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Erica Sanchez
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Friday monring
I brought Peter home yesterday afternoon. This morning he is very close to his original self! Praise God. I can hear him talking and singing while he plays. He even rode his bike last night. Someone told me that the emotional recovery will be harder for us and I think that is true. I will probably send my friend that I linked to below a quick update and picture. Thank you for being here with us and praying us to this point. What I have heard this week is that 2013 has been difficult for many families. Know that I will be praying for all of your pray intentions even if I don't post - God has definitely grown me in this area this year. Cash took Emily off to college yesterday and the rest of the kids tagged along. I hope to visit her next week as I wasn't able to go there emotionally with her when she said good-bye to me and Peter in the hospital.
God is good. I thank Him for this online community all the time. Thank you, dear friends!
Erica
(4 lads - your pm is full) :)
Tuesday Update - what I sent to our local community
We will update one last time when we are home, so know that we are well as we all wait until that day.
Today Peter was extubated! The doctors and nurses had dialed down his ventilator support all morning and he was basically breathing on his own and doing well. We tried to wait for Cash to arrive at the hospital, but Peter was waking up and in a lot of discomfort. It was sad to watch. Tears because of the coughing and such. We ended up pulling the breathing tube minutes before Cash walked in. It was awful for a few minutes because Peter was panicking and almost hyperventilating. Hard for his mama to watch. But, Cash came and he and I together were able to get close and whisper to him to be calm and breath slowly and he did right away.
It has been a very emotional day. We are over the moon with joy to see our little one's eyes and see him move and hear his hoarse, quiet voice. Cash couldn't help but ask questions each time he stirred out of his still sleepy, medicated state. He answered everything correctly! Once Cash asked him what the name of his baby sister was and he said two words with lots of syllables and we paused a little worried. Finally we figured out that he was saying Rose Viviana. Not just 'Wosie' like he always calls her, but her full name. Joy.
Mixed with joy and relief were many moments of heartbreak wondering what Peter remembered. He was quiet and somber, mostly from the effects of all of the narcotics and other meds. Once he got strangely weepy and my heart broke. He would stir and reach out or tremble. We know we don't really need to think of these things quite yet, that we can just enjoy him today and tomorrow and let the doctors help us sort through this part of his healing, but it hurts. He sat up and I was able to wrap my arms around him for the first time and I just wept and thanked God for this great gift and act of mercy.
Our dear friends were able to see him awake which I know was a blessing and a comfort. Two brothers and more family and friends were there later in the evening and got Peter to smile some. The rest will get to see him tomorrow.
Something that has been a huge comfort to us is people sharing their own pool stories. It seems almost everyone has one. Even one of the doctors quietly shared things not normally shared in an effort to give us comfort. We know what happened was an accident and that God allowed it and we are slowly letting go of the guilt and the punishing replays of the moment in our minds.
Thank you for sharing in this with us, supporting us in tangible and spiritual ways. I will send one last update when we are home, hopefully by the weekend. Cash will take Emily to college this week as planned. We feel very good about this because Peter is doing so well. So much of her senior year has been about Rose that we want to make sure she has her moment in the sun at this huge milestone in her life.
Okay then. We would like to ask God to take us off the 'desperately needy' list for a long while. Never, ever have we been so dependent on others, so out of control of things, forcing ourselves to receive, receive, receive. Humbling to the max and almost a little embarrassing. Must have been God's plan all along. I can't imagine a more generous, loving, caring community and we are eternally grateful.
God's will be done.
Our amazing friend, Kristen, started a blog last week and it is beautiful. She has a lovely write-up of Peter's whole story and some more great pictures.
Peter's story with pictures
AMDG,
Cash and Erica
Update - Monday
Peter is doing good. He is still intubated and heavily sedated. It is a sad sight, lots of tubes and monitors. But, he has squeezed our hands gently today and everyone is very optimistic about his brain which is a relief. We have been covered in prayer from people across the country and we know that is what gets us through. We are so humbled and we are changed. The doctors and nurses are taking things slowly and we don't know when they will take out the breathing tube. God is in control and we wait. Thank you, friends.
Original
He is stable at Children's Hospital.
We went to some old, dear friends for swimming and dinner. We couldn't have been there much longer than 5 minutes. The two dads and all the boys went to the pool, were getting life jackets and such on. But, our four year old Peter was sitting on the steps waiting I guess and must have gone down the steps without realizing how deep it was. Cash says he just turned his head for a minute. Our seven year old saw him in the bottom in the shallow end and said there is something on the bottom and our fourteen year old went down and grabbed him. Our friend, the other dad, grabbed him and ran to the house where their nineteen old daughter performed CPR on him. He was taking labored breaths on his own and moaning when the firemen arrived. He was taken away in an ambulance and then life-flighted to Children's.
He is intubated and sedated and stable. Praise be to God he has responded to a few commands and everyone is feeling very good about his brain at this point.
We are all struggling trying to make sense of it. We are trying to be open to the reasons God allowed this to happen today. It is so very surreal yet we know God is with us and that He chose to spare our Peter's life today. We would like this year to be over...something about 2013.....
What I want to do is go into lockdown mode here and just hug my children all day long. We were/are supposed to be taking our eldest to college on Thursday. Rose's adoption is getting a bit crazy now that we are going through the county. It seems to never end. And, now today.
I feel that Peter is going to be okay. The rest of us.....barely hanging on. Oh my.
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Have a beautiful and fun day!
Erica in San Diego
(dh)Cash, Emily, Grace, Nicholas, Isabella, Annie, Luke, Max, Peter, 2 little souls ++, and sweet Rose who is legally ours!
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stefoodie
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Oh my!! Thank God he's going to be okay. Sending many prayers for Peter and all of you, Erica!
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SeaStar
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What a horrible ordeal! Thanks be to God that Pete is stable and the outlook is good.
Oh, Erica- 
I saw a quote this morning that said: Endure and save yourself for happier times.
Praying that the grace of God will help you endure this year
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jawgee
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Prayers!!!!!!
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Pilgrim
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So sorry you've had such an awful year! Thank God He spared your precious little one! Such an absolutely scary ordeal! We had one of our sons not think and run up and jump into deeper water than he thought WITH a life jacket on, but it went face down, and we were over getting life jackets on, too, like your dh and friends were. Just those moments of trying to get to him were scary, so I can't imagine how terribly frightening it was for all involved. Thank God your son saw him!!! Praying for peace of soul, and peace in God's will for all he allows. It can be so *hard* in the midst of all your going through to take things as they come and not get overwhelmed by them, I know. It's been that way here in the last months. We'll pray for your family, that God will bring moments of joy and peace to refresh you in the midst of the storm. I think those little moments are what are sustaining me through how sick I've been.
Prayers, and hugs, Erica!!!!
Our Lady, Queen of Peace, please pray for them!
St. Theresa of Avila, please pray for them!
St. Joseph, please watch over and pray for their family!
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, please pray for them!
St. Pio, please pray for them!
All you holy men and women, please pray for them!
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StephanieA
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Gosh, I will keep Peter in prayer. It is very scary. We have an above ground pool with little ones. In some ways it is such a blessing because we live out in the country with no neighbors.I just wouldn't take them into town to swim. When I hear things like this, it just makes me want to close the pool down permanently. We seem to be such an accident-prone family that I think....am I really wise to keep this pool going every summer.
Blessings,
Stephanie
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Mackfam
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Oh, Erica!!! I'm writing with such relief and thanksgiving over Peter - and my heart hurts with yours over everything else!! Know that I'm sending prayers your way today!
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Aagot
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Praying for all of you!
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guitarnan
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Praying for Peter and for all of you. How scary!
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CrunchyMom
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One of my biggest fears 
Prayers of thanksgiving for Peter and for a peaceful finish to 2013 
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oh no! so glad to hear he's going to be ok.
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Bridget
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Oh Erica. Hugs and fervent prayers for your family.
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kristacecilia
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Praying for your family.
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God bless,
Krista
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Praying, Erica, for your peace and most especially for Peter's full recovery.
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Amanda
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DominaCaeli
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Oh, Erica--praying for you all, and especially for a quick recovery for Peter.
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Celeste
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I'm so sorry! That is all of our nightmares. I'm so glad he is going to be okay. Hugs to you and I understand wanting this year to be over.
Memorares for Peter.
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Booksnbabes
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Oh, Erica! for you and your family! Praying for all of you, especially little Peter. Praying in thanksgiving that he is stable. Praying that the rest of 2013 is less overwhelming.
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Christine
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I am praying for Peter and your family.
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RyaneM
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Praying, Erica. How very, very scary!
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Ryane in NY
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JennGM
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Oh Erica, big I'm so sorry! This is one of my biggest fears. Thank God he is okay.
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4Real Forums : We Pray to the Lord
Topic: Our Peter is home!
