DAY 15 - FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2008

WOW...it has been two weeks today since our two boys were born.  It has been both exhausting and exciting at the same time.  On one hand it seems like yesterday they were both born but on the other hand it seems like more than a month has passed.  We are amazed with how much has happened in the last two weeks, it's hard to keep track of what and when things have happened. But we are so very blessed to have these two babies in our lives. We are so grateful for everyone's supportive comments and emails concerning Andrew and Aaron. It helps us know how many are out there supporting and praying for their well being.

ANDREW - Today Andrew continues to look, breathe, and feel better.  The swelling throughout his body continues to decrease.  This morning his nurse moved him from an open warming unit, which he has been in since his birth, to an isolette.  The isolette is a fully enclosed plexy glass box which helps maintain his temperature and also isolates him from much of the noise in the NICU.  They felt that his agitation would be easier to manage if he was inside one.  However it also limits the amount of contact we have with him, but we see that he is much more calm and relaxed in it.  But he is still located in the same lucky corner of the NICU.  We also had the greatest opportunity to hold Andrew for the first time since his birth.  It was such a special experience for Katie to finally hold him.  He was able to open his eyes and look up at us for a long time.  When the nurse took him out of the isolette, it took about 10 minutes to re-arrange all of the wires and tubes in order for us to hold him.  It really demonstrates how many different sensors and tubes are used to monitor every vital system he has.  We had to really take extra care not to disturb the nephrostomy tube which drains the fluid from his kidneys. The NICU Doctor told us today that he is doing amazingly good.  The air in his chest has completely disappeared and he is able to breath on his own without the aid of oxygen.  He also said that because of his size they may not need to wait till he gets larger to perform any corrective surgery to fix the problem with his kidneys.  He currently weighs approximately 6.1 pounds, 

but some of that may be from the remaining swelling he has.  It looks like he may have the Voiding Cystourethrogram (VCUG) test either next Wednesday or Thursday.  From there it may be a few more days after that he can have the corrective surgery.  It seems that everything is moving at such a rapid pace, but Andrew has astonished everyone at his capacity to overcome all of the challenges he has faced and continues to heal very rapidly.  So all of the doctors and nursers at the hospital are actively trying to get him healthy and strong as soon as possible.  Several of the NICU doctors and nurses call Andrew their baby because they have worked so hard to care for him.  It makes us feel comforted to know how much they really care about him. (PICTURE #1: Mommy holding Andrew for the first time. PICTURE #2: Andrew feeling better in his new isolette)

AARON - Today Aaron continues to do really well.  We just love how he wiggles and fusses every time we try to take his temperature or change his diaper.  He is still pretty skinny and when he moves and kicks his legs around we like to call them little chicken legs.  He also continues to eat and sleep very well, which is hard to say the same for mommy and daddy.  But we hope to fatten him up as soon as we can so he can be as big and strong as his brother.