The Higglets and Their Big Brothers!: Such a long road, and not over yet.

Wow! I can't believe it has been this long since I have posted! Things have been incredibly stressful for the family these last few weeks. Between all of Logan's health issues and me needing to be with him and the other two babies in the hospital, and my older boys at home having a hard time, Matt and I are so stressed. Trying to be everywhere I need to be, with one car, while he is working, is almost impossible at this point. Matt has missed so much work between the health scares and appointments with doctors and specialists, as well as the dreaded Michigan weather, that we cannot even BEGIN to save for another vehicle big enough for us to fit in. Not to mention, one not filled with paint and chemicals!! We are barely making it at this point and have no financial fallbacks at all. We have started a donation fund for our family to go straight toward our new vehicle. If you are willing and able to help out our struggling family situation, we would all be extremely greatful! Link is just to the right! THANK YOU VERY MUCH! :)

All babies are still in the NICU. Matison and Levi are just feeding and growing at this point.... Logan is still on the fence of doing well.

My lil diva baby! No more pics MOM!

Matison is VERY close to coming home. She is taking about 80% of her feedings through a bottle and is getting BIG! She now weighs 5 lbs 10 oz! Her only issue has been her hearing screenings. She has failed both of the ones adminstered in the NICU. They want me to go for an outpatient hearing test in 4 weeks. This has me a bit worried.... but I am trying to stay positive!

Levi's first tub bath! :)

Sweet baby in his boppy!

Levi has some bad reflux issues at times in the past weeks and has actually become my SMALLEST baby! He weighed 4lbs 9 oz yesterday. Can't gain weight when you can't keep anything down!! He is now propped up in a boppy pillow, or held upright during and after feedings.He is also getting 26 calorie formula, and doing much better in the weight gain department!

Logan is doing fairly well, as far as we know, right now. He is STILL on his TPN fluid so his weight has been GREAT! He now weighs 5 lbs 4 oz! In my last post I was telling you about his belly problems. Well, that has lasted even up until now. Logan had what the doctors called a "NEC scare". NEC stands for Necrotizing Entercolitis, and is an infection in the intestines and/or bowels in which the part infected begins to die. In the most severe cases of NEC, the disease can be fatal. Here is a link with the basics on NEC - http://preemies.about.com/od/preemiehealthproblems/f/nec.htm

Logan swollen

Mati and Logan

Logan's case did not progress into being "officially diagnosed" because he did not have a perforation. They did, however, treat him as though he had it. It was scary for a few days. He got SO swollen and his belly got SO big! I was petrified his bowel would perforate and no one would notice in time... I never wanted to leave him. So hard to leave at night!! He had his first blood transfusion that first night. They stopped his feedings for 14 days and gave him 3 different antibiotics for the duration also. They also did an upper and lower GI studies and found NO obstructions. THANK GOD. But he does have very slow motility. During those 14 days, seeing him be so hungry at times, was hard for me! Although, not as hard as when they started his feedings again. That was almost a weeks ago. He still hasn't had a bowel movement! I'm petrified that his belly will blow up again... But so far he's tolerating his them. They increased him to 24 cc's today!!! Hoping he can go to the bathroom soon and get his bowels going again! Also, even though he is showing no other signs of having an infection anymore, all of Logan's blood levels are off. His hematacrit level is on the verge of being low enough for his 5th blood transfusion in 4 weeks! Poor baby. His platelets and WBC counts are also down. So because of all the down trending in his bloodwork, the doctors now are having a Hematologist (blood specialist) consult on him and see if they need to check his spleen. Uuuhhhgggg. My poor little Logan. :( Hoping for the best for his lil belly and his hoping his CBC's come back OK tomorrow!

Go BLUE! :)

Our older boys started school a few days after my last post. Matthew is LOVING 3rd grade and is really exceeding my expectations so far. He loves to help... and I love him for it!! Michael, on the other hand, has been TERRIBLE with everything going on in his life! I understand that this is a lot for him to deal with. I am gone almost everyday until 6-7 at night when Matt can pick me up, he has 3 more siblings, and he is now in school with 150 other kids! His mind must be SCRAMBBLED! I know mine is! LOL! Matt and I have already met with the teacher and principle TWICE about him. He even disappeared after breakfast one morning on his 4th day of school and was found in the parking lot!! I almost lost my mind! Here I am sitting in the NICU with my 3-4 lb babies and the principle calls me and tells me they lost my son for 5 minutes. I almost had a breakdown that day. Things are getting a bit better now... I'm hoping he STAYS on the right track! I have tried to be home by the time he gets home from school the last few days... but that is SO hard without a vehicle of my own!

Hoping somehow that my prayers will be answered in every regaurd very soon! I appreciate all the help that my family and I have recieved from all the other mothers of multiples from the groups I have joined!! They have literally been a Godsend for us. Meals, support, and just a kind word goes a LONG way these days! Means so much. I'll have another update soon! :)