6 weeks and counting...

             

Over the past week, Bryce got an infection and took a few steps back. We don't know what kind of infection or exactly how he got it. He is on antibiotics and it seems to  be making him feel much better. He had to be separated from his brother because he was unable to hold his temperature. They are now in two different beds, but still next to one another.  He has had a good couple of days. He has also broke the 3 pound mark!!!

Cohen is doing great as well. He has started taking some of his feeds from a bottle. He has gotten as much as 15 mL's and has been able to tolerate it and want some more. We don't want to push him too much, but it is hard not to. He is waking up for feeds and letting everyone in the room know if it is the slightest bit past feeding time. He is an eater for sure. He is around  4 and a half pounds.

We want to take time out to thank all of the nurses at Good Sam. You were great to our family! We will not forget you. Thanks to everyone for the continued love and support.  Above is a video of the boys...

"Reunited and It feels so good"

  

Being pesty finally pays off - The boys are back together again and it happened just in time for Father's Day. Matt was able to hold both the boys which is the one gift that he was hoping for. Another great surprise happened today. The boys were able to move to the same crib. Bryce wasn't very sure about it at first (as you can see from the picture).  It is great to see them both at the same time, no more running back and forth from one to the other. 

Overall the boys have been doing good. Bryce has been weening down  on his oxygen levels and has had few heart rate drops. He is now at 2 pounds 14 ounces. Cohen is doing about the same, his feeds are given to him over a one hour period instead of two. Once he can take his feeds all at one time he will begin bottle feeding. He continues to have more episodes with heart rate drops, but hopefully those will be ending soon  with maturity. Cohen is now at 4 pounds 2 ounces. 

Bryce will have an MRI of his brain on Thursday and we have a Care Conference on Friday to discuss Bryce and what his future may look like. We remain hopeful- he is very appropriate for his age.

Thanks again to everyone for their prayers! It seems that they are being answered.

32 Weeks Gestation Today - 4 Weeks Old Tomorrow

Cohen

                                                                                                           Bryce

A lot has happened over the past few days. Thursday we were told that Bryce would be having surgery on Friday morning. That news  came with mixed emotions, we wanted something done to help Bryce and at the same time it was very scary. Our little baby, just over 2 pounds, would be having brain surgery. A reservoir was placed under a thin layer of skin on Bryce's head. This would help the doctors drain fluid from his brain as needed. The surgery was a success and improvements are expected. The doctors remain hopeful that Bryce will be able to get back to growing. His feeds were  restarted and he has had few heart-rate drops. He has been very alert and still smiles after all he has been through. He is simply amazing.

Cohen is also doing great. He has been able to go from the enclosed bed to a "big boy bed" (an open crib). He continues to maintain his body temperature which is another big step. This is also exciting for Mom and Dad because we can hold him any time we want. We aren't limited to once a day. Cohen has really started to develop a little personality. He knows just when to cry and just when to smile. He has the widest, most curious eyes.

We are still fighting the battle and trying to get the  boys together. So far our insurance company has denied our request to have Cohen transported to Children's so that he is with his brother. The doctors at Good Sam have been trying to help us, but so far with no success. We can appeal the request but they have 30 days to look into the request. They will not expedite the appeal since it isn't "medically necessary." 

For now, we continue going from hospital to hospital hoping that we don't miss anything with the boys. We appreciate all the love and support from everyone.

A Rainy Day for the Croleys

Yesterday we had good news and bad news all in one shot.  First we found out that Bryce was being moved to Children's Hospital. There they could evaluate his head and possibly do surgery and place a reservoir on his skull to remove fluid from his brain. This was the good news because we wanted to see something done for Bryce. Then the bad news came that our insurance as of now would not cover the trip or stay for Cohen at Children's Hospital. So now we have one of our boys at Good Sam and the other at Children's.   

As for the boys, Cohen is 3 pounds 6 ounces and Bryce is 2 pounds 5.5 ounces. They did put Bryce back on a ventilator this past weekend but he seems to enjoy the extra help.  On a lighter note, Cohen got his first bath, it was so relaxing that he pooped in it. Bryce got his first outfit put on him and I think he enjoys being in the nude a little better. 

Thanks for the support and continued prayers.

Cohen and Bryce were born on May 17,2009 at 11:30 in the morning. Cohen Matthew came into this world weighing 2.12 lbs. and Bryce Anthony at 1.15 lbs. It wasn't a very intimate experience, the small room was filled with doctors and nurses. As soon as the boys arrived they had three people each working on them. Shortly after they were rushed off to the NICU with Dad following behind. 

The first few days were very touch and go. The boys were both on ventilators unable to breathe on their own. Bryce became very ill and wasn't responding to any of the treatments. The doctor came to my room and asked that Matt and I come down to the NICU. We were losing Bryce and she told us that we should have him baptized right away. We rushed to the NICU and sat with Bryce for hours comforting him with our touch and voices. Our families rushed to the hospital to be there as well. That morning things started to turn around and he started responding to the treatments that had not worked earlier in the night. He had made it... the doctor told us the next day that she truly believed he only made it because we were there with him during that time. After that night it was found that Bryce had bleeding on both sides of his brain. It is a Grade 4 bleed and the long term effects are questionable. That news was very hard to take, we just hoped and prayed that Bryce wasn't in any kind of pain. After making it through that night we saw how strong he was and that he wasn't going anywhere.

Recently the boys have been doing pretty good... They are on oxygen and Mommy's milk (with some added calories). The milk is given through feeding tubes that go straight to their stomachs. They are slowly gaining weight (Cohen- 3.3 lbs; Bryce 2.4 lbs.) and have really started to develop little personalities. They both have big curious eyes and smile ear to ear.  Bryce continues to have weekly head scans and has had a spinal tap to drain the fluid from around his brain. His head circumference has went down and the ventricles in his brain are less dilated at this time.

Thanks for the continued support and prayers.