Mid-Week Update

Hi everyone! It's been a pretty good week so far - here are the highlights:

All four boys had head ultrasounds Monday morning. This is a routine test for preemies. As you may recall, Sam had a small "grade 1" bleed on each side of his head a while back. He's down to just one grade 1 bleed now and doing very well. This is very common and the doctor is not concerned. The other 3 boys' ultrasounds came back clear. Great news!

Tom continues to show improvement - though still has a long way to go for his lungs. But the doctor felt he was ready to come off the ventillator yesterday! He's back on CPap - which is a step in the right direction. They're giving him extra oxygen, but that is expected coming off the jet vent. We'll miss seeing his face for a while (hidden under all that CPap headgear), but are very happy to have him off the ventillator. He's up to 2 lbs 5 1/3 oz. I've been able to get some good quality time with Tom (and all the boys) over the last couple days too. They say it helps in their recovery and growth, so I try to spend time with each boy every day.

Sam has joined Henry with losing his IVs for supplemental nutrition. He's taking in enough breastmilk to provide all the nutrition he needs. That's 2 boys that can now wear shirts since their IVs are gone! I've brought in a couple shirts for them to hang out in. Sam is weighing in at a whopping 2 lbs 9 oz!

On Monday, Joey was taken off the ventillator too! He's on the cannula like Sam and Henry. He's still been struggling with bouts of low heart rate, sometimes coupled with apnea. They're watching him closely. They've begun feedings again and is at 4 cc's (he hasn't had any breastmilk since Thursday). He's not consistent with digesting everything yet, but hopefully in time he'll get the hang of it again. The doc is watching Joe's hemoglobin levels (and the other boys' too). He's up to 2 lbs 5 oz.

As they draw blood for lab tests, etc., each baby's blood volume goes down a bit. They can only replace so much blood in a given time, so at some point all 4 will probably need blood. The local blood bank has a directed donor program - meaning, if you'd like to direct your blood to a particular recipient (i.e. our boys), we can submit your name and you can donate locally. Sam is O negative and the other 3 boys are A positive. If you're interested in donating, let us know. And just so you know - blood type and Rh factor are not the only factors used to determine if you're a match. They test for a variety of things - as there are certain viruses, etc. that can't be present in order for the blood to work for the babies.

Henry, as mentioned above, is off his IVs and can wear shirts. His feedings are up to 17cc's and he's doing very well. He's up to 2 lbs 7 oz.

We swapped out the blankets on top of each of their isolettes. The ones they'd been using needed to be washed, so I brought in the ones that Nana made - which coordinate with the little hats & ID bracelets she made. We also added some Easter decor to each isolette by taping the bunnies their Uncle Kevin gave us. Finally - we're adding some personality to their space.

Tim is out of town through Friday afternoon. So Mike, Kate and the kids are staying here with me for a few days. While Kate is here, I'm hoping to get her help with posting our pictures. Thanks for your patience!

Have a great day, everyone. Thank you for your continued support!

Love,
Kristin & Tim