Day 3: The hardest steps I've ever taken.

Just a quick update tonight as I'm sitting here in my bed (the first time in 8 nights) barely able to stay awake.  I think its finally being home but also the fact that today was one of the most difficult days of my life.

First off Noah... this morning started off as one of "those" days we don't like to think about.  Noah seemed irritated when I went up to visit him this morning and could see the stress signals they talked with us about as soon as I stepped up near him.  His nurse was working on his oxygen levels which seemed to keep dropping.  She would turn up his ocelator (high performance respirator) a little bit by little bit and he'd be okay for a while and then it would drop again.  Melanie, his nurse would go back to the machine and turn it up again.  With each adjustment of the knob, my heart rate increased, I think trying to help compensate for his slower one.

Soon a developmental specialist came to evaluate him and while she said she saw many great things that he is doing, the reality is he is just so tiny.  She set goals for him and gave us some additional reading resources to use as guides.... when I'm going to find the time to read them, I'm not sure.

The other update that caused us/me worry tonight is his weight.  We knew and know he will loose weight in the first few days.  Stress causes his body to burn more calories and needless to say, he's starting to show the stress of being outside the womb.  As of tonight he has lost 7 ounces since his birth. That isn't much to a full term baby, but to him that means he now weighs 1 pound 4 ounces.  I can't help but worry.

But lets talk about the good things that happened today too.... After this morning, the nurse gave him some medicine to calm down and his entire afternoon and evening seemed very relaxing to him.  He seemed to be resting very peacefully when I went back to the hospital at 4 and again at 7:30 tonight.

Tonight I was able to participate in his hands on care which not only included taking his temperature, and changing his diaper but also getting to feed him for the first time.  By feeding I mean, I got to hold the tiny syringe as my milk was poured into it and slowly dripped down into his feeding tube.  While not how most mom's get to feed their child for the first time, it was still very special.

Tonight when I left Noah was sleeping peacefully and in a slightly new position.  While they have to keep his head very straight for the current breathing tube, they were able to shift his body a bit to the right, and I have to say he seemed very comfortable with his new lying position.  I pray he sleeps peacefully through the night, or at least until I get back there at 2 this morning to help with the next first.... his bath.

I close tonight with my thoughts about leaving the hospital and having to be okay with the idea of leaving part of your heart behind.  I walked out of the hospital today, hand in hand with Jarrett, as the tears flowed uncontrollably.  Ahead of us and behind us were couples like us, only in their hand was a baby car seat filled with their most prized possession.  Our hands only held each others.

It was the first time I had been outside since June 7th and I wanted nothing more than to back up 3 days, and crawl back into that bed with my baby still inside my body.  One of the nurses talked with me about it and said, you have to almost mourn what you were robbed off.  Its okay to feel this way she said.  While there is nothing I can do about it, in some ways I feel like its my fault that my body didn't do what it was suppose to and Noah has to suffer the consequences.  I know that its probably an irrational thought and its not really my fault, but yet its the way I feel.

Leaving that hospital today took all my might just to put one step in front of the other and a purposeful effort to just keep walking away.  On our way home, I reviewed the messages of support, all the prayers and the messages of hope you all shared with me.  Once again, its because of you all, we keep moving forward.  After reading a few, I turned to Jarrett, grabbed his hand and doing my best to hold back the tears I said, "Dad, I have to believe God has big plans for Noah.  Just the number of people alone who are thinking of him, praying for him and cheering him on... is remarkable.  If he's made this much of an impact in the lives of so many and he's only three days old, God has to have even bigger plans for his future right?"

And that's what I hold onto tonight.  The future....  Today was a hard day but God willing we get tomorrow.  And I look forward to the promise that tomorrow's gonna be a good day.

Goodnight my precious baby Noah. Mommy loves you and while I'm no longer just three floors away, my heart sleeps next to yours tonight and every night.

Until next time,
Angie

Day 2: Honeymoon Period in the NICU

Noah is now 54 hours old but if I'm being honest, the hours have all blurred together.  I suppose most of that is due to the fact that sleep doesn't come too easy or frequently these days.  I think I've slept a total of 8 hours since Friday morning.  While I can tell my mind is functioning on empty, my heart makes up for the tiredness and gives me adrenaline that I don't feel that tired.

Noah has made it through what the doctors call a honeymoon period, the first 24-48 hours.  We are very aware that he is still in a critical stage and that things change on the hour.  It will be that way for a long while, and yet we celebrate.  The doctors have talked to us stating that the honeymoon stage is a period of time when Noah's little body does well because he is still running on the nutrients and support my body gave him prior to delivery.  After the first 48 hours, they see babies, sometimes face challenges because their tiny body has to sustain them where previously my body had.  Oh, what would I give to have things the other way.  But I can't think that way, that is not the way the plan has gone so it doesn't help to even consider what the "other" way could have been.

So we celebrate what the last 24 hours have brought us and I have to say in my mind, these are huge victories.  Noah was able to self maintain his blood pressure yesterday so they were able to wean him off is blood pressure medication.  They were also able to take away the dopamine helping him (I can't even remember what that medication was for).   He is currently receiving a special dose of lipids an fats which give him all the nutrients he needs, and that doesn't include breast milk he gets.  Speaking of food he continues to receive 1 cc of breast milk every three hours.  We have learned so much about the feeding process and how they monitor how he eats.  Noah has a feeding tube that goes directly into his stomach.  The tube connects to a tiny vial at the end, Before each feeding the nurse pulls back on the vial to see if any fluids come back out of his stomach.   Each time they have checked they have found all of the milk gone, which means his digestive track is breaking down the food and processing the milk.  

Some of the things the nurses have saved for us... his diapers (and the next size up he will use), and his first pair of "batman shades"  

We find this to be a huge accomplishment because originally they told us they would not even begin feedings til around day 3.  They started feeding him within the first day.  And just as excited as we are about him eating regularly, we are just as excited about the fact that he has been peeing regularly. 

The size of his diaper compared to my hand.

One of the other very exciting things for us is that they have started to be a part of his care.  Every 6 hours they provide hands on care.  This means that they are in his isolet taking his temperature, checking all the wires and lines, and they change his diaper.  They have allowed us to take his temperature and change his diaper.  At first it was very scary for me, as he is so so delicate I didn't want to possibly injure him.  The nurse was very reassuring and walked us through every step.  So far Jarrett has just allowed me to do the temperature and diaper changing, he said he'd like to wait with his larger hands to help until Noah is a bit bigger.  All the while we are in providing hands on care, the nurses are watching him for stress signals.  This is when he starts wildly moving his arms, bringing up his legs, in addition to his vital signs (O2 levels, BP, heart rate) change.  If she notices any of those signs she has taught us how to provide "reassurance holds".  Basically we gently place our flat hands over his arms and legs to provide a top barrier for him.  This mimics the womb and the barriers he had within the sac.  The barrier provides reassurance.  It is amazing how well it works and so far when we've had to do it, it calms him down relatively quick.  

What Noah's "home" looks like now.

While I long for the day I can hold him in my arms or when we can begin kangaroo care, getting to touch him is so important for me.  I told Jarrett, I feel my body longing for him to still be inside me as I feel contractions deep in the core of my stomach as I stand at his bedside.  Maybe this is common for all moms after giving birth, I'm not sure.    While I miss the kicks, the butterfly movements in my stomach, getting to touch his tiny foot, his long fingers and his teeny tiny hands is healing to my heart.  

The nurses also allowed me to change his diaper and last night at 3 a.m. we celebrated because he had his first bowel movement (yay for poop)!  Literally one of his nurses Kim started dancing around his bed, because she was so excited he went already.  She said, "you go Noah, way to go big boy!"  Deanne, let me be a part of the diapering process, which requires so many gentle steps.  I'm very nervous about replacing the diaper and try carefully as possible to pull back the tabs to replace the diaper.  The nurses are such experts, they can do it within a matter of minutes.  The nurses also let me help wipe him and Deanne said, "he's all boy, he'll probably pee on us."  She was right, the minute we wiped him with sterilized water and a gauze pad he started peeing. So far with changing, Noah's in the lead... Times peed on mom (2), times mom caught him before he peed (0).  

While the majority of his counts look good, his sugar levels are high over 300 right now, so they are givng him insulin to bring it down.  As of this morning his level was 101 (now a bit on the low side) so they are adjusting his dosage.  It is a constant game of give and takes.  Also his oxygen levels were fluctuating and a bit on the lower side.  He give him a bit more oxygen and he rebounds pretty quickly. We pray for strength in his little body to keep fighting and being able to regulate this on his own.  Like his nurse Kim said, "every body needs help every once in a while, so if he gets tired, we step in."   

The other development in our second day in the NICU is that they took his measurements again. We understand this will be a weekly process always done on Sunday night.  We learned Noah is 12 inches long, we didn't know exactly at birth because they just wanted to get him stable.  I understand that's a pretty good length for a baby his age.  They joke, he gets his height from me.  As usually happens after birth, Noah has lost some weight.  He was born weighing 1 pound 11 ounces (707 grams).  In his two days of life he has lost 95 grams or almost 4 ounces.  The medical team doesn't seem concerned and said he will probably loose more in the next day or two before he rebounds.  Just the fact that my baby is alive at just over 1 pound again confirms for me the miracle that is unfolding around us.  

The medical team have also told us how important we are in this process.  They want us to be here as much as we physically can and when we can't be here they want us to leave scent cloths in his bed.  I wear the cloths on me and then place them in his bed.  And he does the same for me.  After the cloths have been in his islette for a day, they send them home with me.  I'm suppose to put them on my pillow and sleep near them.  It is suppose to help with my healing and production of milk for him.  

Finally the other milestone yesterday was asking our pastor to come and pray over Noah with us.  We held hands surrounded his bed and asked the Lord to watch over him.  I still continue to find so much of this process trusting in God and having faith that he is in control.  We firmly firmly believe in the power of prayer.  I can't verbalize it without tears streaming down my face.... the prayers, the thoughts of care that have been shared with us by so many of you are so so powerful.  The daily text messages from friends, family with prayers they have said, pictures of bible versus, songs of hope, facebook messages from caring strangers... I read them aloud to Noah and pray them from his bedside.  Thank you to all of you, from family, friends, even strangers that we have never met.... again we will never be able to repay you for your kindness and the support.  You are helping to carry us through... and we feel Noah being surrounded, protected in love.  Thank you from the core of my soul.

Today I leave my comforts of 116B in the Antepartum department.  I never thought I'd wish to stay in the hospital but I do.  I know though that it is time for me to transition again.  The kids at home miss us, I miss them terribly and I need to break out of my safe shell that is in here in the hospital.  I am aware that life outside is functioning and now I need to find a new reality of balancing everything.  It is not going to be easy, but nothing in this process is going to be.  

I'll close today with some more pictures of our precious little fighter along with a quote my cousin's wife posted to Facebook yesterday...I thought it perfectly fits our lives at this moment...

"Those who leave everything in the hands of God, sees God's hand's in everything."

Praying right along side of all of us.

Until next time,

Angie

Day 1: Life in the NICU

We've celebrated our first victory, our son is a day old.  While I'm sure the other moms that filled the labor and delivery rooms next to me Friday night are also celebrating their precious little one being a day old, I view these last 24 hours as a huge milestone and one deserving of special celebration.

Life in the NICU is busy for him, for his nurses and the team of professionals working to help him sustain his little body.  Walking into the unit, it is clear he is the tiniest baby and using the latest and greatest medical equipment designed for his micro features.  

He is currently intubated and they have a machine working to help keep his little lungs open. He is actually breathing on his own (a huge feat I think when he didn't have fluid the last many days to help his little lungs form), but the machine (sorry I can't remember the name- probably will become a medical term pro by the end of this), that puffs several hundred tiny bouts of air into his fragile lungs each minute.  Yes several hundred puffs each minute.  Looking at him we see his chest, almost his entire body vibrate with the air filling his lungs.  He will be on this machine for a few weeks, they expect.  I am learly to give timelines for the information about when they will do x or do y, even the staff don't talk in specific date timelines.  Instead they say, Noah will tell us everything.  He tells us what he needs and we respond, we don't tell him.

So I guess, like this pregnancy, everything is in Noah's time.

He is also connected to wires all over his body.  Currently they use his umbilical cord as a central line running his main iv fluids to and from there.  The average length of time they can keep this line open is between 5 to 7 days, after that they will start a central line in one of the main arteries in his leg or arm.  It is hard to describe the actual size, of the wires and tubes running criss cross around his body.  Someone asked me if the tubing is about the size of a spaghetti noodle.  I would say the wires running in and out of his body are about 1/4 the size of a spaghetti noodle if you would slice it in 1/4ths the long way.  

They are monitoring anything and everything you could possibly imagine.  He is under a bright light to help with some of the bruising he sustained during the delivery, like other babies who get jaundice.  It is the same with him.  So under the bright light he is with shades on.  He is in an self contained eycolete where the temperatures are comparable to my womb temp.  Because his skin is extremely delicate to the touch and too premature to maintain its moisture, they pump humidity into "home." at a rate of 72% humidity.  One nurse joked with me this morning, "With his shades on, the light from the lamp and the humidity he's got, its like he's in Hawaii."  

The nurses say he's getting shy from all the loving and attention they are giving him.  "Oh please ladies."  

Yesterday the doctors decided to insert a feeding tube and begin 1 cc's of breast milk every 3 hours.  Originally they told us they wouldn't probably start the feedings until day 3 so we were encouraged they thought he was doing okay enough to begin them within the first 24 hours.  Again, we are on Noah's time, he must have been hungry.  His intestinal track is also premature, so they want to get that good milk on his "guts" to get things going.  I've had a minimal amount of colostrum come in so they are supplementing with donor milk, however the nurses are very reassuring saying,  "even a drop of your milk is critical as it contains the nutrients specific to him."  You should see how careful we are with even the tiniest amount of the special juice, this stuff is priceless.  He was given my contribution late yesterday and as of early this am he has been tolerating it really well.   

If there is one resounding message we hear over and over from everyone we talk to regarding the NICU experience, it is this.  You are on a roller coaster and there will be ups and downs.  He will have good days and he's going to have bad days.  Just be prepared.  Everyone, while honest and so forth coming with information to our onslaught of questions, is similar in one thing, they are not one to sugar coat or over promise.  They realize the seriousness of where we are and they would rather under promise and over deliver (my term not theirs).  So we are okay with it.  We don't speak in those terms either, instead we use phrases like, "For his age, he's doing what we'd like to see him do." or  "He's telling us x."  

While I'd love for them to optimistically say he'd doing over the top amazingly, I'd rather have an honest, realistic understanding of where things stand.  While the information is direct and straightforward, not filled with promises, where they go above and beyond is when they invite us to be a part.  We are allowed to visit, sit with, be with Noah anytime day or night with the exception of 7-7:30 a.m. and p.m.   This is the changing of the guard times and they want to make sure their team of experts are fully focused and informed of where our little are, so they limit traffic to the unit so everyone is at the top of their game.  I think it is a great idea.

So far I've visited Noah every 3 or 4 hours, I want to give him time to rest, as they say keeping the area around his bed quiet and peaceful has been shown to have very good results for preemies.  Plus they want me to pump every 2 hours to generate my supply so life is busy between just those two things.    When we visit Noah we stand quietly by his side, I pray mostly and whisper loving words to him through hums of his machine.  It is clear he doesn't like it when the alarms go off or he hears commotion from other babies around him, often raising his arms almost like he is startled.  

This morning at 3 I couldn't sleep so Jarrett and I went to visit him.  While we were there, the nurse asked us if we'd like to touch him.  To this point we have not been able to have any direct contact with him.  When she asked us, at first we were leary, not wanting to give him any germs or hurt his delicate skin.  She said he's your baby he would love to feel your touch.   And so we got to gently place our finger upon his skin.  Tears streaming down my face as I touched my son, the baby who grew in my tummy and my heart, for the first time was a great gift.  A moment my heart doubled in size again.

Our little hero, all 12.5 inches.

I look forward to the frequent visits today and infact its time for me to wrap up.  Just one more thing I want to say before signing off.   While we are thankful for all of your support, I must also recognize the outstanding team of care providers we have been privy to this past week.  The outstanding team of nurses who cared for me for a week, treated me like their sister, their daughter are truly remarkable.  In the seven days I was here, we created friendships that will last a lifetime.  To the doctors who respond to provide insight, care and expertise, you are truly world class.  And to the team up in the NICU who are caring for our little Noah as if he is their most coveted blessing,  I am so so thankful.  

And finally one last story that captures just the true class of God's experts he has providing care.  One of my amazing nurses, Kristal and I were talking one night in the middle of the night about why she decided to be a labor and delivery and antepartum nurse.  I asked, "How did you know this is what you wanted to do with your life?  What patient experience did you have that made you realize this was your calling?"  She went on to tell me the story about a women who came in to the OB ER one night when she wans working and said she was 23 weeks pregnant and worried she was going to go into labor. Kristal evaluted her and said she was not having any symptoms of pre-term labor so she asked additional questions.  The mom to be explained that she was currently pregnant with her fourth baby but was worried because with her third baby she went into labor and gave birth at 23 weeks.  Kristal asked further about what happened and how her baby born so early was.  The mom looked at Kristal, and said, "there's my baby, she's 8 now and perfectly health."  Kristal said she has never forgotten that patient and that she loves labor and delivery because everything is possible.  

It just so happened on Friday night when they feared I was developing an infection and Noah had to come out so quickly, that Kristal happened to be my nurse.  While most nurses stay in Antepartum and they just transfer the patient over to L & D, somehow Kristal made it happen that she got to stay with me.  Given the fact Jarrett and I had never even thought about labor at this point, we were of course nervous, had questions and were scared.  Before they moved me over to the delivery room, they had a neonatologist come and talk to us again.  The statistics and facts were very scary, I will not repeat them at all.  Kristal sat in the room with us listening and quietly being a ever present force of support.  After the doctor left, Jarrett and I were very quiet and Jarrett stepped out to use the bathroom.  I did my best to hold back tears while I breathed through the every increasing pain of contractions.  I felt hope leaving my body for a tiny bit of time, and without saying anything my weary eyes met hers.  She said, "Angie, remember when we were talking that first night we met and you asked me about that patient who I remember?  You keep that momma's story in the front of your mind and you believe beyond all beliefs, you will have a successful story too.  There is always a reason to have hope." 

Kristal stayed by my side through out the entire labor and delivery and she was everything Jarrett and I needed.  She was another gift from God.

Last night Kristal  was going to be coming back on for the night shift and I was really excited to see are her.  It surprised me though when around 3:30 she popped into my room.  I said, "hey, what are you doing here, you'd not suppose to be at work until 6."  She came to my side, gave me a big hug and said, "I couldn't stop thinking about you at home all day, so I decided to come in early."  She continued, "Remember when you asked me about why I do what I do and what is your one patient story?"  "Yes I said, thinking she was going to tell me another story she thought of.  She said, "I had to come in early because I just had to tell you, last night... you became my patient story."  

Until next time,

Angie

Noah James Haskovec.... the beginning

I'm not quite sure where to begin this post.  There has been so much that has happened in the last 7 days I hope to have time in the coming days/weeks to recount it, but for now, this is what I want to share.

Our son, Noah James Haskovec arrived this morning at 1:29 a.m. and expanded our world in beautiful ways I never knew were possible.  His arrival, while very early, has brought me a new found feeling of love I have never felt, has strengthened my faith in ways I could have never imagined, and confirmed the fact that when we say we are blessed, we are stating a huge understatement.

The outpouring of love and support has been honestly what has carried us through the last week.  As I laid on my left side for 23 plus hours a day for 5 days, staring at the magnesium sulfate drip pouring into my body, it was the constant text messages, the Facebook posts, the daily visits, the stories of generosity coming from home with the kids, that kept me determined to do what ever it took to keep him inside no matter what.

The stories of hope, those success stories of inspiration of babies being born around the same time as Noah, now living, thriving kids or even young adults, served as webs of hope strung together all around this 8x 10 room we called a home for the past week

One of my main views of lying on my left side.  

My aunt Anita brought me a copy of our family picture to make our "home" feel a bit more homey.  

Just one of the beautiful flower arrangements, treats and gifts we were showered with in the last few days.

  The last seven days have been the most challenging, scary, emotionally taxing days of my life and I know they are far from over,  And while I felt like I was living in a dream, I can honestly say I have never felt more comfort and support as we weathered this most challenging storm.  It seemed every day presented us with difficult conversations, with facts of the odds not being on our favor and the mountain of obstacles we (Noah, I, our family) had/have to overcome. If there is one thing I've learned through this experience is the fact its okay to let go of control.

As I laid in the triage room of the OB ER on Sunday night/Monday morning, I realized that despite my best attempts to do everything I could to replenish the fluids diminished by the medicine for the contractions, and my attempts to have a healthy, relaxed pregnancy, everything was outside of my control,  I laid on the gurney waiting as they examined me to confirm that the fluids I had felt rushing down my legs were amniotic fluid even though the reality to me was clear.  This was a road I never expected to be on and now that I was facing the only path in front of me, all I could only put one foot in front of the other, and lay my entire trust, faith, hope and direction into God. 

There were several mornings as I laid in the darkness only seeing the reflective light of the IV drip bouncing off the shadows of the wall and ceiling, I felt the presence of God, of Angels, of family members who have passed who were with me, with us. One morning, Tuesday, it was before 5 a.m. and I laid on my left side with Jarrett behind me.  It was obvious he was sleeping, his snoring calmly echoed throughout the room.  With nothing to do but pray, I folded my hands, carefully closed my eyes and begged God to help us, to help Noah by giving him the strength to overcome all the challenges of being born 18 or so weeks early.  Like nothing I have ever experienced before, within seconds I felt the gentle touch of a hand on the back of my head and then four more hands on my back.  At first I thought it was Jarrett, only to realize a second later  he was still sleeping.  Knowing there was no one else in the room but Jarrett, me and our tiny baby inside of me, I was confident and so comforted in knowing the presence of a more powerful spirit was there.  I continued to pray and felt loving arms being wrapped around me.  I don't know how to describe it any other way.  When Jarrett woke up that  morning I asked him if he had touched my head and back.  He said no and again I felt complete reassurance.

This was just one of the many faithful events that helped us through and I hope to share more details soon.

But here is where we stand and here is what I pray for tonight.

I pray for our tiny, perfect, precious miracle baby, that he does well throughout the night.  I pray for the doctors and nurses providing him 24 hour continuous care. I pray that they recognize all the signs of support he needs and they can make him comfortable to be relaxed, to heal and remain unstressed.  I pray his organs, his tiny tissues adjust to living outside my womb and find his new ocelot welcoming and comfy, as this will be his home for the next several months.  I pray for strength for Jarrett, Gabriel, Michael and Isabelle as we transition into a family of six successfully.  The kids are so excited to meet their baby brother, while we know it will be a few more weeks before they see him in something other than pictures, we pray they understand why we cannot give them the same attention and presence we have in past weeks.  I pray for strength, emotional strength to be able to leave this hospital tomorrow morning without a baby in my arms, but a heart filled with hope that someday in the near future it will be our turn to bring our baby home.

And finally I pray and give thanks to the thousands (yes thousands) of people who have thought of us, have prayed for us, have extended generous acts of support, friendship, and love in the past seven days.  I know there is no way we will ever be able to repay, recognize or thank every single person.  Thank you for those who said a prayer in passing, asked friends of friends to pray for us, shared our request for help on Facebook and followed our journey thus far.  The impact you've made on our lives is truly what helped us to get through, to push the doctors to say, "DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN FOR OUR BABY!" and enabled us to put our entire faith in God that he will see us through.

Tonight I share our first picture of our son Noah James Haskovec.    Noah, I pray your story is one to be remembered for years and years to come.  I love you my precious son.  You've only grown inside of me for a short 24 weeks but the mark you've made on my heart will last forever.

I love you always, my precious miracle baby..  Happy birthday.  your mom.

Until next time,
Angie

PS: I apologize for the choppiness of this post. Having only 20 minutes of sleep in the past 2 days has made my mind a little scatterbrained.

He has arrived!

Noah James Haskovec was born Saturday morning June 13th at 1:29 a.m. He weighs 1 pound 11 ounces. He is in the NICU but his vitals look pretty good. Mom and dad are doing fine. Thanks for all the continued prayers. Jarrett and Angie will probably update the blog later with more information; hopefully after they get some rest.

Update on Angie (Part VI)

Angie has gone into labor as of Friday night late. Please say prayers for her to have a smooth delivery and recovery. Please pray for both her and Jarrett to remain strong and positive through this process. And please, please pray for Noah James to be healthy and strong. God bless their whole family.

Update on Angie (Part V): Small Victories

Dear family and friends:

The fourth full day in the hospital is coming to a close.  We are thankful to be at this point.  When we got here, we were under the impression that delivery would be imminent.  We had no idea that a baby could continue to stay in utero after the premature rupture of the membrane, and she was experiencing contractions only a couple of minutes apart at that point.

Angie had some blood work and an ultrasound performed today.  She had previously had a white blood cell count of 24,000, which was in part a reflection of the steroid shots administered one and two days earlier.  (A "normal" range is approximately 4,000 up to 10,000 cells per microliter.)  The white blood cell count may indicate the presence of infection, which is what we hope to avoid.  Thankfully, her white blood cell count dropped to 13,000 in the last couple of days, so it is trending in the right direction.  Apart from having too little iron (she takes a supplement with her prenatal vitamins), her blood work looked good.  The doctor ordered an ultrasound to look at how the baby was doing.  The ultrasound, which didn't take long on account of its limited scope, showed Noah's somewhat cramped circumstances (he is positioned pretty low), but also showed his beating heart, his lungs functioning as he breathed, and the presence of some amniotic fluid in his stomach (meaning that he is still receiving and drinking at least some).  He also wiggled and moved a bit during the short time his picture was being taken.  

Angie remains free of signs of infection, and continues tolerating the magnesium sulfate well.  Visits from friends and family are greatly appreciated, particularly when Angie is feeling up for them.  It is great catching up and finding out what is happening in the great wide world.  It also really does help pass the time and has the added benefit of keeping our minds off other matters.  With the gifts we have received from hospital visitors in recent days, we have quite an assortment of food (snacks, fruit, candy, you name it), reading materials, playing cards, personal care items, and so much more.

Our family, recently initiated into our hectic world full of children's activities (they walked into the single busiest week of our summer activity-wise), has completely picked up the slack at home.  It helps that there are now, since Monday night, more of them so that they may split up tasks/shuttling the kids around and have some time to visit us here.  The boys are also being helpful at home.  When my parents arrived at the hospital today, I went home to shower and get some fresh clothes.  When I got there, Gabriel was actually putting Isabelle down to nap.  As I walked in, he was tucking her into bed, putting her favorite blankets on her, and he motioned for me to be quiet so as to not disturb her.  I heard him say "Now get some rest, Isabelle, and you can go swimming later," as he backed out of the room.  Wow.

One final note for tonight: as I type this, we just finished listening to Baby Noah's heartbeat on the monitor.  His heartbeat was strong and exhibited the variability that they wished to see.  We also heard him moving about.  It was wonderful.

We appreciate your continued support and prayers.

Jarrett and Angie