We have been back in the US now for 5 weeks.  I have wanted so much to blog about our feelings leaving Brazil and arriving back in the US but my hands have been a little full!  We are so thankful to be back home closer to family.  It has been such a blessing to have the help of our mothers with all our appointments and all our feedings!  We do, however, greatly miss our team, our church and our precious friends in Brazil.  We still feel so much love and support from all of them and that is making our transition much easier.

But today I want to celebrate my precious little men and how far God has brought them!

Graham Lee Gotcher, born October 4, 2010, 6:28am.  2 lbs 6 oz., 13.5 inches.

Our little Graham man has grown SO much!  Graham spent 80 days in the NICU in Brazil and came home to us Dec. 22nd, 2010.  Graham really began thriving at home.  Praise God, he is a WONDERFUL eater!  We laugh that when we put the burp cloth on his chin he starts panting :)!  Graham has so much personality.  This little man LOVES to be held.  We will often try to put him down and he lets out screams of protest.  He KNOWS how much we love holding him :).  Graham is loving holding things with his hands and putting them in his mouth.  He loves being around people and loves to smile.  He loves babbling with us and especially loves saying “Gee”!  He is really getting great at tummy time and even has rolled several times from his tummy to his back.  He breathes really loudly often and his Aunt Jennifer said he reminded her of a little pug dog because of how he breathes out of his nose :).  We decided if Graham had a job at 6 months he would be either a ceiling fan or a light inspector.  The boy has a few nicknames:  Grahamster, Graham burger, Grahamburgler, Graham Lee Bo, Graham Bear, Milky Bear, Graham Man, and the latest given by his cousin Sydnee: Graham sandwhich :). Graham looks almost identical to Wes’ baby pictures.  At 6 months Graham weighs around 15 lbs!!  Thank you God for our precious baby boy.  May he be your servant.

Gibson Miller Gotcher, born October 4, 2010.  6:29am.  2 lbs 6 oz., 13.5 inches.

Our sweet Gibbie is a fighter!  Gibson spent 119 days in the NICU and had surgery 1 week after he was born and then another one 1 week before he came home.  Upon coming home sweet Gibson began having pretty severe reflux.  This has been a HUGE stress for us as parents because we are so worried about him gaining weight.  Praise God that we have been able to find a formula that has really helped him and our sweet man has been gaining really well the past month.  Gibbies has such a sweet smile and melts our hearts when he smiles and coos at us.  Gibbers also loves saying “Gee” and babbling.  Gibson loves to watch his brother and we laugh that when Graham cries Gibson seems to think he needs to cry too.  Gibson LOVES to suck on his finger.  We thought this was great until he started getting his finger in too far and with his extremely sensitive gag reflex he often ends up choking himself!  He also is a tummy time master and has rolled onto his back from his tummy.  Gibson loves licking on our clothes or burp clothes and we decided if Gibson had a profession at 6 months he would either be a hand sucker or a jacket licker.  Gibson also has just a couple nicknames:  Gibbie, Gibbie bear, Gibber Miller, Mr. Gibbon-smiths (my personal favorite), Gibbertons, Gribson and Gibbles.  Gibbers looks a lot like my baby pictures, but I really think he is a combo :).  Sweet Gibson is weighing around 11 lbs!  Thank you God for our sweet baby Gibson.  May he live for You.

Happy 6 months my sweet baby men!!

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not be faint.”  Is. 40:31

Bath time!  Graham followed this picture up by peeing all over himself, resulting in bath #2!

Just catchin’ some Rio rays - don’t worry, it was 8:30am, but still SUPER intense!  I think that this is a South American practice, but the doctors told us to take them out in the sun for around 10 minutes per day.  I love it!

Graham and Daddy

Gibson and me

Our family….so thankful to be all together!!!

Our precious baby boys were born and PRAISE GOD right now I am looking at them both peacefully sleeping in their little swings….my heart is so full.  Gibson got to come home on Monday - what an incredible blessing it is to finally have him home.  We LOVE putting the boys together on the floor, in their beds and holding them together -  it is just the sweetest thing to see them side by side!  On Tuesday we had them sitting next to each other before feeding time and Graham stuck his arm out in front of Gibson and Gibbers tried to suck on it :).  It is hilarious how often we are replacing pacifiers for them - there have been several times that one of us in on the floor with both of them sticking a pacies back in one mouth then the other and back and forth.  They have both been hungry little men through the night and we have found it hard to get much sleep with all of their grunts and groans.  Right now we have them both in the same pack and play, swaddled, but that isn’t going to last long because they are moving so much and doing everything they can to get out of their swaddles!

Leaving the hospital Monday was so wonderful, but also sort of strange.  The people at the hospital have really become a part of our lives and it will be strange not to see them daily.  But we are so thankful!!  We have even gotten to watch some movies all the way through in the evening without having to pause to head out the door :).

Gibson is doing so well at home - he seems more alert and active each day!  He watches us so intently and has really been eating well.  It is hard to believe that he had his shunt surgery just 2 weeks ago.  Praise God, he has recovered so well from it.  We are going to see the neurosurgeon this week to have a check-up and for him to look over the incisions.  Gibson looks so much like Graham did when we brought him home 5 weeks ago.  It is amazing to see what a difference 5 weeks can make!!  The Graham man truly has some chunk!  He is doing so great and has even smiled at me a couple times this week!  We have an appointment with our pediatrician next week and I can’t wait to see how much both boys weigh!  We just feel so thankful to finally be all together and to be able to really enjoy our sweet babies.  There were so many days in the hospital that I wondered if we would ever come out on the other side.  Thank you God for bringing us through.

We’ve had the blessing of wonderful help here with us since Christmas.  My parents were here for several weeks and Wes’ parents have been here as well.  It is so precious to see our parents’ joy over the G-men.  Because we’ve had extra arms, Wes has been able to spend some time at the church.  He has doing 2 different studies with groups of guys from the church.  We are so thankful because tonight 2 of them were baptized!  One of the men that was baptized tonight has such a precious family who has become very special to us here.  He and his wife are such encouragers and have really gone out of their way to help us while we’ve been in the NICU.  I remember after one particularly difficult day I arrived at our apartment to find a box that had been left by Dilma, the wife, with quotes and scriptures to encourage me.  She also left some delicious food.  We feel so blessed by the wonderful relationships God has provided us here and are so excited to see these particular friends committing their lives to Christ.

These relationships and our love for this country have made facing the reality of our current situation extra difficult.  We have decided that because of the care we want our boys to receive we need to return to the US.  We are so sad to leave this place that has become such a part of our hearts.  However, we feel that it will be best for our boys for us to return to the US.  Brazil has changed me in so many ways.  I have so much I want to write about this, but it is almost time for another feeding and I need to go get ready.:)  We do know that so many of you that read our blog have been so diligent in praying for us and we ask for those prayers to continue!  We need God’s continued strength and guidance as we head back home and seek His will for our lives there.

Snuggly men in the arms of their Granny:

Proof of the pacie wars:

My favorite boys

Our arrival!!!!

Also, here is a link to our latest team newsletter:

http://tinyurl.com/4z7mvqs

As an adult I’ve moved on from the Walkman to an iPod and become quite fond of road trips but I do find myself in a similar state of impatience when I’m in difficult situations or sufferings that are beyond my control.  I know that at some point in life everyone has to deal with difficult circumstances and while I’m still learning how to be patient during trials, I am so thankful that I know that I can lay my burdens at the feet of the creator and he will give me peace.  Philippians assures us that we don’t have to be anxious about anything and that we can go to God with our requests.  This bold statement, that we can talk directly to God and ask for deliverance from our troubles, should bring great comfort to all believers.  We can also be encouraged by the fact that God’s peace, which is beyond our understanding, can and will guard us and protect us in Christ.

On October 4th, our babies Graham and Gibson came prematurely and we’ve been in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) everyday for the last 8 weeks and it appears we will probably be there for at least another 4 weeks.  I find myself intensely desiring to arrive at our destination of this unwanted adventure and I’m continually asking God, “are we there yet”?  A friend of mine encouraged me to use this situation to realize and embrace my total dependence on God during this difficult time and to submit to him fully even when I would rather fast forward through these trying days.  Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

I look at my babies laying in their incubators and realize that God is not impressed with the size difference or mental capacity that I have in relation to my boys.  The Father looks on Carrie, Graham, Gibson and I as His children and while we are totally helpless in doing anything to add another hour to our lives, he has full control and just wants us to call on him so that he can give us peace, hope and take care of us.  This is the confidence that we have during uncertain times because we are believers, and this love that the Father has for us is what we need to be telling others about so that they can find comfort in Him as well.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  Lamentations 3:22-23

After further ultrasounds it appears that the pressure in our Gibbers brain has not subsided but has increased.  So, he is supposed to have a shunt put in this week.  We were really crushed about this at first because we don’t want him to have to have surgery and we don’t want anything else to slow him down from coming home.  But after visiting more with the doctors, much prayer and some serious breakdowns on my part, we are feeling peace about it.  We really do believe this will be best for him and hopefully will even help him get home sooner.  Praise God the shunt is totally internal and they say the actual procedure of putting it in is very simple.  We have already heard from several friends about babies who have shunts and how in time it doesn’t really affect their lives.  We pray this will be the case for our sweet baby Gibson.  He has been doing so well and looking so big and healthy that we just want to take him home….I can’t tell you how tempted I am to rip that sensor out of the wall and take off running with him!  He is nursing beautifully which is such a blessing and really a surprise because usually that is more of a challenge for preemies.  However, he does not like the bottle and this has been a challenge for us because we need him to take a bottle before he comes home.  So, we ask you to continue to pray with us!!  Pray for Gibson’s shunt surgery to happen this week, for him to be COVERED in PROTECTION from the Father against infection, for him to recover quickly, for him to continue to nurse well and get down his bottle feeding and for him to COME HOME TO US!!!!!

I have to believe that my boys miss each other and I think they will both do so much better with the other one close by.  We long for the reunion of our whole family together.  PRAY for God to answer this request quickly!!!!

Here are videos of each of the boys that Wes put together today….Thanks to everyone again for your prayers….I believe we are still standing because of them.

Gibson:

http://vimeo.com/18964169

Graham:

http://vimeo.com/18968102

Gibson with chubby cheeks

Daddy and a very content Gibbers

Smiley Graham is SO happy to be home!!  He is just ready for his brother to get here!

Here we are preparing Graham for his first doctor’s visit!  It went great!

Well, since the long awaited arrival of Graham we’ve had very little time to blog!  It has been such a blessing to have our precious little man home, but it does just increase our anxiousness to get Gibson here.  It has been a challenge to divide our time between home and the NICU.  Praise God that reinforcements arrived on Christmas Day in the form of my parents - we were SO thankful to see them and they have been an incredible help!  We have loved snuggling our sweet Graham man all day long.  He has been so precious at home.  Gibson has made some wonderful improvements the last several days and we are incredibly thankful.  Last Wednesday I had a pretty big meltdown and was feeling really down and worried about Gibson still being on oxygen.  Thursday he got off the oxygen - thank YOU LORD!  He has been doing so well and is working on taking a bottle and breast feeding.  He is making great strides with both!  Please keep praying with us for a few specific things:

- Pray for Gibson to continue to breathe well and to learn to eat well so he can come home quickly!

-Gibson has had some continued pressure on his brain due to the bleeding that he had.  There is a possibility that we will have to have a shunt put in to relieve the pressure.  We are praying with all our hearts that this won’t be necessary.  Please pray this with us!

-Pray for both boys to continue to gain weight well and for them to thrive at home!

We are so thankful for God’s hand over us.  It really is incredible how continuously we reach points where we feel completely overwhelmed and like we can’t go any further, but He faithfully provides and sustains.

Here is Gibson right before going off oxygen - I love him in his little monsters sleeper

Close-up of the Graham-burger (the poor child will probably never be called by his real name!)

]]> http://www.niteroimission.com/gotcher/?feed=rss2&p=403 http://www.niteroimission.com/gotcher/?p=395 http://www.niteroimission.com/gotcher/?p=395#comments Fri, 24 Dec 2010 23:11:28 +0000 Carrie http://www.niteroimission.com/gotcher/?p=395 Click on this link for our Christmas Card:

christmas-card-20101

Merry Christmas!!!

Wes and I have talked a lot about how blessed we feel to have so many people praying for our boys.  I wish I had the words to adequately say thank you.  I have told the boys how so many people are praying for them.  I love getting emails and notes from so many friends and even from people that we don’t know.  We love hearing from other people who have passed through the NICU experience.  We have gotten so many cards and emails and while we haven’t gotten to respond to many of them, they all have blessed and encouraged us so much.  Today we got a package in the mail from a ministry in Texas that makes clothes especially for tiny new preemies.  I cried looking at these tiny little clothes and thinking about what an incredible ministry it is.  Praise God, the boys are too big for these clothes now, but the love and care put into them touches our hearts and inspires us to think of things we can do to encourage other preemie parents.  I would love to list all the things that people have done to make us feel loved and special, but just know that we do feel loved and the prayers and encouragement we have received has helped us through some of the darker hours and are still helping sustain us now.  Please keep praying for us.  Getting closer to bringing the boys home begins a new journey for us and we pray for God’s presence, peace and His healing.  I want to ask for some specific prayers:

Please pray for both boys to be strong and healthy to come home soon.

Please pray for strength, confidence and energy for us as we will most likely have Graham here with us and Gibson still in the NICU for a time.

Please pray for Gibson to get off his oxygen and for healing on both boys’ lungs to be strong breathers!

Pray for us to have wisdom in making the transition from hospital to home.  I think I could completely go crazy over-thinking everything so pray that I can find the balance of care and concern with letting certain things go.

Here are a few pictures from the past couple days of our handsome men

the Grahamburger - this was 2 days ago and he actually doesn’t have his white mustache anymore!

Gibbers in clothes!!  This onesie has robots on it…love it!

And another family pic!  It is such a blessing to think of how far we have come since the last one.  Praise God for being with us always.

Happy Holidays!!!

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”  2 Cor. 4:18

It is incredible in this process how each new phase we are in brings new challenges and new concerns for Wes and me.  It is easy for me to feel overwhelmed.  I am trying to remind myself constantly of how far God has brought us and how He is already there and ready to meet our needs as they arise.  I loaded all of our pictures since the boys have been born on Snapfish this week.  It is incredible to look back at the pictures of Graham and Gibson the day they were born and then look at them now.  I can’t put into words my thankfulness for God’s hand over us.

I would love to post all of my pictures of the cutest boys in Niteroi, but here are a few of my favorites from the past couple days:

Gibbers breathing almost on his own!!!

Graham in his ducks outfit

Wes with his two beautiful boys!  I love how proud he looks  We can’t wait for him to be holding them both!

Wide-eyed Gibson

Our little sleepy head

“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues throughout all generations.”  Psalm 100:5