Powell. Entertainment for the whole family. Delicious dining options. Undeniably unique shops and gift galleries. Participating shops and restaurants will be offering specials just for POWELL NIGHT OUT! Come and see what Powell has to offer! Shop Local! Shop Powell!

This is a pic from our practice today. Pictured from left to right: Marc Andre (vocals, keys), John Auker (guitar), Matthew Wooten (guitar), Joey Bradley (bass), Jim Davis (drums).

Joshua's Progress

Joshua is drinking 3 ounces of formula now, and last night he slept 4 hours 2 times without waking up! We are finding he really likes to sleep in his car seat! The other day, we gave him his first bath. Today, we're taking him to the pediatrician for the first time. We still don't know if he has galactosemia, and will not know for another month or so (They say it's unlikely, but have to do a another blood test in several weeks to confirm. The last test was potential inaccurate since he had a couple blood transfusions). In the meantime, we keep feeding him soy formula. He is doing great, and mom is starting to feel a little better too!

Joshua is Home!

Joshua came home the day before Easter! Praise God!

Joshua's Progress

Thursday, April 5th
We were at Children's about 8 hours visiting Joshua today. He is doing pretty well, but had a rough start to the day. They tried to do an MRI on him this morning, and he cried the whole time, and didn't sleep between 7am and 2pm (we got there around 2 today). He is drinking about 45 ml. of formula now, but is a little behind from where they want him. He was so sleepy after the long morning, he feel asleep every time when we fed him. He also had a physical therapy exam today and passed with flying colors! We watched some "baby care" videos this evening, and have to take a CPR class tomorrow morning. In addition, we have to bring in the car seat, and Joshua has to sit in it for an hour and a 1/2 so they can see if he tolerates it. They are going to try to give him an MRI in the morning, this time with a sedative. Mom and Dad are getting very weary, but are trusting the Lord!

Friday, April 6th
We spent about 10 hours today with Joshua. We were able to get into a CPR class at 11 (the class was full, but some people didn't show up). Joshua then had an MRI at 3. They had to give him some sedatives - the first dose kept him asleep up until the last 10 minutes of the MRI. He then woke up crying and they had to give him 2 more doses of the sedative. It was really hard to watch him go through this procedure. The sedative knocked him out so much, they had to put him on oxygen for a while. It was actually a little scary. He ended up sleeping over 4 hours afterwards. We got the results of the MRI tonight. There was some damage done to his brain, but it may not affect him long term. Time will tell. There is a possibility he may have some trouble with motor skills on his left side, but his body also may compensate for any damage which was done during birth. As you see in the picture below, he did have a hearing test today, and he got an A+! His IV line was taken out yesterday. We still don't know when he'll be discharged - maybe tomorrow, but we can't be completely certain. He is such a fun little guy!

Joshua's First Album

Check out the album cover for Joshua's first album (he had his first hearing test today)!

Joshua's Progress

Sunday, April 1st
Just got home from a long day. Crystal was discharged from St. Ann's around noon. We were able to visit our baby Joshua at Children's Hospital for about 5 hours (this is the first time mommy got to spend some extended time with him). He seems to be doing well. His blood platelets are up from where they were yesterday. At one point, he sneezed. He also opened his eyes and looked at Crystal and me. Crystal changed his diaper for the first time. He was gripping our fingers tightly. Uncle Ryan and Aunt Carrie stopped in for a visit. Thanks for all your prayers! He's our little fighter!

Monday, April 2nd
Today, we were able to visit Joshua at Children's Hospital again. He seems to be doing really well! They began warming him up at 6:30 tonight (his body temperature had been lowered to about 92 degrees with the cooling blanket). This warming process will last for 6 hours. Mom and Dad Gegner stopped in this afternoon. Tomorrow, we get to hold him for the first time!

Tuesday, April 3rd
We spent about 6 hours with little Joshua today at Children's Hospital. He continues to show signs of progress. Late last night, he was taken off the cooling blanket, and today, we got to hold him for the first time. He had his eyes open and was just looking at us as we each held him. Crystal also gave him his first 2 bottles (he likes to eat) and also gave him a bath. He didn't like that! He turned bright red and was yelling at the top of his lungs! However, after we started to hold him again, he calmed down and was sleeping peacefully when we left him tonight. It is so hard to leave him there! We hope he can come home in a week, but we're still not sure when he'll be discharged.

Our Baby Boy is Here!

Our little Joshua is here! Unfortunately, there were some severe complications with the birth, and it is theorized that Crystal had a placental abruption, which means the placenta separated (or began to separate) from the uterus (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/placental-abruption/DS00623), cutting off our baby's life source. Joshua was without oxygen for a period of time, and his heart rate decreased significantly. In the end, the doctor had to pull Joshua out with a vacuum, after failed attempts of getting him out with forceps. A seemingly smooth birth suddenly turned into a nightmare with a good 12 or more medical personnel in the room. Joshua was transported to Children's Hospital and is currently in the NICU.

This all sounds like terrible news, but here is the good news. Yesterday, I saw Joshua for the first time since Friday. He is actually doing very well. He is breathing on his own, likes to suck on a pacifier, and cries like any healthy baby. He has a gag reflex and his digestive/waste system seems to be working. His pupils respond normally to light, and he has strong little hands (he was pinching my finger pretty tightly). He is being monitored closely, and they currently have him hooked up to an EEG machine to watch his brain activity (which appears to be normal so far). He will be kept at Children's for at least a week, and will probably have an MRI of the brain within the first week. It was very encouraging to see him. He was very weak and pale on Friday, but yesterday his color looked much better and he was very responsive. For the first 72 hours, he is being kept on a cooling blanket which should hopefully help to slow the processes of his body to help his system recover from the loss of oxygen and overall shock. He also was given a blood transfusion on Friday to help his blood get back to where it needs to be. Both he and Crystal lost a lot of blood during the birth.

Crystal is doing well. She is in moderate pain (thanks to pain meds) after the intense delivery. Her hemoglobin has been low, but is currently stable, and hopefully, her levels should be back to normal in the next several days.

We are being discharged from St. Ann's this morning. Crystal has not seen Joshua at Children's Hospital, but we hope to visit him together shortly.

Thanks so much for your prayers and encouragement. We have really felt God's strength through this time, and we are so thankful that He spared our son's precious life. Above are a few photos from Children's Hospital.

Marc & Crystal