Meghan is Home

Praise God, our little daughter is fine and dandy and is finally home! This past Saturday, our pediatrician, Dr Cardwell, popped in our room for a visit and announced that Meghan’s bilirubin level was at an acceptable 7.4. He planned to take Meghan out from under the photo-therapy lights to see if her bilirubin levels would stabilize or shoot up again. Several hours later, after being our from under the lights, blood tests showed that her bilirubin went up just a couple points, which satisfied Doctor Cardwell enough to allow us to take Meghan home. So, late Saturday evening, we took a radiant Inga and little Meghan home from the hospital.

Just today, we had another doctor’s appointment and though we didn’t do any blood work, the doctor said that since Meghan was mostly pink, he could tell that she was coping just fine with the jaundice. Another good indicator, is that Meghan has slightly exceeded her birth weight, all babies lose weight after they are born, which means that Meghan is eating well. Her stools are now a bright yellow, which literally means that she is passing the jaundice out of her system. So, we want to thank you for praying for her and we thank the Lord for healing her body.

Right now, we are working on getting all of Meghan’s travel documents done for our August 6th departure for Khabarovsk, Russia. I plan to dedicate an entire article to this because it is amazing how the favor of God is operating on our behalf. We are thankful for this time in the States, and at the same time are looking forward to getting back to our home and church in the Far East.

Bilirubin

Thank you for all the wonderful comments on the baby Meghan article! We have the best friends in the whole world. It also blesses me that you checked our blog out. Please feel free to refer it to others and link it to your own websites and blogs.

Today, I want to give you a quick update on baby Meghan and Inga. We expected both Meghan and Inga to be home at this time, but they are still at Stevens Hospital in Edmonds, WA for an extended stay. The reason for this, is that Meghan has an elevated bilirubin count, which is responsible for jaundice. Though Meghan doesn’t appear to be yellow in color (a common effect from jaundice) the sharp eyed docs at Stevens caught it in her blood work, and have decided to place her in phototherapy for a day or two, at least till the bilirubin level gets down to an acceptable level.

This development doesn’t bother us a bit, our daughter Diana had to have phototherapy for the same reason when she was born, so we know what to expect. Also, Meghan is eating well (breastfeeding) and that helps pass out the cause of the problem. Most importantly, we know that the power of God is coursing through her tiny body, healing and restoring, as well as eliminating the bad. We appreciate you agreeing with us in faith for a quick restoration of health to Meghan.

Right now, as far as we can tell, it looks like Inga and Meghan will be in the hospital till Sunday or Monday, after that we expect them to come home. Thankfully, our insurance covers the extended hospital stay (that’s a dad talking). As it stands, Meghan is under the phototherapy lights constantly with the exception of her feeding times. We are allowed to come into the room where she is and touch her, which is soothing. She looks beautiful and still is sporting a sprig of dark hair (I’m sorry, but this still amazes me).

In closing, Inga is recovering from the delivery remarkably well. She looks beautiful. I plan to have updated photos for you tomorrow. Thank you for praying for us during this time. We love you all.

Meghan Elizabeth Maxey

Inga and I are the proud parents of the newest addition to our family – Meghan Elizabeth Maxey. For all the women out there, and for some of the numbers conscious men, here are Meghan’s stats: born at 5:50 pm. on July 18, 2007, she weighed 8lbs. 11oz, 21 inches long, 14 inches head circumference, blue eyes (no surprise here), and dark hair (big surprise here, since blonde has been the exclusive hair color in our immediate family up till now). I must also mention that perhaps Meghan’s greatest fans are Diana and Michael Maxey, that is, at least until Meghan’s big enough to constitute some competition.

We are very thankful to all of you who prayed for us and for the baby’s delivery. One thing is for sure, everything that we asked for we received. For one, the delivery was very quick: we arrived at the hospital at 2:30, Meghan was born at little more than 3 hours later. The hospital staff – the doctors and nurses were professional, compassionate, expert, friendly, and very reassuring. We especially are thankful to the doctor, doctor Carter, she was an angel. Also, Inga endured the delivery with no trauma beyond the expected pain and pressure (for those in the know, there was no “tearing”). Meghan is perfectly healthy too.

To wrap this up, let me just say a few more words about Inga – I am sooooo proud of my wife. She is the strongest person I know. She went through delivery natural, no medications, not even an aspirin. Even without the numbing effect of medication, she endured the delivery like a Spartan. In fact, the nurses were amazed at her and how calm she was. Another thing in closing, is how beautiful she looked immediately after the delivery, even her skin retained a healthy glow. Wow! I am blessed to have such an incredible woman of God as my spouse.

Snoqualmie Falls Anyone?

When our first child Diana was born, her actual birth was immediately preceded by an incredible feat of strength and dexterity, and no, I am not referring to the mad dash we made to the hospital. Just before Inga went into labor, she hiked down to the base of Snoqualmie Falls and climbed back up again. To put this into perspective, you need to understand that Snoqualmie Falls drops 268 ft. The trail that leads from the parking lot up top to the fall’s base is a 300 ft., nearly vertical path that has been described as a “steep” climb. It is so steep in fact, that mountain goats have been known to stand at the head of the trail and openly plead with hikers to abandon their foolish quest. Well, not really, but they should.

Since the goats were all on strike the day we went, we charged down the trail in a cavalier matter, all the while commenting on how easy it all was. Actually, it was easy till we started back up the trail to the parking lot. It was then, when we understood what the goats had been vainly trying to warn us about. Using a combination of jet pack, motorized cart, rock climbing gear, and a Himalayan porter, I managed to scale the falls and regain the parking lot, but not Inga, oh no, she actually walked back up the trail using her own legs and shoes. Are you really surprised that she had Diana after that?

This time around, we are anxiously awaiting the birth of our third child and hoping that it will come soon. We have been trying different methods to persuade the infant to eject from its cozy cocoon, but so far, spicy meals, aerobic jumping, speed walking and sqat thrusts are not helping. I did suggest a scenic hike down to Snoqualmie Falls, but when I did Inga just glared at me. I wonder why? Maybe she didn’t appreciate having to push me up the trail the last time?

My First Blog!

Is there still anybody out there who doesn’t know what a blog is? Just a few months ago, I had no idea. The word blog sounded more like a sound effect from a Marvel comics strip than a noun. Then, after some quick research, I found out that a blog is an online journal, or an online diary. Now, don’t hang up on me yet, I know that you know this, it just helps me clarify the reason why I have chosen to blog (can it be a verb too?). The main reason I am starting a blog is to give you a front-row seat in the grand theatre of my (our) life.

Why should you read my blog? Perhaps because I can give you a unique perspective on life from a remote and exotic location, possibly thousands of miles from where you reside. You see, my wife Inga and I pastor a church in the Russian Far East, in the city of Khabarovsk. Most people include the Far East in the broad term Siberia, though Siberia begins at least a thousand miles to our west. Paradoxically, the Far East is Russia’s wild west. Not even McDonald’s has made it to our secluded region. In spite of all that, even our lack of Big Macs, we would rather live here than anywhere else. Why? Because doing God’s will, God’s Word, is our passion, and we believe that it is His will for us to be right where we are. If you are interested in life in Russia, Christian missions, and exciting, open dialogue then you will enjoy my blog.

By the way, this is a great time to jump on board, since our family of four is getting ready any day to increase to five. Yes, my beautiful wife Inga is pregnant with our third child, and they tell us it will be a girl. I plan to give you frequent updates on her status (sounds stuffy), perhaps, the delicate, yet delightful condition of Inga’s being with child sounds better to the ear? In lieu of this, we are currently in Snohomish, Washington in the Pacific NorthWest with my parents, enjoying our stay and waiting, waiting, waiting for our baby to come. If all goes as planned, we’ll be heading back to Khabarovsk on August 6th.
Another thing, my blog will progressively look better and better as time goes on. Just hang in there and you won’t be sorry.