Scarlett's ready for Santa

Here is Scarlett all dressed up and ready for Santa Claus.

He'll be coming to visit before we know it.

This sweet little girl is definitely on the "Nice" list.  Wouldn't you agree?

And if Santa doesn't spoil her rotten I'm sure her grandparents, aunts and uncles certainly will.

Sweet Scarlett

One of the highlights from our trip was finally meeting our new niece.

This is sweet Scarlett.  Isn't she precious?

At just 6 weeks old she's really gained a lot of head control.

And she's always really alert.

Such a tiny baby girl.  We love her dearly.

And I had the best time playing dress up with her.

I think she enjoyed it, too.

It's simply astounding how quickly they grow up.

So I took the time to capture those tiny little feet.

And that sweet little bum.  I can't wait to see you again Scarlett.  You be a good girl for your Mommy and Daddy and soon you'll have another little cousin just your size to play with.  

Update on Luke

The surgeons opened and cleaned Luke's incision.  There was a stitch that was infected so the doctors removed it and used nylon stitches to close the new incision.  Luke was able to go home yesterday evening, but will have to go back to Charleston in 12 days to remove his new stitches.  We are so thankful that everything went well and Luke is back at home with his family.  Thank you for your prayers.

Please pray for baby Luke and his family

Luke's incision from his heart surgery has once again become infected.  It was tested and came back positive for Mercer (also known as MRSA), a very serious type of staph infection that is sometimes called a "superbug" because of its resistance to most antibiotics.  

Bethany and Ed are in Charleston today to meet with the surgeon and have Luke's incision opened and cleaned.  Luke will be admitted to the hospital (hopefully for just a couple of days) and put to sleep and given intravenous antibiotics.  Please pray for Luke and his family.  We hope that this procedure works and gets rid of Luke's infection for good.

To read more about Luke and his journey, please click here.

Hi World. This is Luke.

This is our nephew, Luke James Donaldson, and his beautiful mommy, Bethany, right after Luke was born on Tuesday, September 29.  He was a big baby weighing in at 9 pounds and 13 ounces.

He is so adorable and reminds me a lot of Grace when she was first born.  He has the same strawberry blond hair she had and that same sweet facial expression while he's sleeping.  We are so happy to finally have pictures of our little "heart hero."

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He is our miracle baby and we are so thankful for everyone keeping Luke and his family in their prayers over the last several weeks.  Luke's heart surgery was a success, and while there were a few scares with fevers, low blood pressure, etc. he is doing very well now.  His heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature have stabilized and the doctors have been able to remove some of his tubes.

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It has been a heart-wrenching and stressful journey so far and it's not over yet, but we have faith that the worst is behind us.  We are praying that he will continue to recover quickly and will finally be able to go home with his family very soon.  The best case scenario is around 12 days after surgery (his surgery was on Oct. 7) but the most common scenario is closer to 3 weeks.  Regardless of how long it takes, we know for certain that our little heart hero is definitely a fighter and a blessing to us all.

Luke is out of surgery and he did great!

Thank you, everyone, for keeping Luke Donaldson in your prayers.  He is now out of surgery and the doctors say he did great.  He had to have a blood transfusion - which is normal considering he had open heart surgery.  His blood pressure is a little low, but the doctors are keeping a close eye on it.  The surgery lasted most of the day - about 9 hours.  His family is finally able to see him.  We are so thankful that he came through so well and will continue to pray for a speedy recovery for him.  The next three days are the most critical according to the doctors, but I have faith that he is going to recovery quickly and will be able to go home with his family soon.

Luke's surgery is almost over!

I just received an update from Luke's daddy, Ed and Luke's grandmother, Mammee (pronounced Ma-mee).  They are over half-way through with Luke's surgery.  Everything is going well.  The doctors are getting ready to take Luke off the bypass machine and then they will need to restart his heart.  That just sounds so frightening to me.  Hopefully Luke will be in recovery within 1-2 hours.  Please keep praying!

Luke is in surgery

Luke was taken back to begin his surgery this morning around 6:00 am.  We are expecting the surgery to last most of the day.  Please pray for Luke and his family and his doctors and nurses.  Please pray that God will provide the surgeons the wisdom and the skill needed to perform this surgery.  Please pray that God will bring peace and comfort to his family as they wait over the next several hours.  And most of all, please pray that God will be with baby Luke during his surgery.  That Luke's heart will be healed completely and he will be able to go home with his family very, very soon.

I have faith that this will happen and I am praying with the encouragement of the Lord who says,  ^"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."  Matthew 21:22


Thank you for you prayers and support as Luke continues to fight for life.  I will keep you updated as I hear more.

Update on Luke James Donaldson

It has been a very worrisome few days.  Wednesday evening Luke had a balloon put in his heart and later began running a fever.  And then a lung collapsed.  He was put on a ventilator and now has a drip and two tubes in his throat.  He seems to be doing better but I believe the doctor's are going to postpone his surgery.  Due to the risk of flu, only Bethany and Ed are able to see him.  Little Luke has already been through so much and hasn't even had his surgery yet.  Please continue to keep him in your prayers.  Please pray for his heart, and the rest of his body, that he will be healed entirely.  And please pray for his family as well.

Ed was on his way back to Charlotte to care of a few things and hit a wheel barrow on the interstate!  Thankfully, he was not injured, but we can't say the same thing for his car.

Please remember to keep the Donaldsons in your prayers.  The Lord hears them all and we will continue to trust in Him.

Welcome to the world, Luke James Donaldson

Thank you to all of those you have kept Baby Donaldson in your prayers for these past few months! God has done great things in him and in us today. Luke James Donaldson was born today after Bethany was induced this morning. He was 19.5 inches long and weighs...

a whopping nine pounds and thirteen ounces! Bethany has already nicknamed him Chub-chub.

Luke was born crying loudly as he came into this world, and Mammee and Pappy were actually able to hear him outside the delivery room! He is big and healthy, which is just what we were praying for. Thank you, Lord!

His heart surgery is scheduled to take place in 5 days. Please continue to pray for Luke and his family, to give them peace as they worry about Luke's upcoming surgery. And please pray for his doctors and nurses that God will provide them the skill and wisdom needed to perform the surgery.

"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:19-20

Little Luke Donaldson

Little Luke apparently isn't ready to be born yet.  We talked to Bethany last night and the doctor decided to send her home.  They ran some type of test on Luke to see if his lungs are fully developed and it came back "inconclusive."  Therefore, they have decided to see if Luke will mind waiting until next week to be born.  Please pray that he will.  To read more about Luke's story click here.

Update on Little Luke Donaldson

We received a phone call from Bethany last night and she is dilated to an 8!!!  They admitted her to the hospital and said she should have the baby sometime today.  We are praying that little Luke will be big and healthy for his upcoming surgery.  To read his story click here.  Happy early birthday Luke!  We can't wait to meet you.

Baby Donaldson has a name

Bethany and Ed called us last week and told us they had finally decided on a first name for our little heart hero.  The middle name still is undecided.

His name is....

Luke.

Luke is such a great name in my opinion.  It means "bringer of light."  In the Bible, Luke was a physician in Rome and wrote one of the four gospels describing the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. 

We are so excited that our little heart hero is doing well.  As of today Bethany is 34 weeks along and today is her 34th birthday - Happy Birthday sis!  Little Luke is 5 pounds and 11 ounces so far.  Bethany is still on bed rest in Charleston.  She did get to see baby Stephen for the weekend when Ed's parents brought him to visit.  We are continuing to pray that Luke will be patient and wait a few more weeks before being born.  The longer he waits the stronger he will be for his heart surgery.  Please continue to pray for him.  To read more about Luke's heart problem and upcoming surgery click here.

For an update on Luke, please click here.

Please pray for baby Donaldson

Bethany went to her OB and found out she had started to dilate. They admitted her to the hospital and she was given steroid shots to help the baby to develop. She is only 32 weeks along. The specialist also did a test that indicates if the baby will be born in the next week or so. This test came back positive. This test is accurate 50% of the time. We really need your prayers because we already know that the baby has a heart condition and will need surgery after he is born. For more information about his condition click here .

Bethany is now in Charleston, staying close to the hospital while waiting for Baby Donaldson to be born. Needless to say, we are all scared and worried, but we are trusting God to hold his life and to guide us through each day. So as we wait for our little heart hero to be born, please pray that he will wait a few more weeks before arriving. We need him strong and healthy for his surgery. And please keep his family in your prayers while we wait anxiously for his arrival.

For an update on baby Donaldson, click here.

Please Pray for Baby Donaldson

Our newphew-on-the-way, Baby Donaldson, has recently been diagnosed with a heart defect. To be more specific, he has been diagnosed with "transposition of the great arteries" which according to "Dr. Google" means that the two major arteries carrying blood away from the heart (the Aorta and Pulmonary arteries) are on the wrong side. The blood that is returning from the body to the right atrium and ventricle is pumped out the aorta and back to the body, and the blood returning from the lungs to the left atrium and ventricle is sent back to the lungs. Basically, the baby's oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood isn't mixing correctly and getting circulated throughout his body causing his organs to be deprived of necessary oxygen. When he is born, he'll probably be a "blue baby." All this means that our precious nephew is going to need heart surgery once he's born.

Needless to say, we are all scared and worried, but we are trusting God to hold his life and to guide us through each day. So as we wait for our little heart hero to be born, please keep him and his family in your prayers.

For an update on baby Donaldson, click here.