Preserving data from calebrikkilambert.tripod.com

(since I am no longer regularly updating calebrikkilambert.tripod.com, I will copy and paste the text from that site to this blog to preserve its content, as Tripod usually recycle sites that are not being updated after 1-2 years)
(warning: some of the links might not work after a while)


20 weeks before his birth on 20 April 2004, we were shocked to discover - after our routine ultrasound scan at 20 weeks' gestation - that Caleb had a problem in his brain. The GP in Berri gave us the impression the baby would not survive. We left the surgery very upset, but somehow even at that early stage confident God would see us through, no matter what the outcome.
We were referred to the Womens and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, and within 48 hours we were in Adelaide seeing an obstetrician at the WCH. An ultrasound and then a somewhat experimentative MRI in utero confirmed what the doctors had told us. Caleb had what the doctors were calling "hydrocephalus". Translated from the Greek that means roughly "water" and "head". Caleb had excess fluid in his brain, which it appeared - from the MRI - was causing pressure on the brain. It also appeared there was a birth anomaly where part of Caleb's brain had not developed - an absence of brain matter was evident in the "occipital lobe". This is the lobe thought commonly to be responsible for processing vision. So the eyes may work fine, but the computer at the back processing vision would not work well, if at all.
The prognosis was of course speculative, as the brain has amazing powers and we had no idea how it would go. We booked in for regular scans at the WCH as the pregnancy progressed. We prepared ourselves for the worst, as we had been told it was a possibility Caleb would not make it through to being born.
It was during our first consultation in Adelaide that we decided to find out what the baby's gender was. We felt straight away that it was important to have our friends and family start praying for the baby, to seek God's blessing on the baby's life. We thought it would help people pray to know whether the baby was a boy or girl, and if the child had a name. We were told the baby was a boy, and relatively quickly thought about a name.
It seemed right to us that we name the baby Caleb. In the Old Testament of the Bible, the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years and arrived at Canaan, the land promised to them by God. There were 12 tribes, and a spy from each tribe was sent to scout the land. The 12 spies came back, and 10 said the people living in the land - their enemies - were basically too big and scary, and they did not believe God would help them get what they were promised. 2 spies came back agreeing the people were big and scary, but also believed God would help them win. Those two were Joshua and Caleb. We felt it was right that our two sons be together named Joshua and Caleb, to show that if you have faith in God, he will give you mighty victories. The story of the Israelites ends interestingly with Joshua and Caleb proven right, but you should read about them in the Old Testament to find out how it ends.
We enlisted prayer warriors everywhere to pray for the cause of Caleb's healing and safe delivery. We grew increasingly astonished at how broadly the rallying call to prayer was spreading through our family and friends. We felt continually strengthened by these prayers and we thank all those people for their prayers. Of course it was God strengthening us, not the prayers. You prayed, and God heard.
We progressed steadily enough towards the birth date. About a month beforehand we were told we would have to have a Caeserean birth, as Caleb's head had swelled too large to be born normally. A birth date after 38 weeks' gestation was offered, so we chose 20/04/2004, as the date appeared to have a nice ring to it. That date also suited the doctors as it was a weekday allowing opportunity for a full complement of staff at the WCH, if so required.
The day finally approached and two weeks beforehand - on a Tuesday - Kristin and Joshua went to Adelaide to stay with her aunty Roz and uncle John. Kristin's mum Lyn (on long service leave) went with too to ease the burden. Rikki stayed in Berri working until the Friday before the scheduled operation on 20/04/2004. We spent Easter apart, Kristin with her family and Rikki with his parents (visiting from Queensland). This was a difficult time apart, but God sustained us. Rikki had plenty of offers from family and friends for meals and evening entertainment, and the days slid by well enough.
Finally, Rikki arrived in Adelaide Saturday 17 April 2004 and the family was re-united.
Kristin was admitted to hospital early on Tuesday 20 April 2004. We were together in the lead up, and prayerfully hoped for the best outcome of the Caeserean operation. The time eventually came at the scheduled 3pm time, and we felt generally at peace - thanks to God - with how things would go.
The day before we had searched the Bible for a text coinciding with the numbers 20 and 4. We found Deuteronomy 20 verse 4, which seemed very fitting. It said that God would give us a victory, despite the enemies facing us. We were not to be faint-hearted or fearful, for God was with us. This was very comforting.
The night and morning before the operation it felt a lot like being in an army the day before a known battle was about to take place. The outcome could be bad or wonderful, but we knew we had to hold firm to God's promise to look after us.
Kristin went onto the operating table and the anaesthetist Dr Sullivan gave her a spinal block. This meant Kristin would lose all sensation from the waist down for about 24 hours. The surgery then began. I (Rikki) recall specifically feeling at 3pm the uplifting of my spirit from God, as all the prayer warriors battled in earnest for us, asking God to strengthen our faith and help us through the operation.
At 3:25pm, we were told to look over the partition (protecting us from seeing the operation). There was Caleb, white (from the in-womb covering babies have) and crying loudly. We were exhilerated. Caleb was alive, and breathing freely. He was safe. We thanked God for this wonderful outcome, which we had feared would not come about.
Since then we have spoken with specialists at the WCH and at the time of writing (Friday night) we are speaking with a neurologist about the plan of attack for Caleb. We expect a shunt will be required, being a tube from Caleb's brain, through his skin, to his abdomen. The shunt draws the excess brain fluid out of the brain to the abdomen, where it can be safely disposed of. Then, hopefully, we can go home and Caleb can lead as normal life as possible.

Caleb's birth defect means he will likely have disabilities. We do not know how bad they will be. This was the case when were told he would have problems, potentially life-threatening ones, at 20 weeks' gestation. Our flat refusal to abort for that reason has, we feel, been totally justified. We love our son and he is gorgeous. Whatever disabilities and problems may come, we feel strongly that God will sustain us, no matter what.
If you have prayed for us and Caleb, thank you so much. Please keep battling in prayer for us, as we are not out of the woods yet - maybe we will never be. But again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We pray that God will bless you for your care and support.
Saturday 24/4/2004----------------------------We met the neurosurgeon today. He confirmed, though in more detail, what we already understood from scans in utero. Caleb has an absence of brain matter which, though it can not be precisely identified, appears to be a lack at the back of the head - roughly, the occipital lobe, and also the corpus callosum. We have no idea what this will mean for Caleb, and not even the neurosurgeon is willing to hazard a guess. We will have to wait and see. It seems certain that a cyst exists and this is causing the swelling. We must operate to relieve this, and will try keyhole surgery first to - to put it roughly - make a hole in the cyst so as to slowly drain brain fluid. If this doesnt work - or even if it does - we may have to also have a shunt put in.
Thursday 29 April 2004--------------------------------Well, we are in Berri. The operation could not go ahead because the neurosurgeon could not fit us in today. We were discharged yesterday afternoon and came home last night. The operation is now scheduled for Thursday 13 May 2004 - the next available time that the neurosurgeon can operate.
Though we are somewhat disappointed that we didn't operate, it has been good to come home. We were getting tired of being in hospital and away from home. Rikki was due to go back to work on Monday coming so it works out well to be back here.
Another positive is that the doctors have been happy to discharge Caleb, so he is in all other respects healthy other than his internal brain matters. He is feeding well and gaining weight.
We are glad to be home and look forward to the operation in a fortnight's time. We still value your prayers and words of support.
Wednesday 5 May 2004-----------------------------------We are still in Berri and all is going well. We will be in Adelaide from Wednesday 12 May 2004 to, probably, Monday 17 May 2004. It is expected that Caleb will take 3-5 days to recover from whatever surgery he has. We are hoping and praying the problem is a cyst, as this seems easier to diagnose and deal with. Otherwise the problem seems to be an "abnormality" which can not be explained. The fluid problem can be dealt with, but only with a shunt then. A cyst has a chance of keyhole surgery and thereby - maybe - no shunt ever required, if the keyhole surgery creates a flow of fluid that reduces Caleb's head size.
It has been good to see all our family and friends in Berri and settle back in to our "routine". Rikki started back at work on Monday and am slowly getting through the backlog. Kristin is recovering well from her surgery and we have had several helpers for her at home - thank you, if you are reading this. Joshua was unsettled by the 3 weeks away from home and we think he has now got back into his routine. He is very interested in Caleb, fusses over him (nicely) if he is crying and says hello and goodbye to Caleb. Joshua is almost 23 months old. All up we are doing well, we are blessed by God with energy to get through this and faith to believe he can do his miracles - by surgery, or by supernatural means. We continue to pray and thank you for your prayers and support.
...later today 5/5/2004 at 12:30pm
Kristin and Caleb visited the GP in Berri for a scheduled checkup visit for Caleb. Caleb has now put on all weight back to his birth weight and added a little more - he now weighs over 4kg. His head circumference has grown slightly. He is a healthy little boy and been given a clean bill of health.
Monday 11 May 2004-----------------------------------We are set to head to Adelaide on Wednesday morning for an operation for Caleb which hopefully will occur Thursday morning. It should take place Thursday afternoon at the latest. We do not expect to be discharged over the long weekend, so Caleb will be in hospital - we expect - until Tuesday 18 May 2004. Kristin is highly likely to be allowed to stay "on-campus" in the Rose Ward (a children's ward, not the post-natal ward like last time) with Caleb. Rikki & Joshua will stay "off-campus" with a friend. Those who had phone numbers to contact us on at the hospital or where we last stayed will have to scrap them. Our mobile number will be our only point of contact. The mobile phone will need to be off most of the day when Rikki is in the hospital, so the best time to call is in the mornings before 8:30pm, evening meal time (excuse Rikki if he sounds grumpy if you call during dinner), after 9pm or otherwise whenever you can catch us!
We may be able to hook up a bedside phone in Rose Ward for contact with Kristin on-campus.
It is unlikely we will be updating this website during this Adelaide visit, though we will see what we can do via Internet cafes or the like.
Sorry we do not have any specific time for you to pray on the day of the operation (Thursday 13 May 2004), we do appreciate your general prayers for Caleb's safe passage to the hospital and through the operation.
Saturday 15 May 2004-----------------------------------The operation has taken place. No shunt was inserted and we praise God for that. The neurosurgeon has given Caleb a fighting chance (40%) of the surgery working and, thereby, Caleb not needing a shunt. If the 60% chance eventuates (ie the surgery does not work) then about Thursday next week Caleb will need a shunt.
The surgery that took place was keyhole surgery or an endoscopy, excuse my ignorance of the exact terms. A hole was made in the third ventricle of the brain that means that the surgeon has acted upon the birth defect so that fluid can drain "naturally". We are now waiting to see if the fluid drains.
There was not a "cyst" but an abnormality of brain development. The surgeon saw that there was a lot of the back of the brain missing. It is not possible to isolate the specific lobes or functions that are missing, but it would appear the occipital lobe (responsible for sight) is the significant missing area.
Caleb has a lot of bandaging on his head after the operation. He is feeding well from the breast and going well. He came out of intensive care (paedeatric intensive care unit, or PICU) on Friday - about 24 hours after the operation.
We are now shifting the prayer focus to the new issue of the 40% chance that this surgery will be the last. If this eventuates, Caleb ought never need a shunt - though this can not be said forever with certainty.
Wednesday 19 May 2004-------------------------------------Posted from Internet cafe in Hindley Street, Adelaide
Well it is four days after my last post and really I feel we know much less. It seems we need to give 7-10 days from the date of surgery before we know whether or not the surgery has worked. In fact, in some cases apparently the surgery only starts working after that time-frame - so it may be 10-14 days before we know if it has worked. The neurosurgeon wants us to stay around, so that means we are 6 days into a possible 10-14 day period. Note too that if it is found the surgery has not worked, then a shunt will be put in - meaning more waiting to see if that has worked. That time frame would run cumulatively with Caleb's time from recovering from another surgery.
The prayer focus remains on this operation working so Caleb does not need a shunt. This will be the case if the swelling in the brain goes down in a more "natural" way rather than swelling up as it had been before the surgery. In essence, we need the brain to work like it would if it were normal. We hope and pray the recent surgery is the last Caleb needs.
Caleb is feeding normally and going fine as far as babies go. His bandages are all off and the stitches from surgery are well on their way to dissolving.
Rikki is now living on-campus in dormitory accomodation. If you need to reach us, send a text message to our mobile phone or contact the Womens and Childrens Hospital on (08) 8161 7000 to get put through to our bay - Bay 7 in Rose Ward.
We have some more photos of Caleb since his surgery, but need to get to a PC where we can upload the photos! So if you are hanging out for fresh photos, you'll have to wait a little longer.
Saturday 22 May 2004-------------------------------------Posted from Karl's place in Happy Valley
Photos uploaded today to "photo gallery 2" page.
This morning the Neurosurgeon visited Caleb and seemed to be happy with his progress. We can not yet say for sure, but Caleb may not need a further operation. The decision on whether Caleb can go home will be made next Thursday.
We are able to go on day outings - such as today, when we visited Karl's place with Caleb. So that indicates Caleb is doing fine in all respects.
Wednesday 26 May 2004-------------------------------------Posted from Lambert home computer, Berri
Egad! Where did May go?
Rikki and Joshua are at home in Berri, Rikki doing what he can at work and Joshua spending time with his Nannas and Poppa (including staying overnight). Tomorrow morning the neurosurgeon is planning to visit Caleb and decide whether a further operation is required, or otherwise whether he is satisfied that the first operation has worked and Kristin and Caleb can come home. We obviously prefer they can come home. An operation would mean a shunt will be inserted, meaning a permanent surgical device in Caleb's body. If the first operation is allowed to stand, it means Caleb does not now (and hopefully in future) need a shunt and he is draining brain fluid "naturally" (with the help of the neurosurgeon's hole in a ventricle).
Later Wednesday
The neurosurgeon visited Caleb this morning after the above post. He says Caleb now needs a shunt. That is, the first operation is not working. Rikki is returning to Adelaide tomorrow morning and Joshua staying with Rikki's grandparents in Berri and Barmera. The shunt operation - Caleb's second - is scheduled to take place late tomorrow afternoon (Thursday).
We are disheartened to hear this news because we thought the first operation was working, but we pray - as Jesus did in the garden of Gesthemane before His passion - "Yet not my will, but yours Lord".
Thursday 3 June 2004-------------------------------------Kristin, Rikki, Joshua and Caleb are now all home at Berri.
Caleb's shunt operation is, guardedly, a success. It appears it is doing what it should be doing. We thank God for that. The surgeons were happy enough that the surgery was working to let us go home. Kristin and Caleb will need to visit the surgeon in a couple weeks' time.
Caleb now has a second hole in his skull (the first from the first, failed surgery). In this hole a tube enters the skull cavity and drains fluid outside the skull into a valve, then down via a thin tube from the back of the head, down the neck, across the shoulder down his front and into his abdomen. The shunt does not show externally anywhere on his body - it all runs under his skin (but not amongst his organs/bones etc). There is a large bump where the valve is, but as Caleb grows this will diminish in size proportionate to his body growth - in other words, it will not seem so large as Caleb grows bigger.
Caleb has a cough which he picked up in hospital. Kristin also is on the mend from a stomach virus that had her laying low for a day or so. Thankfully Rikki has remained well.
We have had some trials and tribulation, but we have made it through with our spirit and faith intact.
Certainly, seeing other children who stay more "long-term" in the Hospital has humbled us to realise our struggle is not as great as some. Alongside us in our ward was a lady from Indonesia - her family all back home - with her 7 month old son, who had cranio-facial and neurosurgery involvement plus surgery on his webbed hands and feet. We pray his recovery and development will go well.
Caleb had eye and ear testing done. To put it simply he has sufficient ear function to enable his language development. As far as eyes go, he can see light and dark and that is really all they can accurately test at his age (6 weeks). Time will tell what his disabilities are.
Most interestingly, when electrodes were placed all over his head, and his eyes stimulated with a strobe light, there was activity at the back of the frontal lobe. Caleb appears to have no occipital lobe, which should be processing eye input. So it would seem that something in the brain (more specifically, the frontal lobe) is doing the missing lobe's job. We certainly hope so.
Hopefully now we can focus on Joshua's birthday (12/6), Rikki's birthday (21/6) and Caleb's baptism (27/6) and have some celebration time.
Again, we thank you for your prayers, thoughts, kind words and support. We really hope to get on with "life as usual" (so to speak) now, although obviously the need for ongoing review with Caleb makes life less than "usual".
Tuesday 15 June 2004-------------------------------------Caleb continues to put on weight and amaze us with his cuteness and "normalcy". By the latter I mean that so many people ask how he is, and we have to say he is just like a normal baby. In recent times he has even seemed to be "fixing" on faces looking at him, which we think is a good sign regarding his vision.
Joshua's birthday on 12 June was a wonderful occasion with our families. It was great for Joshua to be the focus of attention again, at home with his mum, dad, brother and all those who have recently cared for him while we have been in hospital. Joshua got very spoilt with lots of wonderful presents - many having something to do with his favourite toy, cars - and he had a great time.
Kristin is now with Caleb and Joshua in Adelaide (assisted by her mum, Lyn) for a visit to the neurosurgeons on Wednesday (ie tomorrow). The appointment is to review whether the shunt is working satisfactorily. We are hoping and praying that the shunt is working properly and that we can get on with "life as normal".
We have had a visit from a local early intervention worker, Di Walsh, and thus begins our education on specialists (eg physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists etc), child development and the like. We hope we don't become reliant on those services (ie needing lots of assistance for Caleb due to significant disabilities), but it is in God's hands what lies before us.
Wednesday 14 July 2004-------------------------------------I can't believe it's been one month since I last journalled here. Birthdays and baptisms have come and gone, and Kristin will today land in Adelaide returning from a week-and-a-half holiday in Queensland with Caleb visiting my parents and sisters.
We have been very blessed over this month with celebrations, time spent with family and friends and - for Kristin - a refreshing holiday.
I am not sure how often we will be able to update this website, but will use it again as an information tool if the need arises in future.
We have uploaded some photos from Caleb's baptism on 27 June 2004, which you can see by following this link.
Friday 10 September 2004-------------------------------------God is strengthening Caleb, growing him, healing him, every day - I am sure.He was measured yesterday and his head size is stable, meaning that he is closing in on having a head that is within the "97th percentile". Also I must admit I was a little cheeky in praying about the closure of his skull regarding left and right hemispheres, which had closed unevenly so the left was raised more than the right. I prayed that his head would "even out" so he wouldnt have an uneven skull. Slowly but surely left is coming into line with right and, we think that with a head of hair, his skull will look "normal".His shunt area doesnt swell up as much as it used to with brain fluid, meaning it is much less noticeable. Hair is growing over and the surgery scarring is healing well. At this stage, it looks like the shunt will not be very visible at all.So far as vision goes, Caleb continues looking around and reacting to people. He loves kisses on his little red cheeks. It is hard to mimic his sounds in writing but he is starting to "talk" which indicates to me his hearing is quite good too. Certainly he hears you when you make noises.Kristin and Caleb saw the physiotherapist this week and she said, yes, he is behind, but I understand that she said he is going as well as can be expected. Other kids are "pushing up" when lying on their tummies, and sitting up fairly independently. Unfortunately, with such a large head, Caleb will take some time to do those things. We are prayerful and hopeful that he will make progress despite his head. I think that will start happening when his head is more proportionate to his body (ie closer to maybe 70th percentile, as his body is otherwise along the 50th percentile like Joshua's is).So, in all we are very thankful for God's blessings on us. Actually thinking back it is very much like I said it would be at the very start when we first heard the "bad news". What I mean is that at that time I said we will either suffer, and be very aware of God's presence, or God will do miraculous things, but like the Israelites we will forget, take the miracles for granted and get on with ordinary life. There is an element in our case of both ends of the spectrum, but at the moment more the "ordinary life" than "suffering" at the moment.Our prayers go out to those who are suffering, and we hope our story encourages them in their suffering.So far as prayer needs go, more of the same thanks! For development of all senses, particularly vision. For his head size to stay stable. For the shunt to keep doing its thing to keep the head size stable and to avoid a build up of cerebro-spinal fluid CSF inside a gradually solidifying skull. And for a firm awareness of God's goodness, mercy and grace and to live in it every day.
Tuesday 28 September 2004-------------------------------------Caleb now weighs a healthy 7kg (double his birth weight). His head size is close to "the 97th percentile" whereas his length and weight are on the 50th percentile. The head size is a marked improvement on where Caleb was, and the size is steadily coming back towards 50th percentile. He will probably never reach that, but God has shown us He is the God of the impossible - so we pray with boldness!
Extract from recent physiotherapy report:"Caleb ... is making slow gains with motor skills. Head control continues to be the main factor slowing his development of skills such as independent sitting and prone lying. He also takes very little weight when held to stand"
Wednesday 5 January 2005-----------------------------------------Well it is hard to believe Caleb is now 8 1/2 months old and looking healthy. Today we were satisfied that he had properly sat up for 10 seconds without falling over, which is a great development. Caleb is a happy little boy who is going fantastically.
Caleb's head size is about 90th percentile now and body weight and length about 45-50th percentile. The gap between the first and latter two is closing.
Caleb has vision and his eyes seem to take turns looking. He reacts smiling widely if you come to get him up in the morning and he is awake, or (For me, Daddy) when I come home from work. He clearly can recognise faces even from say 3 metres away.
Caleb is quite the talker now, starting to scream sometimes for his food but not in a sad way, almost a cheeky way saying "Hey, wheres my tucker?".
He is very close too to rolling from back to front - he has been doing front to back for about 1-2 months now.
We are so blessed with the miracles that have happened in Caleb's life. We pray that God will continue working his wonders in Caleb.
Our appointments with specialists are now 6 monthly and so there is no real present drama for Caleb. Our prayer request is now that Caleb's development will continue strongly and astound the experts. Already, though, we feel blessed so much more than what we ever expected. Our boy is alive and is likely to lead a "normal" life with some disability - at first we were led to believe things would be a lot worse.
Tuesday 29 March 2005-----------------------------------Time is flying by and it is less than a month until Caleb turns 1 year of age. It will be an amazing achievement and a special moment for him. He sees an Opthalmologist and Neurosurgeon Wednesday and Thursday this week, which are largely checkups. However we will be asking whether it is time to operate on his eyes to "straighten them up" as they still turn inwards. There has been no miraculous change in his eyes, but we are grateful to the Lord that the eyes at least are both useable and in working order. Caleb's development is still a little delayed - other babies are crawling and almost standing at this stage - but he is not drastically behind. We have some recommendations made to us by a Physiotherapist as to how we can improve Caleb's development.
Monday 6 June 2005-----------------------------------Caleb's birthday was a special occasion on 20 April 2005 and he was so bright and happy for it. Which is sad, considering that as I type this post he is in the Emergency Department of the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide. He threw up his tea at midnight last night (Sunday night) then was up every hour overnight. In the morning he was tired, cranky and lethargic. He was not taking in food or drink. By lunchtime we decided to take him to our General Medical Practice in Berri. Not surprisingly, they thought it wise to take Caleb to Adelaide. Kristin left almost immediately with Caleb while Rikki stayed in Berri. Joshua was with Nanna Lambert and tomorrow visits Nanna Scholz.
Caleb has tonight had 2 x-rays and a CT scan, the latter revealing the ventricles are not enlarged but, in fact, are smaller than his last scan over 10 months ago. This is a good sign the shunt has not blocked. However despite the investigations so far there is no answer as to why Caleb is sick. He will go onto a drip tonight. We hope and pray that it is simply an illness, and not a shunt blockage. We pray Caleb will be home soon - especially for his big brother's 3rd birthday this Sunday, with a party Monday 13 June 2005.
Tuesday 7 June 2005-----------------------------------Caleb stopped breathing last night. Kristin was there and rang the bell and the nurses came to revive him. He is in Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (“PICU”) and is presently stable. His shunt (or the tube at least) has been removed from under his skin to his abdomen so they could inspect whether a blockage had occurred. It appears there was no blockage. It seems almost certain the problem was cerebro-spinal fluid (“CSF”) related – ie a build-up of brain fluid. We just do not know what.

We do not expect Caleb to be home for another 3-4 days at the earliest.

At times like this it is difficult to know what to say. A song by a favourite band of mine, Caedmon’s Call, has a line that keeps coming to mind:
“When death, like a gypsy, comes to steal what I love
I will still look to the heavens, I will still seek your face”.

Psalm 23 also comes to mind.

Please pray for Caleb, for healing and skilful work for surgeons and medical staff.
For Kristin and I as we cope with this sudden change.
For Joshua as he spends time with his Nannas again. His birthday plans are in jeopardy, but fortunately he knows only that his party is in the future, and will be exciting. Both of which are true – just a question of when the party is.

With love - Rikki
Saturday 11 June 2005---------------------------------Kristin and I are home. Joshua is in Adelaide coming home today with his grandparents Rob and Lyn.
I sent this e-mail today to a number of our family and friends:
Dear family and friends
We deeply regret informing you that Caleb died at 12:30pm on Thursday 9 June 2005 at Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide. He died as we held him in our arms after coming off the respirator he had been on since early Tuesday morning.
Caleb was born 20 April 2004 and was thus 13.5 months old. For 415 days Caleb blessed us with his smiles, his cuddles, his development, his courageous battle against the odds.
He now rests gazing straight into the eyes of Jesus as our Lord cradles Caleb in his arms.
The funeral for Caleb will be Tuesday 14 June 2005 at 10:00am at Zion Berri Lutheran Church, Marshall Street Berri. Visitation will occur from 9:30am to 9:45am before the funeral service at the church hall adjoining the worship area. Caleb will be buried after the service in the children’s section of Berri Cemetery.
A funeral notice appears in today (Saturday’s) Advertiser.
Thank you all for your love, support and most of all prayers in this very hard time. Your prayers are valued for our faith and strength in this difficult time. As has always been the case during Caleb’s life, the Lord has sustained us with faith and strength to hope for the best. We pray the Lord will give you too this same faith and strength in these dark days.
With love
Rikki + Kristin Lambert
I hope to update this website in the days and weeks ahead with photographs from Caleb's life.
Monday 20 June 2005---------------------------------We have buried our son Caleb at Berri Lawn Cemetery on 14 June 2005 after a fantastic service at our church, Zion Berri Lutheran, that morning.
You can read the Eulogy by clicking here.
We hope to upload a lot more pictures and the video/image presentation from the funeral when we have access to a broadband connection (perhaps in Qld).
We fly to Queensland tomorrow for a one-week holiday with Rikki's parents on the Gold Coast - for a much needed break, reflection and recreation. Please pray that this is so for our holiday.
May the Lord bless you as you read and view the information on this site concerning the conclusion of Caleb's brief stay with us in this life.
Monday 27 June 2005---------------------------------Today is the last night of our 7 days in Queensland. We had scheduled this holiday before Caleb died for some time away with our family in Queensland. It has thus now been badly needed, and enjoyable time, but also tinged with grief.
Sadly we can not upload the video presentation from Caleb's funeral as it is far too large for the free webspace provided here. Perhaps in future we might relocate the site to somewhere with more space. Our dialup connection (as opposed to broadband) limits what we can do.
For those of you who did not see Caleb just before he died, we could put up one little video to show in part how well he was doing. Kristin asks Caleb "touch your nose Caleb" and he does it - click here to view it.
Monday 25 July 2005---------------------------------As you can probably already tell, we're publishing here less and less. By now many people who sent condolence cards will have received thank-you cards bearing, among other things, the address for this site.
We are doing our best to move on, step by step. We thank you all for your prayers and support during Caleb's life and in his death. Do not be sad if we do not publish here again, rest assured we are in the care of the Lord.
God bless
Rikki, Kristin + Joshua