Pray for Lauren to Get Off Her Ventilator!!

Either Monday or Tuesday Dr's are going to take Lauren off of her ventilator. We are just praying she does well without it!! This will be the third time they'll attempt to see how she does without it (one planned attempt, one Lauren pulled out herself). Lauren's weight is now 3lbs 3oz so were praying she has the strength to sustain life without the support of a ventilator.

How the others are doing:

Gavin = 5 lbs Reese = 4 lbs Maggie = 4 lbs

All three are working on their bottles and coming along really well!

Happy Easter!! Sorry it has taken so long to update. We've had a very busy Easter week. Jon's family (aunts, uncles, and grandfather) came in to celebrate Aunt Erma's 100 year birthday on Thursday. Friday they were all able to come and see the babies for the first time. It was great having them in town for the weekend! It was really neat to see Grandpa's expression as he saw all the Quads.

The Quads have been making great strides in just one week. It's amazing to see how much they change on a daily basis. They are continuing to gain weight each day, about 1 oz. a day! Here are their current weights:

Lauren - 2lbs 9.5oz

Gavin - 4lbs 5 oz

Maggie - 3lbs 11.9 oz

Reese - 3lbs 9 oz

Lauren has been doing so well. Since she has outgrown her first vent tube they have increased the size of the tube which has seemed to have made a huge difference for the better. They have her on the lowest vent settings, which means she doing most of the work on her own. Dr. Stratton would like to see her gain a little more weight before they try to take her off the vent again. She has been such a fighter over the last week and is determined to get off her vent! We just love watching her grow every day!

(Daddy changing Lauren's Diaper - She's so cute!)

Gavin now has a little company in his bed! Maggie and Reese have crashed the party:) This is great news considering Maggie and Reese are now in a crib. They have done great in room air with very few problems. Gavin, pretty reserved, seems to be taken things in stride.

All the grandparents have had an opportunity to hold their grandbabies. Once Lauren is in a crib, they will have the opportunity to hold all the babies. They look so cute together! We just need Lauren to jump in the middle to make this slumber party complete!

(from the left: Maggie, Gavin, Reese)

(Mom, Maggie, Gavin, & Reese)

4 Generations! Dad, Jon, Gavin, and Grandpa Mike

We continue to be blessed with a great NICU staff here at Carle! They are unbelievably patient with us and are so detailed with every question they answer! We can't imaging being anywhere else!

Easter Sunday with Our Great NICU Staff ! - Linda, Tiff, Valerie, Jess, and Brittany

Gavin Graduates To A Crib

We are so excited that Gavin is in a crib. He is such a big boy:) Jon and I can now pick him up and love on him anytime we want. It just makes it so real. The only thing left for Gav is to eat on his own, then he is ready to come home!! Eating can take weeks to learn, he will start trying the bottle at 33 weeks. Now that he is in a crib he can wear big boy clothes!!

Here is Jon and I holding Gavin!

Maggie and Reese are doing well! They are being held for the first time like big girls by their daddy:)

Sweet Lauren is still doing great on her ventilator. She continues to stay on the lowest settings. We just pray for her lungs to develop, that she continues to get bigger and stronger.

Tonight Jon and I were visiting the quads and I went to say goodnight to Maggie and Reese and in their bed was a gift to mommy. I was so surprised! The babies decided to get me a ring with their birthstones in it (which is amethyst). I just love it!!! It has four amethysts representing each of our little blessings. I bet it was Lauren's idea:)

Sorry it has taken us so long to update, but we've had a pretty good week for the Quads.

Last Monday they attempted to take Lauren (2lbs 2oz) off her last ventilator. She was quick to tell us and the doctors that she's not quite ready. She lasted about 10 minutes until they put the ventilator back on. It was at least worth the shot! She is still on the lowest settings for the ventilator, which is a good thing. Our doctor would like to see her put on another 8 oz (1/2 lbs) before they try taking the ventilator off. The weight should translate into more strength.

Maggie (3lbs 1oz) and Reese (3 lbs even) are back together again. They started co-bedding again on Wednesday. They are so cute together. Reese appears to be the affectionate one, always putting her hand or leg on Maggie. As we left tonight Reese was trying to suck Maggie's hand.

Gavin (3lbs 11oz) has been his same old self. He's enjoying his own bed, stretching out and opening his eyes a lot more as of late. Today they officially took him off the oxygen pressure. He's doing everything on his own and doing great. It's nice to see them slowly take away the tubes.

We are seeing our prayers answered daily and even hourly!!! This road is a long one, yet God's grace has made this journey all worth while. Jon and I would not trade this for the world!!!!

First Times....

Everything has been going so well this past week. Since we've last blogged Lauren has been taken off the jett ventilator. She is still on one ventilator, which she receives 26 breaths per minute. This is already decreased from 50,which she just had two days ago. On top of this, she officially reached the 2lbs mark! To add to this great news Tiff was able to hold Lauren for two hours yesterday. She responded so well to being with Mommy. Heartbeat was great, she slept the whole time, and they lowered her oxygen levels during this two hour time frame.

Gavin, Maggie, and Reese are all doing great as well. Gavin is 3lbs 6oz, Maggie and Reese are 2lbs 10oz each. Maggie's stomach was a little more expanded than they liked a couple of days ago so they put her in a different bed than Reese. They thought she might of had an infection in her intestine, but turned out it was just gas:) They may put them back together soon.

On Wednesday, Aunt Heather, my sister, surprised Tiff and I by flying into town from Dallas TX. It was so good to catch up with her! Even better to see her visit the babies!

Thanks to the help of Becky Huizer and Snyder Reality Tiff and I are hanging out at Eastland Suites in Urbana this weekend. We are very thankful to be staying right down the road from the quads and nice accommodations.

Lauren's first cuddle with Mommy!

Aunt Heather's first peek at Maggie and Reese

Tiff getting the morning quad updates from Nurse Deb

Reese's little behind

Grandpa Samuels first touch - with Maggie

Roomies!

Well everything is status quo here in Champaign.

Gavin - 3lbs 2 oz. Doing really well!

Maggie - 2lbs 8 oz. Doing really well!

Lauren - Stable from last blog. They think her PDA may have a slight opening still. We are waiting to hear what the doctor thinks tomorrow. Numbers aren't as high as last time and could require medication if anything at all. She is up in weight. Yeah! 1lbs 12 oz.

Reese - has some bouts with apnea, but otherwise doing well. 2 lbs 8 oz.

Reese and Maggie are just so much alike.......

...that they've become roomies! ...and from time to time roomies must share!

I'm a little biased, but it's got to be the cutest thing you've ever seen!

We continue to ask for your prayers for all the quads, especially Lauren! We have met a wonderful couple here in Champaign, Dave and Helen Leverton. Their son Austin is going through very similar phases as Lauren. Please pray for them as well. I know there are a lot of prayer warriors our there and we appreciate you very much!

Here are a couple of the prayer quilts from 2nd Presbyterian Church. We love them and what they represent!

One week, One day

Yesterday we celebrated the quads one week birthday! By far the quickest week in our lives. Hopefully every week won't be this quick once they are home.

Updates:

Gavin: 3 lbs "Chunk". He is receiving photo therapy for jaundice, will come off the photo therapy tomorrow morning. Otherwise, he is doing spectacular.

Maggie: 2 lbs 6 oz - Doing really well overall. They increased her oxygen levels a bit today. A few bouts of apnea last night, but have been pretty stable today.

Reese: 2 lbs 5.7 oz - Doing really well overall. A few bouts with apnea over the last 24 hours, but stable since Tiff and I have been here today.

Lauren: 1 lbs 11.5oz - Having a pretty good day thus far, but continue to ask for prayers. She still remains on:

* Jett Ventilator - assists in 420 gentle breaths per minute. Used for peak inspatory pressure (how big her breath is).

*VIP Bird Ventilator - gives her 4 "big"breaths per minute. Almost like big sighs. Helps open up the lungs.

*Nitric Oxide- used for pulmonary hypertension. Essentially this makes it easier for Lauren to breath.

*Fentanyl - all the short breaths aren't to comfortable for Lauren. The fentanyl is a pain medicine. They did decrease her dosage by 15 % today. Good news.

*Vitamin A - helps lung development.

We are praying for Lauren to come off this assistance. So much going on for our little peanut.

We want to thank 2nd Presbyterian Church for the prayer quilts! Rev. Deckert came and prayed with Tiff and I over all the babies and their new quilts. A special thank you to all those that tied a prayer knot! Very cool idea! I didn't have the opportunity to take pictures of all of them, but look forward taking some tomorrow evening and posting them.

Just to let you know a couple hours after Rev. Deckert left Lauren took a turn for the better on her VIP Bird Ventilator. They are decreasing the amount of big breaths per minute to 2! This means Lauren is not needing the assistance she did when I began this blog earlier today! A true testimony to the power of prayer!

Tiff has this favorite song since she was 16, "God is in control", by Twila Paris. Her favorite line is the opening line, "This is no time for fear, this is a time for faith and determination". Words we are living by daily.

Below are some pictures we've taken over the last couple of days.

Aunt Kassie M. with Gavin

Tiff with Gavin

Aunt Risa and Aunt Kassie S. first visit with Reese

Our Little Lauren

Jon's first hold with Maggie

Update on Lauren!

God is good! Lauren's Payton Duct (PDA) closed! Thank you for the prayers everyone! They are being answered! I'll update this post later, but just had to share the news with family and friends.

Tiff held Maggie and I held Gavin for the first time yesterday. Gavin and I took an hour nap:) Talk about being at peace with the world! I'll try to post our pictures later today. I'm debating if I want my harry chest plastered over the web. I have a few best buds who would have a field day with that one (Matt R ;)

Love you guys!

Good Morning! It's check out day for Tiff. She is progressing so well they are ready to give us the boot:) I speak for the both of us in saying it will be an adjustment not actually sleeping here. We are very fortunate there's a free guest house, across the street, we're able to stay at for the first week. We'll move in later today.

Babies are doing well. I'm going to act like I know what I'm talking about, but still have quite a bit to learn. I found it easier to take a notebook with me to take detailed notes. Our nurses have been very patient with me as I try to understand everything that is going on.

How they're doing:

Gavin - breathing on his own without assistance. Taking his milk in, just loving life. He's a bit spoiled however. What's new? He's the only one we can hold at this point. Watching him and Tiff cuddle up is so cool! His flow of assisted oxygen is down from a 3 to a 2.

Reese - She's catching up to Gavin! She's off the ventilator, but requires a little more oxygen. We're thinking we'll be able to hold her within the next couple of days if not sooner.

Lauren - She is on a new ventilator called a "Jett Ventilator". The ventilator pumps 420 short breaths and helps the lungs exchange O2 and CO2. It's been very effective and already decreased her O2 levels. Her blood gases have shown improvement since being on the jett ventilator as well. She is currently under the lamps (phototherapy) for her jaundice.

There are some concerns with her PDA (payton duct) which, in full term babies, closes following birth. Lauren's didn't close. So I avoid acting like a doctor and describing something wrong...the PDA needs to close. They are giving her some medication, which is similar to ibuprofen to help close this duct. If not, we may be looking a procedure which would be in Peoria IL, not Champaign. We're not there yet though! We've been given numbers indicating this medicine will work 70% of the time.

Maggie - She's off the ventilator and on a c-pap. She has a few episodes where she gets a little lazy and forgets to breath, but has been pretty good the last 24 hours.

I have a lot to learn so hopefully will be better with my details as we go along, but wanted to let everyone know things are going well, just need a few more prayers for Lauren at this point.

Here are some more pictures:

Reese gripping Jon's finger. Strong Grip!

Tiff's First Touch - with Maggie

Grandma and Grandpa Michaels first visit - with Reese

Grandma and Grandpa Samuels first visit - with Reese

Birthday!

Here's how the biggest day in our lives transpired:

Happy 28th!! - Our parents came up to celebrate 28 weeks of the Quads staying in Tiff's belly.
Then, around 8 p.m. Lori, our nurse for the evening, and the rest of the staff on duty, surprised us with a 28 week party. We popped some Grape Welches bubbly and celebrated.

About 10 minutes after this picture was taken Gavin's sac broke and there was a pretty good feeling from everyone that this could be the moment we've been waiting over three years for!
Dr. Wagner was on duty and took Tiff back to the Operating Room , on our floor , to examine Tiff's cerclage. Results - one stitch had already come apart and the other was not too far away. Dr. Wagner came back to our room and gave us the news and told me to scrub up and get ready - TIFF's GOING TO DELIVER!! She indicated if they attempted to remove the second stitch Gavin would be heading down the Panama:) Myself, our parents, and Dr. Wagner all prayed together and I headed back to the OR with Tiff.

I know it sounds cliche for us, but everything was so smooth. God truly blessed us through the next two hours. There was so much going on behind the scenes, but Tiff and I were at peace with everything! We had previously requested, when the time comes, we wanted our nurses, Vanessa, Lori, Maggie and Tina (left to right below)to be there. They all made it in time to scrub in. This was such a calming factor for the two of us. We've loved them like family over the past month!
The only other person we still needed was Dr. Kehl. He later informed us that he got "the call" just after bringing his daughter home from a performance she had. He high tailed it from his home about 20 minutes away and was there for the delivery. Another calming factor for us! (Below: He and Tiff just prior to the c-section.)

Okay ..........

Gavin Christopher (above)

Reese Suzanne (above)

Maggie Ray (above)

and last, but not least: Lauren Kay

All babies are doing well. Gavin is breathing on his own already. Maggie, Reese, and Lauren are on ventilators, but doing well and holding stable. Reese and Maggie are getting real close to being off the ventilator...just a little ways to go. Lauren is so active and opens her eyes more than all four. She will probably be on the ventilator longer than her sisters, but it's already evident she's going to be a feisty little thing!

Tiff is still healing from her c-section, and has already been doing some walking today. Hard to believe that until yesterday she hadn't taken more than three steps in over a month. Just a small walk to the bathroom puts her out of breath.

We've been able to be around the quads in the NICU as long as we like. Tiff and I have been able to touch them. In fact, Gavin is doing so well Tiff was able to snuggle up with him for an hour today

While everyone is doing great we still appreciate all your prayers! Our babies are still just little tykes with possibly a couple of months to go before they can come home. We are expecting some up and downs, but have complete faith in God's plan.

We are reading your blogs, texts, and e-mails. Thank you and keep them coming!!

Quad Squad has Arrived!!

Hi All,

As of 10:31 p.m. Tuesday night (2/19/08) our family of 2 became 6! We are so blessed! Everyone, including Mom, are doing well. I will blog more tomorrow with pictures/details, but wanted to give you names and weight:

(A) Gavin Christopher (2 lbs 13 oz) 10:29 p.m.

(C) Reese Suzanne (2 lbs 3 oz) 10:30 p.m.

(B) Maggie Ray (2 lbs 8 oz) 10:31 p.m.

(D) Lauren Kay (1 lbs 7 oz) 10:31 p.m.

Everything went soooooo smooth after Tiff's water broke (Gavin's sac). Our team here at Carle are absolutely amazing!!! Thanks for all your continued prayers!

Growth Sonogram

Here were our results from the growth sonogram today:

A (boy) = 2lbs 14 oz (gained 10 oz in 2 weeks)

B (girl) = 2lbs 8 oz (gained 9 oz in 2 weeks)

C (girl) = 2lbs 4 oz (gained 4 oz in 2 weeks)

D (girl) = 1lbs 6 oz (gained 2 oz in 2 weeks)

Dr. Kehl vistited after and is happy with the progress. All babies are growing and heart and fluid look good. We would like to see baby D grow more, but Dr. Kehl didn't express any concern with her. Tomorrow is 28 weeks!!!

Tiff looks great and is doing well!

I wanted to give everyone a quick update! Friday night/Saturday morning we were pretty confident the Quads were going to be here. It started early Friday afternoon with Tiff noticing some bleeding. This eventually subsided, but then her contractions became more and more frequent that they kept increasing her medication. At this point Dr. Kehl decided to go ahead with the second round of steriod shots just in case. He liked to space the steroids a month apart and we were just a day or two away from a full month, so he decided to go ahead a couple days early. As Friday progressed Tiff was contracting so frequently they maxed her dosage of magnesium to a level 4. All of our parents were here throughout the night ready to be on hand should the delivery take place. Thankfully, Saturday late morning things started to stabalize and the babies are still with Tiff. Awesome! They completely took her off magnesium since her mag levels were to high. She is back on her typical oral medicine and things have continued to remain stable. Huge blessing.

We spoke with Dr. Kehl this morning and he is taking it a day at a time. We will have to live with the fact that Tiff is a contractor. As long as she is not feeling the contractions (which she isn't) we'll continue to plug along. We set our goals on reaching week 28 (Tuesday - 2/19) at this point. Every day we can get is huge in terms of development. Tomorrow is our growth sonogram so we'll be able to see how much the babies have grown in length and weight. We're still praying for baby "D" and her weight to of increased from 1.4 oz.

Tiffany and I would like thank everyone for their prayers, texts, blogs, e-mails, phone calls, and cards! We apologize if we haven't gotten back to anyone, but please know we are reading and listening to all your messages!

Also! - Thank you Kristy and Pam for calling me ASAP and staying calm while I was still in Bloomington Friday!

God Bless! We appreciate all your prayers!

Tiffany's contractions increased today so nurses gave her a few shots of terb, which didn't solve the problem. At about 6 p.m. this evening Dr. Kehl decided to put Tiff back on magnesium. I'm looking at Tiff's charts as I type and everything looks really good. If everything goes as planned Dr. Kehl would like to have the magnesium weened off by Friday morning. He really believes that Tiff has just been going through a big growth spurt the last few days. Even more importantly, Dr. Kehl feels she could go at least another week or two before delivering. We don't have a "due date", but as long as the babies aren't in distress and Tiff is doing fine we'll keep moving forward.

We did have a sonogram today and all babies are doing great. They all scored 8 out of 8 for breathing, sac fluid, movement, and heartbeats! Very Cool!

Thanks everyone for your prayers! Hope everyone has a Happy Valentines day tomorrow!

27 WEEKS!!!

It's been a great day thus far. What an accomplishment for Tiff to reach 27 weeks. I attribute this to her being such a rule follower and following every instruction the doctors and nurses have given her. There is nothing more Tiff could be doing that she isn't already. That being said, contractions have slowed down, it has been a much better day emotionally, and Tiff has not had a terb shot since 2 a.m. this morning. We like to think that the last couple of days have just been a big growth spirt!

Tomorrow Tiff will have another sonogram to look at breathing, fluid, heartbeats, and movement of all the babies. Hope all is well with the world outside of Hotel Carle!