Almost 10 Months!

I was thinking the other day that I've only been posting when something goes awry.  Well, I would like to start this post out with saying: We are currently healthy.......ish:)!  Lawson has never really completely kicked his respiratory junk, but he is managing it a lot better.

Both boys got to see their pulmonologist, Dr. Acton, a couple of weeks ago.  This was due to Lawson's hospitalization.  We basically just met with him to get a baseline.  He was very impressed with both boys and kept repeating how remarkably well they are doing for 27 week old preemies.  Everyone is always so shocked when we tell them that the boys aren't on any special medicine or formula.  Dr. Acton just kept Lawson's orders the same- inhaled steroid twice a day and albuterol just as needed. Sutton is not on any maintenance inhalant but can have albuterol as needed.

Onto other respiratory news, both boys were approved by insurance to get the RSV vaccination!  Andrew and I were so excited to hear this news!  Preemies are more prone to contract viruses and to be hit way harder than a full term baby- especially when it involves respiratory illnesses.  Their adjusted age doesn't apply in this case- just because they were 3 months early doesn't mean their lung development is just 3 months behind.  While they will eventually grow out of it, they have chronic lung disease which makes these respiratory viruses so much more complicated.  This RSV vaccination doesn't prevent them from getting RSV, but it's been shown to decrease hospital stay length.  We'll take it!

With cold/flu season here, we have to be more diligent than ever with the boys' health.  We are done taking any lengthy outdoor excursions as the cold temperatures can do a number on the boys' lungs.  Per doctors' recommendation we are also done attending our church until Spring due to the large crowd.  Fortunately our church live steams its services, so we can still be connected in that way.  Aside from daycare and visiting family, the boys won't be taking too many excursions.  We will be retreating back into our bubble for a few months while cold and flu season rages on.  We know the boys will still get sick, but we are really hoping to minimize their risk of getting very sick.  

Aside from trying to stay healthy, the boys are still working on sitting.  Some days I feel like we are so very close, and other days they really fight it.   Lawson and Sutton are working with their occupational therapist weekly now to help reach these milestones.  Hopefully we will start catching up in these next few months.  

Here are some recent pictures of our little men:

(Lawson)

(Sutton)

(S, L)

(Halloween: L, Mom, S)

(L, S, and Dad)

Health Update

Lawson has been moved from the PICU to the general pediatric floor!  Woohoo (although I loved all of the attention he received there)!  He was on room air for most of the night, but took it upon himself to yank the nasal canula right out of his nose around 4 am.  Since he was doing fine without it, they let it stay off and later took off the canula completely.  While he was at it, he yanked out his NG tube too... for the fourth time.  They also opted to keep this out since his stomach was soft and he was drinking formula.  

He had an echocardiogram done this morning to rule out any underlying health issues related to his prematurity.  It came back perfect- whew!!  Upon moving to the pediatric floor, Lawson needed to be put back on a liter of oxygen which surprised no one.  Because he's needing more oxygen now, it is a possibility he will need to stay tomorrow night unless this episode is very short-lived and he makes it through the night without any support.

Because this type of virus has struck Lawson hard twice now, he is being referred to a pulmonologist- a local one this time!  We asked if the doctors here would go ahead and also refer Sutton while they were at it (even though he's never even been to this hospital) and they did!  We know there's only so much one can do to prevent these types of illnesses, but we are happy that the pulmonologist might be able to help.

So... In a nutshell: Lawson is still receiving albuterol every 4 hours, Pulmicort every 12 hours, oral steroids every 12 hours, and is now on a liter of oxygen.  Sutton is holding strong even though we all convinced ourselves he had a cough this morning, but alas, we never heard it again- can you say paranoid?

(Lawson yesterday)

(Lawson today while off oxygen)

(Sutton... not coughing;))

And so it begins...

We were warned about the boys having a rough winter, but the way late summer and early fall have been shaping up makes me dread winter that much more. Lawson had just gotten over his last bout with bronchiolitis when round two crept up.  He had been having a runny nose on and off for a week, but it was always clear, no fever, and he was eating like a champ.  We were keeping our fingers crossed that it was just a little cold or allergies maybe, but his cough came back Friday night.  We started up his albuterol breathing treatments again and those seemed to work for about 18 hours.  

Yesterday, Lawson started wheezing a little and we gave him a treatment around 4 pm.  Usually, the albuterol helps his wheezing, but this time it didn't.  We decided I would take him to urgent care while Andrew stayed with Sutton, thinking that it would be a short trip like last time.  Unfortunately, after several back to back breathing treatments at urgent care, his wheezing was still pretty prevalent.  They decided to admit him to the Pediatric ICU (PICU).  The reason for the PICU admission was that he was requiring breathing treatments every two hours or less and needed a one on one nurse for monitoring.  This all sounded reasonable, but did nothing to calm my fears.  We had a friend watch Sutton while Andrew came to the hospital.  

In the PICU, they placed an IV in his head (after failing three previous attempts-ugh) to keep him hydrated.  He was also placed on oxygen because his oxygen saturation (which ideally is in the high 90's) was in the mid to upper 80's.  They are giving him oral steroids which should help open his airways over time.  We decided Andrew was the best choice to stay at the hospital since he was just a tad bit calmer than me;).

An initial RSV/flu test came back negative, his chest x-rays don't look too bad, and we are waiting for the respiratory virus panel results that we should get later today.  The plan for now is to stay in the PICU for tonight at least, keep the iv going, continue frequent breathing treatments, and continue with oxygen.   My mom is on her way to Columbia now to help take care of Sutton.  While our priority is getting Lawson healthy, our other equally important priority is protecting the health of Sutton- who has a runny nose...

Please keep Lawson and Sutton in your prayers as we work to get over this hurdle.

8 months!

Our sweet babes turned 8 months this weekend!  What an amazing milestone!  We were able to spend the day tailgating with my family for a couple hours before it got too hot.

(Andrew with the boys [L, S])

The last few weeks have been very busy for us.  Lawson's respiratory virus really rocked his world (and ours) for a little while.  Little Buddy had it bad!  After going to the doctor on a Friday and then Saturday, we found ourselves at urgent care on Sunday when he just couldn't stop coughing and was having trouble catching his breath.  After some intense saline squirts and major suctioning, we were sent home.  I felt that it was time for some serious reinforcement at this point- grandma!  My mom came from St. Louis where she was already helping my sister with her two boys- sorry, Katie!

On that Monday Lawson was really wheezing badly, so we went back to urgent care.  They ended up giving him a breathing treatment and sent us home with a nebulizer.  That really helped a lot, thankfully!  My mom watched Lawson for the next two days while we sent Sutton to daycare.  Fortunately, by the end of the week. Lawson was much better and Sutton has still not gotten sick- fingers crossed!

This last week, Andrew's mom came in to help out while Andrew was out of town for work.  So basically, I got spoiled for two weeks by the boys' grandmothers!!  I guess I have to start cooking, cleaning, and doing the laundry again (although none of that will be done as well as they do it)!:)

At eight months, the boys are suuuuuper fun!  They are both rolling from their stomachs to backs, and very close to rolling from back to stomach.  They are smiling all the time- especially Lawson!  They are eating baby food twice a day.  Sutton LOVES to eat!  On top of consuming up to 40 oz. of formula a day, we can't feed him his solids fast enough! In between bites he frantically kicks his legs until the next bite. Lawson is a bit more reserved when it comes to eating, but seems to enjoy it too.  Both boys are very vocal now!  Between Sutton's shrieks and babbles and Lawson's grunts and nervous cry/chuckle, things are pretty loud around here!

In occupational therapy, we are working on sitting.  Lawson seems like he is getting closer to sitting independently, but Sutton has a little ways to go.  Sutton had a month long break from tummy time while he was recovering from surgery, so he has a little more core work to catch up on.  

I'll leave you with more of our favorite pics from lately:

(L, S)

(Lawson)

(Sutton)

Twin Update

Sutton had his post-op appointment this week in KC.  The doctor was very pleased and said that he just needs an x-ray every six months until he is two.  Fortunately, we can do this in Columbia so we think our trips to KC are done for now.

My school year started up last week.  I had been dreading leaving the boys, although a part of me was excited to get back into the classroom.  Morning #1 was rough!  The boys started going to their sitter and they seem super happy there.  They are going to an in-home daycare with 4 other little ones.  We love their sitter!  She has six children of her own ranging from elementary to adult.  Sometimes when we go to pick up the boys, one of her kids is holding or playing with one of the boys- it really warms our hearts.  There is so much love in that house and our boys get so much attention!

Before taking the boys' to daycare for the first time, I had a little chat with the boys' pediatrician.  I expressed my concern about taking them to any daycare/sitter and them getting sick.  To me, daycare represents my boys going out into the real world where there are new people, new germs, and catching a cold or virus is inevitable.  The doctor warned me that this winter would be very rough on both boys due to their prematurity.  Their lungs and immunity are less developed than full-term babies. He said that we will be seeing a lot of each other this winter.  

Well, imagine my surprise when both boys developed a runny nose this week.  I played it cool for a day or two and didn't call the doctor.  The next day, they both had a tiny cough.  Yesterday morning we woke up and I thought Lawson's cough sounded a little worse, but he still had no fever, was eating his full feeds, and had slept great the night before.  By the end of the day though, he wasn't eating as well and had a low-grade fever.  I made an appointment and the doctor squeezed us in yesterday afternoon.

Lawson's cold had turned into bronchiolitis (the most well known bronchial virus is RSV although the doctor said he does not have RSV at this point).  The virus causes asthma-like symptoms so needless to say Lawson is not too comfortable.  This morning, he woke up with no temperature and was eating great.  After a short nap though, his temperature had spiked to 101.  I called the doctor and he wanted to see him in case there was a secondary illness.  After bloodwork and an x-ray, all signs are still pointing to a virus.  There's no medicine to treat it, so we are just using saline, a nasal bulb syringe, vapor rub, and a humidifier.  We are keeping our fingers crossed that the virus clears up and doesn't get any worse.  The pediatrician told us that most of the boys' colds will turn into bronchiolitis this winter- bummer!  Welcome to the next 6-7 months of our lives!

On a happier note, here are some pictures of our cuties:

(Lawson, Sutton)

(Sutton, Lawson)

(Lawson eating carrots for the first time)

(Sutton rocking the Bumbo)

Getting Back to Normal

Well, it's been a little over a week since Sutton's surgery.  His pain seems to be under control and he's not needing as much ibuprofen.  We are seeing his happy side a lot, but his cranky side has been coming out in full force as well!

The last time we spent the night in the hospital, it took a day or so for him to get back on schedule.  This time though, we are definitely a long way away from our routine.  It's no surprise it's been a rough transition home.  There was zero routine in the hospital as he went a couple of days without eating.  He was also awakened several times throughout the night to have his temperature taken, get medicine, and have his diaper changed.  So for the past week, it's be an accomplishment to get him to sleep before 9 (he had been going to bed at 7:30).  He is also waking up around 2 and 4 whereas he had been sleeping all the way until 5 without waking up.  In the past 5 days, he has probably taken a total of 1 1/2 hours of naps during the day.  Needless to say, he's spent a good deal of time crying when he should be napping.  It's been a long week:).  Thankfully Andrew's mom was here to help!

Lawson made an easy transition home- one out of two isn't bad:).  That little guy is learning to sleep through some pretty intense screaming!

Here are the boys in one of Sutton's happy moments:

It's hard to believe summer break is almost over.  I've absolutely loved getting to spend so much time with the boys.  I was hoping I would feel more "ready" to go back to work, but I'm just not there yet.  I hope as soon as I get back into the swing of things, it will get easier.

We've got one more follow-up post-op appointment in KC at the end of the month and we are hopeful to put Sutton's health issues behind us.  Thanks for the support!

Home Sweet Home

Praise God that Sutton was healthy enough to be discharged from the hospital today!  I spent all morning staring at his monitor with an anxious feeling in my stomach.  Anyone who has spent any significant time around heart/respiratory/oxygen saturation monitors know that they can be a blessing and a curse.  NICU parents tend to base their kids' progress on these monitors all the while knowing that one shift in position or tiny foot kick can show an inaccurate reading.  I am highly aware of these facts, but I kept feeling a surge of panic any time Sutton's oxygen saturation dipped (even though I could see his rosy cheeks beaming at me). Suttie's "incident" is one we won't shake for quite some while.

The surgical team came in today and told us that if his stats remained good while he took a nap off oxygen and his next feeding went well, we could go home.  This was music to our ears- we were so excited to have our healthy baby back, plus we couldn't wait to see little Lawson!

After a good nap and feeding, we gathered our belongings and got the heck out of that place!  The staff was amazing and the nurses were so sweet to us, but we were ready to put this experience behind us.

Andrew's mom is coming up to Columbia to help with Sutton's transition back home as Andrew leaves on a business trip.  On her way she met my parents at the lake to pick up Lawson.   How lucky are we that our precious babies have two sets of grandparents who have continually rearranged their schedules and made special trips to help us take care of our family?!  We really could not have survived these past six months without such amazing parents.

We are hopeful that this is the last surgery for Sutton.  The doctor is confident that the procedure will prevent further diaphragmatic hernias as they sometimes reoccur.  Sutton has a follow -up appointment in August.  From there, we will follow up with x-rays every few months to make sure those pesky organs stay in place.  

Thank you for your Facebook messages, texts, emails, phone calls, thoughts, and prayers.  The comfort and support we received over the last few days was a tremendous help.

("I feel better!")

Better Day...Knock on Wood!

Sutton is so much more comfortable today!  He woke up with a big old smile on his face!  I feel like he finally got some quality sleep.  He ran a low-grade fever last night, but that's fairly common in post-op babies.

His glycerine suppositories really kicked in today too!  His belly is back to its normal size and is nice and soft.  He was able to have 1.5 oz of formula diluted with 1.5 oz of water.  Not quite his normal 6 oz, but he was so happy to finally have something in his belly.  The surgeon came in a little bit ago, and said the goal for today is to continue to coast and not do anything too "exciting" like yesterday and we just may go home tomorrow!

Here's our smiling Sutton once again:

With all this talk about Sutton, I thought it was only fair to give a shout-out to sweet Lawson.  He has been on his very best behavior at Lulu and Graw's.  I know he is getting spoiled to pieces, so it makes being away from him a little bit easier.

Sweet baby Lawson after a bath at Lulu and Graw's:

We will keep you posted and thank you for your thoughts and prayers!

Suttie's Surgery

Well, we are a little over 24 hours post-op and it's been an eventful day to say the least! 

First off, surgery went well!  The doctor did find that Sutton had a diaphragmatic hernia and eventration.  He was able to fix both in a somewhat lengthy surgery- he went back at about noon and we were able to see him around 5.  He was extubated quickly and was a champ with anesthesia.  He was on 1.5 L of oxygen until about 1 am and did well without it for the rest of the night.

Here is a picture of Suttie in his hospital gown right before surgery:

We were able to start feeding him pretty quickly which was great since he hadn't eaten since 2:30 am.  We fed him a little throughout the night, but at about 3:30 am, we noticed that his stomach looked very distended.  It was rock hard and pretty big.  We asked for a doctor and he said that it was probably a lot of air that just needed to work itself out.  The surgical team came to check on him at about 6 am and echoed that it was most likely excess air.  This meant unfortunately that Suttie would not be able to eat until his stomach was no longer distended.  He is now taking glycerine suppositories to help that situation.

Little buddy after surgery:

We spent the morning working very hard to make Sutton as comfortable as possible.  He was dealing with hunger, a very bloated belly, and having his insides rearranged- needless to say he was not a happy camper.

But things really went downhill fast after his noon dose of morphine.  About 20 minutes after receiving his dose, the nurse decided to measure his belly so we could start checking if it was changing in size.  Suttie really hated this and started bawling.  It's hard to say if it was because of his pain, effects of morphine, or both, but he stopped breathing.  The nurse sprang into action and tried stimulating him, but it wasn't working.  He turned a dark shade of purple/blue.  She called out for another nurse and pulled the alarm for "code blue."  In a matter of seconds, Sutton's room filled with 20-30 medical personnel including nurses, doctors, ICU, the surgical team, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, radiology, social workers, and a chaplain.  Andrew and I were whisked to the side.  I, like any mother, was completely beside myself and was promptly placed in a chair.  The social worker, chaplain, and sweet Andrew were taking care of me.  Andrew has a real knack for staying calm (at least on the outside) in stressful situations.  What felt like hours ended up actually being 30-45 seconds without breathing.  Our little guy came to and started crying.  Everyone kept saying "he's fine, Mom and Dad, he's fine."  Only after we had been reassured several times that Sutton was fine, was Andrew able to break down.  I thank God he has the gift to be so strong when I am at my weakest.

Because there is no way of knowing what actually triggered this incident, Andrew pushed for them to put Sutton back on oxygen and we requested a non-narcotic pain medication (morphine can cause babies to get too relaxed and stop breathing).  The staff has really been fantastic about listening to us and taking our opinions into consideration.  Since that event, Sutton has done well on oxygen and seems to be in less pain.  He has released some gas which has helped his tummy a little although not enough for him to start eating.  We think as soon as he can eat, things will really move along.

Here is Sutton later in the day after his "event":

One would think that after all the time we've spent in the hospital with these sweet babies, we would have had some pretty scary days.  We can say with 100% certainty this was the scariest day yet.  Our little guy is doing better, but we could still use all the prayers we can get:).

6 Months and Other Happenings

On Sunday, the boys officially turned 6 months!  Half a year- whoa!  I feel so lucky because even though they are 6 months, they are really more like 3 months which means we get babies for longer!

Here are their stats from the 6 month check-up:

Lawson:  23 inches long and 11 lbs. 10 oz.

Sutton:  22.5 inches long and 11 lbs. 12 oz.

These stats put them below the second percentile in height and weight compared to their same-age peers.  For their adjusted age (3 months), they are around the 10th percentile, although their pediatrician said that coming up with a percentile for an adjusted age in preemies born this early is really a shot in the dark.  The doctor did say that they looked "perfect" and he was extremely pleased with their growth.  Poor babies had to get their 6 month shots:(.  I was sooooo glad that Grandma Lulu was there to help as we had 2 inconsolable babies for a good 5-10 minutes.

On another note, we had a great 4th of July holiday!  The boys were so excited to meet their cousins on the Pennington side!  We were also super excited to meet our new nephew Greyson and of course reunite with our other nephew Gage and niece Emma Kate.  We had a great time hanging out with the family and catching up!  We also got lots of help with the boys which was so great:).

I've had lots of people ask about Sutton's health.  So far the only update we have is that his echocardiogram was perfect!  He had this done in Columbia while the Andrew's family was in town, so the boys' Nanny (Andrew's mom) got to spend some quality one on one time with Lawson, which they both loved!  As of now, we are just working on scheduling the scope in KC.  This time we plan on being super prepared to spend the night/s there.

Our Yankee Doodle Dandies:). (Outfits made by Grandma Lulu)

Pediatric Surgery Update

Sutton went on another road trip to KC yesterday!  This time I drove us because Andrew was already in KC for work.  Thankfully Sutton slept the entire way which allowed me a calmer time getting lost in downtown KC when my phone GPS stopped speaking out loud to me:).

Our appointment yesterday was a consult with the pediatric surgeon.  He decided that since the fluoroscopy and CT scan could not definitively show if there is a hernia or not, he would need to do a scope.  Before we schedule that, Sutton will need to have another echocardiogram just to make sure he's strong enough for the procedure.  The doctor does not foresee any issues with that and fortunately that can be done in Columbia.  The scope/possible hernia repair will most likely be done sometime this summer.  

The surgeon echoed Dr. O'Connor's thoughts about having diaphragmatic hernia now as opposed to having it at birth is such a blessing.  The issue with having it in utero or at birth in a preemie would be that it can keep the lungs from fully developing causing a lot of breathing issues.  Fortunately, Sutton's lungs are developed and this isn't the case with him.  An untreated hernia can have serious consequences though, so even though he is not symptomatic aside from some occasional quick breathing, the surgeon would like to take care of this as soon as possible.

We felt very comfortable with the surgeon and Sutton was very taken with him- he kept giving him his gummy grin every time the doc looked at him.  We took this as a great sign that Suttie is once again in great hands.

Lawson got to hang out with Lulu again and decided to spend the whole day smiling at her.  He is such a happy baby:).  This weekend we will finally introduce the boys to my extended family and we are so excited!  Then for the fourth, the boys will get to meet their cousins and uncles on Andrew's side (they've already met their Aunt on his side).  We cannot wait to see them and meet our new nephew Greyson who was born in March!  It's so fun to finally share the boys with all of these special people! Have a great weekend!

CT Results

What an adventure we had!  Sutton had his CT scan on Monday.  We left Columbia at 5:30 on Monday morning and got to KC in plenty of time to feed Suttie his last bottle for what would be about 9 hours- what a trooper!  

(Trying to snooze on the car ride)

He first had his fluoroscopy at 10-  little guy did not like being pinned to the table while this quick moving x-ray was done, but fortunately it only lasted 2 minutes and Andrew and I were able to be in the room.  The radiologist told us she believed the issue was a diaphragmatic eventration- basically the muscles controlling his diaphragm are weak causing it to not stay in place.  This procedure couldn't tell us anything about his lung, so the CT scan was still necessary.

We were able to take a little break.  Apparently, there was a miscommunication and they decided Sutton did not need to drink the oral color block and they would just give it to him via feeding tube after he was sedated.  We took this time to meet up with our friends Dawn and Ryan who just happened to be in KC as well!  It was great to have a distraction for a little bit, plus Dawn made a mean chicken pot pie!

("Who needs food?  As long as I've got my paci and puppy, I'm good!")

We arrived back at the hospital around 1 for our 1:30 appointment.  However, they didn't call us back until 2:40.  Then they began the sedation process.  The nurses placed an IV in Suttie's arm for the anesthesia.  What a champ!  He cried but then remembered that the nurses dipped his paci in sucrose water and he was a happy boy once again!

("What IV?")

They finally took Sutton back for his anesthesia around 3:40.  Andrew and I waited in the waiting room until the CT was done around 5:30.  They said he did great, but because he was a preemie and they were worried about possible apnea spells, they wanted to keep him in the hospital overnight.  Apparently, there was a miscommunication from the radiology department and the anesthesiologist.  While we were told by radiology that S would go home as long as everything went well, the anesthesia department always keep babies born at his gestation overnight for observation.  Bummer:(, but we understood and appreciated the care they were taking.  We were told we would most likely receive the results by morning after the pulmonology team reviewed the scan.  Sutton was very groggy until about midnight (thanks for the all night party, bud).  He did great though and had no apnea spells and only slight drops in his oxygen saturation.

(Sutton trying to shake of the anesthesia)

("I'm awake!!!!!")

In the morning we were visited by lots of doctors.  Everyone agreed (including the pulmonologist) that he definitely is dealing with an eventration.  It is not conclusive if he is also dealing with the diaphragmatic hernia as well though.  The plan for the eventration is just to keep an eye on it.  Hopefully the weak muscle will strengthen with time and no treatment will be needed.  Sutton has a follow up appointment with the pulmonologist in 3 months.  The pediatric surgeons would like to see Sutton next week for a consult about the possible hernia.  Not having spoken with them yet, we are still a bit confused how they plan to tell if he actually has a hernia and will likely be talking to our pal Dr. O'Connor for his opinion if they decide to do an exploratory surgery.  We will keep you updated!

The great news is that the CT scan didn't show any issues with the lung!  Thankfully this mother's intuition was wrong this time!  Whew!  The prognosis is great for both of these issues and Sutton received great treatment from Mercy even if they were a bit disorganized getting information to us.

Meanwhile, back in Columbia Lawson was having a great time with Grandma Lulu!  They played a new game called "Puppy on My Head."

Big Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow is Sutton's CT scan.  Up until today, I have felt really great about it.  But now that it's almost here, I'm starting to get nervous.  I've kept my promise to Dr. O to not Google anything, which has been good for me.  I've talked with lots of people about diaphragmatic hernias and have gotten positive feedback.  That's all well and good, but my fear is that it is a hernia AND something with his lung.  I'm no doctor and I certainly wouldn't even begin to guess what lung issue it could be.  All I know is that the x-ray the pediatrician took and the one the pulmonologist took looked different... to me at least.  The pediatrician's showed a hazy area in his lung, but the pulmonologist's focused on his stomach which I did not see in the other X-ray.

I just don't want our little guy to have any more health issues.  I know we are so lucky to be able to make it out of the NICU fairly unscathed, but I just wonder when we can breath a little ( and yes, I know a parent never stops worrying, I just want to get to the normal worrying part:)).  A good friend reminded me that God has been in control this entire time, and I need to let go a bit.  It also helps that one of God's angels on Earth, Dr. O'Connor, is only a phone call away.

Here's how tomorrow should go down. We will leave Columbia around 5:30 am- Grandma Lulu has been a rock star yet again and will be hanging out with Lawson all day. Suttie will have his last bottle at 8:15.  He will have his fluoroscopy at 10 and start drinking the disgusting "color block" for his CT scan at 11:30.  We will meet with the sedation specialist at 2 and he will have his CT scan at 3.  Unfortunately, he will need to be intubated to protect his airway from the gross liquid he has to drink.  This is unsettling for us as the last time he was intubated (inguinal hernia surgery) it took nearly 12 hours for him to get extubated.  Granted, he was still 4 weeks shy if his due date and still on a bit of oxygen.  Because of his age and our distance from the hospital, they have reserved a hospital bed for him as a precautionary measure- hopefully he won't need it.

Please pray for a complication-free CT scan and for Sutton to bounce back quickly from his intubation.  Please pray also that the doctor's are able to definitively diagnose this issue(s) and have a swift plan of action for treatment.

Now on to some fun stuff!:). The boys have been super into books lately.  They really like listening to me read and looking at the pictures.  A couple of times I have been reading to Lawson while Sutton is still sleeping only to look over and see Sutton with a big old grin.  They are both smiling a ton which Andrew and I LOVE!  Lawson has been consistent with sleeping through the night for over a month now.  Sutton has had a few nights here and there where he has slept through as well.  Last night was the first night both boys slept in the nursery!  They both fell asleep by 9 and were awake by 6!!  I thought I should feel super rested, but I think I kept waking up to look at the monitor and make sure I wasn't missing someone's cries.  Here are some pictures of these cuties:

We love Corduroy!  

Visit to the doctor.

You lookin' at me?  (S)

Ohmygoshsocute (L)

Happy 5 months!!

Our sweet boys turned 5 months (2 months adjusted) today!  I don't have it together enough to do those cute pictures with the month stickers on their onesies, but at least I remember:).  We celebrated by going out to eat with the boys for the first time!  It's one of the first  social outings we've had.  Nanny and Poppy (Andrew's parents) were in town, so we had help on hand if the boys started losing it mid-meal:).  Fortunately, they were very well behaved and we had a great time!  Happy birthday sweet angels!

(Lawson on left, Sutton on right)

Pulmonology Report

We took big Suttie (he weighed in at over 10 lbs) to his appointment today.  He had all of the nurses swooning over his big, blue eyes:).  We were so lucky that Sutton's nurse turned out to be a NICU nurse who was helping out at the clinic!  You know how we love those NICU nurses!!  She was so impressed with how great Sutton looked knowing how early he was born.  We immediately felt that Sutton was in good hands after meeting her.

Poor little guy had to have some more x-rays, but was an absolute champ and hardly fussed at all!  The x-ray showed that his stomach was pushed up fairly high which is what is compromising the left lung's full function.  The pulmonologist has narrowed the lung issue down to three possibilities now:  diaphragmatic hernia, diaphragmatic eventration, or diaphragmatic paralysis (that last one sounds just awful, but it's ok).  She seems to be leaning towards the hernia, which would most likely require surgery in the near future.  Essentially, any of the 3 could require surgery, but in order to figure out the diagnosis and its severity, he will have a CT scan and ultrasound on June 17.  

Andrew and I had a difficult time fully understanding the doctor's explanation of each issue, her accent was very thick.  We had her write them down knowing we would call the boys' Uncle O'Connor, I mean Dr. O'Connor:).  We did catch the NICU nurse on the way out and she told us she had seen all 3 of these many times and that Suttie would be just fine (she also gave me a big old hug- yea, she was most definitely a NICU nurse:)).

We called Dr. O'Connor and he echoed the nurse's words.  He said while these issues are fairly uncommon in the grand scheme of things, it's not an uncommon thing for pediatric surgeons to deal with.  He also advised us to NOT Google these issues as they might sound worse than they are.  I told him we were completely comfortable with letting him be our Google.

So... All in all, the visit was fine, Sutton is in great hands, and Lawson was spoiled all day by Grandma Lulu!

(Sutton didn't seem to mind the trip at all!)

Summer is here!

I can not tell you how excited we are that summer is finally here!  I went back to work for three weeks, which was a good amount of time, but I'm so glad to be able to spend the entire summer with the boys!  While I was back at work, we were so lucky to have BOTH of the boys' grandmas take care of them!  They're not spoiled at all;)!

For Memorial Day weekend, we headed to the Lake to hang out with family.  This was the first out of town (non-medical) trip we've taken with the babies.  Things went pretty smoothly!  It was so much fun to have the boys around their cousins Hap and George (not like any of them paid attention to each other, but it was cute nonetheless).

Thee boys have been doing really well since being home.  We've settled into a pretty nice routine which still involves quite a bit of sleep.  The boys will turn 5 months on Friday, but their adjusted age will be about 9 weeks.  At their 4 month appointment, the doctor was very impressed with the boys' progress.  For their adjusted ages, Lawson was in the 75th percentile for height and 25th percentile for weight!  Sutton was in the 50th for both categories!  The doctor used the word "awesome" to describe how they were doing.  Now, at 5 months, both boys are around 10 pounds!

(Lawson on top, Sutton on bottom)

We do have one health concern for Sutton.  The week before I went back to work, I decided to call the doctor's office because I had always noticed that Sutton breathed faster than Lawson.  It was not a new development or anything, I was just curious.  They had me bring him to the office that day and took an X-ray.  We immediately called our doctors over in the NICU to just ask what they thought.  Bless their hearts- they actually let us bring Sutton in to see them!  Reason number 75435678 why we love them so much.  Off topic- we still call them at least once a week to ask some question- Dr. O'Connor jokes that we purchased the long-term package by having 27 weekers.  Anyway, the neonatologist and pediatrician looked at the X-ray together and deemed that Sutton has a sequestration in one of his lungs.  Essentially, 1/5 of one of his lungs isn't inflating.  We are seeing a pulmonologist in Kansas City on Thursday.  We are hoping that there won't be any surgery involved, but the doctors have warned us that it is definitely a possibility.  We are not worrying ourselves yet.  Both boys are thriving and that's more than we could have hoped for 5 months ago.  God has been so good to these babies and we know he will continue to do what is best for them.

Thanks for checking in!