Friday, October 15, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Tuesday, October 12
Keeping up with the blog has become harder and harder as the babies become more active and require more attention. We hope you continue to check in with us to see how the babies are doing. Our babies will be 10 months old next week. Can you believe it? Time has started to fly by. We'll be posting some new photos soon.
We have our first tooth sighting. Adelaide has cut her first tooth on the bottom. She drools quite a bit and loves to gnaw on the arm of her highchair. She's also the most vocal of the three. She has a great laugh, and we love to get her going. Adelaide also enjoys hearing herself scream out loud. She starting the motion to crawl and reaches for toys on the floor. She's really close to being mobile.
Mattie got her helmet last week. She did really well with the first fitting. She didn't fuss for the first few minutes. When she realized something was on her head, she tried to pull it off. She got used to the helmet after a half day though. We did have some trouble with pressure points on the helmet and had to leave it off overnight on the second night. Tara took her back in for adjustments, and she's now wearing the helmet 23 hours a day. We were going to paint and decorate her helmet, but after purchasing supplies from Hobby Lobby, and trying to paint the helmet; we decided to go with stickers. Mattie has butterflies and flowers all over her helmet now. The most exciting news for Mattie is that she finally turned over from back to front. And now, she does it all the time. She's really blossoming. She talks a lot more now, is more interactive, and loves being on her stomach. It's exciting to see them all develop.
Andrew had another vent clinic, and he is gaining weight at a better rate. His weight gain was more significant than the last vent clinic. The doctor has increased his feeds by 15ml. He's still taking two of his feeds by bottle, but has only taken the full feed a couple of times. Most times, the nurses will gavage the rest of his feed through his feeding tube. Andrew is now going 8 straight hours off the ventilator. He'll do that for another week, then move to 10 hours straight for 2 weeks, and then 12 hours straight for 4 weeks leading up to the next vent clinic.
Praise
Andrew's weight gain.
Andrew's increased weaning off the ventilator.
Adelaide's first tooth.
All the babies starting to teethe.
Mattie's adjustment to the helmet.
Mattie turning over.
Kevin has another interview with a different company on the 21st.
God's provision for our family.
Prayer
Continued growth and strength for the babies.
Andrew has had some increased oxygen needs lately. Pray that he wouldn't need the oxygen.
Mattie's head would shape in a timely matter.
Andrew would keep his food down.
We have our first tooth sighting. Adelaide has cut her first tooth on the bottom. She drools quite a bit and loves to gnaw on the arm of her highchair. She's also the most vocal of the three. She has a great laugh, and we love to get her going. Adelaide also enjoys hearing herself scream out loud. She starting the motion to crawl and reaches for toys on the floor. She's really close to being mobile.
Mattie got her helmet last week. She did really well with the first fitting. She didn't fuss for the first few minutes. When she realized something was on her head, she tried to pull it off. She got used to the helmet after a half day though. We did have some trouble with pressure points on the helmet and had to leave it off overnight on the second night. Tara took her back in for adjustments, and she's now wearing the helmet 23 hours a day. We were going to paint and decorate her helmet, but after purchasing supplies from Hobby Lobby, and trying to paint the helmet; we decided to go with stickers. Mattie has butterflies and flowers all over her helmet now. The most exciting news for Mattie is that she finally turned over from back to front. And now, she does it all the time. She's really blossoming. She talks a lot more now, is more interactive, and loves being on her stomach. It's exciting to see them all develop.
Andrew had another vent clinic, and he is gaining weight at a better rate. His weight gain was more significant than the last vent clinic. The doctor has increased his feeds by 15ml. He's still taking two of his feeds by bottle, but has only taken the full feed a couple of times. Most times, the nurses will gavage the rest of his feed through his feeding tube. Andrew is now going 8 straight hours off the ventilator. He'll do that for another week, then move to 10 hours straight for 2 weeks, and then 12 hours straight for 4 weeks leading up to the next vent clinic.
Praise
Andrew's weight gain.
Andrew's increased weaning off the ventilator.
Adelaide's first tooth.
All the babies starting to teethe.
Mattie's adjustment to the helmet.
Mattie turning over.
Kevin has another interview with a different company on the 21st.
God's provision for our family.
Prayer
Continued growth and strength for the babies.
Andrew has had some increased oxygen needs lately. Pray that he wouldn't need the oxygen.
Mattie's head would shape in a timely matter.
Andrew would keep his food down.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday, September 28
We've been enjoying the great Texas weather with the babies over the last few days. We spread a blanket under one of our trees in the backyard and all three babies took naps. Adelaide seemed to enjoy the time the most. She had a very excited look in her eyes, and she kept licking her lips and kicking her legs before she finally fell asleep. We're excited that The Three Peets are now 9 months old.
Adelaide is turning over with regularity now. She also cries out when you step away from her to get attention. She gets very slap happy at night, and with just a little dance or a funny face, we can get her laughing. It's a scream to watch her. She will help pick her bib out by reaching into the drawer to select one. Adelaide is taking 3 solid food meals a day and weighed 15lbs 7oz. at her 9 month appointment. She was also in the 100 percentile for height.
Mattie continues to catch up to Adelaide in weight. She's now 15lbs. 1oz. She's also ranked high in height. Mattie turns over with help, but she's getting close to doing it on her own. We think she's teething too. Mattie's been chewing on her nipple and cries while eating some times. We've decide to get a helmet to shape her head. She's been fitted and will get her new helmet on October 4.
Andrew is now off the ventilator for 4 hours twice a day. He does very well, and we love having him mobile. He still has spit up issues, and is a slow grower. Andrew weighs a little over 11lbs. He has gone a day or so without spitting up, but no longer. Andrew turns over by himself. We finally got a speech therapist to see him, and hope to have occupational and physical therapy lined up soon. We've had a difficult time getting any agencies to come to our town.
Praise
Andrew doing better and better off the ventilator.
Mattie improving developmentally.
Adelaide and her slap happy self.
Kevin has had a phone interview, and 3 back to back interviews with one company. It looks promising. He also has an "in" with another company that has an open position.
Growth and strength for the babies.
Tara's been getting steady jobs as a tutor.
Prayer
Andrew would hold down his food and grow.
Mattie would feel better.
Strength for Tara.
Adelaide is turning over with regularity now. She also cries out when you step away from her to get attention. She gets very slap happy at night, and with just a little dance or a funny face, we can get her laughing. It's a scream to watch her. She will help pick her bib out by reaching into the drawer to select one. Adelaide is taking 3 solid food meals a day and weighed 15lbs 7oz. at her 9 month appointment. She was also in the 100 percentile for height.
Mattie continues to catch up to Adelaide in weight. She's now 15lbs. 1oz. She's also ranked high in height. Mattie turns over with help, but she's getting close to doing it on her own. We think she's teething too. Mattie's been chewing on her nipple and cries while eating some times. We've decide to get a helmet to shape her head. She's been fitted and will get her new helmet on October 4.
Andrew is now off the ventilator for 4 hours twice a day. He does very well, and we love having him mobile. He still has spit up issues, and is a slow grower. Andrew weighs a little over 11lbs. He has gone a day or so without spitting up, but no longer. Andrew turns over by himself. We finally got a speech therapist to see him, and hope to have occupational and physical therapy lined up soon. We've had a difficult time getting any agencies to come to our town.
Praise
Andrew doing better and better off the ventilator.
Mattie improving developmentally.
Adelaide and her slap happy self.
Kevin has had a phone interview, and 3 back to back interviews with one company. It looks promising. He also has an "in" with another company that has an open position.
Growth and strength for the babies.
Tara's been getting steady jobs as a tutor.
Prayer
Andrew would hold down his food and grow.
Mattie would feel better.
Strength for Tara.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Thursday, September 9
We've had a few doctor's appointments this week and thought we would update everyone on how the babies are doing.
Andrew had his monthly vent clinic with Our Children's House. We transported him ourselves this time instead of calling for CareFlite. Everything went very well with the transport, and Andrew slept the whole trip. The doctor thought he looked and sounded great. Andrew is now being weaned off the ventilator for three hours twice a day for two weeks, and then he will be moved to four hours twice a day for two weeks until the next vent clinic. Andrew hasn't gained much weight over the last month (10 ounces). The trach trials (vent weaning) takes a lot out of him, and he burns a lot of calories trying to breathe on his own. He weighed 11lbs 8 ounces, so the staff is increasing each feed by 10ml to 110ml. He still gets two bottles by mouth twice a day as well. His x-rays looked good, but the doctor noticed a small spot on his left lung. He didn't seem to worried about the spot though. Andrew is also going to be receiving a speaking valve to go over his trach, so we can hear his voice. We're really excited to hear him talk, babble, and cry. Andrew has been getting tastes of the solid foods that Adelaide and Mattie eat. He seems to like the taste of most of the items.
Mattie met with her Pulmonologist the next day. He's the same doctor at Our Children's House that Andrew visits. Mattie his been off of oxygen for over a month, and we've kept her on her apnea monitor only overnight. The doctor told us that we're taking the monitor away. Last night, Mattie was monitor free for the first time in 260 days since her birth. Tara was up every two hours checking on her. It feels great to have Mattie free of any tubes or wires. Cook Children's will be picking up all her equipment this week. The doctor has removed her diuretic and one of her inhalers. She weighed in at 14lbs 8 ounces. When we reviewed the growth chart with the doctor, he showed us a chart that didn't adjust for her prematurity. She was right at the bottom curve of a full term baby in weight and height. We're so excited for her. She's really becoming more active too. She babbles and talks to us, and the other night, Kevin had her squealing and laughing as he blew on her stomach.
Adelaide is doing wonderful. She woke up in a great mood today. She does usually, but today was even more so. Adelaide giggled and smiled all morning. She's been eating very well and has increased her intake. We're not sure how much she weights, but we're guessing fifteen and a half pounds. The babies all have nine month checkups next week, so we'll have results then.
Praise
Great reports on Andrew.
More weaning for Andrew.
Mattie being free and clear of all tubes and wires.
Adelaide and her wonderful laugh and smile.
Job opportunities for Kevin (a possible interview next week).
Prayer
Andrew would gain more weight.
Andrew getting stronger on his trach trails.
Rest and strength for Tara.
Kevin would find a job.
Andrew had his monthly vent clinic with Our Children's House. We transported him ourselves this time instead of calling for CareFlite. Everything went very well with the transport, and Andrew slept the whole trip. The doctor thought he looked and sounded great. Andrew is now being weaned off the ventilator for three hours twice a day for two weeks, and then he will be moved to four hours twice a day for two weeks until the next vent clinic. Andrew hasn't gained much weight over the last month (10 ounces). The trach trials (vent weaning) takes a lot out of him, and he burns a lot of calories trying to breathe on his own. He weighed 11lbs 8 ounces, so the staff is increasing each feed by 10ml to 110ml. He still gets two bottles by mouth twice a day as well. His x-rays looked good, but the doctor noticed a small spot on his left lung. He didn't seem to worried about the spot though. Andrew is also going to be receiving a speaking valve to go over his trach, so we can hear his voice. We're really excited to hear him talk, babble, and cry. Andrew has been getting tastes of the solid foods that Adelaide and Mattie eat. He seems to like the taste of most of the items.
Mattie met with her Pulmonologist the next day. He's the same doctor at Our Children's House that Andrew visits. Mattie his been off of oxygen for over a month, and we've kept her on her apnea monitor only overnight. The doctor told us that we're taking the monitor away. Last night, Mattie was monitor free for the first time in 260 days since her birth. Tara was up every two hours checking on her. It feels great to have Mattie free of any tubes or wires. Cook Children's will be picking up all her equipment this week. The doctor has removed her diuretic and one of her inhalers. She weighed in at 14lbs 8 ounces. When we reviewed the growth chart with the doctor, he showed us a chart that didn't adjust for her prematurity. She was right at the bottom curve of a full term baby in weight and height. We're so excited for her. She's really becoming more active too. She babbles and talks to us, and the other night, Kevin had her squealing and laughing as he blew on her stomach.
Adelaide is doing wonderful. She woke up in a great mood today. She does usually, but today was even more so. Adelaide giggled and smiled all morning. She's been eating very well and has increased her intake. We're not sure how much she weights, but we're guessing fifteen and a half pounds. The babies all have nine month checkups next week, so we'll have results then.
Praise
Great reports on Andrew.
More weaning for Andrew.
Mattie being free and clear of all tubes and wires.
Adelaide and her wonderful laugh and smile.
Job opportunities for Kevin (a possible interview next week).
Prayer
Andrew would gain more weight.
Andrew getting stronger on his trach trails.
Rest and strength for Tara.
Kevin would find a job.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Wednesday, September 1
We can't believe it, but it's been 3 weeks since our last post. Time is flying by with the babies. We are all doing really well, and we're having a fun time with the babies.
Adelaide is doing great. She loves to study our faces, and then when you smile at her, she grins really big. She is doing really well trying solid foods like rice cereal, bananas, prunes, sweet potatoes, and barley. She's still rolling over on occasion, but it's not happening all the time. She also enjoys playing a xylophone with her feet.
Mattie is growing and getting bigger. She's only a pound and a few inches behind Adelaide. She's around 3 weeks behind Adelaide developmentally. She's talking a lot more now. Mattie hasn't turned over by herself yet, but we're working with her. When we read to her, she actually helps turn the page, which is really cool. We're looking into companies that provide helmets to shape babies' heads. Mattie's is flat on the back from being in the incubator for so long. We found out that it's not just a cosmetic fix, but there may be structural issues.
Andrew is doing fantastic. He's been weaning off the ventilator. He started a couple of weeks ago doing 30 minutes off twice a day. He then moved to 1 hour twice a day for a week, and today, he did 2 hours twice a day. He'll be evaluated by the doctor next week, and we're hoping for more weaning. He's done very well with the trials. We thoroughly enjoyed taking him around the house on his first trial. We took him into the living room, and couldn't stop looking around at the pictures and the furniture. It was really cute. He did have some problems with spit ups and throwing up on occasion, but the doctor has changed his medications, and he's doing really well. Andrew has learned to turn his mobile on and off by kicking it.
Praise
Andrew's weaning on the ventilator.
Mattie's development.
Adelaide doing so well with everything.
The fun times we have with the babies at home.
Taking Adelaide and Mattie to church with us.
Our first Saturday morning walk as a family.
Prayer
Kevin's job search. He's had one interview (the position was entry level), but he has another promising interview tomorrow.
Wisdom for Kevin and Tara as we make a decision on Mattie's helmet.
Andrew would get stronger and stronger on his trials.
Adelaide is doing great. She loves to study our faces, and then when you smile at her, she grins really big. She is doing really well trying solid foods like rice cereal, bananas, prunes, sweet potatoes, and barley. She's still rolling over on occasion, but it's not happening all the time. She also enjoys playing a xylophone with her feet.
Mattie is growing and getting bigger. She's only a pound and a few inches behind Adelaide. She's around 3 weeks behind Adelaide developmentally. She's talking a lot more now. Mattie hasn't turned over by herself yet, but we're working with her. When we read to her, she actually helps turn the page, which is really cool. We're looking into companies that provide helmets to shape babies' heads. Mattie's is flat on the back from being in the incubator for so long. We found out that it's not just a cosmetic fix, but there may be structural issues.
Andrew is doing fantastic. He's been weaning off the ventilator. He started a couple of weeks ago doing 30 minutes off twice a day. He then moved to 1 hour twice a day for a week, and today, he did 2 hours twice a day. He'll be evaluated by the doctor next week, and we're hoping for more weaning. He's done very well with the trials. We thoroughly enjoyed taking him around the house on his first trial. We took him into the living room, and couldn't stop looking around at the pictures and the furniture. It was really cute. He did have some problems with spit ups and throwing up on occasion, but the doctor has changed his medications, and he's doing really well. Andrew has learned to turn his mobile on and off by kicking it.
Praise
Andrew's weaning on the ventilator.
Mattie's development.
Adelaide doing so well with everything.
The fun times we have with the babies at home.
Taking Adelaide and Mattie to church with us.
Our first Saturday morning walk as a family.
Prayer
Kevin's job search. He's had one interview (the position was entry level), but he has another promising interview tomorrow.
Wisdom for Kevin and Tara as we make a decision on Mattie's helmet.
Andrew would get stronger and stronger on his trials.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Tuesday, August 10
Our big news is that Andrew is being weaned off his ventilator. He had an appointment on August 6th and over the last four days, the nurses have been slowly weaning him off his rate (the amount of times the ventilator breathes for him in a minute). They removed his rate for two hours twice a day for a couple of days, then four hours twice a day, and now they are trying him with no rate for twenty four hours. Yesterday was a hard day for him, and he was exhausted. They had to put his rate back on last night to give him break, but so far today, he's been with no rate. If all goes well this week, he will try a trach collar trial for an hour a day on Monday. This is where they will remove the ventilator completely, and he will have the trach with only a small humidifier attached. He's gained only a few ounces over the last few weeks, but the doctor says he's a slow grower. We are now feeding him two full bottles twice a day and pumping the rest in through the feeding tube. He does pretty well with it. Some times he's too tired to feed and can't complete the whole bottle. We're not pushing him, so he doesn't get turned off by bottle feeding. He is trying to turn over from back to stomach and still smiles all over the place.
Adelaide is doing wonderful. She turned over from back to stomach three times over the last three days. She lifts her head very well, so we put her in a bouncy entertainment chair. She bounced, laughed and hit the keys to start the songs. She's picking up her feeding amount after struggling for a couple of days last week. She's trying rice cereal mixed with pears once a day.
Mattie is doing great off her oxygen. We still put the monitor on her overnight, but during the day she's free as a bird. She's getting better at lifting her head during tummy time, but hasn't attempted a rollover. We love hearing her laugh when we make funny sounds or blow on her stomach. She's got a great laugh. She eats oatmeal with pears once a day along with her bottles.
Praise
Andrew's weaning off the ventilator and the changes they've made for him.
Andrew taking whole bottles.
Mattie doing well off oxygen.
Adelaide's development.
Prayer
Kevin has left his company and is seeking employment as a video producer/director. He's looking for a staff position.
Rest for Tara. She's exhausted.
Strength for Andrew during these trials.
Mattie's development would increase.
Adelaide is doing wonderful. She turned over from back to stomach three times over the last three days. She lifts her head very well, so we put her in a bouncy entertainment chair. She bounced, laughed and hit the keys to start the songs. She's picking up her feeding amount after struggling for a couple of days last week. She's trying rice cereal mixed with pears once a day.
Mattie is doing great off her oxygen. We still put the monitor on her overnight, but during the day she's free as a bird. She's getting better at lifting her head during tummy time, but hasn't attempted a rollover. We love hearing her laugh when we make funny sounds or blow on her stomach. She's got a great laugh. She eats oatmeal with pears once a day along with her bottles.
Praise
Andrew's weaning off the ventilator and the changes they've made for him.
Andrew taking whole bottles.
Mattie doing well off oxygen.
Adelaide's development.
Prayer
Kevin has left his company and is seeking employment as a video producer/director. He's looking for a staff position.
Rest for Tara. She's exhausted.
Strength for Andrew during these trials.
Mattie's development would increase.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sunday, July 25 2010
We're back again. It's so hard keeping up with the updates. We're getting more used to having Andrew at home and the schedule that we keep. We're tired most times and there's always something to be cleaned or done around the house. The sad part is that we have help with Andrew, and it still feels pretty busy to us.
Adelaide is doing great. When she's on her stomach she lifts her head really well and reaches out for toys next to her. She's also discovered her feet and grabs them with her hands. She's close to turning over from back to stomach. She was on her side this weekend and almost made it. She continues to coo and talk. She weighed in at 13lbs. 14oz. this week at the doctor's.
Mattie is weaned off her oxygen! Praise God! We received the results from the review of her monitor, and the doctor felt that we could take her off the oxygen. We still put her on the pulse ox monitor when she naps and sleeps, but that's really only for our comfort. The doctor said that we need to wean ourselves off the monitor in the next few weeks. Mattie weighed 12lbs. 9oz. at her last doctor's visit, and she's moved up the the 40 percentile.
Andrew is doing really well. We've moved some of his bottle feeds up to an ounce. His orders are for 20ml twice a day, but some nurses are pushing him to try a little more. He's doing an excellent job of grabbing toys and pulling them to his mouth. He has one toy that he holds with one hand and spins the ferris wheel with the other.
Praise and Prayer - We want to do something a little different this time. We bought a world map and put it up in Andrew's room. We know that many people from all over the world have been praying for our family over the last 7 months, and we thought it would be neat to praise God for the wonderful answer to your prayers. We'd like to put pins in the map of each location that people have prayed for us. So, if you or someone you know have been praying for us, please let us know where you're located. Please respond to this post and let us know.
Adelaide is doing great. When she's on her stomach she lifts her head really well and reaches out for toys next to her. She's also discovered her feet and grabs them with her hands. She's close to turning over from back to stomach. She was on her side this weekend and almost made it. She continues to coo and talk. She weighed in at 13lbs. 14oz. this week at the doctor's.
Mattie is weaned off her oxygen! Praise God! We received the results from the review of her monitor, and the doctor felt that we could take her off the oxygen. We still put her on the pulse ox monitor when she naps and sleeps, but that's really only for our comfort. The doctor said that we need to wean ourselves off the monitor in the next few weeks. Mattie weighed 12lbs. 9oz. at her last doctor's visit, and she's moved up the the 40 percentile.
Andrew is doing really well. We've moved some of his bottle feeds up to an ounce. His orders are for 20ml twice a day, but some nurses are pushing him to try a little more. He's doing an excellent job of grabbing toys and pulling them to his mouth. He has one toy that he holds with one hand and spins the ferris wheel with the other.
Praise and Prayer - We want to do something a little different this time. We bought a world map and put it up in Andrew's room. We know that many people from all over the world have been praying for our family over the last 7 months, and we thought it would be neat to praise God for the wonderful answer to your prayers. We'd like to put pins in the map of each location that people have prayed for us. So, if you or someone you know have been praying for us, please let us know where you're located. Please respond to this post and let us know.
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