From Tina's FB post:

Day 4 of Baby Tommy's life outside my womb, Day 4 of relying again and again on God's grace and Our Lady's intercession 🙏🏻

It's sometimes hard to believe that one week has passed since the amniotic sac in my womb started leaking, causing an earlier than expected labor and delivery of Baby Tommy into the world.

But God's ways are not our ways. His plans are not our plans. He always knows best, even if we sometimes don't understand what that "best" is or can't see what it looks like.

So, like Our Lady, Our dear Mama Mary, we just say "yes." Be it done to us according to Your Word, Lord.🙏🏻

"Listen and let it penetrate your heart…do not be troubled or weighed down with grief. Do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain. Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life? Are you not in the folds of my mantle? In the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else you need?” (Our Lady of Guadalupe's words to her servant Juan Diego.)

For everyone who has been praying for us, and asking how we are, here is our latest update as of 3pm today, Aug 13:

Praise God and thanks to your prayers, Baby Tommy, who in the first few days was not nursing properly, is now much better at it... he has learned how to suck properly and is getting to be quite good at nursing. The nurses still cupfeed him with my expressed milk as needed but they prioritize direct breastfeeding so I still try to go to the IMCU every 2 hours to feed him. Though the nurses sometimes tell me to rest and let them cupfeed him, especially at night and during the early morning.

Tommy's first blood test to determine the bilirubin level in his blood showed a level high enough for his neonatologist to double the phototherapy lights used in his treatment. The results of his repeat blood test came out earlier today and his neonatologist said that there is no change which means he still needs to have double lights (she had been hoping that it could already be reduced to single light today). Let's pray that his bilirubin level will go down so that he can be off phototherapy already.

Tommy's last day of antibiotics is on August 15, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so we are praying and claiming that it will also be the day when we will be given the good news that we can be discharged already. 🙏🏻

Thank you so so so much again to all of you for your prayers, support, calls, and messages of encouragement. Thank you, too, to those who check on us regularly via private messages, and those who came to visit. Special mention goes to Ate Betty Beatrice Lugay-San Luis, an awesome doula and sister in Christ, who brought this beautiful image of Our Lady of Guadalupe to us in the hospital before Tommy was born. Since Ate Betty couldn't be my doula anymore, Our Lady became my doula instead!

We are truly, truly grateful to God for you all!❤️

We praise and thank God for His everyday miracles, especially the blessing that there are no serious complications in Baby Tommy's condition, even with his being born prematurely. Anthony is also feeling much better now, and I know that we are being sustained in body and spirit because of God's grace and all your prayers too. Your prayers are truly powerful!🙏🏻

Together, let's claim God's healing and provision not just for ourselves and our own loved ones, but for everyone who needs it! There are so so so many people in need. Let us remember them in our prayers every day.

God bless us all! Totus Tuus, Maria!