Arthur celebrated his 3rd birthday!

Bday_Arthur_2012, a set on Flickr.

We had a little party at our place to celebrate Arthur's 3rd birthday. Three of his grandparents (Grampi John was not able to be here) were able to attend along with his Aunt Jane and cousin Johanna. Importantly, his sister Jessie was here, although Mark could not be with us yet. Arthur got a LeapPad, a soccer ball, a spaceman helmet, a tractor, an alligator and some great looking books. It was big fun.

Mark & Jessie are both home!

2012_01, a set on Flickr.

Jessie came home on January 9th and Mark on January15th. They are both doing well. Here are a few shots we have taken since their move home. Our family is now whole.

Both sets of Grandparents come for a visit

On Tuesday the 27th, Grammi Bonnie and Grampi John arrived to visit Mark & Jessie and, or course, Arthur.  On the morning of the 28th, they flew out of Detroit headed for Peru.  A couple of hours after they left, Gramma Carolyn and Grampa Clayton arrived to visit Mark & Jessie (Arthur had already gone to pre-school).   The video below shows each grandparent holding each baby....I think everyone was pretty happy to get a chance to hold their newest family members.  Mark has gained just over a pound since birth and Jessie has gained a pound and 5 ounces!  Until next time...

Christmas Day 2011

We had a really nice Christmas - gifts in the morning and a visit with Mark and Jessie after that.  Mark and Jessie continue to do well.  Jessie is actually doing a little better than Mark at feeding from the bottle which you will see in the video below.  We were told that girls tend to be a little quicker to take the bottle, so this makes some sense.  They have both pretty much stopped having low heart rate episodes - they are down to one or two a day and they always self-correct. We still have no idea when they might come home.  So, Merry Christmas everyone and thanks so much for all the well wishes and help and gifts that you have given over the last several weeks.  This video is long so settle in if you intend to watch it.  Until next time...

Christmas in Tekonsha 2011

Xmas 2011, a set on Flickr.

Here are a few shots taken during our Christmas gift exchange in Tekonsha. Just think, next year we'll have three kids opening too many presents. It will be fun. Mark and Jessie are doing well. They have both moved upstairs to the pediatric floor which means they are no longer in the NICU. They are sleeping in cribs now and look even smaller in their big cribs. They are both starting to show some promise on bottle feeding, but there is still lots of work to do to get them to actually feed that way. Until next time...

Mark & Jessie are 3 weeks old

Mark and Jessie continue to do well.  Both have tried bottle feeding but without much luck.  Below find a video taken last Saturday when Cathy tried to get Mark to bottle feed.  Neither one of them has an IV anymore, and Mark has even "popped his top" which means that the top of his isolette is no longer closed and he is living in a "real world" environment.  This means he is able to regulate his body temperature which is a good sign.  Jessie is still lagging Mark somewhat but she is coming along as well as expected.  Cathy has been spending more time with them now that her incision is healing well and she has bathed both of them several times.
We received some really great blankets this week - 2 from Barb Northrup and 2 from Jackie Schwartz.  You guys have no idea how much we used the blankets you made for Arthur and how much we appreciate the time and effort you have put into all of these blankets - Thank you, thank you and thank you.  We also got some nice things from Bob and Karen Murphy (our friends from Sunday breakfast).  In case you happen to see this Bob and Karen - Thank you.  Until next time...

Cathy holds Jessie at 2 weeks

Jessie has progressed to the point that Cathy has spent more time holding her.  This video was shot on Sunday the 11th when Cathy got to do some "kangeroo care" with Jessie - skin to skin contact which is considered very helpful for the development of babies.  As of December 13, neither Mark nor Jessie has an IV and both are getting all their nutrition through their nasal tubes which go straight into their stomach.  And they are both pooping - they keep ticking through milestones which is making us happy.  Until next time...

Arthur visits Mark & Jessie a 2nd time

Arthur had another chance to spend time with Mark and Jessie, and Grandma and Grandpa Sherwood & Aunt Jane came along too.  Grammi Bonnie was also there so the kids got to be with a good chunk of the family.  This is a rather long video, so sit back and relax.  Mark and Jessie are doing well - Mark opened his eyes and looked around several times during this visit.  Jessie is still asleep most of the time, but she sure is cute.  Until next time....

Mark day 8

Mark day 8, a set on Flickr.

Here are a few pics of Mark taken today as Cathy held him. Also included is a very similar photo taken of Cathy and Arthur during Arthur's first couple of days. Notice how much larger Arthur was than Mark is. The other pic shows Arthur just before going to school and wearing his daddy's cap which he thought was really fun. He is also wearing his new underwear from Aunt Jane. By the way, Jessie is doing well too but we weren't able to hold her so I only shot Cathy and Mark.

Mark & Jessie are 1 week old

Here are a couple of vids showing Cathy holding Jessie and Mark.  Mark will probably be moved off of his IV on Tuesday 12/6/11.  That means that all of his nutrition will come via his stomach and digestive system which is big news.  Jessie is still having some trouble getting her digestive system in working order.  As a result, she will stay on IV for the time being.  Ironically, Jessie is now above her birth weight while Mark remains slightly below his.  They have both been moved into the new Mott Hospital so they each have their own room (across the hall from each other) and we have much more space to spread out and stay out of the nurse's way.  The new hospital is really, really nice and will make it much easier to spend more time with them.  Until next time...