Bennett had another good day and we thank God for that.  He had a good blood gas this morning and his air-flow pressure was reduced from level 3 to level 2, so we are thrilled about this.  Once the change was made it did not phase him at all, and he continued to go throughout the day requiring very little oxygen support.  These are huge leaps for our sweet baby boy whose lungs have been so incredibly sick.  The lungs are still healing and have a ways to go, but as he gains weight and grows new lung tissue to repair the damaged tissue, his lungs should only get stronger and stronger.

Bennett spent most of the day wide awake and enjoyed another mini-massage with mommy and Aunt Lorraine until a dirty diaper interrupted us.  He then spent 20-30 minutes lying wide awake in his crib looking at his new Rainforest animal mobile that plays Bach, Beethoven and Mozart music (he is already gaining an appreciation for the great classical musicians :)).  He had lots of snuggle time with mommy and practiced more bottle feeding, so overall it was a wonderful day.

We have been told that there is a strong chance that Bennett will physically be moved to "the Hilton" sometime soon, so we will keep you posted.  Since he was classified to Critical Care 2 this week, he is now considered stable and ready to start preparing to go home.  For him the biggest issue is consistent bottle feedings to ensure that he has the endurance to feed and continue to gain weight once he is home.  Since drinking from a bottle wears him out due to the effort it takes for him to breathe, suck, and swallow, we will patiently wait for his little body to build up the stamina needed.  We have been told that this will eventually happen, so please pray for Bennett as he trains for his "bottle feeding marathon". 

We found out today that Bennett's right diaphragm is definitely partially paralyzed, which confirms the doctors' suspicions that damage was done when the ECMO procedure took place.  They did an ultrasound to see how much activity the diaphragm was performing, and it was very little.  Over time it may recover and be active, or it may not - regardless, the doctors have told us that he should be able to compensate for it with his breathing as his lungs strengthen. 

We are looking forward to spending time with our angel boy this weekend and taking some more pictures - he is changing every day!  Today his hair was looking more and more red, so we may have a sweet carrot-top like Uncle Chris.  The nurses and doctors are all so happy to see how Bennett has progressed and are amazed at the strides he has taken in these 8 weeks.  We know that the strides taken are 100% because of God's power to save Bennett and heal Bennett.  Thank you to all who have prayed to God for Bennett's healing.

Have a great weekend!

Love,

Kelly, Travis & Bennett

We are home from a night with the prince.....he survived another bath given by mommy and daddy, he breast fed some more, and we had lots of snuggle time tonight.  Of course we had to leave him screaming with nurse Adele, but we have full confidence that she will calm him down and get him to sleep.  Nights from 10 pm -12 midnight are not exactly his finest moments, so we are already mentally preparing for these times once we get our sweet boy home.

Bennett had a special treat today - his great Aunt Lorraine is a massage therapist and came to show Kelly how to do infant massage on Bennett.  He absolutely loved it and was completely relaxed like jello the entire time.  Right after our massage session he had his PT/OT session and the therapist was thrilled with how "loosened up" Bennett was, so we hope to make his massage a daily event to help keep him "loose" and relaxed for his therapies.

Bennett has been having high blood pressure the past several weeks and has been put on some blood pressure medicine, so please pray that his blood pressure stabilizes.  We have been told by the nurses not to be too concerned considering his medical history, so we are hoping that everything is ok.  Tests have been done to make sure his kidneys are okay and at this point everything looks normal.  Please continue to pray for protection from any/all infection, for GOOD blood gases so that his air-flow pressure can continue to be weaned to zero, for complete healing of his lungs, brain, and right diaphragm, and for strength and endurance during his feedings.

Bennett brings such joy to us......even in our moments of complete exhaustion :).  When we look into those big blue eyes each day and night we know that he is a special little boy and we know that he is a gift from God.  We can't stop thanking God for the miraculous ways he has healed Bennett and we can't stop thanking each and every person who has prayed for healing on Bennett's behalf.  Thank you.

Love,

Kelly, Travis & Bennett

Bennett had another good day today, so we thank God for that.  Last night Travis and I tackled our first bath all by ourselves, and Bennett survived!  He probably didn't get scrubbed and rinsed as well as he gets when the nurses bathe him, but hopefully we will get better with time.  Travis got to bottle feed him after his bath, so that was some sweet time shared together.  Unfortunately Bennett later had a total melt-down and it took quite a while for daddy, then mommy, then nurse Rose, and then finally nurse Ashley to get the boy settled down.....when Bennett's not happy, NO ONE is happy.

Bennett continues to have physical therapy each day (of which he really enjoys!), and we continue to work on his feedings.  These are our main prayer requests right now as we look towards the hope of bringing him home with us once he is ready:  lungs, successful feedings (in terms of quantity and ability to breathe), his right diaphragm, and his neurological functions. 

As always, thank you all for your love and prayers for Bennett and for us.  All three of us have constantly needed them, and all three of us have constantly felt them from the very beginning.

If more updates become available tonight, we'll be sure to provide an update.  Otherwise, we'll plan to post again tomorrow.

Love,

Kelly, Travis, and Bennett

Bennett had a good day today!  He continues to work on feeding - both breast feeding and bottle feeding - and he now can drink about half of each his feedings from the bottle, so we are making baby steps towards drinking all his feedings from a bottle.  He continues to gain weight as well, so we are very thankful for this. 

Today Bennett spent most of the day receiving very little oxygen support, so this is a huge praise!  His air flow pressure setting is 3 right now, and the doctors are taking their time weaning that pressure to ensure his lungs are strong enough to do the work on their own.  We have been told that Bennett appears to be breathing slightly more comfortably without the large amount of effort that he was exerting early last week, so we are incredibly thankful for this.

Bennett may have a special x-ray done sometime this week to look at his right diaphragm to see exactly what activity is going on with that, so we will keep you posted.  He continues to be working with a physical therapist daily and she has been very positive about his response.  Since he spent 2-3 weeks lying flat on his back looking to his left while on ECMO, Bennett loves to arch his back when he is upset (or even just stretching) and looks left a lot.  We are working on bringing his shoulders in towards the fetal position and looking to the right as much as possible.  We also are working on loosening up the muscles in his hands since ECMO babies are known for keeping their hands tightened up in fists with their thumbs folded in......bless their hearts, that must be their best found coping mechanism.

Bennett's roomie Logan underwent surgery this afternoon and will be recovering from that tonight, so please be praying for him.  Both he and his family have already been through so much and our hearts are heavy for them today.

We are about to head to the hospital to see our angel boy, so we will update later if there are any changes, otherwise NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS and we praise God for that.

Love,

Kelly, Travis & Bennett

Bennett has had another good day overall.  He wasn't able to breastfeed, but he did take his highest dosage yet from the bottle.  He just has a lot to learn feeding-wise, so it may take some time.  But, overall, he's doing quite well and those cute little cheeks continue to become bigger and bigger!

Last night he was pretty agitated and they had to give him another dose of morphine, but they haven't had to give him any more so far today.  His sats and blood gases continue to be good, and his oxygen settings on the nasul cannula continue to be in the mid to low 20s.  This is all very good, but hey, it's what you'd expect for a baby who's now in "NICU 2" status, huh?!

Thank you all for your love, concern, and prayers for our precious boy.  He continues to do well, so we ask that you continue your prayers for his lungs, his right diaphragm, his feedings, and his neurological functions. 

I don't have any update on Logan today, so please continue your prayers for him as well.  Whenever he's able, I know Bennett is looking over at him and shouting words of encouragement!

We'll plan to post again tomorrow. 

Love,

Travis, Kelly, and Bennett

Bennett has had a good Lord's Day - we sang a few songs together, especially his favorite, "How Great is Our God."  Nurse Adele told us that he loved this song, and it's true - every time we sing it he just quiets down and looks around with those big blue eyes. 

His Tennessee Grana, Popper, and Aunt Mere have headed back home, and I think they all were able to get some good Bennett time.  One of the more humorous stories was a couple of hours ago when Popper handed him over to Aunt Mere for some final holding time before they left for the airport.  I looked down and noticed several "mustard spots" on the floor, and carefully followed the trail all the way up to Aunt Mere's pants and shirt!  Bennett was a little fussy, and we now could all CLEARLY see why!  Anyway, it was quite a funny scene (we'll post pictures of this later tonight). 

The big praise to share is that Bennett has now been labeled as "critical care 2" instead of "critical care 1."  This essentially means that he's been downgraded a level in terms of critical care.  He's been at 1 ever since he arrived, but now he's at 2!  He's probably going to continue to remain in the NICU 1 area, but his status is now a 2.  His breathing has improved, his feedings have improved, and his sats for the most part are all remaining in good levels.  We are so thankful for this news today.  I don't really know what else to say, other than "praise God!"

While the news is very encouraging, we're also ever mindful of how quickly things can change in the NICU.  With this in mind, we ask that you continue praying for the same things we've been praying for:  lungs, feedings, right diaphragm, and neurological functions.  When updates on any of these become available, we'll be sure to let you know. 

Also, please be in prayer for Bennett's roomate (his original roomate) "across the hall," Logan.  He's facing several challenges relating to his breathing, and the next 48 hours are very crucial for him and will determine what decisions the doctors decide to make.       

Thank you all for your love and for your prayers.  Have a blessed Lord's Day.

Love,

Travis, Kelly, and Bennett  

Sorry for the late post today - Bennett has had a good day, and he's definitely enjoying his time with his TN relatives.  Whenever he's wanted to be held, he's had plenty of willing arms! 

Bennett continues to feed well, so this is a huge praise!  He has both breastfed and fed from the bottle today, and is feeding from the bottle as we speak!  He loves to eat.  But again, what's most important is that he remembers to breathe WHILE he eats, but so far he's doing well at both.  We're so very happy that he's doing so well at both, for this is a huge step for ECMO babies.  Please pray that this continue. 

It's been a pretty uneventful day, but that's not a bad thing in the NICU world!  The baby steps continue, and sometimes they are very SMALL baby steps.  But at least they are baby steps in the right direction.  

Please continue your prayers for his lungs, his right diaphragm, his neurological functions, and for his feeding.  We'll plan to post again tomorrow.

With love to all and with constant thanks for your love and prayers,

Trav, Kell, and Bennett

Just a quick note to let you know that Bennett is doing well today - no major progress, but no steps back either!  His Tennessee grandparents and aunt Mere have arrived for the weekend and have brought some much needed "southern comfort" with them.  Bennett is already enjoying being held by his Grana and Popper, and I think his parents will be lucky if they even get to hold him while they're here!

His blood gases are good and his oxygen settings remain in the 20s (unless he has a famous "Bennett minute").  He was able to nurse a little more today, though it wasn't for as long as yesterday.  Sometimes the NICU can be so loud and has so many distractions that it's hard for him to concentrate, so we're hoping that he can do a little better whenever it quiets down some.

While his lungs are improving, he still isn't ready to come off the nasal cannula just yet, and we're just not sure when the "Hilton" or even "home" experience will come.  It could be days or weeks, but we're hoping for just days.  Overall, though, Bennett is doing quite well, and he continues to take steps forward across the tightrope.  One week ago today he was on CPAP.  Two weeks ago today he was still intubated.  He has come very, very far, and we are so proud of our little warrior. 

Thank you all for your love and prayers, and please continue lifting him up to the Father and praying especially for his little lungs, right diaphragm, his neurological functions, and his feeding.  If there are more updates tonight then we will let you know.  Otherwise, we will plan to post sometime tomorrow.

Love,

Travis, Kelly, and Bennett