Update - 8/5/13

Because updates have slowed down I have had people asking if Max is doing better and 'in the clear' even though a long road of recovery waits for him. The short answer is 'no.' Max is stable, and that is the best they can hope for right now, but there are still several issues that could cause that to change instantly and send Max back to his Father in Heaven.

I don't understand a lot of medical stuff so I will try to gather some things that have been posted on their facebook page along with conversations I have had. There was a surgery to put all of Max' intestines in and there were a few complications. His muscle where a flap was taken was very weak. Because the muscle is so weak they don't know if it will hold everything down and intestines may move up putting pressure on the heart causing another heart attack along with some other unfortunate possibilities. In addition to the weak muscle there were several holes being susceptible to hernias.

His right lung is slightly collapsed. His left lung has a hole in it. This situation has not really improved over the last several days. They believe the hole will fix itself if they turn the ventilator down, but they cannot turn the ventilator down, because his right lung is not able to work on its own.

His bowels were handled several times and are not working. His gallbladder makes bile but his intestines don't care of it so it backs up into his stomach.

His heart rate was high today and eventually figured out he had a blood clot in his chest tube clogging it. There is a large air pocket in his chest. This air pocket could also add pressure to his lungs, not allowing them to inflate fully, or on his heart.

So in short, Max is still in need of prayers, but we cannot forget my sister and her family. Their condition doesn't really get spoken of much since so much attention is on Max, but Jessi has had a very difficult time. Since Max has been born she has been dealing with one sickness after another. She currently is very achy, flu-like and having a difficult time breathing. She had a long, hard delivery and was never really given the time to relax and heal. Her body is very tired and has fallen victim to several health problems. I believe she is emotionally and physically drained and pray that she will begin to start feeling better so she won't be dealing with guilt of not being with her newborn as she takes time to rest which she needs to do.

And some pictures I haven't posted taken the morning after having Max-