Updates & Surgery #3

Hi All,

A lot has happened since our last posting! Both boys have had a really good couple of weeks. The eye doctor did his follow up visit and said their eyes looked good. They'll have another check up within the next week or so, but he does not seem concerned about possibly needing another surgery.

Ethan has remained off of all breathing assistance since we wrote about it in our last post and since then Caleb has also decided to take out his canula and has been breathing on his own and doing well with it for a little over a week.

They are getting so big now! Ethan is up to a chubby 5lbs 10oz and Caleb is close behind at 5lb 3oz, meaning both of them will now fit in the car seats comfortably. There have been stretches recently where one or the other will gain over a pound in just two weeks! So they have almost graduated out of the preemie clothes and into newborn clothes.

Ethan has been steadily getting better at bottle feeding and has even taken a couple full bottles. It is so great to see him use his instincts to latch on and feed himself. Caleb hasn't had the opportunity yet, but we hope he will soon. For now, they have both been put on "pause" because...

Surgery #3 is happening for both of them tomorrow. They are both going to have their hernias fixed, which means back on the vent, back on anesthesia, and back on IV fluids. Hopefully they will recover from all of this quickly now that they are bigger and stronger and get back to the great progress they were making to this point. And hopefully this is the LAST surgery they need before they can come home (preferably for the rest of their lives, but we'll take before they come home for now :)

It's hard to believe, but tomorrow represents day 100 of NICU life for our family. It has been filled with many ups and downs, highs and lows, joy and sadness. Through it all, we have all grown together and created many memories that will forever be treasured. We have celebrated Mothers Day together, celebrated Jamie's birthday together, and celebrated 3 months of birthdays for Ethan and Caleb. We are so blessed to have these two little guys in our lives and to have been able to have Tyler here with us for a few precious days (and still with us daily in spirit). We are very much looking forward to getting Ethan and Caleb home soon and starting that wonderful phase of our lives together.

Thanks for the continued prayers and support!