Thank You Jesus!

I just woke up and was in pretty bad pain and it took me about 5 minutes alone to get the strength to sit up and go use the bathroom. This is pretty much how it is each time now and I'm sure it's only going to get worse in the next four weeks, but that is fine! I'll have a precious son to hold and love on...so this pain is worth it!! After I went to the bathroom, I was thinking about Brian and wonder how he was doing and I kid you not, as soon as I sat back on the bed to climb back into bed...I got a text message!!! In the past week, EVERY phone call and text message, my heart has just dropped because I didn't know whether it was going to be horrible news or good news. I felt pretty positive about this text due to Brian's great improvements yesterday. So I checked it and it was from Ashley and she said that Brian is awake!!! He smiled at his parents when he saw them in the room and is sitting there with his eyes open!!! This is truly a miracle and a blessing and God is doing work!! Prayers work when it is His will. It is His will for Brian to make it through this and be with his family and to meet his new son. I couldn't possibly go back to bed before coming to post the update!!! I'm just too excited and proud of Brian to go back to sleep and do it later! HAHA. Keep praying as he continues to come back and let's hope he'll be the same Brian and will be able to remember everything and be able to talk and all!! I know he will. Thank you again for all the prayers, but let's not quit praying just because he's awake now!!!!

When my MeMaw was diagnosed with cancer, we were told to all just read Psalms Chapter 23 everyday. I printed it out on little stock cards for me and everyone around who deeply cares about my MeMaw and to this day...I still have it in my truck. We prayed and prayed and God took care of her!! I knew He would do the same for Brian. Here is Psalms 23:

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

UPDATE -

After I went back to bed and got up, I had a few more updates on Brian. I am bawling my eyes out with happy tears now. They said Sharon (Brian's Mom) held up a picture in front of him of Levi and he squeezed her hand and tears started coming down his face. So he remembers having his baby!! They said he's trying to talk, but you know...being "away" for a little over a week and having tubes all down your throat for that long..it's gonna take a little extra while for that to happen, but I KNOW he will!!! I had to share the wonderful story!!!

GREAT UPDATE ON BRIAN!

I just found out that the doctors pinched Brian's arm and he moved so that tells us that he DEFINITELY felt it and his brain is functioning well in order for him to acknowledge that something was not feeling right to him! HA. I'm surprised he didn't wake up throwing fists everywhere!!! Wouldn't that have been a sight?! HAHA. So this is definitely good news and since this happened, the doctors decided to not give him anymore drugs and to start letting him wake up! YAY!! I also just got off the phone with Ashley (his fiance) and she said that his pressure on his brain has gone WAY WAY down...that it's down to 10% and that is AMAZING! They said when he came in, it was over 30%. Everyday seems to be getting better and better and I thank God so much for that and pray that he's going to wake up and be just fine!!! I knew Brian would be strong and keep fighting for us! I know that all of the prayers have worked wonders in itself and I know Brian and his family are extremely thankful for all of them! Please continue to pray as Brian slowly wakes up from this rollercoaster of a week and pray for the BEST! It's all up to Brian to continue being strong and finish the fight. They won't know if there is any brain damage until he completely wakes up, so continue praying HARD!!! Ashley is taking Levi to the doctor on Wednesday for an appointment and she's going to check with his doctor to see if it'd be okay for Levi to fly so they can get to Brian! Please pray for a good response so that when Brian is awake and alert, he'll get to meet his son soon!!! Brian will be in Germany for a good while after he wakes up because he can't fly or anything for a while because of the pressure and stuff...so it'll be a while before he's back into the States, but as long as he's getting better, THAT IS FINE!! I just know it'd make him feel 110% better if he got to meet his baby and hold him for the first time!!! I will keep everyone updated as I keep learning new things!!!

Thank you Jesus for the great news! Our God really is an awesome God, isn't He?!?

Update on Brian & My Weekend

I have had a VERY fun and exciting weekend, despite all of the stress and sadness I've been in the past week! Some of my amazing friends hosted a Couples (Co-Ed) Baby Shower for Brandon and I. It was so so so much fun and it was wonderful to get all of my friends together again! We had a blast playing games and mingling. Not to mention all of the wonderful things that everyone got our son. We loved it all and appreciate it more than you all know. Garrett will be so happy to have such great friends around us! Thank you to all who helped with the shower to make it so amazing and thank you for everyone who came!! Love you!!

Since I've been in Shreveport the whole weekend and busy, I haven't been able to get on here and give the latest on Brian! So here is the latest - They found out that Brian's fever was being caused due to an allergic reaction from a small pox and anthrax shot that Brian had gotten a couple weeks ago. They have taken care of that and his swelling has gone down some more since they found that out! His vitals are good, blood pressure is good, heart rate is good, he is stable, but still in ICU. The doctor said his pupils are looking good. They said a couple days ago, that if Brian kept improving, they'd try to start taking him out of the coma in two days, but since all of this has come up..they want to give him a few extra days. They don't want him trying to wake up from a coma and also fighting a fever. Not to mention, we don't want them to wake him up too early and him be in too much pain and start stressing out and make this all start over again!! I didn't take that as bad news, I just want whats best for my buddy and glad they aren't just rushing into it!!! They said they would post-pone slowly bringing him out of the coma to this coming Friday. Brian's parents met with a neurologist today and he says that all they can do now is wait and basically it is all up to Brian. Friday, if not earlier, they will determine if there is any brain damage. Brian's Mom, Mrs. Sharon, told Kim that his swelling has started to go down and that his lips are back to their normal color! He still has swelling and is still fighting the fever, but the doctor said that is normal. All of his vital signs are still looking good and his brain waves are still working also! Praise God!

It will be a week tomorrow since this has all started and it has been an emotional roller coaster for me - as well as his family! Continue with the amazing prayers! Brian is a strong person and I believe he'll keep fighting!!! I'll post any new updates that I get.. we're still playing the waiting game!!!

Hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving with your families!

Update on Brian - finally GOOD NEWS!

I got a text from Brian's fiance about two hours ago that said that Brian had a fever and they had ice packs all over him to try to get it down. They called her back a couple hours later with good news - Brian's fever is down and he only had mild swelling on his body, but that was expected with the fluids that are being pumped through him. The doctor said his kidneys are taking care of his swelling!! The pressure on his brain has came down some, but not nearly enough yet!! The best news of all though, the doctor said that if Brian keeps improving the way he is now, they will probably be able to take him out of the coma in two days or so!!!!! Praise Jesus! We finally got some good news. Don't for one second think that we can stop praying yet!!! We need to continue to pray!!! We're not all the way out of the woods yet. My prayer will NEVER stop for Brian!!! With your continued prayer, Brian will pull through!!!! He's a strong fighter!! We love and miss you so much, Brian! COME HOME!!!!

UPDATE - BRIAN DOUGLAS ADAMS

I just got a text from Brian's fiance, Ashley, saying that Brian is in surgery right now for his third procedure to help relieve pressure off of his brain! Please PRAY NOW!!! Continue to pray. Check back here for updates later on how the procedure went. I pray to God that this goes well and works and Brian is going to pull through this!!! THANKS FOR THE PRAYERS!!!!

UPDATE

The surgery for Brian this morning did not relieve as much pressure as the doctors had hoped for, but we still have hope! They said Brian's brain is still active so that's amazing news! We know Brian is fighting so he can get home to his son to meet and hold him. His parents made it to Germany just fine and are with Brian now. Please continue to pray for Brian and his family and friends.. When you sit down with your family, please include him in your Thanksgiving Prayer!!! Hope you all have a blessed day.

Brian Douglas Adams

One of my best friends, Brian, went into the Army in March 2007. I was VERY upset to learn that he was leaving out for training the DAY BEFORE MY WEDDING! He tried to have it changed, but..it's clear that a lot of people just don't have good hearts a lot of the time.

Brian and I have always went to school together and have always been great friends!! We were even boyfriend-girlfriend in the 6th grade where our "dates" consisted of him sharing his Shock Tarts with me and swallowing Gobstoppers and making them come back up for me. HAHA. Such a charmer! We continued to be the best of friends throughout middle school, high school, and on afterwards. It's something we'll always be! I have so many fond memories of Brian coming over to our house and him, Jimmy, my brother Jeffrey, and I would just sit around talking and remembering funny things... I was just "one of the guys". I could go on for days and nights about all of the memories we've had.

After training for the Army, Brian got orders to Germany for two years. We were all devastated to learn that he wouldn't get to come home often, but were so very proud of him! We'd all keep in touch through MySpace and everything. No doubt about it! Well, when he got to Germany, he met this sweet girl named Ashley! She was also in the Army and has been an Army Fire Fighter for six years and has been on TWO tours to Iraq!! They started dating and shared the great news with all of us that they were expecting a baby!!! Brian Adams... a Daddy?! It was so crazy, but we knew he'd make a great Daddy. I was so happy to find out a couple months later that Brandon and I were also expecting our little baby shortly behind Brian's baby...so they could grow up together and be the best of friends just like Brian and I are! Then Ashley and I found out that we were BOTH going to have BOYS and that made us even more ecstatic!!! Brian was going to be able to come home from Germany for 10 days while his son was being born and for some reason... he wasn't able to because as I said... I guess some people just don't have good hearts these days? Ashley was admitted to the hospital this past Friday to be induced. They kept Brian up to date on the status and everything for his sweet little mans pending arrival. Shortly after 10 pm, Levi Douglas Adams was born at 8 pounds and was 21 1/2 inches long! It was an amazing time for everyone, but hard at the same time with Brian not being able to be there. Brian was having a hard time dealing with it and was very sad and upset. To make matters worse, he was scheduled to leave for Iraq on the 1st of December. So for him to have a hard time with this, is to be totally expected! How would YOU feel to not be there for your childs birth and then leave less than 10 days later for Iraq to go to war?? Not even meeting your child until he's a few months old!!! I totally understand where he was upset and everything.

I got a very upsetting phone call this evening from his fiance, Ashley, who was completely upset and crying to where I could barely understand her. She broke the news to me that Brian was in the hospital in Germany and things aren't looking good. She said that Brian had been throwing up and his head had been hurting since Sunday, but they just thought maybe he had a virus. Well, he went to work on Monday and was still throwing up and not feeling good so he went home. He started having seizures and his roommates called 911. They took him to the hospital on base and ended up sending him to an outside hospital for a CT scan. His lungs started to get fluid in them. The CT scan showed a blood clot on his brain and he had to be immediately taken in for surgery. They had to remove part of Brian's skull to let some of the pressure off and put a tube in and put him in a drug induced coma. They knew that if Brian woke up, he'd be in too much pain to deal with...not to mention, he'd probably freak out a little bit (or a LOT knowing my Brian) not knowing what in the world just happened to him and thats the last thing they would need. So he's still in a coma and awaiting further testing and stuff.

I just got a phone call from his sister, Ashley, and she said that things aren't looking very good. They just called Brian's parents and said they need to do a procedure to suction things out and there is a 50/50 chance that this could fail and Brian could possibly die from it. I'm in total shock at this point and don't know what to do with myself. I don't want to go through losing another friend, especially as good of a friend as Brian. I've had enough of tragic news in the past few weeks to last me for YEARS. I don't want to think about losing another friend!!! I'm praying like crazy now, praying that God will take Brian into his hands and help him recover well and quickly. This wouldn't seem fair for Brian to never get to meet his son, so Lord please be with him! Please be with all of Brian's family and friends as we all take this step-by-step. Please be with his parents as they book a flight to get to their sons side as soon as possible and let their flight be easy on them!

RIGHT BEFORE I got the news, I was going through old pictures and scanned this picture of me and Brian at Graduation Celebration in 2003 when we graduated high school. My mind and soul must have known something was about to be told to me that I didn't want to hear...




And here is a picture of his SPITTING IMAGE son, Levi Douglas Adams, who Brian BETTER COME HOME TO!


"Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid nor dismayed for the Lord is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9


UPDATE

Brian had to undergo another procedure this morning because removing a part of his skull didn't relieve enough pressure off of his brain. So the procedure they did, relieved a little bit more pressure, but he still has no brain function. I am very thankful that Brian survived the 50/50 chance of living through the procedure, but we are not out of the woods yet, so PLEASE continue to pray!! They are waiting on an American Doctor and Translator to get to Germany to see what needs to be done next. I will keep updating this blog for everyone with the latest news!! PRAY PRAY PRAY!!!

My Weekend

I had a pretty good Friday! I went into Haughton and spent the day with Tiffany and Emily and Denny and my Momma! I was at the point where I was about to breakdown any second if I had to be alone for one more day!! So I went in and spent time with them just talking and catching up and doing a little shopping! We all went to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings on Friday Night and it was pretty good. Saturday, Momma, Tiffany, and I went shopping for things for my upcoming Baby Shower!! I'm so excited to celebrate this special time with my friends and family.

I'm starting to get to the point in my pregnancy where I'm having a lot of pain. And I can't really sleep for long periods or get comfortable. I am just sleeping when I feel like I need to, regardless of the time of day or how close it is to night time...simply because I can't lay down and sleep for hours anymore. In the end, it will be so worth it because I'm going to be blessed with a little boy from heaven!!! We're so ready to meet him!

I was extremely restless last night and in a lot of pain this morning, so I unfortunately missed church. I prayed to God for some relaxation and forgiveness for missing church and I know He understands my pain! I still sat at the house and read in my wonderful Bible! I have the New International Version and it's a Women's Devotional Bible, as well. I LOVE it! I can understand the scripture and everything way better!!! As I was reading this morning, I found a verse that kind of relates to me during this time and wanted to share!

Genesis 3:16 - To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

I hope you all have a wonderful week and a Happy Thanksgiving Holiday!!!