Happy New Year! (Merry Christmas too)

Today brings the final day of 2012 and we can't say we're sad to see 2012 go.  It has been by far the most eventful and emotional year of our lives.  I always enjoy the coming of a new year.  As a goal setter and list checker I have made yearly goals for myself since high school.  Today is an opportunity to look back at the year and gaze forward to the year to come.  This past year ushered in a new era for Kyle & Stephanie Thomas.  An era where life is no longer just about us and our priorities and goals but now is about being a family.  Rowan will force us to take a few steps back from our typical schedule.  A few less nights out, not as many weekends in the mountains, and hopefully only a few less miles on the bike.  We welcome the break.  In 2012 we were a major contributing factor to the profitability of Southwest airlines.  In the fall especially we were on planes constantly and for the first time in what seems forever we have no trips scheduled. We are now looking forward to seeing Rowan grow and develop.  

We have had the joy of having Nana Thomas and Papaw Thomas with us for the past few weeks.  They just left this morning and we are very sad to lose our live-in cooks, maids, and nannies.  Aunt Ashley and Uncle Justin will be arriving later today and stay through the weekend followed by Grammy Buck.  It has been great to share Rowan with family and friends.

Rowan had his two week pediatrician checkup earlier last week and he's doing great.  He now weighs 7 lbs and is 19 inches long. His sutures are mostly dissolved and his health seems great to us.  We don't have any appointments until the end of January.

We don't know exactly what to expect with Rowan but we know that God's hand has been upon him from before he was conceived and He will continue to be with him through this year and all future years.  We pray God's blessing on you in 2013.  May our journey provide some amount of peace and courage in knowing that we serve a powerful God who loves us and does not forsake us.  Blessings.
Kyle & Steph

Look what we found in our stocking!

Happily posing for the camera

First Family Christmas Photo!

We're going home!

Seat backs up, tray tables stowed, electronic devices off. It's time for landing, we are bringing a baby home! Just like his papa, Rowan aced all of his tests today and was cleared to go home. The NICU staff was considering sending him home this afternoon but we didn't press the issue too much so we could have one last date night while the NICU was acting as babysitter.  We'll head in tomorrow at 9 and supposedly they'll actually let us leave the hospital with a baby.  I haven't found the study guide for the "Are you qualified to be a parent" exam that we'll need to pass tomorrow so if any of you have a copy please send my way ASAP!

Over the past few days Rowan has had several tests looking at his bladder function and we are very pleased with the results.  As of now they don't want us to use a catheter with him as he seems to be emptying his bladder fully on his own.  We will follow up with the urologist in 3 months to be sure everything still looks good there.  He continues to move his little legs, feet, and toes.  We won't know the extent of control and strength he has in his legs for some time. He passed his hearing exam and showed that he can be completely passed out in his car seat and keep breathing.  The neurosurgeon is very happy with his progress and we will follow up with her at the end of January.  So, for the time being we are basically bringing home a baby with no instructions other than to feed him, change his diaper, and put him to sleep.

Something we have learned through this journey is that Rowan isn't a diagnosis, he isn't a condition, he isn't a birth defect.  He's a precious child perfectly and wonderfully created in God's image.  The initial news of Rowan's condition was heartbreaking but we couldn't be happier to be bringing home our perfect son.  Will there be some obstacles in the road we didn't hope for? Certainly. Are we confident that God has guided us through this journey and will continue to do so? Certainly. I am reminded of the words from Proverbs 3:5. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

Yea Mom! I graduated from the NICU!
(Thanks to all the PSL NICU staff for the wonderful care. Nurse Kelsie holding Rowan)

Uncle Buck's School of Basketball, the Next Generation

Rowan loves his momma!

Rowan is now 6 days old and is doing fantastic. He had a lot of time with mom today. As soon as he starts laying on her chest he stops fussing. He is now able to lay on his back in his crib and his back closure is healing very well.  The effects of all the medicine that was in his system appear to be worn off because he is much more aware and active.  He definitely has a set of lungs and isn't hesitant to let the nurse know that he doesn't like being lifted off mommy's lap. 

In terms of clinical progress he is doing great.  He has gained 5 ounces now weighing 6 lbs 13 ounces. He is no longer taking any supplemental nutrition and is feeding from Steph and a bottle.  His IV will most likely be removed tomorrow after he finishes IV antibiotics. The nursing staff took three catheter measurements to see how his bladder was emptying and all three times it was almost fully empty which is great. At this point the limiting factor for him going home will be him showing that he can eat enough on his own without needing a feeding tube. He has been learning to be a better eater and is making great progress. The neurosurgeon is pleased with his healing and felt that the shunt was functioning well. He was wiggling around quite a bit today and moving his little toes.

Not sure who loves Kangaroo time more, Mom or Rowan?

2/3 of the family is home

Stephanie and I headed home today around noon.  After 4 days in the tiny hospital room it was time to come home.  Stephanie is feeling excellent and was ready to have her own bed and room back.  Rowan is progressing perfectly in the NICU.  He is now able to rest on his side and will start resting on his back tomorrow.  He has been feeding with Stephanie and taking a bottle.  As his food intake ramps up this week he should completely move off the feeding tube.  He will have IV antibiotics for 7 days so his IV won't come out until Wednesday. We still don't know when he will be able to come home.  In our previous discussions with the medical team they said 7-10 days is normal and given his current condition we are hoping for 7.  He will have a renal ultrasound and ultrasound to look at his brain and both of those scans will be important steps in discharging him. After tests tomorrow and the neonatal team looks at him we'll probably start asking about when he can come home.

Steph will be spending the next days driving back and forth to the hospital.  Thankfully it's only 15 minutes from our house.  Now that we are home from the hospital we are very anxiously awaiting his arrival home so we can have the whole family here. Thanks for all your prayers, visits and support. 

Kyle & Steph

Very unqualified and inexperienced...

Grammy Buck feeding Rowan

Rowan Day 3!

Rowan is now 3 days old and is doing great.  It took a few days for the affects of the anesthesia and morphine to wear off and he has been much more awake over the last day.  He is now just taking tylenol and has transitioned to primarily feeding on milk instead of the IV solution he's been taking.  His intestines seem to have woken up as well and we've had many dirty diapers to change already. His bandages are off and the back closure is healing very well.  Stephanie has been able to hold him several times and he seems to really love that.  We are expecting very soon to be able to remove the feeding tube and move to bottle feeding and he should be able to start laying on his side.  

Stephanie is the envy of floor 11 looking fit for the cover of Fit Pregnancy.  We are ready to go home but we decided to stay an extra day to give us proximity to Rowan.  We'll head home Sunday morning and are very anxious for Rowan to come home with us next week towards the end of the week. He is required to stay on IV antibiotics for 7 days so the earliest he could go home would be next Wednesday.  At this point we have no reason to think we wouldn't have our first family Christmas at home!

Napping after taking off bandages

First chance to hold him

Rowan's First 24 Hours

The wait is over.  38 weeks seemed like quite a wait but it was certainly worth it.  We were so excited to welcome Rowan Stanley Thomas to the world yesterday at 9:59 am.  He was born weighing 6 lbs, 8 oz, measuring 18 inches.  It was a big day yesterday for Stephanie and Rowan.  We woke up yesterday morning at 4am, we certainly didn't need the 5:30am alarm with the adrenalin we had pumping through the system.  At 9:30 am we rolled into the OR and he sure didn't take long to make an appearance.  "It's a Boy!" What a moment.  We heard a tiny little cry right away, certainly seemed like a rude awakening to the world pulling him from his cozy cocoon. After the delivery we had a few minutes as a family for Steph to hold him and snapped a few great pictures.  He was soon whisked away to the NICU where they stabilized his back and started to clean him up.  

Stephanie handled the surgery very well and today is doing fantastic.  She has been walking around and is very active considering just 24 hours ago she had an incision in her belly that a baby was pulled through! 

Rowan had quite the first 24 hours of life.  After birth he was perfectly healthy with the exception of the lesion on his back and the hydrocephalus.  The neurosurgeon assessed his hydrocephalus and felt that there was enough fluid to necessitate a shunt.  At 1pm he entered surgery to have his spinal lesion closed and a shunt placed.  The surgery went exceptionally well.  We saw him after surgery and he was very sleepy from the anesthesia.  Last night around midnight he was able to go off the ventilator and this morning his vital signs are all really great.  He has been moving his legs which is a great sign.  He also seems to have no problems filling up his diapers which is also encouraging.  We won't know specifics of his function for a while but we are very hopeful that he will do great. He is a very happy boy and is very content sleeping at this point.  He will be resting on his belly for a few days while his back heals and hopefully will start feeding tomorrow.

We have felt God's hands upon us through all of this and are so thankful for the support of family and friends.  We feel your prayers and know that God is certainly watching over this child.

Kyle & Steph

Sunday night, crazy he was just inside  Stephanie
(Ali Larson photo)

The family and Grandma Buck just prior to surgery

Welcome to the World! Just minutes old

First Family Photo

Morning after surgery. You can see back repair and shunt.

It's a boy!

Meet Rowan Stanley Thomas. Born 12/12/12 at 9:59 am. 6lbs 8 oz. very happy boy. He's heading into surgery at 1 pm today. Mom's doing great.

A short delay

We're in our room waiting to go to the OR to deliver. The OB doctor needed to do an emergency delivery so we're delayed an hour or so. Will update soon!

Join us in Prayer

It’s been 4 months since our first blog post and nearly 9 months from the exciting news that we were pregnant.  How long ago it all seems.  I reflect now upon our first post.  We quoted John 9 and the story of Jesus and the blind man who due to his faith was healed while washing in the Pool of Siloam.  The journey through the last several months has taught us that faith is a decision we must make each day.  We have earnestly prayed for our child every day over the last 9 months and believe more than ever that God “formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. “

There are so many stories in the Bible of Satan trying to make his mark in the world whether it be leading astray the Israelites, bringing destruction on Job, or tempting Jesus in the desert.  What do we know about Satan? He has no dominion over us.  Jesus took our sins and the brokenness of the world upon Him on the cross. “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”  (Psalm 120:7) We believe that we are children of God, new creations, and God wants us to live life to the fullest.

Matthew 9 is full of stories of healing.  Jesus heals a paralytic, a bleeding woman, brings to life a dead girl, restores vision to two blind men, and heals a man unable to speak.  Matthew 9:22 says “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” We have full faith that Jesus has healed this child.  Whether it be through His touch of this child in the womb or through the intervention of our surgical team in Denver we are fully confident that God has taken this child into His hands and by faith is healed.  We ask that all of you join us in prayer for the child and for Stephanie over these next 24 hours.  We will be having a time of prayer at our home tomorrow evening (Tuesday, Dec 11) at 9pm for anyone in Denver able to come.  For those of you not able to come we ask that you continue to lift our family up in prayer.  Stephanie will go into surgery for the delivery Wednesday morning at 9 am MTN so if you have the chance in your day please set apart that time to lift up a prayer.  The baby will most likely have surgery later in the day Wednesday. Please pray for healing for the baby, protection over Stephanie as she undergoes surgery, and wisdom for the surgical staff as they care for both mom and baby. 

We are truly grateful for the family of believers that have come alongside us over the last months and couldn’t be more excited to celebrate with all of you this new life. We will update all of you Wednesday with details about the baby so Baby T can have a real name and gender!

God Bless,

Kyle & Steph

7 Days

I'm like a farmer in a lot of ways.  I pay very close attention to the weather forecast.  However, instead of hoping for rain, I long for sunny, warm, calm days to spend patrolling Colorado hill country on my bicycle.  I was on my phone earlier this week looking at the 10 day forecast and as I scrolled down the forecast what did I see? Dec 12. Wait a minute, that's the day the baby is coming, and it's showing on the 10 day forecast! 

A 40 week pregnancy has seemed very long. I can't imagine how long it has seemed to Stephanie going through sickness, emotional highs and lows, losing her body, other unglamorous details I will bypass. Now that we have neared the end of this 40 week journey it doesn't seem nearly long enough.  Is there some sort of special pill you can take to make it 80 weeks?  This is serious.  At the end of these 40 weeks you go home with a baby!

Ready or not Baby T is coming, in one week.  Here's a brief photo summary of the last 9 months.

March: We headed to the Dominican Republic for Spring Break. Great relaxing time for us both.
April: Call it a coincidence when 4 weeks after the Dominican as I'm grilling brats Steph yells my name from upstairs. "Kyle, come look at this!" Sure enough, all 5 pregnancy tests were positive. Soon after the heartbeat was heard on ultrasound. It was official, pregnant.
May: Celebrate 6th anniversary and have heated debates on baby names
June: Steph attends camp with her mentee Leanna and her family. Kyle rides his bike, a lot.
July: Steph shows first external signs of being pregnant. In matter of 4 days we learn that Stan's cancer has returned and the baby has Spina Bifida. Not the best month we've ever had.
August: We travel to Vanderbilt and become incredibly educated on Spina Bifida and fetal surgery. We are signed up for the surgery August 21 only to find out 3 days prior it's cancelled. We had prepared ourselves for a very abnormal pregnancy only to find out things would be more normal after all.
September: The Bucks visit Denver and Steph really starts to look pregnant.
October: Steph turns 30, has two baby showers, and goes to Florida with her parents to celebrate their 31st anniversary. Busy month.
November: Kyle turns 30. November 18, Stan passes away after 18 months fighting cancer.
December: Welcome Baby T

2012 has been a year marked by extreme joy and sadness.  Learning of Steph becoming pregnant and hearing the heartbeat were incredible moments for us both.  At the same time facing the physical condition of the baby and Stan's passing has brought great sorrow.  We very much relate to the words of James when he says "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12. This has been a year of trials but we rejoice in what God has done and will continue to do.

Kyle & Steph

Grandpa Buck

We grieve today the loss of Grandpa Stan Buck but rejoice in the life he lived and the legacy he leaves behind.  It was exactly 18 months ago that he was first diagnosed with a brain tumor.  It has been a challenging yet blessed time for the family. We have taken every opportunity to enjoy time as a family.  Stephanie was able to spend a large portion of last summer in Indiana with her family.  She also was able to do several family vacations and we welcomed the Bucks to Denver for a few trips.  Grandpa Buck built the crib that Baby T will be using very quickly.  In his last visit to Denver Grandpa Buck recorded some videos directed at Baby T and any other future grandchildren.  We will cherish these words directed at our future family. It is our hope that his legacy of love and service will be carried forward into our family.

Picture taken 8 weeks ago in Denver

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. 
2 Timothy 4:7-8

While our recent thoughts have been dominated by Stan we also recognize that Baby T is still cooking away and will be joining our family very soon.  Stephanie is 35 weeks pregnant tomorrow and in just over 3 weeks we will welcome our new friend!

What do we do with all this stuff???

The month of October was dominated by baby showers and preparations for the soon coming addition to our family.  Three of Steph's Hope College friends (each with a baby) came to visit for the weekend to celebrate Baby T and Steph's birthday.  It was certainly shock treatment therapy for us as we suddenly had three babies in the house.  Thankfully we're only having one!

Hiking in Boulder

The girls threw a shower for Stephanie and the guys went out for wings (Shout out to Fire on the Mountain for having best wings in the world).  At the end of the night we had a car full of things that we knew nothing about.  Thankfully we have friends who know what do to with these things and Steph is really good at telling me what to do.  It was a fantastic weekend and we felt very blessed to have so many friends make the trip to Denver.

Presents!

Teacher Friends (Season for teachers to be pregnant apparently)

Small Group Friends

Hope Friends

Denver Friends

The last weekend in October we both traveled to Indiana to see our families.  Steph's sister threw Steph a shower on Saturday afternoon and we now have 7 blankets, one for each day of the week.  It was a great time to visit family and especially to spend time with Stan. Please keep Stan & Kathy in your prayers. Stan continues his fight against brain cancer and you can find out more on http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/stanbuck

Check out the sweet diaper tricycle at the shower

The Buck Family and the Lucky Guys who married in

We want to say thank you to everyone who participated in the showers and has so graciously sent gifts and provided so much support. We are overwhelmed by the support and love that you have given our family. Thanks for celebrating Baby Thomas, we are so excited to meet this child in 5 weeks!

Kyle & Steph

Anxiously Waiting

It's been a few months since our last post and as promised things have been much less interesting than originally advertised.  Baby T continues to grow and things look to be healthy other than the SB.  We had an ultrasound Friday afternoon and growth looked on track.  Hydrocephalus is still mild.  

The waiting game is the most difficult part of this process.  We are very excited to meet Baby T but at the same time we realize that there is surgery and a lot of unknowns ahead about the health of the baby.  It's been a test of faith to this point and will continue to be.

One benefit of having a planned C section is that we were able to plan the delivery date.  The maternal fetal medicine doc wanted to deliver at week 38 and it just so happened Wednesday of that week is 12.12.12 which we thought was a pretty cool birthdate.  So be ready world, 12³ Baby T arrives!

The next month will bring a lot of activity for us.  Don't tell anyone but Steph turns 30 on October 15.  She has always said she wanted a baby by 30, looks like we just missed.

Several friends from college are coming to Denver the weekend of Oct 13-14 to celebrate with Stephanie at a baby shower.  We are also heading to the Fort Oct 26-28 for our last trip of the year.  Due to the baby coming in December we won't be making it back for Thanksgiving or Christmas.  Pack up your ski gear and come visit us this Christmas or New Years!

Please continue to pray for Baby T.  We ask for healing and wisdom for the medical team. Thank you for your love and prayers.

God Bless,

Kyle & Steph

Momma is getting big!
(Photo by Jessica, Visible Life Photography)

Stan & Kathy visited in September
(Photo by Jessica, Visible Life Photography)

Working on the nursery! We're almost ready!
(Photo by Jessica, Visible Life Photography)

Enjoying the last of summer in Steamboat

An Abrupt Change in Direction...

After several ultrasounds, DNA karyotype testing, amniocentesis, and a fetal MRI we know more about our baby then we know about ourselves.  The bloodflow through every heart valve has been calculated and the measurements of every part of the brain carefully recorded.  It’s very remarkable how much you can know about a person that doesn’t even weigh a pound and is smaller than a head of lettuce.

We spent this past weekend in Beaver Creek for a final getaway before surgery. Stephanie applied for FMLA and has been working with her school to find a new teacher to take over her position.  Plane tickets to Nashville are purchased and I even ordered cable to keep Stephanie company while laid up at home.  If there is one lesson that we have learned through this entire experience it’s that we are not in charge, God is.  His plans are perfect, ours aren’t.  We don’t always understand his plans but we certainly must trust that they are perfect and he has so much more in store for us than we could imagine. 

It should have come as no surprise to us to receive the news today, No Surgery!?!?! Yes, the surgery is off.  Apparently Stephanie has grown the perfect storm in her uterus and the location of the placenta and umbilical cord make performing the surgery not safe for the baby or Stephanie.  All of the surgical team reviewed the MRI and felt that the surgery would be too risky to the life of the baby and this is after all an elective surgery. This is a final check performed right before the surgery and has created quite the shock for us to change directions when we were so prepared for surgery.  So, what does this mean for us and Baby T?

We will proceed forward essentially like a normal pregnancy with a few extra ultrasounds along the way.  Stephanie will deliver in Denver by C-Section at 38/39 weeks.  The baby will need immediate surgery to fix the lesion in the spine and will almost certainly need a shunt placed to drain the fluid from the brain.  We felt very confident that we were making the best decision pursuing the in-utero surgery but God clearly closed that door for us.

I was reminded today of the story of Abraham on the mountain with Isaac.  God sent Abraham up the mountain to sacrifice his son and after showing his willingness to follow God’s plan there was an abrupt change in direction.  We have felt that we are following God’s plan but obviously his plan doesn’t always follow the linear path that we envision.

We remain very excited for the Baby and continue to ask for your prayers.  Our baby still has a potentially serious birth defect and needs lots of prayer.  Please pray for guidance as we select the doctors to deliver and operate on the baby in Denver.  We continue to hope for the best possible outcome for this child and know that “he” is still a “wonderfully made” child. 

Thank you for the outpouring of support and love.  We will continue to keep everyone updated on the progress of the pregnancy but at this point things will be much less interesting until the baby is born later this year.

Blessings,

Kyle & Steph

Looks like we have a thumb sucker

What we thought was our last hike for a while (near Vail)

Meet Baby T

Family & Friends,

We write to you today to first of all express our joy in being pregnant and the miracle of new life.  In April Stephanie and I found out that we were pregnant and were quite surprised when the due date calculator said December 24!  Stephanie at first didn’t believe that she was pregnant.  She on several occasions said “I don’t believe it, I don’t feel any different.” Fast forward two weeks to Stephanie kneeling over the toilet; she suddenly felt very different.  We heard the heartbeat at week 8 and it was confirmed, pregnant.  At our 16 week appointment we were asked to do a simple blood test and the result showed slightly abnormal so we were scheduled for an ultrasound.  While we had been praying for a healthy baby we learned that our baby has Spina Bifida, an open neural tube defect that develops in the first 4 weeks of life.  It was devastating and shocking news for us to hear to say the least.  The last 3 weeks have been a whirlwind of education, appointments, and travel.  We write to you to share our journey and ask for your prayer and support.

Our initial ultrasound showed signs of hydrocephalus, excess fluid on the brain, which is a condition associated with SB.  This past week we had a follow-up ultrasound and were able to see the spinal lesion at L2.  In spina bifida a portion of the neural tube that later forms the spinal column has a defect.  As the baby develops a sac containing spinal fluid is located outside of the vertebral column.  Nerve damage is often associated with the disease leading to difficulties walking.  At this point we don’t know the severity of the condition.  We do know that the baby is an active kid, just like mom and dad.  On ultrasounds he is moving a lot, legs and feet included which is a good sign (we think it’s a boy for no particular reason, we haven’t found out gender).  The hydrocephalus condition was classified as mild to us which is encouraging. 

Ultrasound view showing defect in top left

Typically a baby born with spina bifida receives a shunt in the brain to drain the excess fluid and must have surgery on the back to place the spinal cord into the correct location.  In the mid 1990s a ground of doctors began performing surgery on babies in utero to repair the spinal lesion.  A clinical trial was conducted between 1998 and 2010 and showed such promising results it was stopped early and the treatment has become more common.  Our goods friends Lauren and Joel Steidl are from Nashville, home of Vanderbilt University.  They introduced us to a physician at the University connected to the SB community who facilitated our contact with the fetal surgery team at Vanderbilt.  We traveled to Nashville this past Friday and met with their team.  The fetal surgery team at Vanderbilt pioneered the procedure and has performed over 200.  They felt we were good candidates for the procedure and after much thought, prayer, and deliberation we have decided to move forward with the fetal surgical repair.

This is certainly a huge procedure that involves surgery on two people at the same time. The spinal column defect will be repaired and the skin grafted where the defect existed.  There is certainly a long list of risks but the babies that have undergone the procedure have had significantly better results in terms of shunts and motor function so we feel we are giving our baby the best chance at life.

Stephanie and Baby T are scheduled for surgery on August 21, yes two weeks from today. The best gestation time for the surgery is 22-24 weeks so we are moving forward quickly.  It has been a whirlwind of emotion for us over the last few weeks and certainly there are many trying times ahead.  Besides the risks of surgery on mom and baby, Stephanie will be placed on very limited activity for the remainder of the pregnancy.  She will be taking a leave of absence from her job for the remainder of the school year.  The hope is that by staying at home primarily laying or sitting down the baby will keep growing and doing his thing as far as possible into pregnancy.  Stephanie will deliver by c-section in Denver hopefully in the 35-37 week time period meaning our Christmas baby is now going to be a Thanksgiving baby.

Baby T hanging out at the pool

We are very thankful for the surgical team we have come in contact with and our ability to quickly develop what we feel is the best possible treatment plan.  We are thankful for all of the support family and friends have already given.  We are thankful for this life “wonderfully made” by God. We are excited to take our baby on hikes, camping, bike rides and to do all the things Coloradans do with babies.  We realize that life might be a little bit different for us than we had hoped but we are fighters and our little guy will be a fighter too.

We ask for your continued prayer and support, especially on August 21 as Steph and Baby T undergo surgery. Stephanie will be holed up at our house in Denver for 10+ weeks so any visitors wanting to keep her company are gladly welcomed.

To keep everyone updated as we progress through this journey we have created a blog which can be found at SiloamPool.blogspot.com.  We will do our best to keep this up to date so you can be aware of all that is happening and know how to best support us.  We apologize if we haven’t been the most communicative in the past few weeks.  It’s been overwhelming and exhausting for us having the same conversation what seems like 100 times a day.

John 9: 1-7

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes.7 "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means "Sent"). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

We thank you for your prayer and support and may God be glorified through this situation.

Kyle & Steph

Steph just starting to look pregnant in Aspen