Danielle gave birth to Crosby Fox Malone yesterday morning!  http://blakeanddaniellemalone.blogspot.com

Of course, everyone knows that Max and Kate are our Christmas blessings – they truly are miracles.  We are also very thankful for many of our friends blessings recently, especially considering the time of year that it is.

Many of you already know Blake and Danielle Malone.  These two have struggled through so much over the past couple of years with the loss of their daughters.  Danielle is now just a few weeks away from her due date – and baby boy is looking great!  He is truly a miracle and blessing to their lives, and I can’t wait until all three of our babies are old enough to have some play dates together.   Danielle was such an inspiration to me during our pregnancies.  She actually got put into the Predators Suite at Baptist (where I called home for 8 weeks) the day I left.  I knew then that God had brought us together during this time for a reason.  The Malone’s blog is http://blakeanddaniellemalone.blogspot.com check it out.

One of my dearest friends from college, and a coworker of both me and Chad from our days at Nissan, Jay, and his wife Amber just received an amazing blessing recently – they got to bring their adopted daughter home from the Philippines.  Camille is 5 and is absolutely beautiful.  I am sure she will be a great blessing to Jay, Amber, and Carter.  They are in the process of raising funds to bring another child, Leah May, home to America as well.  Please pray that they will be able to take on this challenge that the Lord has placed on their hearts and that they will be able to obtain the funds to adopt Leah May, as she is being taken off of the adoption lists due to her age.  Unless someone specifically requests her, she will be spending the remainder of her childhood in the orphanage.  You can donate to Leah May’s fund by contacting Jay at jay_childress@hotmail.com

Speaking of adoption – most everyone that reads this know of Chad’s and my love for the continent of Africa, and the work we do with Triathletes for Africa/ Triathletes for Hope, so it is fitting that we have taken interest in the adoptions of two of our sets of friends.  Both couples are adopting from Ethiopia.  Mike and Amy just had their court date and PASSED!!!! this week – they will be bringing their beautiful baby girl home soon.  Their blog is http://severson.wordpress.com.  Our friends Becky and Andrew are also awaiting their court date as they just got their referral last week for their baby boy.  Their website is http://thegreatestmarathon.blogspot.com Please pray that both of these wonderful couples continue to receive God’s blessings upon their families as they both await the arrival of their children.

Chad and I hope that everyone reading this receives all of the wonderful blessings God has in store for you this year!  Thanks for keeping up with our journey over the past year, and we PROMISE next year won’t be quite as dramatic!  Peace and love – K

Chad and I arrived at Vanderbilt yesterday morning just in time to meet with the doctors during their rounds, and they informed us the babies were both going home!  We thought Kate might be home by Friday, but we thought Max would surely be another week.  But the doctors felt they were both well enough to go home – they came a long way in just a matter of days.  Both are still just a little bit stuffy, but are both happy, alert, and HUNGRY.  Chad and I were both up with them all night last night, and loved every minute of it.  The babies have been on such a good schedule despite everything that has happened, but all of a sudden they both decide they need to eat every two hours instead of every three.

We are hoping that all of us are home for good now.  The past year, especially the last 4 months, has been a whirlwind tour of emotions.  But for  (what we hope is) the end of this madness, we could not have asked for a better outcome.   We praise God for all of the blessings He has given us over the past year.

Just got home from spending the day with the babies.  I’ll keep it very short since it is after midnight, and this may be the last full night of sleep I get for a while.  Kate and Max were both very alert for me this afternoon and tonight – I just couldn’t leave them!  Every time I would pick one up, the other would start fussing.  I think they are fighting for mommy’s attention, which is just fine for me!  They both seem to be getting back to their old selves, they just need to get rid of a little more congestion.  They have each only had a few apneic spells today, and Kate may be home in as little as 2 days.  Hopefully, they will keep them both until they can home without an apnea monitor.  Thank you all for your prayers – these little ones continue to be true miracles.

So, I was wrong.  That’s what happens when I can’t be there in person.  The babies are still being cared for by a one-on-one nurse, and they are still listed in “critical care”.  The biggest reason they were moved to the new room is for our comfort (well, Chad’s, since I am not there right now).  I guess there was some miscommunication between the nurse yesterday and   Chad and then me – kinda like the fun game we used to play as kids – see how much the story can change when you whisper it from ear to ear.  HOWEVER, they are doing ok.  Kate still seems to be doing well even with the steroids wearing off.  Max is still at what we hope is the peak of this virus – he is still having some apnea spells requiring more frequent suctioning so that he does not get so clogged up that he stops breathing, but Chad says he is still more alert and eating well – two things he was not doing a few days ago.  Kate is alert again, too – she is the most alert little baby we have ever seen anyway, and she seems to be getting back to her old self a little more every day. The swelling in her face and around her eyes is gone, so she looks like Kate again.   And she is still doing well taking her bottles.

Many of you have asked how long they will be here, and we just don’t have any idea yet.  It is our hope that they will keep them until there is absolutely no sign of this virus or the side effects of it – we do not want to chance bringning them home and having any relapse at all.  Our biggest goal right now is to get them well, and hopefully a few more days to a week will do that.  Poor things have had this now for over two weeks!

More updates as Chad gets them.

The babies got moved into a step down room, which means they are doing better and are out of critical care.  One of us has to be there with them around the clock now, because they do not require one-on-one nurses.  However, I tested positive for strep today, and have a double ear infection.  The doc got me on an antibiotic and albuterol, and gave me a good breathing treatment before I left the office, but it looks like Chad will be tending to the little ones until I can get better, or for at least 48 hours until the antibiotic kicks in.  It is so hard not being able to be there with them, but at the same time I know I cannot chance getting them more sick or getting the nurses sick – they take care of so many little ones there, and I would never risk any of them getting anything.  All of these babies are so precious.

Max, according to Chad, seemed much more alert today and HUNGRY – so he is getting back to his old self.  We are afraid he is going to eat us out of house and home in a few years.  Kate is continuing to show signs of improvement as well.  Sweet little thing is getting very attached to her daddy.  She just wants to be held.  Her voice is much better and her secretions, although alittle worse now that the steroid is worn off, do not seem to be as bad as they were before.  Hopefully, they are both on the mend, and a few more days of treatment and monitoring should be it.

Of course, this little episode has setback their little immune systems, and their lung development (a normal preemie can take up to 18 months to catch up, and they will be even longer than that now), so it looks like our house will be on isolation for a while.  It also means mommy has to become a good cleaner (I can hear alot of you laughing right now).  So………. anyone know of a really good housekeeper?  Thanks again for all of your prayers – we still need them.  They are working.  These little guys are miracles – in more ways than one.

Kate seems to be doing ok off of the ventilator.  She was acting so hungry, though, that the nurse decided to attempt bottle feeding, and she did great.  She is starting back at about one-fourth of what she was taking, but she is doing good so far.  The doctor is a little concerned that when the steroid wears off, she may start having some issues again, but we will not worry about that until it happens.  Her little cry is raspy and light, but it was there!  It was the best sound in the world this morning!

Max still doesn’t seem to have peaked with the virus yet as his secretions are getting worse.  We are just hoping that he can continue to cough on his own and that his airway does not become blocked.  The size of their airways is the main reason for their breathing and coughing difficulties.

Luckily, it looks like they will not have any long term effects on thier brain, learning, etc.  There is a high likelihood of asthma especially with Kate, and some respiratory issues for a while, but we can handle that!

We’ll keep you updated.

Kate received a steroid shot this afternoon to aid her vocal cords and throat from the swelling and so that she could have the ventilator removed.  At 8pm tonight, they removed it and she struggled, but began to breathe on her own with some stimulation.  It was very tense watching her not breathing and knowing that the drs. were ready to replace the ventilator at any moment.  She is on a nasal canula to stimulate her to breathe.  She is basically starting from scratch and will have to learn to breathe again.  We are hoping that they do not have to put the tube back in, but we were told it is a definite possibility because of the amount of secretions coming out of her lungs.  We are hoping she will come off of the feeding tube in the next couple of days and go back to the bottle.

The babies were moved into a room together today.  Max is doing good – just coughing quite a bit and having some mild apnea spells, but he is resolving on his own.  Since he did not have the spells at Baptist, the nurses think it is most likely because of this virus causing some reflux.  He will continue to be monitored, but is no longer on the IV.

All of the test results are still negative.  Basically, this virus is mimicking RSV and pneumonia, but there is the possibilty that since the babies received the RSV immunization, it is covering it up, since the immunization does not provide 100% protection from getting it.  Since these babies were not even supposed to be born yet, this virus and the pneumonia like symptoms are much more serious than they would be to you or me, or even a full term baby.

It was very hard Wednesday to hear the doctor tell us that Kate was “critical”.  We are so glad that she has come as far as she has since then, and pray that she will continue to recover quickly and that Max will do the same.   Max got very upset at one point today waiting on his feeding, and Kate became very alert, looking around for her brother as she heard him cry – it is amazing to see the improvement in her now that they are back together.  Please continue to pray for their improvement.

It has been another long day.  Max started going downhill with his breathing and coughing yesterday and was refusing to eat.  We decided it was time to take him to Vandy so that we were not faced with the possibilty of his stopping breathing like little sister while he was at home.  After numerous tests and observations it was decided that he would also be admitted to the NICU.  Luckily, he is not on a ventilator, just an IV for fluids and he is getting suctioned as needed.   Both of them will go into “isolation” tomorrow more than anything so that the nurses and doctors that are in contact with them do not spread it to any of the other children.

Kate is stable.  She is fighting against the ventilator very hard now, but at least she is somewhat awake and showing signs of strength.  She will be going down on oxygen tomorrow in hopes that she will begin to breathe even more on her own.  She is still producing alot of mucus in her lungs, so she will continue to be suctioned and have her airway kept open with the tubes.  The hardest thing is to see her fight so hard and try to cry – her vocal cords are not working, so there is no sound.  What I would give to hear my sweet little baby girl cry right now.

Max and Kate are such fighters and have so much strength right now to be so little.  I am so proud of them.  Please pray that they continue their strength and that both of them recover as quickly as possible with no lasting effects.  I am again amazed at the outpouring of love for these two precious angels.

More as we learn.

Kate is breathing better this morning, but is still on the ventilator until she can breathe on her own and so that the doctors can suction her lungs, as she is still having large amounts of secretions.  She is maintaining her temperature again.  Dr. Walsh is thinking that the worst is over, and that she will be in here until at least next Tuesday.  She is still scheduled for her spinal tap this afternoon.  They are going to attempt to start her back on breastmilk this afternoon through a feeding tube instead of just the fluids she has received since Tuesday night.  Please pray that she continues to fight, and that she will not have any other episodes that delay her healing.

I took Max to the pediatrician this morning, as his symptoms are worsening.  He is coughing, which the doctor says is a good thing, but he is very lethargic and producing much more mucus.  He is keeping his temp up and his oxygen level and blood counts looked good this morning, so we are just having to watch him very closely for his breathing and try to get him to take his feedings so he does not get dehydrated.  Please pray that he will start recovering and have the strength to fight this off on his own without intervention.

It is the hardest thing in the world to have two children that need you so much at the same time and not be able to be with them both at the same time.  Chad and I are splitting our time between the two of them so that we can both be there for at least one of them each.  Please pray that God will give us the strength to continue to do so.

Max and Kate have been suffering from the same cold that just about everyone has, but last night Kate’s tiny little body just couldn’t fight it anymore.  After a big drop in her temperature, and some spells with her breathing and turning blue, we were instructed to get her to Vanderbilt ASAP.  She was taken straight back to the urgent care to get her temp up, and while she was in the warmer, she stopped breathing.  She was immediately taken to the Trauma unit and a ventilator was started, and IV’s were placed to begin antibiotics in case there was any type of infection.  Unfortunately, it looks like it is this virus and she needs help fighting it off, needs help breathing, and all the doctors can do right now is make her comfortable until her body can fight it.  Again, Chad and I feel so fortunate that the doctors and nurses at all of the hopsitals, 4 now, have taken such good care of our family and are continuing to do so.

Today around lunch, Kate stopped breathing once again even on the ventilator – she had gotten mucus stuck in her tube, and about 10 doctors and nurses had to get her a larger tube and insert another tube to suction her lungs out.  We do not know if she was without oxygen long enough to have any long term effects, but we do know that her vocal cords are very swollen because it had to be done so fast to get her breathing again and get her stats back up, that she probably will have some long term effects on her vocal cords, and possibly suffer with asthma from the entire experience.  As of this evening, she is stable, and the doctors are awaiting her test results to pinpoint this virus, even though with a virus there is not much they can do.  We are waiting for the sedation to wear off so that we can see if she will begin to breathe on her own.  She is scheduled for a spinal tap in the morning to rule out meningitis or any other infection in the brain stem.  We are hoping that the worst is over and that all that will follow is recovery, but there is the possibility that she will continue to have the mucus episodes, so her lungs are being suctioned every 4 hours.  Plese pray that Katherine Ann will recover soon from this and that any long term effects on her are minimal.  Plese pray that Max will continue to fight this virus as we have, and that he will not suffer the complications that Kate has.  Thank you for your prayers.