February 7, 2008 – Love comes in many forms

In my attempts to normalize life around the Owyang household, I have given myself permission to allow friends and family to help so I can do what is most important.  Since Jenn-Jen was admitted to the hospital, and especially since the twins were born, the task of prioritizing the important tasks has been a challenge in itself.  How much time do I spend at the NICU?  How much time do I spend making sure Jenn-Jen has everything she needs?  What about Adam?  I never knew I could juggle until I was put to the test, and I am trying to stay focused so I don’t, metaphorically, drop the “balls in the air.”  So, as I said, I think I have learned to surrender control and take the help that I can only credit God in providing to me and my family.  I see so many of you coming to our aid and consider each of you my heroes.  Whether you have taken in Adam for an afternoon, brought us a hot meal, helped tidy up our home, or simply offered your encouragement through your prayers and messages, please know that you have made a huge impact in allowing Jenn-Jen and me to attend to the things that matter most.

Jenn-Jen and I received a wonderful blessing today, as one of our closest friends flew in from across the country to provide emotional, spiritual and household support.  She and her family have always been close to our hearts and it was hard to see them off when they moved away from Sacramento last December.  We always imagined that we would find ourselves making a trip out to visit them someday when the twins were a little older and travel-ready, and we never would have thought that circumstances would bring our dear friend flying in to lift us up when we were feeling most weary.  Seeing her face as she walked up our driveway, I felt like a battle-worn soldier watching on in hopeful anticipation as the reinforcements arrived.  It means so much to have friends like this and we look forward to the next few days as she stays by our side through the emotional peaks and valleys I am sure are yet to come. 

Our angels are doing well, and I hope the news continues to be positive.  Katelynn had her Broviac line put in yesterday, and I learned that this means that Jenn-Jen and I may be able to hold her soon.  Skin-to-skin contact with newborns is so vital to their development, yet it terrifies us to even think about carrying our little daughter while she is still connected to the ventilator.  The nurses seem to have a lot of faith in us, maybe more so that I have in myself.  I also spent a good amount of time with Katelynn’s night-shift nurse and went over file in some detail.  Katelynn had been taking the antibiotics Ampicillin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ampicillin), Gentamicin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentamicin), and Ceftazidime (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceftazidime) to fight off her bacterial infection.  While the bacteria was resistant to Ampicillin, the other two antibiotics have been working well and we are seeing the treatments coming to an end in four days.  It was very encouraging to see the microbial war hopefully coming to an end soon. 

I am also pleased to inform you that Katelynn’s head circumference remains quite consistent, and coupling this with the doctor’s and nurses’ external assessments, it seems that the bleeding in her brain may have stopped.  While the damage to her brain tissue has occurred already, it looks like the situation hasn’t worsened and it will not be necessary at this time to implement the ventricular shunt to relieve pressure.  Katelynn will be undergoing her next head ultrasound on Monday, February 11th, so I am praying that the results will not give us any negative surprises.

Daria is also doing very well today.  She has recovered nicely from her PDA ligation surgery yesterday and it brought me joy to see her open her eyes and stretch when I came to see her.  She is due to have the Broviac line put in tonight or tomorrow, so we may be able to hold her in our arms for the first time soon.  Again, this makes me nervous, and you may feel the same if you could see how small and fragile she looks.  We are still concerned about the brain bleed, or IVH, that Daria has, and are fervently praying that it does not progress any further to a confirmed grade 3 or 4.  She is also scheduled for an ultrasound on Monday, so please keep her in your prayers for a positive outcome.

 Many of you may be wondering what and how exactly are the medical staff keeping up with Katelynn and Daria’s nutritional needs.  Up until a couple of days ago, our daughters were receiving their nutrition solely from a combination of TMP, which is a liquid nutrient, and lipids, or fats, administered through her IV line.  Both of our daughters are now receiving small amounts of breast milk to help their digestive tracts acclimate to taking in food.  Katelynn is taking in milk at the rate of one milliliter per hour, and Daria is at two milliliters every three hours.  These amounts aren’t enough to sustain the girls by themselves, but the nurses assure me that they are working toward that goal. 

I am feeling the bed call to me and my eyelids are growing heavier by the minute.  I pray for a quiet Friday filled with good news and rest.  Good night dear loved ones.