Hope's 12th Day

Hope is now 5 lbs. 1 oz!!! We definitely celebrate all of these little accomplishments. She is continuing to do well with her compressed feedings. Today she is being given 44 cc's over a 2 hour time span through her feeding tube. Then she goes an hour without being fed. The amount will be gradually increased and the time span will be gradually decreased. This will teach her to eat once every three hours. She continues to practice nursing as well as trying to suck from a bottle. Sometimes she seems to be getting the hang of it, and other times she seems to tire herself out quickly while trying. We know that with time, this eating thing will click with Hope and then there will be no stopping her. We just need to continue to be patient and enjoy all of the little strides that Hope is making along the way.

Hope's 11th Day

There is really nothing new to report today. Hope continues to work on eating. This seems to be the one last hurdle that she needs to overcome before coming home. She maintained her weight today, no loss and no gain.

Hope's 10th Day

Hope was moved to intermediate care this morning!!! This is a big move for Hope and another step closer to her coming home. She continues to gain a little bit of weight and is now having her feedings compressed. This means that they are giving her the same amount of milk, but over a shorter amount of time.

Brent goes back to work tomorrow. This is going to be hard since we have spent all day every day together for the past four weeks. I have an amazing husband and will miss him greatly while he is at school!

Hope's 9th Day

Another day of excitement for Hope. It seems so long ago when we were wishing for boring days and no actions. Hope had her PICC line (IV) removed today. Unfortunately we did not get to see this because we were in the emergency room. A friend was visiting us today and she asked how Jen was doing. Jen said great but she had a terrible pain in her left calf. She thought it was a pulled muscle. A nurse overheard the conversation and said that Jen needed to call her OB. We made the call and they were worried about a possible blood clot. In the ER, they did an ultra sound of her leg to check for a blood clot. They found nothing and determined it to be a pulled muscle.

Hope was increased to 13.5 cc per hour of milk. They also want to breast feed her every 6 hours and bottle feed her. Hope seems to like the 11:00 feeding. She did a nice job of eating from Jen and then ate 7 cc from the bottle. The NNP said that one feeding would probably tire her out for most of the day. This is a big task for such a young girl.

Tonight Ryann and I spent some quality time with Hope. We gave her a bath, changed her clothes, weighed her (2120 grams), and read her some books. Oh what a great time!

Hope's 8th Day

It was another wonderful day for Hope! She continues to make great strides. She gained a little bit of weight today and also had some bowel movements on her own today without the help of a suppository. This was a huge accomplishment for Hope. It means that her digestive system is starting to work the way that it is supposed to. Hope is now up to 12cc's of milk per hour. If she continues to tolerate her food well, there is a good chance that she will have her picc line (similar to an IV) removed soon. This would be a great thing! It would mean that Hope has one less tube connected to her. Hope got to try nursing a few times today as well as sucking from a bottle. She is definitely still learning, but she made a good attempt at both. Because she is now maintaining her body temperature, Hope was moved from her isolette to a bassinet today.

Ryann got to spend some quality time with Hope tonight. She got to help weigh her, change her diaper, and even got to hold her. I think we broke a NICU rule with this one, but it sure put a smile on Ryann's face.

We are looking forward to another good day tomorrow.

Hope's 7th day

Today was a very positive one for our little bundle of joy. She is making improvements every day. They may seem small to others but they are such a huge step for us and Hope. She is eating 10 cc per hour of breast milk. When she is up to 13 cc per hour then they will stop the IV. If she can maintain this level of feeding, then they will remove the IV after 24 hours.

Hope is doing a wonderful job of maintaining her body temperature. Because she is doing so well, she is going to be moved to an open air bassinet. Another big step for Hope.

Many have asked how they can visit Hope. She loves visitors and sometimes will even open her eyes for you. Mom and dad are with Hope from around 10:00 until 3:00 PM every day. Then dad has been coming back around 7:30 - 8:30 PM. If you would like to visit, stop by. You can only visit when one of us is at the hospital. The NICU is located on 3 west.

Thank you for continued support during Hope's stay at NICU.

Hope's 6th Day

Today was a great day for Hope! She is making progress and moving in the right direction. She is no longer under the light, as her bilerubin level has come down and her coloring looks so much better. The amount of food that she is receiving has also increased to 7ml's an hour. She is continuing to work on digesting her food and received another suppository today in order to help her have some bowel movements. Hope is also maintaining her temperature on her own. As a result, they are slowly decreasing the temperature in her isolette a degree at a time until it matches the room temperature. If Hope continues to maintain her temperature as they do this, she may be moved into an open bassinette or crib within a few days. The only setback today was the fact that Hope lost a little bit of weight.

We were encouraged today as we met with Hope's doctors because they were able to give us a glimpse of what things would look like for Hope in the near future. We continue to be impressed with the expertise of the doctors and nurses that are caring for Hope. It is hard when we have to leave the hospital each day, but we have every confidence that our daughter is in the best of hands.

Thank you to all of you for your thoughts and prayers. They are all appreciated!!!

Hope's 5th Day

Hope had a good day today. She gained some weight today. She had to be given a suppository today to help with her stool. She continues to have some problems with this. She is still receiving 3ml per hour of food. They have not increased her foods because she is not digesting the food fast enough. The doctor told us not to worry because this is very normal for a preemie. She just is not ready for primetime! Her bilerubin count has gone down and they are happy with this.

Hope's 4th Day

Jen was released from the hospital today. It was very hard to leave our beautiful daughter at the hospital when we came home. We have closed one chapter of our life and now move on to the next.

Hope is doing fine. She continues to struggle with her eating. They had hoped to increase her feedings 2cc every 12 hours. When we left tonight they did not know if Hope would be able to handle all this food. She is also under a light for jaundice. This is normal for most premature babies.

Hope's 3rd Day

It was another exciting day for Hope! She had the chance to meet many new people and work on learning new things. Hope was very close to being moved to NIM today (intermediate care) due to the fact that she was doing so well and also because they admitted several babies today that were in need of intensive care. Unfortunately, it was later decided that they would keep Hope in intensive care for now. Hope had a slight setback today with her eating. She was no longer tolerating the tube feedings that she was getting every 3 hours. As a result, she now has a feeding tube that will stay in her stomach while giving her continuous drip feedings. The doctors have told us that sometimes it will seem as if we are going two steps forward and then one step backward. Other than the feeding issue, Hope continues to do well with everything else. We spend a lot of time throughout the day just holding her and loving her. It is the best feeling in the world.

Thanks to all of you who came to meet and see Hope today. One day when we tell her about this time, she will know just how loved she is. Hope met Uncle Jamie, Uncle Brad and Aunt Sheila today (cousins Alex, Dalton and Sydney also came today but were not able to meet Hope because they are under the age of 16). She also got to see both of her grandmas and grandpas and Aunt Jody, Ashley and Abbey again. Hope also had visits with the VanZees, Nelsons, Nezweks and Saurs.

We are looking forward to another great day for Hope tomorrow!

Our Beautiful Little Girl - Day 2 Continued

What an amazing and beautiful girl Hope is! She continues to impress us with how well she is doing. She is now getting a tube feeding every 3 hours and seems to be tolerating them well. Hopefully this will result in continued growth for her and another step closer to bringing her home. She was blessed with many visitors today. Once again we cannot express how much everyone's love and support for our family means to us! Today Hope got to see her big brother and big sister again. Ryann even got to help the nurse listen to Hope's heart. Ryann thought this was pretty neat. Hope also got to see Grandpa Bogart, Uncle Bri-Bri and Aunt Terri again and got to meet Grandma Bogart for the first time (She was not able to see Hope yesterday due to a cold.). Hope also got to meet Uncle Randy and Aunt Sheryl (who the "Ann" of Hope Ann is named after) when they surprised us with a visit all the way from the Walled Lake area on the other side of the state. Thank you also to the Larsons, Durhams, Dondits, Ouellettes, Keefes and Nancy Roberts for your visits. It was great to get to show our beautiful girl off to all of you.

Hope's 2nd Day

How great is it to be writing about Hope and not laying around the hospital. Hope is doing great! Last night they fed her. They are using a tube to feed her until her 34th week. This is normal as this will be one of the last things she can do. I think her weight today today is just under 4lbs 10 oz. This is very normal. All visitors are welcome. If we are not in the room we are in the NEO unit. People can visit and see hope.

Jen is also doing great. It looks like she will be going home on Monday. What a trooper she has been.

Hope's First Day

What a great first day Hope had! She continues to do very well. She is still breathing on her own and has spent her day meeting many new people who have been anxiously awaiting her arrival. She tried sugar water today, received antibiotics and was monitored for her heart rate, oxygen level in her blood and her respiration level. All of these things looked good on the monitor. She got to spend a lot of time being held by her mom and dad, and this of course led to permanent smiles on mom and dad's faces. Ryann and Camden (after he got over the fact that the baby wasn't a boy as he was wishing) also enjoyed meeting Hope and are looking forward to the day that we can bring her home. Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. They have meant so much to us, and we couldn't have gotten through this without them.

THE PICTURES

This is what everyone has been waiting for! These are early ones and I have not taken more yet.

MORNING 18 (Fri)

NOT another boring day! Jen called me at 2:30 am to tell me she was having contractions. She said they were 10 minutes or so apart. I took a shower and then left for the hospital. Not many people on the Beltline at this time. I was talking to Jen as I raced towards the hospital.

When I arrived at the hospital, she still was not at the delivery room so I went to see her. He contractions were actually 2 minutes apart and she was ready. We decided on a c-section. We had a baby girl named HOPE ANN. She was 4lb 11oz and 17.5 in long. Born at 4:28 AM

Hope is breathing on her own and seems to be doing great. Jen and I have both held her and are very proud parents. Before I post any pictures, the kids need to meet Hope.

EVENING 17 (Thurs)

Today was a good day. We had nothing out of the ordinary. Got to enjoy the sun in the windows and each others company. What more could you ask for?

The kids got their haircuts today so they could not come up and see mom. We did have a nice visit from Darrolyn and Uncle Jamie. We continue to move forward and hope that today is like yesterday.

MORNING 17

Things were smooth last night. Everything was boring as usual. I think the doctors and nurses enjoy having Jen as a patient because she is so positive and easy going. As I type this message, the sun is shining through the window!

EVENING 16 (Wed)

Oh what a day it was. We were thrown another curve ball by the baby. Yes, the baby has turned! We had a routine ultrasound today to check on fluid levels and the cord flow. Those things looked great! Jen asked if the baby was still breech. To everyone's surprise -- the answer was no.

We had a nice day. We had visits from Michelle, the kids, both grandmas, the Dondits, the Watters, and Tracy and her mom.

We continue to appreciate all the notes, cards, e-mails, gifts, and thoughts that everyone is giving us. I have had more comments from people about the amount of support that we have received. It truly is amazing!

MORNING 16

It seems so long ago when we started this blog for Jen and the baby. Everything continues to go great for both. Every blog is another 1/2 day closer to the finish line.

EVENING 15 (Tues)

Ditto from 4425. Another wonderful day if you have to be in the hospital. I have noticed that our spirits are changed by how the weather is. Today we seemed tired and not as talkative and I look outside and notice gray, rain, wind, and cold. We sure would like to look out the 2 windows and see some sunshine.

We appreciated the visits from the Banfield family, Heather, the kids, and both grandparents. Ryann and Camden continue to be troopers during all this. I was thinking today on the way home what wonderful kids we have. I can't imagine how hard this would be if they were not so well behaved and easy going.

MORNING 15

Things went as planned last night. Just like the previous 14 nights and days. Sorry the post is late. Rockford had a 2 hour delay because of ice. When you try to get yourself in a routine things like this throw a monkey wrench into your schedule.

I surprised Jen with a big burger from Friday's. This is a celebration of 2 weeks plus!

EVENING 14 (Mon)

We have beat the odds. We are one of the 20% that make it longer than 2 weeks! Jen is feeling great. She was a little tired today because she stayed up and watched her favorite program last night.

We had a very nice day today. Camden came up this morning and hung out for a few hours, Lynn stopped, Uncle Randy and Aunt Jody, the Lang family, and the ladies from the Nezwek family all stopped to see us.

Jen continues to fight on. She is such a trooper! Her attitude is great and she is willing to do what ever is necessary to make this baby healthy. I have not heard her complain yet! When you ask her something it is always not that bad or could be worse.

Remember 4425 -- just ask for the penthouse! (it actually is the same size room)

WE HAVE MOVED ROOMS!!!

We moved up to the penthouse! We are now in 4425. The new phone number is 391-7383. We are already enjoying the 2 windows and the view from the room. When you come up to see us, 4403 will not have us.

MORNING 14

Another night has passed without any complications. Another night of nurses coming into take blood pressure, check temp, and doctors. The baby is 32 weeks today!! (I hope we don't celebrate week birthdays when he/she is born or I will go broke)

EVENING 13 (Sun)

What a wonderful day we had. Jen felt great and the baby continues to be super. We had a day that was full of fun and visitors. I think this may have been the fastest day we have had. It seems you have a tendency to live from meal-to-meal and today did not seem that way.

We had so many visitors and fun with all. The Lewis family stopped, followed by the Burkholders, Uncle Jamie, both sets of grandparents, and Uncle Brian and Aunt Terri. Ryann had a great time hanging out and showing our new magic trick. Thank you all and we hope to see you all next weekend when you come back to visit!

MORNING 13

A nice restful night last evening. Everything looks great. The doctors seem to think things are going just the way they like. We continue to have great confidence in the doctors and nurses. They all (except one) are so calming and reassuring. I don't think we could ask for a better group.

Ryann is hanging out with us today and would love to see all the visitors. Dr. (Mr.) VanZee stopped today when he was doing his rounds and the Nelsons also stopped this morning.

EVENING 12 (Sat)

Another good day at the hospital. Cam was happy to see Jen and vice versa. When the kids came up today with Jen's parents, we took the wheelchair ride with them. Ryann did a nice job of being the captain. The kids stayed for about 2.5 hours and had a great time.

We had a nice group of visitors today: Larsons, Ouellette ladies, Jason and Kara, and Jason and Johanna. Hope you are all enjoying your weekend.

MORNING 12

We made it through Friday the 13 and a full moon. Nothing unusual at 4403 yesterday. As of this morning, it looks like Cam will be able to visit after his nap. As you can imagine, Jen is excited for him to visit.

When you come to visit, we have a new magic trick that we will share with you. This was taught to us by Jordan Villarreal. We have had some fun with this.

EVENING 11 (Fri)

Another uneventful day in 4403. We did the usual. It was confirmed today that January 30th will be the day that the baby is going to be delivered. It was exciting to hear that they are planning on us being here that long.

We went for a long ride today. Jen did not get to go outside today because of the rain. We just missed the big year end sale at the gift shop also!

Camden is starting to feel better. We are hoping that tomorrow he will be able to visit. He is on the road to recovery. Today we had visits from Shannon, Becky, Jen's Dad, Karen, Jason and the Villarreal Family.

I know that we keep thanking everyone, but you all have made this stay so much easier! It would be very hard to do this without your continued support.

MORNING 11

Another great night. The resident was in at 6:00 and they took her temperature twice during the night. With all this hustle and bustle, Jen did not get a lot of sleep. She is looking forward to another day of being in bed and talking to me.

Some people have asked how to leave comments. You can do this by clicking on the comments then leaving an anonymous comment or you can e-mail Jen at brdeuel@chartermi.net We can check the e-mail from the hospital.

Yes, this is Karen showing her how to knit! I don't think she was the fastest learner.

EVENING 10 (Thurs)

A great day for Jen. She actually went outside today on her wheelchair. She got to get some fresh air and feel the sun. I think this was a nice relief. As we were on our walk, we saw two people that we knew. Such a small world here at the hospital.

We have been passing a lot of time by playing jigzone.com, sudoku, and reading. We enjoy getting your e-mails and comments on the blog also. We hope this site helps keep you updated.

We had some nice visits from the Banfields, and my mom and dad brought up Ryann. Camden is still suffering from the croop. The doctor said that he can come up when his temp is gone. Hopefully tomorrow or Saturday Jen will be able to see him.

MORNING 10

Another uneventful night. Jen was happy that the resident did not come in at 6:00 to check her out. This allowed her to sleep until almost 8:00. We are pushing on towards week two. We feel that this is another big hurdle since only 20% of the people make it past 2 weeks.

EVENING 9 (Wed)

Another good day of boredom. Yes, your eyes are not fooling yourself. Jen is in a wheelchair on her first trip out of the room. Jen received permission to take one trip a day in her wheelchair. If you stop by the room and no one is home, we are on our daily trip.

Thanks for the visits from the following people: Else and Jami, Uncle Jamie, Aunt Jody, Michelle, Uncle Brad and Family, Aunt Terri, and the baby's favorite sister.

Camden was unable to come up today because he has croop. Grandma took him to the doctor and he got some medicine. Hopefully he will be able to see mom by the weekend.

MORNING 9

Another wonderful night. She did not have any problems. I know that Jen is starting to get a little SORE (I made a mistake and put sour on the last post) from lying in bed for over a week. As most of you know, she would never complain. We continue to appreciate all the gifts, thoughts, and notes that we have received from you.

EVENING 8 (Tues)

Today was a good one. Jen was bored. Bored is good. We have pretty much made it through most of the nurses after 1 week. I guess you could say that we have our favorites.

A friend told me today that when she reads the blog it reminds her of the movie Groundhog Day. I got a chuckle out of this. Hopefully we will be living this same kind of day for a month.

We want to thank the visitors we had today. Jen's dad is stopping in the morning because he has a conference at the Amway Grand, Jamie came to visit, Megan brought us some lunch, and Jen's mom brought Ryann down. Camden has not seen mom the last two days because he is sick. I think a trip to the doctor is in store for tomorrow.

MORNING 8

Jen had a good night. She called me this morning around 7:50 to tell me everything was OK. The kids did not visit yesterday because Camden has a cold and we felt that Ryann just needed some time at home. I was home around 6:30 last night so I got to spend a lot (comparatively speaking) of time with the kids last night.

EVENING 7 (Mon)

We celebrated week 31 today. Jen had another wonderful day! She continues to get reports from the doctors. The nurses continue to want to get things for Jen and say she is one of the easiest patients on the floor. No nurse will give me a foot message yet!

We enjoyed all the visitors today: Uncle Bri Bri, Nancy, The Dondit Family, Amy, Heather, Andrea, Kris and Henry, and the Saur Family. These visitors all help to break up the day.

Tomorrow is the last day for the antibiotics. It will have been one week since we have been in the hospital. The next time I want to spend so much time with my lovely wife I think I will get her an all inclusive vacation.

MORNING 7

Jen had a good night last night. She called me when she got up because I am at school today. I am hoping for the same routine today. Doctors come in during the morning, baby is monitored, temp every 4 hours, vitals twice a day, and baby is monitored at night.

EVENING 6 (Sun)

Another dull and mundane day for Jen! She even got to see the sun from her bed. As people know in West Michigan, today is the first day we have seen the sun in over 15 days. Jen had her blood drawn today and everything came back good. She also had a urine sample taken and this came back good. (I did not know urine was good). I am back to school tomorrow for 2 hours a day. This will be hard but probably for the best.

I was told that Monday night there is a group of women coming up to visit Jen. I think I am getting booted out. Hmmm ... what will I do not sitting in hospital room.

MORNING 6

Things went well last night. Jen got the most sleep she has since in the hospital. Today Ryann is hanging out in the hospital most of the day and Camden is with the Bogart family. We continue to move forward and get good reports from the doctors. Becky Kilbourne brought up some great breads for the family to eat this morning. The entire family continues to get spoiled with gifts. Until this evening ...

EVENING 5 (Sat)

Today was another day of no action. Things continue to be good from room 4003. I mentioned that we were going to Disneyland -- WOW was I ever wrong.

This was an eye opener for Jen and I. The tour of the neonatal unit was good but hard. To see all the babies hooked up was very difficult. We learned a lot about the unit and how things work. If the baby is born before 32 weeks, then there is a very good chance it will be in the intensive care unit. We will have 24 hour access to the baby and will be able to have visitors 16 and over. Only the parents, siblings, and grandparents will be able to hold or touch the baby. We are only allowed 3 visitors plus a parent at a time. All visitors will have to scrub down.

On a better note -- pizza with the kids was fun. Ryann and mom were able to do homework and watch a movie. Dad and Cam went for a lot of walks. We even tried to fish in the fountain in the front lobby. We had no luck at all. It is just like Clifford Lake.

Jen had a former student (Kenny) show up to wish her well. He and his mom brought a wonderful bag full of goodies. Camden thought that everything good was his. We also had visits from the Larsons, Riane and Jen, and Dave and Rhonda. We continue to enjoy your visits!

MORNING 5

Another boring night. I am going to have to use the thesaurus to look up more words for boring. Everything looks good. Jen is excited because we are going to tour the neonatal unit today. This will be the first time that she gets to leave the room. We are going to Disneyworld! (ok, not the same but she is leaving the room)

The kids are with Jen's parents today. Ryann and a friend are seeing a movie with grandma. Camden wanted to hang out at the house. They are coming up this afternoon to watch a movie and have pizza. I think all of us are looking forward to a little family time.

Some of you are wondering the room number: 4403
No we still are not finding out what we are having. The surprise is what we still want. SORRY to all that want to know.
We are working on names, but do not feel rushed on this either. We have gotten a lot of suggestions from doctors and Jen's students who sent cards.

EVENING 4

Another wonderful day of nothing. Jen passed the 48 hours after her steroid shots (remember this helps the lung develop). The next hurdle is Tuesday when she finishes all her antibiotics.

The kids had a great night with grandpa and grandma Bogart. They played games, went to McDonald's, and had ice cream. I went to a surprise birthday party, and Jen laid in bed. She had some nice visits with the Waters family, Amy, and the Wolniewicz family.

MORNING 4

Another uneventful night. Things went great for Jen. She was excited because she got 6 hours of sleep in a row. She took her first oral antibiotics last night around 10:00 and the next one at 4:00 am. We continue to be amazed by the contacts and support that we have received from family and friends. My mom is amazed at the caring and quality of people that have offered to help.

It looks like Brent is going to go back to work in the mornings. This is a decision that has been hard to make. We have such a wonderful OB and he has told us that I will probably be needed more when the baby comes than I will be needed now. I think the nurses will be glad to hear that I am leaving (if you can believe it I like to give them a hard time). HOPEfully we will continue to have boring updates. Until this evening ...

EVENING 3

Another boring day! Just what the doctor ordered. We had a few visitors today: Heather, the kids, both grandmas, Elsa and Jami, and then tonight we had the Vilarreal family. Thank you to all that come to visit. It breaks up the long days. Jen feels fine so she would like to be up and around, but NO. As Jen told Tyler Vilarreal, "You are my only contact to the outside world." The IV is out and Jen is liking this freedom. Have a good night!

MORNING 3

The night went better for both of us. I was able to get a lot more sleep last night. Jen did good considering that they are checking her temp every 4 hours (to make sure no infection is setting in) and changing her IV every so often. It was an uneventful night, which is good. All the doctors have been in this morning and tell us to keep doing what we are doing NOTHING. Jen is waiting for 2:00 pm to come around because she is getting her IV out. Then they will start the oral pills.

The kids are doing good. Ryann is tired from some late nights but doing fine. The kids will come up after school to see mom, then off to watch cousins (Ashley and Abbey) play volleyball. They still think having mom and dad gone is fun.

Thank you all for the comments and e-mails. Jen got to read them today as the hospital has internet service. Good thing Santa brought us this laptop for Christmas.

DAY 2

Wow, what we have learned today sure makes us feel a lot better. We now realize we are in great hands at Butterworth. I think these doctors may know more than me!

We started out the day with an ultra sound of the baby. Everything looked great. The baby weighed around 4lbs. 10 oz. This was more than we or the doctors expected. One doctor told us anything more than 2000 grams (4.5 lbs) will decrease the risk for the baby. This was a good way to start the day. We still have not found out what we are having. We do have pictures of the face and will try to scan in for people to see.

We also talked with the high risk pregnancy doctor. He is assisting Jen's normal doctor. This also gives us reassurance. He told us that after 30 weeks things look up. They would not let Jen go longer than 34 weeks. He gave us some stats that 50% of the people deliver before 24 hours (we passed this!) and 80% deliver within two weeks. On Friday at 5:00 PM Jen will have had the steroids for 48 hours and that is a key for the lungs. Then on Tuesday she will have had the antibiotics for 7 days which is also a big help.

This afternoon we met with the neonatal (spelling???) doctor. He explain what he is going to do for the baby. They will help with any breathing problems and or eating problems. He said the baby is to young to know how to eat and will learn as we go. They will have to help feed because the baby can not swallow, suck, and breath all at the same time. The breathing problems should be minimal and said this is like "riding a bike to them".

Jen continues to keep her head up in this tough time. Of course she is worried about every one else and how she is being a burden. As of now the family is doing great! Kids have fun at the hospital and don't mind going. Hopefully this will continue for the next month and on.

My parents are helping at the house during the week and Jen's parents are helping on the weekends. We are trying to keep the kids on a very normal routine. We want to be as smooth as possible for them.

Talk to you later

Jen admitted

Jen was put in the hospital on Tuesday night around 3:00 because her water broke. After some very anxious and stressful moments, we were able to determine that Jen would be put on bed rest until the baby was born.

She was given a steroid shot to help the baby develop their lungs. This is the first of two shots. The second shot is Wednesday at 5:00. She was also given antibiotics to help reduce the infection. After 48 hours from her second shot, the steroids will help the lungs to withstand the outside pressure .

Jen is currently 30 weeks and an ideal situation would be 34 weeks.

Ryann and I are off to see mom so I will update when I get home.