Welcome Week Nine!
As we begin Week Nine, we think we may also be looking into the light at the end of the tunnel! The doctors, nurses, and specialists here seem to think we’re getting closer to the end of our stay!
Now we are mostly working on eating skills. The speech therapist at Fair Oaks who worked with the kids on Tuesday has changed the kids from their thickened feeds to regular milk for Christopher, and just some thickening added for Katharine. This moves them both closer to the end goal of regular feeding. Additionally, both have begun feeding on demand, rather than on a set schedule, and are able to have as much as they want from a bottle.
Eating all of our food from a bottle is one of the final steps required before we’re ready to go home. Christopher is a few days ahead of Katharine. And as long as he continues to gain weight and be without spells, he may be ready to go home as soon as early next week!
Katharine is still working on her feedings, as her swallow reflex is still developing. So she continues to require thicker milk, and we are helping her pace at feedings, although she is starting to learn to pace herself.
Should Christopher come home first, we will be able to take him with us to visit her in her private room until she’s also ready to come home.
It will be exciting to see what develops in week nine!
And we’re so excited that Grandmas and Grandpas can now visit to meet the kids! We look forward to seeing Grandma and Grandpa Keller this weekend, and Grandma and Grandpa Sturgeon next weekend!
Here are some of the photos we have to share so far – don’t forget to check back! We look forward to sharing more updates and lots of fun photos as Week Nine continues!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=683499777905%3A1787428627&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
Love,
Andrea, David, Katharine, and Christopher
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
Week Eight
We recently got the post and photos up for Week 7. Read all about the latest if you haven’t seen it already!
As we start Week 8, we find that we already have a lot of fun photos to share, so we’ve got a gallery started already (see the link below)!
We're still growing strong! At seven weeks on Wednesday, both kids were at 6 pounds 4 ounces!
The biggest news so far this week is that we decided to transfer to Fair Oaks Hospital on Saturday. We met with the staff on Friday, and feel strongly that this will be exactly what we and the kids need now. While it is a little farther for us, the facility is much quieter and more family friendly. All of their rooms are private, a great departure from the crowded and busy open nursery setup at Fairfax.
So Christopher and Katharine are now sharing their own room, out of isolation from one another, and we are able to visit around the clock, with rooming-in facilities. We will be able to care for the kids more independently, while still having medical care and guidance close by, as the kids continue to work on eating and growing. We are thrilled to have access to the more peaceful environment for our family and for the kids’ development.
The best perk to the kids’ new home away from home….that they have finally met one another, after more than seven weeks of separation! This moment is long overdue, and we hope the source of many cute photos! ☺
Check back during the week for more updates! Here is a link for the photos we have so far…
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=601065457905%3A978808929&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
In other news, we are putting the final touches on the nursery here at home and are all set for the kids to come enjoy their new room when they're ready! We're sharing a few photos of the nursery in a separate gallery. Here's the site for that...
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=594395567905%3A1390857281&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
Enjoy!
With Love,
Andrea, David, Katharine, and Christopher
As we start Week 8, we find that we already have a lot of fun photos to share, so we’ve got a gallery started already (see the link below)!
We're still growing strong! At seven weeks on Wednesday, both kids were at 6 pounds 4 ounces!
The biggest news so far this week is that we decided to transfer to Fair Oaks Hospital on Saturday. We met with the staff on Friday, and feel strongly that this will be exactly what we and the kids need now. While it is a little farther for us, the facility is much quieter and more family friendly. All of their rooms are private, a great departure from the crowded and busy open nursery setup at Fairfax.
So Christopher and Katharine are now sharing their own room, out of isolation from one another, and we are able to visit around the clock, with rooming-in facilities. We will be able to care for the kids more independently, while still having medical care and guidance close by, as the kids continue to work on eating and growing. We are thrilled to have access to the more peaceful environment for our family and for the kids’ development.
The best perk to the kids’ new home away from home….that they have finally met one another, after more than seven weeks of separation! This moment is long overdue, and we hope the source of many cute photos! ☺
Check back during the week for more updates! Here is a link for the photos we have so far…
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=601065457905%3A978808929&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
In other news, we are putting the final touches on the nursery here at home and are all set for the kids to come enjoy their new room when they're ready! We're sharing a few photos of the nursery in a separate gallery. Here's the site for that...
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=594395567905%3A1390857281&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
Enjoy!
With Love,
Andrea, David, Katharine, and Christopher
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Week Seven
Photos for Week Seven are ready for you! You can copy and paste this address into your browser to see them. Enjoy!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=540216157905%3A1033495247&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
Week Seven has been a week of ups and downs. Par for the course in the NICU, we are recognizing the “two steps forward one step back” experience.
The kids have been doing a great job of breathing on their own without the nasal cannula! Some days are better than others in terms of their oxygen saturation, but for the most part these numbers are looking more stable each day.
Both Christopher and Katharine have had some challenges with steady breathing, however, as they work on taking more of their food from a bottle. Some days are easier for them than others, and they are able to eat more. But sometimes they have some difficulty. As a result, the speech therapist was consulted this week to help examine their suck, swallow, breathe coordination. Both kids showed signs of needing help with breathing while eating, usually holding their breath for a while to suck and swallow, and then breathing very quickly to catch up. This reflex poses a risk for them to accidentally inhale any milk left in their mouth, so some intervention is needed until they are able to coordinate this more easily.
We learned that breast milk can be difficult for some preemies to handle because it flows so quickly that they don’t have time to manage the coordination of these tasks. So both kids were placed on “thickened feeds”, meaning simply that their milk is now mixed with a thickener that makes it flow more slowly from the bottle. Both are doing much better with this consistency, and get practice with the bottle at every other feeding, with time to rest in between practice sessions.
After drinking whatever amount they can from a bottle, they are receiving the remainder through their feeding tubes, so the kids are still growing like champions! They're both over six pounds now! Christopher is now close to 19 inches long, and Katharine is just over 17.5 inches. Some of their first preemie outfits are no longer working, and Mom thinks she’ll soon need to take up weight lifting to keep up with them! ☺
And the question of the month – when are they coming home? Well, we would love to say it would be in a couple more weeks! But we honestly don’t know. Based on their feeding progress, we may have several weeks to go. When pinned down to give us an estimate last weekend, their doctor gave us a very conservative “six to eight weeks”. We would of course love to have them home sooner, but we are very happy for them to have time to continue to grow until they are fully ready. So at this point, we are not ready to start a countdown. For now, we will just enjoy spending time with them while we wait!
Thank you, as always, for all your love and support!
With love,
Andrea, David, Christopher, and Katharine
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=540216157905%3A1033495247&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
Week Seven has been a week of ups and downs. Par for the course in the NICU, we are recognizing the “two steps forward one step back” experience.
The kids have been doing a great job of breathing on their own without the nasal cannula! Some days are better than others in terms of their oxygen saturation, but for the most part these numbers are looking more stable each day.
Both Christopher and Katharine have had some challenges with steady breathing, however, as they work on taking more of their food from a bottle. Some days are easier for them than others, and they are able to eat more. But sometimes they have some difficulty. As a result, the speech therapist was consulted this week to help examine their suck, swallow, breathe coordination. Both kids showed signs of needing help with breathing while eating, usually holding their breath for a while to suck and swallow, and then breathing very quickly to catch up. This reflex poses a risk for them to accidentally inhale any milk left in their mouth, so some intervention is needed until they are able to coordinate this more easily.
We learned that breast milk can be difficult for some preemies to handle because it flows so quickly that they don’t have time to manage the coordination of these tasks. So both kids were placed on “thickened feeds”, meaning simply that their milk is now mixed with a thickener that makes it flow more slowly from the bottle. Both are doing much better with this consistency, and get practice with the bottle at every other feeding, with time to rest in between practice sessions.
After drinking whatever amount they can from a bottle, they are receiving the remainder through their feeding tubes, so the kids are still growing like champions! They're both over six pounds now! Christopher is now close to 19 inches long, and Katharine is just over 17.5 inches. Some of their first preemie outfits are no longer working, and Mom thinks she’ll soon need to take up weight lifting to keep up with them! ☺
And the question of the month – when are they coming home? Well, we would love to say it would be in a couple more weeks! But we honestly don’t know. Based on their feeding progress, we may have several weeks to go. When pinned down to give us an estimate last weekend, their doctor gave us a very conservative “six to eight weeks”. We would of course love to have them home sooner, but we are very happy for them to have time to continue to grow until they are fully ready. So at this point, we are not ready to start a countdown. For now, we will just enjoy spending time with them while we wait!
Thank you, as always, for all your love and support!
With love,
Andrea, David, Christopher, and Katharine
Monday, September 20, 2010
Week Six
The Week Six Kodak Gallery is finally up! David figured out that our browser was struggling with the site. But the crisis has been averted, and all our photos from Week Six are waiting for you now! Here is the link to paste into your browser. Enjoy!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=445024027905%3A1964578548&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
As we finish Week Six, we are celebrating a few new milestones!
Both of the kids have done a lot of growing this last week. Katharine is now five pounds and two ounces pounds, and Christopher is five pounds and twelve ounces already! And Mom and Dad are now having lots of fun giving baths in an actual little tub. We are amazed by how much bigger, stronger, and heavier they seem from even this time last week!
And both are taking 5-10 ml of milk in a bottle prior to their regular feeding tube meals, and are doing a great job, working on coordinating their "suck, swallow, breathe" reflexes. Katharine so far is a very eager eater, who needs some help with pacing from Mom and Dad so that she doesn't end up with a mouthful of milk all over her. And while Christopher sometimes needs some time to think about it, he is doing a fabulous job of eating once he decides that it is something he wants to do.
Katharine and Christopher are both now breathing without the nasal cannula! Their doctor decided to do a trial run without it on Friday and Saturday afternoons, and so far they are going strong, and doing a fabulous job. We look forward to sharing photos with you of our little darlings without this extra decoration on their faces! :)
The question of the week - when will they be ready to come home? This is a very good question, for which we have not gotten a real answer. They are already doing a lot of what they need to by controlling their own body temperature and breathing pretty well on their own. The last set of hurdles will involve their feedings. They are eating about 350 milliliters a day, with about 20 ml being from a bottle. Before they go home, they have to be able to take ALL of their feedings from a bottle. And as they work toward this goal, it is possible that they may have trouble regulating the other systems they are seeming to manage well now. So, in short, they will not be ready next week. It could easily be 2-3 weeks longer, depending on how things progress.
As always, we are so thankful for your prayers and love!
With Love,
Andrea, David, Christopher, and Katharine
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=445024027905%3A1964578548&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
As we finish Week Six, we are celebrating a few new milestones!
Both of the kids have done a lot of growing this last week. Katharine is now five pounds and two ounces pounds, and Christopher is five pounds and twelve ounces already! And Mom and Dad are now having lots of fun giving baths in an actual little tub. We are amazed by how much bigger, stronger, and heavier they seem from even this time last week!
And both are taking 5-10 ml of milk in a bottle prior to their regular feeding tube meals, and are doing a great job, working on coordinating their "suck, swallow, breathe" reflexes. Katharine so far is a very eager eater, who needs some help with pacing from Mom and Dad so that she doesn't end up with a mouthful of milk all over her. And while Christopher sometimes needs some time to think about it, he is doing a fabulous job of eating once he decides that it is something he wants to do.
Katharine and Christopher are both now breathing without the nasal cannula! Their doctor decided to do a trial run without it on Friday and Saturday afternoons, and so far they are going strong, and doing a fabulous job. We look forward to sharing photos with you of our little darlings without this extra decoration on their faces! :)
The question of the week - when will they be ready to come home? This is a very good question, for which we have not gotten a real answer. They are already doing a lot of what they need to by controlling their own body temperature and breathing pretty well on their own. The last set of hurdles will involve their feedings. They are eating about 350 milliliters a day, with about 20 ml being from a bottle. Before they go home, they have to be able to take ALL of their feedings from a bottle. And as they work toward this goal, it is possible that they may have trouble regulating the other systems they are seeming to manage well now. So, in short, they will not be ready next week. It could easily be 2-3 weeks longer, depending on how things progress.
As always, we are so thankful for your prayers and love!
With Love,
Andrea, David, Christopher, and Katharine
Sunday, September 19, 2010
September 14 Update
UPDATE 9/14/10:
Katharine's PDA was smaller during yesterday's echocardiogram! While it is still unlikely to close on its own, the signs that it is getting smaller make surgery less likely. Her doctor suggested today that she might continue to be monitored after discharge from the hospital. Then sometime after the age of six months, she could have a procedure to close it which accesses the area through the groin, which is much less invasive than surgery, avoiding the long recovery from a surgery. This possibility is wonderful news, and we are currently breathing a sigh of relief! We also understand, however, that by nature, the PDA can still get larger and smaller. So we pray that she continues to show signs of improvement, and that her breathing and heart rates grow more stable as she continues to grow. At this point, she is not scheduled for another echo, as long as the murmur they're hearing indicates that it is still smaller.
Thank you again for your love and prayers! We will keep you informed when we receive updates on the status of this concern.
In other news, Christopher broke the five pound mark today, at five pounds, 2 ounces. Katharine is gaining as well, at four pounds, nine ounces! Grow kids, grow!
Katharine's PDA was smaller during yesterday's echocardiogram! While it is still unlikely to close on its own, the signs that it is getting smaller make surgery less likely. Her doctor suggested today that she might continue to be monitored after discharge from the hospital. Then sometime after the age of six months, she could have a procedure to close it which accesses the area through the groin, which is much less invasive than surgery, avoiding the long recovery from a surgery. This possibility is wonderful news, and we are currently breathing a sigh of relief! We also understand, however, that by nature, the PDA can still get larger and smaller. So we pray that she continues to show signs of improvement, and that her breathing and heart rates grow more stable as she continues to grow. At this point, she is not scheduled for another echo, as long as the murmur they're hearing indicates that it is still smaller.
Thank you again for your love and prayers! We will keep you informed when we receive updates on the status of this concern.
In other news, Christopher broke the five pound mark today, at five pounds, 2 ounces. Katharine is gaining as well, at four pounds, nine ounces! Grow kids, grow!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Week Five
As promised, here is the link for some photos for the beginning of week five! Happy Grandparents' Day, Mom and Dad Sturgeon and Mom and Dad Keller! We love you!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=516679686905%3A1827631904&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
(Please let me know if you have any trouble with this - I think I copied the right link this week! Also, try using Control/Command and C for copy and Control/Command and V for paste.)
This week has been a lot of fun so far, celebrating the kids' four week birthday on Wednesday, Mom's 37th birthday on Thursday, and then the kids'one month birthday on Saturday.
This week, both Katharine and Christopher have been growing - so far she is four pounds five ounces, and he is heading toward five, at four pounds fourteen ounces!
Both kids are now working on learning to drink a very small amount from a bottle (five ml) twice a day. And in between bottles, they are practicing the skill with a pacifier, learning to suck and hold it at the same time.
We are also learning some stimulation "exercises" and some holding positions to use with the kids during our hands on time with them, which will help them develop and strengthen their muscles.
And mom and dad are really enjoying holding and interacting with the kids as they develop and begin to spend more time awake around feedings. Holding bottles, practicing with pacifiers, getting weighed.... this week has been a lot of fun!
Without creating worry, we would like to share a prayer concern with you. We are learning that Katharine's PDA may not be closing on its own. Without going through too many details, a PDA is a little like a detour between the heart and the lungs, because babies in the womb do not use oxygen the same way as babies who have been born - because you're not taking oxygen through the lungs until you're born. The PDA is something that usually closes for all of us at birth, allowing the passage of oxygen between the lungs and the heart. When it doesn't completely close at birth, it can sometimes still close on its own. The doctors were thinking this might happen with Katharine's PDA, because it was initially very small. Unfortunately, the PDA can get smaller or larger, and it appears that Katharine's is getting larger, causing a more noticeable heart murmur, an enlarged left ventricle, and an unsteady breathing rate.
This is of concern for Katharine as she is working to develop the regulation of so many body systems while her little lungs develop, affecting her breathing and heart rate. This is something the doctors will continue to monitor with weekly echocardiograms. At some point, the PDA will eventually need to close on its own (which is looking less likely now), or she will need surgery to close it. We are trusting in faith that our sweet children have already been so blessed and will continue to be blessed by God's loving protection. And we pray that the hands and decisions of Katharine's doctors and nurses will be guided by His wisdom and love, so that she may continue to develop her strength. We would be so grateful if you were also moved to pray for our strong little girl and her care. Thank you so very much for your loving support!
New photos for Week 5 to come soon - keep checking back!
With Love,
Andrea, David, Christopher, and Katharine
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=516679686905%3A1827631904&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
(Please let me know if you have any trouble with this - I think I copied the right link this week! Also, try using Control/Command and C for copy and Control/Command and V for paste.)
This week has been a lot of fun so far, celebrating the kids' four week birthday on Wednesday, Mom's 37th birthday on Thursday, and then the kids'one month birthday on Saturday.
This week, both Katharine and Christopher have been growing - so far she is four pounds five ounces, and he is heading toward five, at four pounds fourteen ounces!
Both kids are now working on learning to drink a very small amount from a bottle (five ml) twice a day. And in between bottles, they are practicing the skill with a pacifier, learning to suck and hold it at the same time.
We are also learning some stimulation "exercises" and some holding positions to use with the kids during our hands on time with them, which will help them develop and strengthen their muscles.
And mom and dad are really enjoying holding and interacting with the kids as they develop and begin to spend more time awake around feedings. Holding bottles, practicing with pacifiers, getting weighed.... this week has been a lot of fun!
Without creating worry, we would like to share a prayer concern with you. We are learning that Katharine's PDA may not be closing on its own. Without going through too many details, a PDA is a little like a detour between the heart and the lungs, because babies in the womb do not use oxygen the same way as babies who have been born - because you're not taking oxygen through the lungs until you're born. The PDA is something that usually closes for all of us at birth, allowing the passage of oxygen between the lungs and the heart. When it doesn't completely close at birth, it can sometimes still close on its own. The doctors were thinking this might happen with Katharine's PDA, because it was initially very small. Unfortunately, the PDA can get smaller or larger, and it appears that Katharine's is getting larger, causing a more noticeable heart murmur, an enlarged left ventricle, and an unsteady breathing rate.
This is of concern for Katharine as she is working to develop the regulation of so many body systems while her little lungs develop, affecting her breathing and heart rate. This is something the doctors will continue to monitor with weekly echocardiograms. At some point, the PDA will eventually need to close on its own (which is looking less likely now), or she will need surgery to close it. We are trusting in faith that our sweet children have already been so blessed and will continue to be blessed by God's loving protection. And we pray that the hands and decisions of Katharine's doctors and nurses will be guided by His wisdom and love, so that she may continue to develop her strength. We would be so grateful if you were also moved to pray for our strong little girl and her care. Thank you so very much for your loving support!
New photos for Week 5 to come soon - keep checking back!
With Love,
Andrea, David, Christopher, and Katharine
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Week Four Was Wonderful!
Week Four has been very exciting so far! Katharine took a trial run in an open crib this week! She is now back in her isolette, but is doing a great job of working on maintaining her temperature. And Christopher moved into an open crib for the first time today! An update on Christopher's isolation - he has tested negative for the infection in his first follow-up test. We'll have one more follow up, and he'll continue to have an isolation screen through his discharge. So we'll continue to wear gloves and gowns with him, but are glad to hopefully have the infection behind us.
Both kids are doing well with their feedings, and Katharine has even begun some practice runs at "suck, swallow, breathe", taking a tiny amount of milk in a bottle twice a day! It was a startling experience when she first realized that this was not a pacifier - something coming out of it! :) But she got the idea within a few seconds, and is doing fabulous with the bottles. Mom enjoyed giving her a bottle for the first time!
And most exciting for us is that both kids were moved into the "step-down" room on Sunday! The room is designed for babies needing less-intense care to continue to make the final steps toward getting ready to head home. The room is smaller and quieter, and the kids are finally together again, separated only by Christopher's isolation screen. We're so glad to be together, to feel a little more like a family when we're visiting. The kids have yet to "meet", but we look forward to holding them together and introducing them! :)
And finally, Katharine joined Christopher in the "four pound" club this week! Both kids are gaining weight steadily as a result of constantly increasing feeds, which will continue to improve development and achievement of important milestones!
Here is the site for this week's photo gallery for you to copy into your browser. A few of you have let me know that this week's link didn't work for you - Thank you! I corrected the link below for you - please give it another try.
Also, if your browser does not let you access the "copy" and "paste" functions under "Edit", try using "Control C" for copy, and "Control V" for paste - once you highlight the site, press control and the letter c to copy it. Then once you've cleared your web browser line, click on it and press control and the letter v to paste it. Hopefully that will make it easier to access the photos for you! :)
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=382086366905%3A1894952531&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
Love,
Andrea, David, Katharine, and Christopher
Both kids are doing well with their feedings, and Katharine has even begun some practice runs at "suck, swallow, breathe", taking a tiny amount of milk in a bottle twice a day! It was a startling experience when she first realized that this was not a pacifier - something coming out of it! :) But she got the idea within a few seconds, and is doing fabulous with the bottles. Mom enjoyed giving her a bottle for the first time!
And most exciting for us is that both kids were moved into the "step-down" room on Sunday! The room is designed for babies needing less-intense care to continue to make the final steps toward getting ready to head home. The room is smaller and quieter, and the kids are finally together again, separated only by Christopher's isolation screen. We're so glad to be together, to feel a little more like a family when we're visiting. The kids have yet to "meet", but we look forward to holding them together and introducing them! :)
And finally, Katharine joined Christopher in the "four pound" club this week! Both kids are gaining weight steadily as a result of constantly increasing feeds, which will continue to improve development and achievement of important milestones!
Here is the site for this week's photo gallery for you to copy into your browser. A few of you have let me know that this week's link didn't work for you - Thank you! I corrected the link below for you - please give it another try.
Also, if your browser does not let you access the "copy" and "paste" functions under "Edit", try using "Control C" for copy, and "Control V" for paste - once you highlight the site, press control and the letter c to copy it. Then once you've cleared your web browser line, click on it and press control and the letter v to paste it. Hopefully that will make it easier to access the photos for you! :)
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=382086366905%3A1894952531&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
Love,
Andrea, David, Katharine, and Christopher
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