So much joy to come

When trials are going on all around, it's so easy to get caught up in it and not see the whole picture. However when the trails are much less and there is more joy, it's so easy to forget some of the hardship that has occurred. In the past month, Brian and I have been reminded so many times of what we have gone through. Just today I was speaking with a woman who had tears in her eyes as she looked at the boys. She is an ex-nurse, so for her, watching us walk through the boys lives was more than just a story, it was real life. It was really sweet. Then she said the most amazing words to me, "How does it feel to know that you have encouraged so many people?" I laughed it off at that moment, but I've been thinking about it all day. I am so honored to have been able to share our story, and if people are encouraged by it, then I am so thankful! There is no one to blame for what our family has endured. It took me a long time to get rid of the Mother's guilt, but I know that I did everything I could to keep my babies safe. We don't blame any of our doctors or nurses in any of our four hospitals. Each person did the absolute best that they could and we are so thankful for that because neither boy would be here if they hadn't. We are so honored to have had so many friends and family who were praying for us. I don't even know how many times prayer gatherings were happening that we didn't even know about. Or when people showed up at our house to pray for Isaac because he was so sick. We really hope that our family has encouraged perseverance when there is a trial and for any family that is enduring preemie life, we really hope that we can speak hope into your family.

This coming week is the biggest week that we have ever gone through in the sense of joy. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am! On August 21st, we are moving....Yes I know, again. Currently we live in Berlin and love being so close to friends and family, however it is really just not a 'safe' place for us. Emotionally, spiritually and in a sense, physically. I don't think Brian and I have ever been so excited for a new home as we are for this one. We are going to be renting a condo in Avon. It has so much to offer our family. Not only is it in a great school system, and close to some of my friends from home, but my Mom is the only grandparent living in CT and we want the boys to have experiences with her that I had with my grandparents. Some of my greatest memories are with my grandparents. But we are still praying for both my Dad and Step-Mom and Brian's Parents to move back here soon :)

On August 23rd at 2AM, I will get up and get ready to leave, because at 3AM Isaac and I have to be on the road and heading up to Boston for his 7th and final surgery!!! This is the most amazing news that I could be sharing!!! For 2.5 full years, he has had tubes and iv's in so many places. Now for the first time in his entire 2.5 years, we will be able to hold him in any position, not have to change dressings, put tubes back in when he pulls them out and not have to freak people out when they are trying to play with him. Isaac and I will have to stay over night, and I'm pretty confident when I say he's going to be cranky because they won't let him eat before or after surgery. I remember what it was like for CJ....boy was he loud!

I'm so thankful that this is the last scheduled surgery where I will have to hold the gas mask over one of my sons as he drifts off to sleep. If you've never had to do this before, then I am so thankful. It doesn't sound like much, but when your baby is looking up at you with scared pleading eyes and then they roll back in their head and they are as limp as I would expect someone who is lifeless to be...it's pretty sad. But Isaac's surgeon is amazing! We love this man and would have him do surgery on anyone in our family. And this is a pretty routine surgery...the only real issues are making sure that Isaac doesn't catch anything while he's in the hospital, that no abnormal bleeding occurs and that he doesn't get an infection after.

Now the tricky thing that we are going through right now, is that Isaac gets monthly shots of vitamin B12. He had blood work done in July just before his dose, and his numbers were off. So after they did his shot, we got more blood work. They were still low. So then Isaac got a mega dose and they were up, but not that great. So we just had more done, and then another shot. When we go to Boston on Thursday for pre-op and a Neurology behavioral study, they are going to do more blood work. Needless to say the poor thing has had 3 shots and 4 blood tests done in just over a month. We need to figure this out because B12 is very important. Possibly something is keeping him from absorbing, but we aren't sure what.

Christopher is doing so well! He's had some wicked sinus infections lately...for 2 full weeks. He's on another round of antibiotics that are not making his intestines so happy. But at least he is getting back to himself. We are praying against any asthma or eczema break outs going into the fall. They both tend to get worse, but we are praying for them to be gone.

If anyone is free around 8AM next Saturday, we'd love some help moving so that we can be all settled in by Sunday afternoon so I can get some sleep before surgery. Once we are settled in and home from surgery, we will let you know how everything went. Thank you all for your continued love and support!

A little bit of everything for the last month

It's amazing how the majority of my days are spent in a fog based upon the fact that I've gone almost 2.5 full years of not sleeping more than 3 hours at a time. And while last night was that way for sure...2 hours at a time, the fact that I had an hour to myself this morning gave me such a new perspective. Thank you so much God for giving me some alone time.

The last month has been crazy. June had so many ups and downs. We entered into a new stage with Isaac. We like to call it the stage that has to go so we can have our child back. Isaac now screams at the top of his lungs when he wants something. Now you may think, "Yes Jenn, every child does this." But I mean that it sounds as if we are beating him with a stick. It's so embarrassing! And he'll do it anywhere, but specifically when it's bed time. Thank goodness Brian is home this month at night so I think I'd have to move into the garage just to keep the street from being angry with us. He did it the other day when I took the boys for a run. As if pushing 60lbs of child isn't hard enough. I now had to talk, while running and pushing the 60lbs. We even managed to wake up the set of triplets that had been peacefully sleeping. Yep that's our boy :)

We had a 2 week period where we started with illnesses again. It was not fun at all. First CJ got croup again. Then it turned into an ear infection. Then we took him back to the doctor because we couldn't get his wheezing to stop. Now he has a new sick plan that seems to be working great. At the same time we took Isaac because he was getting a runny nose and starting down the same path. Turns out that he has a form of Rosacea that most kids can not get until they are between 6-12 years old. Our doctor turned and started laughing. She said nothing with your children surprises me any more. Yep it's official. The Campbell Twins are not normal :)

We went to our first Build-A-Bear Birthday Party. It has so much potential of being an amazing experience. We were worried about Isaac because he was a bit cranky, but as it turned out, Isaac loved EVERY minute of it. He had so much fun and LOVES his karate bear. But poor CJ who was a little over-whelmed from the beginning from lack of sleep, did not have such a great time. He was about to. He was heading over to sit next to his friend Jenna when all of a sudden he got sat on. Not by a child, but by a rather large woman. She not only sat on him, but smacked his head and body into the wall. Needless to say, he cried for the next 45 minutes and didn't want to take part in any of it until the very end. Now when he looks at his puppy he always says, "Momma Owe! Sit on head."  I think we may need to redo this experience so he can see why every other child in the world loves it.

Yesterday I took Isaac to Boston. It was a very long day without much sleep. Nothing exciting happened though. Now that Isaac is doing so well, they don't need to monitor as much. Hopefully next week when Isaac's Surgeon comes back from Japan they can set up his OR date to have his g-tube removed. This would make his life so much easier for many reasons. Plus it would save us hundreds of dollars on the dressings that we use. Now the stinky thing is that he has not gained any weight. In 4 months he only gained 4 oz. So we need to figure this out. He's now going to start drinking 1.5 containers of Pediasure. Hopefully this will help him get chunkier. He hasn't gotten taller in about 8 months. So it's very important that we help him get bigger so he can grow in all areas. Other than that, nothing happened. Although I did see a very sweet woman who I met on Isaac first day there.

It's amazing how God places the sweetest people in our lives. In every hospital we have not only had amazing nurses and doctors, but I have met amazing mothers. At UCONN I met this wonderful woman named Julie who inspired me so much! Then at CCMC I met sweet Meredith who met us during one of Isaac's worst moments. She still gives me so much encouragement and I am so thankful that God blessed me with such a great friend! Then at Boston when I was so over-whelmed having one child in the NICU at CCMC and another in Boston, Holly was there to help me through life as a Mother of a short-gut kid. Something I had never ever thought I would have to endure. Staying in another state, away from one of babies, away from my husband, my job, my regular life, my bed....I began a new life and Holly was there to help me. Seeing Holly yesterday in the waiting room gave me so much peace. To see her there, all the way from North Carolina, smiling and enjoying her daughter was wonderful. God blessed us by bringing us both to the greatest Intestinal Rehabilitation Center in the world. Now our munchkins are doing so great!!!

We are still looking for a place to live. We really aren't sure what God is doing. Brian and I are still waiting for Him to show us where to go. It's a little frustrating because things here are a little tense. But we know that He is in control and He will provide everything we need as it arises. Brian and I do have some specific towns that we are interested in, only because the boys start pre-school in February and we want the best for them. Especially for Isaac has PT, OT and Speech will still be key for his development. We'd really like to get into a town that we can find ourselves staying in forever. Moving every year really does stink. But again, it all depends upon God and where He brings us to.

So this is a little of everything that has gone on in the last month. Life has been crazy, and we haven't had much down time. But the boys are doing pretty well, Brian and I are doing okay and hopefully July and August will start a new stage for us as a family.

The waiting game...

After two full years, there is nothing worse than the waiting game. Do we have to go back to Boston? Do we have to have more testing done? Do we have to be readmitted? How much will insurance cover? How much will this add to our already crazy list of medical bills? How long will Isaac and I be away from Brian and Christopher? Who will watch him while Brian works. Oh my goodness is it ever frustrating. There are so many days that I wish I went to school to be a pediatrician as well as a GI doc, a surgeon, a nutritionist and an IV tech. Life really would be so much easier, except I'd still be in school :)  It's been a waiting game to see if we had to go back to Boston because of malnutrition. Isaac is having a hard time getting bigger. His weight is only 26.13lbs and he's only 33.5 inches. He's been the same length for a very long time and his weight keeps going back and forth because of sicknesses and becoming more mobile. Thank goodness we are getting better, but it's still frustrating to think of living out of a hospital again. I did it before and didn't think twice, but to think of it now can be overwhelming. Luckily I haven't heard back from Isaac's Nurse Practitioner, so I'm thinking we are in the clear. If we weren't, I know for sure she would have called me the second she got his totals. But we really need to pray for this little guy to grow!

Now for the fun stuff. These boys rock my world! There is no other way to put it. They are so much fun, so much joy and all at the very same moment, they can drive me crazy! CJ totally has my personality. He's independent and free spirited. Everything his doctors said from day one about him being a fighter and that was getting him through it all was totally true. He's such a fighter. Just ask Isaac's head as he got hit over the head 7 times this morning! Yes CJ has exhausted time out. It means nothing to him now. Looks like I need to get creative, again. CJ loves to do his own thing. He also loves to take everything that is mine and bring it to another room. I never know where my purses will be :) He loves Isaac so much though. It's a love like no other. He always looks out for Isaac first, them himself. I love twins!!!!!

Isaac is doing so great with his walking! It was a rough 2 weeks, but he's back stronger than ever! He loves his Physical Therapist! I don't want him to turn 3 because then we move on from her. He's willing to do anything she asks. She came yesterday afternoon and he walked all over. She left and he kept walking. He stood all over this morning and tried so many new things. We had a play date this afternoon and he played with the other 3 little boys like he was totally normal. It was such a precious thing for us to see. He stood all over and even climbed on top of the kiddie picnic table. He has such a strong desire to do everything set before him. He really wants to make us proud every day, but honestly I don't think he could ever not make me proud. They are the best little guys around!

I can honestly say that for the first time in 2 years, Brian and I feel like we are starting to live. Until April 1st, we were in and out of hospitals or doctors offices every week. From October 18th until Jan 16th, we were at a doctor's every single week. I can't even tell you how hard that was, and even if I could, if you haven't lived it yourself, I don't think it could be understood. I worked with a woman who's daughter had many, many open heart surgeries. I never grasped the level of pain, grief, trauma and joy (when the surgery was over), until I went through it every day of my life.

Have you ever had to regain your life after watching it pass you by for 2 years? It's hard. It's hard to pick up in friendships and family relationships where you left off. Some understand and totally support you because they know you did what you had to do in order to help keep your children alive and moving forward. Others may not be so forgiving. For that I am so sorry that I was not been a great friend or family member. But I had, and at times still have to have one focus. Isaac and Christopher. We were newlyweds, married less than a year (thanks to our kids being born 15 weeks early) and going through hurt. Talk about putting our marriage to the test. There were many weeks and months when Brian and I co-existed without even saying anything because the emotional roller coaster we went through was too great. But God is so great that He not only saved our marriage, He made it amazing! Never in my life did I think marriage could be this wonderful. For all our friends, uncles and cousins who are getting married this year, there really is not another greater gift that we could be given than the love of our husband or wife :) But God has done so many things in our life, Christopher never had another episode with his esophagus. He was suppose to have all these issues because it was so short, but he hasn't. I know that he can have issues for another few years, but I know he won't :) God has been so amazing with Isaac. He wasn't suppose to crawl, walk or talk. He is sooooo smart! He can crawl all over like a crazy boy, he's learning pretty quickly how to walk and he's trying so hard to talk. God is so good!

Coffee really is a Mom's best friend...

Except for about a month total, I have not slept straight through the night since the boys were born. Wow was last night rough! I don't think I could even tell you how many times I was up with the boys....they were having night terrors, and I had a terrible nightmare myself. It was a bad night of sleep. Only to have our day start at 4:30 when Isaac woke Christopher up with his yelling. But Isaac didn't really want CJ to get up, he just wanted me to get up so that he could have some alone time with Mommy. Well boy did that backfire! He was then so mad that he yelled for the next 2 hours straight. I'm sure our neighbors just loved us this morning. Finally around 7AM I got him to be happy for a little bit, only to break down again.

At 9:15 they finally wanted to snuggle, and at 9:30 they went down for a nap. Talk about throwing off our day when they were suppose to meet our Occupational Therapist at the library. Of course I tried to nap while they did, but after 3 cups of coffee just to be able to function for them, there was no napping for me. So what do I do, but decide I'm going to organize all the things that don't need to be organized. By 5PM when our Speech Therapist left I just wanted to curl up in a ball and go to sleep. But of course that wasn't about to happen because Brian then had to leave for work. So now it's back to tonight. Will they sleep? Will I sleep? Well now they have black sheets hanging from their windows to keep the sun out in the morning, I have 2 fans on medium to try to drown out the birds that begin chirping at 4AM and the door is shut tight in hopes of keeping the cats from going in and crying to wake up the boys (they seem to enjoy this on the nights when I am exhausted)

I'm really hoping that the meltdowns from Isaac yesterday and today are from being over-tired and not having an ear infection. The poor thing has had many, many diapers today, has refused to walk the entire day and just yells at me. It's hard to tell with him, it could be the pineapple I gave him for breakfast and lunch or it could be an infection. Since it's now quarter of seven, I'm really hoping it's just being tired because there is nothing worse than having to go to the doctors on a weekend. We've done it far too much!

I just looked at pictures of the boys on our first Mother's Day. Wow. The words aren't even there to really express it. The tears are flowing and the joy I have is amazing. There were so many times that doctors tried to rib us of the joy of Isaac. They had no hope of him surviving and had pretty much written him off. They told us that there was nothing more they could do for him at CCMC and it was just a waiting game to see how long his liver could hold off before he really went into liver failure from not being able to eat. I didn't realize until this moment just how bad his color was. I saw it, and it was real to me, but I wasn't willing to accept it then. Not my Isaac. God told me I was pregnant with twins before the doctor ever told me, and He gave them each a name without us ever finding out if they were going to be girls or boys. There was no way I was going to give up on my sweet Isaac, the little guy who smiled at me just a few days after being born. He was loved so much by so many people. Sure there were tons of ups and downs where our faith was tried. Actually to be honest there were more times during Isaac's 8 months in the hospital than I ever imagined in a lifetime. But because we had such an amazing support system, we were able to stay strong even when we didn't have it in us. Thank you all so much for being there for us!!!!!

This is a picture from our first Mother's Day. Brian is holding Isaac, and I am holding Christopher. The first time in four months that the boys got to touch. The first time Brian and I were able to stand next to each other with a child in each of our arms. This was also the last time that Isaac would be in CT for four months because he was being transferred to Boston the next day. This was also the first time I got to take Christopher outside. For the first time he was able to experience what fresh air felt like, even though he was hooked up to a monitor and oxygen. For the first time I got to push my child in a stroller.....but the pain of not being able to push them both in the stroller was hard. The pain of not being able to bring both of my children home was hard. Life was so hard back then.

Even when things are hard now, and we don't sleep...or the boys scream for hours.....or we have to go back and forth to the doctors...nothing compares to what things were like 2 years ago. God has been so amazing to us. He has answered all of our prayers and more. I know for a fact that there is no way that Brian and I ever could have gotten through the last 2 years without Him and without all our family and friends. Thank you all!!!!!

2 year old doctors

Wow has a lot changed since this post in January of 2009. Thank goodness! To sum it up, because my husband has taught me that you always summarize everything :) Isaac had central iv line taken out just after his birthday in February. Both boys ended up in the hospital many times in 2009 for infections and dehydration. The longest one was actually one year ago today. Brian and I spent our anniversary in Boston and thanks to amazing nurses who wanted us to be normal, they were able to keep Christopher an extra night so that we could go out to celebrate our 2nd anniversary. Isaac and I spent the rest of the week as well as Mother's Day in Boston. It's been a very long two years with so many ups and downs. When I look back, I honestly don't know how we did it. I don't know how we drove to Boston so much, how I lived with my suitcase packed all the time because I didn't know when we'd get readmitted to the hospital, and I don't know how I managed to go from having a career in Business to a career in medicine. The 'ologys just were not my thing....but it looks like they have become them :)

We just celebrated our 3 year anniversary at home, we are getting ready to celebrate Mother's Day at home and we are hoping to celebrate Isaac walking...all in this month! Isaac rec'd his walker this week and did great with it the first night. Since they he's decided that he doesn't really like it all that much. So now we have to try to encourage him in a new way. He's doing so well though! He wants to walk, he just wants to be lazy and have his Mommy help him. Oh how this little man knows how to have his Mommy wrapped around his finger.

Christopher is doing so well. He's running and climbing all the time. He's the sneakiest little man I know. I took them to an Easter Egg hunt and put all the candy on our center island. I was busy with Isaac and when I came into the room I couldn't find CJ. But I did find a bunch of containers piled on top of each other at the island. I didn't think anything of it, but went to find him. I found him in his room, hiding behind some furniture with chocolate all over his face and smashed candy in his hands. Sometimes I really wish he wasn't like his Momma :)

I'm not sure how many families have doctor kits for their two year olds, but the boys got one from their Aunt Jenny. They love it! It came with a stethoscope, the ear thing, a thermometer, a band aide and a needle that moves for shots. Well my boys have no idea what the band aide is for, but they love to use the rest of the kit. They know exactly how to use the stethoscope to listen to your lungs, belly (for belly sounds in GI kids) and the back. They also know how to give shots in the thigh and that you can take your temperature under your arm you in your pants. Oh my goodness is it funny to watch them. I'm hoping for two pediatric doctors who want to give back you children after all that they have rec'd.

A Miracle in the Making

Brian and I were married on May 5, 2007. On September 1, 2007 we found out that we were expecting. On October 8th we found out that we were having twins! Wow!! Talk about a surprise. We were due on May 17, 2008.


At 25 weeks gestational age, Isaac Jacob Campbell and Christopher James Campbell were born on February 2, 2008. Isaac was 2.1 lbs and Christopher was 1.11 lbs. Just before the delivery, the doctors came and had my husband and I sign papers stating that we knew our babies may not survive the delivery. Believe it or not, we were not worried. I was however scared to death after they wheeled the boys into my room to say goodbye as they were transferred from New Britain General Hospital to UCONN for a level 3 NICU. I couldn't see any skin on them because of all the tubes, wires and the fact that they were so tiny.


Twelve hours after being born Christopher had major surgery to have a g-tube placed on the left side of his belly because he could not eat. His esophagus did not connect to his belly, however his wind pipe did. Christopher was so tiny that the doctors did not know if he was going to make. His skin was transparent so that we could actually see the blood inside of him moving. It was horrible! There is nothing worse than seeing your baby for the first time and not being able to touch him because his skin would tear every time he was touched. The surgery began at 6:15PM and the surgeon came back into my room at 10:30 to tell us how it went. His exact words were, "It was as if I was sowing together a tomato. With every stitch air escaped." We walked into the NICU to see if he was okay, saw him there with his nurse, and all I could ask was if he was really still alive. The Pam was his nurse and she just gave me the most tender look and said yes. Brian and I left and went into our room where we sat and cried until we fell asleep.


Through all of this, Isaac was doing really well. He appeared to be the stronger twin. The doctors all hoped and thought that Isaac would get away with no complications. Well that sure ended when a week after being born Isaac was diagnosed with a grade 3 and 4 IVH. This is a major brain bleed on both sides of the brain. From this point on, every doctor told us that there was a 99% change that he would be effected by this mentally and physically. I can't even begin to tell you how hard we cried! Our beautiful little boys were deteriorating before our eyes and we still couldn't hold them!


Well that day one of Isaac's primary nurses, Sam gave us a present. She helped us hold Isaac for the first time. We had to keep him inside his incubator because the outside air was too cold for him, but our hands got to actually touch him. There is nothing stranger than having your baby in one hand. He fit completely. So we sat there holding him like this and crying...so afraid of what this meant for him.


The next week we went through more turmoil. When they say that you have to live each hour by hour in the NICU, they really mean it. Christopher was diagnosed with a grade 3 IVH. Now he too had a brain bleed. This totally devastated us. On February 10th, my mom's birthday, we got to hold Christopher for the first time in our hands inside his incubator. We cried and cried and cried! What a blessing!


Now our thoughts were that nothing could get worse. Well boy were we wrong. The following week, this is still February, Isaac was diagnosed with NEC. This is a horrific thing that can attack babies, especially preemies. Isaac started off looking great, and as the day went on his body got blacker and blacker. By the time I left the NICU that night he was black and I wasn't sure we were ever going to see him again. At 2AM he went to the OR where they removed 86 centimeters of his small intestine, leaving him with only 14 centimeters to absorb food for the rest of his life. They also brought the end of his intestine outside of his belly so that he would poop into a bag so that he would not have acid going over his liver killing him quicker. This is when the doctors took us into a family room and sat us down and told us that Isaac was not going to make it. There would be no way for him to ever eat, and his parental nutrition would kill his liver giving him only the possibility of a liver transplant for survival. But with his brain bleed, that would not be an option. Brian and I immediately left the hospital and met with one of our pastors who cried right along with us.


This was it. We were still newlyweds, married less than a year, having to think about what it might be like to bury our first child. There really isn't a worse feeling in the world. It tears at each and every part of your body. Not to mention that I was still going through the pain of having my babies ripped from me. I couldn't wait to get huge! I couldn't wait to see hands and feet sticking out of my belly. Then when I least expected it, the boys came and we couldn't stop it.


Well at this point, both boys were transferred to Connecticut Children's Hospital because that is where the surgeons were based out of, and boy did we need them. Isaac was stable for the next 2 months, however he kept getting yellower and greener as his liver began to fall. By May 11th, Isaac was bright green. In the beginning of March, Christopher got NEC. Luckily we caught it in time so that he only lost 1 centimeter of small intestine. Also in March, Christopher had surgery to fix his esophagus. All the ultrasounds showed that they would have to stretch this about half way down to connect it with his belly. Thus leaving him in a lot of pain. He was only about 3.5lbs at this point. When the surgeon came back after, he just looked at us and smiled and said I don't know how it grew this much, but all we had to do was sow them together, we didn't have to stretch it at all. This was a brutal surgery though. He had a chest tube in his back to drain the fluids, a central iv for his iv nutrition, plus a peripheral iv because they needed more access, plus his g-tube. Needless to say, for one full week he was swollen, unable to move and lifeless.


The last week of April, The NICU doctors had called in a specialist because I wanted answers about what to do to help him. Brian was still at work when all this happened. The doctor looked me straight in the face and said, "In my 25 years experience, I've never seen a baby like Isaac make it." My only response was, "Do you have any hope?" He said, "No." That was it. Our baby was going to die. Sobbing hysterically would underestimate what we went through. Actually just me. Brian would not believe it. God had told me I was pregnant before I was, named our children when we thought there was only 1, and told us the week before they were born that there would be bad news and that we were not to believe it. I am so blessed to have him as my husband!


That night we started doing research. We found that Children's Hospital of Boston has an Intestinal Rehabilitation Program. We contacted them right away and they confirmed that Isaac was a candidate. Brian and I went up there to meet with the doctor and nurse practitioner would be taking care of him. We immediately fell in love with them as well as the floor where he would be living for awhile. They have a new med called Omegaven that replaces the lipids in the iv nutrition. It's fish oil. But because it does not have acids in it, it doesn't break the liver down. It actually helps it. Not to mention that it helps make babies smarter. Isaac was the 88th baby to be put on it, as it is still a research drug. On May 12th Isaac moved to Boston. The week after we got there, his billiruben level topped out at 35.5. For a normal baby it is below 1. Thus we began our duel states life.


Christopher was still in the NICUat CCMC and Isaac was on 10East in Boston. I was beyond blessed to have the most encouraging boss at team at my job. I was allowed to work from Boston 3 days a week. So I lived in Boston Saturday through Wednesday while Brian stayed here with Christopher. Then he came to Boston on his 2 days off from Wednesday through Thursday. This way Isaac was hardly alone.


On June 12th Christopher came home for the first time! He was 6.5lbs! We thought he was huge! Now life was getting tough because we couldn't be with Isaac as much. Plus Christopher now had to make the journey every other day with me to Boston. He was such a champ. At then of July Isaac went in for surgery to have his intestines put back inside and reattached. This would tell us how good he would do eating. Before this, the doctors in CT told us he would never eat more than 6cc's an hour of formula. All we can say to this, is never believe everything a doctor tells you about a child because no one can predict what they are capable of. Isaac's surgery went well, but a few days later his belly opened up. He had a pocket of puss that needed to drain. This set him back a month, but on September 24th Isaac came home for the first time!


His coming home one amazing and hard! When Christopher came home he came home with his g-tube. He was on continuous feeds over night, 9 meds and an apnea monitor to make sure he kept breathing. When Isaac came home he was on 24 hour continuous feeds through his g-tube that he got in his last surgery, as well as 4 meds and iv nutrition 14 hours a day. Having an iv at home is hard work on parents! One day one of Isaac being home we pulled his g-tube out. It got caught on the bathtub and we had to go back to the ER to make sure it was okay. Luckily it was okay. On October 30 we had to go to CCMC to get his picc line (iv) removed and have another central line put in because this one was not pointing in the wrong direction. We were admitted for one night (Isaac and I) and went home on Halloween. Well that night our IV nurse came over to change the dressing and Isaac had an allergic reaction to the smell of smoke on her. He and I went back to the ER until 2AM when we got to go home. The next night it was the same thing when she got to our house, so we had to ask her not to smoke any more. Since then he's been fine.


However On December 21 Isaac had to go back to Boston. We were admitted back onto 10East with a iv line infection. We ended up spending Christmas in Boston. Not exactly what we expected. But we made due. Now in about 3 weeks, Isaac will be getting his iv out! Just after his 1st birthday!!! His feeds are at 50 cc's an hour! He takes bottles of only an hours worth, but still bottles all day long. He's allowed to eat baby food. He doesn't seem to have any mental of physical handicaps of any kind!! And to think, had we believed other doctors, Isaac would not be here today!


Christopher will have his g-tube removed in March. He has not used it since right before Christmas. There are many complications that can go along with all that our babies had, yet Christopher hasn't had any!


Today our boys are doing great! Isaac weights 20.65lbs and Christopher weights 21.5lbs. Isaac has 2 teeth and Christopher is crawling all over backwards. These babies are amazing!


This post is an overview of all that has happened in the last year. I will continue to update this, however to read any or all of our past emails, please go to this website that a friend of ours has been maintaining http://web.mac.com/sanchep/Prayer_Blog/Campbell_Babies_Prayer_Blog/Campbell_Babies_Prayer_Blog.html


Through all this, we know that we would not have either of our babies without the power of prayer and Jesus. No one gave us hope for either baby. Yet they are both alive and doing amazing! We were so blessed to have the most wonderful nurses who helped support us and love on us during all this. God is so good!!!