Monday, March 26, 2012

Well, well. Where have we been? Nine long months have gone by. We've seen a new baby come to our family, a new job for Kevin, and a new minivan. Let's get you caught up.

Charles Mark Peet was born on November 9, 2011. There were no complications. He was 6lbs. 9oz and 19 3/4 inches long. He did spend a few hours in the NICU to be observed by our wonderful staff that cared for the triplets. He had a slight grunting and his heart rate was erratic. It was totally precautionary, but it was great to see the staff. Andrew's primary nurse from his NICU stay "caught" Charley when he was born. It was very special. He is completely different than the triplets. He's growing fast and has lots of baby fat on him. He's also sleeping through the night for about 9-10 hours. Tara's very grateful. He has a wonderful giggle and is an extremely happy baby.

The triplets are doing really well. Adelaide, Mattie and Andrew are jabbering all the time. All of them have attended speech therapy. Andrew's been with a therapist for awhile now, and Adelaide and Mattie have been going for about a month. Adelaide just "tested out" and doesn't have to go back. Miss Mattie will continue once a week until she tests out. They're all normal toddlers: climbing, getting into things, throwing tantrums, playing, running, falling, walking, tripping, etc. Our house seems to be in a constant state of noise and destruction until everyone goes to sleep. Then the fairies (mom and dad) come in and clean and straighten. We haven't been out much with the kids. Until recently, our vehicles couldn't fit our entire family. We now have a minivan that seats 8. No, we're not having any more children. We've also been careful to keep everyone sequestered during cold and flu season because of Andrew's condition.

Andrew still has his trach and feeding button. We were hoping to have the trach taken out last summer, but none of the doctors even mentioned it. We have never been able to cap Andrew's trach to force him to breathe through his mouth and nose. When we cap it, Andrew panics and turns purple. This is a crucial step to train him to breathe on his own and get the trach removed. The doctors feel there is some blockage or something hindering inside his natural trach. Andrew is having a procedure/scope tomorrow where they will put him under and see what is going on inside. We're praying for an answer and solution, so we can move forward. Andrew is doing better on his feeds. He's actually moved along quite well for a kid who has a small tube down the back of his throat at all times. He still takes a bottle of formula, but has been eating stage 3 baby food. He's recently started eating pureed versions of our dinner. He's so brave and willing to try it, but he has trouble with textures and trying to swallow the small chunks. He's still a slow grower, but we're trying our best to put as many calories in him as possible. He's a few pounds lighter than Adelaide.

Kevin spent a year working in sales. He sold home security systems, which is pretty challenging. The whole year was challenging, but God provided everything that we needed. Kevin was working 6 days a week for the home security company. During the fall, Kevin worked a few freelance jobs in video production and was given the opportunity to go to China and India for a video. The timing of the job was just what we needed, and we knew it was a blessing from God. Tara was strained during the time Kevin was gone, but she set her mind to what needed to happen and did a great job of covering while Kevin was working. Our families helped out and came up to help Tara. We've been blessed with amazing family members. While Kevin was overseas, he was contacted by our church to come on staff as the Video Production Manager. We were so excited when the opportunity came up. Kevin accepted the position and has been in his new job since March 1.

Praises

The birth of Charley.
Growth and development.
Kevin's new job.
Our new minivan.
God's provision over the last year.
God's blessing after blessing.

Prayers
Protection for Andrew during the procedure.
An answer to why he can't breathe on his own.
Andrew would learn to chew and swallow (we're waiting on acceptance to a feeding program).
Skill and wisdom for the doctor.
Mattie's speech would improve.