Our Life

Baby Charlie: Weeks 7-11

4/18 Charlie getting so big!

(Scroll down for updates on Charlie.)

Charlie was born at home on February 27th at 5:29 p.m. You can read more about the birth here. After about 5 hours we called 911 because we noticed how much he struggled to breathe. In the Emergency Room they suctioned out a lot of fluid from his lungs, nose and mouth. Then they admitted him to the NICU where they diagnosed him with Pierre Robin sequence.

I started blogging about Charlie on the third day we were at the NICU so I could share updates and prayer requests with everyone.

Click here for updates from Weeks 1-2

Click here for updates from Weeks 3-6

Scroll down for updates from Weeks 7-11

And here are the most recent updates:

Charlie’s First 2 Weeks Home

First Full Day Home After 83 Days At NICU


Day 83 – Mon, May 21:
We’re Home!!

Update: After 83 days in the NICU I’m happy to report that we finally got to take Charlie home today! It’s 11:18 p.m. right now and I’m exhausted so I don’t have energy to share all the details of today so I thought I’d just share a bunch of pictures from today. The bottom line is Charlie is home, he’s doing great and we’re so happy to all be home! Feels amazing!

Cool art one of the nurses made.

Dr. Mischel doing her final check up on Charlie today with Nurse Sumer next to her.

Last whiteboard NICU update

This was Sumer, one of Charlie’s favorite nurses. She’s amazing and we will miss her!

Carrie, another one of Charlie’s favorite nurses who we’ll miss. She’s so sweet! And loved Charlie so well.

Loading him into the car seat for the big trip home!

Charlie on his way to the minivan!

Mommy getting to hold Charlie in her favorite chair.

Charlie meeting Kathie Faye!

Charlie in his new crib!

Kids were so happy to be home. Benji asked, “Dad can you take me for a ride on the lawnmower.” So of course we did!

Home sweet home! Thank you to Henry, Rocky & Chase for mowing our lawn while we were gone!

Kids enjoying juice boxes up at my office.

Auntie Chloe treating the kids to smores by the fire!

I love Benji’s cheese face!

Campfire out by Auntie Chloe’s RV. Great way to end the night!

 


Day 82 – Sun, May 20:
Go Home Tomorrow!

Can we go home yet Dad?

Update: We’re going home tomorrow! Yay! Originally we were scheduled to go home Tuesday. But over the last couple days there’s been a weird thing going on with Charlie’s PICC line. There’s usually a little coil around where where it enters his arm. But the other day we noticed the coil (aka the slack) was gone and it was just a straight tight line. 

So they pulled it out so there was slack again but then it happened again! They said it was odd, but apparently sometimes the body can suck in the line. I don’t understand how that works, but it happened.

The good news is there was no complications from it but we monitored it closely. We asked if we could just take it out now since he’s only 2 days away from being done with his IV antibiotics anyway. The doctor said she’d check with Infectious Disease and see if that’d be ok. She said if they are, then we may be able to take it out tomorrow (Monday). 

Charlie Kicks
Out PICC Line!

However, Charlie had a say in the matter! Around 1:00 p.m. today, while the nurse was doing her cares, Charlie started kicking and got the line stuck between his toes and just kicked it right out! 

“Well, he just kicked out his PICC line,” the nurse said.

“What? Really?” I said. I hopped up and looked at Charlie, who stopped crying when I looked at him and then quickly fell asleep. Apparently he knew his job was done! πŸ˜‰

The nurse cleaned around where the PICC line was and called the doctor in. The doctor said, “Well, looks like Charlie wants to go home tomorrow!”

She said she’ll order all the supplies so they’ll be ready by tomorrow afternoon so we can take him home! We talked for a while and I thanked her for all the great care her and the NICU team have provided us over the last 82 days. I told her we’re so grateful for this place but we’re ready to go home!

Now time to pack up and get ready for our big day tomorrow. I can’t wait to put Charlie in his new crib:

This is waiting for Charlie at home!

Prayer Requests: Pray for a smooth transition to home tomorrow. Pray all the supplies come in on time so there’s no delay. And pray that Charlie does well in his car seat on the ride back to Battle Ground…. and give thanks that we get to bring our baby boy home tomorrow!!


Day 76 – Mon, May 14:
Charlie’s New Crib

Happy Mother’s Day!

Update: Yesterday was Mother’s Day so I asked Lacie what she wanted to do. “I want to get Charlie a crib and go home and set it up!” she said. If you know Lacie, you know how much she loves projects. So that’s what we did. A very fitting Mother’s Day Project: Operation New Crib Setup. 

So after breakfast we all drove to Babies “R” Us and went shopping for a crib for Charlie. In the car we talked about how excited we were to go home soon (Only 7 days, 19 hours and 14 minutes to go… but who’s keeping track?)! And buying a crib made it feel that much more real. πŸ™‚

We got a great deal on the crib and bedding since Babies R Us aka Toys R Us had a going-out-of-business sale. I think we got the crib, the bedding, a mobile and even FISH FRIENDS for around $300. 

Found Fish Friends!

So we drove home and setup the crib in our bedroom. It looks awesome because, well Lacie is awesome with that kind of stuff.

Charlie’s New Crib!

Charlie’s Mobile

“IT HAS A REMOTE!” Emma said!

Only 8 More Days!

So we’re finally on the home stretch here. Only 8 more days to go. Our departure date is scheduled for Tuesday, May 22… and we might be just a little bit excited about that! 

Snapped a pic of Lily while back in the Shire.

But before we can leave we have to take a bunch of go-home-classes to “graduate” from the NICU! We have a Car Seat Safety Class tomorrow, a CPR Class on Thursday and Charlie has a Sleep Study Scheduled for tonight. We’re also getting trained on how to operate the feeding pump and handle his G-tube correctly as well as physical therapy activities we can do at home.

Speaking of physical therapy… Charlie had a great session today. It was the speech therapist, David, the occupational therapist, Tasha, and me.

We all got Charlie down on the mat and he did great! When we put him on his tummy he raised his head up high and looked side to side. And when David put his finger in his mouth he started cupping it and making sucking motions. It was pretty exciting and the therapists we’re freaking out a little because of how good he was doing!

He’s still not swallowing normally yet but these are all great signs showing that he’s making progress toward that. So we’re all very encouraged. I’ll leave you with a few more pics of Mr. Charlie:

5/14 Chewing on his sleeve.

5/14 See my cool sleeve guys?

Prayer Requests: Pray for a smooth transition from the NICU to home. Also be praying for all infections to be completely eradicated from his body.  Remember, the reason we’re still here now is because he had to be on 3 weeks of antibiotics after his last surgery. So pray for no more infections! Also pray for him to continue to make progress with his sucking and swallowing. And for peace for us as we make the transition home next week! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

“My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation,
In secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places…”
Isaiah 32:18


Day 69 – Mon, May 7:
2 Weeks ‘Til Home?

Lily holding Baby Charlie!

Update: Sorry it’s been a while since the last post. Several of you texted me asking how Charlie is doing, which reminded me I haven’t updated the blog lately! So here we go… tomorrow morning will be exactly one week since he had his back-to-back surgeries; one to remove the devices that were in his jaw and then one to insert a G-tube in his stomach.

Infection Scare

Both surgeries went great (see last post below). But then a day or two later his G-tube got infected real bad! At first it was just a little red around where they did the operation, but then a few hours later it got really red and looked pretty bad. His stats started dropping and Lacie said his color wasn’t looking good (I was working when this happened so I wasn’t in the room). 

Lacie told me she started praying really hard while the doctors put him on a couple more really strong antibiotics (vancomycin and cefepime). Thankfully within a few hours he turned the corner and was doing much better! The redness went down a lot within 24 hours. After 72 hours they took him off the vancomycin and cefepime but kept him on clindamycin and rifampin. 

But that was not fun. This kid has been through a lot already so he’s not allowed to get any more infections! And I felt bad Lacie had to go through that without me there. But thankful he’s doing better now.

Charlie checking out his new post-op look!

We Could Go
Home In 2 Weeks

Since that infection scare last week he’s been doing much better. I still feel like he’s recovering from the surgeries still so he’s been resting a lot. He was on morphine and tylenol from Tuesday to Saturday last week but now he’s off all his pain meds. 

And the big news around here is that if all goes well we could go home in a couple weeks! With the G-Tube in we could still go home even if he’s not swallowing all the way by then (side note: I put my finger in his mouth 2 days ago and he started biting down and closing his mouth around it more than ever before, which is awesome!). 

The main thing keeping us here at this point is the antibiotics for his MRSA infection. The infectious disease doctor wants him to be on IV antibiotics for at least 3 weeks after his surgery. So that puts us at May 21st. So if we get to go home then we’ll be so happy! We all miss home a lot and can’t wait to take Baby Charlie there. 

Lily telling stories to her little brother.

Prayer Requests: Pray for this infection to be totally eradicated from Charlie’s body. Also pray for his recovery process to be swift and complete. He still has trouble on his left side so we’re wondering if it’s sore from surgery. We want him to be able to lay on either side and do fine. And of course continue to pray for his swallowing ability to develop. Thank you all for your prayers!

“And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.”
– Luke 5:17


Day 63 – Tue, May 1:
Surgery #2

Dr. Patel, the awesome surgeon who helped extend Charlie’s jaw!

11:15 a.m. Update: They wheeled Charlie back about 30 minutes ago. They said both surgeries went great! His anesthesia is wearing off now so he’s waking up and a little restless. They’re putting him on drip morphine right now – starting with a heavy dose and then they’ll taper him off. They’ll be doing IV nutrition today and then start his feeding via the G-tube tomorrow… So happy it all went well. Thank you all for your prayers!! πŸ™‚

10:25 a.m. Update: Nurse just popped in and said they’re all done and he’ll be back up here in like 15 minutes. 

9:45 a.m. Update: The nurse just came in and said she got off the phone with the surgery team who said the first procedure, removing the devices, went well. Now they’re working on the G-tube surgery (which usually only takes about 30 minutes).

9:30 a.m. Update: Charlie went in for his second surgery around 7:45 a.m. and is expected to be in the operating room for about 2.5 hours. I got to the hospital at 7:00 a.m. this morning and talked with the surgery team, signed a consent form and answered some standard pre-surgery questions like, “In your own words, what are we going to be doing today for Charlie?”

“Well, the plan is to remove the distractor devices that are in his jaw and then get a G-tube inserted into his stomach,” I said. They also checked my wristband twice to make sure it matched Charlie’s so they knew they had the right baby. They’re so professional and thorough here which I really appreciate – especially on days like today.  

5/1 @ 7:43am – Off to Surgery

When I walked into his room this morning he was crying and there were about 4-5 nurses and doctors moving around getting everything ready for his surgery. I walked over to him and when he saw me he settled down a little.

“We stopped his feeding at midnight so he’s probably hungry,” the nurse said. I agreed. He had that give-me-some-food look on his face. After he realized I wasn’t going to sneak him any food he started crying/yelling at me too!

I realized he had a stinky diaper so I changed that but he kept crying until… I found his Fish Friends!! As soon as I showed him his Fish Friends he stopped crying immediately and then fell asleep within 2 minutes. See photos below:

7:15 am – Hungry Cry!

7:23 am – Oh hello Fish Friends.

7:25 am – Fast Asleep!

Prayer Requests: Pray for a successful outcome to today’s surgery! Pray for the surgeon and his team to do an excellent job and for them to be 100% on top of their game today. Pray for Charlie not to be in too much pain and for his recovery to be quick. 

I’ll post updates at the top of this post as I get news about his surgery.


Day 58 – Thu, April 26:
Bigger & Stronger

4/24 Relaxing in the Boppy

Update: It’s been a pretty mellow week for Charlie. He’s still making progress when it comes to closing his mouth more, which is an important step toward him learning to swallow, so we’re excited about that. But other then that there hasn’t been a lot of change since my last update 6 days ago. 

He is getting bigger and stronger every week. Today he weighed in at 11 lbs 9 oz. And he’s also kicking his legs and moving his head around more. So other than the swallowing, all his other development has been normal. 

5 Days Until Next Surgery

They took Charlie to get x-rays today to assess his jaw in preparation for his surgery on Tuesday. This was just a standard pre-surgery procedure they always do. We’re happy Charlie will get the distractor devices removed from his jaw and the NG tube out of his throat. I think getting those two things out of his mouth will help accelerate his learning to swallow process. So May 1st is a big day for him and us! And he’ll of course need a few days to recover after surgery. So next week will be more of a convalescing week for him with more rest and less physical therapy sessions. 

4/14 Emma holding Charlie

Prayer Requests: Pray Charlie continues to make positive progress with his mouth closing more. It’s still open more often then it’s closed, so pray that changes. He’s certainly making progress in this area, we’re just praying and looking forward to the day his mouth is closed most the time. This will be a major milestone for him because he needs to close his mouth in order to swallow. I know he’ll get there, and I feel it’ll happen soon, so lately when I pray and think about this I find myself feeling happy as I anticipate seeing this prayer answered! Thank you all for your continued prayer support for Charlie! 

“…for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
– Nehemiah 8:10

 


Day 52 – Fri, April 20:
Making Progress

4/18 Smile Charlie!

Update: Charlie had a great week. He’s making good progress in every area – including his cuteness factor as you can see in the picture above. πŸ™‚ He’s been closing his mouth a lot more this week and been having his therapy sessions almost every day. There hasn’t been much news to report on so that’s why I haven’t posted on here in the last 4 days. But just wanted to check in and let you all know he’s doing well. We’re still waiting for him to start swallowing normally. We know he’ll do it, he’s just got to figure it out. 

Next Surgery May 1st

Charlie’s next surgery is scheduled for May 1st. That surgery will be to remove the distractors that are in his jaw. That’s the hardware they used to extend his jaw. And since they’ve been talking about replacing his NG tube with a G tube we decided to just have that done at the same time. So that will be one less time he’ll have to get anesthesia by combining those two procedures. 

We’re looking forward to May 1st because we think it’ll be good to have the hardware out of his jaw and the tube out of his nose/throat. We believe both these things interfere with him trying to swallow, so it’ll be nice to get those things out of the way. 

Charlie’s Stats

Staring Contest with Emma Grace

The other night Emma and I had staring contests while she was holding Charlie. Lacie laughs at us because I won’t let Emma win, so we stare at each other forever until her eyes start to water. Emma wins this time because she starts talking smack to me and makes me bust up laughing!

Prayer Requests: Pray Charlie continues to make progress with closing his mouth and starts to swallow regularly. Pray his infection continues to stay contained like it has and that he will have minimal side effects from all the antibiotics he’s been on. But most of all just pray he “flips the switch” and starts to swallow! 

 


Day 48 – Mon, April 16:
Swallow Study

4/16 – Right before his swallow study.

Update: I snapped the pic above about 5 minutes before we wheeled him down to get his Swallow Study done today. The good news was he had a great night sleep last night and this morning so he was nice and rested for the study.

So at exactly 12:05 p.m. we wheeled his little crib down to the basement level of Randall where they do all the scans. I watched Charlie’s eyes as we rolled him down the hallways and he seemed to enjoy the scenic drive through the hospital. He didn’t cry at all, he just looked around a bunch. I think he likes getting out of that room (who can blame him, right?). 

Going to get Swallow Study done!

The Swallow Study 

The NICU team let me join them. There were six of us in the little room, so I just did my best not to get in the way. After they got Charlie all situated in his seat they started the scan.

There was a monitor next to him so I could see everything going on inside his mouth and throat, it was really fascinating. I asked for a copy of the actual video but they didn’t know if they could share it with me. But here’s an example I found on YouTube of what a swallow study looks like:

Charlie’s study only lasted 39 seconds because, unlike the video above, he wasn’t swallowing completely. They found this out because when they put a couple drops of barium (which is the chalky white substance they mix with water for the x-ray) down his throat, they saw him aspirate. In other words, he breathed it down his airway. So they just did a couple more things real quick and then ended the study.

Swallow Study Insights

Several hours later Lacie and I met with David, the speech therapist, and Tasha, the occupational therapist in one of the private consult rooms here in the NICU. They played the footage from the study and showed us the images and explained, in great detail, what was happening and what wasn’t happening yet in Charlie. 

“It’s still a mechanical puzzle. It’s not that he won’t or can’t swallow, it’s just going to take time,” David said. “You can see those drops get to about right here,” as he pointed to the image, “But then he aspirates. He’s not protecting his airway right there, so that’s why we didn’t go further.” 

We spent over an hour talking about the study and where Charlie’s at right now. And the way I understand it is that he’s doing about 80% of what he needs to do to swallow. His tongue moves toward the back of his mouth and something (I forget the medical name) is even contracting, which are all necessary stages in a normal swallow. 

But after that is where he’s struggling. Because what should happen next is that his vocal folds should close to keep food and liquids from entering his airway. The larynx should rise inside the neck and the epiglottis should move to cover it, which should provide even more airway protection.

So in other words, he’s “almost” swallowing. But since almost only counts in horseshoes and hand  grenades, we need a complete swallow for it to work. 

“He just needs to flip the switch and he’ll be there,” David said. He told us he doesn’t think it’s a neurological issue but a mechanical one. And he also talked about how it may be easier for him to close his mouth once he gets those distractor devices removed, which is scheduled for May 1st. 

Bottom Line

The bottom line is that nobody was really surprised about the results of today’s study. We all knew he wasn’t swallowing regularly yet. So it wasn’t going to be a traditional Swallow Study. But we just wanted to get a better idea of what’s actually going on in there to establish some baselines. And some of the things they saw were encouraging, like the early swallow stage movements. But it’s also clear that he’s not ready for any liquids yet (other then a few drops they can use during his therapy times). Like David said, “He just needs to flip the switch” so he can start swallowing normally. 

Prayer Requests: No surprise here, right? Our prayer is for Charlie to “flip the switch” and begin to swallow completely! He’s made great progress, which we’re grateful for. But he still has more to go until he can reach this next milestone. Once he can swallow he can manage his secretions well and then he can work on eating. So pray he starts to swallow! 

“O Lord my God, I cried out to You,
And You healed me Charlie!”
– Psalm 30:2


Day 44 – Thu, April 12:
First Hall Walk!

Charlie’s Best Friends Are His Sea Friends

Update: Happy to report that Charlie has done really good the last two days! He’s been closing his mouth more just like he was last Friday. So that’s super encouraging. Today was also a big day for him because he got approved to venture out into the hallway. So we unplugged him from his monitor and made our way around the NICU. Charlie seemed to really like it, he was wide-eyed looking all around at everyone. He was also moving his legs all around like he was ready to run or something! 

Taking Charlie for a Walk!

Doctors Say Yes To Chin
Strap (But Charlie Says No)

Yesterday we officially got approved to use the chin strap to help Charlie’s mouth stay closed. But it wasn’t long after we put it on that he reached up and yanked it off! Oh Charlie boy, you’re hilarious! We go through all the trouble and you’re just like,  Come here, I’ll show you a chin strap! πŸ™‚ So we put it on when we can. Like 30 minutes at a time. Usually when he’s sleeping. 

“Get that thing off my head!”

Swallow Study
On Monday

The doctors ordered a swallow study for Monday morning. So they will take a closer look at what he’s actually doing when he tries to swallow. It’s scheduled for first thing Monday morning. 

Prayer Requests: Give thanks for the progress Charlie’s made the last couple days. Continue to pray that he closes his mouth more and more and that he starts to swallow more too. We’re so thankful for all the good things that are going on and we appreciate all your prayers! Thank you!

“Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing,
in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus for you.”
– 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18


Click Here for Week 1-2 Updates

Click Here for Week 3-6 Updates


Thank you for your prayers!

Feel free to leave a comment, prayer or any words you’re hearing from God in the comments below! We appreciate everyone’s faith-filled prayers! With God all things are possible. We know it’s God’s will to heal and that He’s given us the opportunity to partner with Him in prayer. 

β€œTherefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” – Mark 11:24

Feel Free To Leave A Comment Below!

77 Comments

  1. Heidi Seppala

    agreeing with you in prayer!! We love you Charlie and are cheering you on!

    • Josh

      Thank you Heidi!

  2. Harmony

    Thank you so much for sharing. Sending our love to Charlie and you guys and will be praying for sure!

    • Josh

      Thank you Harmony!

  3. Jessika Seppala

    Praying for baby charlie. We declare full healing over this chin and that he will take his feeding.

    • Josh

      Thank you Jessika!

  4. Loretta

    I was praying for him and God gave me a picture of a lion and a lamb in Charlie. And I’m calling out to him and saying “it’s time for the lion now baby Charlie. There will be a time for the lamb, but now is the time for the lion.”

    Auntie Redda loves you so much baby boy❀️

  5. Linda

    We are definitely praying for our precious Charlie boy!! God’s Hand is upon him w/healing & all will be well!! We are in agreement w/ God’s will in Heaven for life, health, breath, strength, all things aligned & in order for He is Mighty to save (sozo) & does all things well!!! His Hand is not short that He cannot do, but is fully extended to do all that is His good pleasure & we rejoice that He delights in showering us w/His Goodness!! Always His goodness!! So we know we have what we ask for!!! We are in total agreement w/you, Joshua!!!

  6. Michael & Deanna Monen

    Baby Charlie we love you very much. And we are praying for your complete healing, and wisdom for all the doctors whom God has put in your pathway.

    ….All things happen for the good for those who love Christ and are called according to His will….

    Thank you Lord for little baby Charlie.

  7. Stacy Vargas

    Praying for complete healing in Jesus name!

    • Josh

      Thank you Stacy!

  8. Grandpa & Grandma Monen

    We love you baby Charlie and we are praying for a quick and complete healing. We are also praying for Gods wisdom for all the medical staff that the Lord has put in your path. Your such a blessing and we thank the Lord for your arrival.

  9. Audrey

    Agreeing with you in prayer! Praying for little Charlie. What a sweet little angel.

    • Josh

      Thank you Audrey!

  10. David

    We love you guys are are praying for baby Charlie and his parents!!

    • Josh

      Thank you David!

  11. Great Ginny

    James 1:7
    Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

    • Josh

      Thank you Great Ginny! You’ve been such a wonderful source of support and encouragement during this. Lacie and I agree, that every time we talk with you we walk away with so much more peace. You’re awesome! Keep praying!

  12. Connie Talo

    Oh my goodness!! I just now heard baby Charlie was born! He’s adorable!!

    So sorry to hear he’s been struggling. We’ll sure be in a spirit of prayer over him…for totally healing for his jaw, and that he can start sucking and eating! In Jesus’ Name!!

    Wish I was there. Love you all so much!

    Auntie Connie & Uncle Bruce

  13. Grandpa & Grandma Monen

    Thank you Lord for answering prayers, we are so excited about baby Charlie’s progress. We we pray right now “Lord, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ that your Angles keep charge over Charlie Jhon Michael Monen and that you touch him with the Holy Sprit and we claim complete healing right now, and we all belive togeather that Charlie’s sucking will be strong and that his jaw be restored, thank you Lord for your devine healing. In Jesus name we pray.

  14. Mindy

    Praying for Charlie?? Hes so cute and alert!
    Lord please heal him!
    In Jesus name, amen.

    • Josh

      Thank you Mindy!

  15. Connie Talo

    I love the video of baby Charlie!! He is precious!! xoxo

    Continuing to pray for more progress and total healing…in Jesus’ Name!

    Praying also for you, Josh and Lacie! So thankful you’ve been able to get rest, and that you have an awesome support team there.

    Thanks for the updates and for sharing this journey.

  16. Linda

    We rejoice w/you at the progress! We continue to call Charlie’s chin & jaw line to come forward! We pray his lungs be fully functioning on both sides & that God’s strength & healing be fully manifested in Charlie’s body!! Healing is the “children’s bread” according to the Word, & it is our inheritance, so we thank Father, Son & Holy Spirit for this promise/provision & lay hold of it rejoicing!!!

  17. Grandma & Grandpa Monen

    Thank you for keeping us all updated on Charlie’s progress. We will continue to pray for Charlie’s Jaw, and Sucking. We are also praying for the Holy Spirit to give you both peace during this trial.

    • Josh

      Thank you both for your prayers! Good to know Grandma and Grandpa Monen are standing with us in prayer! Keep praying!

  18. Linda

    We agree! We agree! We agree! Thank You Father for YOUR pathway to Charlie’s healing!!!

  19. Heidi Seppala

    Thank you for the update!! been praying a bunch for sweet Charlie!!

    • Josh

      Thank you Heidi!

  20. Grandma Monen

    Bless Charlie John Michael Monen, with a complete healing. in the name of JESUS!!!!
    We ask you have favor with our sweet Charlie ?Amen? Sending our love and prayers for you and lacie? p.s. Gods got this, keep your faith up?

  21. Connie Talo

    Continued prayers for Charlie! So happy you found a Ronald McDonald House; they’re a blessing!

    • Josh

      Thank you Connie for your prayers! Can’t wait for you and Bruce to meet little Charlie. πŸ™‚

      • Connie Talo

        Aww…We can’t wait to meet Charlie!! Love him so much already! I love seeing all the progress he’s making…The Lord is GOOD! We keep praying. Love & miss you all! <3

  22. Linda

    God is continuing to show Himself Faithful & sooo very Good in all He does & in all His ways!!! We continue to pray & thank Him for His Hand at work on Charlie’s behalf!! We call those bones to grow out! to come forward! to match God’s design!! His Life & Breath to flow freely to Charlie & from Charlie!!!
    Holy Spirit, Breath of God, come we pray & breathe over Charlie! Cause his perfect chin & jaw to be manifest here on earth as it is the Father’s will in Heaven!!! Thank You, Thank You our Lord & God!!!!

    • Josh

      Amen! Thank you for agreeing with us in prayer for Charlie’s healing. I’m so happy Charlie has Nana and Papa V praying for him. And thank you so much for taking the time to visit and pray with us this weekend!

  23. Jeff quade

    Such beautiful faith and fathers love in your writing Josh. I know God is so very proud of you. He definitely feels the same for Charlie. I pray in agreement and just lift up you and Lacie, and your whole family before our heavenly Papa. I pray that the Holy Spirit inhabits the room, the , floor and the whole hospital. That your presence there will touch the lives of every nurse doctor and employee. Jesus be lifted up. Let the miracles overwhelm the whole place. I have been there and there are not words to describe the moments that turn to days. Every thought and emotion until your just there. I pray you just rest in Gods arms and receive His love. Those times past are some of the most precious of my life and the hardest. Praying with you and all those above. ??

    • Josh

      Jeff, thank you so much for your thoughtful comment and prayers. I didn’t know you had a little one in the hospital before. I love prayers like yours that come from a place of experience, strength and hope. Thank you for your prayer support.

  24. Loretta

    This verse came to my mind the other night while me and lacie talked, worshipped, and prayed together for Charlie.

    “Taste and see that the Lord is good;” Pslams 34:8

    Charlie will taste and see just how good, how faithful, how loving, how kind, how amazing God is and so will all of us ❀️

    • Josh

      Amen! Thank you Loretta. I love this. You’re such a strong prayer warrior and I know you love little Charlie, so I get so happy when I think about you praying for him. Keep it up! It helps so much!

  25. Patricia Hanson

    Hello dear Josh & Lacy, and Welcome to our Sweet little Great Grandson Charlie. I haven’t Ignored you,
    We’ve been Praying for you ever sence day one,and put you on every Prayer chain we know,all the way to Seattle.want to bring to your remembrance the first Scripture’s. The Lodr gave me the night I gave my Heart to him, I dident believe he was there until after I had prayed, he took me to. Mark 11:22 -25,
    And Jesus ansewering, Saith Have Faith in God, for verily I say unto you that who so ever shall say unto this Mountain be thou removed and be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea : and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things shall come to pass : he shall have what so ever he Saith. therefore I say unto you what things so ever ye desire when he pray Believe that ye receive them. And when you stand praying Forgive if he have ought against any, That your Father also which is in Heaven may forgive you your ttrespasses ,but if you don’t Forgive neither will your Father which is in Heaven forgive your trespasses,,,that’s how I knew there was a God, because that night I thought I e’s just talking to the ceiling, I came out with those words I forgive John of every thing, I wasent thinking of those words they just came out, cause I dident know how to repent, when I finished I grabbed a bible and opened to Mark 11: God’s useing. You for what’s happening, for the one’s around you, He’s Our Healer and he’s going to Heal Little Charlie I believe that in my Heart, Its in his Timeing, keep the Faith, I know he’s given Dr’s Wisdom. To. do what they have to do, it’s Our God. who Does Miracles and Heals, after you’ve done all STAND!!!❀❀
    LOVE YOU GOD B)ESS NANA & PAPA

    • Josh

      Thank you for your prayers and for those scriptures Nana!

  26. Lorinda Silliman

    Oh, i just wanted to say i am praying for your sweet boy, the doctors, specialists, mama and daddy, and the entire family!
    Almost all of my children have been delivered at home by mary and pita! They are angels as far as i am concerned! Lol.
    My little Abigail was born with hypertonic tmj and myofacial abnormalities.it looked somewhat like what your charlie has been going through. She was born, unable to open her mouth, or smile, or cry. She had no rooting reflex, no swallow.
    We were so scared! But Yahweh is so good! It took three hands to get hef mouth open a tiny bit, but just enough i could slide the tiny french five tube youre using down her throat to push breastmilk into. I would massage her little neck downwaed to stimulate her swallow. Over time, that worked! She also had a severe posterior tongue tie, that we couldnt see very well at all for the first few weeks.she didnt get enough of a suck for a special bottle for months, but everyday was improvement! I pumped every two hours for 13 months to be sure she got my milk! Iwas so very tired, but she was so precious.
    Instead of her jaw being to short, it was the top portion of the mouth, so mNy teeth she doesnt have room for and her palette will one day have to be stretched. Her jaw is very tight in the back still, but the last year, shes been able to open her mouth fully! She got a bottel at 8 or 9 months and still destoryed the nipple on ot because of biting down, but was able to drink while i rubbed her throat. By thirteen months she was swallowing and graduated to soft or ground up foods. Most things she could swallow and as she grew, that improved greatly! Shes 7almost 8 years old now. She has a lot of work to do on her teeh, but she smiles, laughs, plays. Is so very happy and such a blessing to everyone she meets! I am praying and beleiving you will be met with the same successes in Jesus’name!

    • Josh

      Lorinda, thank you for sharing your story with us about Abigail. I love hearing positive stories like this. It encourages us! Thank you.

  27. Melissa Guptill (Thomas)

    Josh and family! I just saw this on FB this morning and read through all you’ve been through the past week or so. My heart aches for you all! I will join you all in prayer and ask the God gives wisdom to the doctors and gives you energy, peace, rest and powerful prayer. God will see you through this whatever the future holds He never leaves us nor forsakes us, praise be to God!

    • Josh

      Thank you Melissa!

  28. Nana & Papa.

    Thank you Josh for the up dates,praise God for the progress,He’s not finished. ❀
    Math 18:19-20 Again I say unto you that if 2 of you. Shall agree on Earth as touching any thing that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my. father which is in Heaven,
    For where 2 or 3 are gathered. together in my. name there am I. In the midst of them,
    There’s so many Prayer’s going up for. little Charlie and you & Lacy and all involved, We’ll give all the Glory to God.

    If we have the Faith as a. grain. Of Mustard seed we can ask any thing. and it shall be done.
    The Mustard seed is the Smallest of every seed!

    Love you guy’s and Praying for Charlie’s. Total Healing, hope to see Him soon, and the whole Family . Love. Nana & Papa ❀??

    • Josh

      Nana, thank you for your prayers! It’s great Charlie has a faith-filled great grandma like you praying for him.

  29. Grandpa Monen

    Joshua & Family, I was reading your post yesterday Josshua and it gave me reason to pause and really think more deeply about your mention of atonement concerning sin and sickness. And for me and my understanding of what the Word tells us, is that sickness came to us all in the beginning with sin at garden of Eden. And if that is so, then I believe it is very clear that the two go hand in hand. And therefore, with the Atonment that Lord Jesus provided for us all on the Cross was for both eternal salvation and healing of every kind. So today have still have His promise that if we belive in our hearts that He died for our sins and rose again on the third day we will have enternal life and all that goes with believing in faith including healing. For He is the same yesterday and forever. Yes, I very much with all my soul belive Jesus heals and miracles are witnessed every day. I’m praying for baby Charlie and for healing tonight. Thank you Lord for every thing. Amen.

    Love Dad.

    • Josh

      Amen. Thank you for sharing that Dad. Those are great biblical examples that support the truth that God still heals today! Thank you for your prayers!

  30. Becky Walker

    So thankful for a successful surgery. Emma’s class was praying for all of you today! Praise God for doctors who had the skills necessary to help Charlie and the grace of God for a successful procedure. We will continue to lift you up before our Heavenly Father. Mrs. Walker

    • Josh

      Thank you Mrs. Walker! I was so happy when I heard that you and Emma’s class was praying for us. You’re such a blessing. And thank you so much for buying cupcakes for Emma’s birthday party. That was so kind!

  31. Grandpa Benny

    Josh these verses helped me tonight while I was praying. Psalms 27.13-14. I would have lost heart, unless I believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living . Wait on the lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, wait I say on the Lord!

    • Josh

      That was totally God! During surgery, when I was up in Charlie’s room waiting by myself, I opened up Psalms and was drawn to Psalm 27. I was literally reading and meditating on that Psalm while he was in surgery. I love how God works! He’s so good.

  32. Heidi Seppala

    Loving the progress!! before you know it you will be settled back home with your precious boy! Thank you Lord for good reports, we ask for more!
    wanted to come this weekend while my boys were at my parents but i caught a cold! sending my love!

    • Josh

      Thanks Heidi!

  33. Grandpa Monen

    Sending my prayers and love for Charlie and the whole family. We all know that the Lord is in charge and that the Angles are keeping charge over Charlie, however I also know how difficult it can be to go through a trial like this. So I’m putting in some extra prayers for you all to have peace and financial blessing as well. Just remember that the Lords said β€œ…all things happen for the good for them that love the Lord and are called according to his Will…” we may not understand it why now, but someday it will be revealed. I love you all. And thank the Lord for providing such an amazingly great team of doctors for Charlie.

    • Josh

      Thank you Dad!

  34. Heidi Seppala

    awesome news about his breathing! rejoicing with you!!!!

    • Josh

      Yay!! πŸ™‚

  35. Papa & Nana

    So happy to hear good news about Charlie’s breathing, and the fact that you get to hear him cry ,I love to hear the sound of a newborn cry, well honey your so very smart, about swallowing with your mouth open I tryed it. I couldn’t haaa . Love you all
    , Praying still ???? Nana & Papa

    • Josh

      I know, it’s weird that it’s so refreshing to hear a baby cry. Thank you for praying!

  36. Linda

    Amen!! Praying for little Charlie to clamp that jaw down! ??

    • Josh

      Thank you!!

  37. Connie Talo

    So thankful to see such amazing progress happening with Charlie! Praise God! xoxo. Continued thoughts and prayers with you all the way! Much love…Auntie Connie & Uncle Bruce

    • Josh

      Thanks Auntie Connie and Uncle Bruce!! Miss you guys.

  38. Connie Talo

    Praying for Charlie to “Flip the switch”…and start swallowing!! Thank you Josh for the update, and awesome explanation as to what’s happening! You’re all in our thoughts and prayers. We love you! Auntie Connie & Uncle Bruce xoxo

    • Josh

      Thank you guys so much for thinking of us and for your all your prayers!!

  39. Grandpa Monen

    Good to hear that Charlie is progressing just as planned. The Lord says to be specific in your prayers, so we are praying that Charlie begins to start swallowing just as he should so that he can eat and come home to his family. We pray also that Jesus gives you all the strength, rest and peace in a very practical and spiritual way meeting all your needs. We love you all.

    • Josh

      Thank you Dad! Appreciate all the prayers!

  40. Melissa Guptill (Thomas)

    So happy to see Charlie’s progress and will continue to pray for him and his upcoming surgery. ?

    • Josh

      Thank you for your prayers Melissa!

  41. Joanna, Tori, Tyler & Brandon Gange

    We are praying for you Charlie. We finally made it home. We will be thinking of you all as Charlie has his surgery.

    • Josh

      Thank you Joanna and Family! Glad you made it home. Thank you for your prayers!

  42. Suresh Kumar Mukhiya

    Praying for baby Charlie. God bless him. Hope you guys are back to home soon.

    • Josh

      Thank you Suresh!

  43. Carrie H

    I hope Charlie and the whole family are doing well! β™‘

    • Josh

      Thank you for thinking of us Carrie! We are doing well. I was just telling Lacie I need to post an update on Charlie for everyone… just been busy working! Hope all is well with you. πŸ™‚

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