Intro and Their First Week

First, this is my first attempt ever at a blog, so I'm sort of feeling my way along. As I get better (?) at this I hope to make it a little more eye-catching, eye-pleasing, and just generally entertaining to those who want to follow Adam's and Grant's development. I will try to post at least every 2 or 3 days but can't make any promises as each day brings it's own surprises.

The first page of this will probably repeat things that most of you have already read or heard but this is, after all, a blog of their lives so I will start from the beginning. Grant was born on August 25, 2006, at 9:00 AM CDT, with Adam close behind at 9:01. Actually, Adam was supposed to be first but his head was literally trapped underneath Grant's feet, which we hope is not a sign of things to come. Grant tipped the scales at 4lbs even, while Adam was a trim 2lbs 6oz. They were immediately examined by the neonatal team, and Adam was found to be breathing on his own and in decent condition considering his size and gestational age. Grant required some breathing assistance but was otherwise in good condition.

On Monday Adam took a turn for the worse. The doctors noted that his abdomen was swelling and his breathing was rapid. They decided to do emergency surgery and found a perforated large intestine and an obstructed small intestine. The surgery was successful, but now Adam had the dubious disctinction of being the sickest baby in neonatal intensive care (NICU) and was on a breathing tube as well as medication to support his blood pressure. He literally had a tube coming out of every limb. To add to the list, the doctors also detected a heart murmur that was caused by a rather large missing portion of the wall between the ventricles in his heart. The next two days were scary but on Thursday the little fighter began to make small improvements. Today (Sunday 9/3) he is breathing on his own and holding his own blood pressure without medications. We are allowed to hold him for about 15 minutes per day, and he looks at us with his small but piercing eyes. Although we appear rather blurry to him, he seems to know that he is being held by someone who loves and cares for him. Over the next several months he will have several hills to climb, and every day without another "surprise" is another victory. Our friends and family from coast to coast, as well as people overseas, have been offering prayers and support and I know that this has made a difference for Adam.

On the lighter side, the nurses tell us that he does not like to be "messed with" and prefers to be left alone while lying on his stomach. Only yesterday were they able to let him sleep that way. When they move him for any reason, he protests rather loudly. But they seem to be getting attached to him, as we all are.

Compared to Adam, Grant has been a model citizen with regard to medical issues. His breathing has always been unassisted, and he was just recently "promoted" to a less-intensive care unit where he will stay until he is dismissed. We are allowed to hold him for 1 hr once each day, but we are pressing for more time. The doctor has increased his milk intake daily and he is beginning to gain weight. He loves to lie on his mom's chest as much as she loves having him there. He sleeps quite a bit especially after feeding. I've already offered him a new sports car when he turns 16 if he will continue this behavior.

That's it for now. If you don't have it but are still interested I'll post the Yahoo link to the photo album below. I'm trying to add pictures about once per week, but that's hit and miss. Check back often and feel free to comment.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/weastus@sbcglobal.net/album?.dir=/1b08re2&.src=ph&.tok=phUzacFB8fR5oCN5