Pollak Family - We're Growing!

Landon Smiling!

2012-01-29T09:30:00.000-05:00

Landon has a lot of sensory issues with his mouth (oral aversion) so we've been working with him to desensitize him and hopefully get him on the track to eating. The other night he was all about the electric toothbrush! It's taken awhile to get to this far and I love that he enjoys it now!!

Our little cheerleader!

2012-01-28T21:12:00.000-05:00

Hailey started cheerleading at the YMCA last week and had her first game this morning! She is THRILLED!! Our super babysitter Jess is the coach and she first mentioned it to us...she's been such a blessing taking Hailey to and from practice each week! Hailey gets some much needed big girl time! She's got some practicing to do, but you can see her excitement on her face! :)

She's on the far left side of the video :)

2 Year Adjusted Birthday!

2012-01-17T21:30:00.000-05:00

Now that they're chronologically 2, the docs and therapists don't take their adjusted age into account, but we do! If the crew would've gone full term, they should've been born today!

Happy 2nd Birthday (Adjusted)!!

I think technically at their last assessment they were 2yr (20 months adjusted) and Brooke was at 22months, Brennan was between 15-17 months and Landon was at 6-9 months. Regardless, we're incredibly proud of their progress!! More on Landon tomorrow (pictures of his new equipment) but I wanted to get this up on the special day!

I found this really comprehensive developmental checklist from University of Michigan's website. By 2 years of age does your child:

Motor Skills

drink from a straw (Brooke!)
feed himself with a spoon (Brennan & Brooke!)
help in washing hands (Brennan & Brooke!)
put arms in sleeves with help (Brooke & Brennan!)
build a tower of 3-4 blocks (Brooke & Brennan!)
toss or roll a large ball (Brooke!)
open cabinets, drawers, boxes (Brennan & Brooke!)
operate a mechanical toy (Brennan & Brooke!)
bend over to pick up a toy and not fall (Brennan & Brooke!)
walk up steps with help (Brennan & Brooke!)
take steps backward (Brennan & Brooke!)

Sensory and Thinking Skills

like to take things apart (Brennan & Brooke!)
explore surroundings (Brennan & Brooke!)
point to 5-6 parts of a doll when asked (Brooke!)

Language and Social Skills

have a vocabulary of several hundred words (Brooke-ish)
use 2-3 word sentences (Brooke's really close!)
say names of toys (Brooke)
ask for information about an object (asks, "Shoe?" while pointing to shoe box) (Brooke!)
hum or try to sing (Brooke!)
listen to short rhymes (Brennan & Brooke!)
like to imitate parents (Brennan & Brooke!)
sometimes get angry and have temper tantrums (Brennan, Brooke & Landon - EVERYONE has this down! :)
act shy around strangers (Brennan & Brooke!)
comfort a distressed friend or parent (Brennan & Brooke!)
take turns in play with other children (does any 2yr old?! We're working on it!)
treat a doll or stuffed animal as though it were alive (Brooke!)
apply pretend action to others (as in pretending to feed a doll) (Brooke, Brennan with help!)
show awareness of parental approval or disapproval for her actions (Brennan & Brooke!)
refer to self by name and use "me" and "mine" (Brooke!)
verbalize his desires and feelings ("I want cookie") (Brennan & Brooke!)
laugh at silly labeling of objects and events (as in calling a nose an ear) (Brooke!)
enjoy looking at one book over and over (Brennan & Brooke!)
point to eyes, ears, or nose when you ask (Brooke!)

Jammin' Babies!

2012-01-16T12:57:00.002-05:00

We have so serious dancing talent in our house! Everytime the music starts, they can't help themselves! And they have pretty good moves!

It's incredible how far they've come! I just couldn't get the image of them so small just 2 years ago out of my mind when they were dancing! Now they're moving all around, understanding and expressing themselves!

Playing in the snow!

2012-01-15T11:46:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago it was snowy but kinda warm so we took Hailey, Brooke & Brennan outside to play! It was Brooke & Brennan's first time all bundled up and they had no idea what we were planning! Brooke and Hailey had so much fun but Brennan got cold real fast and had to go in. He also wouldn't keep his gloves on!
Can't wait for more warm snowy days!

Christmas in January? Yep...I'm behind

2012-01-14T13:41:00.000-05:00

WOW, I've had this post started for 3 weeks! This year Christmas was so much fun! Hailey did her big sister job preparing Brennan, Landon & Brooke for Christmas! :)

Christmas with Grandpa, Grandma, Nana & Papa! Brooke is in LOVE with babies now! She sings them to sleep, feeds them, pushes in a stroller - I love it! She's such a spitfire but has a real sweet side when she wants to! Brennan's new love is books! He's usually bouncing all over but will sit still and read a book for an hour! I love this picture of Grandpa and Brennan reading :) Landon opened his present too! He's starting to get the concept of holding onto something and pushing buttons, making progress! Hailey was a big help too - reading everyone's name and passing out presents. She gets bigger everyday!

Christmas at home! Hailey woke up first again so we were able to have time with her opening presents. I love having that one on one time with her, she's handling having to share the attention really well but I miss spending so much time with her! Brooke & Brennan were up next and really got the concept of opening presents! This was really big for Brennan - he's working so hard on his fine motor skills! Landon got up last and wasn't in a very good mood...the others were more than willing to open his presents!!

Our usual tradition on Christmas is to go out in search of eggnog ingredients. We switch back and forth, who goes in the store/gas station and we see how far we have to drive to get all the ingredients and make homemade eggnog. We had some pretty worn out kids so didn't attempt it this year, but my parents came down and brought some! There's nothing better than homemade eggnog! We did venture out for dinner, found a restaurant/truck stop open and had a really good time! It took forever to get our food, but the kids were really well behaved and just had fun! To top it off, a lady came over to say hi, compliment us on the kids (can you believe it!!) and ended up paying for our meal! We wished we would've known when she was there so we could've thanked her! Nich & I figured when our kids are old and grown, we'll have Christmas on another day and do the same thing for a family. It was such a blessing!

Brennan's talking!

2011-12-11T21:37:00.000-05:00

This week Brennan said "mama" and dada" for the first time!!! Sorry for the delay in posting - first time using YouTube!

Much needed update!

2011-12-04T22:26:00.001-05:00

Here's a much needed update on all the kiddos! I've got time on my calendar to blog now so hopefully I'll be more consistent! :) Here's a group picture with my mom, Brennan, Brooklyn (with Brennan's glasses on), Nich, Me, Landon and Hailey watching the parade of lights in Howell honoring Joe.

Hailey, Hailey, Hailey! Over Thanksgiving my mom and I took her to the Nutcracker at the Detroit Opera House and we left it a surprise! I brought a dress she's been wanting to wear and had her get dressed and get in the car and didn't tell her until the show started! She was THRILLED!! She wants to start ballet and though we can't commit to it now, I thought we'd give her a taste! She's in Kindergarten and so smart! She's now the kids "teacher" and has taught Brooke to talk and is now working on Brennan! She's so good with them and so helpful to us!! So proud of her!

Brennan is the happiest kid! He's always smiling and bouncing out of his seat with excitement! He just learned how to give kisses (open mouth still unfortunately...) and is so proud of himself! If you're lucky enough to get one, better be ready for 10! He'll just keep going and going until your face is covered! Brennan's been doing really well catching up! He's walking steadier, following directions, playing with toys (instead of licking them). He goes to outpatient therapy twice a week for physical, occupational and speech therapy and making good progress! Brennan has a really carefree personality and unfortunately that gets him in trouble when Brooke's around. She's pretty demanding so we're trying to teach her to share and him to stand up for himself! She'll take a toy from him or push him down on a whim. Sisterly love I guess!

Landon got a new ride! Early On let us borrow this wheelchair/stroller until he can get fitted for his own and he's really liking it! We're just trying to figure how to bring Brooke and Brennan into daycare with him in there! Before Brooke would walk or be carried and we had the double stroller for the boys. We're learning! He was unofficially diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy mid November by PMR (Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation). The doc said he has good muscle tone, good range of motion and his back looks good but he's not sitting (really close though!!), crawling or putting weight on his legs. Soon we'll have a wheelchair/stroller, stander, bathing system and AFO's (feet braces). He'll be a different kid! I have to admit at first it was really hard to take - the diagnosis, all the equipment, it was a reality check that he really has severe disabilities and isn't just going to outgrow this. Before they were 2 they were just behind, now he's significantly delayed. I've come to the realization that he's going to be what he's going to be and a diagnosis and equipment can only help him! It's not going to limit him, he'll just have more opportunities to grow. He's getting stronger and healthier too - hasn't been in the hospital since October! Brooke, Brennan and Hailey are so good with him too - giving him kisses, patting him when he gets upset, getting him toys to play with....Brooke even tries to feed him when she gets snacks!! If she can get him to eat, more power to her!

Brooke is so much fun! She's pretty much caught up to other kids her age and is walking, running, playing, talking and very independent! She still has her 0-60 temperament but that's what has kept her strong! She's hilarious too! She knows just what to do to make you laugh! She reminds us so much of Hailey and we've even called her Hailey! Yesterday she went with me to food pantry and walked around visiting like a pro! I was still directing the food pantry when we found out we were pregnant with the quads and many of them have been keeping up with the kids and praying for them. It was such a blessing to be able to share Brooke with them! What miracles they are!

Catching up!

2011-11-06T23:00:00.003-05:00

WOW do I have some updating to do!?! I uploaded my pictures from my camera and had them back to the middle of September!

Brennan said his first word! This isn't the first time, but a clear video of them playing together and Brennan saying "Go!" He's definitely behind talking, but making progress. His words aren't as articulated as Brooke, but he's starting to repeat the syllables. It's a start!

Just some pictures, having fun!

Photo session, the morning of their 2nd birthday! Thanks to www.designedforbabies.com for these "Triple Threat" onesies!

Happy 2nd Birthday miracles!!

Pumpkin picking!

First toothbrush! Hailey was a terrific teacher! Brooke loves it, but the boys are way more apprehensive. They're getting there! I just bought a vibrating toothbrush for the boys hoping it will help with Landon's oral aversion and Brennan's need for lots of sensory input. They're getting much better!

I know, much more to update and I promise to be more faithful!! Landon's got a few big appointments coming up with Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation later this week (we're hoping to get a bath chair, feeding chair and wheelchair/adapted stroller) and next Thursday DeVos Children's Intensive Feeding Program assessment. It's like feeding bootcamp for 5-8 weeks and we'll find out at the end of the assessment whether he's a candidate or not! I'll keep you updated!! (PROMISE!)

God's Creation

2011-08-25T12:41:00.002-04:00

I took this picture while waiting in the parking lot at Krispy Kreme for Nich and Hailey to come out with their free donuts and LOVE it! Aren't you just overwhelmed with God's beauty! Looking at this picture and the sky on days like this seems like a little window into Heaven and all it's glory! Knowing Katelyn and all that have gone on before bask in this ALL THE TIME - I'm awestruck!

Along the same lines, but different weather...yesterday while Hailey and I were driving home, the weather came on the radio. I usually turn it down when I know rain is predicted to save her a little freak out but didn't and asked if I knew how it rained. I said I did, but asked if she knew. She said a big spiel that sounded right and I asked if she learned it at YMCA Camp (they had science week). She said "Nope, that's what Caliou learned when he was at school but I think God does it." She also found a new freckle that same trip and said "I think God knew I was getting bigger and just put it on me. "Again I was reminded, the faith of a child. She can be satisfied with the basic knowledge...God created it, God did it. God in all His magnificence.

Hailey's Spotlight!

2011-07-23T23:26:00.004-04:00

This weekend Hailey starred in the National American Miss Michigan State Pageant in Troy!! Back in the Spring she was invited to come to an open call and was selected from there as a state finalist and went on this weekend to compete! First of all we were so proud of her for even getting on the stage!!! She didn't place but had a great time and met some pretty great friends! Here's some pictures of my little princess in the spotlight!

She had to get up on stage at 7:30AM (!!) and introduce herself in front of the judges and the whole audience!

After with our new friend Keira :)

Waiting for her interview and got to pose with Miss Pre-Teen Michigan from 2010. All the 2010 Queens were so friendly and outgoing and so good with the little girls!

Doing the dance number on stage in the finale!

Hailey and Keira again after a great weekend's work!

Think we're a little proud of her?! She's adorable!!! Such a sweet and beautiful girl inside and out!

God gave us you

2011-07-20T07:18:00.003-04:00

I know it's been so long since I've updated the blog and honestly have been overwhelmed at how far behind I am and haven't had the umph to start until last night...Hailey was so incredible with Landon I actually couldn't wait to share!!!

Hailey and I like to read the book God Gave Us You (click here if you haven't read it!!) and it shows children just how special they are in God's eyes and in their parents. She always loves that God gave her to us - to Nich & I, not anyone else. Last night she was stalling going to bed after Brooke & Brennan were already down and asked if she could help take care of Landon before he goes to bed. (Sigh, she SHOULD be going to bed first, but how cute of her to ask!:) Made my mama heart melt!) She helped clean his g-tube site and actually put the gauze pads around it by herself. She helped give him is breathing treatments (pushed down the inhaler while I held it to his face). She helped push the meds through the syringe and was very careful to go slow. And she primed his feeding pump! She WANTED to do it!

Posing giving him is meds :)

Priming the pump

Landon & Hailey have always had a different relationship...he can't play the way Brennan and Brooke can yet she always makes time for him. She tickles him, feeds him (yep she's given him a carrot stick to lick!), plays with him while he gets his diaper changed and pats his tummy to calm him down when he's throwing a fit. It just made my whole heart smile, and I realized the same about Landon and each of the other babies. God gave us them. How many other 5 year olds would take time out of playing to take care of Landon like she does?! She knows about oxygen, feeding pumps, developmental delays, therapy, surgery, ambulance rides and doesn't shy away from them. God gave Hailey them just as much as he gave them to us. He knew what he was doing when he picked this big sister for these babies!

Play yard...our new best friend!

2011-05-26T23:21:00.006-04:00

Let me start by saying the babies LOVE being outside but keeping them in one place without them eating grass or dirt is so tricky! My parents had bought us a couple play yards and we broke them out this week! So nice!! While Hailey was at day care & Landon was sleeping, Brennan & Brooke got some fresh air!

The set up

Think he's enjoying himself?! He's the happiest baby I know!

Brooke was bouncing between toys and talking like crazy! She's getting so big!

Hopefully this video works, but they are jabbering up a storm! We LOVE being (contained) outside and enjoying the nice weather! Can't wait for the weekend...there's sun in sight! :)

Brooke's home and first steps!!

2011-05-18T11:26:00.000-04:00

Brooke came home Sunday afternoon, for a total of 6 days in the hospital. WOW what bonding time we had! The breathing treatments she was getting in the hospital woke her up at night even though it was through a nebulizer so nothing touched her face and she'd be WIDE awake for hours. 2 nights in a row she was up from 12:30am-5am and 1:30am-6am. I was at one point PLEADING with her to sleep but she was so wild and awake! She's still needing a little extra help with oxygen, so on .25-.5 liters at night and napping (when we can keep it on her!) and breathing treatments every 4-6 hours. She is not the the kid to have extra equipment with, but we manage and comfort her later. :) The drive home with her was so incredible - she was so giddy when we left the hospital and got in the car! She kept looking at me and laughing, keeping a sly smile on her face the whole drive - like she knew she was outta there! Hailey was waiting at the door for us and gave Brooke a big hug and kiss the minute we were inside! I'm so glad they love each other so much!!

Super exciting news....Brooke took her first few steps Sunday afternoon! Straight from the hospital, little nap, then walking!! I know we're in for it but I've been so ready for them to be toddlers! I feel like they've been babies forever and am really excited for her independence! Check out the video below - she's taking 2-3 steps!!!

2 hospital admits

2011-05-12T22:55:00.000-04:00

So let me start by saying this was STARTED on Monday!!! Having 2 babies in the hospital is so much work! Especially when one of them is Brooklyn :)

As scheduled, Nich and I brought Landon & Brooklyn to UM for their surgeries. Brooklyn was just getting ear tubes placed while Landon was getting eye muscle tightening (like Brennan for Strabisimus), ear tubes and circumcision. We got there about 6:30am, MUCH to early for the babies and got ready in pre-op. Both were prepped and ready to go at the same time but Landon went back first. Brooke was next case so waited behind a bit. We played like crazy and tried to keep her entertained as we waited. ** Side note - God has given us such peace about surgeries, that we kind of view them as "just another procedure" and don't worry about them. Our main worry was Landon's recovery. Pulmonary doc's ordered that Landon stay one night for

observation and here's where it starts to unravel.....(Landon's surgeries went great by the way!!)

Brooke got her sleepy medicine and was really loopy (and hilarious by the way!) so when it was her turn, we handed her off to the nurse anesthetist and off she went! We headed up to the Family Surgery waiting room to enjoy our very expensive, insurance paid for date! We weren't even up there for 10 minutes and got a call that the docs wanted to see us about Brooke. We got down there and she had o2 blow-by. She progressively got worse and ended up admitted on 3 liters nasal cannula. Thankfully both babies were in the same room which made it easier on me and we got a room all to ourselves! Both of them needed oxygen and breathing treatments. Landon started out needing more but then Brooke got worse just as he started getting better. They have bronchiolitis (from a virus) so it just has to run its course. Landon really surprised us and was able to come home on Thursday!! Brooke is still at UM and making improvements. She has a harder time oxygenating when she's sleeping and today has been on .5 liters o2 during the day and even was off for 4 hours (!!) but she needs 3-5 liters during the night. Here's pics of our crew! Pray she gets better fast!! :)

Landon hanging out! He knows the whole hospital routine :)

Feeling better, ready to go home!!

She kept breathing through her mouth so they had to put the cannula in her mouth. Creative!

Brooklyn not as thrilled...she stands at the edge and shakes the crib until you get her out to play! She's definitely not liking being confined in the crib and attached to the wall.

Landon can see!!!

2011-05-05T21:14:00.003-04:00

As I'm writing this tears are flowing! Check out this video of Landon SEEING the toy and playing with it! After his bath he was just laying on my lap and I put a toy in front of him and he GRABBED IT! He didn't have his glasses or his hearing aids in so it's clear proof that he can SEE! He was/is diagnosed with probable cortical blindness which means he's blind from his brain (his eyes work fine)...the vision pathways were damaged but the brain (and GOD!) are amazing and they must've re-written themselves! Last March the hospital did a test with electrodes on his head and measured his brain's response to light. They flashed a bunch of different lights, patterns of light flashes and at different spots in his vision path and he completely failed - his brain showed no response, thus the diagnosis of cortical blindness. Before he's always stumped us, not knowing if he heard us and responded or if he saw something and responded, but tell me this boy can't see!! PRAISE GOD!!

March of Dimes 2011

2011-05-03T23:15:00.001-04:00

What a fantastic day!! The weather was beautiful and we had so many family and friends supporting our family today!

Team LifeWays/Pollak Family! Look at all those blue shirts!

Hailey cutting the opening ribbon with the Mayor!

We were so honored to be the Ambassador Family for the Jackson County Chapter! We had the chance to share our story and show the importance of March of Dimes research. Our kids wouldn't be here without prayer and the advances March of Dimes has been able to make. Our kids have had most of the preemie complications and thanks to history, the doctors anticipated what may happen (and generally DID happen) and knew how to treat them, right at the onset. Incredible! Thanks for all your support, whether you walked, donated or were with us in spirit!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-27T23:05:00.003-04:00

Sadly this was our BEST attempt at a family picture of the kids! It totally shows everyone's personality though! Happy Easter! He has risen!

Our SUPER fun night at home!!

2011-04-18T23:58:00.001-04:00

To make you smile....man, I love our crazy life!

Hailey, Brennan, Landon & Brooklyn having serious play time!

Hailey absolutely LOVES matching Brooklyn and the girls had fun playing on Hailey's bed!

Brotherly love :)

They're actually playing TOGETHER! Nevermind that Brooklyn keeps opening the drawbridge on Brennan's head :)

When we first got home Brennan & Brooklyn were waiting for her and she gave them so much love!

No matter how crazy and overwhelming our lives get, this makes it worth it!! We're so blessed!

Landon and a UTI

2011-04-16T22:13:00.003-04:00

Landon's happy to be home!!

Wow what a week! Last Wednesday our grief support group had a potluck for spring break and we brought Brennan, Landon, Brooke & Daddy. Hailey was so excited to bring her family :) We realized about 15 minutes into the meeting Landon's oxygen was turned off so we turned it back on, a little higher than usual, to let him perk back up. He was still sleeping but his color was good so didn't think anything of it. After the group finished, we put everyone back in the car and when we put Landon in, he lost his color and stopped breathing. We got him back out and stimulate him and he started breathing again, fast, but steady. I rode in the back in case we needed to pat his chest again but he was doing better so we decided to head home (took the route by the hospital just in case, but he was looking good). We really were on the expressway for about 2 minutes when he did it again and went into a seizure. He lost his color, stopped breathing, his eyes shot open and he was staring, shaking and stiff. I turned up his o2 as far as it would go and was patting and shaking him but he wasn't responsive so we called 911. We got off at the next exit and met the ambulance at a gas station. They had to give him 15 liters of oxygen and breathing treatments and we ran with lights and sirens to Allegiance. They started an IV, gave him steroid and antibiotic and sent us with lights to UM. Within 45 minutes of us being there, his o2 dipped low to 52% so the doc's kept a closer eye on him. He stabilized and Nich ran out to the car for a minute and all of a sudden Landon wasn't moving any air. He wasn't breathing in - somehow his airway was swollen and they had to immediately intubate. They had a rough time and at one point his o2 saturation was down to 3% and heart rate in the 50s. They had to have him sedated so he wouldn't fight the vent (they know him all too well!) and admitted him to PICU. He was on the vent for 3 days, in ICU for 5 days and we came home on the 6th day.

So what in the world happened?!? A urinary tract infection (UTI). He spiked a fever on the ride home which sent him into a febrile seizure. This swelled his airway and threw his respiratory drive out of wack. Also, when they were trying to get a urine catheter, the balloon on the end that keeps it in place burst and 'traumatized' his urethra. Urology was able to get in a new catheter and he bled for 3 days. Crazy! He also got 2 teeth while he was in! The docs were also concerned about his airway being floppy but thankfully has checked out ok for now. We did come home with a suction that can help us get the buggers from the back of his throat. Since he has a weak cough, this will help get that junk out of his throat and he can breathe better.

This whole experience just took me back to the critical times just over a year ago. Even though he wasn't as sick, my mind went back there. I was able to stay at Ronald McDonald House (really our home away from home) and got back in the hospital swing of things. When the babies are sick, God is so near. He is still near, getting us through all these challenges, but it's really evident when I'm exhausted, out of my comfort zone and away from home. We are so thankful for the strength and comfort God can give! There's now way we'd get through all of this without Him!

March for Babies Call to Action!

2011-04-05T13:27:00.000-04:00

It's that time again! March of Dimes, March for Babies is right around the corner in our community and our family is so honored to be selected as the Ambassador Family for 2011!! Please take a moment and donate if you can to support March of Dimes as they provide research to prevent premature birth, provide the best outcomes for preemies and support for families. (click the picture on the right!)

Brennan (A), Landon (B), Katelyn (C) and Brooklyn (D) just hours old!

Here's a link to show the impact March of Dimes' research had on our miracles! I also found statistics from the Quint Boenker Preemie Survival Foundation. 23 weekers have a 17% survival rate! We our confident that God has a plan for our little miracles! If it wasn't for His Hands and the knowledge he's given the doctor's, they probably would not be here.

Though we're so excited about the progress and advancements Brennan, Landon and Brooklyn have benefited from, we still remember Katelyn and the work that still needs to be done! We're proud, passionate parents of miracles and an angel!

18 months!

2011-04-01T11:55:00.001-04:00

Wow! Time is sure flying! I can't believe the babies are 18 months old! They're getting so much more fun and definitely their own personalities! Instead of photo's this month, here's video's! They're so active, I love to catch it on video!

Brennan Nicholas Birth weight 1lb 4oz, 18 months weight 17lbs 10oz

Brennan is doing great! He's had the rest of his surgeries and hopefully they'll be the last! Since his eye surgery he's been able to sit STILL (not wobbly), standing STILL and playing with toys! Hence the video! Make sure to have your sound on so you can hear Hailey's commentary! :) Before he was always licking them and kinda flicking them with his fingers, but he can focus on things now! It's so cool to see! Brennan's in the running now for walk first too! He's fearless! He doesn't quite have the one foot in the other concept but he's totally fine letting go of our hands - and falling on the floor sometimes! :) He generally just gets right back up again! Brennan's also our little garbage disposal! He's eating so good by spoon and about 8oz at a time from bottle. Brennan and Brooklyn are now drinking Pediasure instead of Neosure formula! We're mixing it half and half with milk, otherwise it's a pretty potent drink. It's definitely doing the trick and he's gaining weight! He's also keeping his glasses on much better which will help his eyes to heal right. We're working with him on crawling (not army crawling, but on his hands and knees) and going from sitting to crawling and back up again. He's going to PT & OT twice a week and Early On is coming in once a week. That heavy dose of therapy is really working! He's such a silly, happy boy and really doing great!

Landon James Birth weight 1lb 7oz 18 month weight 21lbs 3oz

Landon, Landon, Landon! Landon's still recovering from his pneumonia a bit, but he's getting more and more active! He's also getting kind of a diva personality too! He throws a mean fit, but the trouble is he really needs to breathe during his fits! He's learned to hold his breath and play games with his breathing. He's not retracting or having trouble, just sometimes holds his breath and laughs once you tickle him. Crazy kid! Really exciting news for Landon is from his neurosurgery follow up appointment - they did an MRI to check on his hydrocephalus and it's VERY well under control! Before there was probably 2 inches of empty space around this ventricles and now there's maybe 1/4 inch! His brain has filled in the rest of his skull which means his brain is growing and new connections/skills are happening! Landon has been hitting milestones like putting things in his mouth, playing with his toes, holding things with both hands and he even said mama! My heart just overflowed! The sky really is the limit with this kid! Just as Nich and I kinda get used to the idea of having a severely impaired child, he does something new! He's so much more fun to play with (not feed, but we're working on that!) and actually interacts with us! Landon's going to PT & Speech Therapy twice a week and sees Early On at home once a week. Full schedules, but so worth it!!

Brooklyn Danielle Birth weight 1lb 3.5oz 18 month weight 17lbs 13oz

Brooklyn is still quite the diva and we're working on curbing that stubborn independence towards talking and helping us understand what she wants/needs. We're working on sign language, pointing and of course talking. Once she has your undivided attention, she is an angel, but the minute she has to share or isn't getting what she wants, better watch out! It's like breaking a wild mustang! Developmentally she's pretty much on track! Even though she and Brennan are doing a lot of the same things, her skills are a little more refined. She's got a pretty good spoon feeding technique - very proper! :) We're working with her and Brennan to lose the bottle but they don't get the concept of a sippy cup. Brennan's getting better, but Brooke preers a real glass. She takes sips out of our cups very well! She's also standing by herself (leaning on something most of the time, but at least she's confident!) and motoring all over the house either pushing this toy or holding our fingers. This video was the first time she pushed the toy without needing one of us to hold on to her! She's babbling and saying some words, but we're working on comprehension. She can say dada, mama, baba, but I'm not entirely convinced she knows what they mean. She goes to OT & Speech Therapy twice a week and sees Early On at home once a week. She's doing really well with gross motor, but needs a little help with the finer things.

We continue to thank God everyday for these miracles! And you all for all your prayers that have got them to this point and carrying us all as our lives get busy and complicated! When we were in the hospital for both Brennan & Landon, it was really cool to see the reactions of staff (nurses, residents, anesthesiologists) that didn't know their histories when we told them they were 23 week surviving quadruplets! These babies really are doing well!

Brennan's (hopefully) last surgeries!

2011-03-25T23:17:00.003-04:00

So last Wednesday Brennan had his hopefully last surgeries! He had tubes in his ears, circumcision and orchiopexy. (Check out the link for what orchiopexy means...so not used to having boys!!) He was first case so we had to be there at 6:30am to register for a 7:30am surgeries. So thankful for Kellie for coming over at 5am so we could leave and got Hailey on the bus and Brooklyn to daycare! :) All went well - tubes were first because they took about 5minutes. There was fluid behind his eardrum so the tubes will help drain the fluid and prevent future ear infections - the boy has had them once a month since at least November! Next was Urology's turn and they were doing exploratory surgery to find his other bean (knew he had one, but was on a search for the other). They didn't find it, just the blood vessels that should be attached to it so removed them (leaving them in could put him at a high risk of cancer when he's older). This was actually the best case scenario (not for him!) since if they did find it they'd have to remove it and move it to where it's supposed to be. They also found plastic (?!?). Yep, that's what the surgeon said! We have no idea how it would've gotten there and even if we really really heard him right. They were sending the piece to pathology to learn more, but weird! We should know more in a week. Brennan was such a trooper! He was really sore and so confused about what had just happened when he woke up that we spent a little extra time in the recovery room. In about 45min he was back to himself, riding in the stroller with Landon and eating everything in sight! No easing back into his appetite! The only bad news...he can't jump for 3 weeks! Brennan lives to jump! He can't be in a saucer, jumper or any wrestling with Landon! :) He's doing LOTS of tummy time and working on standing/sitting - lots of therapy homework that doesn't involve jumping!

Brooke & Landon are recovering well from their pneumonia and should be on the surgery docket for early-mid May, since they have to wait 6 weeks from diagnosis. After having Brennan go through each of these procedures, I think God knew what he was doing rescheduling them so we wouldn't have such sore babies! :) So thankful for all your prayers for all of them! I can't wait for them to be healthy and we can just play and enjoy them! We're so comfortable with UM and hospital settings, but ready for a break!

Katelyn's Sunset Picture

2011-03-14T22:04:00.002-04:00

Taking a bit of a break from all the sickness in our family, I have been waiting very impatiently for Katelyn's name to written in the sand at Christian's Beach in Australia and it was done and posted on Sunday! Please click here to see our angel's name.

Carly lost her son Christian in 2008, born stillborn and she has created such a ministry in his name. She write angel's names in the sun and photographs it with the beautiful Australian sunset. The website only has open waiting list at certain days and I've been waiting for almost 16 months to catch the site open and last Saturday it was! I was so excited that I quickly registered Katelyn's name then when I checked her place on the waiting list it hit me. My daughter died and her name is on a list of all other angel babies. It really caught me off guard and it was so hard to see her name in print and know that it'll never be on a report card, wedding invitation, her name is stuck back on September 27, 2009 5am. I talked with the grief group that Hailey and I go to and ironically many others had also dealt with seeing their loved ones names on a list. There was just something about the finality of her death, even though I know it happened, that was a clear reminder. It is comforting knowing this photo isn't just photo-shopped...Carly took time to remember my daughter's brief stay on this earth. She celebrated Katelyn's life with us, if even for a second.

Carly does such beautiful work, seeing this picture just brings a sense of peace. How beautiful is her view of the sunsets! How awesome just hanging out in the glory of the Lord! Her photos bring a glimpse of that beauty and awe, and it's an incredible reminder to me where Katelyn is. I'm sure she is basking in the warmth and beauty of His love and that's what I think of every time I see the sunsets. Their website has a quote "At the end of the day, all the children of heaven come together to paint the colors of the sunset." Thank you God for giving us a glimpse of Your beauty with my angel's name on it!

Landon's trip to the hospital

2011-03-12T22:11:00.004-05:00

Thanks all for your prayers for Landon! Also, sorry I didn't get the word out better, my cell phone died and I didn't have a charger! Thursday morning Landon was sleeping as his gtube feed was going in and coughed then started gagging a bit and threw up mucus. It still seemed like he was still gaggy so we got him out and patted him on his side for him to get the rest of it out and suddenly he stopped breathing. His eyes kinda went in the back of his head and it looked like he was sleeping but chest wasn't rising. We patted his back trying to stimulate him to breathe (he needed this last time he was having trouble) and he'd gasp for a breath every once in awhile. Brought him out to the family room, gave him a couple puffs of Albuterol inhaler, opened his airway, kept patting and hooked up the oxygen monitor since he was starting to turn colors and he was sating 64%. Nich cranked up his o2 from 1/4 liters to 2 liters and he was still sating low 90s. It took about 5 minutes but he started breathing consistently again. I went up to take a shower in case we needed to take him in and just when I got in Nich called up that he did it again and was going to call the ambulance. Of course by the time they got to our house he started opening his eyes and was sating better, but this had went on for about 20 minutes. They listened to him and said he was moving air well but advised us to follow up with our pedi. He was busy, so we went to the ER. There Landon was sating well so they just observed and just after we talked about getting ready to go he dropped out of the blue to 59%. ER doc decided to do a chest and abdominal xray and came back that he had severe bilateral pneumonia (he had a small pocket of pneumonia diagnosed 2/23 but we thought he was getting a lot better). They quickly decided to transfer us to UM since they couldn't handle him. So, after 5 hours in their ER, we went for an ambulance ride to UM and sat in their ER for 6 hours. Long story short....Landon has baseline bad lungs. No new pneumonia, just that hospital didn't have an idea of what Landon's BPD lungs look like. Here's a picture to compare...big picture is BPD lungs, not Landon's just from Google Image Search :) Top left is healthy baby lungs, bottom left is bilateral pneumonia lungs. That was an easy mistake to make. Good news - no pneumonia! Bad news - he has really sick lungs all the time. We didn't realize how fortunate he/we've been to stay out of the hospital so much! Kids with BPD generally have a lot of respiratory issues that require hospitalization, no wonder when you see how sick their lungs are! So what happened?? We think he may have somehow aspirated some of his tube feeding (a bit got into his lungs probably when coughed/threw up), which probably sent him a bit into a respiratory distress bout. So thankful it wasn't anything worse! He's at home, on 1/4 liter o2 and doing great!

Jumping in Muddles!

2011-03-05T11:09:00.004-05:00

Oh to be a kid again! Hailey took advantage of the flood advisory :) After breakfast she found her new raincoat (thanks Nana!), Barbie rain boots and headed out to jump in the muddles (mud-puddles). I just love that she calls them muddles!

I caught her in action!! I was inside feeding the babies but could hear her belting out her song and quickly grabbed the camera! I LOVE this girl!!

Brennan's Surgery Update

2011-03-03T21:47:00.003-05:00

So WAY behind blogging! I actually uploaded my pictures from my camera tonight and had ones on there from January 27! WOW! Now that they're on my computer, hopefully that'll motivate me a little more to get them out to you!

So Brennan had his eye surgery to fix the Strabismus on Monday. Landon was supposed to have the same surgery right after Brennan but a few days before we found out he had pneumonia...never goes according to plan! Here's before and after pictures! His eyes constantly raced but now looking at these pictures, I realized how bad his eyes were.
The after picture isn't very good but I really wanted to get a picture of him tonight! He did so good! The nurses said he didn't cry at all and willingly went with anesthesia! That made it much easier on us! :) It was a 45 minute outpatient procedure and we met him back in the recovery room right after he had woken up. His eyes were actually bleeding and it made it really hard for me to look at him and feed him (I had to feed him a bottle to show he could keep food down) because I was looking at his bloody face. He is so strong! We was a little whiny the ride home and that evening, but he was playing when he got home like nothing was wrong! The surgeon said it'll probably be 8-12 weeks until we know the final result of how his eyes took to the surgery, but he looks great so far! He opened his eyes at least midway and can focus on things! It was so cool to watch him really see things! This was the best surgery ever, no complications and we saw immediate results! God is so good! Our next round of surgeries are March 23 - Brennan & Brooke will get tubes, Brennan will be circumcised and have his other boy surgery. Landon has to wait 6 weeks from his pneumonia diagnosis so probably not until early-mid April. Keep us in your prayers!

The Heart of a Micro Preemie

2011-02-15T20:30:00.001-05:00

A little different of a Valentine's Day post, but reading this today just really inspired me! Borrowing this text from an email I received today from the Graham's Foundation (a support organization for parents of micro-preemies)...

"The human heart is such an amazing thing. Over a lifetime, one heart will beat 2.5 billion times and move the equivalent of 250,000 gallons of blood through 60,000 miles of blood vessels. The heart does the most physical work of any muscle.

Even more amazing is the heart of a micro-preemie...a heart not much bigger than a cashew. Very early preterm infants are more likely than full-term infants or even later-term preemies to be diagnosed with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and cardiovascular malformations. And yet those tiny hearts beat with amazing strength, having had plenty of practice even though a micro-preemie's time in the womb is far shorter than it ought to be. "

-- Doesn't this just get you energized!! Our babies are just AMAZING! Having the heart of a cashew! They each went through the PDA ligation and their little titanium clips they used to close the PDA were only millimeters long. Brooklyn was the smallest baby they had ever done a PDA ligation on! Isn't it just incredible that something so small can sustain life and do the job it was intended to do! Reading this, I just stood in awe of God's workmanship. We are truly his creation - is there any other explanation that a heart the size of a cashew could keep my babies alive!? These tiny hearts overflowed with God's goodness and every beat was for His Glory! This Valentine's Day, though remembering a little bit differently, reminds of us of His love and our love as parents. We also remembered Katelyn, though her heart not beating as strong, was perfect for what God needed her to be. As tiny and young as she was, filled our hearts with such indescribable love.

We did the typical Valentine's Day too - Nich bought Hailey & I flowers (actually Hailey's was from her "secret admirer"), Hailey wrote out about 30 Valentines to school and day care friends, but tonight we picked out the perfect Valentine's for two super special people. Hailey's class made Valentine's for veterans that are in the VA Hospital and she wanted to send one to Uncle Joe because he was her soldier. Even though Katelyn couldn't read hers, we didn't want her to feel left out :) Such a thoughtful sister!

Brooke helped Hailey pick out Katelyn's, a pretty purple flower.

Hailey picked out Uncle Joe's (a smelly Shrek one!) and wrote out Uncle Joe & Katelyn's names on their Valentines and we sent them off! They actually didn't get stuck in a tree this time!!! First time ever! :) Happy Valentine's Day! Wishing you all the love!

Next surgery round - a whopper!

2011-02-06T22:48:00.003-05:00

We've known since they were born that when the boys turned 1 year adjusted they'd need to be circumcised (they were much too fragile to do it while they were still admitted). Nich took them to their January Urology appointment and we were planning to get a date scheduled...turns out the boys need more boy surgery, both different. Brennan's missing a nut...they need to do exploratory surgery to find it since it may even be in his abdomen! Landon has had a hydrocele for awhile and they feel it's not resolving itself and may cause other issues so are planning to take care of it.

8 days later they all went to their Opthamology appointment and left with the boys needing eye surgery...total surprise! Brooke's eyes are right on track but the boys are starting to go cross-eyed (called Strabismus). She has a degree of this but not warranting surgery. Read the link if you have a chance - it's really interesting what happens and the eye muscle surgery they can do. It may not work 100% but will help the eyes look in the same direction and hopefully not confuse the brain. :)

8 days later they all went to their Audiology & ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) appointment and they all need tubes in their ears! We were kinda expecting that for Brooklyn, hoping for Landon (this means part of his hearing loss is conductive/fixable!!!), but were surprised for Brennan! Since Nov, she's had 4 ear infections and Brennan has had 3. Thankfully they're such tough kids we didn't even know and were taking them in for something else!

So all in all, walking away with 9 surgeries/procedures scheduled that we learned about within 3 weeks! Brennan & Landon - 4 each and Brooke scoots out with just 1. We're hoping to do this all the same day, sometime in February. I know you're thinking we're probably crazy and torturing ourselves/the babies, but 1 round of anesthesia, 1 surgery day and 1 recovery round! They'll book 3 OR's and go right down the line! We're really praying the babies go through this well. We're praying Landon's lungs will be strong enough to get right back off the vent! This time around feels so different, even though we've already been through 19 surgeries between the three babies, this time they've been home for so long and they're older! Every time we go back, memories fill with what it was like 16 months ago. Turning them over to the doctors and surgeons is so hard but God's going before us, which is our strength!

16 month development

2011-01-27T13:35:00.000-05:00

As promised and almost on time! :) I also FINALLY sewed Hailey's American dress up dress! Feeling a bit motivated!

So here we go...bear with me this is a way over due update but so exciting!! We are having serious fun with the kids!

This is how we get things done! :) Brooke is such a ham and a bully - she was playing with everyone else's toys, yet giving this sweet little smile.

Yep, they play like this! He's not even phased by it and she'll crawl all the way across the room just to lay on him.

Brennan Nicholas 16 lbs 15 oz (birth weight 1 lb 4 oz)

Brennan's eyes are starting to settle down and not racing as much! This is giving him better balance and he's actually sitting by himself! He's such a scrawny boy that we're pretty much feeding him nonstop to keep up with how active he is! We found baby food jars that are 180 calories each - talk about packing on the pounds! :) He's growing well, just skinny! I know he doesn't have them on in this picture, but we're working with him for 5-10 minutes at a time a couple times a day to keep his glasses on. He was doing really well, but then got curious and pulls them off to lick them when we're not looking. That's how he's figuring things out...licking everything in sight! Kinda weird, but makes sense with his visual impairments. Brennan's also starting to craw/scoot! I really think he has it in him to be up to speed as Brooke but he's a really laid back baby. He's rolling over with no problem and now pulling toward things with his arms - doesn't quite have his legs coordinated to motor all over but he can get where he wants to!

Landon posing with his bottle! He looks thrilled right :)

Landon James 21 lbs 11 oz (birth weight 1 lb 7 oz)

This little turkey is doing great! I know I've said this before, but he's just on his own schedule! He's working with Physical Therapy (PT) and Speech Therapy to work on the skills he needs a little help mastering - sitting, crawling and eating. His therapists really believe in him and I know that makes so much difference! It makes us feel really great having them work with him too! He's doing a lot of small (but key) developments that some people may miss, but we're checking them off in our minds. Like the picture above in the exersaucer...he's standing flat foot! He used to always stand on his tip toes and this shows he's getting more control of his legs and knows that they do something :) He's sitting with much less support and when he rolls over his legs get right up in the crawling position but he doesn't have strong enough leg muscles to get his big belly anywhere! His muscle strength is something else we're working on. Even though he's almost 22 lbs, he's like a rock because he hardly sustains himself! He's getting better but used to be like sack of potatoes!

Brooklyn Danielle 16 lbs 3 oz (birth weight 1 lb 3.5 oz)

Brooklyn is doing great!! She's such a ham! We're getting through the days of her being our "drama llama" for all of you who know the "Llama llama red pajama" books! :) For the longest time her face used to be a permanent frown, one that I'd never seen before but it's so easy to get her to smile and play! A couple weeks ago she had one on one time with Meme whil Nich and I got away to Boston and she has been a different kid since! Thanks Meme!! :) So, what's Brooke doing...crawling on her hands & knees (knees are a big deal and have took a long time to learn!), taking steps with a push toy and holding onto our fingers, becoming more social, clapping, switching toys from hand to hand and eating us out of house and home! This girl is the biggest snack food junky we know! Since Nich and I rarely take care of them together, one day between the 2 of us she ate an entire package of puffs! She's playing us already! :)

Video's!!! Brooklyn taking her first steps and her playing so sweetly with Landon! I can't stress how much FUN it's getting now that they're able to play more, be more active (I know we'd better watch out!) and are more social! We thank God every day for them and how great they're doing developmentally! They are such blessings!!

1 Year Adjusted Birthday!

2011-01-17T22:40:00.007-05:00

Can you believe it!? The babies due date if they lasted full term would've been January 17 so today we celebrated their 1 year adjusted birthday! I'm hoping to post a developmental update in the next few days - I've got some great video's of them! Around 2-3 years old preemies usually catch up and they don't need to go by their adjusted age. Since they were born so early, they give them 4 months handicap. :) In September they couldn't have cake and I really missed getting the cake/frosting all over so we had that tonight! Enjoy!

I made a healthy baby cake of flour, baking soda, applesauce & milk because they haven't really ate much people food. Frosting was made of cream cheese, applesauce and vanilla. It was disgusting, but they ate it and Hailey actually loved it!

Brennan digging in!

Landon got in on the fun even though he couldn't eat any cake!

Brooke wasn't shy and had frosting everywhere!

And to finish it off, a video of our night!

Landon's firsts!

2011-01-04T21:24:00.004-05:00

Just home from the hospital and he hits the ground running! Today Landon got his first hair cut - his first REAL one, the neurosurgeons saved his hair when he they shaved his head for the shunt :). I started the haircut because I do Hailey's, but quickly realized I have no idea how to cut boys hair! Nich finished his new do and he looks quite handsome!

Before

After

Landon also got his first tooth today! We've been waiting for his bottom since his gum is pretty much transparent there, but he shocked us and has a top middle one! Couldn't get a decent picture that didn't look weird :)

Next first - he laughed!! He's getting his voice back! It's faint and probably 1/2 way though this video, but so cute!

He's making so much progress and we're so proud of him! He is on his own schedule and we just remember that when we get discouraged. He seems to just get by day to day, then all of a sudden has a development explosion! And to think, he was supposed to be a blind, deaf vegetable! He just melts my heart! God is sooooo good!

Heading Home!!!

2011-01-03T11:21:00.003-05:00

You read that right!! After 7 days in the hospital this boy if jumping ship and feeling much better! He ended up skipping moderate care (our luck would have it the 2 others from PICU moved, but Landon's bed was taken by the evening) so we waited one more day in ICU (3.5 total) and moved right up to general yesterday evening! As hard has it has been to be here and see him so sick, we have been so supported and in feel like we're in the right place! Since he's been here a total of 4 residents, 2 interns, 4 Respiratory Therapists and a slew of nurses have taken care of him this week and also knew him from the NICU!! Talk about being excellent care! We also saw 4 former surgeons, 2 dietary people and 2 security guards that we knew from the last stay! WOW! The Pollak babies are kinda famous at U of M! :) The RT he had yesterday took care of him the day he was born and did a double take! The medical team at UM know our kids inside and out and that feels so reassuring! It was nice to see familiar faces :)

Moving to Moderate Care!

2011-01-01T11:50:00.005-05:00

Look at this miracle boy! He's moving to moderate care (step between ICU & general) sometime today if the moderate care discharges stay on course and a bed is free! I think he just wanted a tour of the hospital :) He's feeling so much better! Last night when the doctor came in to check on him, he stood back in amazement, smiled and shook his head. He said given Landon's Chronic Lung, BPD and history and how he looked Thursday morning, this should've been so much worse. He said Landon's recovering so well and so quickly! God's got his hand on our son and it's incredible to have front row seats to see these miracles! Take a look how Landon's feeling now!!

He moved to the regular nasal cannula today and to 1 liter (at home he's on .5). Breathing treatments every 4 hours and continuous Gtube feeds and tolerating everything well!

Moving to the PICU

2010-12-31T11:28:00.002-05:00

What a roller coaster! We should've expected it because it seems that's how things go with our kids, but Landon was doing great Wednesday, down to 1 liter of o2 but slept most of the day. Overnight Wednesday his o2 saturation kept dropping and a few times really low (40s and 50s again). Needless to say I had only gotten about 1 hr of sleep in the 2 days because of his monitor going off and needing to stimulate him. Being on the general floor, the nurses have quite a few kids so it's hard to for them to give him so much attention. He wasn't really giving much of a fight when they suctioned his nose and wasn't breathing hard enough to trigger the inhalers for breathing treatment so they consulted with PICU and ended up transferring him Thursday about 8am. His heart rate was really low and o2 sats continued to drop. They put him on Si-PAP, which is like CPAP but interactive so it responded differently depending on his breaths but also gives an extra puff of support every so often. This helped open his lungs so he'd get good breaths. Because of his poor condition when he was admitted to PICU, they wanted to get a PICC line (IV that runs through his veins so they can get more accurate heart rate readings & administer meds quickly) and were thinking he needed to be on the ventilator again if he didn't improve quickly. I think that was enough of a threat because he perked up and was more stable. :) It worried us because we kept having flashbacks to the Human Metapnemonia Virus back in January. He deteriorated so quickly and needed a lot more breathing support. After a few hours of Si-PAP he started waking up, being more alert, keeping his saturation and heart rate up so they were pleased. He was able to transfer back to nasal cannula for about 7 hours then Si-PAP again. He rotated between the two overnight too.

Landon when he first got on Si-PAP

Happy, alert, feeling better! I tried to upload a video but it's not working, but he's been hilarious!

So what in the world happened?? His blood cultures grew Strep A Bacteria. This was really concerning because though it's the same bacteria that gives you strep throat, can be fatal in at risk patients (ie Landon with his COPD and using steroids). The Strep bacteria can spread to your lungs, bloodstream and other organs. With his Chronic Lung Disease it's really easy for lung infections to spread to his bloodstream and from there it can access other parts of his body that the blood flow to. Thankfully they caught it early and started him on antibiotics and he's showing positive signs. They started his feeds last night and he did really well so today he's going to get continuous feeds at a slower rate than usual and hopefully tomorrow be back up to his regular feeding schedule tomorrow! We had a really hard time understanding this yesterday when the doctors were telling us. How in the world can strep throat land you to the ICU!?! I did a little research online and understand a lot better. We'll definitely have to keep a really close eye on Landon for awhile with his chronic illness. He's a lot more susceptible to illnesses and they'll affect him a lot worse that a healthy person.

He's in droplet precautions so we have to put on gowns, gloves and masks (Nich should've had his on!)

Since he's in the PICU and great hands, I was able to get into Ronald McDonald house again and got a great night sleep, took a shower and even checked my email! :) I can't even express how thankful we are for this place! It truly is our home away from home. After living on the general hospital floor, not having a place for my things, taking a shower in the community bathroom, eating dry microwave dinners, I really appreciate unpacking my suitcase and sleeping in a bed. When he was going through all of this on the general floor, I was so incredible exhausted. I was emotional and even cried a few times because of how exhausted and stressed I was. But a good night sleep is so helpful! I have a fresh mind to understand what's going on with Landon and his treatment course. When I checked in, the managers knew me, I went right up to a new room (our 3rd out of the possible 29), unpacked my suitcase and got my room together. I met a couple new families that are going through hard things with their babies and we quickly bonded over the stress and worry of our sick kids. We know this world all to well, and I'm so thankful for the support. It's still hard to see Landon go through this and be away from home and family, but the normalcy and support makes it easier. Praying for a healthier, less crazy new year!!

Landon's got a bug

2010-12-29T14:10:00.000-05:00

I know many of you have been supporting us on Facebook and we appreciate more than you know! It's so great to know so many people are praying for our family!

I just wanted to recap what happened and update you all on how Landon's doing now...He's had a cold for awhile like all of us but yesterday morning he dropped his oxygen saturation to 39%, supposed to be 94-100%). He was blue/grayish and Nich called 911 to send an ambulance. He got a breathing treatment on his way to the hospital, another 2 when he got to Jackson and needed 4 liters of oxygen to maintain good sats. Jackson thought he needed higher level care so transferred him to UM. In the ambulance was able to go down to 1 liter but when we got to UM ER needed 4 again. He had another big drop to 29% in the ER which thankfully the doctor saw. He received 3 more breathing treatments which really help to open his airways and break up the gunk. The rest of the time his saturation was pretty good. But when he holds his breath (BPD spell) he can go down fast! Since he did well for a good couple hours after that he was transferred up to general care rather than the Pediatric ICU. Hooray!

Landon hanging out in the ER, feeling pretty good! He's so precious!

We finally got situated in his new room after midnight and he had a rough night with desats. The respiratory therapist (RT) was in every 2 hours for breathing treatments and nurse was in every hour to do an assessment. Between our visitors and his desats, I got about 15-20 minutes of sleep at time. Landon was pretty restless and he had a couple major drops to 40s-50s that needed stimulation to help him breathe deeper. The morning rounds didn't do so good since he had a rough night and in the morning (like every morning) needed lots of suctioning. They wanted to move him to moderate care so the nurses would have a little more time with him, but there wasn't any room so we gave it a try staying here. He's been an angel! Played for a little bit but mostly catching up on much needed sleep. We've been able to wean his oxygen down to 1.5 liters so we're on our way! Just not telling him :) He's generally on .25 liters at home, .5 with a cold. He's needed blow by oxygen (an open tube near his mouth) because while he sleeps, be breathes through his mouth and isn't getting the benefit of the nasal cannula through the nose. With this set up, his oxygen saturation has been in the high 90s! We're just not telling him! We learned from the NICU :)

Landon's friends helping hold his head and his blow by tube in the right spots! :)

He is a trooper for sure! He's had breathing treatments every 2 hours, 2 IV's placed (the first one went bad this morning), been listened to over and over and when he wakes up (truly wakes up...he's so not a morning person!!) he's smiling, looking around and playing. Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement, support and offers to help! You help us get through this each challenge before us! A friend sent me a verse that I really needed and wanted to share. "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." Isaiah 43:2. He's been taking care of us from the beginning, we don't have to worry! Such encouragement when we feel pretty overwhelmed. God's constantly showing us, He is good and in control!

Finally...hearing test results

2010-12-27T23:00:00.001-05:00

And unfortunately not so great...Let me preface this post with a link (click here!) that'll help explain some of the lingo & tests. Dec 23rd we took Landon for his 3rd hearing test at UM and he actually cooperated! That was the great part - they were able to do all the tests that were needed, that he didn't cooperate with in the past. :) He usually breathes too loud, is really fidgety and doesn't respond well to the behavioral response test. He fell asleep midway through the appointment, so the audiologist was able to do both the ABR (Auditory Brainstem Response) and OAE (Otoacoustic Emissions) tests. Neither are painful, but require the baby to be still, which has been the problem. These tests can give pretty concrete results so we were really glad to get them done.

Let me back up...in January, all the babies failed the BEARS test (the general newborn hearing test that all babies have before they leave the hospital), they did follow up tests before each was getting ready for discharge and decided to refer all to Audiology for further testing. Once discharged, Brennan & Brooke passed the ABR & OAE with flying colors. Brooke may have mild hearing loss, but is most likely conductive (fixable!). Landon's BEARS test just before discharge, he PASSED! This surprised everyone especially because his Grade IV brain bleed apparently bled through the auditory pathways (as well as vision). We were referred anyway and since the audiologist hadn't been able to get good results from the ABR & OAE, we've been on a hearing test roller coaster. He's such a hard baby to read too! Trying to decipher if he hears you, sees you or senses you when he reacts, sometimes we've been second guessing.

Well, the results...they were able to complete both tests and feel confident that he has moderate-severe hearing loss in both ears. What a blow...he's been doing so well and we really think he hears (maybe he's REALLY good at selective hearing already) that hearing pretty conclusive results was hard. Moderate-severe hearing loss isn't as bad as it sounds from what I've read and been told. The spectrum of hearing loss goes from Mild, Moderate, Severe, then Profound. He's between Moderate & Severe which means we'll need to speak louder and closer to him and he won't hear quieter sounds (and even Brooke & Brennan crying at night - thankfully!). He also got fitted for hearing aids. All the babies have been followed by ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat/Otolaryngology) which will see if there's any conductive hearing loss that can be fixed through medications or tubes. Before ordering Landon's hearing aids, we'll get another ENT consult and fix anything that's fixable before the strong hearing aids. Looking on the bright side, at least they come in lots of colors!

I looked at a couple website and found lists of risk factors for hearing loss...prematurity (check), ventilation (check), antibiotics that have hearing loss side effects (check), hydrocephalus (check), family history of hearing loss (check - I had 40% hearing loss and had tubes in my ears twice...sorry Landon!), many ear infections & high bilirubin (thankfully no to both), 5 out of 7.

At first we were pretty discouraged, thinking how can he really have that bad of hearing loss! He passed other tests! Landon is such a trooper though. Glasses, oxygen, feeding tube, now hearing aids, quite the list of equipment. He (and we!) have the best support that pray for and encourage us, no matter what the next steps are. He's already getting speech therapy to help work on eating (which he's doing great!), now we'll just have to add another component. God didn't bring him/us so far for us to get discouraged. It's just hard that on top of everything else to be concerned of with their development, hearing loss throws another wrench in his therapy. No matter the odds against and challenges before us, we have seen so many miracles and are so thankful for His constant hand over our family!

Christmas!!

2010-12-26T14:25:00.007-05:00

Wow, where to start?! This Christmas was so much fun! We had a great time with family and thankfully they all came to us this year! Next year will be different, the babies will be stronger and healthier and we can do the traveling. Hailey wanted to plan everything for Santa and the reindeer and the babies, especially Brooklyn, loved opening presents!

Hailey's plate for Santa...I LOVE being Santa!! :) She even put out cucumbers and carrots for the reindeer - Nich took bites of them and I got to eat the cookies! Daycare gave her reindeer food too - oatmeal mixed with glitter! We sprinkled them in the snow around the veggies. Such a cute idea! Since there were only bites of carrots left, she determined reindeer like cucumbers better so that's what we're leaving next year :)

The tree!

Stockings - WOW, we have so many!

Christmas Eve, Grandma & Grandpa Johnson came over and brought a full Christmas dinner and presents! We had so much fun and got great gifts!

Christmas morning with just us! Each kid woke up at a different time so we were able to have Christmas morning one on one. It was great! Hailey first, then Brooke, then Brennan then Landon. Hailey was THRILLED to open her dollhouse! In fact, we didn't see much of her the rest of the day! We debated making the cool present from us or from Santa, but let Santa get the thanks for this one. :) She was so sweet and popped out of her playroom to help each baby open their presents - she's such an awesome big sis!

Later Nana, Papa & Meme came and brought even more! The kids loved it and we had a great time! Finished the night off with pizza and Hailey went back to Flint to hang out with Grandparents. Restful evening (except I got an earache) and low key day today just enjoying each other!

Christmas Pictures!

2010-12-15T23:36:00.003-05:00

New laptop is and I'm a happy camper! :) Got our Christmas card picture together - it's incredible how much they've changed in a year!

Christmas Card 2009
The babies were 3 months old and fit in the stocking! Hailey at 3 1/2 years old

Christmas Card 2010
The babies are 15 months old and the stockings only fit on their legs! Hailey at 4 1/2 years old. Hailey and I made that snowman last weekend and she picked out the hat - we had a carrot snowman :)

God is good! Look at their growth!! More updates to come - I'm so excited to have a computer again!

Sickies

2010-12-08T17:01:00.002-05:00

This last weekend our whole family got a big cold - no fun! It'd been going on for a week but got worse...We loaded up on Kleenex, nose suckers, Vicks plug ins & rub and had the humidifier running all night! Nich and I took the babies in to the pediatrician Monday and turns out Landon & Brooklyn have probable bronchitis (he couldn't concretely diagnose them), Brooklyn has another ear infection (number 4!), Brennan's on the edge of getting this and has possible scalp ringworm (referred to Dermatologist). VERY productive Dr appointment at least! It took almost 2 hours to get us through, but thankfully the pedi was very thorough. Antibiotics and refills for all! When we picked up the scripts at the pharmacy we actually carried out a full bag! :) The only that made me feel really bad is the Dr walked in and said "Oh! Have I met you before?" Yes it's been awhile because of having to take time off work, but I felt so bad that our primary doctor doesn't know I'm their MOM! Don't get me wrong, Nich does an incredible job with the kids but I feel bad that I can't be there for them like he can! I want to take care of them and know all about them too! Ughh...any of you doc's out there, take note! :)

*Side note, we'll have sparce blog updates for a little while, hopefully not for too long! Our laptop was on it's last leg and the screen just died. The whole computer works, you just can see it! Photo's will be added as soon as we can! They're getting big!

Prematurity Awareness Month

2010-11-29T13:00:00.004-05:00

I know I'm at the end of this, but...November is Prematurity Awareness Month and wow has that been a huge think for our family! March of Dimes is having a special campaign honoring and remembering preemies and I'd like to encourage anyone that is able to donate!

Click here to donate in memory of Katelyn and celebration of Brennan, Landon and Brooklyn! (Search for her first and last name)

Landon's Silly Faces!

2010-11-23T13:30:00.000-05:00

How can you not LOVE this kid!?

Here's some more...we just had so much fun! He was in a great mood this morning and I couldn't help take pictures and laugh!! :)

A video to top it all off!!!

Glasses, sippy cups - catching up!

2010-11-15T14:28:00.000-05:00

Wow...lots of catching up!! First things first - Glasses!! We picked up the boys' glasses Thursday and now all the babies match :) Brennan and Landon are totally fine wearing them and actually seem to like it! They can actually see now! Of course, Hailey picked out the colors, if you were wondering!

Here's the crew with their new glasses! We're trying to peer pressure Brooklyn into keep hers on. She generally pulls them right off as soon as we put them on!

Brennan loves his! Doesn't he look like the kid in A Christmas Story?

Landon actually looks good in sea foam green!

Next big news - Sippy cup!! Brooklyn is actually drinking out of a sippy cup sometimes! We've been experimenting different types to see what she likes the best. It took a little bit to get used to the flow because it comes out faster than a bottle, but she put it right to her mouth as soon as we gave it to her! She's so smart and eager to learn! LOVE that!

Big girl!

Also an update on Hailey...she's doing so well in school and is an awesome big sister! She amazes us everyday with how smart and caring she is! Nich had a great idea and we made homemade personal pizzas a couple weeks ago. She made her own - ALL by herself! Spread out the sauce, pineapple, ham, pepperoni and cheese! It was sooo good and she was so proud of herself!

The next couple pictures are just having fun at home....the best! Brooklyn is our early riser, but this particular morning, she slept in and the boys crashed her crib! :) She LOVED it though!

She had just woken up and she's wondering what is going on?! Who's in my bed?!

Hailey was a rocking chair for the babies! I had to hold the baby on her back and was by myself so couldn't take a picture of it happening, but just imagine how funny! :)

Our family has been so blessed! All the kids are doing really well and making such great progress in their own way and at their own pace, but at least it's progress! Quick update on each baby:

Brennan - The major thing he's working on is his vision, sitting up and crawling. He's got the jumping and rolling down for sure, just isn't quite interested in the next steps. He had a sedated eye exam back at Beaumont last week and we learned his retinas are fully attached and there is no scarring on them! There is scarring elsewhere in his eye, but it's really important that the retina is fully intact. The doctors were really glad that he was interested in seeing and think he's making excellent progress! The other skills will come once he can get his vision on track. His eyes still constantly race, but just imagine not being able to focus on things well and trying to keep your balance. It's tough! He's such a sweet, funny and energetic baby - so much fun then he flashes that full face smile and silly giggle!

Landon - He's a little stinker...he could swallow all along! He's working on feeding by mouth to someday get rid of the Gtube! It doesn't look to be in the near future, but he's up to taking 1-2oz (out of 4) by mouth. On the right track! He also visited Pulmonary clinic and we only heard good news! We went 10 minutes without oxygen and didn't drop below 88%! His lungs also sound way better, but they're not going to do any tweaking until after RSV/winter seasons. He also saw neurosurgery and the hydrocephalus looks good and his shunt is working properly! We got the go ahead to keep him on the floor longer and he doesn't need to be on an incline! The nap nanny still works out really well so we're going to keep him in there for sleeping, but he can play! This will really help his development to practice rolling, crawling, holding his head up more often! Just like Brennan, Landon is such a sweet baby and so determined! We're so proud of him!

Brooklyn - She is so full of life! This little girl is going places...fast! She is sitting up by herself, scooting (she gets on all 4's when she looks at something then to move, she flatens right back down to her scooting position!), standing when you hold onto her! The major thing she's working on is crawling on all 4's and standing!!! She loves her big sister and likes being right in the action! Last weekend she tripled her appetite and she's eating us out of house and home! She's snacking, eating lots of baby food and doing such a great job! She's really catching up fast and setting a good example for the boys!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T21:31:00.005-04:00

We had so many parties, had to do photo collages to get them all in! :) I am constantly amazed at how old Hailey is and this Halloween was no exception! We carved our pumpkins tonight (I know a little late, but better late than never!) and Hailey had drawn the face on them, helped get the gunk out and took pictures of Nich & I carving! She's a pretty good photographer! :)

Last Sunday we took the kids to the Zoo Boo and got all dressed up! It was great! Trick or treating, costumes, storytelling, balloon animals, carnival games, Acapazoo concert! We were there for 3 hours but packed everything in!

Hailey: Ballerina/Princess/Rockstar, Brooklyn: Lady Bug, Brennan: Duck, Landon: Superman!

Girls riding on the horse - I love this picture! Brooklyn knows the secret of getting out of the stroller already and cries until she gets her way...ahhh!!

Snuggly pose getting ready for the Halloween Carnival at a local church. We went with some friends Saturday, then hit up some houses (which were sadly hard to find) for trick or treating!

Getting everyone redressed what too much work! Their costumes don't fit in car seats so we just left them without at the carnival :)
Our little indecisive one! Here's a collage of all of her costumes this year! We had the zoo boo, ADAM group's party, trick or treating at the nursing home, Halloween party at day care and Halloween carnival at the church. Of course she had to be something different each time!

Our sweetheart made trick or treat bags for Uncle Joe and Katelyn and wanted to send them off! We snuck the candy out of them so they'd actually fly! :) She dictated the note..."Dear Katelyn, Uncle (Joe), God and Mary..." She had colored a picture and we had to fold it so she wanted to make sure they knew to open it! She even wrote her own name! The green star balloon is for Uncle Joe, pink balloon for Katelyn and the gold star balloon was for God ("because he made the whole world and needs a balloon!" - Hailey). God's balloon helped give ours an extra boost to get it to heaven too! As usual...we thought we found the best place in the yard to let the balloons off, let them go and they got stuck in the tree! Nich shook the tree until it came unhooked then we were clear!

And to top it all of....Nich and the kids did the Monster Mash! http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/q4PGaQ1eKAdX7Uou Happy Halloween!!

Landon's Swallowing!!

2010-10-29T22:36:00.002-04:00

So since the summer Landon has totally regressed eating and isn't taking anything by bottle without gagging and throwing up. We've been concerned because we know he can do it (he did for 3 months), but everything we've tried hasn't worked...switching formula, spreading out his feeds so he'd be hungry, thickening with rice cereal rather than Simply Thick. I tried to feed him a bottle about 2 weeks ago, but he aspirated and that kinda scared me away from feeding him again. We were waiting for a swallow study (done today!) to know what he can handle. Well, results say he has gotten a bit better, but not enough to switch him to regular consistency. But the BEST thing of the whole day...we learned he CAN swallow! To get him to swallow during the test, they squirted milk in his cheek. He did great! They gave us the syringe to take home to feed him and at his 9pm feed he swallowed 40cc (just over an ounce) of milk!!!! Here's a thrilling video of him swallowing! Probably not thrilling to most to watch a baby swallow for 30 seconds, but for this baby - thrilling doesn't even begin to describe how excited we were! Praise GOD for progress!!

It's my life

2010-10-25T22:54:00.000-04:00

I know it's been so long since I've posted last, I'm feeling a bit accomplished and back on my game. We've been overwhelmed with work, appointments, sickness...just life! But I think I'm back on track! I know you are all waiting for a baby update, but trust me that takes awhile now! Plus, Nich knows a lot more if their development, weights, etc anyway, but PROMISE it will come!

I did want to share an epiphany God laid on my heart yesterday at church. I promise Pastor Phil, I was paying attention, but what really got me out of the service was the song Enough by Chris Tomlin. Lyrics go - "All of You is more than enough for all of me. For every thirst and every need, You satisfy me with Your love and all I have in You is more than enough." That is so true, but I haven't been feeling it lately...I think that's why I've been off my rocker. So I've been struggling with my life. My life as a wife, mom of a preschooler, mom of multiples, mom of special needs children, mom/sister/granddaughter of loss, mostly the last one. Nich I had this idea of a big family, (a healthy one - in the past I didn't even think I needed to clarify!) a complete one but a year later our lives have been turned upside down. I know we are so blessed with the children we have, the miracles we've witnessed and life we're living, I just long for Katelyn, Joe and healthy normally developing children. So while I was thinking of all of that, I remembered Paul praying for contentment. He knew what it was to be in need and to have plenty, but says he has learned to be content in his circumstances. He learned the secret of contentment - Jesus! (Philippians 4:11-13). That's now my prayer, for contentment. This is my life, no matter what I long for and cannot change. Once I accept my circumstances, no one or nothing can steal my peace (I did get that from the sermon!! :). Then I am not easily distracted by what might have been and solely focused on the opportunities I now have to grow and share through our circumstances. We have been connected to so many through what God has brought us through and are so thankful to share our journey! Back to the song..."You are my supply, my breath of life. Still more awesome that I know." He's the basis and the secret of my peace and contentment. Today I put a reminder to be content and be used! Thanks Paul for sharing the secret at just the right moment!

Videos of playing at home

2010-10-09T20:41:00.005-04:00

I have been a really bad blogger. Haven't been in the mood and have been so busy to settle down to write about it. I have a lot to catch up on! I know you'll enjoy these videos in the meantime! :)

I just LOVE our family! Spent some lazy time at home this morning just playing! Hailey and Daddy showed Brennan and Brooklyn how to play patty cake!

After patty cake we all got in a line to play choo-choo! We just had such much fun today!

Katelyn's Heaven Day

2010-09-27T23:39:00.002-04:00

Our sweet angel. Today was a hard day, to say the least. One year ago today Katelyn went to Heaven and our hearts broke. The was the worst day of our entire lives - watching our baby fight so bravely for her life, then her body giving up. The evening of the 26th Katelyn starting getting bad and unstable. We rushed down to NICU from my hospital room in the evening, at 2am, then for the last time at almost 5am. She coded, but came back twice and we were so thankful and hopeful that she would pull through. They said making it to the third day was critical and she was 7 hours short of being alive 3 whole days! We had so much hope that her body could just keep fighting until the magical 3 day mark, then she could rest from the hard fight she had. We were devastated as the nurses unplugged her from the ventilator and monitors...she was now resting from her hard fight in our arms and we knew what that meant. The nurses escorted us to nesting room 1 as we had personal, family time with her in the last few moments, pouring out our love and cherishing the time we had. Katelyn died in our arms at about 5am September 27, 2009.

Today, my angel we celebrate your Heaven Day. It's the most comforting way to remember this terrible day. Today we celebrate your life and all that you have helped teach us. You have taught us strength, will to live, the joy of love and the pain of grief. We have found strength through God to get through each day until our family is complete in Heaven with you. When I was explaining your death to Hailey, I said you beat us Home! How I long for you in my arms, playing with your brothers and sisters, having all my kids together! Not having to explain that I don't have triplets, I have quadruplets! I know in my heart you are whole and not hurting. You have been basking in God's presence for an entire year now and find peace in that.

Last night was a really hard night and about the time Katelyn starting getting worse, I was rocking Brooklyn, then a flood of emotions and memories came. I let them come, savoring the memories of my pregnancy, watching the girls bounce together, holding her. The roughness continued throughout today and I had to leave work early because all I could think about was Katelyn and wanted to be with Nich. Tonight we planned to remember Katelyn and send up balloons like we had last year. Didn't go so smoothly - we took Brennan, Landon and Brooklyn to get their blood drawn, which took longer than expected and we had to divide and conquer the blood draw. I took Landon to get Hailey from day care while Nich and his dad finished with the other two. They got home late, we had dinner, the babies were crying most of the night, Hailey wasn't listening and by the time we had finally gotten outside it was dark and kinda rainy. Not at all celebratory weather, but we released the balloons and the peace came. God is so good! In the midst of extreme heartache, He brought healing and comfort. Since Katelyn died and Brennan, Landon and Brooklyn were so critical in the hospital, God has been so faithful (well all the time, this is just when we most felt it!), easing our hearts and minds so we can focus on Him in the midst.

So here are pictures from our healing balloon release to our special angel, celebrating her Heaven day!

Papa Dan, Hailey, Mommy, Daddy, Brennan, Landon and Brooklyn wrote messages to Katelyn on the balloons

Papa Dan, Nich's dad, carrying out the balloons

Daddy bringing out the kids

The gang in our new quad stroller. It was hard for me to get a four seater, but have peace to use it without the tears of not filling it with 4 babies. It's such a blessing and so much easier!

The inevitable - balloons stuck in the tree. Last year the balloon got stuck and it was pretty traumatic for Hailey. This year was easier, but of course they got stuck.

We are still on this journey of grief, but it is getting sweeter and not as painful. Typing this was so healing! When I started, the tears were streaming, but they've dried up and I really am able to celebrate her life! God is so good! I just keep thinking of the quote, there is no footprint too small, that it cannot leave an imprint on this world. That's you Katelyn! Even though you were to tiny and your time here was so short, you have left such an imprint on our lives and we are so thankful for the time we had you!

Happy Birthday!!

2010-09-26T23:03:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday Brennan, Landon and Brooklyn!! What miracles you are! Their birthday was Friday and we didn't really do anything for it, other than their 1 year check up and some pictures. Oh man, never doing a yearly check up with immunizations just before their birthday party! They were grumpy!! 6 shots each and Brennan and Brooklyn have ear infections!

Group shot with our cool custom shirts! We couldn't get 1yr Birthday shirts in 6-9 months!

Brooklyn, Brennan and Landon - birth weights on front

Landon, Brennan and Brooklyn - 1yr weights on back

Brennan Nicholas - 1yr weight: 14lbs 11oz

Landon James - 1yr weight: 21lbs 2oz

Our two little sitters! :)

Brooklyn Danielle - 1yr weight: 15lbs 5oz

A couple weeks ago Hailey and I went shopping for a present for each baby. She picked them out with a particular baby in mind! We let her give her presents before we headed off to the party and she did such a great job helping them open them and showing them how to use everything!

The babies were so thankful for an AWESOME big sis this last year, they bought Hailey a Pillow Pet as thank you gift! She was so happy!

And now the festivities begin!

Birthday candles in banana baby food! Adjusted, they're only 8 months and definitley not ready for cake. We're planning on having a small due date party and letting them enjoy the cake in January!

Group shot eating their birthday lunch!

Brennan enjoying his bananas so much he took control of the bowl!

Landon spitting his out, as usual!

Brooklyn, Miss Independent feeding herself!

We had such a great day with family and friends from all over! Even their primary nurses came for the party! We want to thank EACH ONE OF YOU for all your support for these babies and our family over the last year. What a journey we've been on and we couldn't have done it alone! We are so blessed with such encouragement and these babies have an incredible family of support! God is so good! Another post to come of each of their developments at 1 year, but I have been wiped out this weekend!

You may like: Pollak Quads Birth Story, Brennan's Homecoming, Brooklyn's Homecoming and Landon's Homecoming as a refresher! I know we marveled at how far God has brought them!

Twelve eyes

2010-09-23T22:38:00.002-04:00

All you miralces lovers will be overjoyed!! :)

Yesterday we took all the babies to their opthamologist appointment and they did all kids of eye exams on the kids. Each baby took it differently and oddly enough, Brooklyn was the most tolerant! :) She already has her glasses so she went first and didn't take too long. Then Brennan and Landon went in because they were in the stroller and Brooke needed to eat. The boys just hung out in their seats with each resident doctor checking out their eyes. They used lights, big toys, little toys, a weird noise thing all to see how their eyes responded and if they were tracking. Landon has always stumped us because sometimes it really looks like he's looking at you, but then other times you waive your hand in fornt of his face and he doesn't react. Brennan's eyes look down so much that it's hard to tell his vision too.

Then came the prescription part...

Oh my WORD! Brennan has -10 prescription in each eye and his retinas look much better than than the dr thought. Great news! Hopefully the glasses will help him want to open his eyes and look more straightforward. Next, Landon shocked us all! He has -5 in one eye and -7 in the other! He has the best prescription of all!! He also tracked the doctor, light and large toy! Not bad for a blind kid, eh?! :) God is SOOO good! In the Spring the doctors told us he'd probably be blind, deaf and unable to walk. Look how far God has brought him in a few months! He passed his hearing test (we'll find out more on the 30th), is kicking like crazy and can see!!!!! Miracles are just around the corner! I can't even express how THRILLED and thankful we are! It's so weird to have to worry about the basics of life - breathing, walking, eating, seeing, hearing. Lord help us remember not to worry about the basics, you take care of the birds and flowers and can take care of my kids!

Hailey's Second First Day of School!

2010-09-20T22:35:00.002-04:00

We're so thankful Hailey got into the full day preschool program and started today! She was one of the experienced preschoolers as she had been going to school for 2 weeks already! She was in Head Start which started just after Labor Day, then we got her waivered into the school district's program. Head Start was a great program, but only half day - 11:30-3:30, right in the middle of the day and made it really hard for Nich to make it to appointments. The school's is full day! This morning we were up bright and early with lunch packed! She got on the bus before I left for work and wondered why it was so dark!

Daddy woke up early to see her off too!

An old pro! She humored me my turning around for a pic. She was the first on the bus and knew just what to do!

Tonight I had to go grocery shopping to pack her lunch and she helped me put everything into the pantry. She's just a big helper! She made a pattern with the 2 different kinds of juice boxes, applesauce, fruit cups - everything! She's got her own part of the shelf and is going to pack her lunch everynight before bed. Well pick out her extras, Daddy's the king of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! Hailey even wrote her name on the bottom of the bag! We've just gotta work with her to write in the right direction - she's a true lefty and wants to write right to left. She didn't do too bad though! :)

Landon loves bananas!

2010-09-13T21:50:00.002-04:00

Here's a video of Landon eating bananas! That's actually all he'll eat now and still generally not very well. But tonight he LOVED them! I just kind of painted the bananas on his tongue and you could tell by his face when it hit his tastebuds!

FABULOUS pictures!

2010-09-10T13:47:00.007-04:00

One of our friends Ashley came over a couple days ago to take pictures of the babies - their 1 YEAR pictures! She did a fantastic job!

They all actually feel asleep like this!

Landon - so cute!

Mommy kissing Landon - precious!

Brooklyn has so much spunk!

And a great fashion sense!

Brennan and Landon hanging out

My little darling! Can you believe how cute Hailey is!?

Such a little poser!

She was helping Ashley come up with poses and place to take the pictures! I think she's gonna be part photographer when she grows up!

Also, we wanted to invite you readers to their birthday party! You have meant so much - encouraging, praying, support our family through this incredible year! Thank you! If any of you are interested in coming, please email me or send me a facebook message...I didn't want to put the location or any details online. We want to have a celebration of their life and all that God has brought us through!

Hailey's First Day of Preschool

2010-09-08T23:19:00.000-04:00

It's true!! Hailey started preschool today and she could hardly contain her excitement! She's in the afternoon program so the bus picked her up just after 11am. We were down early so we wouldn't miss it. She came up with a "waiting for the bus" song and sang it over and over as she twirled her backpack and danced around the trees.

My little model posing with her backpack! She picked out her own outfit for the first day - pink leopard skirt, pink punk shirt, teal socks and rainbow leopard shoes. SO cute - thanks Nana!

Cheesing with Daddy! So proud of her!

She wanted us to sit the same way but since we both had skirts on we had to sit lady-like, which is NOT comfortable squatting in front of a tree.

That's all I got before I had to go to work but am so proud of her! She hopped on that bus like a pro - didn't even look back! We had to sign her onto the bus and Nich signed her out when she got off. She still hasn't totally described her day at school but said she had lots of fun, learned stuff and made friends. Hey, I guess that's what's important! I have no idea how she got so mature and such a big girl! LOVE this girl!

Keep pressing on

2010-09-07T00:23:00.005-04:00

I should be sleeping but can't...I watched Suprisingly Quints on TLC as I was waiting to start Landon's Gtube pump for his overnight feed. Nich wasn't feeling well and doesn't like watching multiples shows anymore so he went to bed. I think his comment and my emotions as we're getting close to celebrating the day our life got turned upside down, got the best of me and I just can't sleep. Sometimes we can't help but long for life with four healthy babies.

There's been so many discouraging things happening in our lives and Nich and I are kinda run down that it's been really hard to keep pressing on. Keep going yep...that's easy just feeding and changing babies diapers over and over, but pressing on...seeking God and his plans for our family. That's been tough. Hailey starts preschool tomorrow and as excited as we are for her, it wasn't the program we were thinking it was. We're trying to find all new doctors because our insurance changed at work and our network doesn't participate in the new insurance. Landon's not eating by bottle hardly at all anymore. Hailey's been asking more questions about death, much bigger than I can answer right now. Reminders of how crazy our lives are now and how big (to us) the challenges our children have to face are.

When we were in the NICU, Brennan, Landon and Brooklyn were fighting for their lives - breaking the "23 weeker" box over and over! Now we're seeing the challenges Landon and Brennan have ahead and have to work through them. Landon's delays and Brennan's vision - those are pretty big things! It's been hard to keep pressing on when faced with such huge challenges. I guess that's the same with any difficult thing we're facing. From the very begining, God has had our family in His Hands. He's been cheering them on and pulling for them! We are so thankful for the little miracles they are but we need a boost! Lord, give us strength and hope for the rough road ahead. Keep our eyes focused on Your plan for our lives and our family. You will give us this strength if we focus on you! Help me remember these discouragements are just that, but You give us Hope for the future!

It's all fun and games until...

2010-09-06T11:03:00.000-04:00

I have so many drafted blog posts, but when I log in to update them I get distracted catching up with all of yours!! And we kind of have a lot going on here!

So last week I put the boys down to play with each other and this is what happens!

Don't even know the other one is there - Brennan busts out his goofy smile...

They find each other...

Aww! Holding hands, until....

Ka pow! Landon clocks him! Don't worry - he hardly touched Brennan, but it shocked him!

They're making up :) Brennan's telling secrets!

Still chatting away! Landon talked his ear off and Brennan was nodding off to sleep. A picture of what nights will be when they share a room! They're going to have so much fun together!

Landon gets his helmet!

2010-08-24T22:33:00.003-04:00

Back in January/early February when Landon was so sick he was paralyzed and only laid on one side of his head for so long - he was so unstable that they let him do whatever he needed to do to remain stable. Slowly he started to move his head side to side, and we had to try to only give him stimulation on his left side. Now he doesn't show much preference and moves his head all on his own but his head is still flat (Plagiocephaly). We've let it go for a couple weeks to see if it would reshape on its own, but didn't have much luck. It was changing, but not very fast so we decided to get a cranial helmet. Here's pictures of the crew at the doctor's!

So handsome! He's so excited to get his helmet!! :)

Brennan couldn't care less - slept through the entire appointment!

Man oh man! Brooklyn having so much fun!

Here's my little baby with his helmet! For the next 3 days he has to wear it for a couple hours at a time to help him get used to it. Then after Thursday, wearing it for 23 hours per day! It should take between 3-6 months to reshape his head. After that, it won't do much good. We'll see how he does! So far he's still getting used to it - it's tough for him to get comfortable so we're experimenting different positions and propping him up so it's more comfortable. He's so cute!

New glasses and New bed!

2010-08-19T21:43:00.003-04:00

No, not for the same kid! :) Brooklyn got her glasses today and Hailey got a new bed set!!

Brookyln's the first of the bunch to get her glasses! Her prescription is -13.5, super near sighted! She did a pretty good job keeping them on but it's so hard when she's playing - she likes to suck on the nose piece! She was rolling around with them on and it didn't come off, so I guess that's good. She doesn't mind them when she's being held either. I really don't think they fit and that might be part of the goofy-lookingness. Brennan and Landon get their prescriptions next month so they'll all have them! What a sight! :)

My coworker needed to get rid of her bunk bed set because her kids were getting too old for it. It was perfect for us!! Hailey's using it until the babies are ready and she LOVES it!! We had a couple helpers tonight and we were able to get her room all switched around, cleaned and organized. She helped and kept asking when she could mop her floor! She loves to clean and organize - I hope that never goes away!

Disney at the Park

2010-08-19T13:31:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Disney at the Falls at a local park and we were so excited to take Hailey! I really miss doing fun things with her, but it's so hard to do with both of us working and the babies' demanding schedule! We ventured out about 7 last night and Hailey had the time of her life! Her friend Ella met us there and the two of them were unstoppable! :)

This picture turned out blury, but I like it! The fast paced, best friend kind of fun! :)

I just love Hailey's smile here! There was some pretty off looking Disney characters, but she didn't notice and was just as excited to meet them and get her picture taken! She had just gotten done hugging Minnie!

Daddy and the babies got in on the fun too! We took the double stroller and a backpack carrier for the third, which alternated between Brennan & Brooklyn. Landon came home being too big for it!

Winnie the Pooh! They gave him high-fives so hard it knocked his head off! Notice the white strings on his shirt holding is head on! :) We got a kick out of the costumes, but the kids didn't even notice!

Ok so Cinderella came out of the tunnel and I hadn't even seen her yet, but Hailey gasped! "Mommy! Mommy! Cinderella's here!" She was so shy but so warmed up quickly to her beloved princesses. It was really cute, as we were driving home (before all the festivites had ended) Hailey asked where they were going to sleep tonight, are they going all the way back to their castles? SO cute!!

I love this video of Hailey! We were doing the Mickey Mouse march around the ampitheater with all the characters and she was just cracking up! Apparently she gets giddy when she's super excited!! It was a lot of work, but so worth it! Just to see the awe and joy on her face was incredible! I can't wait do more things like this!

Splish Splash Landon's taking a bath!

2010-08-16T22:06:00.003-04:00

He is doing so well moving around and just loves his bath! Our pediatrician isn't concerned about CP with Landon, just developmental delays....you might want to read that again! :) He has 3 brain issues that each hve a high risk of CP on their own! He's equally moving both arms and legs. There isn't anything He can't do! God, thank you for the reminder that you're in control all the time. Nich and I were talking yesterday about having a different feeling with Landon. In the NICU we were so positive, so hopeful because all the babies were just busting the "typical 23 weeker" box and now we're seeing the realization of the delays and problems our kids might face long term. It's really hard to face and accept, but then Landon smiles and melts your heart. Whatever our rough road has in store, we're so grateful for life!

How can you not smile?!

2010-08-10T10:56:00.003-04:00

How can you not smile?! We were goofing around waiting for my best friend to have a baby (!!!) in the hospital waiting room and snapped this picture on my phone...I LOVE this girl! Just a bright smiley Hailey to brighten your day! She brightens mine everyday!! :)

Sharing stories

2010-08-02T21:30:00.003-04:00

We live next to a nursing home and even when Hailey was little she's always wanted to go inside and visit. We used to go weekly until I went on bed rest with the quads. I just love old people and I love that Hailey does too! Hailey's so proud to show her brothers and sister new things, so fittingly at the end of our walk yesterday she wanted to go through the nursing home. As you can imagine, we attract quite a crowd - Hailey was in heaven. She passed out the flowers we had collected on our walk to some women in the hallway on the west side then headed to the east side where there's hardly any residents, but we didn't want to miss anyone! The night nurse asked if she could help us find someone, but we were just looking for someone to say hi to. She led us into a room of two of the sweetest elderly women! She asked them if they were up for a visit from a family and they were! By all means! :)

We headed in. Verla was the only one in at the time, but Hailey jumped right up on her bed and "met" her. Side note - we've been working with Hailey to meet people first, before just hugging them! Verla had poor eyesight, oxygen, very frail and her false teeth soaking. Hailey thought the teeth soaking was really neat and such a great way to clean her teeth - no brushing needed! Sorry Grandpa - I told her that's how you cleaned your teeth too so she might ask about it!! :) Verla was very coherent. She listened to every word Hailey said and asked her silly questions that made her laugh. Hailey was in her element, her laughter echoing in the hall! After they visited for probably 15 minutes, Hailey went out with Daddy to see who else was there and I got a chance to talk with her. She wondered about the babies and how in the world I could have had that many! As I was telling her their story and our journey she just kept saying "Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord!" Later, I thought, that's exactly right! Praise the Lord for all he has done and brought us through!! The babies are such testimonies of His love, the power of prayer and love of the church. They have been lifted in prayer from the moment we found out about them and they will do incredible things! They're not even a year old and have made such an impact on this world with their strength and willingness to be used by Him. We have been through so much this year, but it is only making us stronger in Christ and able to share our testimony with so many. Thanks for the reminder Verla, Praise the Lord!

Sweet Potato Explosion

2010-07-30T13:30:00.000-04:00

It's so fun now that the babies can eat baby food! They're having a ton of fun too! We haven't found anything they don't like yet, which makes it so easy! Hailey wasn't very picky either...they definitely don't get that from me!

The tools...one bowl, two spoons, keys to distract Brooke from grabbing the spoon! They share a 4 oz jar, but always finish it!

We love the new bouncer and use it all the time! So here's Brooklyn and Brennan after finishing their sweet potatoes. What a mess!! They really did eat some of it - promise! :)

Brennan's face was the cleanest but unfortunately he discovered his feet mid-dinner! Definitely bath time after this!

Sweet and curious as can be! Brooklyn covered in sweet potatoes! She even had it in her eye lashes! We have to give her a toy to play with while she eats so she doesn't grab the spoon after every bite! She's got quite a grip too!

After they got all cleaned up, big sister helped give Brooke her bottle! She was thrilled!! When Nich got home, she was trying so hard to tell him she fed Brooke all by herself, but she was so excited it took a good couple minutes to get it out! :) She is an amazing big sister!

Fun Multiples Pictures

2010-07-23T20:26:00.003-04:00

When any of them are playing together, I can't resist taking pictures! Here's some of our favorite ones in the past couple days!

They do fit! Brooklyn was taking a bath and I was holding Brennan who was just itching to get in the tub, so...we did it! They were so cute!

Brennan just chillin!

Brooklyn wasn't too keen on Brennan invading her space! Would you expect anything else?!

Warning - the next picture is soooo cool! A friend Kelly sent this to us after using it with her triplets. I couldn't even imagine a triple bouncer, but it is amazing! Hailey helped me put it together tonight and was such a great helper!

I'm a little obsessed - I think this is the neatest thing ever and it's homemade out of PVC pipe! Even equipped with a toy bar! How ingenious?! We just need to get some more of the hanging toys!

This will make it so easy to feed, play, keep an eye on all of them! A huge thank you to Kelly!!

Faith like a Child

2010-07-19T13:17:00.001-04:00

Precious, Hailey is absolutely precious! Saturday after going to Kids N Stuff (hands on play museum) and before getting ready for the Hot Air Jubilee, she was playing with some Mylar balloons. One had princesses on it, the other an American flag. All of a sudden, she said "Mommy, I think Katelyn and Uncle Joe want these." So, we wrote out a note (she dictated and I wrote) and attached it to the balloons.We headed outside to send them up to Heaven and picked just the right spot so they wouldn't get caught in the tree again - the first time was pretty traumatizing! We waved goodbye, told the wind to take them right to Katelyn and Uncle Joe and watched the balloons fly away. She was so excited, only joy on her face that she was sending presents to her sister and uncle. I was fighting tears of sadness and beaming at how incredible my little girl was.

I took pictures and after the balloons were out of sight, we sat on the porch to look at them. As we were going through them, Hailey said "I've got a good idea! (she is full of "good ideas" :) ) You can get a new camera and we can send this one to Heaven!" When I asked why, she said so Katelyn and Uncle Joe could see us now and then Uncle Joe can take pictures and send it back to us!" How cool would that be?! If only it were that simple, we talked about them being able to watch over us in their breaks of playing and dancing with God. She thought that would be pretty cool! She's our little rock star already!

Probably a half hour later, she came back up to me and said "So first it was Papa Art's turn to die, then Katelyn's then it was just Uncle Joe's turn. When it's my turn to go to Heaven will you send me a butterfly balloon?" I just smiled and said "Of course! And when it's my turn will you send a smiley face balloon?" Precious - if only we had faith like a child. Jesus says all you need to do is believe. Death is so hard to understand, especially a baby's death, but the big picture is so simple. Jesus has prepared a room for each of us, when it's our turn we will be lovin Heaven too! Hailey is a perfect example of this remarkable faith. Thank you God for little reminders in the eyes of a precious child.

Lovin the outside!

2010-07-12T22:27:00.003-04:00

So tonight Hailey was at Vacation Bible School, Nich was out counseling, and it was BEAUTIFUL outside! I took the babies outside for some fresh air and got some adorable pictures! I just love these kids!

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They all had so much fun enjoying the weather! Here's some individual pics! :)

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9 months old and a new toy!

2010-07-11T22:00:00.001-04:00

Wow, well back in the bloggin world. I haven't blogged in quite a while because I haven't known what to say. My brother was killed in Afghanistan 3 weeks ago now, June 16. I felt like I should blog about it, but honestly I'm not ready. Here's a link to a newspaper article and his funeral. I am so proud of him! So until I am (or maybe I never will blog about it), here's an update on the kiddos. This all came at such a busy time in our lives. Nich and I kinda celebrated our 5 year anniversary, Hailey turned 4 and the babies turned 9 months old all in the few days we were preparing the visitation and funeral. Not quite the atmosphere to blog about celebrations. So without further adieu, pictures and videos of the family!

I just love Brooklyn's face! :)

They've always been neck in neck with weights, a matter of 1/2 ounces different.

Brennan Nicholas - just about 13 lbs (birth weight 1lb 4 oz)

He is so full of joy! Brennan has a smile that lights up his whole face and the room! Now he has a laugh and giggle on top of his big grin! It's so easy to get him to smile too, talking to him, letting him bounce on your lap, kisses - you name it, he smiles! Brennan's biggest struggle right now is focusing his eyes, which we're working on through stimulation and praise. He will go back to Beaumont for a follow up soon, but until then, we're just keeping an eye on him. (wink, wink! - I know...a dork!) Brennan is such an easy going baby, he was the first to sleep all the way through the night! When the others are stressing us out, Brennan's our go to man!

Landon James - 18 lbs (birth weight 1lb 7 oz)

Our precious big man! He has the biggest heart and the biggest temper. He is thriving at home! He is so active! Smiling, talking, moving all his limbs - he's come so far and we're so thankful! When he's mad, he starts thrashing and is so strong it's hard to hold, but then he calms down and looks at you with those beautiful brown eyes, you just melt. We started deep massaging him at 9am and before his 9pm dinner and it has made a world of difference in his activity level and his mood. He was doing well with his bottle, but lately has slacked off. I think he's focusing on his head control and moving and not so interested in his bottle. So we're putting just about all of his feed in his Gtube bag. He's such a patient, easy going baby!

Brookyln Danielle - just about 13 lbs (birth weight 1 lb 3.5 oz)

Where do I start with this little one!?! She is our hilarious diva! Brooklyn is so full of life, it's never a dull moment with her! She's really high maintenance, but so worth it. Brooklyn has been the first to really roll over, first to spit (hence the picture above!), first to scoot, she so curious and always looking around. Brooklyn is a lot like Hailey, very social and would rather explore than cuddle. She gives us a flirty cute smile and makes us laugh!

This toy was made for Brennan! He's a bouncing machine and he just took off!

Landon is doing so well! Here he is in the jumper for the first time. Yep he bounced a couple times! :)

And Brooklyn fell asleep!

Each baby is so different! They have distinct personalities, cries, smiles, temperments - all unique, but similar traits. We are sooooo thankful for how far these little miracles have come! At first it was miracles fighting for their lives, now they're breaking the 23 weeker development box! God is good!

Day with Landon & Ambitious Walk!

2010-06-15T12:40:00.000-04:00

Unforunately a week late, but so worth the pictures!! Last night I had a couple minutes to myself, all the kiddos asleep and Nich at work and what did I do? I actually thought...wash bottles or blog....wash bottles or blog....and I washed bottles! Man oh man! I should've blogged...much more fun, but the dirty bottles from the day were pretty much overflowing in the sink! So here's a week long drafted post, finally getting published!

Last (last) Sunday Nich took Hailey to church, Brennan and Brooklyn were napping and Landon and I shared our lunch on the porch! I absolutely LOVE having one on one time with each one! Look at my stud! :)

He was just eating up the fresh air and sounds!

Landon & Mommy!

The set up! Gotta love timed pictures!

Once Nich & Hailey got home, we ventured out for a family walk! Wow, we had no idea what we were in for, but the day was beautiful and we wanted to take advantage of it! We visited Hailey's friend about a mile away, but then had to come home! Ended up being 3 mile walk up and down a huge hill. We traded off who pushed the stroller and pulled Hailey. Everyone loved it! We were wiped out when we got home, but loved the fresh air and exercise!

Splish Splash Brennan's taking a bath

2010-06-07T21:46:00.005-04:00

Thank you all for your encouraging comments. You all mean so much to us! Now for a little change of pace...

A post to come of my day with Landon and our walk, but take a look at Brennan enjoying his bath! His nickname is Dance Dance Revolution! :) We were cracking up at him!

Parents of...

2010-06-03T21:39:00.002-04:00

This is a really hard post to write, but an article and conversation today sparked it and I've really wanted to share for awhile. This is NOT at all to make anyone feel bad, but just get our feelings out there and share with and learn from others that have gone through this. Since last June we were parents of quadruplets. Since late September (27th to be exact) we are now parents of triplets. I don't want to speak much more for Nich, but it's been really tough when people see the babies and say "Ooo you had triplets?!" Sometimes we say yes, sometimes we say no. We've really struggled with what to say. It's so hard to say we have triplets. I still don't think I've said it out loud. We want to remember Katelyn and we did/do have quadruplets, but a lot of times we just don't want to explain it to strangers. No matter what we answer, it always leaves a pit in my stomach. I miss Katelyn so much! I miss learning about her, watching her develop, seeing her and Brooklyn interact. When we left the NICU, we started a life as parents of triplets. For the rest of our lives, apart from all of you who remember her, the three will be seen as triplets. I think we'll just smile and say yes, remembering Katelyn in our own hearts.

We've already went through sets of 4, sets of 2 girl things, bought a triple stroller and are learning to carry on with our three precious babies. I think of Katelyn every single day and can't help but notice sets of 3 or sets of 4, yearning to have a set of 4. Hailey talks about her and can't wait to meet her and Macie (one of our friends whose baby died too) when we get to heaven. I feel horrible that Hailey didn't get to meet Katelyn. All she has is pictures. All we have is pictures and memories. I am so thankful that she was the active one while I was pregnant and I cherish those memories! Your prayers and encouragement have met so much to us and really been healing in our grieving process, thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Some days are easier than others, some days are a battle to fight back the tears, but God we know you're in control. We have met amazing people, been placed in situations and learning things we never would have experienced otherwise. We are thankful for those teeny tiny footprints she left and will continue to remember what this experience has taught us.

I know this post is not like our last few, but sometimes I've just gotta get it out. This blog can be so therapeutic sometimes! If any of you moms of multiple loss have any words of wisdom, feel free to share!

Gifts from God

2010-05-31T22:30:00.000-04:00

"I prayed for this child (children in our case!), and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." 1 Samuel 1:27-28

Sunday our gifts were dedicated. We prayed for our kids when they were just specs in our eyes and are thankful to all of you for praying for our miracles and encouraging our family! It was such a special day for us to give thanks for our babies and give them back to God. We have been surrounded by prayers and support from so many and know it takes a village to raise a child (especially multiples!). Each of you have been so instrumental in their lives and we pray you continue! :)

Proud family!

Afterward we went out for family pictures since they were already dolled up! I was really thankful they included Katelyn's bear so well! Here's a few of our favorites.

I can't thank you enough for all you've given to our family! Prayers, cards, encouragement, gifts, babysitting time, meals, EVERYTHING! We have been so blessed and want our children to remember each of you! God, we thank you for giving us these miracles, all 5 of our children! We vow to teach them about you and your love!

What a year!

2010-05-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

It's almost been a year since the infamous ultrasound and we have had quite a journey! Oh my goodness! Nich and I were talking the other day about how excited we were to be pregnant, a couple weeks later, shocked to find out HOW pregnant, a few months later to thrilled to meet them, heartbroken to lose Katelyn, such a rollercoaster of emotions during the NICU journey and all within 12 months! Within a year our family has doubled and we now have 3 home! That's enough to send anyone into shock!

The babies are 8 months old now and changing so quickly! I'm updating this from a conference in New York (THANK YOU WONDERFUL HUSBAND!!) so can't post pictures, but wanted to at least give you an update on everyone!

Brennan Nicholas - 11 lbs 6 oz

Brennan is our sweet cuddler! He is very mild mannered and definitly our sanity! Brennan was the first to roll over, but hasn't really gotten very much further. He wiggles all over and we find him doing 180's in his crib. He's never in the same place we left him! He's such a good baby! His eyes are doing a lot better, and he's gaining more control every day! When we lay all the babies down to play and kiss them, Brennan's the one always smiling when he hear's you starting because he can't wait for his turn!

Landon James - 15 lbs 4 oz

It is soo good to have Landon home!! We're seeing such great progess with him hearing and responding to us! I know he can see! His eyes get big when you step in front of him and he turns toward us when we're talking. It seems like he's looking right in your eyes! He's very mild mannered just like Brennan and has been so patient with us! He requires a lot more care than the others, but we're getting a schedule down! Lately he's been breathing hard and fast since he got the cold that everyone else has had. Thankfully it hasn't turned into anything more! We've just increased his breathing treatments. He's taking about 40-50cc of his food by bottle and the other 50-60 goes in his Gtube. He's been eating a lot more by bottle and is really focused while he eats - doing a great job! He's responding to Brennan, Brooklyn and Hailey touching him so much and it's such a sweet moment to see. I love watching them interact with eachother!

Brooklyn Danielle - 11 lbs 5 oz

Brooklyn is still our sweet little spitfire! She's got a set a lungs, but they quiet down into a sweet goofy little girl! When you get her to smile, her whole face turns into this goofy grin! She's rolling over too and showing a little more strength and determination than Brennan. She's on her tummy just moments after laying her down (diaper changes are hard now!) and up on her elbows looking all over! She loves to look out and watch things. She'll cuddle as long as she can see the world too!

They're all doing so well! It's a lot of work, but so fun! They're playing now, talking, squirming - turning into old babies! Hailey's doing really well with them too! She picks out their clothes and helps give baths (she does their body and I do their head). A really sweet big sister! More to come, I'm just SO proud of myself to get this update out! :)

Sibling love

2010-05-14T19:34:00.004-04:00

We absolutely love watching the kids interact! Even when they were first born they've had a connection, encouraging each other when one was struggling, cheering each other up. It's so neat to see!
Here's Brennan visiting Landon. Every time Brennan touched him he smiled and his whole face lit up! I LOVE this picture! You can see Nich smiling too! :)

The sweetness continues until....Brooklyn with the sneak attack! She apparently isn't a fan of the brothers bonding or being stuck right in the middle!

Bath time!

2010-05-11T21:50:00.011-04:00

Tuesday was bath night in the Pollak household for ALL the kids! It was busy, but by the end our house smelled like lavender baby smell! I love the smell of babies! Nich gave Hailey a bath and I did the babies. They all love bath time and I thought I'd show you! :)

Brennan always goes crazy in the water! And on dr table paper too! He's a silly boy :)

Bath time is one of the few times Brooklyn is calm. Isn't she so cute?!

Landon's just hanging out! He's such a calm sweet baby!

Landon's Homecoming!!!

2010-05-10T13:30:00.002-04:00

Praise God! We have been waiting for this day!!

Day of life 1 - 1 lb 7 oz

Day of life 225 - 14 lbs 9 oz

I've overcome...

Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA ligation 10/09)
Hydrocephalus (Rickman Reservoir placed 11/09, removed 1/10, VP Shunt placed 1/10)

Retinapothay of Prematurity (laser eye surgery 1/10)

Anemia of Prematurity Requiring Transfusions

Apnea of Prematurity

Bilateral Grade 4 Intraventricular Hemorrhages (they're gone!!)

Necrotizing Entercolitis (Intra-Abdominal Drain Placement 9/09)

Chronic Lung Disease
Hypoxia and Bradycardia requiring PALS Pediatric Advanced Life Support
Pulmonary Interstitial Emphysema (PIE)

Pneumothorax
Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Extremely Low Birthweight (640 grams or 1lb 7oz)

Respiratory Failure Requiring Mechanical Ventilation

Late Onset Sepsis

Infant Feeding Difficulties requiring Gastrointestinal Tube

Atrial Septal Defect

Hypetension
Right Inguinial Hernia Repair 3/10
Aspiration of Thin liquids requiring thickener
Probable Cortical Blindness
Hypoxic Respiratory Failure from Human Metapneumovirus Infection

Just chillin eating his dinner through the Gtube! Don't you just love him?!

I think Hailey says it all, we were SOOO excited to bring Landon home!

Finally putting this crib to use!

All snug in his bed, right where he belongs!

Some of Landon's morning meds! He also gets 1 med before his feed (already gave that & 2 inhaler puffs)

Reunited with the fam! :)

I've got more to add but wanted to at least get pictures out! (I'll repost with an update) It's taken me 3 days to do this, it's a lot of work! He's such a great baby and we are beyond thrilled to have him home!! What a wonderful Mother's Day!

Wahoo!!!!!!

2010-05-07T06:12:00.003-04:00

Today's the day!!!!!!!!!! PRAISE God my miracle baby boy will be home! :)

Brennan and Brooklyn playing peek a boo!

2010-05-06T06:29:00.003-04:00

I am sooo addicted to videos, which I'm so sure you don't mind! Just look at their faces! Our babies are growing up! It's so fun to play with them and watch them interact! We've waited so long to play and they love to!

New Pictures!

2010-05-02T22:00:00.008-04:00

Lots have been happening with our family lately! The babies are way more active and so much fun! Brooklyn too! :) She's going longer between her crying matches which makes for a much happier family! Brennan is sleeping at least 5 hours at night and Brooklyn slept through the night on Friday night! They're eating about 3 1/2-4 ounces every 3 hours during the day. Unfortunately I can't keep up and we've gone through our frozen stash so Saturday afternoon was their first formula bottle and they did great with it! I was a little sad to have to use formula (don't get me wrong, it's not that I love my pump!) I just wanted them to have breastmilk as long as possible. I made it just over 7 months. I'm still pumping and they're getting the majority breastmilk ( 2 bottles each a day of formula). We figured it out...once they get just formula, 1 can will last us about a day when Landon comes home, all the more reason to keep pumping - formula's expensive! Yep you heard right! Landon's coming home on Friday!! We're a little nervous since he's coming with a lot of luggage, but are absolutely thrilled!! Last Thursday we did his teaching to know how to use his Gtube and inhalers. It's a lot, but we can do it! Well without further adieu...here's pictures of the kids this week! Can't wait to add Landon in! :)

I LOVE this picture of Brennan and Daddy! He is such an incredible man!

Brooklyn is doing great with her head! She is so content when she's on her belly! I think she's proud of herself :)

Hailey loves matching Brooklyn! My big girls! Hailey is such a great big sister! She gets their pacifiers, helps with baths, picks out their clothes and so many other things!

Brennan giving Mommy grins! He's so easy to get to smile and his entire face lights up!

Big girl sitting up in the Bumbo seat! She has such great head control and is so strong!

This past week, Brennan tried the Bumbo seat too! He did really well despite the meltdown. Boy do they ever feed off of each other, good and bad! I know they're upset, but I crack up whenever I see this pic!

Brooklyn talking in one of her happy moods! :)

And some videos to top it off! :) The babies are smiling so much now and I LOVE it!

New Every Morning

2010-05-01T10:26:00.002-04:00

I wanted to blog this partly to share my epiphany, and to remind myself...There's something about peace and quiet for me that strengthens me. I've learned (well just really realized today) that 10 minutes less of sleep is actually a good thing! It lets me wake up with me time, peace and quite before the craziness begins. Today I did that. Snuck out of bed, checked on Hailey, went downstairs, peeked in on Brennan and Brooklyn still sleeping and started MY day. It's so calming to watch a child sleep. I got bottles made BEFORE they woke up screaming, pumped, and made breakfast. During that time, everyone else woke up, but I was ahead of the pack. I made bacon, pancakes, eggs and toast - nothing was burnt! I wasn't stressed or rushed. Nich fed the babies and Hailey watched a movie and colored while I made breakfast. After breakfast, Nich headed to work, Hailey kept an eye on the babies and finished her movie and I showered! What, a clean Mommy wearing jeans, not sweatpants?! I took a quick leisurely shower that was relaxing not rushed, short enough that the babies were still sleeping, the movie was still going. I feel so proud of myself, everything I did today (it's only 10!) has been proactive! I feel so much better when I'm ahead and not always behind screaming babies and tantrum throwing toddlers. I have the patience to let Hailey do things herself. I need to remember this when it's hard to get out of bed or when I'm stressed...just breathe and take a little me time!

Brennan's rolling over!

2010-04-27T06:22:00.003-04:00

It's official! It comes with a video! :) Sunday Brennan rolled over from his belly to his back and yesterday from his back to his belly!!! He still has some kinks to work out, but man he loves to practice! Enjoy!!

March for Babies

2010-04-25T22:25:00.010-04:00

A HUGE thank you to everyone who donated to help our family raise money for March of Dimes!! We were absolutely blown away! We were feeling courageous and got everyone ready for their first day at church (we had a meeting for helpers after) and were hoping to walk in the March for Babies. We left our driveway only 3 minutes late and with our sanity! Felt pretty good! :) Grandma & Grandpa met us at church and came over to hang out after. They had lots of fun with the babies!

Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate and we didn't want to risk the babies getting sick so we headed home. We really really wanted to walk, but it was raining on and off the entire morning.

Our family (almost!) Brennan, Daddy, Landon (teddy bear), Hailey, Brooklyn and Mommy. We had the memory glass ball from Katelyn's ashes. Closest we could get to a family picture.

Brennan sporting his onesie!

Landon wore his too! He promises to be at next year's!

My work put together a team for March of Dimes and we had shirts made in honor of our babies and in memory of Katelyn. The t-shirt company donated onesies for the babies and a t-shirt for Hailey. We are so thankful, the shirts will be such a memory for us.

Here's the back - the hand prints and footprints are actual size. I can't believe how small they were! They're 7 months old now and have grown leaps and bounds! Today Brennan creeped a couple steps and rolled over from his belly to his back!!!!!! More on that tomorrow hopefully! :) Of course, we grabbed the camera but the memory card was full! By the time it was ready the excitement was already over. Nich promises to try to get a video tomorrow!

A sweet day with Hailey

2010-04-23T00:57:00.001-04:00

Tonight Hailey and I had such a great night! I picked her up from day care and we went out to dinner, just the two of us! :) We went to Full Moon, a family restaurant in Albion that Hailey had only been to once before. She loves the moon and I thought it'd be a perfect surprise! They didn't have any space decorations, but there was a moon on the sign! We decided to eat at the bar (not really a bar in a family restaurant, just the place people usually wait for to-go orders). Hailey picked the place. As we were deciding what we should eat, we were just having a conversation - how did she get this big?! She told the waitress she wanted eggs and bacon - scrambled eggs and cranberry juice. Cranberry juice?! That's Hailey - she always surprises us! We just talked and laughed and really had a great time!

After we headed in to town to pick up a couple things, including Bob & Orange! She did really good picking things out, reasoning whether or not we should get something. I've taught her well to buy on sale! :) Towards the end of our shopping trip (yep she waited til the end and didn't pester the entire time!) she was getting so excited to pick up her fish! Whenever they die we flush them to their vacation! Mighty clever, I think! :) Well, she apparently got a call today that they were ready to come home and we needed to go to Meijer to pick them up! She was cracking up the fish guy, saying hmmm...I don't remember if he had black on his tail. I don't remember if he was bigger or not...She's hilarious! We finally picked out the right ones and were headed home.

Hailey showing off Bob & Orange! :) She's so goofy!

On the way there's a park she always wants to go to but it's not the best area and there's hardly any little kids toys so she agrees to go to the other park another time. She asked me if I went there when I was little, I said I didn't live her when I was little - I lived with Nana and Papa in another city. She asked where she would live. I said she could live anywhere she wanted to (but hopefully by Mommy & Daddy!) and she responded. "Well, God hasn't told me where I should live yet." Later that night I told her I was proud of her for improvising an activity because of her cast and she said, "Yep, God made me to be able to do it!" That is so true! How easy it is for a child to understand and have complete faith! I was just so proud of her and so impressed with her understanding. Today she was a reminder to me that God is in control, we aren't, the doc's aren't. God is. We should be praying and seeking his direction and we should be giving him all the glory for making us his beautiful, miraculous creation. Thanks for your precious words Hailey!

March for Babies!

2010-04-22T06:51:00.004-04:00

I'm sure all of you saw the sidebar raising money for March of Dimes and a HUGE thank you to those who have donated! And one last ask for help! Our local walk is Sunday and we're planning to be there with Hailey, Brennan and Brooklyn! Landon promised he'd make it next year! In preparation for the walk, I wanted to tell you a little bit about March of Dimes and why it's so important to us...

Our micro-preemies who wouldn't have had a chance of survival even a few years ago!

March of Dimes invested $26.8 million dollars in 2008 to new research grants to better understand and eventually prevent birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Our kids have benefited tremendously by their research and could have benefited more by new research. The medicines that helped stop (postpone) my contractions were developed in part from March of Dimes. The surfactant that helped speed up their lung development before and after their birth - yep March of Dimes. The treatment of many of their complications during the early weeks. I found this list on their website and thought I'd share - it shows just how miraculous our babies are and how important treatment is. If you want to learn more, check out the website at www.MarchofDimes.com.

Medical complications common in premature babies:
Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) - check x4
Apnea - check x3
Intraventricular Hemorrhage (IVH) - check x2
Patent ductus arteriosis (PDA) - check x3
Necrotizing entercolitis (NEC) - check x2
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) - check x3 (or 4 if you count Brennan's repeat!)
Anemia - check x3
Chronic lung disease (BPD) - check x3
Infections - check x lots!

We are so grateful for everyone's thoughts, prayers, and encouragement during this incredible journey! We're so thankful for the NICU staff and March of Dimes and all that has been done to give our babies the best chance! Check back this weekend for pics of our family and the awesome t-shirts my work has put together! Keeping you in suspense! :)

Brennan's Home!! (again!)

2010-04-13T10:14:00.008-04:00

Our little man made his second grand exit Monday night and headed back home! This time with a little more equipment - a feeding tube (the yellow cord out his nose and around his car seat). Not bad at all when you think of what Landon will cart home with him! :)

Brennan Nicholas 10lbs 1oz - fits a little better in his car seat!

Saying good bye to Landon - better not be too far behind! They both seem real intersted don't they!?! They look so alike when they're sleeping!

One of Brennan's primary nurses Ann. She took excellent care of Brennan both times he was in! He'll miss you so much!

Ceremonial Big Bird picture. It was sad, we were so excited for him to come home, but unfortunately I had to bring him home by myself. Daddy was home with Brooklyn and missed all the fun!

Boy she missed her brother! Just look at that grin! They're about an ounce different in size. Brennan's just scrunched down. Brooke's showing off her made development skills!

Hmm...maybe not quite sure about him anymore...

Getting ready to visit mom! I had to take them both to Brennan's follow up eye appointment in Beaumont since Nich had to work that night. He drove them to my work and we switched! SOOO thankful for my mom meeting me there!

He just looks so peaceful! We're so happy to have him home! He came home with the feeding tube, but since has taken every feed by bottle except the 2 right after his eye appointment. They dialted his eyes and made him pretty sleepy. Between all the kids, we've got at least one appointment everyday this week and 4 next week! We hit the ground running! Just one more baby....hopefully soon!

Landon's got a visitor

2010-04-12T00:27:00.005-04:00

Got another chance to upload some more pictures!! These are from before Landon's last surgery.

Landon's big boy bed! He looks so tiny!

Yep, that's a smile! My handsome little man!

Just hanging out, he is so sweet!

Brooklyn came to visit before his big surgery. I think she was trying to give him a pep talk.

There's kinda a resemblance, right?! If Landon wasn't 2lbs bigger!

Sibling love!

Hailey's hospital turn!

2010-04-11T12:18:00.004-04:00

Man oh man! So just to add to our crazy life...Friday night Hailey broke two little bones just above her wrist. She was playing with friends at a kids play place in Chelsea, having tons of fun when she got out of her chair, tripped on her beloved green blankie and fell right on the cement floor. She cried just a little bit when it happened, they saw that her arm was wavy and that bones were out of place, called us and took her right to the U. Nich and I had just switched Brooklyn at home, he went to work and Brooke and I were just going to hang out, but instead we drove back to Ann Arbor! Thankfully we picked up a friend on the way to help with Brooklyn and trekked on in.

When we got there, she and Josh were hanging out in the ER. Hailey had told all her nurses that she was a big sister and about all her babies. She always says she has 2 brothers in the hospital, 1 sister home and 1 sister in heaven. She is so sweet!! Most people don't know how to respond. One said "Oh I'm sorry." It's ok, Hailey's getting through it, it's her way of keeping Katelyn with us and she's ok.

She had eaten a couple crackers before she fell, so they had to wait 4 hours before giving her sedation! They moved us into a bigger ER room where they were going to fix her wrist. She watched them put in her IV even though the patient support was doing a great job trying to keep her distracted. She didn't even flinch! I think the babies get their strength from her sister too! A little after 10 they started her sedation and I stayed with her until she was out. While the sedation was kicking in she got a little scared because of the side effects. It was so hard, I think harder being there with her than the babies during their complications. She wasn't in pain, but she still knew what was going on and was so strong. We read books, colored (very creatively - thanks to Brittney!) and watched movies while we waited. Annette and Josh helped take care of Brooklyn so I could focus on Hailey.

They rebroke her arm, held it upright and wrapped it with a plaster splint. The xrays looked like they were able to align her bones straight as an arrow! We'll go back next week for a real cast. Here's some pics! These are from my phone...laptop will be fixed on Tuesday! Thanks Kate!

As she was waking up. It's the only picture I could get with the splint. She wasn't crying, her eyes were just watering from the sedation.

Fully awake! That's our Hailey! :)

When she was fully awake she got her rainbow popsicle did great! By the time we were discharged, Brooklyn needed to eat again so we went up to the NICU and let Hailey visit the boys while I fed Brooke. It was a really long night, but thanks to GREAT kids and GREAT friends it was as smooth as possible! I'll take more pics of her in her cast...it isn't slowing her down at all!

Ganging up already!

2010-04-08T19:32:00.002-04:00

This video is from February, but just got a chance to post it! Here's our turkeys ganging up on me! :) We so miss being at home!!

Landon's Extubation! - update #2!

2010-04-08T17:00:00.000-04:00

Here's my miracle baby boy!! Not the best picture, but you can see his cannula! He's on high flow which is a little different than before. It's a cross between cannula and CPAP. It gives him higher peep (pressure flow). He's at 4 liters and regular low flow cannula only goes up to 2 liter. (Brooklyn came home on 1/8 liter and before surgery Landon was on 1/4 liter. Just to give you reference.) Also, the docs and nurses are quite impressed (and surpised!) that they didn't find a floppy trachia, called Tracheomalacia. Almost all 23weekers that were on a ventilator as much as Landon do have Trachemalacia and need a Trach. We're not! :) God is good!

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He did it!! Landon's on CPAP and his airway looks great! No more swelling! I always get so worried about him, he has so much going against him, but God is so faithful and guides him through! To God be the glory, Landon always waits until there's no other explanation!
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Landon finally pooped Monday night and has pooped every assessment since! (every 3 hours!) They took him down for a lower GI and gave him an enema, which did the trick! They found no obstruction and opened the poopy flood gates! Now about his airway...he's going down this morning to the OR to be extubated! He's had 3 really good sprints (take off the vent support with his breathing tube still in to see how he does) Monday and Tuesday, so here goes! The reason they want to do it in the OR is to do a bronchoscopy at the same time to get a good look at his airway. They had trouble reintubating last week because his esophagus was really swollen. The goal is to get off the ventilator, but if not they'll put his breathing tube back in. Worse case scenario, if his esophagus is swollen and floppy, it may not stay open so they'd do an immediate Tracheotomy. We're praying he does great and that his airway is strong!!

Girly Girls!

2010-04-05T12:44:00.000-04:00

Growing up I was NOT a girly girl. I think that's why I've been blessed with one! :) Here's some cute pictures of the girls!

Grandma mailed Hailey this skirt & headband for Easter - SOO adorable!

She wouldn't let me take pictures of her looking at the camera!

She would while she was holding Brooklyn! They are just so cute together!

Hailey absolutely loves being a big sister and teaching Brooklyn how to do things!

Brooklyn laughs now! We're trying so hard to get it on camera and on video, but here's our best attempt so far! I love this stage! :)

After church yesterday, we were zonked! We slept for 3 hours! Now that's a Sunday afternoon nap! Even Spice (our cat) slept with us - all the girls!

Happy Easter from the Pollaks!

2010-04-04T23:47:00.006-04:00

What a weekend! As most of you know, Hailey is a complete girly girl! She has been eye-ing her Easter dress in the closet for quite awhile (I buy their holiday clothes end of season the previous year for super cheap!) and has been so excited for Easter! Two weeks ago when she came down to visit, Easter decorations were out at Ronald McDonald and she asked why. I said because we're getting ready for Easter! "Easter?!?!" Since then she's been so excited!

We took the girls to an Easter egg hunt at a church in the area Saturday morning and Hailey had so much fun! Brooklyn did great too!

Hailey made the bean bag in the hole during bean bag toss! She's got quite the arm!

Nich and Brooklyn! What great sports!

Our little scavenger! She LOVED finding the eggs and really looked for them! They were actually sprinkled across the yard in plain sight, but she enjoyed "the hunt."

We were talking about what our plans were for the weekend and told her we would go to the Easter egg hunt and then next day go to church on Easter Sunday. I told her Easter Sunday is when we celebrate Jesus going to heaven. Being the thinker she is, she asked why we look for eggs on Easter too. I said because after Jesus died, people were looking for him but couldn't find him. Of course, "where'd he go?" I said, he went to heaven. "Oh! To make it for Katelyn!?" I just smiled and said yep, and for all of us too! That afternoon Hailey and I colored Easter pictures for the boys and she colored one for Katelyn since she couldn't come look for eggs. She wanted to go get a balloon that could carry her picture and a small Easter toy to heaven. She can't wait to get to heaven and see Jesus, Katelyn and Papa Art (Papa Heart to Hailey). What an amazing little girl she is!

After the festivities, we headed home for the night. It was so nice to be home!! Hailey & I dyed eggs and then got a little carried away and also did onesies and our underwear! She dyed everything and did a great job! She went to get her mixer because it was WAY more effective at mixing the dye before dipping! :) I'll post another picture of the finished products!

We can't forget the boys! :) Here's spiderman bunny Brennan wearing his ears!

Landon wasn't too keen on the idea either...Oh well, he's adorable!

Brennan, Brooklyn & Ann (one of Brennan's primary nurses) all sporting the ears!

More posts to come...with pictures! I got access to a laptop with internet and got all these pics uploaded! Our laptop's on the mend and should be back shortly!

Quick prayers for Landon

2010-04-02T14:00:00.003-04:00

Surprise, it's about Landon again! So I can just give a quick update and will know more on Monday...Landon's still on the ventilator from surgery last Friday. The docs tried to extubate (take him off the vent) yesterday without success. He did his notorious clamping down on cannula which was really scary as they had no means of making him breathe. He's been showing good signs on the vent and doing a lot of breathing on his own or above the vent. He's on about medium vent settings still. Today Nich talked with the docs and they want to do a couple tests on Landon Monday. He still hasn't pooped since surgery Friday even after suppositories. They're concerned about his bowels and a possible obstruction. When they fixed his hernia, his intestines had grown around the hernia and it was complicated. They're not using the Gtube until he poops so they know everythings working right. He's probably going to have a GI study again on Monday. Also, because of his clamping, they also think there's a problem with his airway. After they get the bowels under control, when they extubate him next (hopefully soon!) they'll take him down to OR to do it so they can get a good look at his airway. They talked about the need for a trach or home ventilator again.

Please pray for Landon (and for us!)! We thought he beat this after he recovered from the Human Metapneumoviraus and went to cannula. He very well may be testing us and the doctors, he is a miracle and we need to keep our eyes on that! God has gotten him through SO much, and we cling to that! Landon just needs a break to rest and recover. I'll update on Monday (or close to!). We know when we post a prayer request, the prayer warriors start! So we're praying for a complete turn around and clear test results in a few days!

Landon's Long Day

2010-03-27T22:49:00.004-04:00

Saying, I'm ok guys!

Miracle Man

Landon had one LONG day. He was supposed to have a simple surgery Friday at 10am that combined placing a Gastrointestinal Tube (G-tube) his stomach and repairing his Inguinal hernias to help him come home faster. His hernia's needed to be repaired before discharge and he was taking longer than he should to bottle feed. We figured, might as well have him go down just once. Of course like most surgery days his surgery was delayed for a couple of hours. Around 2 in the afternoon we finally took Landon down for his surgery. Jen and I said our prayers with Landon, told him we loved him and went back to the NICU as he went to surgery...well we thought he went. They took him down, intubated him then there was a delay. His surgery then took longer than expected and around 8:45pm the surgeon came to the waiting room looking for "Landon's family." We were having a good conversation with the other families, so answered, "yep, that's us!" But we saw his demeanor and he asked if there was someplace we could talk. First of all surgeons never give any hint about how well the surgery went, until they actually speak the words. I think they actually go to school for how to worry the family after surgery! We went out in the hallway very nervous. He said everything was ok, but he had several complications along the way. Instead of two hernias, they only found 1 and one hydrocele, which was good news. They don't have to operate on hydroceles. However, the hernia he had was more complicated than they thought and it took 2 surgeons, a massive microscope, and over 2 hours to repair just the hernia! Then everytime they filled his belly with air to put his g-tube in, he would desat and they would have to stop and wait for him. The doctor said several times that he had to stop and start. But like always Landon does not do anything the conventional way! Right now he's on the vent - medium settings but is improving bit by bit. They're using the Gtube for meds now and hopefully will start it with feeds on Monday. The surgeons told us that they don't want to see another Pollak baby because they are took much work and never follow the rules. They actually told Brooklyn to not listen to her brothers.

It will probably take Landon a while to recover but since we did both surgeries together he may get home a lot sooner. He is a sweet boy and I can't wait to have him sleep in his own crib, get mad because his little sister wont stop crying, laugh when his older sister is making funny noises, and bond with his brother who is also a little conquering hero in his own right. We are so close to finally be home, our home together. We pray for our little men all the time that they will know how much they are loved by their mom, dad, sister, family and friends who span the whole world. It's hard for us to be with one while the other is alone at another hospital. They are the most brave babies I have every seen and I can only hope that I can met the challenge of being their parents!

God has blessed us, allowing us to witness miracles with these babies! Tuesday the doctors told Nich that after reviewing the neuro-visual test Landon had done and looking at the cranial ultrasound pics, Landon would most likely be blind, deaf and unable to walk. Apparently just outside the ventricles in the brain, lies your pathways to your legs, eyes & ears. His Grade 4 hemorrhage bled over these areas, causing damage to the brain tissue. We were devastated. How were we going to take care of these babies with such difficult needs?! God, we didn't ask for 4, let alone 23 weekers! After we regrouped, gained strength and realized we can do all things through Christ (after all, some days we have no idea how we get up and do this everyday!) we regained our focus. Our family. We vowed no matter how difficult, Landon's our son and he's survived so much, it was our job to help reach his fullest potential, whatever that is. Wednesday I got a text from Nich saying Landon could hear!!! He passed the BEARS hearing test! That's the easy one that all babies are tested on! We though to ourselves, wow we are so lucky to be Landon's parents! I have not personally witnessed so many obvious miracles! Landon's also been looking at things and even went cross eyed the other day looking at his bottle. All the time GOD IS GOOD!!!!!!

Quick update - Prayers & Praises!

2010-03-25T15:03:00.000-04:00

Quick update! Landon wiill have his triple surgery tomorrow at 10:30 (gtube, hernias and boy surgery). Brooklyn's off oxygen during the day!! Brennan's eyes are progressing just as they should!

From Pirate to Spiderman

2010-03-22T13:07:00.003-04:00

You probably read the title and thought - what?!?! Brennan came through the second (and last!) eye surgery great today! Just came out looking a little funny...

Spiderman! :)

Both of the surgeries he extubated (bot his breathing tube out) in the OR and he's breathing on his own - without cannula! He's woken up well and tolerated the surgery well. The surgeon took a look at his right eye and it seems to be doing good. There's still a little bubble in his eye, but they're hopeful it'll go away and his retina will reattach correctly. His left eye was worse and the prognosis isn't as good, but what do statistics mean to the Pollak?! :) Don't get me wrong we understand the seriousness of what's going on, but there's always the God factor. We're praying for sight!

Also, wanted to share, our local newspaper featured a story on our family this past Sunday on the front page! Here's the link - it was such a great article!

Pictures of Brooklyn

2010-03-21T23:14:00.001-04:00

Even though the babies are almost 6 months old, since they were 4 months too soon, they have an adjusted age. Really they're only 2 months old. Brooklyn went to the pediatrician last week and was showing off doing things a 4 month baby should be doing! She's got great head control, neck strength and the curiosity to keep learning new things!

Our developmental super star! Look at that strength!

Smiling! She's so proud of herself! We were all cheering her on!

Mommy giving Brooke a bath in the sink! Definitely not a regular occurrence - her infant tub is so much easier but we were without and she NEEDED a bath! She did great!

Sisters, best friends for life! I love this picture! They were mesmerized by Dora. Hailey was even explaining it to Brooklyn!

Surgery Pirate

2010-03-19T13:46:00.004-04:00

Wow, not posting the day after surgery definitely isn't like me but I've been exhausted and internet-less. A HUGE thank you to Brittney for letting me use her laptop to get this blogging bonanza started!

Here's Brennan getting settled in his cubicle at Beaumont. It's such a beautiful hospital and we feel like he's in great hands! Had to take a picture because they're isolettes are much different from U of M. The nurse said he was pretty fussy when we weren't there and it made it really really hard to leave Thursday night. He went right to sleep when I held him, but had a little trouble getting settled again in his bed.

After much love, here's Brennan all snuggled in! Nich & Brooklyn had left already to get checked in to their hotel while I had a couple minutes by myself with him. This was the first surgery I wouldn't be at, he was in a new hospital and having an uncommon surgery. Not the recipe for a good night. I balled as soon as I got in my car in the parking garage. I called Meme and Lynne who helped talk through my feelings and prayed with me. I am so thankful for such supportive friends!

Our post surgery pirate!

Friday, Brennan had surgery on his right eye as his retina was partially detached. Apparently scar tissue from his ROP (Retinapothy of Prematurity) surgery back in January. This isn't very common, but now statistics don't have much weight with our kids! I had talked with the surgeon prior to surgery and he told me he's let us know how the surgery went. He must have known how nervous I was and called me from the OR letting me know everything went well! We'll need to watch and make sure his retina reattaches itself to his eye and for now infections. It was a laser surgery and he really did great all around - even was extubated before he came back to the NICU! Couldn't asked for a better surgery day! Left eye is scheduled for Monday, but unforunately we don't know what time yet. Look for more updates to come!