Blessed

Hello to our friends, I am sorry for my lack of blogging lately, after returning home with my beutiful wife Leslie, and my lovely daughter Beau and my sweet son Shiloh, I took a break from the blogging world. I have filled that time with a variety of different tasks around the house, I have enjoyed spending time with my wife and daughter, and just doing an incredible amount of reflection on the the past few months............what a ride. I have said it before and I will say it again, I am very proud and impressed with my wife. I am also so thankfull for each of you and your heart to love on Leslie and our family, this has truly bein a blessing. I recieved another bill today for services rendered on 1/4/09 and 1/5/09 ...........it takes me back.... Our God is a wonderful and mighty God.


Thank you Father for today and the incredible opportunities you lay before us....

God bless JRP

long time- no blog

hi all.
it has been too long since i have checked in with you... the days are flying by and yet there is a feeling of being 'stuck'...
the grieving process has begun and there are many long and sad days, i know this may sound strange considering that Shiloh went to be with the lord almost 4 months ago...
it is hard to explain, but the joy i felt from just being alive was hard to cover up. my grief over losing Shiloh took a backseat to my gratefulness. all i can say about that is: that was all God. He carried me through. praise God.

God continues to carry us - but the reality of losing another child weighs heavy on our hearts. this week is made more difficult as I approach Shiloh's due date 4/28 . Daily, i wrestle with HIS WILL...

therapy is going OK. i am having a serious shoulder issue and i am scheduled for a cortisone shot next week. hopefully, that will enable me to continue with therapy. also - and i know what a trivial thing this sounds like...but my hair is falling out by the handfuls - side effect of coumadin- go figure.
any way - i sound like a whiner...and that is one huge obstacle in my recovery is needing so much help. i have so many loving family and friends, but it is hard to ask for simple things - cutting up meat, putting on clothes, folding clothes, etc....it is all so tedious. its getting easier for me, but - lets just say i can't be in any kind of a hurry. ha - now i have an excuse for always being late!!

hey - thank you to all of you who continually offer words of encouragement and for your prayers. what a tremendous gift of prayer we have - i
can not thank you enough.

with love, Leslie

wondering

hi all...
i was wondering if anyone was still listening to this blog?
jeff and i are well...
i think we are both still wondering where the Lord is leading.

i am missing both of my boys and trying not to focus on the 'what ifs'
have been thinking alot about 'shiloh'....my baby, and the place where God resides...i am comforted by my childs name...

having some difficulty sleeping- i guess that is to be expected? i dont mind so far...it gives me some quiet time to pray.

God bless,
Leslie

give us a shout out if you continue to seek this blog for our progress.

p.s. i start outpatient therapy later on today...should be interesting.

All are welcome..

We have been asked if the service for Shiloh is private,it is not.All are welcome...
Thank you again for your prayers.

Love and God bless
Jeff Leslie and Beau

Service for Shiloh Ross Power

Hello friends,

Saturday morning at 11:00am Febuary 21 2009 we will lay our son Shiloh Ross Power to rest, this will be a time of honor not only for Shiloh but for our Lord and Savior and what he has done in our lives. We want to glorify God and honor our son with this time of fellowship were we love and lift one another up as he has called us to do. Each of you have been so wonderful in your prayers for our family. Leslie and I cant thank you enough for the love. Just a note for each of you, Meredeth Campground is a historical building that has no heat, so it would be a good idea to have a jacket with you if you are planning to attend the service Saturday morning. There will also be provided for us all a lunch that will be served after the service.

Location of the service, Chapel at Meredith Campground, Walton Texas. From Dallas go East on I20 to Canton Texas, take Hwy.19 South towards Athens, Turn right on Hwy.1861
go 1 mile and take left on 3900, go 1 mile take right on 3901, go 1/2mile to Meredith Capground.





View Larger Map

Sunday Evening Feb. 15

I am sorry for the lack of info from us lately, it has just been very nice just to spend time with one another, and there has bin allot of other things that have fill our days as opposed to being held up in the hospital for days on end. Leslie is pretty amazing, she has continued to progress so well in her recovery and now that the first week back home is behind us, I think we may be getting a routine in place... I want to take a moment to talk a little about my sons service, I have had several people ask about Shiloh's service this coming Saturday, wanting to know if it is just for family, it is for all who want to celebrate the life of our son, and the gifts God has brought into our lives Leslie and I want to share this time with whoever feels called to be there, and we know how important it is for us to be able to show our love for one another at times like these. Over the next 48hrs there will be more detailed info on Saturday, but I can tell you, both funeral and burial will be located at Meredith Campground, close to our home, it will be in the morning hours before noon, and there will be lunch afterwards at Meredith Campground. We will give exact times and more detailed directions soon.....

Thank you all for coming to check on us again, and thank you for your continued prayers and love for our family....


God bless

Leslie Beau and Jeff

Wednesday Feb 11 2009

Well we just finished with dinner, nice to just sit together and talk at the table tonight, we had some nice hot and cheesee Lasagna with buttery garlic bread and a nice cold and crispy salad, then we topped it off with some really pink cupcakes from the ranch, thank you to our little helpers that brought these items over for us. Beau said she really likes Lasagna and the cupcakes were greattttt she said.
Hope this entree finds each of you doing well tonight, and what a beautiful day it was here in East Texas , the storms that rolled through last night cleaned the air and reveled a wonderful blue sky today, and the temp. was just as sweet. Today Beau was not feeling real good so we kept her home from school and just spent the day together, Leslie had an appointment this afternoon with her PT Physical therapist, another great friend added to our list of incredible servants we have had the opportunity to meet over the last few weeks. This week is going to be one of those weeks were we try and get ourselves into a routine, and make a calendar which I am not all that great at, but I know Leslie will help me with that...
Our time together as a family has really bin nice this week, since getting home Leslie and I have had the opportunity to open lots of letters that many of you have sent us , and we want to thank you for your words of encouragement and prayers within.
Tomorrow we get to meet with a new doctor, which means we will be getting out of the house and going on a road trip, this will be fun, hope the day is just as beautiful as it was today...

Thank you all for coming by the blog to check on us tonight. We love you and thank you for your prayers.

God bless,
Jeff ,Leslie and Beau

New friends

Monday was a new day, and an opportunity to meet new friends. Our first visitor was our RN, she came and assessed Leslie and took all of our info for admission into there program, we also were assessed by our PT, I think that they both were very impressed with how well Leslie is doing after having a stoke, so we may see some things change with the treatment plan they had originally set up for us before arriving home. Leslie was ready to go when they both arrived at the house this morning, and I was real proud of how well she did with her new exercises they taught her. We are getting to bed early tonight, sorry to make this short... Good night.

Leslie, Beau and I thank each of you, and love each of you.
have a great evening....

God bless JRP

A beautiful return home

I don't quite know were to start, I am very thankful to have my lovely wife back home with us. Leslie has made incredible strides in her recovery and will begin Monday continuing her therapy from our house. I want to thank our family and friends for taking care of things around the house, it was great coming home to a clean and orderly home. It sure has been nice to also have some good home cooking at the house, home cooking is a little like medicine.

Our journey has been a very unique one for us, starting with some of the problems that we had for our son Shiloh, this was a difficult time for Leslie and I, we had no idea that we were going to be looking at multiple storms in our lives all at the same time , but that is what happened. Monday morning Jan. 5 2009 shortly after delivering Shiloh, the NICU team came to see me in Leslie's room to tell me that they had done all they could for our son Shiloh, and sadly he had passed shortly after birth that morning, my heart was broken for the loss of our son. My thoughts quickly turned to Leslie and how her recovery was going, when they told me she was not out of surgery yet, I took this time to go and be with Shiloh............,he and I spent a long time together before going to see his Momma, he was a beautiful little baby boy , fearfully and wonderfully made . I soon realized that Leslie was not doing real well, so I asked the only thing I knew to ask, Father help me, then it hit me, Shiloh was just fine, he was safe, so I turned my full attention to Leslie and took Shiloh with us as we moved from one room to the next. After we returned from Leslie's CT scan, God delivered a wonderful hearted servant named Amber, she had come as a volunteer to take pictures of Leslie and I, with our son together, but this would not happen, shortly after Amber came into the room the nurses said we were leaving immediately for ICU, so I asked Amber to take care of our son and she did just that with the help of the nurses in labor and delivery at Baylor. I tell you these things because I want you to know about our son Shiloh Ross Power ..........he was beautiful,.... and now our heart is to honor not only Shiloh but our Lord and Savior for the gifts in our lives. The next couple of weeks are going to be very busy ones for our family, we will get Leslie's therapy started up here in East Texas and meet with her new doctor, but we will also be planning to lay our son to rest. We have chosen February 21 2009 to be that day, please pray for my wife during this time, she is just beginning this chapter of our journey.


Thank you Father for the grace and love you have shone us.......thank you for all our family and friends, thank you for there servant hearts and the love they have shone us...........Amen

We love all of you very much
God bless JRP

1 Samuel 1


Hannah Dedicates Samuel


21 When the man Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vow, 22 Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, "After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the LORD, and he will live there always."
23 "Do what seems best to you," Elkanah her husband told her. "Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the LORD make good his word." So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
24 After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. 25 When they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli, 26 and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. 27 I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.

Friday Feb, 6

Beau and I are off to Dallas to get Momma, we have been doing some things around the house to get ready for Leslie so she can just relax when she gets home, we could not have done all this without the help of friends and family, thank you all for your assistance.

Thank you Father for your grace and love that you have for us.

Thank you friends and family again for your continued prayers, we love you.

God bless JRP

back to reality

Hello,Beloved.

The countdown is almost over, And as we prepare to leave room 806...I cannot stop the tears. So many new friends that have made my going home possible. I never thought 5 weeks ago, that it would be hard to leave. I have been in 'survival mode' these past weeks,and it is difficult to leave this refuge. It has been hard work and i have missed my home...but my stroke has given me an opportunity to focus on my recovery and to put off grieving my loss of Shiloh. And so, this weekend is the end of my hospital stay...but also the beginning of my healing of my broken heart.

how grateful I am for my stroke. isn't that just like our God?

Jeff and I have said very little about losing our baby on this blog. I guess it is because we were incapable of dealing with my stroke and Shiloh's death at the same time.
so, as Jeff said this is the beginning of a new chapter of this blog. i hope you will continue this journey with us.
I just want to encourage you to turn in your bible and read about Hannah-look in 1 Samuel chapter 1. she was without a son and she prayed to God to remember her...
scripture says she was bitter...then God answers her prayers...and she glorifies the lord with a beautiful prayer..
the amazing thing is that she sends her baby to the temple to live and to worship God. She too, suffers a loss.I I really was touched by Hannah's story when Jeff and I lost our first son,Chet ,3 years ago. we decided to name our baby Shiloh, because, like Hannah, we prayed for another baby...and He heard our prayers.

I am running out of steam. Good night,all.

now I lay me down to sleep.
i pray thee Lord, my soul to keep...

thank you thank you dear sweet Lord.
Leslie

Good Tuesday morning friends

Good morning

Today is our Tuesday meeting with the medical team were we will get Leslie's report card and have the opportunity to ask questions, and I have a feeling there will be many as we approach our discharge date this Saturday. Leslie is doing a great job she is working very hard to get as stable and strong as she can before returning home, we love each of you and thank you again for your love for Leslie and our family. Your payers and words of comfort have truly been comfort to us. Our God is so good and the incredible gifts that our Father has brought into our lives, we are so thankful for.

Thanks for coming by to check on us.

God bless JRP

Wow Wow Wow Sunday morning Feb 1

I don't quite know were to start, first sorry for the lack of info for the last few days, the day is drawing near for us to go home and the days go by so much faster and seem to be much busier with all types of therapy and rest therapy and rest. Friday Beau and I were in East Texas for school, once this was over we headed for Dallas to see Momma, we had a scheduled training with the therapist for Beau and I to get trained on how to help Momma in and out of the car, Leslie did a wonderful job ,her strength has really come back strong and she was able after a few suggestions from the therapy staff to get in and out of the car very well. This training prepared us well for our much anticipated trip away from the hospital on Saturday, man this was a sweet tip ,we went to the Dallas Arboretum, what a beautiful day it was strolling around in the gardens. When we arrived back at Zale we were very tired so we rested for a moment before my wife said cant we get some pizza delivered, an that's what we did, we had a pizza party and watch the Muppet's in Space, we had a great time then we all crashed. Today is Sunday the big game day and my wife, daughter and I are going to watch the game together.. I need to go now , we love each of you and cant thank you enough for your continued love and support for our sweet Leslie and our family.

God bless you

Thank you Father for this beautiful life and all the wonderful people you have brought into our life and the paths that have crossed, we love you Father and pray that we would honor you with our lives.....Amen

love
JRP

Thursaday 29th

Hello,

How inspiring was our guest last night, she is awesome,wow..... I am very proud of my girl,she had a great day today as well, with continued strength in her walking and control of her left arm. When Beau and I arrived at he hospital Leslie was just getting ready to go to another (PT) and they asked Leslie would you like to walk or ride and she said WALK, man, I started to hear that song "Eye Of The Tiger"in my mind, it was great thing to watch, off she went. Beau and I went around the hospital delivering some thank you dessert trays to our new friends here at Zale Lipshy, Beau really enjoyed that. I want our friends at Baylor Grapevine to know that you are still on our mind and in our hearts, we thank you for your prayers and concerns. Beau and I made it back to East Texas for school, then we will be headed back to Dallas to check on momma..

Your comments on Leslie's post were beautiful, your words of encouragement, the prayers and the living word of God each of you shared with us, we are truly blessed.

Thank you again for coming to the blog to check on my wife.
we love each of you very much and cant wait to see each of you..

God is good, and your prayers for continued strength and peace for Leslie would be so wonderful.
God bless JRP

Wednesday Jan29 Special Guest Night

Good evening to all are dear family, friends and brothers and sisters that have walked with Leslie in this storm...
I am not going to talk tonight, my beautiful wife Leslie has asked to see the computer tonight, here is my sweet Leslie .........................



hello, beloved.

i miss you all -terribly -




i can not thank you enough for the calls, cards, and the blog entries....you are all so encouraging, but it is your faithful prayers and God's healing hands that have sustained me through the darkest times. when I read this blog - it is overwhelming. my husband, the servant - I will never look at him the same. surely you can all see his heart burns for our savior. oh, how he convicts my heart in the sweetest way. I look forward to sharing with each of you how God is working at the zale-lipshy building - it is always so fabulous to find yourself smack in the middle of His plan, or better yet, to feel yourself being used by Him. really, it's too big to comprehend, but it is so cool.



this is one cool thing that has happened: a "chaplain" stopped by to see me. We talked for a minute and then he said he wanted to share a verse with me, "for no other reason than i like it..."



so he shared Zephaniah, 3:17



The LORD your God is with you,

he is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

he will quiet you with his love,

he will rejoice over you with singing."



I smiled the rest of the day imagining what song God might be singing over me....grateful for His love and how He has quieted my aching soul...



I turned to Zephaniah in my bible and read the verse right before this verse that was speaking to my heart...and I started laughing as I read.. On that day they will say to Jerusalem,"Do not fear, O Zion; "do not let your hands hang limp".






funny - how i felt like that verse was just for me....and as the frustration grows even now as i try to type with both hands - when only one works...i remember that my creator is singing over me, and my frustration turns to worship.....i will not let my hand hang limp...i want to sing to my king and soon I will. i will be the one with hands held high (no little thing coming from this southern baptist girl!!)





i am just 10 days from going home...yea!!

i am making progress every day....

can't wait to see you!!

Leslie

Tuesday Jan, 27 2009

Good day to you all.., what a day. I am very excited to tell each of you that Beau and I just finished walking behind Leslie all the way from the gym back to her room, it was a beautiful thing to watch, I am very proud of my wife... There were congrats and praises from not only nurses, doctors and staff but patience as well, as we walked down the hall, this touched me deeply. When Leslie sat on the side of the bed she said I need to take a rest, so Beau and I put mommas pillows were they needed to be and covered her with a blanket, turned off the lights and left the room so Leslie could get a little Nap before her next session at 3:30pm. This next session will be with Leslie's (ST) speech therapist, it will also be her last meeting with her (ST), we were told just a few minutes ago that Leslie has graduated from her speech therapist classes and will no longer need to meet with her (ST), what a wonderful thing, it has been a very eventful day. As many of you know Tuesday is a big day here at the hospital because this is the day were we get our report card, so shortly after 11:00am this morning we were given Leslie's report card and told that there was now a discharge date, I have to say the room lit up with smiles, this was a huge piece of info for us to get an answer to , the big day is February 7, a week from this coming Saturday, how great is that. I cant tell how wonderful this has made my wife feel, now we have a date to shoot for.....Your prayers and letters have truly lifted my wife's spirits, and the comments on the blog have been a blessing.. Today was another one of those days were I really enjoyed watching people use the gifts that God has gifted them with, what a beautiful thing to watch...

Thank you Father for your Grace and Mercy

We love you all
God bless JRP
Psalm 150
1 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

John 15
The Vine and the Branches 1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.

Monday 26th

Hope this post finds each of you doing well, I am sorry for the delay in information, but life just caught up with us and we had to take a break and take care of business. Now lets get back to more important stuff, like my wife and how she is progressing. Saturday was a beautiful day, but it came with some news that was not the greatest to hear. Saturday morning Leslie began having pains in her left leg, she told the doctor about this and they suggested that we do a Doppler scan of her leg, which happened Saturday afternoon, soon after we received the results and found that Leslie had a blood clot in her lower left leg, this was and is a scary thing for us. They started my wife on medicine immediately after getting the results and told us to stay in bed and keep our movement to a minimum, so we did just that ,stayed still and tried to get as much rest as possible. Beau and I spent Saturday night with momma and watched a good movie before going to bed. Sunday morning came we all started moving around and the nurses came in to give Leslie her next doses of medicine for her blood, and her other meds she is on. We spent some time listening to some praise and worship music Sunday morning, then Leslie's brother and his wife came in the door and shortly after we had our own church service, it was great to share strength and hope, glorify our God and fulfill what he has called us to do, honor him... we had some visitors from our church care group come buy to see Leslie and I think it was really good for her to have a little distraction from having to just sit still in the bed all day..... Mami and Papa droped in to check on Leslie on there way back from the ranch and Joey one of Leslie's great friends stayed the afternoon to help, Mimi came later in the day to spend the night and day with Leslie while Beau and I returned to East Texas to go to school on Monday. Talking with Leslie's mother today she said the doctors had slowly started to get Leslie up and moving again, they had checked Leslie's blood and felt it was getting close to the therapeutic stage, they said for her blood clot, this is a good thing. I also heard through the grapevine that my wife walked with the help of her therapist from her bedroom door to the side of her bed, no walker this time ,great job babe, wish I had been there... My wife is an amazing woman and our God is truly indescribable....

We love and thank each of you.

God bless you .... Leslie, Beau and Jeff

Psalm 19
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Had to pause

Sorry for the break in information, just had alot of things to do . I will bring you up to date today.......

God bless JRP

Friday Jan.23

Good evening to all, today was a beautiful day here in East Texas, as many of you know Beau and I are in East Texas spending a little time at our house and checking on our dogs, we had a great day together, we do miss not being with momma, but we left her in great hands all day with Mimi. I am going to do my best to fill you in on Leslie's day, not having first hand knowledge of it, I spoke with Mimi and it sounded to me that today was very much like yesterday. Leslie was able to get a good nights sleep, and the day started off with a bang, all the different therapists came to get Leslie and took her to work, Mimi said Leslie had a date with the walker again and did a great job, wish I had been there to see her strolling down the hall. Beau and I tried to call Leslie several times today, but each time we called she would be gone for another therapy class, it was a busy day for our momma. Leslie really has continued to get better, her strength and movement on her left side has improved with every day, God is good. We are very thankful for the gifts, talents and drive God has gifted all of our therapist, doctors, nurses and support staff with, it is a beautiful thing to watch people do what there were gifted to do. Beau and I will be returning back to Dallas on Saturday to spend the weekend with Momma, It is only by Gods grace, and your prayers that we feel peace being away from our wife, our momma.... we thank you again for honoring our Father by your continued love and prayer for Leslie .


We love each of you, have a wonderful weekend,
spend it on things not of this world, but things of the heart


God bless JRP

Colossians 2:6-8

Freedom From Human Regulations Through Life With Christ.

6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Thursday 9:00pm Our God is Good

It was a great day for Leslie, Beau and I .It started out with a wonderful breakfast together this morning, Leslie wanted to get out of bed and seated in a chair, so we both helped momma into a chair then we huddled around the cool little adjustable bed table and had a wonderful start of the day meal together. Shortly after we finished it was off to occupational therapy and the day went on from there. As Beau and I went to be with Leslie during her sessions I was very excited to see her continued improvement, Leslie has really been able to focus on her therapy now that several of the pains that were really bothering her are under control. During Leslie's physical therapy it was very nice to see what they had her do, Leslie affectionately calls it the evil walker, it is this piece of equipment that is designed to allow Leslie to stand up on her feet and rest her arms on these pads that surround her, she then started the journey back to the her room, Beau had to go to the bathroom so we left momma with her therapist, as Beau and I were leaving mommas room we stepped out of the doorway and there she was, Leslie took her time and had made it all the way back to her room on her own two feet, I am very impressed with my wife, she did a very good job making her way back to the room today, so Beau and I did a little cheer. After Leslie finished her therapy, Beau and I had to take momma on a walk to get some much needed fresh air and a little bit of that fine sunshine today. It seemed like today every time Leslie finished one session there was barely enough time to get a little rest before the other therapist showed up, so I have a feeling my sweet wife will rest well tonight, and I pray that for her. Beau and I came back to East Texas today to go to school on Friday, we are also just trying to give Beau a little structure again, it has been a little wild for her lately..

I am so thankful for the strength the Lord has given my wife, I am also thankful for the hearts he has given each of you that come, not only to see what the Lord is doing in our lives but to pray as well for Leslie and our family. Thank you to our family, our friends, and the many brothers and sisters, that we have never even met, but they have come to lift us up. Most of all thank you Father for bringing us all together in this incredible journey, LIFE......... Father may we honor you in all that we do.....Amen..............

2 Samuel 22:2
"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

God bless

JRP

Wednesday 10:30pm

Hi, Beau and I just made it back from East Texas a little while ago, we had a really good time checking on the dogs and cat, also just hanging out together, and I cant forget the birthday celebration at Beaus school with chocolate cupcakes, plus jumping on the trampoline, lots of fun, but it sure is good to see our momma and our wife, Leslie and I talked for just a short time before she had to go to sleep she was very tired from all the therapy today, but said it all went well for her, a full hour of OT was the first thing on the schedule this morning followed by PT at 10:30, OT started back up around 11:30 , then there was a little time to rest and have lunch before PT at 1:30, then her day ended with ST at 3:00, a whirlwind tour for her today. When I returned to her room today I noticed that Leslie was able to get the new wheelchair that we were hoping for, this should make it easier for her to maneuver around in the room and halls. I am going to get some rest for now, I will do my best to bring you up to date earlier tomorrow...

Thank you Father for your love for us, thank you friends and family for your beautiful service to Leslie, Beau and myself..

God bless JRP

2 Corinthians 1:2-5
2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The God of All Comfort 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

Tuesday Jan, 20 2009

Good day to all, Tuesday, what a beautiful day, Leslie had a great nights sleep, and woke up ready to go, her medicine had really taken effect on her infection and this allowed Leslie to get some much needed rest and relief, Leslie's day started off with PT and OT in the morning, both of these therapies really wore out my sweet wife but she kept on going and did a great job. I always prefer to go with my wife to her therapies but some times I will take that time to work on other things while she is in therapy and it always excites me to see her when she returns because she has something new to show me, today as she was coming down the hall from PT they had removed the foot rests from her wheelchair so she had to hold both of her feet up so they could move down the hall she did a great job, Leslie said it feels so strange to give her left leg that command and then it just gets a mind of its own so I have to tell it again to get back in line, she did just that and her leg continued to stay up which allowed us to get back to the room were we waited for our visit from the treatment team, they arrive shortly after 11:30am and gave us our report card for the previous week, and we were a little let down because we did not get our discharge date yet ,that line was still blank, so after a moment we looked over other items on the report card and started to see areas of improvements from last week I was very impressed with my wife's report card she did a great job and I know that this week will be even bigger for her with her strength and her ability to rest a little better now she is going to do great. After all that excitement Leslie decided it was time for a rest before her next therapy session so we did just that, we rested. Beau came up to see her Momma for a little while today, as always great medicine for all of us to be together, then around 4:00pm Beau and I left for East Texas to go and check on the puppies and go to school for the day, a little daddy daughter time , but we left Momma in good hands, Mimi came to spend the night with her daughter, a little daughter daughter time. So with all of that in mind ,Leslie is pushing ahead one day at a time towards next Tuesday, to see what the report brings, again I am very proud of my wife and daughter....After the report came ,and there was no discharge date, the words of Psalm 27:14 came to mind, Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
We love each of you ,thank you for your continued support and prayers. I want to continue to lift up all we have met here at Zale ,Father I pray rest, peace and healing for each of them, thank you Father,,Amen................

God bless

JRP

PSALM 27
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.
7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.
13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Monday evening 9:30pm

Hello again, today we had a little setback, Leslie has a infection that has caused her quite a bit of discomfort last night threw today , which made it very difficult if not impossible for Leslie to concentrate on any of her therapy today, they were able to get her started on some antibiotics around noon today, the thought is that some time tomorrow this will kick in and give my wife some relief.. So continued prayer for comfort and healing in her body would be my request please. I have had the opportunity to speak with a few people lately that have asked me some questions about Leslie and the details of her situation, as I listened to there questions I realized that it is hard to get the full picture by just reading the blog every day, so I thought I would revisit some of the things that the doctors have told me about our situation. Before I begin I am not an expert on this matter and I am still learning , On Monday Jan. 5 2009 at around 3:00am, Leslie came down with Preeclampsia Preeclampsia is a disorder that occurs only during pregnancy and the postpartum period and affects both the mother and the unborn baby. Here is a link to learn more http://www.preeclampsia.org/about.asp , they also said she had HELLP Syndrome as well, it looks like these are closely related. These diseases caused Leslie's platelets in her blood to drop very low, which kept her blood from clotting, high blood pressure and no way for the blood to clot made for a very bad situation which resulted in a Subcraineal hemorrhage, basically a Stroke, the Stroke happened at the top of her brain effecting Leslie's motor skills on her left side. On Jan.6 Leslie could not move anything on her left side, today my wife who I am very proud of can make a nice fist with her left hand, she has regained some of her left arm movement, she is also getting some more movement in her left leg and hip, but not able to walk at this time, but getting stronger every day. Many of you know that Tuesday is a big day for us, this is the day we get our report card and see what kinds of improvements we have made and set the goals for the following week. We also will get some idea about possible discharge date. So with that I just want to say the Lord our God is good, we are so blessed and thankful for the grace, and mercy he has shown us,.......... Thank you father for my wife, my daughter, my boys, our family, our friends Father ,............. thank you for the people who's paths we have crossed in resent days, thank you Father,................ we want to lift to you Father and pray for all those we have met here at the hospital, we pray for peace, understanding, rest for them Father......Amen......

Good night friends, have a great day tomorrow, we love you and thank you for the love you have shown us....

God bless

your freinds Jeff, Leslie and Beau

Sunday 10:30pm

Good afternoon, hope this post finds you and yours doing well, This morning started out with a great breakfast time for us all, Beau ,Leslie and I huddled around the adjustable food table and picked apart the breakfast that was brought for Leslie, we also were able to supplement it with some really nice pastries that had been dropped off for us, things just taste better when the whole family is there , and that's what it was like this morning just a good time together. After breakfast we prepared ourselves for a stroll outside, Beau was pretty excited to get to push her momma around in her wheelchair, so off we went down to ground level, out into the sun and fresh air, I think this felt good to Leslie, we went all around the building then back into the lobby for a break before returning to her room. After we made it back to the room Leslie was pretty tired so Beau and I tried to give Momma a little quiet time to rest , not long after that lunch arrived, it was some outside food that Leslie had finally decided she would like to try , you know the kind that just has this great smell to it and that little extra flavor you just cant get in the hospital..., right after eating ,it was time to get to our only therapy for the day RT rec. therapy this was a fun time, a time for exercising and getting our endorphins going, we disco danced in our chairs for 20 minutes, Leslie did great. We are eagerly awaiting this weeks victories and looking forward to hearing what the doctors have to say on Tuesday, again this is the day were we set goals and objectives and get our report card to show how we have done, and were we should be heading. I am going to hit the sack for now , thanks for checking on us.

We love you all ...
God bless JRP

Saturay Jan. 17 11:00pm

Good evening to all , just a quick note tonight, my wife is an incredible lady, what strength she has, she did so well today with her therapy, impressing even her therapist , and I am very proud of her . Beau asked to stay another night with us at the hospital, so we are doing another slumber party, what a great opportunity to love on and be there for Leslie. Like I said earlier ,this is the kind of medicine you cant bottle.

Have a great day tomorrow, we love you all.
God bless
JRP

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

http://lesliepowervideo.blogspot.com

9For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
10He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.

Psalm 90

http://lesliepowervideo.blogspot.com/

Psalm 90

11 Who knows the power of your anger? For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
12 Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

A beutiful day Sat.4:30pm

Let me start off by saying my wife is pretty incredible, Leslie's strength and determination has been a wonderful thing to watch, her OT occupational therapy session today went very well my wife's strength in her left upper body has really improved over the course of the week. After Leslie's therapy today she began to get one of those nasty headaches she has dealt with over the past week, so we just made our way back to the room and found a comfortable position in the bed, were we could just spend some time getting a little rest, she has been able to get some rest which is good. Beau called a few minutes ago and asked us if she could sleep anywhere she wanted to tonight, we hesitate a little ,and she said I want to stay with you and Momma again, this again is good medicine for my wife, so Leslie will be getting another dose of family therapy tonight, we feel so blessed that we are in a room that allows us to be able to do this, there is plenty of room for both Beau and I to stay here with Momma.


PSALM 18 1-2

I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Thanks for checking on us today, your love for my wife is beautiful and we thank each of you for your prayers...

God bless JRP

Friday evening 10:00pm

Good afternoon, hope this message finds each of you doing well. Beau and I arrived at the hospital around 6:00pm this afternoon ,we had a great time going to school ,checking on the dogs and just spending time with one another, but we were also wishing we were with Momma as well so we were both very happy to get back to Dallas to see our Momma. After spending some time talking with Leslie, I was able to get a good idea how her day went so let me share it with you. The day started out with OT for a full hour, then PT was next at 10:30am, then later in the day came ST at 1:00pm then PT again at 1:30pm, finishing up the day with OT..... Leslie said all of her sections went real well. Leslie said Mimi did a little cheer during one of her OT sessions. Leslie also said she was just tiered after all the days activities, she also said they gave her some homework to do over the weekend, the word homework brings back many unpleasant feelings for me and my school days ,but I am ready to help my wife with this task. I am sitting in Leslie's room right now looking at her peaceful sleep she is in, it is a beautiful thing to watch, my daughter is also on her little pallet we made for her here in the room, besides for the dogs and cat, our family is back together tonight for the first time in what seems like an eternity. Thank you Father.... I asked Leslie about her Pain and she showed me a new pain patch that they put her on today, it seems to be working very well, but Leslie said it does make her a little loopy. When we arrived at the hospital the first thing Beau wanted to do was get into bed with Momma, Leslie said having Beau in the bed with her was the best medicine she had all week .

Today was the first time Leslie wanted to look at the Blog herself , although I have shared with Leslie many of your comments and prayer over the past several days, she was very touched reading over many of your prayers, comments and uplifting words of encouragement. Again we cant thank each of you enough for the love you have shown our family during this storm in our life .

We love each of you , God bless you and your family.

Your friends Leslie, Beau and Jeff

Thursday evening 10:30pm

Good evening to all, another late post for a long day. If I could take just a minute to tell you about my morning please, I had the great pleasure of spending the night with my sweet little girl Beau, and this morning she surprised me with breakfast in bed that Papa and her made, it was a wonderful start to my day...,enough about me lets talk about my beautiful wife. I arrived to the hospital late in the day, Leslie's mother had stayed the night so I could be with Beau, thanks Mimi, so when we arrived Leslie's PT was there doing some stretches on here muscles and working with her legs and lower back, this is were much of the pain has been, that has made it difficult for Leslie to rest or do any of her therapy, soon after the PT left Leslie's RT came to get us, so once Leslie was seated in her wheelchair Beau quickly asked if she could push, so off we went for our next session, Leslie did a great job ,she worked on her left upper and lower body control and movement, this was a fun activity for all because it involved a dog named Izzy, Beau thought she was pretty cute and funny. Once we were finished we went strait into OT, this is were Leslie works on her upper body strength and control, she did a great job, I was very proud of her. After we finished OT we took Momma back to her room for some rest, Beau spent some time drawing her Momma some new pictures for the room, Leslie tried to rest but her back and legs began to bother her after all the activities so we worked on trying to get comfortable in the bed... I am writing this entry from East Texas, my daughter wanted me to bring her home to check on the dogs and Beau needs to be in school tomorrow, so Aunt Renee is filling in tonight, by spending the night with her sister. When I spoke with Leslie earlier she was just getting her good medicine that should help her sleep tonight.

I'm going to get some rest now, thank you all again for your loving and encouraging comments today. I want to leave you with a verse shared by a friend today.


Psalm 121;1-2
I lift up my eyes to the hills where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Thank you Father for your grace and mercy..
God bless
JRP

Wednesday 1:30pm

Well I must start off by saying, my wife is pretty amazing. Today has been full of lots of challenges and lots of hard work, let me share today's schedule with you it stared out at 9:00am OT occupational therapy, 10:00am PT physical therapy, 11:00am OT occupational therapy again, 12:30pm SP speech therapy, 1:00pm PT physical therapy again, and we still have left for the day one more ST, I think you know what that stands for by now, I almost forgot RT recreational therapy, this was not on the schedule but it took place around 11:45am, Leslie beat me in a game of UNO she was throwing down some tough cards for me ..... During Leslie's last PT time Chi Chi her therapist did allot of stretching on Leslie's lower back and legs to try and help with this lower back and leg pain she is still having, after she finished stretching she put Leslie on a heating pad and it was not long before I heard a little snore from the bed, she is sleeping right know, I am glad, she needed it, Leslie's movement during her therapy sessions is improving, but we still have aways to go, I am finding it difficult to explain exactly how Leslie is doing with the left side of her body because I am here with her, I have been able to see these incredible steps in her progress , so even the smallest step or new movement on her left side is like a huge victory for her, and I get very excited. I am very impressed with her....


I need to run for a moment , I will try and post towards the end of the day and let you know what else they have to say about Leslie's lower back pains....

Your prayers have been beautiful, and again we cant thank each of enough for them ......
God is good and the body of Christ is a beautiful thing to watch and be touched by....

We love you all

Leslie, Beau and Jeff

Tuesday 10:00pm

Hello all, another beautiful day spent with my wife, it started out for me by catching up on the mornings activities from (Mimi), Leslie's mom. Mimi took over for me Monday night so I could spend the night with my daughter Beau, we had a great time by the way, good daddy daughter time, but Leslie by the time I arrived at the hospital had already seen her (PT) physical therapist, and (RT) recreational therapist for the first time of the days schedule, this really made her tiered . It was not long after I arrived that the treatment team came around to our room, this was a meeting we had been anticipating for the morning, the group consisted of several people, Leslie's doctors, head nurse, therapists, there were six of them. This was the time they set aside to go over with us our plan of action, Leslie's report card, and give us a chance to ask questions. All the comments from the doctors were very optimistic for Leslie's recovery, the report card basically went over all the things that I myself take for granted every day, things like brushing teeth, getting from one room to the other, fixing food, driving, the list goes on. Based on this list we put together goals and objectives for ourselves. On the second page there was a small but very important line that said length of stay, out beside it said 2 to 4 weeks and the line saying discharge date, it was blank ....., Leslie and I are prayerful for a short stay but we also want to be safe and ready when we leave. The second half of the day really had to be put on hold because of the pain problem we are having with Leslie's lower back, we met with a couple of different doctors today to discuss options for pain management, this will be necessary in order for Leslie to be able to concentrate on her therapy sessions, so we are looking forward to tomorrow to see what the doctors come up with. Leslie also is learning how to use her wheelchair, this has been difficult also because of the pain in her back, but I know once the pain is taken care of she will excel big time.

Once again your comments and prayer have been an incredible gift to our heart. We love you all very much.

PSALM 118:24
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

God bless JRP

12:30 pm Monday

Leslie and I are kinda dizzy after all the people we have seen this morning, I also learned allot of abbreviations so I will share them with you, first we started out with (OT) Occupational therapy, they did several workouts and stretches with Leslie's upper body, arms, hands, and fingers, Leslie's movement has improved and I am very proud of her. Then we had (PT) Physical therapy come by, this is were we work on Leslie Sitting up , standing, getting out of bed and walking, my wife did really well. Then back to the room we went, there we ha just enough time to catch our breath before (SP) speech therapy came by to see us, as I sat there and listened to the questions and problems they asked her to solve,I began to realize I was having a hard time answering them, so when they left I told Leslie she had out scored me by a mile , another proud moment for her husband. Then as we were finishing up (SP) a knock on the door and here we go to (RT) recreational therapy, I was anxious to see what high tech equipment and things they were gong to use on us, and after getting put in position we were hooked up to a Wii, we did Wii therapy, so my wife and I went bowling, for those not sure what a Wii is ,it is a video game that just so happens does and incredible job at eye hand coordination not to mention it is kinda fun, and I must say my wife had several strikes during the game. Today was not really the funnest day though, because Leslie's lower back has really been hurting her from being in the bed for the last seven days, so after going bowling we went back to the room laid down for just a moment then back up for one more round of (PT) physical therapy we stood up and worked on our balance and took some small steps, Leslie also learned a little about operating a wheel chair she did very well. Since getting back in the room we have been in bed resting and taking care of a headache, while I have been typing this post my wife has been sleeping very soundly, this is a good thing, because I have a feeling she will need this rest for tomorrow.

Well that's all for now, I may have more to share before the day is over but until next time, thank you all again for your love prayers and support Leslie Beau and I cant thank you enough.

The body of Christ is a beautiful thing to behold, to watch it, and feel its impact is an incredible thing....

Psalm 33

Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.
For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.
The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.
By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea into jars ;he puts the deep into storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.
For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind;
from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth-
he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.
No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.
But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you

God bless

JRP

Sunday 7:00 pm

What a beautiful day, Leslie's day started out with another opportunity to get out of bed and into the shower, again this is like medicine for my wife...., Leslie's vitals are all looking very good and consistent after all the adjustments to her meds. Leslie is still having a problem with headaches and being in the bed most of the day makes it a little painful on your body, so we have been learning how to shift around in the bed and use pillows to change it up a little. Today we received a preliminary schedule for all the different therapist that we will start to see tomorrow, this will most likely change up a little after we start to put together Leslie's goals and objectives for herself, again I cant say enough about the staff they have been very kind and helpful.Leslie and I were talking this afternoon about how blessed we feel and how incredible the love and concern has been towards our family, we just want to thank each of you again for your prayers and comments you have left us on the blog, they have truly been uplifting. I kind of feel that I have been typing the same things for the last couple of days, but I think that we will have lots of new info tomorrow when we start our day of therapy. I was really excited to have a chance to hang out and spend the night with my sweet little daughter, we went to eat, had some ice cream and just snuggled, snuggling is a great thing.. we also had breakfast in bed, Beau thought that was pretty cool.

We will continue to update you tomorrow ,thank you all for your prayers, Leslie Beau and I are truly blessed....

Love and God bless

Leslie, Beau and Jeff

What a beutiful day...Saturay 6:00pm

Well it has been an incredible day, and I am so proud of my wife, she has done such a great job today, I just had to stop typing because I saw something out of the corner of my eye, it was my wife's left foot wiggling just a little, she thought that was pretty cool so she said watch and she was able to do it again, Wow how incredible is this body that the Lord has given us. Leslie also was able to finally take her first shower in days, hot water, shampoo and conditioner this was like medicine to my wife. After getting her shower they took Leslie down to the gym and there a new friend named Max assisted Leslie in getting up and taking three beautiful steps. Beau wanted to do a little decorating today in mommas room so we brought a few things went by the gift shop and we bought some flowers for her room, Beau did a great job decorating the room, and had a great time getting to see and spend time with her Momma . We are trying to get ourselves ready for Monday, this will be the beginning of a new week for Leslie full of new things ,they say it will be like going to work, we will be getting dressed in exercise clothes and spending three hours a day in physical therapy, several people have asked me, what are they saying about time of stay. The doctors we talked with said possibly four weeks to get Leslie ready for going home, I am sure this could change at any time. I would like to take a moment and say a word of thanks and gratitude to all of the incredible doctors, nurses and staff from both Baylor Grapevine and Zale Lipshy who's paths we have crossed, it has bin incredible to see how God has gifted each of you ,and to see your heart and the passion with which you serve the people you do. Leslie, Beau and I are truly blessed and thankful that each of you were there to serve us, remember its not a matter of if there will be storms in our lives, its a matter of when, that is when we draw nearest to our Father. Thank you all for your prayers and your continued support for Leslie.

I will continue to keep you updated as to the days events

God bless
The Power family

A full day ,Friday

Hello everyone, there has been a lot of time that has passed since our post this morning. I am sorry for the delay in information, so here we go. Our meeting with all of the physical therapists today really made my sweet wife a little tired today. It was a lot of work and as always I was very proud of her. We had a new experience today riding on this combination bed/chair piece of furniture. This allowed Leslie and I to go for a walk which was much needed. Leslie has been in a bed now for five days, and our days and nights are running together which has been very frustrating, so the fact that we were able to go to the end of the hall and look out of the window was a beautiful thing. We have really enjoyed getting to know all of the staff here at the hospital, it is so cool to watch people use the gifts that God has given them to serve us, Wow, he is good.

We heard throughout the day that we may be getting to go upstairs to the physical therapy floor. As the day went on it looked more like we would be in the same room and same floor throughout the weekend, neither of us really wanted that, then at around 5:30 our nurse came to the room and said I needed to start packing and within 5 minutes we were gone, on our way up to the 8th floor..
We are so thankful for this opportunity, I was able to talk to the doctor about the other CT scan results that were taken on our way up to the 5th floor and she said the results were identical to the first test taken which is good, meaning it has not gotten any worse.

God bless you all

we love you all
your friends
JRP

Good morning

Well it has been another very busy morning, therapy massages for Leslie's arm, hand, leg and foot, then we moved to her breathing exercises that thy make all patients do to keep them from getting pneumonia. After that we got a knock on the door and it was dietary. They brought in some good stuff, blueberry pancakes ,fruit yogurt, fresh fruit, and some good ole apple juice. Leslie had quite a bit to eat but still not a huge appetite. Leslie's vitals, like pressure , temp and sugars, looked good this morning, we are still making some adjustments to here meds but I think we are getting there,I need to go right now physical therapy is here,,,thanks you guys for all your prayers...


Leslie, Beau and I love you all


God bless
JRP

Therapy time

I just wanted to let you all know that Mr. Gordon came to visit us a few minutes ago, he is the Director of rehab and said he was hoping to move Leslie up to the next floor to start full 3 hour a day therapy, they would of course spread that three hours out over the day, but still it was very exciting news to be recommended and considered to go to that level of care, Leslie was not very excited about the possible length of time we would need to be here at the hospital, I'm not talking even a month for those that are wondering, but as many of you may know one day in a hospital could feel like 2 or 3 regular days . So we just want to pray for patience today and continued strength for my wife and joy for my daughter while away from her Momma...

We love you all...we will be back asap tonight with more info.

Thank you and God bless
JRP

Thursday 2:25pm

Wow, its been very busy around here this morning, started out with taking blood, testing it and getting levels that all seem to be looking well. Leslie's medicine seems to be doing the job, her blood pressure is starting to get some regularity that's wonderful. We met with other doctors that were checking on her incision and then had a visit by the Occupational therapist this was fun,we got to sit up again on the side of the bed,then we laid back down and received a great massage on her hand ,leg and foot. The therapist then asked Leslie to make a fist and she did just that ,I am very proud of her... After all that it was time for a spit bath, spit baths are good, I think it really helped Leslie rest allot better, not to mention (Mimi) Leslie's mom got rid of Leslie's dread locks and fixed up her hair, this made her feel even better .. Lunch also came and Leslie did great, she ate some pudding a vanilla wafer and had some hot tea. Many people have asked me specifics about what Leslie had that caused all these problems, I will do my best to explain so that we can all be on the same page. Leslie had Preeclampsia and Hellp syndrome ,these are things you can get during your pregnancy, I will stop there and each of you can google this and probably find out more than I could ever type about it... I need to go for a little while and take care of some things.

To all of you, again we can not thank each of you enough for your Love and concern for Leslie, Shiloh, Beau and myself.

God bless

JRP

Good morning

Thursday morning has been full of many new sights and sounds for Leslie and I, really there has not been any real sound just a quiet breeze from the Air vent that Leslie said sounded like rain on a tin roof, perfect for resting , but for the sights we have a new room to get acquainted with and have had many new faces to meet ,we have already met six new people this morning ,doctors, nurses, lab tech. , respiratory, dietary, techs.,they have all been very nice. We are still working on Leslie's pressure but I think we are getting real close to the right combination of times and amounts...(pause) I am back now ,I was able to talk my wife into eating some breakfast, not a lot but a good start, physical therapist is due any time, but I am going start practicing some of the things they asked me to do so I probably need t get going now. As usual thank you for your continued interest ,love and support for Leslie, Beau and myself your prayers have been so incredible..we will get back asap.

God bless

JRP

Wednesday night

I am sorry it has taken all day to get out more info, but it has been a long one. As you know Leslie's blood pressure was a problem this morning, so throughout the day the doctors have been changing and adjusting her medicine and dosage. Leslie has responded to the new meds and seems to be more stable. Today was also exciting because they started unhooking some equipment from Leslie. This was not too exciting for me because I kind of liked being able to see what was going on with her, but I soon realized and reminded myself that the reason Leslie was being unhooked from all this stuff was due to the fact she is becoming more stable and getting better. We are truly thankful. Around 7:00pm Leslie was moved from the ICU to a private room. I am sitting in the room now. It is 11:15pm and Leslie is sleeping. It is much more peaceful with out all the buzzers and whistles going off. I want to say this again, we, I can't thank you enough for all your incredible prayers and uplifting comments. I must say our savior is an awesome God. How he has gifted these doctors and nurses with there talents and passion is beautiful to watch....
I also learned a little today about physical therapy, and I am looking forward to learning more about what I can do to help my wife get stronger. This body He has given us is an amazing thing ..... truly amazing..... I am sleepy now I will try and do better tomorrow with updates. I want to thank my brother for filling in for me and helping me along with the blog...
Just want to leave you with this,,He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.... wow now that is good blood pressure medicine.
I need to rest.
Good night and God bless

JRP

Wednesday morning update

Jeff asked me to update you on Leslie's status. He will try to provide another update this afternoon. For now, the focus of Leslie's treatment and prayers is on stabilizing her blood pressure.

Leslie ate some broth this morning. The physical therapist began working with her arms and legs. She progressed well. She continues to experience some headaches, which could be a result of the medication she has been taking or high blood pressure. Other than that, she is not experiencing any other unusual physical pain and the C-section surgery recovery appears normal. There is a possibility Leslie could be moved out of ICU into a regular hospital room later today. It is still important that she have as little stimulation as possible and Jeff asks that you not schedule any visits at this time.

The family appreciates your continued prayers and well wishes. They have read your comments and appreciate the outpouring of support.

Robert

10:30pm

Hello everyone, my wife told me just a few minutes ago to go and get some sleep so I said "yes ma'am," but before I sleep, I wanted to take a minute and tell you the rest of the day. After the tube was removed Leslie had so many questions so we slowly went through them all throughout the day, during that time Leslie's blood pressure stayed in a good spot. She asked if she could get something warm for her throat, so we sipped a cup of hot tea. Leslie finished up her round of magnesium. This was the medicine that would keep her from possibly having a seizure, it makes feel very hot and just really makes you feel bad. She came off of this around 6:00pm and they said it would take 2 to 3 hours to come off of it fully. It did and now Leslie's color looks a lot better. I talked to the doctor. He said things look to be going very well we just need to keep resting and give it time for recovery. The platelets in the blood have continued to rise and all of her other levels seem to be going in the right direction as well. Leslie's movement seems to also be improving -- they even had her sit up on the side of the bed today and she was able to kick her leg up. My wife is a very strong lady and I am very proud of her..

We want to thank each of you again for your continued prayers for our family we are truly blessed...

God bless I will get back with you tomorrow after we begin our day.
Love JRP

It is 3:15pm just finished seeing me wife. She did a wonderful job today and I am very proud of her. They had her sit up on the side of the bed and she was able to throw her leg up. I am very proud of her. They brought her a food tray in and she gave me a very strange look ,basically saying no thanks, but when I showed her the lemon sorbet cup she said let me try that, so we had lemon sorbet and a little water and left the rest of it alone. Leslie is stable and continuing to rest. They still have her on some pretty heavy med's. She is still dealing with the pain from the incision and continuing to improve her movement on her left side. Thank you for coming to visit and find out how Leslie is doing. Your prayers and comments have been a constant lift to all of us. We want each of you to know that Beau is doing very well she has been playing with may friends the last few days playing store and puppets. She has slept pretty well, but would like to cuddle with her mommy.

Thank you again for your love and support

We love all of you very much. I will keep you posted asap after a while.
JRP

Psalm 23

Thank you again for all your prayers and thoughts, at 12:30pm they finally removed the breathing tube , and Leslie's first words were how is Beau and how am I doing. The Breathing tube was a very difficult and uncomfortable time for her.We are now sleeping, staying calm, and were able to eat some ice chips which made her feel good. She asked me to wash her face off with a cool rag and said she wanted to rest. Our goal is to keep Leslie calm and rested and that would be our prayer. Thank you again for your love an prayers..

we love each of you

God bless

JRP

Good morning to you all..God is Good

Good morning

Leslie and I can not thank each of you enough for your incredible outpouring of love and prayer ,time is 8:45am Leslie had her MRI early this morning we don't know the results of that as of now,but the Ct scan we had last night gave them allot of good information and they have started to give Leslie a blood transfusion this will help in raising her blood platelet levels to help her with any more hemorrhaging .

The breathing tube is still in and very uncomfortable they feel like it could come out this morning but we don't know what time.Your prayers for rest and calmness for Leslie would be appreciated also rest for all of these incredible doctors and nurses we have worked with...

We love you all I will update asap this morning.

God bless
Leslie, Jeff and Beau..

This will be a very brief update. Leslie's condition is improving. She is responsive, breathing on her own, and the doctors have said they may remove the breathing tube this evening. They continue to run tests and we hope to know more about her prognosis by tomorrow morning. She wants Jeff by her side -- his strength and reassurance calm her -- so he is spending much of his time by her side in the ICU with periodic breaks to allow her to rest.

They both appreciate your comments and prayers. We will update you when we know more tomorrow.

Robert

Transfer to UT Southwestern Medical Center

I am updating this site on behalf of Jeff and Leslie. Today has been extremely challenging. Following Jeff's post earlier this morning, and after a modest improvement, Leslie's condition deteriorated quickly. The good news is that after another 10 hour ordeal, her condition appears to have stabilized. I will provide you with a brief recap below. For now, we can say that your prayers are working and we ask that you continue to pray for Leslie's recovery.

The doctors became concerned when Leslie did not appear to be recovering from her surgery. She was confused, experiencing numbness on her left side, and had other issues that raised serious concerns. The doctors ordered a CAT scan, which revealed swelling and bleeding in her brain. Her condition worsened and the doctors placed her on a ventilator to help her breath. We immediately began to locate a neurosurgeon and hospital that was equipped to treat her and had the capacity to admit her. UT Southwestern Medical Center agreed to accept her and we scheduled a CareFlight transfer. Due to the weather conditions in Dallas/Fort Worth, all flights were grounded and the hospital had to locate an ambulance that could transport a patient on a ventilator. The ambulance arrived and we departed Grapevine around 1 pm.

Upon arrival at UT Southwestern, the doctors undertook a thorough review and concluded that Leslie likely has some sort of blockage in a blood vessel her brain. The good news is that she began to respond to questions, and regained some movement in her left side. She will be undergoing additional scans and tests this afternoon and we are very optimistic the doctors will identify the best course of treatment available. At this point, Leslie is stable and I do not anticipate we will have any more details until tomorrow.

It goes without saying that Leslie cannot accept visitors. She is in the Intensive Care Unit and will likely be there for several days. Thank you for your continued prayers and well wishes.

Feel free to post your comments. I am sure Leslie and Jeff will appreciate reading them after her full and complete recovery.


Robert

5:15 am

This morning has been a tough one, at around 3:00am Leslie's blood pressure started to go up, the nurses and doctors started doing their work and determined that it was necessary to go to delivery right away. At 3:45am our son, Shiloh Ross Power was born, shortly after he went to be with our Lord, Shiloh was just too small to survive and passed away. Leslie came out of surgery around 5:00am and is stable. She will be in recovery for at least another 24hrs. and in the hospital for another 4 to 5 days. Your prayers have been so important to Leslie and me and we thank you for your friendship, love and concern.

It will be some time before she will be able to have any visitors. In the meantime, we would appreciate your continued prayers for Leslie's recovery.


We Love all of you

God bless

JRP

7:20 pm

Leslie was finally able to get some sleep after getting some medication that helped her with the pain she was having,and right around 7:00pm the Sonographer came to see us to see if they could tel any problems with Leslie's gallbladder , after several minutes and many photos taken he said he understood why she was in so much pain ,but left us in a strange spot because he could not share with us his thoughts ,the doctor would need to do this . So now we wait for the results and try to get some rest. Leslie was able to go back to sleep after he left.
I will keep you all updated asap...

Thank you all for your comments ,I have shared them with Leslie and she has really enjoyed hearing them ,prayers words of encouragement all of it.

What great friends and family,
we are truly blessed we love you all

JRP

3:30 pm

This morning has been a difficult morning for us with lots of things to consider. Leslie is continuing to rest. Being in bed all day makes you very sore, so we have bieen getting up several times. We are experiencing some other pains and discomfort with maybe acid reflux and possible gallbladder pains. They are going to be taking blood in a few minutes and running lab tests to see if there is a problem here.

thanks again for your comments and prayers....

JRP

Sunday Morning January 4

Well it is 10:00 am we had our breakfast this morning and right after that they came to get us for our scan which was not the scan we had hoped for, the doctor said our fluid level was very low and he was concerned about the next 24 hrs. We will be getting several Doppler scans today and another sonogram in the morning ,this will be a moment with many things to consider for us . Your prayers are much appreciated. we will try and update later today for you guys...

We also want to ask that visits be few please thanks for your understanding.....

God bless

JRP

Saturday morning

Good morning ,

Leslie ,Beau and I tried to get some sleep but it was a restless night for us. They need to put pillow top mattress in these hospitals, anyway. Beau and I left Momma alone for a while to rest we went to Mimi's house to get a shower and bath also to wash some clothes. Beau had a surprise today her cousin and aunt from Austin came to take her to American Doll and are going to see a movie, sounds like they are going to have a great time. Another long day waiting for tomorrows scan...

Thanks to all for the prayers..

A BUSY DAY

Hello again ,Friday was a busy day , we have seen our genetic doctor and were able to see the baby and levels and nothing at this time has changed which is not necessarily good but not bad either Dr. Graham told us that we would finally get to meet with our Neonatal doctor Dr. Shoemaker, so our day rocked along and we finally met with Dr. Shoemaker ,lots of info to take in .He was giving us numbers percentages and facts and unknowns. He shard with us that there was a baby there same size as ours in the NICU that they were working with, amazing. Our goal after seeing both doctors is to stay in bed and get as many days into the pregnancy as possible, every day increases our chances of a less complicated delivery and less problems for the baby as well. Your continued prayers would be appreciated specifically for Leslie to rest and the environment the baby is in to be a stable one for many days to come.

Thanks everyone
God bless

We love you all