From Greg

Everybody is doing great! The babies are getting bigger and bigger everyday. The are cooing, smiling, and giggling now. What a treat! We took a trip the the Pumpkin Patch for Halloween. Isabel didn't seem to enjoy it very much but she was really cute in her costume. We are starting to get a little more sleep. They are staying asleep for 4-5 hours at a time. They get up to eat in the middle of the night and go back to sleep for a few more hours.

Although Isabel has some medical issues that are still not completely diagnosed and treated, we have faith that these will be resolved with time. One of her kidneys is small. The doctors believe this is causing her high blood pressure (which is being treated). We are going for an extensive scanning procedure on Tuesday the 23rd. Immediately following the scan, we have another appointment to discuss the results. It's possible her kidney has limited or no function, we will just have to see. It is also possible that it is fully functioning and will grow to normal size. We understand that these things are in God's hands and that he will show us how to manage the situation and help Isabel to continue to progress forward regardless of the results.

The challenge, stress, and pressure of all of those sleepless nights, NICU visits, and doctor's appointments simply melt away with one smile or one giggle from either Alexander or Isabel. We are so blessed.

Thank you all for your continued love, support, kindness, and generosity.

All Is Well.

From Greg:

Well, I guess I should feel bad since we haven't posted anything in a couple of weeks. But it seems as though the feeling of guilt dissipates as the level of delirium increases, which is brought on by an increase in sleep deprivation. I have a riddle for those of you who are mathematically inclined, when does 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 not equal 6? That's right...when we are referring to hours of sleep and shortened intervals as opposed to one long stretch. Since many of you have experienced this, I do not expect a barrage of sympathies, but I thought it might bring a little laughter to your day. =) For the record, I must apologize for the delay in the postings. We have been and continue to be in "survival mode"*, which many of you understand.

Susan has been so wonderful. She has worked exceptionally hard to take care of the babies day in and day out, all hours of the night. We continue to lean on our support system, which I have to say, without it we would be in utter chaos instead of organized chaos. And yes, there is a huge difference between the two! =)

Isabel is now 7lbs 14oz and Alexander is now 9lbs 11oz (what a chunk!). They both have made dramatic strides in the NICU and now at home. What a blessing to have them both with us and so healthy. Alexander continues to be a placid child. While Isabel has been referred to as "independent, strong-willed, and outspoken". I just tell her she is a princess and princesses are allowed to get what they want, when they want it...I figure I will continue to say this for at least the next few months and then that will need to come to a discernible halt...we'll see if I am one of the rare Dad's who has the ability not to spoil his daughter. =) Great news, Isabel is holding up her head already! And, their official due date was just September 2nd. We are still working out some feeding issues with Isabel. She IS eating, but the process is more challenging that you would expect (it can take 45 minutes to an hour for each of the feeding, yikes!). Hopefully, as she gets bigger and bigger, this will become less and less of an issue. Until then, we continue to work diligently to ensure that she receives enough calories each and every day.

As always, I want to thank all of you for your continued prayer and support. Everyday we thank God for all that we have and for all of the wonderful people in our lives.

*for the uninitiated, survival mode means adhering to the following priorities - 1) take care of the babies, 2) everything else is secondary, including clean underwear, getting more than 2 hours of sleep at a time, and showering (I have had to draw the line on this one, but some days are harder than others)

Don't forget to laugh and smile everyday.

Until next time...

From Greg:

Isabel is home! We are all very excited! What a blessing!

She seems so much more peaceful and content at home versus in the NICU. She is continuing to eat very well. And, there is no mistaking when she is hungry...the shrill of her cry is unmatched. =)

I would like to thank the NICU staff, nurses, and doctors for their seemingly endless efforts. I know that Susan and I are not the easiest people to appease. While there were many bumps in the road, they remained professional, sympathetic, and supportive throughout Alexander and Isabel's entire stay. I absolutely believe there is a special place in heaven for all of those people.

Alexander is now 8 lbs. 3 ounces. What a chunk?!! =) Isabel is 6 lbs. 5 ounces and gaining everyday. What a wonderful day...

From Greg:

Well, our lack of a posting over the last few days could be attributed to a hectic schedule or a fear of jinxing Isabel's official discharge. That's right. After a couple of false starts (come on people, it's football season), she is set to come home tomorrow! We are so excited and blessed. Alexander and Isabel will be reunited once again. We will all be home together. While I am certain this will present challenges that I have yet to comprehend, to say that I am overjoyed is an understatement. Along with our family and friends, we have prayed relentlessly and our prayers have been answered. I have to go get ready for church now, but we will work diligently to keep you posted on everyone's progress.

Thank you for your continued love, support, and prayers. It's an amazing feeling to know that so many people care about all of us.

Isabel's Progress

Isabel is doing much better today than she was over the weekend. The negative effects of the immunizations have almost worn off and she is seeming more like her old self. Some of her BP readings are in the desirable range and all of them are lower than they had been. It seems the medication may be starting to work! She is also doing better with the bottle.

Greg and I have been very concerned about Isabel during her feeds. You may remember us mentioning her having bradys (low heart rate) and decreased oxygen saturation. She would turn blue in these situations. It has been very frustrating because it doesn't seem that the physicians understand what we are talking about. Greg and I are sure we don't want to have to do CPR when we get her home. A nurse over the weekend experienced this during a feed and had to give her oxygen. After talking with her, we were able to use her as a voice to the medical director. In addition, Greg spoke with the medical director who was unaware of these problems. It is finally being addressed. They think the reflux is causing her to block her airway (good choice!) and then she ends up turning blue. The plan is to fortify her milk with an elemental formula. This will allow us to increase her calories while decreasing the volume, thus helping her gain weight and help with the reflux. An elemental formula will be easier on her tummy because it is not made with cow's protein.

Let's hope this works. The poor baby has only gained 2 oz in the past 2 weeks for various reasons.

Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Susan

From Greg

Isabel had a tough day today. She had her vaccinations. She is continuing to get her blood pressure medicine, although so far it has not had the anticipated effect. She is struggling to take her feeds by bottle and has had to be fed by tube mostly. She continues to maintain or gain weight. That's the good news. The doctor will reassess her blood pressure and if necessary he will get another consult from a specialist on Monday to determine if a larger dose is needed (even though she is taking a fairly large dose already). The medical staff continues to reassure us that we should not be too worried about her issues, but that only slightly alleviates the worry and frustration. Susan and I continue to focus on staying strong and patient. We pray multiples times a day. We know that God is watching over Isabel and will bring her home to us when it is time. Please continue to pray for Isabel so that she can come home healthy. Alexander keeps telling me that he misses her.

Isabel

I suppose I spoke too soon regarding Isabel's homecoming. Today they did a renal ultrasound to look at the arteries that deliver blood to the Isabel's kidneys. It appears that she has been having some high blood pressure off and on. The ultrasound showed that the artery supplying her right kidney is smaller than it should be. Although the flow of blood is adequate for kidney function (according to this test), her body is receiving signals that her blood pressure needs to increase.

They are going to start her on some medication on an as needed basis to see if that helps the blood pressure. Her blood pressure is not dangerously elevated, however, it is higher than they would expect to see. We don't want to take her home before we know how she will react to the medications, so we anticipate a lengthier stay :(

This condition is something that she should outgrow. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard that! On the upside, she continues to eat well, although she has some problems with her heart rate during feedings.

Please pray that Isabel will heal quickly and that she will come home when her small body is ready. As much as Greg and I would like to have her home, we want her to be as healthy as possible first.

Love,

Susan