Big Day for the Little Lady

Big News #1: Our little lady will get discharged on Saturday morning! Yippee!!! We are so excited. We still have to remain in Louisiana however until our paperwork goes through allowing us to leave the state. Pray that it goes quickly!!! Elia is very healthy and very happy! Thank you so much for all of your prayers!




Big News #2: We just happened to be in the NICU tonight when "INSIDE EDITION" was on the floor doing a story on the 13 nurses on the unit that are all expecting babies! They needed a "baby" to be in one of the shots, and Miss Elia Jane got to star in her first performance! We'll be sure to let you know when the story airs!

Bath Time

Today we got moved to a "Growing Up" room. We now have a window and can pretty much just do with our girl as we please! We even had her all unhooked from her monitors for about an hour tonight to give her a bath and her bottle and enjoy her "unplugged". And yes, I know I look tired. I am! Happy and Tired!

Elia Jane is One Week Old Today!

Quick Update with Pictures to Come

Thank you to everyone for their prayers for Elia. She had a terrific day today. The doctor said that if all continues to go well, she'll take her "Car Seat Challenge" again on Friday. (For those of you not aware, Miss Elia failed her first Car Seat Challenge on Sunday).... It's much like the Driver's Test, and she does get a retake!!! Basically she has to be a good girl and sit in her car seat for 2 hours without having her heartrate or breathing rate dip! Pray for the little darlin! It's a test I'm sure none of us would want to take!!!!

Anyway, if she does well, she will graduate! Saturday evening then we (momma and daddy) will stay in the "Rooming In" suite, with Elia overnight at the hospital. We'll have nurses available for questions should we need them, but it's basically just to ease the minds of parents bring home children from the NICU!

If the adoption paper work has made it's way from MO to LA by then, we'll be able to leave the state, and should be home on Monday afternoon!

Love to all of you!
Off to give the little miss her bath and bedtime bottle. We'll be back with pictures!

For Isabelle and Elia

Isabelle,
We found Easter dresses for you and Elia today! What do you think darlin'?
You'll both look so pretty!



For those of you who haven't caught on yet, PINK is not Isabelle's favorite color, and she's having a fit that I'm dressing Elia in PINK!

Just for Isabelle

Doesn't she look pretty in pink?

Five Days Old

We finally found a hat that fit the tiny girl's head!

Elia has been officially diagnosed with severe reflux. She is on two medications that should help eleviate her symptoms. She has to have several "good days" where the reflux doesn't cause her oxygen level and heart rate to dip before she can be discharged. Please pray for complete healing!

Four Days Old

Because Papa Says "MORE PICTURES!!!"

Elia is doing well today. The IV is out, and she is no longer needing antibiotics. The doctor is nearly certain that she is struggling with reflux and that is causing her stats to drop and dip from time to time. They started her on medication for that today. Please pray for total healing in the area of her digestion!

We are completely smitten. She has total won our hearts! Not that she had to try real hard!!! :)

As you can see by these shots... the little miss was not too fond of her bath! But she recovers well!

I Highly Recommend

That you read my son's blog for a commentary on the 80's Fundraiser.
John and I laughed so hard
nickloux.blogspot.com
link to the right!

Our Little Lady

Today was a good day for "Lady Jane"... yup, you guessed it folks the little pet names have begun! She tolerated all her feedings well, and no longer has a feeding tube. She has been taken off the heater and is adjusting well to room temperature. The doctor was concerned this morning that her stats have dipped occassionally and she wants to find the cause. Her suspicion is that it may be a reflux issue, so she had changed her formula and ordered a test for Monday. All that to say, she is not being discharge in the next few days as we had hoped. Please pray for quick resolution to this so we can get her home!

Elia Jane Brightens Up the NICU

Here's our little miss! She's completely captured our hearts.
She improves daily. Is eating from a bottle now, not the feeding tube! We've been able to feed her and diaper her, and pretty much the rest of the time we have our hands on her praying and speaking words of life over her.

Quick Bedtime Update

Little Miss Elia is doing very well this evening. We just arrived back at the hotel from the hospital. We are totally wiped out, and John is out checking to see if the "hot tub" is actully hot before we venture down to get in.

Elia has been breathing since about 5PM without any "grunting" as they call it. I however just call it "singing", cause it's way sweeter and much more lady like than "grunting". She still has not required any oxygen and is resting nicely. We held her for quite a while tonight and she was very cozy and happy.

We bough her a little CD player for the NICU cubby hole and a nice worship CD that's playing. Her night time nurse was awesome. She was adopted and told us her whole story and was so happy about what we were doing! It was a good, good night.
As we were leaving, she was near the CD player and said, "I know all these songs!"

Oh, we're totally going to pass out. The hot tub is closed and we don't really care! Night folks!

Welcome to the World Miss Elia Jane

Dear Family and Friends,
Thank you for your prayers and support. Elia Jane arrived March 7, 2007 at 11:56AM, weighing 6lbs 10oz, at 36 weeks and 3 days, not bad for almost a month early! She had some early breathing struggles yesterday, and has been put in the NICU for some antibiotic treatment and to monitor her breathing more closely. Please pray for complete healing and restoration to her breathing.
Elia means "The Lord is God"
Jane means "God is Gracious"
"She will be a great joy and delight to you, and may will rejoice because of her birth, for she will be great in the sight of the Lord..." Luke 1:17

We are truly rejoicing!
Much Love,
John and Tracie
Nicholas, Taylor, Isabelle, and Elia

HUGE STEP IN BLOGGING!

SOMEBODY taught me how to do this!

I know to most of you it's no big deal, but I am very proud of myself!

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

THIS IS JOHN, DOWNLOADING 80's TUNES FOR THE FUNDRAISER!!!!!


THIS IS ME MAKING INVITATIONS FOR THE FUNDRAISER!!!




YOU DECIDE!

This is What Happens

WHEN ISABELLE PLAYS AT THE BOHLENDER'S

My Coffee

Today I poured my morning coffee into an extra large cup and realized that there was no half and half or milk in the house. I looked the cup and said, "We'll I'm drinking you anyway".
Folks let me tell you, it was the best cup of coffee I have had in a long time.

Now my dad drinks his coffee black. I know cause I've delivered his coffee to him many times. Derek Loux takes his coffee black. John sporadically takes his black, kind of when the whim hits him. Randy Bohlender wouldn't consider anything but a black cup of coffee. But I have always been one who needed that half and half, mostly to cool the thing down!

This morning may have changed my opinion on the black cup of coffee. It was good, really good.
Some of you will be very proud of me I'm sure!

Longing for Elia Jane

It strikes me as being quite supernatural that I have this deep longing for a little girl that is not growing in my womb, but in the womb of another. She's growing in my heart and in my spirit though, and that's nothing short of the work of the Holy Spirit. Some day down the road, will someone please remember to tell my daughter often that I longed for her before she was born!

John and Tracie
Invite you to celebrate the soon coming arrival of their daughter
Elia Jane

Help us bring her home!

Come Celebrate 80’s Style!
As we move toward the future by laughing at the past

March 7th, 2007
7:00-9:00PM

With Guest Host- Jennifer Roberts
And special appearances by
IHOP Worship Leaders
Singing your favorite 80’s tunes!

Raintree Lake Clubhouse, directions enclosed
RSVP by Friday, March 2nd
Dessert and Coffee will be served.

Casual Attire- 80’s Attire Welcome!

(here's the text from our invitations... feel free to grab us
and ask for an invite if we miss you! We'll be handing them out
Sunday and Monday!)

Fundraiser in the Making

Last night we sat with the Bohlender's brainstorming for our adoption fundraiser. At one point I think the plan was so boring that none of US even wanted to attend! But then something magical happened... call it good coffee finally kickin' in, or a second wind after our eyes had glazed over at least once, but I'm pretty sure it was THE JOHN LOUX that woke up and came up with the plan of the night!

Here's the deal, keep Wednesday evening, March 7th on hold on your calendars! You won't want to miss it!

Now we kick int to high gear this weekend, and whip up some invitations and hand deliver them all! Help anyone?

The theme of the event: well, we're just going to keep you guessing for today at least! But let me tell you, when John Loux wakes up at a planning meeting, things get FUN! Then throw in a couple of inspired Bohlenders and well...

Elia's Homecoming!

We've been chosen by a birth mom!!! Isn't that a sobering thought. Someone has looked through piles of information on adoptive families and chose US for their baby! I am overwhelmed at the bravery and unselfishness of this young woman. I pray for her daily!
Our due date is sometime in the next 2-6 weeks. The doctor is hoping she goes 4 more weeks, but there is a possibility for an early baby! Pray for us as we prepare for Elia's Homecoming!

We are in need of an additional $12,000-$15,000 to complete this adoption, this covers adoption costs, legal fees, and travel/living expenses while we are out of town (we are required to stay in Louisana for 2 weeks before we can leave the state with Elia). The need is urgent! Please pray and consider giving to Elia's adoption fund! If you are able to give, please visit our website www.johnandtracieloux.com for our contact information!

Spread the word to others who are standing on the line for LIFE, and may be willing to help pay the ransom for Elia's beautiful life!

Hijacked!!!

For those of you who have given up on checking John Loux's blog because of lack of blogging, I have hijacked his blog and am soliciting comments from those of you who would like to see his trend in blogging take a turn!!!!

Please go to his blog, and give him your reasons that HE SHOULD START BLOGGING AGAIN NOW!

I LOVE BEING WARM

I now officially love my woodstove! John went out of town for ministry this weekend, and our furnace didn't seem to be cutting it. Basically folks my house was FREEZING! So I scraped up all the extra fire wood in the garage and started a fire! YIPPEEE!!!

I liked being warm so much that I went and bought fire wood. The nice guy around the corner from where we live sells wood and kindly loaded the back end of my van with wood. He only spoke Spanish, but even after many years of Spanish in high school and college I was clueless, and resorted to hand signals to tell him what I wanted!

I LOVE BEING WARM! The woodstove heated the house all night and I still had a few embers in the stove this morning to help get a fresh fire going! And the house was 70 degrees at 7AM!

The furnace repair guy just left and the furnace seems to be fine, the house is just big, and I need to adjust some of the registers to get more even flow of heat, but for now I'm really happy with my wood heat and the fact that it's cheap!

Come on over, we can toast marshmallows!

Do you remember?

Do you remember what it felt like when you were little and had someone take care of you when you were sick? Well today I was reminded of that feeling. Reminded of what my mom's cool hands felt like on my hot forehead, reminded of how good ginger-ale on ice is when nothing else seems right, reminded of how nice it is to have extra blankies, and then "only a sheet please" when that fever breaks. I was reminded in the eyes of my children.

I have three sick children today, not just one, but all three at once, almost at the exact same time. About 10 minutes into our prayer room time this morning, I looked over to realize that all of my children appeared very pale and droopy. By the time I got them home, 2 hours later, they all, without a word, made their way into their beds. Isabelle moved all of her blankies to the couch in the boys room.

I spent the next hour making sure everyone had everything they needed and running to the store for movies, vitamin C, and gingerale.

Their faces told me all evening that they were glad I was their mother, and that they needed me.

Chick-fil-a Revisited

I know you were all waiting right!!!!
My friend and "Chick-fil-a Lovin' Friend", the one-and-only Kelsey took me back to Chick-fil-a today for lunch with all our kiddos.
With some effort we managed to park in the cold Kansas CIty rain and get all 7 of our children seated, and then got in line to place our order. I was scoping out the menu and instructing Kelsey to order first so I could learn from her, when Nick came up, peering over my shoulder at the menu and says, "They have alot of chicken."
Now perhaps you had to be there, but that was super funny, or so thought the gentleman behind us in line who was trying hard not to laugh! Then Nick proceded to read the menu with his witty 14 year old humor, "Hmmmm, chicken nuggets (pause for affect) chicken fingers, chicken sandwiches (pause for affect), chicken salad, yup, that's alot of chicken...."
Maybe I was tired, maybe you had to be there, but he had me laughing!

The results of the revisitation were thus:
1. The nuggets and fries we had in December or early January were just bad, overcooked and dry, a fluke, because the only gripe I have with today's nuggets and fries is that I didn't order enough.
2. There is a great benefit to staying away from anything that comes wrapped in paper (let faithful readers understand).
3. When a very delightfully cute, curly headed blonde boy of 11 hits the playland with his friends, little girls unknown to him, will flock to him and chase him through the maze!
4. I still managed to get sauce on my shirt. I'm just a sloppy eater I guess!

Millennial Longings

Somebody I know was sad last night. He has had this longing in his heart to have a pet fox. He has checked out books on foxes, read about foxes on the internet; and came to the sad conclusion yesterday that foxes do not make good pets. I had warned him, telling him that some animals even if they are raised in a home from birth, just have the natural instinct to be wild and can turn on their owners. His "research" told him that indeed is true.

He was very very sad. He said, "I guess I just have to wait til the Millennial Kingdom to have a pet fox!"

I wonder how many of our Longings in this life will be answered only in the Millennial Kingdom! What about yours?

Isabelle Turned 9

My little girl turned 9! We had a cowgirl birthday party! When the guests arrived, they were greeted by a "WANTED" poster and given instructions to resuce Isabelle from the dreaded kidnappers "Harry Pitts" and his brother "Sam the Smelly Pitts"! She was sucessfully recused and the party began!!

Photo Journal: Isabelle's Cowgirl Birthday #9- part 2

Photo Journal: Isabelle's Cowgirl Birthday #9

Morning Surprise!

This was my view this morning as I had my coffee! It was a kiss from God to this "country girl"... the kids were thrilled too!

We Interrupt this Home Schooling Day for Some Comic Relief

Isabelle my 3rd Grader and Funny Lady of the family was learning about Antonyms today.

There were several sentence written, and she was to replace the italicized word with an ANTONYM so that the sentence would make sense:

The sentence was as follows:
(Wide) is the way which leadeth into life.

Her answer was
Skinny is the way which leadeth into life.

Of course that sent all of us into hysterics when I shared it with the "class"!
Taylor and Grayson thought it might make a good line for Misty's next set, and started loudly singing "Skinny is the way that leads to life."

Fasted Lifestyle Anyone?

Embracing the Fasted Lifestyle is part of life here as an Intercessory Missionary. The heart of it is obedience to the Sermon on the Mount. The practicality of it is that we are all learning to live on less to serve the Lord in the place of prayer.

Here's my question to those of you walking this walk along with us: There are sacrifices that we all easily make and things that are not a big deal to live without or switch to a cheaper brand, or get creative with.... Share your secrets: WHAT ARE ONE OR TWO THINGS THAT HAVEN'T HIT THE SACRIFICIAL OFFERING LIST in your life....

Here's MINE:
1. I still love GOOD COFFEE, haven't been able to switch to a generic brand on that! (I've managed to switch down to 8 O'clock Bean" for my daily intake!
2. And my hair still really appreciates GOOD HAIRSPRAY! I tried the cheap stuff folks, really I did, but my hair was so unhappy.

OK, so let's talk... have fun!