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[dudeklife]

This will be the last post for Preemie Ella Ryan. Morning has come for the Dudeks. Thank you family and friends for all the support, prayers, meals, hugs, and visits we could not have done this journey alone. Thank you Aultman NICU and all the doctors and nursing staff for every monitor check, brady stimulation, bottle feed, changed diaper, thought-out diagnosis, feeding tube replacement, caring words, laughs, calming crazy parents, sterilized incubator, rounds, dry-erase board art, ice-water retrieval, kind note, mistle-toes, heartfelt gifts and the midnight staff thank you, truly thank you. Ella Ryan was born at 27 weeks 5 days. She was 2 lbs 7.8 oz. At the 20 week ultra sound we found 2 things, we were having a little girl and we had shortened cervix. The doctors didn't think we would make it another week, but 7 weeks 5 days later on Dec 3rd 1:32 am my wife's placenta abrupted and after an emergency C-section Ella Ryan was born. 77 days later we left the NICU at Aultman Hospital, with a beautiful daughter changed forever. - created at http://animoto.com / song by Steffany Gretzinger - Morning Song

[dudeklife]

Preemie Ella Ryan - Part 11 (first week home)

Happy Due Date Ella! You made it to 40 weeks! 

Life for the last week and a half at home with Ella have been anxiety filled time mixed with the most peaceful time. She did amazing her first couple of nights no alarms. Though we could barely sleep because we were so nervous to be away from the protection of our nurse knights. Even though we got Ella out of her Brady or Apnea episodes by ourselves plenty of times, it was truly not "by ourselves". Night number 3. Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Pure terror as we both jumped out of bed and looked to see what state our daughter was in. I fumbled to quickly turn on the lights as Jenna saw that she a pale color. This was it our first episode fully "by ourselves" I grabbed her limp little body quickly and we began to stimulate her just as we did many times before in the NICU. We rubbed her back and tickled her feet. Still Beep! Beep! I quickly turned the oxygen up! and then slapped her little foot and finally SCREAM! and breathing. Phew, color is coming back and no more beeping... She did this 3 more times that night. now a week later she has beeped several more times. The doctor got to look at the Monitor data Monday and said that these were just low heart rates and I didn't need to to turn the oxygen up that the stimulation would have got her out of it. But then he said most parents would have rushed her to the ER and called 911. He said he was proud of us. My little girl looks healthy on the outside, but her little lungs and brain still need to mature some more before we can safely take her off the monitor. That will be a really scary week for sure. We are starting to wean her of her oxygen and only use it at night and trying every once in  awhile to not have her on the monitor. I cannot wait till I only have to worry about a fussy baby at night and not have to worry about her episodes. My anxiety is a bit better then before, but I'm going to go see a counselor, I have held to much in. I have read alot of articles and it says that NICU Dad's tend to stay strong during the NICU stay and then months after coming home break down. I'm only saying this for other NICU Dad's to not be ashamed of needing to talk to someone. I will see how this goes, I think it will help with my new found anxiety. Besides all that my favorite time with her is right after her 10 o'clock feeding. Jenna goes of to bed and I get one-on-one time with Ella with no one watching, just me and her. It is the most peaceful feeling and I think this has been all worth it. Ella is doing well, she is now almost 7 pounds! She has got the suck / swallow / breath down we are very proud of her. She is having alot of reflux from a weak stomach valve which releases alot of stomach acid into her throat which is so painful. She arches her back all funny to tries to escape the acid. The binky soothes her pretty well though, but doesn't like to stay in her mouth. Mommy and her hangout all day while I work in the office. I hear her throughout the day make all these little noises. A nurse has come by a couple times and will continue to do so for while to do checkups on her to make sure she is growing correctly and try to catch any issues before they arise. We took her to her first doctors appointment. Let just say Ella + Car + Oxygen Tank + Monitor + -2 degrees + going into a place full of sick children causes high anxiety! We managed though and I think escaped unharmed. I'm glad we do not have to go back for a couple months.

And for the pics!

Jenna reflecting before we go...she sat on this bench at 20 weeks waiting for me after we first found out about her shortened cervix.

Leaving Aultman...on the same bench...

Ready to go!

First Time home!

Snuggling at home, Jenna's been waiting a long time for this moment.

Tummy Time!

Happy Daddy

Reading in the living room

Ella Ryan

[dudeklife]

Preemie Ella Ryan - Part 10

Today's the day. Our baby girl is coming home after 77 days...she is coming home! Everyone is asking us - how are you feeling? The list of emotions is endless: anxious, nervous, excited...like a child on Christmas Eve! Then there is the part of me that keeps asking the doctors and nurses, "are you sure she is ready?"....hoping they say yes, but kind of hoping they say no! It's really odd emotions to say the least! We are getting ready to go to the hospital now, the next post will be the first post with her at home. 

Pictures from the day before:

Pretty sure she is saying 1 more night here with her finger:

Last date night at before the big day:

[dudeklife]

Preemie Ella Ryan - Part 9

We've begun week 10 in the NICU and we are hopeful that this may be our last full week! Ella has been taking all bottles (except 2 feedings) since last Wednesday! We are delighted, nervous and anxious...all at the same time. 

She had a few great feeding days last week where they discussed potential discharge, but Ella began to have major feeding episodes all of the sudden. We were all trying to figure out what was causing the episodes...Was she tired? Not ready? Was it the bottle nipple? Was she sick?... We started changing too many variables at once and poor Ella had to suffer some severe brady's/desaturations before one nurse finally figured it out. The bottle nipple was too fast - she needed slow flow. I am so thankful for the nurses' intuition. What a relief. 

We will continue to monitor her feedings the next couple of days to make sure they continue to go well...and if all is well...discharge may be very soon!

Everyone in the NICU keeps asking, "Are you ready to take her home?" What a loaded question :) Simply put, "Yes, I am ready"

I am ready to hear my little girl's cries at night because she wants her mommy to feed her. I am ready to be able to warm her milk and put it in a bottle for her. I am ready for her to see her nursery for the first time. I am ready for her to meet her dog, Bailey. I am ready to play on our living room floor with her. I am ready to no longer have to leave the hospital at night without my little girl. I am ready to hold her whenever I want. I am ready for our family of 3 to begin our next journey together ...

Here are a few photo's of Ella's nursery: 

[dudeklife]

Preemie Ella Ryan - Part 8

Happy 2 Months, Ella! She is corrected at 36 weeks, 4 days and is on day 62 in the NICU. I am not sure that we have explained the "corrected" age and what that means for Ella. Here's a brief explanation. Ella is 1 day old as of her due date (February 27th), so even though she is 2 months old today ... she really isn't... This will become more important as she gets older. Her milestones will be measured against her "corrected" age. This means that Ella will be 3 months of age on May 27th, not March 27th...and so on...

The doctor has ordered that she can take a bottle "as tolerated," which means that if she is awake and alert at feeding time...bottle it is! She has 8 feedings a day. So far, the max number of full bottles she has taken in a day is 4. Some days she takes 2, some days 3, some days 4....and we can't seem to consistently take 4 or hit the 5 mark. Taking a bottle is truly a marathon for her. Sometimes she brady's, sometimes she chokes --- it is quite scary --- meanwhile I try to stay calm even when she turns 3 shades of blue while I am feeding her. I am still amazed when she fearlessly tries again. She is so brave. 

Other Ella news: She weighs 5 lbs, 8.3 oz. She is off of oxygen (hopefully for good) and caffeine.

We were hoping that this week might be "going home" week, but she's not ready. Not yet. So we wait. We wait until she is ready. 

What's a blog post without pictures of our Ella?

Concentrating and taking a bottle from daddy.... 

Hair is still growing...!

Tummy time.

Wearing her cousin's sleeper...this makes her look bigger than she really is! She isn't filling out the sleeper as it appears :)

[dudeklife]

Preemie Ella Ryan - Part 7

We apologize to our followers for the delay in updating you on Ella's progress. Life in the NICU and our moments at home are busy ... before we know it a few weeks went by and we have neglected to update everyone on her progress. So, here's a long overdue update!

Ella is doing well this week. She is now 4lbs, 4oz and tomorrow will be 50 days in the NICU. As some of you know, she did have a rough weekend. She had been off oxygen for 6 days. At the same time, they weened her off caffeine as well (caffeine helps minimize brady's)...so on Friday she started to show signs that she was tired and needing assistance. Friday afternoon she had a very scary brady, then a few on Saturday...the kicker was Sunday when she had 6 in a 6 hour window. Sunday's episodes were especially scary...Ella turned blue, nearly unconscious and she was given a dose of oxygen each time. So, they decided to put her back on oxygen and caffeine. I think the hard thing for me is that sometimes there aren't answers. I kept on asking, "Why is she having these all of the sudden?" and the response was, "Sometimes we just don't know." That's hard for a "Type A" mom to hear. So, we decided to go home a little earlier that day. We have been told that we are not helping when we are adding stress to the room - so we went home and worried :( We called for a report on how she was doing later that night to hear that she had zero episodes since we left and she took her first FULL bottle. We were SO excited and relieved.

1 step backward (oxygen), 2 steps forward (bottle)...

At 34 weeks, the brain now can begin to coordinate "suck, swallow, breathe". The doctor has ordered that she receive one bottle a day. Once she takes the one bottle consistently, they will give her two bottles a day until she masters that...and then eventually she will no longer need the feeding tube. It's amazing to watch her take a bottle. I continue to marvel at how she is such a fighter. One of the nurses who worked on an adult floor prior to coming to the NICU said that infants (who are sicker and have a slim chance of surviving) fight harder for their lives than grown adults. We have experienced this same thing with Ella and the bottle was a perfect example. Since the coordination of "suck, swallow, breathe" is so immature - she will suck, suck, suck...and then breath, breathe, breathe. Sometimes she will just suck, suck, suck...and forget to breathe causing her to brady. She will recover and open her mouth to try again. Most adults would give up and not go after something so aggressively. Incredible.

Also exciting news is that she is now in an OPEN crib! We liked her "bubble" but she was regulating her own temperature and her weight made her ready for an open crib. It's so great being about to see her better, talk to her and touch her without having to open the port holes. 

At home, we are preparing for her arrival. Her car seat is installed, nursery is almost finished, pack n play is ready...and the reality that our little girl is going to come home is starting to settle in. Not today, not tomorrow or this week...but someday she is going to come home and for that we are thankful.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

Here are a few photos of our little lady: 

[dudeklife]

Preemie Ella Ryan - Part 6

It’s been awhile since my last post. This is most likely due to being a bit more exhausted then normal. The NICU is a wonderful place that is giving Ella a place to grow and be cared for, but traveling here every morning and having to leave our little Ella each night gets old. We are on day 35 and it’s starting to really take its tool on Jenna too. We just want to be able to have her home, in her room that we have prepared for her. We know when we do get her home it won’t be all like normal still, she’ll probably be on monitors still, she will probably scare us with Apnea and Brady episodes, she might not drink as well as she should, and if she gets sick she will probably have to be re-admitted. This post is starting to get to negative… sorry about that. For positive news: Ella has moved from C3 to a new bigger room A2. A2 also allows us to get phone access! Which also means I can work from her room instead of having to go outside of the NICU area to work. Which means I don’t have to wash my hands 14 times a day when I check on her and Jenna. Hurray! It is also a good change, because Ella’s first month was spent in that room. She had so many milestones hit in that room. Her brain scan came back normal, her eyes got their first positive check, she went from a ventilator to just a little oxygen nasal tube (oxygen mustache Dr. Oloya calls it), she gained 1 lb, got her first bath, got read her first book, and wore her first clothes. Moving to A2 is like starting a new chapter fresh. She will have the rest of her milestones from this room. Like going to an open crib from the incubator or getting off her feeding tube and finally going home. 

Today her cousins Juliana and Alana got to facetime (thanks to A2 iphone bars) and see Ella for the first time! Mom also got to hold her sideways position so Ella and her can look and interact with each other, it was priceless! Ella is really starting to look around and explore. She is very curious. She is definitely a snuggler. She is squirmy and cries until she gets snuggled. Her hair is so cute and long and has the same color as Jenna’s. She loves visits from Grammy and Aunt Marcy who come almost everyday. She really is starting to develop a personality. She has a calm personality, but she can get feisty if she feels like she is being bothered to much or feels exposed. She is doing so good. 

Ella stats:

She is now 3lbs 5.4 oz!!

32 weeks and 5 days old.

And only using .05 oxygen, which is pretty much nothing. 

Less and less Apnea and Brady episodes, mostly during her feeding.

She now wears clothes.

Picture time:

We moved to a new room - A2. This is Ella getting escorted to her new bigger and better room.

"Mommy you’re pretty" - Ella

Ella being classy as ever, adjusting her oxygen mustache.

[dudeklife]

Preemie Ella Ryan - Part 5

Ella is now 31 weeks / 1 day old and is 2 lbs 15 oz. Just 1 oz away from hitting 3 lbs. She has had less Bradys and DeSats the last couple of days. Christmas night she didn't even alarm once! We also got to dress her for the first time on Christmas - what a special gift. It's complicated with all the wires and frankly it would be a bit complicated without the wires, but somehow we've been getting her dressed. This has been such a mood lifter. When your little girl is wearing strawberry bottom pants it makes her seem so much more healthy and one step closer to home. Still a couple months from that, but she is doing really well (according to the Dr's). This morning Dr. Oloya joked that she thinks she is older then she is and she is just tricking us all. It was also made clear to us that Ella is one of the lucky and few preemies to not get jaundice. The nurse said that is almost unheard of in a preemie born as early as her. 

As for Christmas she made out like crazy! I think she must of known she was going to get so many gifts and needed to be here in time to get them! She got outfits, toys, blankets and more. Starting out pretty good and not even supposed to be born yet :)

Other medical news, she has 32 red blood cell count which is up from 29 when they started giving her a shot to help her bone marrow produce more red blood cells. This helps with the brady episodes, basically they compared the red blood cells to trucks, the more trucks... the more oxygen they can carry to her body. Should only have another week or so of shots, since the doctors are happy with this progress.

Almost January, the time seems to have stood still, but it does seem just like yesterday we were in the hospital terrified as the doctor thought we were going into labor at 20 weeks. It feels as if we are awaking from a nightmare and starting to truly realize everything is ok. We have a little girl, she is healthy and one day she will be able able to go home with us.

Ella's first Christmas:

 A blanket Mommy got her with her name on it:

Attempting a dressing session:

Success :)

Strawberry bottom:

Ella's wardrobe:

[dudeklife]

Preemie Ella Ryan - Part 4

Ella is now 2 lb. / 10 oz, 30 weeks / 2 days total age and 2 weeks / 5 days old. She’s had a rough couple days, back on a vaportherm machine. It provides a little air to help her not Brady as much. Thursday night she had over a dozen events (DeSat and / or Brady). DeSat is when her oxygen saturation in her blood goes really low, and Brady is where her heart rate drops because she forgets to breath for a bit. The reason she’s struggling a bit is because her red blood count is low. This is called anemia. She now has to get a shot 3 times a week that will help her create more red blood cells. They also have her on iron, which is also supposed to help. The doctor says this is very typical for preemies and not to be to concerned. It’s all so difficult though. Especially when she has a really bad episode while I am holding. My little girl turned white and I couldn’t do anything as the nurse rubbed her back to try to get her to breath again. No fun, no fun. I’m just being real and don't want to not paint a false picture that this is easy. So… after we had a good talk with Dr. Ford...she and calmed us down, saying that Ella is doing really well even with these episodes and that she is not nervous at all. Then she told me to go get a martini. :)

They told us that this would be a roller-coaster with ups and downs. 1 step backwards 2 steps forward. We are almost 3 weeks going to the NICU each day and we’ve basically just begun, but even with all this we are extremely thankful! There is so many what-ifs that never happened. Ella is fine and growing. Jenna is recovering very well too. We are thankful for all the visitors and support. We really couldn’t be doing this alone. Today she is doing well, santa got to hold her today (me in a santa hat). 

[dudeklife]

Preemie Ella Ryan - Part 3

All is well in the NICU. Baby Ella is now 2 lbs 7 oz almost back up to her birth weight! She had to go back on some oxygen, a super low dose, but it helps her out just enough so she doesn’t have the bradycardias as much. They found her boundaries and pushed just a little to far and backed up just enough to were she is a happy camper. Dr. Sobowale gave us an evaluation yesterday and he said all we need now is patience and that she is doing really well. He said if he had a fast growth medicine he would give it to her, but then he joked he would be out of a job :)

Jenna was able to register at BABIeSRUS yesterday. She was able to walk the whole thing instead of being pushed in a wheel chair. Her sister Marcy came and showed us the ropes on what not to buy, what to buy and how much of each item. Being new at this a baby store is quite overwhelming.

This Friday she will be 30 weeks, 30 weeks! I’m so proud of her. She has been doing so well. Ella has quite the library. Her Mommy loves reading to her during kangaroo time. Some favorites “On the Night You Where Born”, “I’d Know You Anywhere My Love”, “Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You”, “Polar Express”, “Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See” and even “Santa Is Coming To Ohio”. 

And now the best part, pictures!

2lbs 7oz! Almost her birth weight of 2 lbs 7.8 oz.

Little prissy girl legs crossed.

Aunt Marcy showing us all things baby for our registry.

Her Great Grandma came for a visit.

She sleeps with one arm up just like Mommy.

[dudeklife]

Preemie Ella Ryan - Part 2

Ella's brain scan came back superb, no bleeding or abnormalities. This is a big win for Ella. Thank you all for your prayers on this! She also got off her main belly button i v line. Other then all the monitor lines, she only has a feeding tube. This makes Kangaroo time much easier since we don't have to worry about pulling her main i v line out and really hurting her. So... Happy 1 week Ella Ryan. She is now 2 lbs 4 oz gained 1 oz today. She seems to have hit her lowest weight, will see what it is tomorrow morning. Mommy and Daddy got to hold her for a total of 5 hours today. We love every minute. Been playing her some baby lullaby / Christmas tunes we got from her Aunt Marcy, the nurse has said this is good for Preemies to hear some soft music as long as it's not "Rock and Roll". I assume Dubstep is out as well ;) 

Jenna's excited, she got her Etsy made wooden signs for Ella's room today. They say some words from the hymn "Come Thou Fount" a favorite of hers. She has sung this song for years to her nieces at bed time visits, now she's singing to her little Ella as well.

And of course some more pictures of Ella... Getting super snuggled with Daddy, 

Just chillin with Mommy. The nurse gave us a new hat, with the one's we got from Grandma Mary Ella's set. 

Love the NICU, they really go the extra mile to make even information seem fun. (2 lbs 4 oz now)

[dudeklife]

Preemie Ella Ryan - Part 1

Well, I decided to rename the title of these blog post to fit the current situation. Ella Ryan was born almost one week ago on Dec 3rd. She weighed 2 lbs 7.8 oz. Now she seems to be hitting her lowest weight at 2 lbs 3 oz, they say all babies loose some weight for about a week until leveling off. She's been drinking mommas milk which we are thankful that Jenna is doing well in the dairy department. (She will not like that I said that). My favorite thing to do is do Kangaroo time as she fed. She gets fed through her feeding tube which now goes into her nose down to her stomach. Eventually she will be able to swallow properly, but for now she is a bit to young. Wednesday is going to be a bit scary, she's getting her brain tested for bleeding and some other things. It's a typical preemie test, so please pray that all goes well and we get a good report. Jenna and I where allowed to give her a bath yesterday, not really a typical bath more like a gentle rub down with a moist cloth, but I got to brush her hair. Preemie land is very different, but only being there a week we are feeling a little more settled for the long haul and at ease. Her Bradycardias (slow heart beats because of paused breathing) were a lot better today after they moved her breathing tube from her mouth to her nose. Bradycardias are very common in young premmies and eventually go away as she develops. They are a bit scary because an alarm beeps and either Jenna and I or a nurse has to tickle her feet or rub her back to get her breathing properly again.  I've been blessed to have a company that allows me to work remote. Got a nice setup so far working down the hall in the family room. Going to try to get some wifi setup in Ella's room, but for now will have to wait to hear back from the hospital IT department. We will soon get into a groove staying here during the day and sleeping at home. They say parents who are able to sleep at home most days do better mentally then those that stay full-time in the NICU. We will adjust our schedule as time goes. Also thankful for Pete's Coffee shop just down stairs so I can be well caffeinated.  Ella is doing great so far. So thank you for your continued prayers and for your support. 

Almost 1 week old!

Her first hair appointment with Daddy

Kangaroo time with Mommy

[dudeklife]

High Risk Pregnancy - Part 7

Ella Ryan is now 3 days old. She's is a rockstar. This morning they are attempting to remove the nostril breathing tube this means she is breathing 100% on her own. They might need to put it back on and off from time-to-time, but this is great progress. Jenna was able to start producing some milk this morning and was able to provide Ella her entire meal today. We are  being discharged today, Jenna is doing well. So thus begins a new chapter in the story of Ella. This 3 months will have bumps they say, but I'm feeling so much more relaxed and very happy about where we are at. 

3 days old and already trying to get off her nose breathing tube:

Jenna doing some kangaroo time and reading to Ella

First time I got to hold her, um, speechless...

This is picture of her numbers, green top is her heart rate 120-180 is good. The blue middle is her oxygen level 90%-100% is good. And the bottom is her respiratory rate 20 to 80 I think is good (might be off on that one some). So lookin good! 

[dudeklife]

High Risk Pregnancy - Part 6

Yesterday at 1:32 am baby girl decided it was time. She is healthy for a 27.5 week old. 2 lbs 7.8 oz 13 in. She was on a ventilator for the half of the first day and now is off and is on lung pressure and just a little extra oxygen. They say it may be a bumpy road, but so far she's a strong little girl.  At about 1:00 am Jenna had some pain and some nurses came in the room, soon there was 6 nurses and 2 doctors and 22 mins later Jenna had a rushed c-section. Jenna is doing well now, she might be discharged as early as Saturday. 

We were hoping for a little more time, but we our very, very thankful that she is doing well. The leg-of this journey is done, now for the second chapter. 

We appreciate all of the prayers and support as we enter the second chapter. 

Presenting Ella Ryan Dudek:

[dudeklife]

High Risk Pregnancy - Part 5

Well everyone, we are now in the hospital for the long haul. Jenna broke her water the other day. We didn't know it because we are so early the signs are not as obvious. We are now on our second night here in the hospital. Our girl is now 27 weeks and 2 days. The doctors said we might have her this week, but it is possible that we could go longer, or even much longer up to 34 weeks at most. I guess the water breaking doesn't mean we are going to have the baby immediately as her fluids around the baby are being somewhat replenished VIA iv. If she comes soon she will be put in the NICU until full term. On the positive note we are at the right side of the healthy percentages, several weeks ago we would be on the wrong side. We hope she stays in as long as possible. Pray for us to have strength and a hopeful attitude. This emotional roller coaster will go on for awhile and some of the biggest humps might be yet to come, but we have great support and know we can get through this. Thanks and will fill you all in as things progress.

[dudeklife]

High Risk Pregnancy - Part 4

Happy 27 weeks little girl! We made it to the yellow, out of the red most dangerous zone. Other then being tired from so much stress, worrying and scares we are very thankful we have made it this far. 7 weeks ago Thanksgiving looked like an eternity away, after what felt like an eternity we are now a day after! Our doctor has now told us to stop worrying about survival and start visualizing holding our little girl at our appointment on Wednesday. The ultra sound showed she is doing really well. We scheduled our next steroid treatment this week. The steroid treatment helps lung development. We also went through a baby training class with several other couple at the hospital this week. It felt really, really good.. Like, we are actually going to get through this. We kinda failed the shirt dressing part though, inside out and backwards! Canceled and on the second try, with a slightly stretched shirt, we had success! There is so much to think about when having a baby, it's a bit overwhelming! :) So... they are feeling pretty positive about us now. Jenna has fought through this and has been labeled one of the rare girls that have had the same diagnosis. I know we can make it to Christmas. Thank you all for every prayer.

Practicing swaddling on Bailey:

[dudeklife]

High Risk Pregnancy - Part 3

Other then being tired and feeling like just got off an emotional roller coaster, all is well. They said bleeding must have caused by her cough which irritated glands on the cervix. It wasn't pre-labor and our girl is now 26 weeks old. We are now at home feeling like 100's of lbs of weight dropped of our shoulders. 

It's amazing how in normal life I don't really think about how many people are having such a hard time. But being in a hospital all day and night seeing so many people with sad, tired, nervous faces knowing that most had a hard story to share made me see that life is hard at some point for most people. I happened to see a lady I hadn't seen in years walking by me at the hospital and I wondered why she was there. I soon found out, I saw her husband post a Facebook post about it. Apparently someone they loved very much was in the same hospital with stroke symptoms. We are all the same. Everyone goes through life, some have hard stories, some have really hard stories, but we are not alone.

So, week 26 and we are ok. The next big date we are running towards is December 5th. That would be 28 weeks. The doctors seem surprised that we made it this far, but like Dr. Krew said, "If you make it one week, you'll make it another." 

Oh, I'm to much of a fan sleeping in the hospital, just being honest. But maybe it's a good thing, otherwise you would be more inclined to hang-out longer $$$. Very thankful for all the nurses and doctors though. Even the one that turned the light on at 5am.  Oh, our room had a great view of Canton, OH. Right before we found out all was OK the sun rose over the snowy tops of little houses keeping warm people who have all probably been in a hospital before.