Kaela's Visit From De-Da

Dad Didyk came to visit us this weekend. We've had a great time, of which I will tell you more in tomorrow's post since it's already midnight tonight.

We took Dad over to visit Kaela several times, and he was able to hold her twice.

De-Da holding Kaela for the first time.






















Our "fat" little girl. She's up to 4 lb 2 oz!

















Check out her beautiful double chin! =)

















A late night visit from De-Da (10:30 at night).






















De-Da, Kaela and Andy, all dressed in hot, sweaty blue gowns.

















So far, so good on the feedings. She's up to 13mL per feeding, and seems to be tolerating it. And...they got a PICC line in last night!!!!! Yeah! And this one is in the correct position in her arm, so we're hoping it lasts awhile. We'll see.

Goodnight.

One Month Old

Kaela was one month old on Wednesday - crazy - I can't believe she's that old already. She looks great tonight. They were not able to get a PICC line in last night, but her latest IV lasted almost 2 1/2 days, so that was a blessing. It was starting to infiltrate tonight, so they were starting a new one when we left. Hopefully with two antibiotics d/c'd (just one left) it will help the IVs last a little longer.

They started feeding her milk again today - just 5 mL every three hours starting at 1 pm this afternoon. In the morning they'll get another x-ray and really examine her belly to see if she's tolerating having food in her digestive system again. If all goes well, hopefully she'll be back to full feedings in a week and off of the IV fluids.

She is 3lb 15 oz! It's amazing what another pound will do when you're that tiny - she looks so different and even has a double chin. We'll get more pictures tomorrow.

Her hematocrit was starting to drop again and she was looking a little pale, but she was able to bring it back up today by herself without a transfusion. PTL! She's also been off her oxygen for a week, so they took her pulse oximeter off and just have her hooked to a heart rate monitor now. One cord gone at a time.

Thank you for your prayers for her this last week - it was definitely a long one for us, and we're praying that this bump is over and she'll do fine eating again.

More tomorrow...

Another One Gone Bad

Unfortunately, Kaela got phlebitis in her leg from the PICC line, so they had to take it out. So frustrating - I feel so badly for her getting stuck all the time. They were able to start another IV easily and will try to get yet another PICC line in this evening or tomorrow. Please pray this one will go in easily and last for the rest of her NICU stay. Thanks.

Here is an excerpt from an email my Mama sent me this morning. Great verse, so thought I would share it with you all:

When I was reading this morning I came across this verse and it seemed just perfect for Kaela and her situation because I know many people are reading her blog and praying for her. Here is the verse:

“On Him we have set our hope, that He will continue to deliver us (Kaela), as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.” II Cor. 1: 10b-11 Isn’t that perfect?

"Come On, Daddy!"

We had a great evening. After a delicious meal at my parents, we headed home for a few minutes before going over to see Kaela. I called ahead and asked the nurse if it was quiet enough to bring our son in for awhile...just thought I'd try one more time to get him in again. She said sure! Let me tell you, Christopher went wild when I asked him if he wanted to go see Baby Kaela. "Go see Kaea." I told him we needed to change his clothes and get shoes on. "Shirt. Change it. Shoes on." As soon as he was ready, he ran to the door and stood there yelling, "Come on, Daddy! See Kaea. Shoes on. Come on, Daddy!"

Yesterday, when Christopher was looking at the pictures of Kaela in her incuabtor and you could see her PICC line. He said "Kaea owie. Need papi." He was so concerned. Well, on the way to the hospital, he remembered those pictures and kept telling us "Kaea owie leg. Need papi. Owie foot." We tried to explain to him that it didn't hurt and that it helped her get the food she needed. It was so sweet and sad the way he was saying it, Andy and I had tears in our eyes.

When we arrived in the NICU, Christopher entertained all the nurses while we scrubbed in at the sink. Then we walked into the room where Kaela was. He saw her and the first thing he wanted to do was open the doors - good memory, Christopher! Of course, since she's in contact isolation, we didn't let him touch any of it...just looking tonight.

















When he realized we weren't going to open the doors, he started actually looking at Kaela. His observations were: "Naked. No clothes on. Diaper. See papi. Get it. (It was above her head.) Why no clothes?" I explained the doctors and nurses had to see her belly and legs to take care of her and help her get better so she could come home.

Then Andy donned gown and gloves to hold her for a little while. Christopher was intrigued and I think a little worried as Andy put them all on until we explained that Kaela had c-diff, a bacteria in her poop, and Daddy had to wear the gown so he didn't get poop on his clothes.






















Our sweet little girl, bundled in blankets and a hat. And FYI - it is HOT under those plastic gowns! =)






















Christopher remembered that her monitor beeped last time he was there, and he kept pointing to it and telling me "Beep. Beep. Beep." I explained to him everything on the monitor again, and what it was for...he listens so intently and really seems to take it all in.

The nurse was kind and took a family picture for us too!
Rachel, Christopher (23 months), Andy, and Kaela (4 weeks, 2 days).

















We had explained to Christopher before we went in the NICU that Daddy or Mommy had to hold him or he had to sit in a chair like a big boy and not get down. So after a few minutes, he remembered and asked "Sit chair. You do it (meaning I do it). Big boy." So he sat fairly still and quietly in the chair and watched Daddy hold Kaela. He told her he loved her, sang "Deep and Wide" to her and gave her two kisses on the top of her head. It was a precious moment. He's going to love having her at home...look out any boys that get near her - I can tell already he's going to be very protective and caring toward her.










































On the way home, Christopher kept telling us over and over "See Kaea. Naked. No clothes on. Naked. No clothes on. Get better. Get home. Get better."

When I put him to bed this evening, he just snuggled up against me, held my neck and then wanted to talk and talk and talk about the evening. Here is how our conversation went. Christopher's words are in italics, mine in bold:

(interrupting my singing): See Kaea. Yes. You went to see Kaea. Cute. Was she cute? Naked. No clothes on. Yep, she was naked. Get her out. Did Daddy get her out? Out crib. Daddy got her out of her crib and held her. Get out. Hold her. Poopy (I think he was referring to Andy wearing the gown to keep the poop off him.) Nurses. Yep, there were nurses taking care of Kaela. Sick. Get better. Get home. When she gets better, then she can come home. See Kaea. Yep, then you can see Kaela lots. Owie. Papi. Well, yes, she has an IV in her foot to help feed her. And she has a papi too. Naked. Hospital. See Kaea. Sit chair. Big boy. Yep, you sat in the chair and watched Kaela like a big boy. Mommy was very proud of you. Poud you. (Hehehehe - giggle.) Baby seeping. Yep. Kaela's sleeping. Now it's time for you to go to sleep." ... and then we went through that whole conversation at least 3 more times. His understanding of everything blows me out of the water - it's amazing. Several nurses that were there this evening also have two year olds, and they said theirs were barely even talking at all - his vocabulary and comprehension of so much amazed them too.

Anyway, it was a wonderful visit...hopefully we can keep sneaking him in a couple times a week at night when not many people are there.

Kaela is doing well...she is 3lb 8oz, so she has gained 1 oz short of half her birthweight! Now hopefully this week of antibiotics and not eating will help her gut rest enought to heal completely so we can work on feedings in the next few weeks. Thank you for your continued prayer and support.

NEC

The doctor caring for Kaela today stated that it was his opinion that we should treat Kaela for NEC. He said he thought her x-rays exhibited findings suggestive of NEC and that it would be far better to assume she may have it and treat her for it even if she doesn't than not treat her for it and keep going in circles or let it get worse. So...the two antibiotics that were d/c'd this morning were restarted by another doctor who said he wanted to give her the full 10 day course and not feed her during that time either to make sure her intestines were able to completely rest and heal. PTL we got the PICC line yesterday! We're especially thankful for that now since she'll need an IV for at least 2 more weeks. She continues to do well off her oxygen (3 days now)! Andy and I both had a good visit with her at different times today and were able to hold and love on her for quite awhile. She's so precious!

Due to the TPN Kaela is receiving, her liver is doing more work with her nutrition since her gut isn't doing anything right now. This has caused it to enlarge and her biliruben has gone up some...the treatment is to stop TPN feeding as soon as possible! =) ARGH! One thing leads to another...

I went back to work today - just a short 4 hour shift. I plan to pick up a shift a week or every other week until Kaela comes home so I can take my "maternity leave" then. Since I work PRN, I'm only required to work 2 shifts a month, and I hadn't not done that yet - so the past couple weeks "off" don't take away from my maternity leave if I start work now. I love my job - so flexible!

Please say an extra prayer for us today: Andy is pretty swamped and behind at work, which is stressing him out; I'm feeling a little emotionally drained - it's somewhat frustrating and scary to have so many different doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners taking care of Kaela because you don't always get the same explanations and suggested treatments. (We've had 4 doctors, at least 3 residents, med students, 5 nurse practitioners and about 30 nurses in 28 days. There is a staff of 70+ nurses - so I'm sure we're not done meeting them yet). So, then Andy and I are trying to piece together everything we've been told and "manage" her care since we're the only ones who've seen her every day of her life - when really we don't know much about it all. I'm sure they're sick of - or at least approaching sick of - all our questions/concerns. Also, I think Christopher is feeling the strain - he's had a couple rougher days and seems to be feeling a little more insecure and clingy which comes out in being loud and beating on things...at least today. And of course, Kaela needs your prayers too.

Thanks for your faithfulness in keeping up with us and praying for us. We appreciate and love you all.

Here's a link to the American Pediatric Surgical Association regarding NEC:

http://www.eapsa.org/parents/resources/NEC.cfm

Contact Precaution

Andy and I had a fun date over the weekend. Saturday afternoon/evening and on into EARLY Sunday morning, we attended the NASCAR Sharpie 500 race at Bristol Motor Speedway. It was fun to get out of the house and hang out together with other people from Andy's work and his clients. The race was amazing - intense at the end - and we had such a wonderful time together.

These two pictures show all the cars stopped because of a wreck that occurred on the speedway. I thought it was cool because they all stopped exactly where they were and it looked like someone had just frozen time because they weren't lined up or straightening themselves out on the track.


















The stands were PACKED. At the beginning, they did the wave around the stadium of 160,000+ fans...it set a Guinness world record for largest "wave."

















We found out yesterday that Kaela has c-diff - an infection that is in her bowels. Fortunately it is easily treatable with antibiotics, and she was already on the right one, so they're continuing that until it clears up. While we're not happy about the infection, it's nice to have an explanation of why her intestines were so dilated. Since this is a very communicable disease - she is now under "contact precautions" and everyone has to wear a gown and gloves to care for or hold her. Andy and I both were able to hold her today - a wonderful thing but VERY HOT as the gowns are plastic. Yuck!

Mommy dressed in her pretty blue gown and gloves holding Kaela, who, by the way, looks a LOT likd Christopher in this picture.

















Kaela has been off her oxygen for 2 1/2 days and is doing wonderful without it! The nurse practitioner was also finally able to get a PICC line in the correct position, as the first one they put in on Friday went bad already yesterday. This one should last a few weeks! Hopefully no more IVs and blood draws for awhile. We were aware they were going to try again, so we lined up a bunch of people to pray and finally the 5th time over the past two weeks was a charm! Thank you Lord for anwswering our prayers!!!!!

Kaela is also no longer wearing a temperature probe, which means the bed doesn't adjust itself to keep her at a certain temperature. It's set at a certain temperature and she has to work to maintain her own temp - though it's still warmer than room air.

Here are a few pictures of Kaela, dressed in a little preemie outfit from Josephs that fits 0-3lbs. She is right at 3 lbs, and it's perfect - so cute!

















Beautiful face - no tubes - no oxygen, no stickers, no feeding tubes.





























I took a walk with Christopher this afternoon, and he ran about 1/4 - 1/3 mile! Part way there he told me he wanted to run, then as he ran several blocks, he kept saying "Run. Fast runner. Good runner." It was pretty cute!

Trip to the Fair

Kaela is improving. Her bowels looked clearer today, and they were able to remove her suction tube this evening. They'll take one more x-ray in the morning to make sure her intestines still look ok without being suctioned out. So far all the cultures are negative. She's alert and active - trying to climb out of her isolette. Her IV went bad this afternoon, so they attempted again to put a PICC line in - the NP could only thread it as far as her shoulder, but they're using it for now. Hopefully it will at least last longer than a regular IV.

This evening, we took a break and took Christopher to do something fun: we went to the Appalachian Fair with Aaron, Faith and Isaiah. We had a good time. Christopher seemed to enjoy parts of it, but I think he was a little overwhelmed by the crowds...plus it was bedtime! =)

Here are a few fun pictures:

Jumbo corn dog: $5
Too sweet lemondade: $5
Ketcup to drink for Christopher: included in the $5
Facial expressions of Father and Son: priceless






















Andy, Christopher, (Isaiah hiding behind the table in his stroller), Aaron and Faith Tolan.

















After eating, we went to the petting zoo - the boys enjoyed that. Isaiah "dove" right in - no fear as he let the animals lick his hands. Christopher pet a couple briefly - mainly with one finger - and decided he liked just looking better.

Baby chics.

















Little pigs - Christopher's enjoying seeing them dig in the mud with their noses.






















Petting the kid.






















Christopher was most intrigued with the baby ducks in the water "habitat" with a makeshift waterslide the ducks would go down. They lured them up the slide and then down it by sticking a tray of food just out of reach at the top so that as they tried to get food, they went down the slide. Entertaining for the kids...but...






















"Hi, Mommy."






















Showing Daddy the ducks.






















Right before we left, we did let him "ride a horse" on the carousel. No smiles...so we weren't sure he really enjoyed it, but he cried and cried when the ride was over and begged to keep "riding the horse." Guess he did like it.

















So, a fun family evening out...and now to bed! Goodnight.

Answered Prayers

Well, it's been a late night. We just got back from the hospital...but the last news was good news so we can at least sleep in peace for a few hours.

When we went back after supper, Kaela's latest x-ray looked even worse. It was scary to see her bowels so distended and worry that they might rupture. We sat and watched her, talked to her, prayed with her for a couple hours. Also, we called our church and requested some of the elders to come pray over her as well. They arrived around 10:15 and laid hands on Kaela and prayed for her. At 11:15, her x-ray looked like a different child. It looked almost completely cleared up. Also, Kaela had gone from a restless baby with a scrunched up face as she moved around in obvious discomfort, to a peacefully sleeping little one. Thank you Lord for answered prayers! Over the next day or two, we'll keep getting culture results back from her blood, stool and urine and see if/where the infection is. She's already being treated with three different antibiotics...so whatever it is, hopefully it will clear up.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement - we feel and see the results. Thank you Lord for hearing all the prayers and answering them, for holding our baby girl in Your healing hands.

Thank you friends and family for all the care you've provided for Christopher today, for the laundry, food, hugs, tears, and support. We love you all!

Backing Up Again

See my pretty bow? One of the NICU staff made it special just for me - pink with brown butterflies so the colors would match my blankets. Thanks, Jessica.


















Kaela gained a little weight last night and was doing great - back up to full, fortified feedings. She's been practicing for the Olympics the past few days with all her acrobatic stunts - throwing herself all around, standing on her head and feet like this ^ when on her belly, and even flipping from her belly to her side. She also pulled her NG tube out yesterday and was proudly waving in around inside her crib.

Anyway, then the hospital called this morning and said her stomach was distended again and they were taking x-rays and running tests. When we arrived at the hospital, they showed us the x-rays of her bowel - incredible - you can see her intestines bulging through her abdomen, and some of the dilated loops are wider than my finger! Yikes! Anyway...they've stopped her feedings again, are restarting the IV feedings and have her hooked to suction this time to try to suck some of the air out of her so her bowels don't rupture. Good idea, we said! Another x-ray is due at 5 to see if she's improving, and they'll go from there to decide what to do about her feedings. So far no signs of infection - which is good. Hopefully this will be an easier thing to take care of and get her back on track faster than last time. Thanks for your prayers!

Moving Along

Kaela is doing well. She's back up to her full feedings of breast milk, so when her IV went bad last night, they were able to take it out and not start another one...PTL!!!!! She had been off her oxygen for about 36 hours, then she had it on for a little while this evening but is back off again. Hopefully that will continue to improve too. Everything else looks great right now. We're just waiting on her to gain some more weight. Thanks for your continued prayers. Enjoy the pictures from our visit earlier today:





































































Christopher has been watching quite a bit of the olympics...we turn the TV on while I pump during the day, so he's seen a lot of volleyball. But he's also been watching them over at my Mom's house since she's recorded most of them. She says he LOVES the gymnastics and talks the whole time...something like this: "Run. Jump. Nudder one. Whoa! Again!" And Anna says he likes the dismounts too because while the gymnists are on the bars, he keeps yelling. "Get down. Get down. Get down." and then "WHOA!" when they finally do. What a doll - we love him!

Pull-Ups and Blueberries!

Christopher hanging out with Babu by his truck.

















Babu and Christopher discovered that the beam in the dining room makes a good pull-up bar. Christopher really got a kick out of hanging and dropping into Babu's arms.

Getting set...























...hanging...






















...dropping...






















..."Again!" giggle giggle






















Last Thursday, Mama, Anna Leigh, Christopher and I went blueberry picking. It was a lot of fun with delicious results! Christopher enjoyed it too, though his bucket was completely empty by the time we left...but his belly was full!

Sho Sho and Christopher hiding in the blueberry patch - filling buckets and bellies.






















Anna showing Christopher what color berries to pick.










































Christopher's idea of blueberry picking:

"Mommy. Look - bueberry."






















"Eat it."






















"Mmm. Good."























"Nudder one."






















And he's off into the patch to find more.






















Christopher working on emptying his pail.






















He even got some help picking from the man running the blueberry patch.

















"More. More. Mommy's bucket. Please." Christopher bringing his pail to put more blueberries from my bucket into his so he could eat them.























Of course, being pure boy, by the end of the time we were there, he was more interested in throwing the blueberries than saving them in his bucket or even eating them. Guess he was full. =) We had a great time!

Hiking Rules!

Christopher and I definitely needed some Man Time outdoors, so we were planning on going hiking this Saturday while Rachel went to a bridal shower for soon-to-be-Aunt Mollie. When I told the Eorgans (who never turn down an opportunity to get outside), it became a date with Sunny Roan.

We had a great time hiking about 4.5 miles up a backcountry trail on Grandfather Mountain. Let me tell you, I was feeling my near-month of inactivity and eating too much towards the end of the trail! Also, since I blew out my hiking boots about a year ago, I had to go in old tennis shoes, which aren't really that supportive when you've got a 40+ lb backpack on (25lbs of Christopher + necessities and pack weight). Cort did one better though, because she hiked the whole trail without socks! Gotta love the stuff you forget when you're trying to get a kid ready to go anywhere.

The weather was perfect, the company was great, and Christopher literally NEVER STOPPED TALKING for the entire trip. It was amazing. He's just got a lot to say! I also got about 5 points of self-esteem for packing everything Christopher needed without any help from Rachel. I did forget to pack him dinner, but thankfully Daddies are allowed to feed their sons french fries and a milkshake for dinner at least once a year =).

I know Rachel would have had a blast with us, and I can't wait to be able to get outdoors as a family (of 4!) soon. It's a big part of our lives that is otherwise just on hold like everything else right now.


Cort feeding Sunny something orange.


















Christopher and Daddy take a break on a rocky outcropping.


















The point where we stopped because we still had 1.7 miles to go to the summit and it was already 6:30 at night. Note the father and son hiking sticks. Christopher loves his.


















Everytime we came out to a clearing on the trail, Christopher would exclaim, "Gorgeous! A nudder one gorgeous!" And yes, there was lots of parental supervision up on the rock. The kids loved climbing all over it.


















Meanwhile, back at the NICU....


We had another tough weekend with Kaela. After doing a lot better with the blood transfusion, her IVs started failing again, and it took awhile to get one in her arm (I stayed and watched the whole thing on Saturday night after we got back from hiking). She is doing better today, but pretty lethargic and sleepy in general. All of her numbers are great (sats, heartrate, billiruben, hematocrit, etc.,), but I think she's just worn out from everything. We're hoping as she gets back on full feedings, which she should tomorrow, that she'll start feeling better. We haven't been able to hold her very much, either.

Despite all this, Kaela passed two important milestones today! She now weighs in at 3lbs and took 5mls of milk from a bottle this morning. She amazes me as she continues to fight and as God continues in his provision for our family.

We are definintely tired, but we're hanging in there.

--Andy

Photo-Therapy

Today was a hard day. After these past couple of days of the nurses trying to start IVs, etc., Kaela kind of just crashed this afternoon. Because she didn't have enough hemoglobin in her blood, her heart rate started to soar, going as high as 200bpm (her normal rate is about 140 or so). Her heart was pumping more blood because it didn't have enough red blood cells to carry enough oxygen at a slower rate.

Plus, it took 3 RNs over an hour to start another IV, which ended up going in her little head. It was the only place they could start one. Needless to say, this really stressed us out and made us feel overwhelmed. I know everyone at the hospital is doing their best, and I would never want to start an IV on anyone, especially a baby as small as Kaela.

The doctor talked to us at about 1:00PM today, and said that Kaela needed a blood transfusion immediately in order to stabilize her. It was frustrating, because my(Andy's) blood would be ready for her tomorrow, but they couldn't wait so of course we gave approval to give Kaela what she needed. They started the transfusion at about 3:30PM and it was complete by 6:30PM.

When we went back to the hospital tonight, the difference was incredible. Kaela's color, which had been approaching a taupeish-orange, was once again bright pink (she has the cutest rosy cheeks!). She woke up some and started looking around again and pulling on her tubes, as if to say, "Ah, I feel better now. Now get me out of here!"

The doctor said not to be surprised if she needs blood tomorrow, so we won't. I'm glad she's getting what she needs. I'm also glad that my blood was approved for use in preemies, because it's something that only about 20% of the O negative donor population can do because of a common virus that most people carry. That makes me feel really special knowing that I can keep giving blood and it will always go to preemies and PICU. Now if only I can get past the passing out and vomiting part...

Finally, I took the camera and took some shots as a way to creatively express some of my feelings about everything. I'm feeling ovewhelmed and stressed out, like I just need a break. But I'm also feeling grateful for Kaela's progress and her excellent care. There's no manual for how one should feel about having a baby in the NICU, so I guess it's all normal. Here are some untouched-up photos from Friday night. Wild party, I assure you, just like every Friday night after you have kids =).


Kaela's pinky finger around her orange feeding tube.
















A view from inside the isolette.
















Through the isolette doors.
















Sleepy time. Rest well, and grow stronger, baby girl. I love you.















Love to you all. Thank you for your prayers and kindness. They do sustain us.

--Andy

My Middle Name

Sho Sho and Kaela enjoy some snuggle time.






















Andy and I chose to give Kaela Ruth my mother's middle name. I hope in some small way this poem is able to convey why.

My Middle Name
for my Sho Sho - Cynthia Ruth, from Kaela Ruth, by Mommy

I’m little now, but I’ll grow up one day.
And as I grow, along the way
I know I’ll always have someone
That loves me more than I’ll ever know.
Her name? Sho Sho.

Mommy says she’s a woman of beauty
Daddy says she’s a woman of grace
I say that she’s kind – I know
I’ve seen her face.

Everybody loves her and feels special when she’s near.
She knows how to comfort and wipe away a tear.
I know I’ll always have someone
To teach me every day
How to laugh and love and learn and play.

Mommy says she’s a woman of compassion
Daddy says she’s a woman of strength
I say that she’s gentle – I know
I’ve felt her embrace.

My Sho Sho’s middle name is Ruth
It means friendship – which tells the truth
I know I’ll always have someone
To teach me along the way
How to be a friend – to listen, share and pray.

Mommy says she’s a woman of courage
Daddy says she’s a woman of faith
I say that she’s loving – I know
I’ve heard her voice.

I’m little now, but I’ll grow up one day.
And when I do, I hope they’ll say
All these things about me too - all the things I learned from her.
And on that day, I hope I’ll hear
“I’m proud to share my name with you,
Kaela Ruth, My Dear.”



A very proud Babu holding his granddaughter for the first time.

Moving Forward

Kaela is doing well. She is up to 10 mL every 3 hours and seems to be tolerating her feedings...yeah! All her cultures are still negative, which is a blessing. They're checking her labs in the morning again to see if her blood levels are still dropping and will then decide if/when she needs a transfusion. The biggest thing right now is they've tried 6 times over the past two days to put a PICC line in, and her veins have blown each time or the nurse practitioner couldn't thread it once it was in. Poor baby! They're having to stick her so many times and she's on her 5th IV in 4 days...pray they can get this PICC in on the first try when they attempt it again tonight or tomorrow. I hate seeing bruises and pokes all over her arms and legs. =( She continues to be on and off her oxygen in no apparent pattern. I'm sure she just gets a little more tired at times. It's still only at 15cc when it's turned on - so little that I'm surprised it even makes a difference. Here are a few pictures from our visit with her this evening.

Actually, this one was last night. After we'd held her awhile, I put her back in her bed, and she immediately wiggled almost sideways before I could get her wraps around her - and stretched out as much as she could. Andy and I laughed along with the nurse and decided to leave her like that for awhile because she looked so comfortable and even pleased with herself.
















Daddy multi-tasking: holding Kaela, feeding Kaela and holding her papi in her mouth. Pretty good, Daddy, pretty good!






















Daddy and his precious girl.










































"Wow! Am I going to get to eat all that? Good! I'm hungry."






















Snuggling with Mommy.

Salt of the Earth

Christopher decided to take the meaning of his name, "Christ-bearer," literally a couple days ago. Of course it makes sense that in order to be "the salt of the earth" and carry Christ out into the world, one has to empty the salt shaker all over the table, chair and floor and then walk in it, right?

"All gone."






















His feet were caked on the bottom...it looked like he'd been walking on a white sand beach. Of course, like any good parents, instead of pulling him immediately off the table, Andy ran for the camera and I grabbed the video camera. =) At least we get to share this moment with you!

Kaela's Visitors

Kaela continues to improve. Her x-ray this morning looked clear, so the doctor is starting her back on breast milk - slowly again. She is getting 6 mL every 6 hours to see how her bowels handle it and we'll go from there. This means that the majority of her nutrition will continue to be from TPN and lipids through her IV, which doesn't last long in babies. She's on her third site in 3 days, and they've had to stick her several times each time they have to restart it - so tonight they are going to put a PICC line in so they don't have to start any more IVs until she's back up to full feedings. Her stool cultures came back negative - which is good - so we're waiting on the blood cultures tomorrow. According to the nurses, Kaela is still on a little bit of oxygen, but every time we've been up there, she's had it pulled out of her nose and is sucking on the tube! Guess she's hungry. =) I think we have another pacifier baby - she sucked on hers the whole hour we were up there this evening, and got mad at us if we didn't hold it in. It was so adorable!

It's been fun this time around to be able to take people into the NICU to "show off" our little girl, since we can't do that at home yet. It's a blessing to be able to share her with the people who are doing so much for us right now. Andy said to everyone, "I want you to see her, because this is who you're helping when you're helping us."

So, these past few days, we've shared her with friends and family. Here is Kaela meeting some of the wonderful people in our lives:

Aunt Faith

















Uncle Aaron


















Ms. Ellen

















Mr. Justus

















And one picture of Christopher's visitor this weekend - Baby Justus. We finally got to meet him. =) Christopher had fun entertaining him, though he was frustrated at times that Justus didn't listen and get up and walk when he told him to "get down" so they could play.

















Ms. Esther

















Mr. Josh






















Ms. Cortny

















Mr. Thomas

















We've been overwhelmed with blessings as people have been dropping off meals almost daily, babysitting Christopher during the day and night, grocery shopping, cleaning our house, and calling and emailing with words of encouragement throughout all of this. Thank you all so very much! We couldn't do this without each of you - even those who aren't here because I know that you're all praying and we need that too!!!!!

About the only "quiet time" I've been able to find in the past 2 weeks has been when I get up to pump around 1 or 2 am. After the first two nights when I struggled to keep my eyes open, it dawned on me that this would be the perfect time for my devotions...so I turned the light on - woke up a little more, and now keep my Bible and a devotional book beside my pump. These have been some of the best minutes in my day, and definitely a source of encouragement and strength. I can truly feel God wrapping His loving arms around me and holding me through this tough time. Also, I love praise and worship music. During various difficult circumstances in my life, I've felt the most in communion with God through different songs...somehow the perfect song seems to come on the radio or pop into my head when I need some encouragement and strength. This past weekend, when everything was going on with Kaela, EVERY time I turned on the radio on the way to or from the hospital, this song was playing. It's beautiful, and I wanted to share it with you now.

I WILL LIFT MY EYES
By Bebo Norman


God, my God, I cry out
Your beloved needs You now
God, be near calm my fear and take my doubt
Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in

God, my God, let mercy sing
her melody over me
and God, right here all I bring
is all of me
Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in

'Cause You are and You were and You will be forever
the Lover I need to save me
'Cause You fashioned the earth and You hold it together, God
so hold me now

I will lift my eyes to the Maker
of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

God, my God, I cry out
Your beloved needs You now

I thought it was pretty awesome that it ends with "your beloved needs you now" when that's the meaning of Kaela. Thank you Jesus, for your everpresent help in times of need...for your love and strength and mercy, for hearing our prayers, for calming our fears, for drawing us in, and holding us near. Amen.

Update on Kaela

Kaela has continued to improve today. Her x-rays through the night and this morning improved and the doctor stopped the order to do them every few hours. They'll do one more in the morning to make sure everything is ok, and then decide if they want to start feeding her milk again.

She's continuing to get the antibiotics and they wait for the results from the blood culture which should be in tomorrow or Wednesday.

Her general appearance is much improved - she looks so much more peaceful and less worn out, and her skin color looks better too. She's had a couple brady/apnea spells, but not as many as yesterday, and she was back off her oxygen for the hour we were up there tonight (even though the cannula is still in her nose - they had turned it off to see how she would do). She also managed to gain another ounce despite all that's going on - yeah IV TPN and Lipids! - so she now weighs 2lb 13oz.

Her hemaglobin and hematocrit is getting pretty low. She will get a shot on Wednesday to try to stimultae her bone marrow to produce some more red blood cells, but the doctor told Andy to go ahead and get his blood drawn and on standby as she will probably need a transfusion in the next week. So...right now we're praying that her little body will take care of itself as we would rather her NOT have to have a transfusion.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our precious girl. It was hard today since she is still recovering from everything, so they wouldn't let us hold her either time we were in today.

Trusting in Him,
Rachel

EDIT: Rachel and I had to add this little anecdote from this morning, because today was hard in a lot of ways and I'm convinced that God has given Christopher the gift to keep us all smiling. If our life were a sitcom, here's how the script from breakfast would have read.

Daddy: Christopher, make sure you eat your breakfast so you can be a big boy!

Christopher: *eating*

Daddy: *BUUURRP!*

Christopher: (looks outside for a coming storm) hehe...Funder!

=).

Love Andy

So many blessings.

First, an update on Kaela. When Rachel and I arrived at the hospital at around noon, she didn't look very good. Her complexion was pale and splotchy, and she was very visibily uncomfortable, contorting her face and fidgeting with her limbs. As the day went on, and I guess as the antibiotics and prayers started to take effect, her color came back and she became much more calm. When we left at 5:30, she looked much better. The 1:00 PM X-ray came back and they said that her bowels look "better," which we'll take as a very good sign.

Kaela did have about 7 Brady/Apnea spells during our visit, which is quite a high number for her. Several times, we had to reach in, rub her skin, or flick her feet to get her to come back around. The nurses brought her O2 levels up a little, which also helped. I think she's just all worn out. We know the feeling.

And now, at 9:00PM, Rachel just called me and said Kaela is doing much, much better. Man, that's awesome. These NICU babies can change so fast! It looks like they'll keep her on IV feedings for now, but as long as we can keep infection away, we'll take it.

On a lighter note, Christopher and I had some great Man Time tonight. We broke out his tools and "fixed" his firetruck. He's learning so much so fast...it really blows my mind. His little brain has its own logic, and the way he thinks through things is just incredible. He always wants me to play WITH him, where he has a car, I have a car, he has a tool, I have a tool, etc. I know that these are moments that I'll cherish for my entire life. There's nothing quite like having your own son think you're his best friend. As I was rocking him to sleep a few minutes ago, singing him his bedtime songs, I cried in gratitude to the Lord. I don't deserve such a wonderful family; really, no one could possibly merit such precious time and experiences. As we were discussing with our good friends the Hunters last night (who also had a NICU baby), there is nothing quite like crisis to break you down, bring life into perspective, and make you extraordinarily grateful for what you have.

Tonight, I'm grateful for a loving wife, an amazing son, and a beautiful daughter. And the fact hat we'll soon all be under the same roof, fixing firetrucks. And maybe playing with dolls.

Maybe.





--Andy

Prayer, Please!

Dear Friends and Family,

Just wanted to request prayer for Kaela. The doctor called this morning concerned about her intestines. Her abdomen was distended, and an x-ray showed what could be the beginning of NEC (see definition below). They're running a bunch of cultures, have stopped her oral feedings for at least 3 days and started her on IV food/antibiotics. The nurse said the doctor wanted to "overtreat" her rather than keep feeding her and let this get worse if that's what it is. They are doing abdominal xrays every few hours to watch her bowels...we'll put updates on the blog as can with the latest information. That's about all I know for now - she's still waking up and seems alert with good reflexes, vital signs, etc....she seems more restless and agitated to me and is having a little harder time keeping her 02 sats up, so she's on a low-flow nasal cannula.

Anyway...just wanted to ask for as many prayers as we can get right now. Thank you faithful friends...we appreciate all your love and support during this time.

Love,
Andy and Rachel



Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is one of them. "Necrotizing" means the death of tissue, "entero" refers to the small intestine, "colo" to the large intestine, and "itis" means inflammation. But knowing what the words mean is only the start of understanding this infant disease.

What Is Necrotizing Enterocolitis?

A gastrointestinal disease that mostly affects premature infants, NEC involves infection and inflammation that causes destruction of the bowel or part of the bowel.

Rocking Horses and Doll Babies

I hope you enjoy pictures, because here's a LOT of them for you!

My parents bought this rocking horse for us when my siblings and I were little...we had so much fun on it...probably until we were way "too big" to ride it. Silas was pretty good at moving the whole thing across the room and lifting it off the ground when he was riding it. I'm sure Christopher will attempt that one day too. Anyway, they brought it home from Kenya and my Daddy just put it together for Christopher this past week. He LOVES it - thanks, Babu.






















Riding lessons from Aunt SaraBeth.

















Go, Christopher, go...back and forth, back and forth.






















"Fun!"

















We had some wonderful hospital visits yesterday. In the morning, I spent a couple hours up visiting Kaela...it was special Mommy-daughter time as I held her "kangaroo style" for almost an hour. She did so well without her oxygen on - the nurse was very pleased with how well she tolerated being out so long and on no O2..."Wow, somebody's really liking that."

Snuggled down in Mommy's shirt. They call this "Kangaroo Care." She stays a lot warmer up against skin than just wrapped in a blanket.



















































































We tried to put a preemie nightgown on Kaela last night, but it was still WAY TOO BIG! It swallowed her. A few days ago, I was getting my old doll out for Christopher to start playing with - helping me change it's diaper, etc...and it was clothed in this dress that Mama and I made for my doll. I threw it in the wash, half way thinking that it would probably fit Kaela, but not really intending to take it up there. However, when the preemie clothes were still big on her, I decided to try...so here are pictures of our "doll baby."





























So precious! We love her so much!





































































Last night, Andy and I went up to visit Kaela again. Daddy got to hold his little girl for quite awhile, which was rejuvenating for him after a long, hard day.

















Practicing with her papi. Her rooting/sucking reflexes are amazing already