Wednesday, May 26

We've all been doing well over the last week. Tara's pretty exhausted, but is settling into a routine with the girls. Kevin's been busy building his business and working on projects.

Adelaide is still doing great. She continues to gain weight. She also suffers from acid reflux, but we recently started her and Mattie on a stronger medicine. So far, so good. She's around 12lbs. and is smiling a lot and cooing at us. She also sleeps for 5 hour periods overnight, which is a great relief.

Mattie got checked by the pulmonologist yesterday. He said that her lungs sounded great. She's still on a little bit of oxygen, and he thinks she'll be off in the next few weeks. He wants us to start weaning her each day for a few hours at a time. Last Saturday, we kept her nasal cannula off for 3-4 hours with no issues. He's reducing some of her medications and increasing others due to a cough that she has. She's a little over 9lbs now.

Andrew is doing well, but the same pulmonologist wants his rates and pressures on his ventilator to be lower. His carbon dioxide fluctuates from the 50's to 60's. He also has a new roommate. A big, big three month old. We try to spend the night twice a week. Tara will go one night, and Kevin goes another. We've been doing training classes on cleaning and changing his trach, assessment and treatments, and safety. It still makes us very nervous, but the more practice the better. Andrew has acid reflux still, and the staff is doing a culture to see if there's bacteria in his trach tube that would have come from his stomach. If there is bacteria there, it would mean his acid reflux is still coming into his lungs. The doctor said he would try a stronger medication first before performing a nissen.

Praise
Adelaide gaining weight and getting bigger.
Mattie's lungs sounding good besides her cough.
Andrew and his ability to light up a room. He continues to smile and grin.

Prayer
Andrew's protection while at Our Children's House.
Andrew would grow and gain weight, so his lungs can grow, and his numbers would get better.
Andrew's culture would come back with no bacteria from his stomach.
We would absorb all the knowledge we're getting.
We would find a good home healthcare agency for Andrew.
Adelaide and Mattie's acid reflux would improve.

Bad Math

We said it would be 6 more weeks, but if you do the math correctly, it's actually around 5 weeks until Andrew can come home. This makes us even more happy!

Tuesday, May 18

Andrew is doing really well. They've come down on his settings on his ventilator, and his carbon dioxide and other gas tests look good. He's been bottle feeding too. He took 15ml today. Tara had her first trach care class with him this afternoon, and Kevin will have one on Thursday. We met with the staff during our Care Conference today, and we have a tentative date for his release. It's June 22nd, which is 6 weeks away. We're excited to have a date, but also know that it's going to be a long 6 weeks of traveling back and forth. What's new, right? The joy of knowing he'll be coming home over shadows the drag of the hectic schedule. We have been able to spend the night with him a couple of nights a week, which makes it much easier. Andrew got moved out of his private room because another child that needed to be isolated was given the room. He had a roommate for one night, but she got discharged, so he's got the big room to himself. Andrew loves to smile. He smiles more than both girls combined. He has the biggest grin when people talk to him. It's really awesome.

The girls are doing great. The acid reflux is getting better, but still there. Adelaide seems like she's 12lbs. She's really getting big. Both girls had great evaluations at Our Children's House Grapevine. They passed their physical and occupational therapy tests. They gave us a few things to work on in regards to feeding. We really need to get the acid reflux under control, so they can thrive.

Praise
We have a release date for Andrew.
The babies doing so well.
Andrew settling in.

Prayer
Protection over Andrew while at Our Children's House.
The acid reflux would lessen for all three babies.
Strength for Kevin and Tara as we juggle our schedules and travel to Dallas.
Pray that Kevin and Tara would retain the knowledge they're getting in class and would not be fearful of how we have to take care of Andrew.

Bumpo Time at The Peet's

Adelaide and Mattie - 4 - 5 months Pictures

Andrew Pictures - 5 months

Our sweet boy at Our Children's House.

Andrew to Our Children's House

We got word that a bed opened up this afternoon. Andrew will be transported to Our Children's House from 10-11. Please pray for a smooth ride.