Introducing Jackson ...

Jackson Willis Key
April 16, 2009
11:19 AM
4 pounds 2 ounces

Jackson is doing well. They removed his nasal gastric tube yesterday (basically a feeding tube). His IV came out a few days ago and now he is just wearing heart and breathing monitors and is doing great. He is back up to his birth weight and is taking his bottles and nursing well. This past week we have been to the hospital two times a day and I'm not sure what our schedule will be like for the next several weeks. We can be there in the NICU 22 hours a day if we want to, but we can only hold, feed and change him every three hours so we try to be there for at least two care times during the day.

I am recovering well, but my feet are still swollen to twice their normal size and I get tired pretty easily. Other than that, I'm hanging in there. Enjoy the pictures :)

Just a quick update ... Justin and I have had a long day today. Although I must say that they all have been pretty long since last week. At any rate, we were able to solidify some things for Addison's service, which will be this Friday at 6:00 PM at the church. Our intention is to celebrate her birth and life. In those four hours, our lives were changed forever. It will be a different kind of service, considering the situation, but the goal is to honor and remember Addison. She was so perfect to us ... how much more perfect in the presence of Jesus.

Jackson is doing great. He had a good day. They took his IV out and he was under the bili lights for jaundice, but they turned those off today as well since his bilirubin counts were down. He is eating so well from a bottle and will be up to 1 ounce of milk by the morning. He'll stay at that amount for a little while and then they'll begin to up his amount again. So far, so good. We went tonight and just stared at him after Justin got done feeding him. He is so precious to us.

Thank you again for your prayers - we appreciate them so much more than you know. I assure you that we are getting through this only by God's presence in our lives and by others supporting us. In the midst of such difficult circumstances, we are blessed.

Our babies ...

First of all, thank you all so much for your thoughts, prayers, encouraging words and support. Kristi and I are settled back into our room, which they so graciously allowed us to return to so that we had the benefit of some familiarity. We are trying to rest our minds/hearts and just allow God to go to work on and in us during this time.

Second, let me officially announce to you the birth of our two babies. First came Jackson Willis Key, who weighed in at a massive 4.3 lbs. Jackson was a name we liked, and Willis is a very old family name from my side. He has settled in very well to the NICU and is already starting to feed. He did not need any assistance breathing and they are very encouraged all around. We are so very excited!

Following close behind was Leatta Addison Key at a whopping 3.3 lbs. Addison was a named we liked, and Leatta was Kristi’s mother’s name. Upon arriving she immediately began experiencing complications with her breathing, and after examination they discovered that her lungs were not developed well at all, something we knew was a possibility. They worked very hard and did everything they could to get her stabilized, but her lungs just could not pump the oxygen she needed (for several reasons that could not possibly be remedied medically). Essentially, 18-20 weeks of having virtually no fluid prevented her ability to develop strong lungs. As her condition soon began to digress rapidly, we went to the NICU to spend time with her and she passed away in the afternoon hours. The doctor’s have continually reaffirmed with us that everything we could possibly do for her was done.

Thirdly, we know that everyone loves their children, but as first time parents let us say it for the first time to all reading that we love Jackson and Addison with all our hearts. It has been a joy and privilege to care for and honor God’s gift, even in the toughest of times. God knew the day April 16, 2009 and prepared us for it. For those of you who know Kristi, then you know that being on bed-rest went against every fiber of her being, but she did it and did so with the greatest balance of grace and toughest I’ve ever witnessed. She is amazing and is my hero. As she held Jackson last night in the midst of myself and her brothers and sister, I couldn’t help but lean over to them and say “she’s gonna be good at this.” They concurred.

Lastly, I go back to the first… How could we ever thank all of you – our friends, family, co-workers, etc., etc. – for all that you have done to encourage and support us? Furthermore, how could we ever thank the hospital staff and doctors who have simply astounded us with their care? Listen, I’m not even kidding, the hospital crew have mesmerized us with blessings from God and most don’t even know it, which in a certain way makes it that much more grand. I could write a whole note on the nurses, doctors, housecleaners, food service people, etc. The same goes for all of you as well. You have all been God’s presence and blessing.

Ultrasound tomorrow

Monday's ultrasound was great and the babies looked better than they have the entire time we've been here. Not that they have looked bad at any point, but they both scored 8/8 on their little scale that the doctors use and both had some fluid around them. Our doctor was super excited and told us that it's truly a miracle that we are still here with babies still growing .. something we already knew :) Thank you for your prayers! God has been with us and in our situation he has chosen to give the babies more time to grow and develop. If you think of it, please pray a prayer of thanksgiving for us.

We have another ultrasound tomorrow and they will measure the babies again. If you recall from two weeks ago, he was measuring in the 33rd percentile and she was in the 10th. They will only talk about delivering if one of they has fallen to the 5th percentile or below. Well, one doctor says the 3rd and one says the 5th, so maybe the 4th? Usually the scans are in the morning but on Monday they came at 3:00, so we'll see what time we go tomorrow. We're praying that they've grown and I can tell you that I feel as if they've grown, but since there's two in there it might be hard for me to tell at this point.

I started having contractions late yesterday afternoon and kind of had a little panic attack .. I have been having little contractions the entire time I've been here. But now I can feel them. They're not painful but now that I can tell that's what it is, I just get a little nervous. But the babies looked fine through them and after a lot of water, they stopped. Our doctor told us this morning that even if we hadn't been through all of this, that I would still probably be in her office saying I was having contractions and wondering what's going on. So it's normal :) It only took two nurses and a doctor to tell me it was normal before I believed them. Hello ... I've been trusting them for this long, not sure why I'd think they're crazy now!

I was thinking today about our first visit to the high risk doctor back in December. How far we have come and have well the babies have done is just a testament to what God has done and is doing in our lives. It's kind of funny how none of those same doctors have mentioned what they told us back then. Of course they haven't .. because they were wrong. And I don't think they like to be wrong, much less admit it. But that's okay - we know the truth, the way and the life that Christ brings and Proverbs 16:9 reminds me that we can make our own plans, but God directs our steps. He's known all along how this would go and has went before us and has walked beside us. I'm so thankful.

Be blessed and please keep praying!

31 weeks & 5 days

Here are a few pictures for you. The first is from when Anabelle came to visit about three weeks ago. The lighting in here is b-a-d and of course I've been here for 7 weeks now, so that could attribute to me looking so very washed out and tired. And the fact that I haven't had hair this long in about 5 years isn't helping any .. I'm desperate for an actual hairstyle! Nonetheless, hope you enjoy the growing babies.

Cribs are up ...

Enjoy these pictures of the cribs - glad that we didn't order any other furniture until we saw these put together. I think maybe a chair will fit too :)

Happy Easter! I'm thankful for God's grace and a wheelchair ride today! Obviously I realize which one is way more important :)

Saturday already?

AHHHHHH! Where's the undo button on this stupid thing? I had an entire entry typed and one slip and it's gone. All gone. Rats. Suffice it to say that now I'm tired but I was going to try to do my best to retype it ...

Except my wonderful husband and the pizza are here and I'm hungry :) More later.

31 Weeks

Okay people, it's T minus 10 minutes until Biggest Loser so this will quick :) Things here are going well. Today I am 31 weeks pregnant and the babies looked great on the ultrasound yesterday morning. They are scoring 6/8 on their biophysical profiles and the only reason they are losing the two points is because their aminotic fluid levels are low. But with both of their waters being broken, that's pretty amazing we think. In short, their movements are still good, still practicing their breathing and have good tone (which just kind of means that they don't look all lethargic in there).

The doctors continue to be pleased with our progress - I think most of them are super surprised that we've made it this far with no infection and no labor happening. God has answered our prayers (as well as yours) and we're so thankful. Each week is a huge deal, even though it still seems so early. But when you compare 31 to 25 when we first got here, those 6 weeks are simply huge. And with them coming within the next three weeks for sure, I think the realization is starting to set in even more ... when we leave, we'll be parents .. of not one baby, but two! Oh. my. goodness. Wow. I promise you that we'll still need your prayers after they get here :)

I have to admit that I am a wee bit nervous about the delivery for several reasons. First, the only major thing I've ever had done is have four stitches put in my chin when I cut it open playing volleyball in high school. You surely noticed that I referred to that experience as major! I do realize that that wasn't really major, but can you see why I'm anxious over something like this? I'm trying to keep myself calm and praying about it every time it crosses my mind, which is several times a day. One of the doctors also told me that if the delivery is predictable (meaning that things start to look as if we need to deliver and there's time to plan ahead a little) then they will try to give me another dose of magnesium as it has been shown to help prevent certain brain injuries that can occur in premature babies during delivery. So, knowing how much that made me out if it before, maybe I'll be a little less anxious because I won't be feeling well. But then I worry about not being able to be with it when the babies are born. Of course, they won't let me hold the babies or anything anyway, so I'm trying to look on the bright side. Justin will have about 2 minutes to take some pictures.

I am also hoping and praying that the recovery goes well - since I haven't been too mobile for the past two months, I'm wondering if the recovery will take a little longer than usual. But again, I'm just trying to trust that God knows exactly what we need we when need it. Easier said than done sometimes as most of you know :)

That's it for now - I'm putting the computer away to enjoy some of my favorite TV shows. I have no idea who I want to win this season!

Some random things for you ...

I hope I never take being able to sleep in the same bed as my husband in my own home for granted again.

I'll be glad when I can once again put the shampoo within reach in the shower - the showers definitely aren't made for any person bigger than a five year old.

I miss my dog Anabelle like crazy and I can't wait to be at home and have her at home again. Here's hoping she likes the babies.

We're closer to deciding on both names - although we could change our minds at any given time.

We're thankful for the people who will be putting our cribs together tomorrow night.

I'm having two corndogs and fries for dinner tomorrow night - you may not think that is a big deal, but for someone who doesn't eat corndogs, it is. Suffice it to say that after 6 weeks here, the food options are not that appealing so I took the first additional option she offered.

I'll say more randonmess for another time - have a great night!

Saturday

Not much to report, thankfully. It's been pretty uneventful and long .. slept in until 9 this morning, but I didn't get much sleep last night due to getting up to go to the bathroom several times and trying to get my crazy hip pain to go away. For some reason, ever since I got pregnant and I try to sleep on either side, I'll wake up with this screaming pain in my hip. Lots of fun - doesn't make much sense when you're supposed to sleep on your side. Thankfully, the hospital bed moves up and down so I can try sleeping on my back while sitting up a little.

Watched "The Goonies" last night, so that was pretty fun. I'm sure Justin and I will pass along our love for that movie to our children. Both of who have been moving around like crazy today. Usually, I can feel both of them move, but it's generally either their feet only or their heads only. Today, I've been able to feel both of them move every part of their bodies around. Not sure if it was something that I ate or not .. but they've been busy.

Getting ready to do my exercises, so I better go. Yes, exercises. In order to try and keep up my arm and leg strength, the physical therapist gave me some weights and showed me several things that I can do every day, twice a day. And I do them like clockwork. I figure there's no one making me do them besides myself and if I want to be at least a little better off after all this sitting, I better do them. So I've been pretty disciplined with it. But I've worked it into my daily schedule so it's a part of what I do every day now which makes it much easier to remember and do.

Oh yeah, the cribs came in the middle of this week and Justin bought the mattresses on Thursday. So, we've got beds and a dresser now. We're making slow progress with the nursery, but at least they've got a place to sleep now. Before that, not so much.

Have a great night and rest of the weekend!

Completely forgot ...

Forgot to mention that when they did their projected measurements for the babies yesterday, they estimated that baby boy is 3 lbs 1 ounce and baby girl is 2 lbs 4 ounces. Even though she's still little, they weren't concerned. Hello? Are you kidding me? That's awesome!

30 & 3

This thing on? Sorry to the two of you who read this blog ... this week has been l-o-n-g and I haven't felt as if I had anything to say. So no updates :(

It's been a good week baby wise, but emotionally it's been pretty taxing. Not sure why, other than the fact that I've now been in the hospital for 39 days and I've been on bed rest for 53 days total. Yes, you read that right. March came and went, sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly. Generally, March is one of my favorite months of the year since it starts (ever so slowly) to get a little warmer, you can tell spring is on its way, I celebrate my birthday, etc. This year, not so much. Don't get me wrong - I'm am thankful. Very thankful. Today I am 30 weeks and 3 days pregnant. And that's just awesome. Considering the fact that I will deliver no later than April 28, we are definitely on the down slope in terms of time here.

Babies looked good on the ultrasound yesterday. Both heartbeats good, dopplers good, movements good, breathing good. The doctor said that the babies are happier than their mom. He changed his tune when I gave him a "what in the world are you talking about" look. He then quickly said that I was surprisingly pleasant for someone who has been here so long. I may be going crazy, but I have prayed that I would at least be pleasant throughout this stay so that it would be better for everyone involved. And I'm not trying to brag, but the one thing I have been (by God's grace alone) is pleasant!

I was reading on Wednesday night and came across these two verses which I've been trying to pray and believe fully. Psalm 4:8 says, "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 5:3 says, "In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." After what happened late last week, I had been a nervous wreck all weekend and into the beginning of this week. Just paranoid about what might happen and when and worrying about the babies and myself. I spent three days being scared of what it is come and I finally told Justin on Sunday night that I had to relax a little before I caused something to happen because I was SO worked up! And then I read these verses this week and was reminded that God knows when I sit and when I rise (and when the babies move) and that he is so aware of our situation. So I've been trying to sleep in peace and lay my requests before God in the morning, waiting in expectation for what he is going to do. I've still had many moments of anxiousness, but I'm trying to rest in the truth of what God tells us through his word.

And then I came across this message earlier today and I was beside myself as I realized once again that we are created by God and for God. Fearfully and wonderfully made. Each and every one. And that his strength is what will get us through everything that we encounter in this life. He promises us that.

And what we do with our little dash of a life can have a big impact on those around us. Or maybe not. Depends on how we live. I'm not talking about perfect living .. I'm simply talking about loving God and loving others to the absolute best of our ability. That's what I'm praying for our family - that Justin, myself and our son and daughter will love God and love others as best we can. And that we'll never say years from now that we were so busy with life that we missed loving in the midst of it.

Okay, no clue how to imbed the thing just yet - here's the link -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e4zgJXPpI4

Thanks for praying for us continually. God has to be doing something in us that we cannot see yet and we're looking forward to see what it is as we move forward in this journey.

And by the way, if you want to pray for this family as well, that would be great. I have no idea who they are, but their story is so similar to ours and I came across their blog today - http://beauandbrittanydaniel.blogspot.com/ - I can totally relate.