The hills are alive with the sound of crying

Hays is in the other room screaming his head off, and I'm letting Matt tend to him. He's been wide awake for a couple of hours now, and even though he's worn out, he's having a hard time settling down. Hopefully he'll settle down and conk out soon.
Will had his first trach tube change today and that went well. It turns out that he won't have to have a custom trach tube after all. The preemie one is too short to reach the right area, but the one for a regular size baby works perfectly.
1 hour later- Hays is still screaming- new babies are so much fun. I know it's colic, but I don't know anything to do. We've held him, rocked him, walked him, bounced him. Poor little thing is so exhausted he doesn't even know what to do with himself. Oh lord, this is going to be a long night.

April 29

Well, we've made it through two days and haven't broken Hays yet! Last night wasn't too horrible. He got cranked up around 1:45 because his tummy was hurting. I held him and bounced him for a while, but he still wasn't ready to be put down, so he slept in his swing until 3:30. Then he slept until around 7. All in all, not too bad, but we're tired! He had a busy day today. we had to go to the pediatrician and then the eye doctor. Everything was great at the pediatrician, but the eye doctor wasn't fun. Hays was awesome, but the exam part sucked- they have to hold his eyes open with metal clamps. It was pretty horrifying. I had to hold him while they did it, but I couldn't even look because it was too awful! Luckily, his eyes are fine and we won't have to do that again for 6 months. He was great all afternoon. He had a little crying jag tonight before bed because he was colicky, but we finally got him to sleep after a half hour or so. For the most part, he's a really good, laid back baby.
Will is doing pretty well today. He's had a couple of times where he's gotten very agitated, but they were able to settle him down. My dad went to see him and so did Matt's mom. I feel like the worst mom in the world since I haven't seen him in a few days and probably won't see him until this weekend. But I have to go to a "mother's lunch" at preschool with Mason on Thursday and we have to take Hays to the pediatric surgeon Friday so she can look at his hernia. And, quite frankly, Hays is too new and Mason is too wild to leave my poor mama alone with them all day tomorrow. Thank goodness we have plenty of family that's going to see Will. He'll know that he's loved, even if there's just not enough Mama to go around this week. Having three kids is tough, and it's just beginning!

Two out of three ain't bad!!!!

Hays is home!!!! He's a pretty good baby. He's got a little bit of colic, but he settles down when he's held. And he loves his swing. He was awake for quite a while this afternoon, and he really liked sitting in his swing, watching the fish mobile go around and around.
Mason is crazy about his baby brother. Every time Hays would make sound, he'd rush over to the bassinette to see if his brother was okay! He also really likes being a big helper by bringing me diapers, pacifiers, etc. We'll see how long it lasts!
Even our dog likes the baby. She's been guarding him all day! At one point the cat looked like she was thinking about jumping in the bassinette, so Tess got between the cat and the baby to protect him. Good dog!
Will is still doing well. They've dowgraded him from morphine to tylenol, and he seems to being doing fine on it. He did manage to pull out one of the sutures holding his trach in, but he's okay. He's doing well on CPAP, and soon he should just be on the ventilator at night.
It was weird not going up to the NICU tonight. It was nice to be able to stay home, but I miss all of our nurses. They are all so wonderful and have really become like part of the family. I told his main nurse that I was going to kidnap her and bring her home with me! That is truly the best group of girls I have ever met, and I'm sorry I won't get to hang out with them on a daily basis anymore.

April 27

We're still a go for Hays tomorrow. The clothes are washed and the house is clean. I took his little coming home outfit up to the NICU tonight, along with the blanket that my mom brought my sisters and me home in, and I used to bring Mason home. Mason is sooooo excited to have one of his brothers home. And we'll be glad to have 2/3 of our kids at home!
Matt and I went to see Will today and he looked good. He's doing really well on his CPAP trials, he's up to 4 hours at a time now. He's tolerating his feedings really well and seems calm and comfortable. They have a lullaby CD that they play for him that he really likes. If that dissapears from the NICU around the time that Will comes home, I swear we didn't take it!

April 26

Hays is looking pretty good today. He passed his car seat test, which means he sat in his carseat for an hour without his heartrate or oxygen saturation rates going down. He was too cute, this little, tiny guy in this big ol' carseat! He was awake for a long time today. He sat in a bouncy seat for about 45 minutes this morning, and he was wide awake for a couple of hours tonight. A girl from the medical supply company was supposed to come out today to teach us everything we need to know about the apnea monitor. She was supposed to be there between 4 and 6, so Matt and I got up there at 4. By 5:30 she still wasn't there, so our nurse called her. She said she got tied up in Atlanta and would be there at 8- she didn't get there until 9!!! It was ridiculous, but at least we got to spend lots of time with Hays. He had a bit of a tummy ache. He felt better after his giant poop, but he still wanted to be held all night. I spent quite a while walking him around the NICU. When I tried to put him down before we left, he screamed his head off! It was kind of nice to hand him over to his nurse and say "okay, we'll see you later!" Better enjoy that while I can since he's coming home Monday morning!
Will's doing really well today. He had a great morning and didn't need morphine or atavan until the early afternoon. he started CPAP trials today and did great with it. If he keeps doing well with that, they'll try him on a trach collar which provides no oxygen or pressure, just humidity. My parents and youngest sister went to see him today and they said he looked really good. Most of his swelling had gone down and they said he was resting comfortably. When we called to check on him tonight his nurse said he was kind of restless, but he settled down when she sang to him, so she's just going to keep doing that!
I'm going to go call and see if Crazy Hays ever settled down, then I'm going to bed. Got to enjoy these last couple of nights of uninterrupted sleep!

April 25- The boys' actual due date!!!

So Hays, that little stinker, has thrown a monkey wrench into our homecoming plans. He starting acting awfully tired the past day or so and wasn't eating well. The nurses thought he might have low hematacrit levels (I don't know what hematacrit is exactly, but it has something to do with the blood), so they checked him today. Babies normally have levels in the 40's and Hays was at 24, so they had to "top off his tank" and give him some blood. They have to make sure that does the trick before they send him home, so it will be Sunday or Monday before we can bust him out. I wasn't really surprised- little preemies do this all the time right before they're supposed to come home. I was a little dissapointed, but somewhat relieved because I have an extra day or two to get everything ready. (Plus another night to sleep through!) I guess Hays just loves his nurses so much that he's not quite ready to leave. Or else they love him so much that they don't want to let him go!
Will is doing really well. They've weaned him down to almost nothing on the ventilator, and tomorrow they're planning to try him on CPAP. Hopefully, he won't need that either and will have no problem breathing with just the trach. He's pretty swollen- his face looks like a moon- but that will come down pretty quickly. He's getting morphine every six hours and they're still keeping him pretty sedated on atavan. He did open his eyes and look around some today while we were there. I'm so ready for him to heal up from the surgery so we can start learning everything we need to know to take care of him. Then we can bring that little monkey home and finally have all our crazy boys under the same roof!

April 24

Big, exciting news!!!!! Hays is coming home on Saturday!!!!! We are so excited (and a little terrified). He's finally gotten all of his temperature stuff worked out, he's eating (and breastfeeding) like a champ, so he's ready to come home. It's about time- his actual due date is tomorrow. He's probably going to come home on an apnea monitor, but I couldn't care less, I'm just ready to have him home! I realized today that we had no baby toys, so Mason and I went out and got him a little activity mat and some cute little rattley things, so he's set.
Will is doing well today. They took him off the medication that paralyzes him so he could wake up some and start breathing on his own. They've been able to lower his vent settings, so that's a good thing. My sister went to see him today and she said he looks really good. Matt and I stayed home since we spent about 12 hours up there yesterday. Three hours is a long way to go to stare at a sleeping baby, so we let Aunt Ninny be our eyes and ears! We're going up tomorrow and I can't wait to see him. I'm ready for him to wake up good so we can see how he takes to this whole trach thing, but it will be a week or so before they really let him wake up a lot and move around.
Everybody think good thoughts for Will and say your prayers for our family as we finally get our sweet little Hays home!

April 23

Today was the longest day in the history of the world. We didn't know what time Will was going to have his trach done because he was an add-on to the surgical schedule. We went up there this morning around 11 and they didn't take him to the OR until 6. The surgery went well and the trach is in. They were able to get it in a good spot and they think it will work fine for him. It was tough to see him for the first time with the trach, but the upside is that we finally got to see his face with nothing stuck to it!! They're keeping him doped to the gills tonight and tomorrow, then they'll let him wake up some and start weaning off the ventilator.
Matt and I took an infant CPR class today, and while we were there we met another mom with a trached baby. She said that it's scary at first, but that you get used to taking care of it and then it's easy. She also said that life was so much better for her daughter after she got the trach and got off the ventilator. We know it's the right thing for Will, but it hasn't been easy. I'll post some pictures tomorrow, but right now I'm too darn tired!

April 22

Tomorrow is the day for Will. I'm ready to get this trach thing done with so that baby can get on with being a baby. Plus, I'm ready to see his face without a bunch of stuff taped to it. It's time to move on from this ventilator stuff! I didn't get to see him for the third day in a row because Mason woke up with the funk (again). It's the never-ending ear infection. He has felt rotten all day, so he's the one that needed mommy the most. I tell you what, this having more kids than parents thing is tough!
Hays had a fabulous day. He's taking all of his feedings from the bottle and has no more feeding tube!!!!! Today they started letting him eat as much as he wants to so he can get on his own eating and sleeping schedule rather than the one set by the hospital. He's going to go back in the open crib tomorrow because he no longer needs the temperature controlled isolette. They're doing his sleep study, car seat test, etc. over the next couple of days so he can come home!! Maybe as early as this weekend!!!! We started back on the breastfeeding today and he is awesome at it. He's just a natural. We are so excited and we can't wait to get at least one of our babies home.

April 21

Today has been rough. Zach's funeral was this morning and it was beautiful, but it was also the saddest thing I have ever experienced. My heart goes out to his amazing mama who gave the most beautiful tribute to her sweet boy. I don't know how she had the strength to do it, but I so admire her for that. This afternoon I just hit the wall and melted down completely. My babies are two months old and still in the hospital. We are facing such daunting challenges with Will. I had one of those moments when I just wondered how we would possibly get through this. I know we will, but sometimes I just get terrified.
The bright spot in this day was that Hays took (so far) five feedings in a row from his bottle. He's going down on his temperature settings in his isolette and will soon be ready to brave the open crib again. His nurse said she thinks he'll be home in a week to a week and a half. God, I hope so. Even though I know it will make things more complicated logistically, I'm not sure how much longer I can stand with no babies at home.
The main thing I took away from this difficult day is how precious life is. Hold your kids tight and take an extra minute to revel in the blessings that they are.

April 20

Awww, Will loves his Aunt Ninny


High five!


Will with Aunt Ninny



Today I went to Zach's visitation, so I didn't make it up to Egleston. Luckily, Aunt Ninny was there to hold him and give him lots of snuggles. She'll do the same tomorrow since Matt and I will be attending Zach's funeral. According to his nurse, Will did great while Elizabeth was holding him. He didn't turn blue or anything! She was a champ and I was proud of her for not being scared to hold him. It can be a little terrifying since they have to tape all his vent tubes to you so he doesn't accidentally extubate himself. She held him for a long time, and I'm grateful to her for making sure that he got lots of loving since I couldn't be there. Hays was good for his visit with his Daddy this morning and with me tonight. Took his whole bottle both times with no problem. His temperature was little low tonight. He's got to get some fat on him so he can stay warm! We need to bulk up the breastmilk so he can grow. Maybe if I eat more cheeseburgers and frenchfries?

April 19

All our love and prayers are going to Zach's family tonight. He slipped away peacefully this morning, and while we are so sad, we are glad to know that he is beyond pain and suffering in the arms of God. We are in awe of his parents' strength and dignity- they are truly wonderful, amazing people, and we pray for abundant blessings in their future.
Our boys are wonderful. They are growing and thriving and we are so thankful for that. Hays is doing better every day with his bottle feedings, and Will continues to be strong and healthy as we wait for next week's surgery.
Days like today are tough. You question why such a good family has to go through so much pain, and yet we see the grace of God all around us. I am grateful for the blessings that have rained down on my family. I realize how lucky we are to have each other, our children, and the incredible friends and family that have been by our sides through all of this. Knowing that all of you are out there praying for my babies and sending our family love and good wishes means more than I can ever describe.

April 18

We had a great visit with Will today. My grandmother and my sister, Paige, and my mom all went up there with me. Paige hadn't seen Will since we went to MCG a month ago and she was amzed at how much he had grown. The past couple of days Will has been a bit twitchy when I held him. Probably because he's not used to being held. (how freakin' sad is that?) But today he settled right in and was very content and comfortable. He also woke up and looked around with his crazy eyes- he still needs some work on focusing! He looked a little bit like a cartoon character with his eyes rolling around, but he was darn cute!
Tonight when I went to see Hays he was wide awake, and aparently had been for around three hours! He was actually screaming his head off when I came in because he had dropped his pacifier, but he settled down as soon as I picked him up. His nurse said that now that he's actually a full term baby he stays awake more and he gets bored laying in his isolette. I don't blame him! He was a hungry little monkey and he was very impatient about getting his bottle. He did not think much about the fact that he had to get a bath before he could eat. He sucked that thing down so fast, you would have thought that kid was starving. I told his nurse that I'm convinced they don't feed him when I'm not there!
There was a candlelight vigil for sweet Zach tonight at the hospital. It was the most touching, heartbreaking thing. Tomorrow his family is going to let him go home to God, and our hearts and prayers will be with them.

April 17

I got some good snuggle time with Will today. It's tough to see him so sedated- he sleeps most of the time- but that's what they have to do to keep from getting agitated and extubating himself. Thank goodness he'llbe done with that soon. I found a message board today for parents of kids with trachs and the other parents were really encoraging. It's not going to be easy, but I know we can get through this.
My grandmother came in to town today to see the boys. She hasn't seen them since right after they were born, so she was very excited to see Hays. She and my aunt were amazed at how much he had grown and how cute he is! Nonnie thinks he looks just like Matt. I am amazed at how much they resemble Mason. I put a picture of Will next to one of Mason at a month old, and I swear they look exactly alike. Good thing Mason's so cute if the other two are going to look exactly like him!
We have sad news about our buddy, Zach. He has pneumonia and his oxygen levels have been so low that it would cause severe brain damage. They are going to have to disconnect him from life support in a couple of days. Our hearts are breaking for his wonderful parents and his sweet big sister. Please pray for comfort for them. They are such an amazing family and we are so sad that they have to go through this. I wish we could offer them more than prayers, but words and actions fail me.

April 16th

The boys are looking good today. I went up to see Will but I didn't get to hold him. They were about to do surgery on the baby next to him, and when they're doing surgery in the NICU, parents have to leave. His nurse knew that as soon as we got him up, the doctors would come in to do the surgery. They actually didn't come up for an hour, but if we had gotten him up I'm sure they would have been there right away! I did get to talk to the ENT. She thinks his trach tube should be in at the beginning of next week, so we're thinking Tuesday or Wednesday for the surgery. There is a possibility that the trach tube won't work since it has to go slightly above the weak spot. (if they put it right in the weak spot it would be too close to where his airway branches off, and it might slip into his lung if he moved) If it didn't work, he would have to stay intubated in the hospital until he was big enough to have the surgery to reconstruct his trachea. But his doctor is very optimistic that it will work. They gave us lots of information about caring for a child with a trach. I started reading it, but it was pretty overwhelming, so I had to put it aside. I know they will teach us everything we need to know, and then I'll be okay to read all the information, but right now it just freaked me out!
Hays did really well with his bottle feeding today. He took three in a row and did well. He did conk out before he finished the last one, but he only had a little left. He's still dropping his temperature a little, but that's because he's really small and has no fat on his body. His doctor and nurses just think that he's having feeding and temperature issues because he's small, but he'll work them all out.
Our buddy, Zach, is still not doing well. He's hanging on, but the prognosis is not good. Please pray for comfort and peace for him and his family.

April 15

Okay everybody, we need big prayers for our buddy, Zach. He's not doing well and things aren't looking so good right now. His family has been through too much all ready, and we need all the prayers in the world for this little guy. Our guys are still doing well. Will had a good day according to his nurse, his Budda (Matt's dad) and his Uncle Michael. I took the day off so I could try to fix the social security card/birth certificate snafu. I missed my Will, but the upside was that I got to have two visits with Hays. I think he's fine. He didn't sound nearly as snuffly today and he sucked down his bottle both times in less than 15 minutes. Now I'm going to go think good thoughts for Zach and his family.

April 14

Will was great again today. I got to hold him for close to two hours and he only turned blue twice! (That's not a joke, his tube slipped and he turned a lovely shade of purply-blue. Good thing a respiratory therapist was nearby!) We're not sure when his surgery will be since they have to order a special trach tube, but we're thinking the end of this week or the beginning of next week. The ENTs consulted with the cardio-thorassic surgeon and came up with a plan. They're going to trach him and send him home to grow, then in a couple of months when he's bigger, they plan to do surgery where they remove the weak spot in his trachea and join the ends together- basically rebuild his trachea. This is a tentative plan, but it would be really cool if it worked and we could solve his problem in a matter of months instead of years.
I'm worried about my little Hays today. I think he's getting a cold. He's awfully snuffly and unusually sleepy. I told him he is not allowed to get sick, because all of my worrying is directed at Will! Hopefully he's okay because I really don't know if I can handle any more craziness! I found out today that the hospital had the wrong address on record for us, so the boys' social security cards are in no man's land, and their birth certificates are wrong! Just one more thing to deal with. Oh well, it could be worse. My sister is on a week long field trip to Savannah and Charleston with a bunch of middle schoolers, and today is her birthday! That's definitely worse. Happy birthday, Aunt Ninny!!!!

April 13

Mommy and Will!!!!!!


Today was a happy day since I finally got to hold my big ol' sweet boy! Will was soooo cute. He was wide awake, and I think he really enjoyed the change of scenery. He liked being held, and I know that poor thing had to be glad to get out of the bed. The best part is that his nurse said I should be able to hold him every day until his surgery. Of course, that will likely happen Tuesday or Wednesday, but after he's healed from that (about a week) I'll be able to hold him anytime! Yay!!! And let me tell you, that is one solid little boy. I know he only weighs five pounds, but after holding him for an hour my arm was completely asleep! I had to go buy him some new clothes today because he needs short sleeved, snap-front onesies. Those are surprisingly hard to find! They have to snap in front because he can't wear things that go over his head because of his vent tube. Luckily good old Wal-Mart had a nice selection of them for only $2.88 apiece, so I bought them all. Got to love the Wally-world!!
Hays is doing well with his bottle feeding, but he still needs to step it up. Sometimes he gets too tired to finish the whole thing, so he's got to increase his stamina. If he wants to come home, he's got to get that eating thing down. Oh, exciting news, Hays finally hit four pounds tonight!!!! Yay for our big, strong boy!!!!
On a sad note, our little buddy Zach is back in the NICU. We're not sure how long he's going to be there, but our hearts go out to his sweet family. When you're saying your wonderful prayers for my guys, please add Zach in there so he can get back home quickly.

April 12

Hays is the bottle champ!! He took four bottles in a row- that's a new record for him. He drank half of the fifth, but got tired and had to be tube fed the rest. He drank about half of his bottle tonight, but then he got tired. It was bath night for him and that always wears him out! He's doing so well that it looks like he'll be ready to come home in a couple of weeks. Matt went up to Egleston to see Will today so I could take Mason to a birthday party. He said Will looked really good. We took a picture of Will up to St. Mary's and taped it in Hays' bed so he can see his brother. And we took pictures of Hays and Mommy, Daddy and Mason up to Will so he can always see his family. The nurses at St. Mary's were amazed at how much Will had grown over the last three weeks. Lord, I am so ready to get things moving with Will so he can make all of the great strides that Hays has. I can't wait to see him suck down a bottle and get a real bath instead of just being wiped off. It's coming soon, but the wait is about to kill me!
Some friends of ours from the NICU had a very exciting day today. They finally took their little boy home after 5 months in the NICU- and on his mommy's birthday, no less! We are so happy for them (even though we now hold the dubious honor of being the old family in the NICU). So everyone say a little prayer for Zach and his family now that they're all together at home. We can't wait until it's our turn!

April 11

Will had his scope today and it went well. It was exactly what they expected. The weak area in his trachea is right where the vascular ring was, other than that, he's perfect. Unfortunately, just as they thought, the only real solution is the tracheotomy. They used to use stints to keep airways open, but that led to major long-term problems with scar tissue in the airway. They can sometimes remove the weak part of the trachea and join the ends together, but Will is not a good candidate for that because the weak area is so low in his airway. Plus, he's so small that the surgery would be really dangerous. They think he will outgrow this problem in a year or two, which seems like forever right now, but is really not a lot of time in the scheme of things. And if this had to happen, at least he's getting it out of the way while he's a baby. He won't know anything different, and by the time he becomes aware of it, it will be time to take it out. It's hard to tell the doctors, "okay, do what you need to do," but we have to put our trust in them and believe that they are making the best choices for our baby. They will most likely do the procedure early next week, but we won't really have a definite time until Monday. It sucks, but it has to suck less than everything he's endured so far. We want to get it over with so our sweet baby can finally start living a normal life. Speaking of normal, we finally got to dress him today, and he looks awfully cute in clothes! And we got to see his face with no tape on it while they were changing the tape, and let me tell you, that is one cute baby!! That's one good thing about getting the trach put in, we'll finally get to see his whole beautiful face without a bunch of stuff in the way.
Hays was doing good tonight. He got to meet his Uncle Jonathan for the first time, and I'm sure he was very impressed by his very tall uncle! He was wide awake and drank most of his bottle. He liked hearing his bedtime story and hanging out with his mommy and daddy. We finally had to put him to bed because he was fighting going to sleep, even though he was really tired. Rage, rage against the dying of the light! As soon as we put him down, he conked out. I guess that little boy just wants to party all the time!

Crappy news

Well, unfortunately today has been pretty high on the crap-tacular scale. My mom and I went up to Egleston today, and before we could even get in the NICU the doctor stopped us (never a good sign). She told us that Will's airway shut down this morning. They had to push his ET tube way down in order to open his airway, and an x-ray showed that his trachea had pretty much collapsed where the vascular ring had been. Just what we feared- his airway is too floppy to stay open without major ventilator support. It's pretty likely that the only solution is a tracheostomy. That was the thing we were dreading most, but the poor little guy just can't keep that airway open. The ENT speacialists are going to do the bronchial scope tomorrow to determine exactly what's going on with his airway. They're going to consult the cardio-thorassic surgeon to look at other possible surgical options, but they don't really think those are going to be a good solution for Will. We were obviously pretty devastated by the news. We're not sure how long he'd have to have the trach, but most kids outgrow this by the time they're two. But still, two years is a long time. I was scared to death, wondering how will I take of this child and two others? I'm still not sure how I'll do it, but I know I will. (Don't really have much choice, do I!) They will teach me everything I need to know about caring for the trach at the hospital, and I have lots of family support here at home. I told my mom, "Well, after all this I better get an associates degree in nursing based on all the experience I'll have!"
It's been really tough to watch Will encounter one obstacle after another, and we really thought that we were on the road home. Now we're looking at another month or two at Egleston, which is going to be tough on everyone. The good thing about this is that Will is going to be so much more comfortable. He won't have to fight to breathe, and what a blessing that will be. His movement won't be restricted by his vent tubes, and I know that will make him happy. The most wonderful part is that I will finally be able to hold him!!! This has certainly been a test of our faith and strength, and so far, we've done okay. I know that you have all been praying for us, and we really appreciate that. Keep it up! Please pray for Will and for his doctors, that they will make the right decision. And pray that God will give Matt and me the strength, stamina and good humor that we need to get through this. And now I'm off to see Hays (who is still doing beautifully, thank goodness!)

April 9th

The boys are good today. Will was able to go down some on his vent settings and they FINALLY started feeding him again today. I know that poor little guy is happy to have a full tummy again. I didn't see him today, but my sister did, and she said he looked good. I'll be heading up there tomorrow to see for myself! Hays was a pretty tired boy today. He took about half of his first bottle, but he was really worn out tonight and settled for a tube feeding. He had to get some blood tonight, so he's got an IV in his head (I guess he was trying to be cool like Will). Will's head IV is gone and Hays' will be after his transfusion. I'm glad- those things look awful! Other than that, today was pretty uneventful. Mason went to the dentist today and he was awesome. He was as cooperative as can be. Of course, he goes to the coolest dentist in the world. They have video games and flat screen t.v.s mounted above the chairs so kids can watch movies while they're getting their teeth cleaned. Mason's teeth were perfect and he was happy because he got to watch "Cars" while they were working on him. Lucky kid. They sure didn't have dentists like that when I was a little kid!!!

April 8th - Goodnight Moon

Hays was, hands down, the cutest thing on God's green earth tonight. He didn't get off to such a cute start- he peed on himself three times while he was getting ready for his bath. And the second one got him right in the face!! But he was adorable while he was getting his bath. He was hungry so he grabbed his blanket, put it in his mouth and started sucking on it. Then after I got him all snuggly in his cute little dinosaur sleeper, he sucked down his entire bottle in less than ten minutes. Then I read him "Goodnight Moon." It was the first time I'd ever read a book to him, and you should have seen his face. Every time he looked at the pictures, his eyes would get all big and he just looked awed. It was the most heart-achingly precious thing I have ever seen. I would have given a million dollars to have had our video camera at that moment!! That boy is something else. As is his twin brother! Will was doing pretty well today. He was kind of squirmy and didn't look quite as comfortable as he did yesterday. He's not weaning on the vetilator as fast as they expected him to. They tried putting his tube down a little bit lower to see if it would help him, but it really didn't. That's actually a good thing, because it means that his airways aren't giving him a problem. And him not weaning much isn't a huge problem or anything, we just want him to get down to the point that they can extubate him soon because we want him to come back! His lung that had partially collapsed looked much better today, so that's a good thing. All in all, he's coming along fine.

April 7

If it ain't one thing, it's another. Turns out the nurse that told Matt they were doing the scope today was WRONG!!! Matt took a day off work so we could go up there, only to find that it was scheduled for tomorrow. So we hung out with Will for a while, who looked awesome by the way. He was wide awake and checking things out and moving a lot without any pain. We were a little concerned because last night he was having some episodes where he was having trouble breathing. They did an x-ray this morning and discovered that the upper lobe of his right lung had collapsed. That's not uncommon in a preemie and they were giving him breathing treatments to open it back up. We were actually relieved that it was a partially collapsed lung (how twisted is that!) because we were afraid that he was showing signs of a floppy airway and that he wasn't tolerating his vent tube being in the higher position. So we were kind of like "whew, it was just a collapsed lung, thank goodness!" Then, there was some craziness this afternoon when my sister discovered that they had postponed the scope again. They were supposed to call me, but they hadn't yet, so it was actually my sister that notified me of the change. Oops. They're going to wait to do it until he's getting less breathing support from the ventilator. They're going to have to extubate him to do the scope, and they really don't want to have to reintubate him, so their going to wait until he's ready- probably the end of the week.
Hays is still fabulous. And he is no longer the only Hays in the NICU, another one came in today, but his name is spelled with an "e." I still can't believe it- it's not like Hays is a real common name. And this kid's last name also starts with an "M." You know they'll be in the same class forever and they'll both be Hays M!!!! Hays weighs 3 lbs. 12 oz and he took his whole bottle like a champ tonight. Those boys are really filling out, and boy are they cute!! I know I'm biased, but everyone agrees that they are definitely lookers!

April 6th

Tomorrow is another big day for Will. They're going to do another bronchial scope on him to check for floppy airways or narrowing of the trachea. If they don't see either of those things, we can be pretty sure that his airways will stay open when he's extubated. Then they'll either go ahead and extubate him and put him on CPAP, or they'll send him back to St. Mary's and let them extubate him in a few days. Either way, this is the last big hurdle he has to clear to be on his way back to Athens!!! So keep those fingers and toes crossed! I never thought I would think CPAP is a good thing (those of you who have been with us for this whole crazy ride may remember how much I hated the CPAP when Hays was on it), but it beats the heck out of a tube stuck down his throat! Will's been doing well today. They're giving him morphine every four hours instead of two and he's more awake and moving around more. He seems to be pretty comfortable. They've also been able to lower his vent settings throughout the day, so that's a good thing. We're just anxious to hear what they have to say tomorrow.
Hays is great. I finally got to see him in his big boy bed. He looks so cute. I was thinking tonight that it was only a few weeks ago that I couldn't do anything but peek at him in his isolette and wait for the nurse to come in and hand him to me. Now I just go in, disconnect him from the monitors, pick him up, bathe him, give him a bottle, put him back to bed, regular mommy stuff- it's awesome!!! I can't wait until I get to do it for both of them.
I noticed today at Publix that the March of Dimes is collecting money and their big annual walk for preemies is coming up. I've always thought this was a worthy cause, but being the mom of preemies has shown me exactly how worthy. Not that I'm trying to solicit on the blog, or tell you what to do with your charity money- okay, I guess I kind of am- but if you have a buck or two to spare, give to the March of Dimes. Maybe we can save another family from having to go through this. And I will now step down off my soapbox. Thanks guys!!!

April 5

Pictures:

Hays in his big boy bed

Hays is getting so big

Will after surgery

Will's had a good day. He's pretty much just chilling and sleeping (I imagine that dose of morphine every two hours helps!) He's been pretty comfortable and they've been able to lower his vent settings throughout the day. The cardiologists said they will probably remove his chest tube in the next day or so because there's been very little drainage from the incision. Hays is doing great on his feedings. He's taking a full bottle every other feeding, whereas a few days ago he was only getting one or two bottles a day. And he's up to 3 lbs. 10 oz! He is closing that gap between him and Will with a quickness! Once he's taking all his feedings from a bottle and having no problems with it, he'll be ready to come home- yipee!!!! I didn't get to see either of the boys today because of my funk. But I went to the doctor and got an antibiotic. Five hours later I felt MUCH better, so I should be back on track for tomorrow.

The surgery went well!!!!!!!

Will's surgery went great!!!! There were absolutely no complications and his esophogus looks good. WE won't know for sure if his airways are strong enough to stay open until they try to extubate him in a few days, but things look good. His vent tube has had to be really low in order for him to breathe comfortably and a few hours after the surgry they were able to move it up to a normal position and he was breathing fine, so that's another good sign. He really looks good and he's resting comfortably so we're thrilled. We were so lucky to have the most wonderful group supporting us at the hospital. My parents were there along with our minister, my sister's mother-in-law, and one of my oldest and dearest friend's dad! It was an eclectic group, but having them there made the time pass so quickly and kept us from being nervous and afraid. One good thing that has come out of this is that Matt and I have been shown how many people love and support our family. We have had so many people do so many wonderful things for us, and even though I'm way behind on my thank-you notes, I want everyone to know how grateful we are for your support and prayers. My family is incredibly lucky to be embraced by so many wonderful people. Another exciting thing is that Hays came out of his isolette into a regular crib!!! Unfortunately I haven't seen his new digs because I'm kind of under the weather and running a bit of a fever. (How's that for great timing?) So now I need you guys to send me some good vibes to get better quickly because mommy can't go down!! I have to be strong and healthy so I can run around and take care of all these little monkeys!

Tomorrow is the big day (or so they're telling us!)

Will's surgery is tomorrow at 7 am, so send him good vibes! We're ready to get this boy fixed. I'm glad the surgery is first thing so we have all day to see how his recovery is going. We're staying in Atlanta tonight with my sister so we can be at the hospital by 6 to see him before they take him back to the OR. They won't have to put in an arterial line since he still has one in his arm, so all his limbs should be safe! I'll miss my snuggle time with Hays tonight, but we got in a good cuddle this morning, so it will be okay. He's almost ready to come out of his isolette and go into a regular crib- just a few more days! Hopefully by next Friday I'll have both my boys back at St. Mary's and we'll just have to work on getting them home.

April 2

Poor Will now has an IV in his head. It actually sounds much worse than it is. Babies have tiny veins and it's hard to get an IV in, but they have a big vein in their heads and it's actually a pretty common spot for an IV. But it still sucks. At this point I'm pretty sure there are more tubes than baby. When is this little guy ever going to catch a break!!!!! I'm running out of patience with this whole thing and I just need him to get well so I can hold him and love on him and take care of him. Right now I can barely touch him! His head was the only clear spot, so I always rub his head to calm him down, now he's got a dadgum needle stuck in that too!! Arrrggghhhh, I'm getting frustrated! I know that this is a temporary situation and that he will get better, but there are days when it feels like there is no end in sight.

April 1

My parents made the Egleston run today. Partly to give me a break and partly because I had to stay home with Mason who started the morning by projectile vomiting chocolate milk onto the off-white rug in the living room. Ah, the joys of motherhood. But Will was doing fine and looked good. I didn't make it up to see Hays this morning because of the puke-fest, but when I went up tonight he was wide awake. He drank his whole bottle and stayed awake for over an hour. He was super cute, as usual, and is up to 3 lbs. 6 oz. We should find out for sure when Will's surgery will happen. The surgical consultant (who happens to be my second cousin- is that lucky or what!) will let us know as soon as it's scheduled. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Mason is fine. He felt great the rest of the day and ate like a horse. Crazy kid.