Gabriel James and Silas William

OK, after much wrestling, reflection, hemming and hawing, we've arrived right where we started with the names: the boys are Si (Silas William) and JB (Gabriel James). JB was an in-utero nickname and he's hanging on to it for now, but we'll call him Gabe or Gabriel as he gets older.

Everyone is getting stronger and healthier!

Both Si and JB are off the ventilator now and are back on the CPAP, which is a non-invasive breathing aide that helps them to fully inflate their lungs (the same thing that people with sleep apnea use). They're also both using their stomachs now. Si's been getting mother's milk for a couple days and is up to 8 cc's of milk every three hours - up from the three cc's he started at. JB just started on milk today as well. He had to wait because a heart murmur had the team concerned that they might need to medicate or take further steps to fix a heart condition that's common in all preemies (PDA). They have a little bit more phototherapy to get through the jaundice. At this point, we're just working to get them stronger - able to breathe with less help and able to eat more - to the point where they can get all the oxygen and nutrition they need on their own.

Suzanne is recovering as well, though not as quickly as she would like. Her blood pressure has remained high and her pain still requires aggressive treatment. She's on modified bed rest at a time when she would like to be with the boys all day, or sorting through all their clothes and setting up their room.

It's just not possible to express how much of a privilege it is to be getting this kind of care! If we had lived in any other time and place, it's a long shot that any of the three would have survived this experience. In the NICU, the boys have one nurse monitoring and caring for them full-time, with a Nurse Practitioner, a Respiratory Therapist, and a Neonatologist present at all times. Everyone on the staff at Swedish has been a top-notch professional and superb human beings. They do their job with confidence and go out of their way to involve, inform, and reassure us.

Suzanne with Si in his isolette under phototherapy

Derek with JB under phototherapy. Note all the equipment for monitoring his health.

We've finally been able to hold the boys for the first time! Last night, Si rested in Suzanne's arms and today we both got to hold JB for a half hour. What a moving experience. Every day we count our blessings that things are going well, but it's hard that we still hadn't held our children. We've now got a small taste of how nice it will be to have the whole family together when the time comes.

Derek and Suzanne hold Si for the first time