Praise the Lord

We are thankful to tell the world that Samuel (and Janice) are home from the hospital!!! We will be able to spend Christmas at home as a family which is an answer to prayer! The Lord has been good to us. Thank you to all who have been praying for us this past week. The Lord has heard our pleas. We also want to thank our doctors and nurses for all their help, guidance, and skills. We truly are blessed to be surrounded by family and friends during this time. As our doctor said, "Having people praying all over does make a difference. The Lord must have a great plan for Samuel." Interestingly enough, that's what people told Janice about Jono last Christmas!

Better News

Samuel has been off supplemental oxygen since this morning and is now able to maintain the oxygen levels in his body. If all goes well he may be released from the hospital as early as tomorrow or Monday.
Apparently he didn't have RSV, which is good, but it looks like the effects of the cold may be with him for a while. The doctor thinks that if he gets a cold again in the next couple years it may result in a similar situation.
Thank you all so much for your prayers. It was very comforting to know that there were so many people all over praying for us. God is faithful.
The influx of Barnhoorns has started here. My parents have been here for a couple days already. They have been such a blessing, packing and cleaning and cooking and taking care of Stephen while I have been going to and from the hospital. David and Evelyn are arriving this evening from Edmonton. Daniel will be coming home with us after we have dinner with the Fama's tomorrow. Becky and Rod also come tomorrow, but just before midnight. We are looking forward to a great time as a family this Christmas.
We hope you are doing well and are able to spend good times with family this Christmas. May you truly have a joyful Christmas as you remember how the Almighty God became man to show his love for us.

Samuel's Box

If you read the previous post you know that Samuel is in the hospital right now and it looks like he'll be there for about a week. We are praying that he will be released earlier. Here are a few pictures from the hospital. It should give you a better idea of what's going on. He is basically on oxygen because he can't maintain the oxygen levels in his body due to the amount of congestion he has. Every couple hours they put some medicine through the oxygen mask to help loosen it all up. He seems to be breathing better tonight. Thank you for all your prayers. God is good. Please continue to pray for our family.



Here are a couple pictures of the past couple days before Beppe left. This was before Samuel went to the hospital. As you can see, Stephen just loves reading books. It's great to have grandparents around to read him stories that Mommy and Daddy are tired of reading!

Christmas time at Langley Memorial Hospital

I just wanted to let all our blog viewers know that Samuel was readmitted to the hospital last night. He had caught Stephen's cold and was quite congested. Added to that a friend who's child was later diagnosed with RSV came over for a visit. Samuel was having an increasingly difficult time breathing and a couple of times stopped altogether. That was when we decided to go to the emergency room. He is not able to keep his oxygen levels up, and is on supplemental oxygen. He is encased in a big plastic box. I'll try to post a picture when I get one.
He is likely going to be there for a week and because he needs his mom so much, Janice will be sharing the room with him. We are asking for prayer for several things now...
1. Strength for Janice as she spends the next week in the hospital. It is especially hard because she can't really hold him. Also, a couple days ago she mentioned that she didn't want to spend another Christmas in the hospital.
2. That Samuel will be able to come out before the week is up. Janice and the boys are supposed to fly home with Mom and Dad Barnhoorn on the 28th but if Samuel is not out by then arrangements will have to be made for something else.
3. That all the packing and cleaning will get done despite the boss's (Janice) absence. We do have a lot of help coming.
Thanks for lifting us up in this time.

More!

Stephen and Beppe made cookies today. Stephen really enjoyed it. Almost as much as Beppe. I think he ate too many, though, because it's 9:30 now and he's showing no signs of being tired.


You never do get enough pictures of a new baby, and Samuel is no exception. He is just as loveable as his older brother. Here's a picture of his proud-as-can-be Beppe. I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as we do.
A lot of people have asked how Stephen enjoys his new brother. The picture babove pretty much says it all. He seems to really enjoy having Samuel around and holding him. Last night he wanted to watch Samuel sleep.

Pop!

Samuel David was born today in the city of Langley. He weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds , 0 ounces, which is exactly what his big brother Stephen weighed when he was born. (Actually, we think Samuel looks a lot like his older brother.) After the doctor broke the water, Samuel pretty much popped out. Of course, that's my perspective... I'm sure Janice feels a bit different. I got to cut the ambilical cord, which I didn't get to do for Stephen.
Stephen seemed to be pretty nonchalant about having a baby brother. He spent the afternoon at a babysitter's while we were at the hospital. When he got to see his brother he even let him play with his favourite yellow car. That's a big step because not even Mommy and Daddy are allowed to play with that car!
Anyway, both mother and baby are doing well. Daddy and Stephen are a different story. (The picture of me cutting the cord has been removed because, upon a careful examination of the picture I realized there was some skin showing that shouldn't have been.)

Life

Hi, Just thought we'd let you know that Janice's stomach is still big. It's okay with me because I still have stuff to do. An assignment due tomorrow and then my comprehensive exam on the following Monday. Between that and spending some lost time with Stephen and Janice and having family here, life is still as busy as ever. It's all good, though.
Janice is hoping for the baby to come soon, of course. Other than that, we're just waiting.

One week to go

Stephen likes to give the baby a kiss before he goes for a nap or to bed for the night.
Stephen also likes to hold the baby. He knows that you need to hold the head to keep the baby safe. Hopefully he will continue to be gentle once the baby is "ready".
Here I am with one week to go. My shirts and pants barely fit so the baby needs to come soon! My stomach is also getting "drafts" when we go outside in this cold weather!! We are trying to be patient!!

The big countdown is on. The test of our patience is on. We are attempting to wait patiently for our newest family member to arrive. Is it because we think we are ready that this little one hasn't made its presence known? Or is it because this little one wants to wait for Beppe to be here? Hopefully, s/he isn't waiting for Oma and Opa because that would be way tooo long!!

Saturday Night with the Stelpstras and Smiths

Here is Mrs. Judy reading Stephen's new book to Stephen and Asher before bed.
Stephen opened his present and went back to his toys right away. He loves playing at Uncle Jake and Aunt Donna's house. We will miss them when we move back to Ontario!
Zachary is reading a story to Stephen.
Here is Stephen opening his first Christmas present from the Stelpstras.
The three boys together again. Zachary is reading The Nativity to Asher and Stephen. The boys love playing together and seeing each other at church. What will happen when we move?

We were able to spend Saturday night with some close friends. First we went to the Stelpstras for dinner. Donna and Jake always do a good job of keeping us fed! We have appreciated their hospitality and love over the past 2 1/2 years while we've been in BC. Hopefully they will come and visit us in Nigeria!!
After dinner we went to the Smiths, our former landlords and present friends, so the boys could play together and we could play games. It has been great getting to know Brad and Judy and the boys over the past 2 1/2 years as well. I can't believe how much they have grown since I babysat them!!
When we move to Ontario, who will we spend our Saturday nights with?

A beautiful sunset on snow covered mountains

We took these pictures on the way to Abbotsford Saturday. It was a beautiful sunset and the snow covered mountains were amazing. How can people say there is no God?

More snow pictures from the "big" storm

The view of our backyard from our deck.
The view of our front yard and driveway from the living room window. How do you clear a driveway full of snow without a shovel?
The pond in front of TWU after the storm.
Stephen had a blast with all the snow. Here he is sitting in it. It was a good thing that I went and bought him a toque and mitts the day before the storm hit!

Stephen likes to read to Eddy the Elephant

Stephen loves to read stories. Most of the time, its Mom and Dad who gets to read them to Stephen. We are trying to get Stephen to read the stories himself. He has a select few that we read over and over again. For those who are interested, Eddy the Elephant was Jono's elephant when he was younger!