Wednesday, July 18, 2012

A Good Night's Rest

It is looking like Drake and Kennedy might get a good night's worth of rest in following a non eventful day. This is something we have not seen in a while. We have to take advantage of these days because we are going to be here for quite a while. Their gestational age is 29 weeks today and we have been here in the NICU for 25 days. Tomorrow may start out a different day as a they said they need to do a procedure on Drake's knee.

His knee is so swollen and bruised, the doctor wants to drain all the fluid in it tomorrow. Im not quite sure how this is done, but will get all the details before they do. Drake is finally beginning to lose some of the fluid in his body...not very quickly but we can tell a difference in his hands and chest. We can't wait until he is back to normal and we can share some pictures of the little guy. It is amazing what his body is going through. A little boy who is supposed to weigh just over 2 pounds gained close to 3 pounds of fluid in the body; this was extremely sad to see for mommy and me. Keep praying that this urine output continues as they reduce the diuretics he is on. That Drake is one tough dude!

Kennedy's food increase has gone up and her body is so tiny that they have to use a special pump to feed it to her over a 30 minute period. They tried to give it to her all at once, but her belly could not handle the volume and it made her very uncomfortable. Probably like I get when I eat too much. She enjoys being swaddled in her new blankets her uncle Aaron made her...keeps her stylish in the NICU.

13 comments:

  1. Thank you Lord for a non-eventful day! Saying prayers that you have more like this. Thanks so much for sharing your miracles with us. You are doing an amazing job Mommy and Daddy!

    Chanti

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  2. Bless that baby boy's heart. We'll keep praying for the babies and mommy and daddy. Y'all are one very tough family.

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  3. A good night's rest sounds like a great idea for all the Gilstraps! And we'll take all the uneventful days we can get. We will be praying that the swelling goes down quickly so Drake won't have to keep being so tough. What an incredible family!

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  4. We love event free days! Thank youyou God bcis Those babies and their parents deserve a little R&R...

    I pray for Gods hand to be the guide for his procedure and for you and annies peace of mind. I believe all will be well.

    That sweet daughter of yours is just being so good. Thank heaven for little girls :-)

    Rest well sweet babies cant wait to hear all the good stuff about you tomorrow.

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  5. So good to hear things are still looking up! I continue praying for more and more amazing news! Stay strong Drake and I pray the knee draining goes well. And keep on growing strong Kennedy :)

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  6. Glad the day was uneventful. Praying Drakes procedure is quick and uneventful also. Kennedy keep up the good work.

    Jolain LaMott

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  7. We pray every day many times a day for you all. Stay strong. Love. Love. Love to you all.

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  8. So happy to read these latest updates. Your family continues to be in our prayers every day. You have amazing and inspiring babies!

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  9. Wow such wonderful news the last few blogs! So glad you all have been able to squeeze in a little rest. We continue to pray for many more of these happy days! And adding special prayers for Drake's knee. I can't even imagine his little body swollen so much. Looking forward to when we are able to see his beautiful pics again. Love to you all!
    Allen and Karen

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  10. As I read your previous post, I praised God for carrying those little ones through, being the Great Physician, hearing the prayers of many. I think the title should read, "The SON is shining on us today." It gives me such a happy heart to hear the two of them doing well right now, and Drake peeing (!) and not having a broken bone. I will continue to lift them up to our Father, as well as for mom, dad, and family.
    I think about my grandfather, who was born at 2 lbs. in the 30's, brought home from the hospital in a shoebox- if he made it without all this medical and technological advancement, these two definitely can, God willing.
    We appreciate so much the detailed updates so we know exactly what to pray for. You all have big group cheering you on, crying with you, being anxious with you, smiling with you, and praying for you. We've all grown to love these precious babies as if they were a part of our own families. May God continue to bless you.
    JD, New Braunfels

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  11. Glad to hear they keep doing so well, slowly but surely :) We just keep them in our prayers, handing them over to God, and he keeps making them stronger and stronger :)

    Keep it up Brian and Annie :) You two are doing a great job, and are excellent coaches for these two little fighters :)

    I know this road ahead is going to continue to be tough, even though it has been so rough so far, just remember these words that Jesus said:

    And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
    -Matthew 19:26

    Drake and Kennedy, are being taken care of by God, not just people, and with God, ALL things are possible :)

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  12. We are keeping up with you all in Gulf Shores AL. I am glad progress continues. Love you all.

    Kelley

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