July 31, 2007

"Thank God for this gift, his gift. No language can praise it enough. " 2 Corinthians 9:15

Kyle is doing wonderful. We are finally settling into a comfortable routine being home with the baby...juggling work, doctors appointments and sleep. Kyle's weight is up to 7 pounds 9 ounces and his length is 20 3/4 inches. Finally, at 23 weeks old, Kyle is the size of the average newborn at birth!

Over the past week we have met with his pediatrician, a pulmonologist (lung doctor), retina specialist, nutritionist, speech therapist and an occupational therapist. I am pleased to report that his eyes are looking great...so good in fact that we do not have to meet with the retina doctor again for another month! The pulmonologist, whom Kyle will meet with on a monthly basis, said his lungs sound good. The nutritionist is happy with Kyle's weight gain and is going to continue his mix of milk, high calorie formula, safflower oil and Simply Thick. The speech therapist said that Kyle's suck is still not quite as coordinated as she would like. She gave us some tips and exercises to do with him during his feedings and we can already tell a big improvement. The occupational therapist that evaluated Kyle said his muscle tone is right where it should be, however, his neck control is a little weak. Next week we begin working with a therapist for occupational therapy on a regular basis to help with his neck muscles.

Several of you have asked how Rylee is doing. She came home from the hospital the week after Kyle did and is doing really good. Her weight is already up to to 9 pounds 3 ounces. The bottom picture above is of Rylee. Breanne had an amazing photographer take some pictures of Rylee that look like they belong in an Anne Geddes book. Rylee is such an adorable baby!!!

I am glad you all enjoyed the video of Kyle! I did not sing the song that accompanied the pictures. Trust me, if I had, you would not have enjoyed it nearly as much! When I was looking online for a preemie outfit for Kyle's baby dedication, I came across a website that had the song, which can be ordered in any name. If anyone is ever interested in the song for a baby, the website is www.soulkeepermusic.com/thebabysong/.

“O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things…” Isaiah 25:1

In Christ Alone,

Jennifer, Joe, Madison and Kyle

July 18, 2007

"They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness." Psalm 145:7

Kyle turned five months old this week!!! In celebration of this milestone, attached is a video diary of Kyle's life thus far.

We will always be thankful for all of you who have prayed to the living God on our behalf. We believe that God has been more than evident through it all. His presence has been all that we have needed and ever needed. His power and wisdom to work in the midst of this entire past five months is beyond our understanding. We praise His name for the good that has come as a result. God has been gracious to give strength and comfort, He alone deserves our worship and adoration. Even in the time of distress, heartache, uncertainty and tragedy, He remained constant and faithful. We have been to both ends of the emotional spectrum and through it all He has been there. I look forward to the day when we join our voices together and sing... ‘I stand, I stand in awe of You; I stand, I stand in awe of You; Father God to whom all praise is due, I stand in awe of You.’

“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” 2Thessalonians 2:16 NIV

In Christ alone,

Jennifer, Joe, Madison and Kyle

July 16, 2007

"Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal." Isaiah 26:4

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Kyle is doing great. He is such a good baby and only fusses when he is hungry. His feedings are every 3-4 hours.... Mommy and Daddy are starting to adjust to the lack of sleep.

Much Love,

Joe, Jennifer, Madison and Kyle

July 9, 2007

"Every good and perfect gift is from above." James 1:17

Once again, sorry it has been so long since we've posted an update. Between taking care of a newborn, Kyle's doctor appointments and work, things have been so busy.

This past week Kyle met with his pediatrician and he is now a whopping 6 pounds 8 ounces! Kyle's height and weight is charted on a preemie growth chart. For his adjusted age (which is one month!) Kyle is still small for his size. According to the preemie chart, Kyle is in the 30th percentile for both height and weight, which means that 70% of babies that were born as early as Kyle are now bigger than he is. The pediatrician is not worried, and said as long as Kyle continues to gain weight he'll eventually catch up.

We met with the Retina Specialist and I am happy to report that Kyle's eyes are improving. The specialist is pretty confident that Kyle will not require additional surgery due to his ROP. While his ROP has cleared, the specialist is seeing some blood vessels in the "jelly" portion of Kyle's eyes that are abnormal. There is a slight risk that these vessels could hemorrhage at some point. If this would happen in the near future, it would require another surgery, however, if it occurs later in life the eyes are better equipped to heal themselves should a hemorrhage occur. Anyways, the retina specialist is happy enough with Kyle's progress that we do not have to return for a follow-up visit for two weeks.

Sorry again about the delay in posting. Thank you all for your support and prayers, tears and smiles. Kyle is our little guy, but I know he lives in many of your hearts just the same. One day, I will set down with him and be able to tell him just how loved he really is. We are so blessed to have each and every one of you in our lives.

Much Love,

Jennifer, Joe, Madison and Kyle

4th of July

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassion's never fail. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.” Lamentations 3:22-24 NIV

Just a quick note to wish everyone a happy Fourth of July. We were able to enjoy fireworks last night and began the day today watching the Stow parade. Madison marched in the parade with her soccer club. For his part, Kyle managed to sleep through both the fireworks and the parade. Between the loud booms of the fireworks and all the sirens during the parade I was surprised he never woke up...had Kyle not passed his hearing test at the hospital I might be worried!

Hope you all have a great holiday with your families and friends.

God Bless You,

Jennifer, Joe, Madison and Kyle

P.S. Don't worry...I didn't make Kyle wear the Uncle Sam outfit in public, we just put it on him for the pictures!

July 1, 2007

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that his all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." 2 Corinthians 4:7

It is hard to believe that we have been home for almost two weeks now! It has been great to be home, sleep in our own beds, sit around our table for home cooked meals, laugh and just enjoy being a family - out of the hospital. The time has flown as we have been so busy between doctors appointments, work and catching up with friends and family. I also went back to work last week. It is hard leaving Kyle so soon after arriving home, but my office has been very patient throughout all of this...I have taken five months off already! Fortunately, I am able to return on a part time basis...I am going into the office two days a week and working from home one day a week. The two days a week I am working, Kyle is at home with Daddy and big sis Madison. Today I also returned to teaching Sunday school. I have missed my first grade students so much, it was great to see them!

This past week Kyle had a couple of doctors appointments at Akron Children's Hospital. First, he had a swallow study done in hopes that he was no longer aspirating his milk. If you recall, Kyle's milk was thickened because it was going into his breathing airway when he swallowed. We had hoped that the problem was resolved, but were disappointed to find that it has actually gotten a little worse. To help correct this, the amount of thickener that is added to Kyle's milk was increased by 50%. A downside of this is that it makes it that much harder for Kyle to extract the milk from his bottle. He has to work harder to get his "food" and therefore takes longer to eat and often grows tired so he is not consuming as much. The doctors will keep a close eye on Kyle's weight gain to make sure he is gaining enough. If he is not gaining enough, they will have to put a feeding tube in either Kyle's nose or stomach. Kyle would be allowed to eat as much as he can by mouth and the rest of his food would be given to him through the feeding tube. Kyle has a weigh in at the pediatricians on Tuesday at which time we will know more.

Kyle also met with the retina specialist at Akron Children's Hospital. His right eye looks great, but but unfortunately, his left eye still is showing signs of Stage Three ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity). We are still hopeful this will correct itself, but if it does not, the retina specialist said that more laser eye surgery would help. We are praying that it does not come to this but comforted that it is an option if need be.

We have just discovered a new line of clothing for Kyle...Build A Bear clothes!!! Most of the clothes made for preemies are sleepers, and the preemie shorts/pants we have found for Kyle are still to big. The other day I tried some of Madison's Build A Bear clothes on Kyle and they actually fit! The Brown's outfit he is wearing in the above pictures is from Build A Bear. Kind of goofy, but it works. At six pounds, Kyle is still pretty small, at least in relation to a typical newborn. When we are out and about with Kyle, we are constantly asked how old he is, with people assuming he was just born. When we say that he is four and a half months old, they look at us like we are crazy. At first it made me feel uncomfortable, but lately I've looked at it as an opportunity to share God’s faithfulness. To God, who is the master physician, healer and our provider, we give him all the glory for all He has done and continues to do for Kyle.

Much Love,

Jennifer, Joe, Madison and Kyle