Happy Anniversary and an eye exam

Today Rob and I celebrate 14 years of wedded bliss. That averages out to a kid every other year! LOL!! If only....! That might've been easier:-) The hospital called yesterday and the eye specialist, Dr. Spencer, wanted to see Josiah before next week, so we went to his office today in Dallas. We left home at 10:00 for a 12:30 appointment and got back home at 5:00. Long day! After looking at Josiah's eyes, he really felt he needed the shots like Gideon had to keep his retinas from detaching. But instead of having him go to the hospital for it, he did it in his office. Sweet! except I can't watch:-( He puts a clip in Josiah's eye to hold it open and literally uses an unbent paperclip to help him examine the eye. Just thinking about it makes me almost pass out! I was glad he did it today so I didn't have to drive back to Dallas tomorrow. BUT he wants to see him tomorrow in his Paris office to check him again. At least I can handle the driving better. SO ready for Spring Break. Gideon is doing much better on his oxygen, he is on minimal amounts. He still isn't taking only bottles, so not sure how long before he gets to come home. They would be 38 weeks today! People at the doctor's office kept asking me how old Josiah was. When I said 12 weeks, they were a little stunned since he's not even 6 lbs.

Always an Adventure...

Josiah is now home!!! He's been snoozing on dad most of the evening. He is doing great so far, eating every 4 hours. The eye doctor looked at him and said his eyes are the same, so he'll just see him at his office next week. The kids have been so excited to finally meet him. Isaac just grinned all the way home. He kept asking, can he walk? can he crawl? can he talk? can he eat ice cream? At one point he said, "Mom, why does no mean no?" Samuel and Rebekah couldn't keep from touching him and poor Rachel just had to look from a distance. She is running fever. We got the call to come get Josiah around 10:30. I gathered up all the kids and Rob, we came home and got the suburban, and headed to Dallas. We went through Chick-Fil-A for Rob and I some lunch and about that time Isaac started crying. He said "My throw-up hurts." After asking him 150 questions about what hurt, did his stomach hurt, did he need to go potty, etc, we pulled over and got him out. He didn't seem pale, but he convinced us he was going to throw-up. But no luck! So we gave him the Chick-Fil-A sack and told Rachel to watch him and use the sack if he needed to throw up. Yes, poor Rachel was the unlucky one who sat in the back with him:-) After about 5 minutes, he was crying and sticking his head in the sack. Picture this....we finally get to bring a baby home and we're headed to Dallas with a child who's bawling and sticking his head down in the Chick-Fil-A sack. Really???? Are we dreaming? This can't REALLY be happening!! Oh yes it can. This is our life!!! He then declared he needed a potty. So we made it to Rockwall, found a gas station and I took him in. No luck! So I questioned him some more. This is when he said "My throw-up hurts" and pointed to his throat AND he told me his stomach didn't hurt. SO, smart mom that I am, I finally realized he meant his throat hurt. Rob asked me if I had looked at it. Well, there's a novel concept! Didn't think of that! (No, I hadn't actually) So I looked and guess what... it was swollen to his uvula (that's the hangy-down thing). BAD MOM! Never fear, 2 tylenol and a push-up pop and all was well again. We finally made it to the hospital, just took 3 hours:-) We go to get on the elevator and 2 women act like they can't decide if they want to get on or not. They finally decide to get on after Rob almost lost an arm trying to hold the door for them. Well, one lady barely made it on, she was weaving pretty bad. We got to their floor and the other lady just about ran into the wall of the elevator when she was trying to get off... I think she was having trouble pinpointing exactly where the door was in her condition. You gotta watch those elevator doors...they'll move around on ya:-/
I guess we are experienced enough as parents, Rob signed a few papers, I fed Josiah, we told Gideon good-bye and we were outta there! We were home before dark. It was hard to leave Gideon, but I know he'll be with us soon. He's doing better on his oxygen, but there is a chance he may have to come home on some oxygen and the heart monitor. We'll see how he does over the next week. Josiah weighs 5 lbs 14 ozs and Gideon is 5 lbs 5 ozs. They are amazing little miracles and I'm overwhelmed at how good God is. Thank you everyone for your prayers! Please continue to pray that we get Gideon home soon and that they get through the rest of RSV season with no issues. Let the adventure continue!

Ready or Not.....

The playpen is set up, the changing table is ready, the car seat is ready, the suburban now can carry 9 people...we are ready!!! We just need a baby:-) or two! The nurse practitioner called today and basically said we won't know anything until the eye doctor looks at Josiah tomorrow. If he needs the eye procedure, he will have to stay, but if he doesn't need the procedure, he can come home Monday! How's that for planning! It's very tricky to plan, yet not plan. I stayed home yesterday to get things ready and even hung some curtains that we bought about a year ago! Rob has started working on a garden. It was nice to get some things on our list done. The NP said they will try and lower Gideon's oxygen level this week, but there's a possibility he may have to come home on oxygen. I will post as soon as I am able after hearing from the doctor.

Leap Day Update

Gideon weighs 5 lbs now!!! The eye surgeon came by last night while I was there, to check Gideon's eyes. He said they look great! He will continue to monitor him because the vessels are still developing and  he could develop problems at any time. I cuddled with them last night. They are getting so big! I'm amazed at how far they've come. Josiah weighs 5 lbs 8 ozs. He had another brady (dip in his heart rate) yesterday. He is supposed to go 7 days without one in order for us to bring him home without a heart monitor. I think it had been 5 days since he had one. Josiah no longer has a feeding tube so all feeds are by bottle and he's taking about 60 cc's every 4 hours. Gideon was taking a bottle today and got a little choked up so they stopped and gave him the rest in his tube. Rob has an appointment to get 2 bench seats put in the suburban, making it a 9 passenger vehicle. The fun never ends!

Disappointment

Well we don't get to bring Josiah home Wednesday. The doctor called today and said the eye doctor had looked at his eyes and he is showing signs of Stage 3 Retinopothy of Prematurity (RoP), which is what Gideon had. The eye doctor will check him again Monday and then determine if Josiah needs the same eye procedure that Gideon had to have. So he told us we could go ahead and take him home Wednesday, but we would have to go to Plano to see the eye doctor Monday and if he needs the eye procedure, we would have to re-admit him to the hospital. We both agreed it was best for Josiah to stay put until the doctor determined what needed to be done. So while we're disappointed that he won't be coming home this week, we continue to trust that God has a plan. Who knows? That increases the chances of them coming home together. Gideon is on 1 liter of oxygen and doing very well. He has taken 2 bottles so far today. Gideon weighs 4 lbs 14 ozs and Josiah is 5 lbs 7 ozs. Please pray that all goes well with Josiah's eyes.

Hopkins County Steer Show

What a week!!!! We've survived a milestone birthday AND a steer show....and did it with style:-) But first, the best news of all....Josiah should be coming home Wednesday!!!!! He is doing well and if he has no major issues between now and then, we'll go pick him up and bring him home that day! He no longer has the feeding tube! I am excited and a little nervous too. WHY? It's not like I haven't ever done this before. He's about the size Samuel was when we brought him and Rachel home and yet I feel like I'm bringing home a baby for the first time. Maybe it's just because of how early they were and what problems they have had and could have, but I have to realize that fear and anxiety is not from God. I must remind myself to rest in Him and trust Him for the outcome. I mean, hasn't He proven that over and over with these boys? So I will remind myself what He has brought us through so far and know that He doesn't leave us just because we are bringing the boys home. The nurse last night seemed to think Gideon could possibly come home the next Wednesday. He is doing better on his oxygen and hopefully they will lower that again this week. He has taken a bottle the past two days. The kids are getting excited about meeting their brothers for the first time!!

The kids (Aaron, Rachel and Samuel) showed their steers last night at our county show. This is what they work all year to prepare for. Aaron got 4th in his class, out of 6. Rachel was in the same class and got 2nd. Samuel was in a different class and got 1st place! Then he made Reserve Champion!!!! (This is the 2nd best steer of the 24 steers that were there) He was SO excited!! Rachel won this award last year, so he had already declared it was his turn! So now they both have a championship belt buckle. I guess next year will be Aaron's turn to get a buckle. Rachel also won Intermediate Showmanship for the 2nd year in a row. This is where the judge is looking at the kids and not the animals. It still surprises me a little when Rachel walks in the ring. She is so calm, no matter what her animal does. She has an air of confidence about her and...oh yeah.... and then she smiles! Seriously....what judge wouldn't pick her! Her whole face lights up and her eyes sparkle and suddenly I see what a mature and beautiful young lady she has become! It's an awesome thing to see. Aaron did really well in showmanship as well. He and Rachel and another young man we have shown with for years were the top 3 in showmanship. I think all 3 bring out the best in each other! That's what I love about showing. They are all very competitive but when they step out of the ring they slap hands and congratulate each other for doing so well. Oh, and all 3 Stanley's made the SALE!!! Woo-Hoo! That's what they've been working for all year. So today we go for the sale and awards. Rachel will get a blanket for winning showmanship and Samuel will get his belt buckle! I'll go see the babies tomorrow since I can't breathe today, after being in the barn all day yesterday! Good times!

5 pounds!

Josiah hit 5 pounds last night! He's doing good on his bottles, but still not able to do only bottles. So it will be at least next week, but hopefully it will be next week, when he gets to come home. He's doing really well! Gideon was finally lowered to 1 1/2 liters on his oxygen and he's doing well at that level. He weighs 4 lbs 7 ozs. They have put him on 2 new meds, both to try and help get his oxygen levels down. I went to see them last night and we just snuggled! Nothing else new....so tired....going to bed:-)