The Intentional Life

Hannah is now four months old and we went for her doctor's appointment yesterday. She is 14 lbs 12 oz and 25 inches long. Her weight is in the 90th percentile : ) So I guess with all the puking she does, she somehow manages to put on the weight! : ) In regard to the pictures - this was Owen's first time eating corn on the cob - I think he enjoyed it : )

That is now what Reid weighs. He has broke the 3 lb mark! : ) And he continues to do well in other areas as well. They finally took the nasal cannula out of his nose and inserted the feeding tube there instead. So, now his mouth is free to work on eating. They have started giving him a bottle and they let him work on it for 30 minutes. The last that I heard is that he took in 17 mL on his own. They then feed him the remaining amount through the tube in his nose (he is up to 27 mL at a feeding). Reid's cord fell off so he now has a 'big boy belly button' : ). You can now see so much more of his face with the nasal cannula out, too. Here in these pictures he is kangarooing with Chet. Reid has been doing so well considering his age (or lack thereof). He's breathing well, eating well, putting on weight, even his lower intestines are working the way they should (if you know what I mean : ) Praise God for His providing hand on little Reid!

While Owen was taking a nap, I tried an outdoor 'photo session' with Hannah. These are just some of my favorites. It's hard to believe that Hannah will be 4 months on Sunday (and we'll have been married 6 years!) Time does go by fast. Owen is starting to say more and more words and he's counting: 1, 6, 7 : ) Today he correctly identified 10 letters - which made me so excited! It's amazing how much their little minds pick up (and a little scary) What I find is so sweet is that Owen likes to pray. We always pray before meals and bedtime, but Owen also wants to pray before naps, before he gets a drink of water, and before he gets a second helping of food. What a good reminder for me to "pray without ceasing." Even in the little and mundane things, God still wants us to talk to Him - whether we are at work, taking a walk, or getting a second helping of food : )

First, the update on Reid, since that is why most of you are checking this blog : ) ... He has gained another ounce and is now 2 lb 11 oz. He is taking 23 mL of milk every three hours. Chet and Amanda continue to "kangaroo hold" 3 times a day for 30 minutes. They are talking of discontinuing the Oxygen soon, but leaving the nasal canula in his nose just in case they need to start the O2 again. But they have discontinued and taken out the IV, so that is very good news. Little Reid is doing so well considering how young and small he is - thank you to all for your continued prayers! Now, today, my Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Troy and their 2 girls, Nolani and Mariah, came to visit at mom and dad's. I took the kids over there for the day to swim and see the Schnabels. Owen had a great time playing with Nolani in the kiddie pool and Jeanne had a great time being puked on by Hannah (yes, that is still a favorite past time of Hannah - spitting up) But Hannah is doing much better with ...

At the beginning of August, Paul's parents had a hog roast and invited friends and family. Here are a few pictures from the day. I had to take this picture of Owen because he is playing with this little girl, Bailey, and they are both sharing. Now, Owen is 22 months and Bailey is just over 2, so you can understand how big of an even this is, the fact that they are sharing and not fighting and no one had to tell them to share in the first place (this was a very proud moment for mommy). And I had to post a picture of the grandma's playing corn-hole : ) We had an absolutely gorgeous day for the hog roast and the baby shower for my sister in law. Everyone could be outside and there was no oppressive humidity to make everyone sluggish. Good food, great company, beautiful day - couldn't ask for more! : )

Today I was able to go up to the hospital and spend some sister time with Amanda. We had over an hour where we could just sit and catch up - so sweet : ) Reid's results came back from his brain scan and there is a little bruising on the left side of his brain, but he was cleared to be able to be picked up. So Amanda got to hold him today for the first time. He is so tiny he actually fits right inside Amanda's camisole (tubes and all!) The doctor wrote orders for Reid to be held 3 times a day for 30 minutes each. They will do another brain scan in a month to see if the bruise has disappeared. More good news - he has gained 4 oz! It's got to be the milk and all those prayers : ) He is getting 11 mL of milk every 3 hours - he started out at 2 mL on Sunday. For feedings now, they are having Amanda hold him and they gravity feed the milk through a syringe. I am glad to have such good news to report all around - please keep the prayers going as there will be more hurdles in the d...

So, finally I was able to get to my computer and get these on the blog. What a cute little guy! : ) These are from this past Sunday, August 10th.

So, I have new news on Reid, but no pics at this time. I am currently in Columbus for an OT convention and am waiting on some pictures to be emailed to me. When I have them, I will post them. I have been told that Reid is off the CPAP and just on the the nasal cannula. According to my sister-in-law, who is a Respiratory Therapist : ) this means that he is now breathing better on his own, his body is able to keep his airways open on their own, without the aid of a machine (yea!) More big news: Reid is now getting Amanda's expressed milk every three hours. I was told that a newborn's stomach is the size of a large marble - i can't imagine the size of Reid's - maybe a blueberry? The nurses said that after Reid got his first "meal" of milk, he smiled - he knows when he is getting the good stuff! : ) Amanda and Chet got to be around when they changed Reid's bed and Amanda got to pick Reid up - one hand under his head and the other under his bottom - whi...

Amanda wanted this news passed along: Reid had an X-ray and an echocardiogram done today. Nothing has come up yet as far as a concern. They were checking for lung development and to see if there were any heart defects. They will do an encephalogram next week to check for any brain damage or hemorrhages that may have occurred when the cord was wrapped around his neck at delivery. They have also started putting nutrition through his IV now. Before this he was just getting sugar water. That is the news for the time being. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers, I know they appreciate it.

I was up to see Reid again last night and there is nothing new to report at this point. Which I consider to be good news. There is no bad news, so no news is good news. He just continues to fight for his life, trying to figure out whole to breathe on his own, and how his body is supposed to work this early in life. I talked to Amanda for a little bit, and she said right now she feels like she is just floating, this whole thing is so surreal. The reality hasn't really sunk in yet. Please continue to keep them all in your prayers in the days ahead. Thank you to all who left comments, I'm sure Amanda and Chet appreciate reading them and knowing there is family out there thinking of them and praying for them - keep it up! : ) Now, a picture I have wanted to post for a week or so, and just haven't. Hannah is able to prop herself up on her elbows when she's on her stomach. She is starting to talk and coo and it is so fun starting to see a personality emerge : )

We all went up to see Amanda, Chet, and Reid this evening. Only 2 people are allowed in the room at a time and one has to be a parent, so the visiting was slow going. They just finished constructing the NICU at Dupont less than 3 months ago and it is wonderful. Every baby has their own room with a couch and recliner for the parents. Amanda and Chet are hanging in there - easily overwhelmed, which can be understood. The pictures just do not do Reid justice as to how small he truly is. The one picture is of Amanda's hand and his. Right now he can be touched only occasionally and only by the parents and staff at the hospital and only with gloves on. No holding until probably a week from now. Reid will sometimes stop breathing but they have the oxygen on full time to keep him going. His heart rate will also drop - when I was in there it went from the normal 150 down to 75 - which sent the nurses running. Mom got to see them change his diaper - those diapers are so incredibly small, ...

Amanda had her baby this morning (around 3 AM) and 9 weeks early! They had a little boy and named him Reid Arthur. He's 2 lb 5 oz and 16 inches long. Amanda's labor was hard and fast - they were still in the ER when he was born. He had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck twice but that was quickly removed and he just started screaming. So that in itself is very good news. They had him at Van Wert hospital but he was moved to Dupont in Ft Wayne since they have a NICU. Amanda went home late morning and they are both heading up to Dupont this afternoon. I am hoping that we can make it up there this evening and if I am able to get a picture, I will post it here ASAP. Amanda said he is doing really well considering the circumstances. He was given surfactant for his lungs and he is on O2 to keep his oxygen levels up, but other than that, he is breathing on his own. Please pray for continual good news and the healthy development of Reid. I will post more later when ...