Where has the time gone?

GOD IS SO GOOD!

Kaitlyn and Grayson were 8 months old on the 26th of this month.

Today the nurse came to give them their Synagis shots and she weighed them.

Kaitlyn weighs 14 pounds 10 ounces and Grayson weighs 19 pounds 6 ounces.

Time sure does fly when you're having fun and boy oh boy are we having fun. :-)

Facts about RSV

RSV, or Respiratory Syncytial Virus, is the most common cause of lower respiratory infection and viral death in children under 5 years of age and children under the age of 1 are especially vulnerable1. It is the leading cause of hospitalization in children under the age of one.

Premature babies or infants born up to four weeks early (also referred to as less than 36 weeks gestational age) are at increased risk for severe RSV disease. Since premature birth interrupts the final stages of normal lung development, premature children are more vulnerable to more severe lower respiratory tract infections.

Certain populations of children, including premature infants, children with chronic lung disease and/or congenital heart disease are at increased risk for complications from serious RSV disease.

According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), RSV outbreaks occur worldwide typically from Fall through Spring. During RSV season in the USA, up to 125,000 children under the age of one year are hospitalized annually due to RSV-related illnesses1 and some of these children may die.

RSV spreads easily from person to person through respiratory tract secretions that carry the virus: sneezing or coughing, hands that touch the nose, mouth, or eyes and then come in contact with another person or object. The RSV virus can survive up to 6 hours on hands and up to 12 hours on non-porous surfaces. Spread within families is common, especially when a school-aged child re- introduces the virus to the family.

Despite strict infection control procedures, hospital nursery units, daycare centers, and other similar institutions are at high-risk for RSV outbreaks.

The symptoms of RSV may be like a cold at first and can include: fever, runny nose, other cold-like symptoms. The symptoms may then get worse, and can include: coughing, difficulty breathing, wheezing (a whistling sound), rapid breathing.

Grayson is a big boy now

Grayson rolled over last night. He has caught up with older sis Kaitlyn.

Both of them are doing well. No news to report. This is nothing like those first few months in the NICU when every 1/2 ounce lost or gained was such a big thing.

Sometimes, believe it or not I actually find myself longing for the NICU. Don't get me wrong, I DO NOT want my children back there. However, I made some very good friends there and I miss them all very much.

Actually I have recently been in contact with another mom that was in the NICU at the same time Kaitlyn and Grayson were. Her boys were in the same isolation room as Kaitlyn. The "MRSA" room. I feel as though we have a definite "connection". We were both there, at the hospital, everyday. One of her sons spent time at Children's Hospital, too. So we both know what it is like to have children in two different hospitals at the same time. I have missed seeing her and her boys every day and finding out how everyone is doing.

I have spoken with her several times in the past week. I even helped her with getting signed up for WIC (Women, Infants, Childrens). No one had told her that if the babies, due to being preemies, were on Medicaid that she automatically qualified for WIC. At $15 per can of formula, WIC providing 10 cans per month, per baby is a big deal. Looks like someone at one of the hospitals would have mentioned this to her. I hope that other moms are finding out about this. It is a great program and has been a big help to us.

I hope that she and I and all of of babies can get together when the weather opens up. It would be nice. Maybe even some our favorite nurses could come out and spend the day with all of us. We will have one big NICU reunion.

There was a doctor in the NICU, he worked at both hospitals, that Karl and I think the world of. His name is Reed Dimmit. It is my firm belief that God sent him to us. He was one of the first doctors that I actually remember meeting. I will never forget that when the babies were just a few days old he came by during rounds and told us "your babies are boring and that's a good thing." Unluckily for us, Kaitlyn developed NEC shortly thereafter. Lucky for us Dr. Dimmit and Dr. Barnhart, her surgeon (another wonderful man who performed 4 surgeries on Kaitlyn), are good friends and they worked together to make sure that Kaitlyn got back at the same hospital as Grayson as soon as possible.

There were several times we bothered Dr Dimmit, I know. But he was always very patient with us and very willing to talk to us about any concerns we might have. We can never thank this man enough for all he did for us and our children. Dr. Dimmit - We are eternally grateful to you.

Speaking of thanks, there were two nurses in the NICU that we found an instant kinship with, Kelli Gray and Kristin Kozub. These wonderful ladies mean the world to us.

Kelli was with Kaitlyn the night it was discovered she had NEC. She got on the phone with me after the doctor had spoken with Karl and told me that Kaitlyn was fine and that she would be right there with her right up until the time that she was transferred to Children's. I cannot count the number of times I called to check on one of the babies and Kelli answered the phone and told me that she was there nurse for today. She was the only nurse in the NICU that got the chance to take care of them at the same time. It always made me feel good and feel that my Children were safe when I knew that Kelli was there watching over them. She went above and beyond her duties as a nurse. Even so much as keeping Grayson for us so that we could go and visit Kaitlyn. She is an angel here on earth.

Kristin was also one of the babies nurses. The last time that Kaitlyn was at Children's, Kristin was doing her Nurse Practitioner training. She always made sure that she got to be over Kaitlyn when she was working there. She put us at ease and helped us with our fears about the babies. She is going to be a great Nurse Practitioner. She is another angel that God allowed to cross our paths.

WAR EAGLE ladies!

Home Sweet Home

Kaitlyn and Grayson are both doing well and growing like weeds. Kaitlyn is now rolling all over the place. "Big", but younger, brother Grayson is now trying to roll over, too.

Both babies are starting Occupational & Physical Therapy next week. The therapists will be coming to our house twice a month. This is just to help get the babies where they need to be developmentally.

It is so good to go home at night and see my sweet babies.

Please remember in your prayers all the familes with babies still in the NICU. Some were not as lucky as we are and my heart goes out to them.

Michelle

They just keep growing and growing and growing

Kaitlyn and Grayson are now 7 1/2 months old - 4 1/2 months adjusted age. Kaitlyn rolled over for the first time this weekend. Grayson is still satisfied just lying on his back playing. Kaitlyn went to see her surgeon, Dr. Barnhart, at Children's Hospital today. She weighs 13 lbs 2 oz. The doctor said that she is doing great and he sees no problems with her. I am still working on getting this website up to date with all the info from their birth until now.