Welcome Home, Ella and Abby!

The big day is here! We loaded up Joshua, and headed down to the hospital for the last time. Brianna was our nurse again, and she helped us get all the girls' stuff together for their trip home. We visited for awhile and then said our goodbyes to the NICU. Elizabeth's weight at discharge is 4'10" and Abby's is 4'4".



It's an exciting time, but bittersweet. The people there took such good care of our family, and we are going to miss them. Thanks to all of you there for your hard work and kindness to us. Our kids are off to a great start because of you.








We got Ella and Abby home this evening and are trying to get everyone on schedule. Wish us the best. We're glad to have everyone together at last.

Mommy and Me

"Hi, this is Joshua. I'm having fun here at home. I love my new bed and there are so many fun animals and letters to look at in my room. I especially love all the attention from mommy and daddy. I had my first appointment with my doctor in Lafayette today. He said that I was getting bigger, I weigh 5 pounds and 10 ounces now. Mommy was gone this afternoon. She went to visit my sisters in my old home. I told mom that I miss my sisters, my NICU buddies, my girlfriends (the nurses), and even my favorite doctors. I don't think I miss all the beeping in that place. Mom and Dad play music instead of those beeping noises. Mom told me that Ella and Abby are doing well. She said they are getting bigger too. Ella is almost 5 pounds and Abby is 4 pounds 4 ounces. Mom told me that Ella may come home on Friday. Well, it's time for me to eat. Please keep praying for me and my sisters. We all have reflux and it tastes awful and makes eating not very fun. Pray that it would go away."

Home Sweet Home

Can you believe it? Josh in his own crib in our house!! We are loving it! He even slept while we enjoyed pizza with Sherry & Troy (thanks guys). Our first afternoon has been fun, he got used to all the noise in the NICU so we turned on some Christian music and he sleeps right thru it.
Thanks to everyone for all the encouragement, gifts, visits, and prayers over the last 9 months....wow, is it worth it. Christine

Welcome Home, Josh!

Joshua just came home today! The ride home was good. We're getting adjusted to him being here. We've all got a lot to learn, but we'll take it one feeding at a time.

Ella had apnea with a brady overnight, so that sets her back several days. Otherwise she is doing well. Abby is ramping up on her feedings and looks forward to catching up with her siblings. Josh is 5'3", Ella is 4'11", Abby is 4'2"

Picture Day

Today was picture day. We had such a fun time. We got all the kids unhooked and took them down the hallway to the photographer's room. They got a brief taste of freedom!

We got a group shot and then individual pictures. Getting the group shot was an intersting experience. They all had a rare chance to cuddle up together again. Josh was so hungry, he kept trying to suck Abby's arm! Ella slept through almost the whole thing. Abby was wide-eyed, wondering what was going on. Oh, the joy of triplets!

Say Your Goodbyes

Elizabeth is coming home tomorrow! Brianna and Kristi had to say their goodbyes since they aren't on duty again for a few days. If all goes well today, Josh may come home at the same time. I hope Abby won't get too lonely.

Coming Home Soon?

The kids are doing well. We were told that Elizabeth might come home this week, but it has not worked out that way so far. All three of them have had problems with acid reflux while feeding, and this is what is keeping Elizabeth in the NICU at this point. The reflux sometimes causes bradies, and they won't send any of them home if they are having bradies. They have been taking Prilosec to help reduce the reflux. Please pray that they would grow out of this soon.

Joshua & Abigail are back on track with their feedings. Their IVs have been removed, so they aren't hooked up to anything besides the monitors. Yay!

Joshua is a whopper! Josh is 5'0", Ella is 4'5, Abby is 4'1

Psalm 100
All Men Exhorted to Praise God.
A Psalm for Thanksgiving.
1 Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
3 Know that the LORD Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
5 For the LORD is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.

Our Nursery

Kelly is progressing on the room. It looks great! Check out all the letters and animals. The colors on the walls and ceiling are blue, yellow, and green.

Two Months Old

Two months down, a bunch more to go. Everyone is doing well. They like eating and sleeping and listening to Mom & Dad read books like "You're All My Favorites" and "Green Eggs and Ham."



The word is Elizabeth may come home this week. We're getting our nursery ready. Kelly Keck is adding some special creative touches to the room. Thanks Kelly!

Triple Double

The kids are feeling much better now. Everyone is starting back on their milk. Elizabeth had the antibiotics removed and is all free again. Joshua and Abigail will still complete their weeks-worth of medication later, but they should soon be back in regular beds instead of isolettes. Anyway, they are back to their old selves now, and the big fuss is over. Thank you so much for your prayers.

Everyone has finally doubled their weight: Josh is 4'9", Ella is 4'0", Abby is 3'13"; it's the triple double!

Abby

Josh


Ella

A Bit of New Information

Here's a quick bit of new information regarding the diagnosis on Josh and Abby for those of you doing your own research. The doctors no longer believe that late-onset NEC had truly developed, but rather the other bacterial infection itself had caused all the symptoms. They are tweaking the antibiotics accordingly. This is good news because known complications of NEC can be very nasty, and it is something you wouldn't want a child to ever get. Also, they have ruled out the possibility of meningitis, which can be another nasty complication of infections that attacks the nervous system. Their treatments will continue on throughout the week, and they will ramp up on feedings after that.

Elizabeth successfully avoided the infections this weekend, so her treatments were merely precautionary. She should resume feeding tomorrow.

Thank you all for your prayers. We give thanks to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Colossians 1
17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Weekend Update

Joshua and Abby are both improving and we think they are on the road to recovery. They will still be on antibiotics through the rest of the week, and following that they can resume their milk feedings.

From the test results, it seems that the weakening that produced the NEC was the result of a bacterial infection that was in their bloodstream. The antibiotics will take care of that.

Josh looks more alert and seems to be getting back to his old self. After a full day off the ventilator, his breathing is stabilizing with much fewer bradies. He woke up for us while we visited and was looking around and listening to us.

Abby was feisty from the start. She kicked around a lot. She decided that she had enough of the ventilator yesterday and pulled it out herself. Her breathing had been consistent enough to leave her off, and she has had few bradies since. Abby was awake for us too for little while, and Christine was even able to hold her for a few minutes.

Babies are fragile creatures, but it is also amazing how resilient they can be. They are fighters. We give thanks to God for His grace and protection, and we pray that they continue to grow healthy and strong.

Morning Thoughts

I've been awake since the early morning hours and I keep returning to the fact that God is so merciful. He has been merciful to our children. The x-rays this morning showed that Josh and Abigail continue to improve and that Elizabeth shows no signs of the infection. Thank you Lord. I can't begin to explain how wonderful it is to see the eyes of your child after they have been really sick. The next few days continue to be critical so please continue your prayers.
The entire chapter of Lamentations 3 expresses what I've been feeling from Friday thru this morning. Let me share a few verses:

Lamentations 3:17-23, 32,33 My soul has been rejected from peace; I have forgotten happiness. So I say, "My strength has perished, and so has my hope from the Lord." Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness. Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is your faithfulness.......For if He causes grief, Then He will have compassion according to His abundant lovingkindness. For He does not afflict willingly....."

Seeing Improvement

We've gotten reports throughout the day on the kids. Joshua's X-rays show less air in his colon and his belly is getting smaller and less tender. He looked stronger and was actually fidgeting his way into more bradies, so they took him back off the ventilator. Just after they did that, he was wide awake and we got to talk to him and hold his hands. He seemed like his old self again. How encouraging!

Abigail is still in the initial stages, but her X-rays have shown some improvement as well. The area of her infection looks to be getting a bit smaller. She is still on the vent, but she doesn't seem to be too dependent on it. Maybe she'll come off tomorrow or the next day.

Elizabeth still has no signs of problems, but they will still run the course of precautionary antibiotics and keep each child in isolation.

Every bit of improvement is welcome and makes it more likely that they will have a good outcome. Consistent progress is what we want to see.

We are so thankful for your prayers and the encouragement of those who sent us messages. God allows challenges, but He also gives grace.

Psalm 111
1 Praise the LORD.
I will extol the LORD with all my heart
in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
2 Great are the works of the LORD;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
3 Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the LORD is gracious and compassionate.

We aren't the only family working through problems in the NICU. One family we've met is facing even harder issues with disease, surgeries, long-term complications, and a death amongst their children. For the sake of privacy we can't tell you who they are or what the specifics are, but please pray for them also. They need support and encouragement, and we hope we can be an extension of God's grace in their lives.

Outbreak

We got another call early this morning from the doctor. Abby has developed the NEC infection as well. She got exactly the same symptoms of apnea and belly soreness that Josh had last night, and they gave her the same treatment by putting her on the ventilator, giving her antibiotics, and giving nutrition through the IV only instead of milk. This will let them rest and help their bodies focus on fighting the infection. The treatment lasts for at least 7 to 10 days if not more, so this will be a long road for us.

Both Abby and Josh are under very close observation with X-rays and blood tests taken frequently. So far Josh has held steady and then started to improve a bit over the past 24 hours, so we are relieved by that. They caught Abby very early, and she is looking a bit stronger than Josh did at the same point yesterday. The next 24 hours for Josh and 48 hours for Abby will be very important because most holes in the tissue of the intestine occur within the first couple of days if they are going to happen. Tissue death is the thing that we definitely don't want them to have, because that leads to surgeries and other long-term complications.

Obviously we are very scared and concerned for the health of our children. We began asking many questions to the doctors and nurses. We had them take precautions to protect Elizabeth. They moved her to a different room and ran tests on her as well. Her first X-ray was suspicious but inconclusive. She has not developed any symptoms yet, but they will give her antibiotics and take away her milk also for the next couple of days. Hopefully she won't develop any breathing problems or need a ventilator and won't develop the same infection in her belly.

Please pray for the health of all three of our children. We want them to have steady improvemnt over the next week and beyond. There is hope for a good outcome and a full recovery, and we pray that God would give them that. This is a very serious condition, though, and a lot of damage could still occur.

Also pray for our peace of mind. This is a very stressful time. We have tried to ask questions and make decisions that will be the best for the kids. We are very worried for them. It is hard emotionally to keep going without becoming weary.

Thanks, Janie, for letting us stay at your place while we are in Indy and for being such a good friend.

Please Please Pray

This morning we did get the news that Josh does have an infection called NEC which is an infection in his gut. This can be potentially fatal so please pray for our dear sweet boy. The next 24-48 hours are critical and they will be monitoring him with x-rays and other tests. At this point the doctor says that he has a moderate case. Please pray that his body will heal and that there will be no permanent damage to his gut. Please pray for Shane as he is with Joshua today and for me (Christine) while I try to work. The doctor called me at work a few hours ago to give me the details and said that when Shane arrived at Joshua's bedside and started to talk to him, he opened his eyes and looked at him. Please please keep praying.

Help! Please Pray

We got a call from the doctor this morning. Joshua got sick overnight. They had to put him on a ventilator because he had a lot of bradies and had difficulty breathing. They are wondering if he is getting an infection, but are not sure what is going on yet. Please pray that God would heal up little Joshua and that his strength would return. Pray for us very worried parents also. We don't want to go through another struggle like we did with the other boys.

Double Time

Josh doubled his birthweight today! That's a nice milestone. The girls are a couple ounces away from doing it themselves.

Weights: Josh 4'6", Abby 3'9", Ella 3'14

Hitching a Ride

We said goodbye to the Grand Am today. After doing some shopping around this weekend, we finally decided on a new Honda van and brought it home today. Thanks to Dan and Matt for the work you did for us this weekend.

Weights: Josh is 4'1", Ella is 3'10", Abby is 3'5"

Abby went back in an isolette since she was a little under the desired temperature. Maybe it was because she was the one next to the window... She should grow out of it soon.

Happy New Year!

We missed Saturday so we could attend the wedding of Sherry Syroteuk & Troy Cole. Congratulations!!!

On Sunday we walked in and found the kids had a new room! Instead of being out in the open area of the NICU, they are in a private double-room on the side. They'll finish out the rest of their stay in there.





Christine got her first shot at bottle feeding Sunday with Elizabeth and Abby.