Very Good!

The words Dr. Roberts (neurosurgeon) used when giving us the overall prognosis for Davis...Very Good! Yay! He didn't really tell us anything we didn't already know, which is good. At this point, I like hearing nothing new. He said at this point, for him anyways, we just wait and see. After Davis is born, Dr. Roberts will do the surgery to close his back within 24-48 hours. The sooner, the better...the "sac" part is the lining of his spinal cord and brain. The longer it's out, and open, the higher the risk of infection. He wants to do the surgery within 24 hours. I told him, my biggest concerns are his brain and infection. Always have been. He said once his back is closed, they'll watch his brain for about 5 days. They'll do ultrasounds daily (and a CT scan or 2) to make sure there are no changes. If fluid starts to build, we will NOT wait to see what happens. He will go in for a shunt. Every moment there is excess fluid on his brain, it's causing damage and I already see too much of that at work. I know the outcomes...it isn't worth waiting to see. He said looking at his brain right now, there is a very good chance he won't need the shunt, but it is a possibility (again, something we already knew). I asked about a "timeline" for his NICU stay. Dr. Roberts said that if he does not need the shunt, he could likely go home after only 5 days! I'll be in the hospital for 4! That makes me happy! We're praying that's how it goes. However, we're realistic. There is a very real possibility he could be there longer. If he does have to have the shunt, Dr. Roberts said he could still be going home somewhere around 7-10 days. We are happy with this news. Of course, the shorter the better, but we don't want to take him home too soon either. It was a good appointment, and we won't see Dr. Roberts again until April. He even said he was supposed to be in town that week. Phew. But, even if he isn't, Dr. Honeycutt and Dr. Donahue are both outstanding surgeons as well. Now we wait. I've never been very good at waiting! I'm learning! :)

Specific Prayer Requests:
-Continued protection of his brain!
-That he'll have full function of his bowel and bladder (almost always a problem in spina bifida - no matter how low the lesion)
-HEALING!
-That he'll keep cooking until at least 38 weeks. The week of April 12th is where they want us to get. If it looks like he'll try to come earlier, they will do the c-section early. Like Dr. Roberts said, "it's like a good stew. the longer it cooks, the better the outcome." I loved that. He needs to be as big and strong as possible.
-Me and B. We're doing better than I ever thought we would...no doubt a peace that comes only from a God who knew LONG ago we would be walking this road. As stressful as it is, we are comforted to know that HE is in control...always a tough lesson for this Type A personality! :)

Thank you all for your continued prayers! We need them and sooooo appreciate them! I go back to see Dr. Tabor January 15th. We'll get to see him again, and as always, we'll know more then.

One last thing...HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANNON!!! WE LOVE YOU MORE THAN YOU'LL EVER KNOW!! And, Dr. Roberts said hello! :)