Dec 26, 2007

Jesse is 13 days old, and when he is stable and feeling good, the nurses turn him over so he can sleep on his tummy. It also helps to move the fluid around that has been collecting on his body.

This is a sky view of Jesse laying in his bed and the many connections he has to the equipment around him. In the middle, they try to keep the baby in a peapod to closely imitate what it would be like inside Mom.

In the evenings, Amy is able to get in with the nurses where they weigh the baby, wash him, change the linens, change diapers, etc. There is normally a nurse (Julie) and a respiratory therapist (Lyn) assigned to Jesse.

Dec 25, 2007

On Christmas day, Jesse received several blankets for presents which decorate the top of his crib as well as line the bed of his crib. Tawny and Catherine are two more nurses who have been especially caring and watchful over Jesse. The boxing gloves were given by the Alsops to show what a "fighter" Jesse has been. What a treat to be able to spend time with Jesse on his first Christmas.

Dec 24, 2007

We read Jesse the night before Christmas and the Christmas story from the Bible. We gathered around and sang Christmas hymns as well. His nurse Keri has been a great strength in the support of Jesse, and we are very thankful for the doctors and nurses who have supported Jesse in his care.

Dec 23, 2007

Sunday, Jesse is now 10 days old, and the Grandparents on the Moore side stop by for a visit. Doctor Minton and Shelly work on Jesse. Things have settled down since the Saturday episode.

Dec 22, 2007 (cont)

This Saturday was a tough day for Jesse. His vital signs collapsed. Jesse received a priesthood blessing, and even though the Doctors said that "There's no time for miracles today" and they took him out of his bed and handed him to Amy, Jesse recovered and they rushed to put him back in the bed and he stabilized. We also performed the ordinance to give him a name and a blessing at the hospital.

Dec 22, 2007

9 Days old, and the day of BYU's bowl game with UCLA. First picture gives an idea of the equipment surrounding Jesses sustaining his life. Jesse's foot size against Rich's hand.

Dec 21, 2007

At 8 days old, Jesse hasn't gained much weight yet, but has stabilized. He holds on to Amy's little finger.

Dec 17, 2007

4 days old. As tiny as he is, the PICC lines are the tubes through which the feed him and provide the medicines he needs to survive. It is amazing what the doctors and nurses can do with babies this small. Amy was able to feed him mothers milk for the first time.

Saturday, Dec 15, 2007

On Saturday, Jesse was put in a plastic bag inside the incubator in order to keep humidity and warmth at a maximum. The nurses also made casts and prints of his hands and feet. I put my wedding ring next to them to gauge the size. His hands and feet easily fit through my ring...

This photo was taken on Dec 14, 2007 the day after Jesse was born for reference as to his size.

Another picture from the day he was born. At 12 oz, everyone was worried whether or not the breathing tubes and feeding lines were small enough to fit in him, but everything went well.

First photo taken of Jesse on Dec 13, 2007 the day of his birth. He was born at 8:29 am at 12 oz or 350 grams of weight. Skin is not developed yet, so very translucent and fragile. Everytime you touch him, he bruises, which leads to his color darkening over the next several weeks.

I'm going to go back in time and post some photos of Jesse's journey so far. Sorry I have been so delinquent in posting these. But as Melanie noted, he celebrated his 6 week birthday last Thursday. He has been losing some of his water weight, and looks better each day. Santa visited Jesse in the NICU on Christmas.

6 weeks old

Baby Jesse had a hard day on Tuesday, but did well on Wednesday. I can't believe that he is already 6 weeks old. He moves his hands, which looks like he is waving and saying "hello". His coloring and skin is looking much better. He is continuing to grow (but he also continues to lose the excess fluid, as his whole body is swollen). They are estimating his actual body weight to be around 600 grams= ~ 1 pound 5 ounces (he was born at 350 grams= ~12.5 ounces). Wow, he has grown when you think of it that way! He has great nurses who care about him and continue to have hope. I know it is hard to explain everything as things change daily, but I know Richard and Amy are trying to keep the family updated. I know that Richard and Amy appreciate all the family support and prayers. I love the chance I have to go see him on a daily basis and get a update about his day. Thank you for all your love and prayers for sweet baby Jesse.

~Melanie (his loving cousin)

5 weeks old!

Today Jesse is 5 weeks old. He is stable (most of the time) and will start being fed soon. We are all praying this goes well. Please continue to remember him in your prayers (especially on Saturdays, Jesse seems to have rough Saturdays). Call Rich and Amy (or Melanie, who works at the same hospital Jesse is at) for more updates, they would love to hear from you!

Emily

Thanks to Matt for helping set up the blog for Jesse. Since the scares over the past weekend, Jesse has been doing progressively better, and we were able to usher in the 2008 New Year celebration in the hospital. Today, Jesse Caleb is 3 weeks old, and he looks so cute. His eyes now open, and if your lucky during a visit, he might just peep to check you out. We are praying that the hole in his lung closes, and that his heart will be made whole. He is losing some of his water weight that has been building up and very cute. Thanks for the people that have come and visited him during his stay. Love you all, and your prayers and fasting are truly helping.

From Richard's email:

Everyone:

Jesse is now over 2 weeks old, and has had a stressful couple of days with edema, picc line changes, collapsed lungs, etc. etc. etc. Tonight though, he is stable and sleeping peacefully. We are so thankful for the thoughts and prayers of so many people, and it is helping. They have pulled Jesse off the medicine to open the PDA ductus in his heart to help offset restricted blood flow from the Tetrology problems. That being said, even with it closed, he is stable tonight. We are fasting and praying tomorrow that his heart will be made whole. His lungs seem to have recovered and there is no bleeding in the brain, so there are many positive things that have happened as well. We love you all.

Rich, Amy, and Jesse

Baby Jesse

This is a blog, being set up for Richard and Amy, so they can let everyone know how Jesse is doing and post pictures, etc. Please continue to fast and pray for this little guy. He's a fighter!