Together Again

 Twins, Sisters, Friends....

Enjoying the summer from our deck!

Thanks Aunt Dana for the dresses!

Two more surgeries

On May 30th Bethany went to the Doctor with Respiratory Distress.  They immediately admitted us to Pullman Regional Hospital.  After chest x-rays and breathing treatments, she wasn't getting any better.  So Bethany and I took a ride in the ambulance up to Sacred Heart in Spokane.  She was stabilized and we waited for the weekend to get over so we could have the E,N,T, Dr. look at her upper airway.  The Dr. did a scope down Bethany's trachea and couldn't get passed her small airway that had mucous cysts down it.  So she did a tracheotomy. 
Bethany could finally breath easy.  She also had a better chance of gaining weight instead of burning calories breathing.  She had a hard time figuring out why she couldn't hear herself make sounds or cry. 
Five days after her trach surgery, she had a fundo plication done.  This surgery is where they take a part of her stomach and wrap it around the sphincter on the esophagus.  This makes it so she cannot vomit when she refluxes.  We stayed in the hospital for another week with a total of a 3 week hospitalization.  We were glad to get home, but nervous about all of the trach care.  We added 4 new machines to Bethany's equipment.  And a lot of medical supplies. The first few weeks were a challenge, but we made it through with a lot of help. Namely, my mom, Kris Sommers, Megan Sanchagrin (our new live in nanny, who is a junior in college), Melissa Williams, Laura Barrett, Jana Porter, and Michelle Hyatt.  They all helped out with Bethany and Alexa.  There were many more who brought meals and took care of the other kids.  We have been so blessed by so many wonderful people.  It sure makes the burden lighter! Thank you all for the prayers and help you've given us!

It's been almost 2 months since her hospitalization and she is coming along. She has gained over 2 pounds since then and is getting stronger everyday!  Unfortunately, she has an oral aversion and isn't swallowing or taking any food by mouth presently.  The surgeries have made her cautious of her airway.  So we are doing therapy to help with all that.  She has had two more procedures since her hospitalization.  The Ear, Nose, and Throat Dr. has dilated her airway to try and flatten the mucous cysts.  Her next procedure is Aug. 15th.  So hopefully when the Dr. uses the scope, she'll find the airway clear!  If the airway is clear, she will probably leave the trach in for a few more months to make sure.  We can't take it out anyway until Bethany can swallow and allow things in her mouth again. 
The next pictures you'll see of Bethany will be with glasses.  The last appointment we had to do after the NICU was an eye check-up.  Bethany is very far-sighted and requires glasses right away.  We just hope Alexa won't pull them off of her face!

Track Star

Josh completed his first year of track. The events he did was Long Jump and Relays. His record for Long Jump was 11 feet!

We were very proud of his efforts and dedication!

Princesses!!

Here are my beautiful girls in their blessing gowns!

Alexa Grace

Bethany Kristine

What a Blessing!

We have been blessed to have Bethany home now for almost 2 months!  Sorry for the late update, things have been crazy around here!  My mom had continued staying with us and being a huge help!
Having twins makes for a busy day. . .  The NICU was nice enough to get Bethany on the same schedule as Alexa.  It made the transition much easier.  The first couple of weeks were exhausting.  But, we soon got the hang of things.  Bethany has made great strides.  Every week she does much better with her feedings.  Alexa is a good baby.  She loves her naps and loves to eat.  She is filling out nicely.

Here are some recent pictures of their growth:

Alexa 4 months old

Bethany 4 months old

Bethany is getting better at feeding from the bottle.  We continue to feed her from the G-tube. 

We found out that Bethany has a liver disease that is genetic.  Brady and I are both carriers.

It's called Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency.  It means that her liver is missing an enzyme that breaks down free radicals.  It won't affect her much as a child, more so when she is an adult.  It also affects the lungs ability to filter free radicals.  So Bethany can never smoke or be around people who do.  Also, she can't live in a large city that has pollution.  Her levels continue to be low, so she is doing well.  She has labs drawn and will see her G.I. doctor regularly.

We were so happy to family travel to come to the Twins Blessing Day!

My dad and sister came.  Brady's parents, and my grandma and aunts Debbie, and JoAnn.

We had so much fun visiting and playing with the babies. 

A long awaited day. . . .

The girls Blessing day was so special.  It was so much fun to dress them up in their blessing gowns.  We were so happy to have 2 girls to bless and to have Bethany finally home with us.

So many blessings and so many prayers answered. 

What a Dream come true!

Easter 2012 for the Whole Family!!

We were so happy and felt so blessed to all be together for Easter.  We are so grateful to have Bethany home and so grateful for all of your thoughts and prayers!!

Coloring Eggs!

Baskets!

It's a Easter Miracle!!

The First Family Photo!

Homecoming!!

Brady and I made the trek to Spokane one last time!! We took a couple of cakes with us to Celebrate!!
It took awhile to discharge Bethany.  There were many instructions, also many hugs and well wishes!!  Here are some of the wonderful people that took care of Bethany and also looked out for the rest of us.

My mom and the boys had the house decked out when we came home!! It was so fun!

It was a challenge at first to figure out Bethany's feeding tube.  But, we soon caught on and things smoothed out.  Here are our first moments home. . .