Last update you guys got Cannon had his surgery to fix the PDA in his heart and it was a success. He has recovered wonderfully! On Friday they decided to take Braxton's ventilator out and see what he could do. They thought he would do the same thing Cannon did since they both have a PDA but that little stinker did great and is still off of his ventilator and stays between 30-40% oxygen which isn't bad considering we breath room air at 21%. The first day was pretty scary and he would pause his breathing quite a bit and they almost put him back on the ventilator. They decided to try him on his tummy and since then he has been great! On Saturday I got to take the boys temperature and change their diapers! This was so fun and brought my heart some joy since I hadn't been able to do much with them at that point. It made me feel a little bit more like a mom! Sunday, they decided that it was time for Braxton to start getting feeds!! We were so excited because we are ready to see some meat on their sweet little bones. They start with 3 ml of my milk to see how they will tolerate it. Sometimes they don't handle it well because we are asking them to do something their cute little bodies just aren't ready for but Braxton has done great and has already moved up to 6 ml and the Dr is thinking about moving him up again! Also, on Sunday they said they wanted to take Cannon off of his ventilator and see how he does. He did pretty good for about a day and a half and then they had to put hin back on because he was just working too hard and his stats were dropping. He looks way more comfortable and isn't struggling anymore. They said they will give him a few days to recover and then try again. They don't want them to become dependent on the ventilator. Cannon also started to gets feeds on Monday and has been tolerating them great too! Now for our biggest obstacle so far. Monday they did a brain scan on both of the boys and they found that both boys have grade 3 brain bleeds on both sides of their brains. They grade them from 1-4. 1&2 are the least severe and 3&4 are the most severe and can lead to long term damage. The Dr. said that they can absorb and resolve on their own or they wont and it could lead to long term damage. They will rescan next Monday to see if they have gotten better but they said sometimes they may not see any change in a week so they will keep rescaning every week to see how it is progressing. We have heard many stories of babies that have had grade 3&4 bleeds that resolved on their own and are doing fine! We know that our God is the GREAT physician and truly is the only one that can heal the boys bleeds. We are on our knees praying that The Lord will place his healing hands upon our baby boys and heal those bleeds so they can lead a healthy life as followers of Christ and be a testament to God's healing powers! Please join us in praying that these bleeds will resolve on their own without damage to the boys brain!
On Monday I also got to hold sweet Cannon skin to skin for the first time! I wish I could put into words to describe how it felt but if you're a mommy then you know exactly what I mean! So many emotions at one time and yes, I did cry for most of the 30 min...HA! They let you start with once a day for an hr. but Cannon lasted 30 min. They said that was actually really good for a babies first time. I did not want to let go and give him back to the nurse!! It was a moment I will cherish forever! That was exactly what my heart needed since we had just got the news about their bleeds. The next day I got to hold sweet Braxton skin to skin also! He did about the same as Cannon, about 30 min and then he would get too comfy on mommy's chest and would get into a deep sleep and forget to breathe! The nurse would come over and stimulate him to remind him to breathe! After a few times of that I decided to put my sweet Brax back in his incubator so he could rest! It is so hard letting them go but I don't want to put any more stress on them. They already have enough going on! Getting to hold both of my boys is so rewarding! My heart is over flowing with joy and it makes me feel like nothing on this Earth can bring me down!
It has been a long week with lots of information thrown at us but this a process that you truly have to take day by day. As I sit here watching our boys breathe in and out and seeing their little lungs work so hard, I'm reminded of how much we take the little things in life for granted like taking in a breath. Sitting with our boys every day is such a humbling experience and truly is a testament to how amazing our God is! They are the definition of true fighters! Their strength amazes me and helps me to get through the LONG days! This is a verse that I am clinging to lately! It comforts me and helps me to remember that during this journey there is nothing I will be able to do to make it all better but to be strong for our boys and be there for Shawn! God is in control and wants to carry this burden for us!
John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
We are so grateful for Cannon and Braxton and they teach us so much everyday! They made us a family and we can't wait to all be together but we know that they are in the best place possible for them now! They are auch a blessing and we love them more than we could have ever imagined! Thank you God for blessing our lives with these precious boys!
Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, txts, messages, phone calls, and packages! We are so very grateful for every single one of you taking time to pray for our Cannon and Braxton! It means the world to us and we hope that one day we can return the favor to you all! We wouldn't be able to so this without our prayer warriors! We feel them and they are helping us get through every day of this long journey!
If some of you are unfamiliar with what a babies stay in the NICU is like here is a link of a story and video that a dad had put together about their journey in the NICU with their son Ward. It is a beautiful video and you will need your tissues for sure! Some of you may have seen it but for others this is kind of what we go through every day.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2510987/Father-Benjamin-Scots-video-premature-baby-Ward-Miles-development.html
Here are some pictures from our week!
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