I'm an Aunt....Twice!

A little over a month ago my brother-in-law welcomed into the world Lexus Addison Elsie and Wade Emmerson Travin. They were born just shy of 23 wks. Although they are small, only weighing a little over a pound each they are little fighters.

The first time I got to see them a few weeks ago, They had just started opening their eyes. Mike, Mark and I were able to witness Wade open his eyes while we were there, allowing me to capture this awesome shot of one happy daddy looking down on his baby boy.










Then they turned a month old, which was a time for celebration, until they both suffered an intestinal infection.  They both started to retain fluid and their stomachs were turning purple and were descended.

Both Wade and Lexi were put back on their steroids and IVs which they had been taken off of before the infection. It was a little set back we all thought.

 Lexus is now doing better.  She changed ventilators early this morning to one that is less restrictive.  She was able to breathe fully on her own for an hour and a half a couple of days ago.  The vent that she is on now, she is doing 50% of the breathing.  Her stomach looks a lot better and Holly (mommy) even got to hold her for the first time today!  It's a goal they thought they were weeks from reaching.

Unfortunately, Wade is a different story.  He is not doing so well.  He has retained nearly a pound of fluid. We believe that he has the same thing that Lexi did.  His stomach is now black and it is believed that a section of his intestine has died.  They are doing everything they can to get the fluid to drain, but it's doing no good.  He has been the same for several days.  The next 24-48 hours at least are critical.  They have talked to a surgeon and he will do a surgery tomorrow afternoon as long as he stays where he is. We will all be saying an extra prayer for baby Wade tonight.

Seeing these babies is both humbling and amazing. They make you realize how fragile life really can be. When you give birth to 10 pounders this isn't something you think about. It is also amazing the technology that hospitals have now days to keep these little ones growing. 10-20 years ago this story would be very different.