Eat Eat Eat

Owen has short gut, therefore did not eat by mouth much since he was born. When he got home he had an NG tube (the tube in his nose) which fed him only a very special formula slowly all throughout the day and night. Since then we have not changed his formula. However, the volume he is getting is more than what it used to be. Unfortunately it is still continuously feeding him.Because he has never really eaten anything by mouth, the doctors were afraid he would have an aversion to eating by mouth. We were told to continue to try to get him to such on a bottle, try things by mouth however we could. When he first got home he was sucking about 5 to 10 ounces by mouth but nothing much. Soon he wouldn't such at all and would gag when you put a bottle in his mouth. As he has grown he has learned what food is. When we would eat, he would crawl over and want some of it. If you gave him something, he would play with it instead of eat it.

A couple months ago he began to eat and swallow yogurt and we were so excited. He would still gag on solids. Well, NOT ANYMORE!! A couple days ago he decided to eat real food and SWALLOW it without gagging! It was like a switch went on and he decided he was done gagging on foods. He has been eating anything we give him lately! He still hates baby food lol. He loves cheerios, bananas, mac n cheese, and toast. These are probably not the best things for him. At our next GI appointment I will have to discuss exactly what he can eat, what will be best for him and his digestive system.

Also, his poops have been getting thicker which means he is absorbing more. He still has a pretty runny poop every once in a while but it is no longer 5-10 times a day!!!!

Two HUGE events for Isaiah :)

number 1: Do I see a toothy?!?!?!?

March 15, 2011

His first tooth has arrived!

front, bottom, left

On that Tuesday I was telling my mom that Isaiah had been unusually cranky lately and would not stop crying even when I did the normal things to console him. I didn't even think about teething. I guess I am just trying to keep him little longer lol. We

ll, my mom mentioned teething and asked if he had his first tooth yet. I said no like I knew what I was talking about. I then put my finger in his mouth and felt the bud of the tooth! I guess I was wrong. I' m not sure it when it came but it is there now!

number 2: Where is he going?

March 21, 2011

He is CRAWLING!

crazy, crazy, crazy

I cannot believe he has started to crawl! This kid is crazy. He never did the army crawl, not even a little bit. He went straight to his hands and knees. Also, before he started crawling, he would get so excited that he would start to go up on his hands and FEET. It looked like he was just going to get up and walk.

Now he is crawling and he crawls kinda funny. This kid moves ALL the time, even in his sleep. So, while he is crawling he often starts moving his legs really fast and stretches one arm into the air. Almost like he is too excited to crawl, so much energy coming out at once (if that makes any sense lol).

P.S.

I just had to share that he LOVES his johnny jump up. My sister and I also use it as a swing lol

Adopt A NICU Mom Campaign

Project Sweet Peas is kicking off the Adopt A NICU Mom Campaign for Mother's Day!

Here's How it works:

Visit our website www.projectsweetpeas.com, and purchase a beautiful sentiment bracelet for that special Mom in your life for only $25.00 and we will match your purchase to donate a bracelet to a NICU Mom!

THAT SIMPLE! When ordering, write "Owen's Miracle" in the box and the bracelet will be given to a NICU Mom at Oakland Children's Hospital NICU!

Pass this on and help us lift the spirits of these beautiful and wonderful Mothers!

A tribute to Heath's Dad, Howard Steven Hill Sr.

Howard Stephen Hill passed peacefully into the loving arms of our Savior at 5:49pm on Saturday, March 5, 2011 after a battle with cancer. Although the treatment seemed to make headway, the damage the chemotherapy caused to his lungs was irreparable.

We got a call from Heath's mother on Thursday night, March 3rd, who told us that the doctor said to get the family together. Howard didn't have much time. Heath and I packed up and left first thing Friday morning for LA. When we got there we went straight to the hospital. Only 2 people were allowed in the ICU room at a time. Heath went in first while I stayed with the kids. Then it was my turn. Howard was making jokes and asking all about how the boys were doing. Even through his trouble breathing, he wanted to make sure we were ok. We spent most of Saturday standing around Howard's bed as we prayed for him and sang worship songs. Howard loved hearing his kids sing and he especially loved Christian songs. Patricia, Heath's mom, shared a few last words with him and though he couldn’t speak, we know that he was coherent as he mumbled in response. Patricia then told him that it was okay for him to “go” and that all of his children were present. His heart rate dropped in a matter of seconds: 68, 55, 40, 38. Holly then yelled, “Wait, where’s Heidi?” Patricia told Howard, “WAIT, you can’t go yet!” Then, as if someone flipped a switch on, Howard's heart rate jumped back up to the 60s. We found Heidi (she went to check on her 5 month old for just a moment) and told Howard that we were all present and his heart rate went from 60 to 0 in one second. Pretty amazing! Patricia likes to laugh about Howard's final moments of life because once again she made Howard wait.

Howard was a wonderful man. Always caring about others before himself. He loved his children and his wife and did everything he could to support them in all that they did. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

Love you Dad

Grandma and the boys

So, my mom wasn't there when we took family pictures in January and she wanted to take some pics with the boys before they got too old and before my sister and her family leave for Oklahoma. It was a great opportunity to also get some cute pics of my boys together because in January I only got one or two good ones of both of them. These pics turned out great!