Prayer Wall
Update 3-10-09:  Also found on the Praise Wall

Ella has been eating great all weekend and today Alison received a great call today from the hospital.  Ella's nurse said, "COME GET YOUR BABY"  Alison and Darius drove up today around 1:00 to bring Ella home!  Thank you for all of your prayers! 

Darius holding Ella     Ella in bouncy     Ella and her sisters 

Update 3-1-09: 
ELLA'S DOING GREAT.  SITZMAN'S NEED SUPPORT
Crystal Ecton put together a Care Calendar for the Sitzman's who need our support with meals.  Visit THERE CARE CALENDAR and enter the appropriate information
CALENDAR ID : 12745
SECURITY CODE : 8890
Ella:  As of Sunday all the draining tubes in Ella were take out - yea, God!  It is the prayer and expectation that Ella begin to drink milk this week - to swallow and digest and gain weight. It is the fervent hope that Ella could go home a week from now - week of March 9. Please pray that the lymph fluid stays gone and that the 'withdrawal' from pain meds would go well - and that Ella would be able to enjoy milk and gain weight.

 
Update on 2/27/09:
Friends, Ok, many of you have asked how we can help the Sitzmans. Well, here is our chance... We can bring meals to them! :-)  Click the link below for the CareCalendar website and find a date that works for you. This would really really bless them especially while little Ella is still in the hospital!
thanks!!
Anna Mears

UPDATE  Ella is showing great improvements!  They removed another chest tube today...now she is down to only 2.  She is headed in the right direction.  She has been taking 1 tsp. of pedilite from a bottle for Alison, but today for some reason she would not drink any...they are trying some other things.  They still think that they will be there for several more weeks.
 
To access Sitzman Family's personal CareCalendar site,
visit http://www.carecalendar.org/logon/12745
and enter the following information in the appropriate spaces:
 
CALENDAR ID : 12745
SECURITY CODE : 8890 
Update on 2-22-09: Flyin' High on her 2 week birthday by Darius Sitzman
CARE CALENDAR SET UP FOR THE SITZMANS. CLICK HERE TO HELP THEM.
CALENDAR ID : 12745; SECURITY CODE : 8890
Ella ate today! That's a huge statement when you were born with no connection to your stomach... She had 2-3 tablespoons of Pedialyte, googled at us for 45 minutes and is now taking a nap. She is the most peaceful and comfortable I have ever seen her, and everyone who sees her is shocked by how chubby and pink she is! She's not sickly looking at all; a completely different baby from the skinny, ashy skin, sunken eye little girl we were praying for on Monday and Tuesday! We are so happy it's hard to describe!


I asked the nurse practitioner yesterday to help me control my expectations... "How long should we be plan to be here in the hospital?" ~ "At least several weeks." I can deal with that; I'd like it to be sooner, but I can deal with waiting a few weeks to take home a healthy, happy baby.

People have been asking Ali and I how we're doing through all this & that's a great question. I feel like we've had so much grace on us to deal with all the ups and downs and craziness of the last 2 weeks! I really have to say that our relationship is thriving, even through the stress and everything. We've got great family and friends who are carrying much of the load for us so we're able to stay healthy and balanced. Tonight while our big kids are with their grandparents we're going to have a little date time and watch a movie!

That said, we believe we're entering into a little different phase of this process. Until now it's been very volatile, and adrenaline has been our friend. The last day or two (and hopefully the next "several weeks") will see steady improvement in Ella's condition. That takes more loving persistence and less adrenaline, more patience and less emotion. The good thing is that even 2-3 weeks is really not that long!

Thank you for praying for us, bringing us food, encouraging us, helping with our kids and everything else you have done. It's because of this support that we're not run ragged! Thank you!

Darius

(there is a CARE CALENDAR that has been set up for the Sitzman family to help them in practical ways while their attention is fully on the health and care of their family. Click the link at the top of this email to access the calendar.)