Miracle in Progress

What a day! For the first time in two weeks we heard these magic words... favorable odds! The odds are now WITH Samuel, instead of against him! We are full of tears of joy!

If not for the follow-up words of "it's a long road ahead, with many hurdles" we would be singing from the rooftops. Regardless, we are celebrating :) Our miracle, Samuel's miracle, is happening right before our eyes.

Two of the lead pulmonologists met yesterday and discussed our little boy. Due to his body being able to lower its CO2 level, they now think there might be enough good lung for Samuel to come home one day! When our attending told me this today - I cried.  Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers!  Please keep us on your list - it's a battle ahead, but do-able :)

What a week... on Tuesday Olivia had an appointment at MUSC (all is well!), so we all went to visit Samuel (thank you NNICU team!). Our babies were together again for only the second time in six months. This is what we walked away with...

A few little helping hands :)

Nothing better than baby toes!!!

Group photo - together at last, even if only for a minute :)

The man with a plan

Plans make me happy :) Of course, I understand that plans can change... but in general, I really like having one. DB teases me about my morning ritual of "what's the plan" :)

Now, Samuel is the man with a plan. Again, it could all change in a moments time, but we can do nothing but hope for the best. Friday night was a nightmare... but he has spent the last four days getting, and trying to stay, stable. We are tweaking the "perfect storm" of JET ventilator settings all the time, constantly working on keeping his O2 requirement down, the CO2 level in his body down, and the pressure support of the JET down from the highest settings. Four days ago, most of the medical team was honest with us that they were unsure he could ever get to where he is now. Turns out, Samuel is up for a challenge!

Samuel is a fighter. We have heard it from Day 1 - now we know just how true that is! Over the last four days he has pulled himself up from rock bottom, and now he is hanging on. We are thankful for every day - every miracle. Our ideal plan would be to consider slowly lifting the sedation and paralysis in a little more than a week. He will have to be able to hang on when he's awake... this is the next big hurdle. From there, it's another waiting game. From what we understand, Samuel will let us know in the next 1-5 weeks what his little body is capable of doing. Whether it can keep up with him, and grow new lung and begin to repair some of the scarring, or not.

The ideal long term plan - of course, we have no idea what miracles look like - would be for him to come home near his first birthday, with his own lungs, on a ventilator. But today, we are still hopeful for tomorrow.

Every day with Samuel is a gift. In fact, this week has made me realize that EVERY day is a gift. When we are at the hospital, we hold Samuel's hand every minute we can... when we get home from the hospital, Olivia and George are in our arms until they go to bed... and when we are in between, I'm just trying not to get a speeding ticket. DB and I are taking each hour as it comes... nothing but hopeful and optimistic, but with pieces of reality sprinkled on top. Sometimes I hate reality - it makes me cry, a lot.

The waiting game

We got another day with Samuel! We are so thankful!!! Plus, it was a good day with no major, or minor, events :) Prayer is an amazing thing!

In the same breath, we also learn a little more every day about what our little guy is up against, and we are very scared. Samuel has to grow more "good" lung. We can work towards the very best situation for him to be able to do that, but then it is a waiting game. Not only do we not know if he can actually grow good air sacs, but we also don't know at what rate they would grow.

Photo from the 4th of July... can't bring myself to post current photos yet. It's tough... his little face is so puffy due to the sedation and paralysis. It looks like our sweet boy is in a deep, deep sleep.

Today he got to a great place to be able to grow new lung! He seemed to have a very restful day... his heartrate was in a good, relaxed place, the level of CO2 in his body is down, and we were able to ween on his oxygen. All of these are things we want... and as of yesterday were very unsure if they could be accomplished. His low heartrate means the paralysis and sedation are working and he is not stressed - yea! The low CO2 level is great because that means the ventilator is working - his O2/Co2 exchange is good - yea! The low levels of oxygen are absolutely wonderful! High levels of oxygen are toxic to the lungs (and the eyes, but his look fantastic and are already fully developed). I know that sounds crazy... here's an example... the air that we breath is only 21% oxygen. Anything over 60% is toxic, which means that with high levels of oxygen, it would be nearly impossible to grow new, good lung. As of yesterday, it was all we could do to get to 80%... and as of tonight his oxygen is down around 50%, which opens a door for progress.

But, his ventilator setting are still very high. We need them to go down, but in order for that to happen, he will require more oxygen. SO - the next goal is to get his oxygen low enough that we can bring down his vent settings and increase his oxygen, but still keep it under 60%. It's like trying to create the perfect storm.

All of this, and even when the perfect storm is created (which it will be because we have awesome docs, nurses, and RTs :)), we still just don't know if Samuel can grow new, good lung, and if he can do it in time. We are playing the waiting game. If Samuel can hold on, we will re-evaluate his care plan in two weeks to discuss whether or not it appears that he is growing the new air sacs.

We celebrate each battle he overcomes, like being able to come down on his oxygen level today. We are full of hope and prayers. We also know the mountain that is ahead and the look in a doctors eyes when they tell you they can't make you any promises. Each day with Samuel is a gift! Our emotions are drained... thank you so much for all of your support and your prayers, it means the world to us. Miracle - here we come!

*We won't know more about the option of a transplant until the end of the week - which is okay, because at this point he is not stable enough to be transported anyway (pediatric lung transplant is very new and very risky, so most hospitals, including ours, don't do it). The docs at two wonderful hospitals will be reviewing our case this week.

**George and Olivia are doing really well! It's a good thing they were used to hanging out with lots of different people :) DB and I did come back to Beaufort last night and tonight to see them... we miss them so much. But, we've got family and friends that are loving on them and keeping them entertained, fed, and happy. It's been a huge gift for DB and I to be together with Samuel the last three days, and to still know that O and G are happy.

Chillin' - I am so hopeful for Samuel to do this with his brother and sister!

Praying for a miracle

I don't know any other way than to just say it. Our littlest guy is not okay. . . Samuel needs prayers. His lungs are worse than we thought, and our medical options are extremely limited. What we have is hope, faith, prayers for a miracle, and a wonderful medical team that loves Samuel.

Our baby is very sick. I will go into more detail - but Samuel has been intubated, medically paralyzed, and heavily sedated since Friday night to get, and keep him stable. Our hearts are breaking.

Here is the long version... as we understand it so far...

After a successful tracheostomy, Samuel was breathing easier and looking fantastic! He loves to read books and make lots of eye contact with visitors, so the trache was great because it allowed him more freedom. But, routine tests were continuing to puzzle us... for example the CO2 level in his body was going up and up and eventually off the charts. There was talk of reintubating him - back on the ventilator again was hard to swallow. Prior to making that type of decision, pulmonology and our attending neonatologist consulted and decided to get a CT scan. They don't routinely do CT scans on BPD babies... they even told us going into the scan not to expect much out of it, but they wanted to cover all bases, even those not routinely used.

What the scan showed was devastating. It was also completely unexpected... from what we understand, most BPD babies don't have these results. But, it does explain his pattern of crashing. The team actually went over the scan numerous times to be sure of what they were seeing. Everyone was amazed that Samuel has done as well as he has with what is going on inside his body. Samuel has very little "good lung"... large portions have cysts and signs of pulmonary fibrosis, which are like scars where the lungs have been damaged from the very thing keeping him alive - the ventilator and high levels of oxygen. These bad portions are so large and numerous, that they cannot be removed. In addition, the parts that are good, aren't great.

Here's the easiest way I have found to describe the scars, and then treatment plan... normal, good, lungs are filled with air sacs that look like spider webs. This is where the O2 and CO2 exchange happens. Instead of the webbing, Samuel's lung have big cysts which create 'flat' surfaces. Therefore, when the oxygen comes into the lungs, instead of being processed through the air sacs (spider webs), it takes the path of least resistance, which is to pass through the flat, scarred surfaces. When this happens, there is no O2/CO2 exchange. This is where we get into serious trouble.

Therefore, it was determined that the best treatment plan would be to go back on the JET ventilator, which delivers literally hundreds of little breaths every minute. Instead of big puffs of air, the little breaths would be forced to go though the air sacs and get the O2/CO2 exchange. Plus, this allows the scarred areas to collapse, with the hope that with time the good air sacs will grow and multiply. Because he is such an old baby (bigger and stronger than most in the NNICU), he would have to be paralyzed in order to get him to relax and not fight the JET. With the paralysis comes heavy sedation, so that he won't know he's paralyzed and be scared and uncomfortable.

DB was already at the hospital visiting when all of this was determined. I was called immediately. Omi and aunt Nancy were on their way to the house to watch Olivia and George. Because things were looking so grim, the plan was for me to be able to hold him for one hour... just in case. We made eye contact, he heard my voice, and I held him for 5 minutes. It was truly amazing that they had put the plan in place. He started crashing... and as DB and I held his blue little hands the team bagged him and kept him breathing. Just then the JET ventilator arrived - it had been ordered from another hospital in another state (all at our hospital were already in use) - and the RT's were furiously preparing it for our guy. The paralytic and morphine were already on hand, in addition to other drugs that I can't spell - in they went. And out he went... into medically induced paralysis. He was hooked up to the JET, and we hoped for the best.

It was the worst night of our lives. But 24 hours later, he was considered stable... with the understanding that one bad event, and we could lose him. Tonight, we are still in the same place. The medical team has worked for the last two days to find the perfect JET settings, and tonight he seems comfortable. His O2/CO2 exchange seems okay... his heart rate seems okay... and he looks relatively rosy, just like a little baby should. We celebrate that!

We celebrate, but in the same breath we are terrified, and sad, and hopeful, and praying for a miracle. We find out more tomorrow, but it seems that we may only have two options... to work towards a possible lung transplant or for a miracle. We're not even sure if he is a candidate yet for the transplant... but short of a miraculous healing of Samuel's air sacs, it may be our only option.

Tonight we were asked to be thinking about what we would want if Samuel crashes... Four days ago he was on the verge of smiling and we could hold him in our arms. We are in shock. We are asking for your prayers... for our entire family of 5.

Beautiful Boy!

Today, for the first time since he was born, five months ago, we saw Samuel's face with no tape or tubes! We knew he was a good lookin' guy... today confirmed that he is absolutely a beautiful little boy!! It brought tears to my eyes... actually, that happened a lot today :)

The Bronchoscopy went really well - his airway looks great! There was absolutely nothing to fix. So, Samuel got the tracheostomy. It was a scary day... but a great day. He looks amazing :) And comfortable - all things considered of course :) Not gonna lie, it's a bit intimidating to look at the trache right now... but we have been assured that as it heals, it gets easier. Bottom line, no more things stuck to Samuel's face, up his nose, or in his mouth - YEA! Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and prayers!

Before, on CPap...

After, with trache...

On his way to the OR... such a brave little guy!

The best for last... above is before...

After! Our beautiful boy!

Bronchoscopy

Tomorrow, we need your thoughts and prayers... for our new family... but especially for Samuel. It's a big day for our little guy! His is working so hard to breathe... but he's crashing again, his lungs aren't healthy, and tomorrow we will try something new.

With his therapy barbell :)

During a bronchoscopy, they will look at his airway. If there is any obstruction, they will fix it! That would be fantastic! But, we don't anticipate there will be an obstruction. More than likely, Samuel will get a tracheostomy. Basically, the tracheostomy is when they make a hole in Samuel's trachea, through the front of his neck, and then insert a breathing tube. This is a great website that I found that explains it... http://www.tracheostomy.com/faq/what.htm.

If he gets it, the trache will be temporary - depending on his airway (they will check to see if it is "floppy") it sounds like we should expect a minimum of one year.

Why the trache?

- Samuel isn't getting better. He is working so hard, and we have tried so many things, but after a few weeks on each new treatment, he crashes. Right now they're doing everything they can to keep him off of the ventilator.

- The trache will help him to breathe easier! Samuel won't have to struggle so much! He's old enough now to know that he's uncomfortable and wants to be doing more than he's allowed to do with all of the breathing contraptions on his face.

- Right now, Samuel's CO2 levels in his blood are extremely high. This is very dangerous. With the trache, his body can get the oxygen that it needs AND these CO2 levels should come down.

- Neurologically, Samuel looks amazing!! He is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed! He loves to read, and look around, and interact with people! This is incredible, especially for a baby who not only started so small, but has spent his first five months in the hospital. To keep him going in the right direction, he needs to come home! He needs the interaction and stimulation that he will get from being with his family. Also, a lot of a baby's development comes from oral stimulation and with all of the stuff on his face he can't get that. With the trache, he can nurse and bottle-feed!

- He will be able to come HOME soon! Without the trache, it could be months and months... and he would probably still need it. With the trache, it could be a matter of weeks!

Why not to do the trache?

- I am terrified. It's pretty simple. I am so scared. I'm not sure why... the doctors, ENT folks, pulmonologist, respiratory therapists, and nurses are all on the same page... this is the best thing for Samuel. I know this is the right thing... and I'm excited for Samuel to feel better... and I can't wait to see my baby's face without any tubes... but that doesn't make it any easier. It's surgery.

A bit of good news! Even if he does get the trache, most likely Samuel's lungs will grow to be healthy and strong! In other words, will still be able to play sports besides golf, bowling, or bocce :) Or sing, like the contestant on American Idol :) If he's interested of course :)

So... tomorrow at 3:30 the doctors will do the bronchoscopy. At 4pm they will decide whether or not to do the trache. We're still hoping for an airway obstruction that can just be fixed, DB is convinced it's just the jellybean he gave Samuel last week, but preparing ourselves for him to come out of the procedure with the trache. We're excited there is a new option... but we're scared that our little boy might be having another surgery. I pray a lot for God to prepare Samuel for His purpose... and for the strength to keep praying that prayer.

Samuel's No Good, Very Bad Day

There's not really any candy coating this time... to tell you the truth I'm just too sad to think of any. On Monday afternoon the bottom dropped out for Samuel.

Our little guy has really bad lungs - there's no way around it. They just can't keep up with him yet. He finished his fourth round of meds for his lungs (steroids) a week before, and by Monday afternoon they wore off. I know it's not true, but it feels like Samuel is back to square one. He is back on the ventilator after 57 days off of it, but this time he is bigger so they also heavily sedate him in order to get him to relax and allow his body to just breathe and heal. They also don't want him to feel any pain. I understand all of this, but I hate seeing my little boy just lying there in the NNICU - not moving his little arms and legs, not lifting his head and peeking out at the world, not interacting, and not enjoying his music and mobile like he used to. I think the worst part is that we can't hold him. I know this is temporary, but right now my heart is breaking.

A friend emailed me this verse a while back, and I have really tried to keep it on my mind - especially now: 1 Samuel 2: 26-- "and the boy Samuel grew strong in stature and in favor with God and man."

I so want my little boy to grow strong! I've never wanted anything so badly in my entire life.

The goal, for right now, is to get him off the ventilator in one week. We are praying for this every day! The problem is, there isn't any type of prescription that will just "fix" his lungs. His BPD (Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia) is chronic and severe, and there's not a pill that just makes it better. There are lots of things we can try, most of which we already have... it's just a matter of finding the right mix of things to make Samuel better. His right side has also collapsed a bit, so we are using the ventilator setting to try and pop them back open. The docs are really thinking outside the box, and double checking his heart, getting a consult from endocrinology, and trying new things with his ventilator settings and nutrition. But, it sounds like the bottom line is that the bigger and stronger he gets, the better his lungs will get.

The doctors and nurses are amazing! They so obviously love Samuel, and that brings us such joy. He is in the best possible place! There is always a silver lining :)

But - it doesn't seem fair. I know he'll get better, I'm just not sure when that will be.

Here's our little guy the day before things got bad - with his mac daddy set-up :) Sorry, I just can't bring myself to take a picture of him right now... I know I should, so that one day I can show it to him. Maybe I'll get the courage tomorrow.

Day of Life 100

Yes, really! It has been 100 days since the babies came!

I am so torn. It is amazing how far our pumpkins have come... but I'm not going to lie - it breaks my heart that our little Samuel is still in the hospital. He is doing really well, and is almost five pounds! (Just a reminder - he started at 1 & 1/2 lbs!) But his little lungs are just not good... they still need more time to heal. How much time, we're just not sure. If everything goes perfectly, he could be home in a matter of weeks... if not, it could be a couple more months. We are so ready to have our family together! The great news is that he likes to eat :) The more he grows, the stronger he gets and the more avioli his lungs grow. These are both great things!!!

I miss him so much. I needed to take a minute today to encourage my spirits... here is what I saw...


93 days ago...

5 days ago...

93 days ago...

5 days ago...

104 days ago...

5 days ago...

(You didn't really think I would post a belly photo?! :) )


Brother and sister chillin' :)

Byrne Family

That's right! Our very first family photo!!! It was a FANTASTIC day, as you can probably guess :) Our babies were together again for the first time since they were born, 9 weeks ago!

There are four different nurseries in the hospital... the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NNICU), then the Special Care Nursery (SCN), then the Level 2 Nursery, then the regular nursery - not sure what they call it - the one for giant babies who go home two days after they're born :) All of our babies started in the NNICU, and a few weeks ago Olivia and George were transferred to the SCN. Today, Samuel was transferred to the SCN!!! It was such a wonderful surprise! He also came out of his isolet and into a radiant warmer (more of an open bed, but with the ability to warm the baby with a heat lamp from above). With Olivia out of isolation (yea!), and both she and George in open cribs, and Samuel in the radiant warmer - we were able to all climb into Samuel's bed to get our first group photo :)

Samuel is now a little more than 3 pounds, Olivia is a little more than 5 pounds, and George is more than 5 1/2 pounds. Too funny, we thought Olivia and George were tiny... until we laid them all together :) But our little man, Samuel, is growing by the day!

I'm not going to lie... DB and I both had tears in our eyes :)

I'm guessing this is a sign of things to come... one covering the face, one with one eye closed, and one not even looking at the camera! But they sure are cute :)

LOVE the babies! Together at last :)

The Byrne Family... of five!

Roller Coaster Part 2

Everyone is improving! Lately, the roller coaster ride has had fewer downs and more ups - yea!!! In fact, we may be close to bringing one or two of our babies home soon! We've had a few tentative dates for Olivia and/or George to come home, but so far they haven't exactly followed our plan :) Go figure! It's funny, I'm not sure I really even have a vote any more... my plans are entirely up to them :) Lots of people told us how much our lives would change... now we're living it!

We are also preparing for a new challenge. Bringing one or two babies home also means leaving one or two babies at the hospital, a 90-minute drive from home. I'm not going to lie - I have a ton of anxiety. We have been so blessed to have a room at the RMHouse right across the street from the hospital - and I am scared to be further away. I actually planned a trip home to help DB with final preparations and completely chickened out after a minor break down. Luckily, DB has got the homefront under control :)

In short, George needs to consistently gain weight in order to come home... Olivia needs to consistently gain weight and keep breathing... and Samuel's lungs need to heal. George and Olivia both had tentative dates of coming home tomorrow, but that's been changed to "soon" - and Samuel should be another seven weeks.

Here's the longer version :)

**The new test for all the babies is for ROP, Rentinopathy of Prematurity. When babies are born premature, the vessels in the eyes have not grown to maturity so they are checked to make sure they continue to grow. All premature babies get tested for this every two weeks until the vessels in their eyes are "mature" - when they have grown from Zone 1 into Zone 3. Levels of the disease can range from stage 1 to stage 4. Stage 1 is considered not a huge deal and there is no intervention - the eyes usually fix themselves. At Stage 4 they can actually intervene with laser surgery - crazy! I've met quite a few people who's children have needed this surgery... again, it amazes me that this type of thing can be done on such little tiny people! The word "disease" is a scary one, but in this case it can be something that goes away entirely, or has minimal lasting effects, with proper diagnosis and care :) **

Olivia – is a beautiful, strong girl, but still comes up with new ways to get attention :)

She's doing her car seat test - 90 minutes in the seat with no events - yea! The bad news for DB and I - this smile was the one time she was happy in that car seat! (And no, her car seat is not blue - it's pink of course!)

Who's the princess?

- Lungs - she has been on room air for weeks now! But, the last three days she has had apnic events - she has stopped breathing due to reflux. It's pretty scary, especially when she turns blue. But, we're trying new things to help her out.
- Brain – from the beginning she has been clear – no bleeds! Yea!
- Heart – her ductus is still closed!
- Stomach – she's eating well! Her feeding tube came out last week! Actually, she pulled it out :) She didn't want George to get too far ahead of her - she IS Baby A! Since then, she's eaten without it! Just need to control that reflux...
- Eyes – after the second eye exam, her vessels are mature and they didn't find any disease!
- Ears - she passed her hearing test!
- Other – she seems to be anemic, so she received a blood transfusion a few weeks ago. Since then it seems much better, but still a little lower than normal. Also, she is still in isolation but could be out as soon as tomorrow. She passed her car seat test!
- Prayer requests – that she has no more events where she stops breathing!


Samuel – is still our fighter!

Nothing better than a cuddle with dad :)

Hey! That's not dad?! Hi turtle :)

- Lungs – this is still Samuel’s biggest struggle. He came off the JET ventilator more than a week ago - yea!! Since then he has weened on his CPap, and could go to nasal cannula by the end of the week. He's made many of these improvements while on medication (steroids), which reduce some of the inflammation in his lungs (which was caused by the ventilator - catch 22). With each round of the meds (he's on his third round now) he has taken 3 steps forward and 1-2 steps back - so overall he is improving a little bit at a time! We are really hoping that this time we will be able to get to, and stay on, nasal cannula. He has also had to have 5-6 blood transfusions due to low red blood cell counts… which help with the oxygen level in his blood… each has gone well.
- Brain – the grade 1 bleed is still there (the worst being a grade 4), but the doctors still don’t seem too concerned. For the grade 1, they just let it heal itself. His was actually so small that the doctors said a few years ago, with different technology, they wouldn’t have even seen it.
- Heart – since his surgery, the ductus has stayed closed! Yea!!!
- Stomach – he is a wonderful eater! In fact, he's even getting a little double chin :) I never thought a double chin could be so exciting!
- Eyes – his vessels aren't quite mature yet, but they have grown into Zone 2! They have seen stage 1 disease, but are not worried at this point - they think it will fix itself. One concern is how much oxygen he has received due to his lungs. Another catch 22 - need the oxygen to breathe, but it increases our worries about his eyes.
- Other – he has not had any IV's or a PIC line for quite some time now - we really hope it stays that way! (No hearing or car seat tests for Samuel yet.)
- Prayer requests – that his brain absorbs the bleed, his eyes mature, and that his lungs heal!!!


George – continues to lead the way with growth!

What's up mama! Just hangin' out and lookin' good in my cute outfit :)

Mom, was the mohawk really necessary? (Absolutely!)

- Lungs - he has been on room air for weeks now! And no events for quite some time!
- Brain – after the last scan, it appears his Grade 1 has absorbed and is gone!
- Heart – has been good to go from the beginning!
- Stomach – he's an eating champ! Not sure where it's going though - the boy needs to continue to gain weight. Also, he never developed NEC - everything was simply attributed to gas :)
- Eyes – after the second eye exam, his eyes are not mature yet - still Zone 2. So far no disease has been found!
- Ears - he passed his hearing test!
- Other – he has had no additional IV's since the "unicorn" :) He passed his car seat test!
- Prayer requests – that he gains weight consistently over the next few days and that his eyes mature.

I would love to give a more definite date of when the babies might come home - but we have had too many tentative dates that have come and gone to be sure enough to post one! Instead, we focus on the fact that each day the babies are getting stronger and healthier - even if they're not following our plan :) It's a good thing there's someone with a bigger plan than we could ever imagine :)

A prayer request for DB and me... strength when it comes to bringing only one or two of our babies home. It's such an exciting thing to think about having part of our family at home! But, we also think about the fact that we will be so far from Samuel for so many weeks, and it just kills us. Of course one of us will try to visit him every day, but it's just not the same as being near him all the time.

Bathing Beauty

George isn't the only baby who looks adorable taking a bath! We think Olivia is a huge fan :) She's had a few tub baths - and from what we've seen, she likes the water too! So far, so good :) (We can't WAIT until Samuel is big and strong enough for his first bath!) A few shots of our bathing beauty...

Hmmm... this isn't so bad!

Wait a second... maybe it is bad?! But these bubbles are pretty awesome!

Excuse me, you in the blue plastic suit - whatcha doin'?

Now THIS is the life :) Chillin...

Sign me up for another one of those, please!

**Quick update from my last post - Samuel is still off the ventilator! It's not close to easy for him to breathe yet, but he's fighting to stay off the ventilator and on CPap! Plus, he's got great nurses and doctors fighting for him too :) Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!**

A good week

LOTS of reasons to celebrate this past week! It was a busy one... but from what I hear, that's normal when you have kids :)

First, we had family in town! We are lucky to have some local family too :) But last week we also had visitors from far away - DB's brother and stepmom from Virginia, and BB's mom and dad from Arizona. What a treat! This alone could be the subject of a really long post - we had such a great time! Both were visiting on their spring break's (DB's brother is a senior in high school... and BB's dad is both teaching college and taking classes) - we felt so special that they were able to come and be with us during their breaks! Family is so important, and it was such a blessing that they were able to come and meet the babies. I'm telling you - photos are good - but in person, these babies will take your breath away :) No, of course I'm not biased! ha ha! There is absolutely nothing like sharing this experience with your family.

Second, the babies are having a great week! Briefly - Samuel came off of the ventilator on Saturday night! More details to come soon... but for right now, we really need prayers that he can stay off of the ventilator. So far, he's a little rock star on his CPap (gives him oxygen, but doesn't breathe for him like the ventilator)! But, the meds they gave him to heal his lungs are starting to wear off... by Tuesday afternoon they will be out of his system and we will know what's really going on. DB and I are excited, anxious, and optimistic! Also, all babies had great reports on their initial preemie eye exams :) YEA!

George has started to wear "man pants"!

Yes, it's a BB term... love seeing babies in little pants :)

Olivia sleeping with her tongue sticking out - as usual!

Lucky girl, she's still beautiful :)

Samuel just before the ventilator came out... "after" photos coming soon - without all that tape we can see his face again! I think the little hand trying to pull the tube out is a fairly good sign that he didn't like it!

One month

Talk about a big few weeks! And I thought DB and I had been busy... check out how much our babies have been doing! They've managed to almost double in size! Compared to that, we've had it easy - that has got to be tough work.

Sad - the photos are their one-month photos... but they will be six weeks old on Wednesday! I suppose time flies when you're having fun :)

Samuel - started at 1 pound 9 ounces - now nearing 3 pounds
Olivia - started at 2 pounds 12 ounces - now 4 pounds
George - started at 2 pounds 10 ounces - now 4 pounds 4 ounces

More updates on the babies soon - but check these out... we love the babies!!

Just a reminder of how big their animal friends are - that's BB's hand :)

Samuel and his turtle - his watchful friend :)

DB's wedding ring doesn't fit over Samuel's hand anymore!

Up close and personal - not sure Samuel appreciated the flash :)

Olivia's octopus must be very funny :)

Sweet girl waking up for the photos and holding on tight to DB's wedding ring

Apparentely she thinks we're funny too! Funny looking that is :) (Long story on the lovely blue gowns we're wearing - short explanation is she had an eye infection but all is well now.)

George with his crab... again, not because he's crabby :)

George chillin' with dad's ring

George checkin' us out

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday DB! Your first birthday as a dad :) Amazing!

His birthday was actually yesterday, Tuesday, but by the time the celebration was over, it was too late to post :) What a great evening we had! We spent time with the babies (DB's mom was here too!), went to a tasty dinner, and then came back to spend time with the babies and have birthday cake with our awesome nurses. Oh how life has changed - there was nothing we would have rather done for a birthday celebration :) And, the babies all had an especially good day - happy birthday Dad!

Yes, I am going to tell you how awesome DB is, but I'll try to keep it brief :) Cheers to a great husband and father! I couldn't ask for a more loving, supportive, encouraging, fun-loving, man... and lucky me, he's mighty good lookin' too :) Just one example of his greatness... for the past few weeks he has been working a full work week, taking care of the dogs, and keeping the homefront in check - and driving over every weekend and at least a few weekdays each week to spend time with me and the babies. It is at least a 75-90 minute drive each way! All this, and nothing but a smile on his face when he gets here :) Love you DB!

A few photos from yesterday...

I wish you could see this birthday card a little closer! The nurses made it, and put each of the babies' little handprints on it! It was the best gift :) (That's Samuel with us!)

What do you want for your birthday? How about changing a diaper - yea! (George was the lucky winner :) )

A great birthday - cuddle time with each baby :)

Red cheeks when we, nurses included, sing happy birthday :)

Time to serve the cake!