Hello to you all and Happy Easter from all three of us!

What a beautiful day, full of sunshine and reaching near 70° with birds chirping the advent of early spring.

Although Rebecca was not allowed off the campus today, her sister and I brought her some of the more tasty offerings we discovered at the Fresh Fish Company. Who would have thought a fish restaurant would have some of the best Sesame Chicken I have tasted?

Rebecca's BP has begun creeping up a little so they are monitoring her every two hours from noon to six. This is probably due to her increased activity in walking about the campus at will. After this afternoon's BP med, her BP was in the low 130/70's.

We exchanged Easter baskets today and entertained some visitors and took an elongated walk around the campus in the warm afternoon. We also overate from the bounty in the Easter baskets.

Xavier is very active, his vitals (heart rate and movement) all tell us he is doing well. We are looking forward to Wednesday's ultrasound and are expecting some fantastic things.

Thank you all for for your prayers and support, especially on this day of celebration.

Add a comment

Posted by Michael Ogden on March 31, 2013 at 8:12:00 PM MDT #

Hello to you all.

Not much news to report today. Rebecca spent the night staring at the walls while not sleeping, so she was not up to snuff most of the day. As I type this, she is in more jovial spirits, some of which may be due to speaking with friends over the phone the last hour.

Her BP is still under control, though it did creep a little high this afternoon, probably due to her lack of sleep.

Xavier has been active today, his heart rate strong.

Rebecca and I, after a walk outside and around the campus, dyed 22 eggs. Placing little stickers on the eggs brought a smile to Rebecca's face (she enjoys egg decorating).

I thought a little bio on this week's Team Xavier might interest you. One of the doctors is studying small babies to further understanding in when a small baby is just small and when he is unhealthy.

The second doctor is studying the uterus to understand what triggers it from being a muscle sack that holds the baby to waking up to become an active muscle that contracts to push the baby into the world.

Doctor number three is a pre-eclampsia expert.

I thought how interesting to have such a diverse group watching our case. It helps explain why they are so actively arguing Rebecca and Xavier's case. Next week will bring in three new doctors; it will be interesting to learn what their areas of expertise will be.

Always, thank you for your prayers. We plan to enjoy Easter with several people visiting Rebecca in the hospital (Rebecca is not yet allowed off campus). I may sneak in and hide some of the eggs we decorated while she naps.

Having blood pressure measured

The spread of Easter items we had fun with today

Rebecca looks over her creative works

Greetings to you all.

Today has been a Good Friday indeed!

It began with Rebecca, looking for something to do, called several places to confirm payments, and get comparative quotes for home and auto insurance. Looks like she may have scored on the auto insurance!

The more exciting news came later when this week's Team Xavier paid their morning visit. Mind you, what follows is contingent on Xavier's health determined from next week's ultrasound exam (which is scheduled for Wednesday).

The doctors have concluded that Rebecca's diagnosis of herself last week is correct, and she is not sick or at risk to the degree the doctors first feared. They are seeing her BP under control and staying consistent with her current medication and activity level. They were quick to state that Xavier is still not at the health level he needs to be. "Rebecca may not be sick, but Xavier is because he is not getting what he needs," they said.

If, upon review of the coming ultrasound exam, Xavier has made significant progress, the doctors may be willing to create an outpatient monitoring program. This will entail Rebecca being allowed to continue her bed rest from home and have to come in to the hospital for tests and check ups twice a week. "Home" will be the Southern Outpost in Westminster, and the "hospital" will be University Hospital (PVH, the doctors told us, cannot deal with our baby).

For Xavier's part today, his heart rate is strong in the 140s. (our night nurse was able to pin him down faster than any other nurse here; I'll have to ask her if she used to compete in calf roping).

Rebecca and I did go on an extended walking tour of this huge University of Colorado hospital and then ate ice cream from one of the campus shops. (We do not recommend the UC Marble Slab Ice Cream Shop, but it still made a nice date to reconnect). We had planned on dying eggs (I boiled up 16 of them while up north), but we did not get to it today. Instead, we spent a quiet evening watching Argo, a movie both Rebecca and I do recommend.

Always, we thank you for your prayers and your standing with us.

This is the building Rebecca is in; you can see her room from this angle.

Rebecca outside with a part of the campus behind her.

The ground floor under this parking structure has several food places: a Jimmy John's, a Subway, UC Marble Ice Cream Shop, Big City Burrito are a few of them.

Greetings to you all.

Your prayers for Rebecca and Xavier are being answered. Today was another uneventful day like yesterday. Rebecca discovered the gardens today and took me to see them when I arrived.

Rebecca's BP is doing much better; tonight they measured it at 132/88, and that is with all the walking she is doing.

Xavier played at being coy tonight, but the doppler eventually found him (again and again as he kept moving). mid 140's was our estimate (the doppler wand used tonight was not particularly sophisticated and did not count the beats)

Our windows are in (and they look good). I have been texting Rebecca pictures all week of the progress. The interior trim will be stained Monday and Tuesday, so I will be returning to the Northern Outpost Monday, but back Tuesday night. The next ultrasound is scheduled sometime Wednesday. We are excited to see Xavier's progress.

Thank you for your prayers and support. I'd like to thank those helping watch the dog and cat this weekend. It really is a blessing both to me and to them. I definitely will like Poof the cat being down in the Southern Outpost. She is an excellent mouser and I know of two mice that have taken advantage of our absence.

Hello to you all.

Not much to report today. Rebecca's BP has been well within the desired range even after she spent much time exploring the hospital grounds. She slept on and off last night without sleep aids and had a short cat nap this afternoon.

Xavier has been active today, his heart rate in a healthy range.

The window installation will require me to remain in FOCO another day. I will have to return for Monday and Tuesday next week. The four-legged kiddos once more have a reprieve in their relocation.

Both of us are looking forward to next week's ultrasound. Rebecca said she spent some of the day imagining a 26 ounce baby and what that might mean!

Thank you all for our prayers and support. It's great to have days like today.

Greetings to you all.

Today was a much better day for Rebecca. It began with another visit by the three doctors, but they had nothing new today. Rebecca did make the request that anything not immediately life threatening that is of the nature of what they brought to her yesterday should be told to me (her husband) and I will fill her in as necessary. She is sounding better tonight and her spirits are higher.

Another blood draw was done this morning. The labs came back negative except for one. A liver enzyme seems to be slowly on the rise, and is one of the markers they follow for pre-eclampsia. The enzyme amount is no where near the amount to be pre-exclampsic, however.

One of the nurses asked Rebecca if she wanted to be introduced to some of the other "long term" mothers on the floor. Rebecca agreed it would be fun and good to meet her neighbors.

Rebecca's BP meds have been adjusted again; she is now at 200 mg three times a day. This dosage has kept the nightly spikes at bay the last few days, so perhaps the balance has been found.

Rebecca entertained a visitor today. They went on a long walk around the hospital complex and Rebecca began to see the vastness of the place. I have been describing it as a city within a city. I joked with a nurse that I was looking for the train system to ferry me from place to place. One of Rebecca's doctors mentioned yesterday he would like to have a train system as it would really help him with his rounds. Upon her return to the room, her BP was in the low 140's, so the exercise did her well mentally and did not push her BP too high.

Xavier made another milestone today. It's day one of week 25 for him! He is still active and his heart rate where it should be. We expect to see some impressive things next Tuesday; I'm telling him 24 ounces is a good goal. That'll really give the doctors something positive to argue over. I wish I could report more on Xavier, but the doctors are not actively monitoring him now. They are waiting to week 26 to see how things are. We have to request daily the nurse to measure Xavier's heart rate. From the little data we do have and the intangibles of mother's sense and father's sense, we believe Xavier is doing well.

The window installation at the Northern Outpost (Fort Collins home) began yesterday and will continue through Thursday. The old windows were removed today and the new ones mounting into place. Tomorrow will finish the interior trim and most of the exterior work. After Wednesday, the installers will not need access to the house interior so I will pack the four-legged kiddos up along with several other items Rebecca has been texting me to collect and head down to Denver Wednesday evening (or that's the plan as of tonight). Poof the cat (the self-cloning fuzzball I mentioned a few updates back) has been extremely clingy these last few days. Please pray she have peace for the move and extended stay in the south (older cats, I am told, don't like change).

Always, thank you for your prayers, and your support. Rebecca had many calls today encouraging her, and we got many emails with strong messages of support and encouragement. Great is our God and He is with us in the flood and the fire, but never will He allow the waters to overcome us nor the smell of smoke to cling to us. Your prayers are a vital part in walking out that promise!

Greetings to you all. Thank you for your support and especially your prayers.

We had some trauma today. The three doctor team assigned to Rebecca and Xavier visited this morning, two thirds of the team being new. We learned that the team will rotate two every week, and only Dr. Hahn will be consistent (at least for the next six to eight weeks). It was not the change in the team roster which was so upsetting, but the newest theory they presented to Rebecca.

They presented the idea of another extremely rare genetic abnormality called triploidy (essentially having an extra 23 set of chromosomes) might be the cause. The two symptoms they cited were the blood pressure and small size of the baby. The only "sure" test, Rebecca was told, was an amniocentesis test.

Rebecca called me after they left to inform me of what she heard. She was upset, despondent and eventually in tears. Triploidy is fatal, the vast majority of the time leading to miscarriage. I, as schedules would have it, was in Fort Collins overseeing window installation and separated from my wife by ninety-some miles. This theory put a pall over most of the day.

One of the doctors returned in the afternoon to check up on Rebecca and to apologize for upsetting her this morning. He spent an hour with her and her mood was greatly improved by the meeting. He assured her that she is the "quarterback" and they are on her team. Whatever play she calls, they will carry out. He also explained the reason we are hearing so many different theories is because the doctors are constantly arguing about her case. This, I think, is a good thing, even if the presentation needs work. At least we are not being ignored.

The doctor ran down a list of the four categories of conditions that could explain Rebecca's and Xavier's condition (for which they are obviously baffled by). The doctor stated that it is his belief that Rebecca's high BP and Xavier's slower growth are completely explainable by the way the placenta formed, and there are no genetic issues to be concerned over. This has been Rebecca's and my sense of things for some weeks now, so it was nice to hear a doctor agree with us. One of the reasons the doctors don't sugar coat what they are thinking, Rebecca thinks, is because the patient may hear what they want to hear rather than hear what they need to hear.

Our stand is to wait another week before deciding on the amniocentesis; we want to see what the next ultrasound will reveal. Also, as we researched this newest theory, both Rebecca and I are of a mind that it simply cannot be the case. We think based on many reasons, several being:

1. Except for the higher BP and small size of the fetus, none of the other symptoms exist
2. The genetic tests done several weeks ago would surely have shown DNA material that had a third more chromosomes to it; that was the kind of thing the tests looked for, although not this specifically.
3. Xavier is active, all his organs are working, his heart strong. We feel him moving all the time, and not weakly either. The ultrasounds have probed his organs several times and they all pass muster with flying colors (or flying black and whites in the case of the ultrasound)
4. Both Rebecca and I have a strong sense Xavier is strong and viable.

The doctor did put the kibosh on Easter brunch, and we will respect his reasons. They're good ones. I will instead bring something from the Fresh Fish Company to Rebecca so she can enjoy the meal if not the company we had planned on.

Though today had its disheartening moment, still the doctors delivered only a theory and not definitive news. It is good they have taken such an interest in our case. Rebecca is going to ask that they not present such information to her unless I am present to help buffer the information and help in drilling the doctors with thoughts and questions to better contextualize the information. At least I will be able to offer the physical comfort of standing with Rebecca and Xavier.

Rebecca did get out of the room today and had lunch with some close friends. She walked down to the cafeteria rather than use a wheelchair. The trip and the company did her well, but still she is emotionally beat.

I should note at this point that Xavier is still actively moving about and his heart rate is still where it should be.

Though today was hard, still we will look to our God and Savior. Xavier will live and not die and he will declare the glory of God!

Thank you all for your prayers, they strengthen not only Xavier, but also help undergird our faith to stand and to stand strong.

Hello to you all.

Today, the Sunday of Palms, has been another non-eventful day, and there is little report. I did get to spend most of the day with Rebecca. We tried Church's Chicken for lunch. Both Rebecca and recommend it.

This morning one of the doctors on Rebecca's team came in and told her that as they continue to observe her stability, the less concerned they are growing about any sudden event to her health. To that we shout a heart-felt and hardy Hallelujah! We are going to broach the doctors with the idea of letting Rebecca out of the hospital for a few hours next Sunday to enjoy a brunch at the Fresh Fish Company.

Xavier is still active and continues to have a strong and active heart. I wish I could give a more detailed update on what is going on with him, but we are not likely to get another "peek" until April 2nd. We are expecting many good surprises on that day!

Always, and never to be tedious, we thank you all for your prayers and support.

Greetings and grace to you all, Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support.

Nothing new to report today. Rebecca is doing well, her BP in the 130/85 range all day, though it did spike over 150 last night about 2:00 AM. This is probably due to Rebecca's not sleeping (not sleepy) last night, a side-effect of very little daily physical activity.

Xavier is still moving around like he owns the place, his heart rate strong, still ranging in the 140-155 area. We are expecting another ultrasound exam a week from Tuesday (April 2nd). We are expecting him to grow in the next week and a half, and we are adjusting his goals to achieve :)

Always, thank you for your prayers. Our God reigns!

Hello and greetings to you all.

Little to report today. The biggest news is the doctors had the IV removed from Rebecca's arm. That is a big deal, not just for Rebecca's comfort, but it suggests the doctors are growing calmer about Rebecca's BP and overall health. Rebecca's "ad lib" walking privileges are having a good effect, on her morale if nothing else. I think, too, that getting to dress up in the new maternity clothes we just bought help lift her spirit. Her BP has been steady today in the 140s/90s, so very good news here also.

Xavier is active, his heart beat strong. The nurses have given up trying to use the high-tech heart monitor and have resorted to the simpler Doppler wand. Finds him every time! One of the interesting side effects of letting Rebecca walk around more is that she can feel Xavier drop lower in the womb when she starts walking the hall. What a sensation that must be!

Our God is awesome, His eyes always looking for those on the earth to whom He may show Himself strong!

Always, thank you for your prayers and support. Your feedback and encouragement are also uplifting.

Hello to you all. Thank you for all the feedback, encouragement and support.

Rebecca's condition has been re-classified from "severe pre-eclampsia" to "chronic hypertension." As was asked today (and many of you may now be asking), does this change anything? The short answer is "no," it's a rose by another name, except that chronic hypertension is not cured by giving birth. It may be that the doctors will take different tactics to manage Rebecca's BP now that they have a new name to call it by. Already they have modified her BP meds from 100 mg 3 times a day to 200 mg twice a day.

As has been the issue for several weeks, the placenta is restricting nutrient flow whether the blood pressure cause be hypertension or pre-exclampsia, and our prayers are also including the placenta's health.

Rebecca is allowed to roam the halls freely without a wheelchair; she took advantage of this three times already today.

The doctors have also reclassified Xavier's condition. They now do not consider Xavier viable outside the womb at this time. This was an expected conclusion by us since our conversation with them on Tuesday. The doctors are going to wait until Xavier is at 26 weeks before reconsidering this decision, and they will concentrate on Rebecca's health and stability. The reason is he is still too small.

We are still having Xavier monitored once a day by the nurse. His heart beat is strong and in the 140-150 ranges. He is also very active. He was moving much last night and today. His goal is to grow, baby, grow!

The doctors spoke a little about the ultrasound taken Tuesday. They mentioned measuring 2.5 cm pockets of amniotic fluid. This may be an increase in fluids, but we cannot be sure as the margin of error is within the 0.5 cm increase from a week ago.

Xavier is strong. Rebecca is strong. Strong and able is our God!

All three of us thank you for your prayers and support. Their value is incalculable!

Hello and greetings to you all and welcome to the first day of Spring.

We have little news to report today. Mom and baby are stable. Rebecca dressed today rather than spend it in PJs, even called her boss and did some work. We were let out of the room for :30 minutes, and we took advantage of it. Though the weather was not ideal, we did a lap or two around the hospital's first floor and spent some time chatting in one of the cafeterias.

Xavier made the nurse work to get his monitoring in today. The nurse stayed the whole thirty minutes and held the monitor in place. All his vitals look good. I borrowed a marker from the nurses' station and wrote his weekly goals on the white board in our room, under the heading of "Goals for discharge:" For next Tuesday (week 25) his goal is to grow and gain 2 ounces. Of course, we are encouraging him to do more.

I don't think I mentioned it yesterday, but the uric acid that showed up in Rebecca's blood a few days ago has disappeared. This is good and praise report.

We had an impromptu visit today. A couple returning to Fort Collins from Colorado Springs called and asked if they could stop by. We enjoyed the visit.

Thank you all for your prayers. They are the greatest of gifts. Great is our God!

Greetings to you all. Thank you for your prayers; not only are we feeling them, but so is Xavier.

First of all, let us praise God for His goodness! Xavier achieved his first goal: week 24!

We left PVH in Fort Collins today a little after 9:00 AM MDT and arrived at University Hospital in Denver just before 11:00 AM. The paramedics took a number of readings after getting Rebecca on the gurney and several before taking her out of the ambulance. For Rebecca's part, she slept on the drive down (alas, she was not allowed to drive the ambulance, nor was I).

Check-in was speedy as all her records and info was sent in ahead of time. The room we are in is about half the size of the one at PVH, but just as nice. We have two large plate glass windows, a southern exposure and a straight view of Pike's Peak. The amount of natural light in the room more than makes up for any shortage in the room's accommodations. The bed is superior, having some sort of intelligent air mattress that inflates and adjusts to pressure points every so often.

More cables were attached to Rebecca upon arrival to the room. I made the comment that I had seen this episode of Star Trek: it's the one where Captain Picard is turned into a Borg.

It took nearly :30 minutes to get the belly monitor to find Xavier. That boy was really playing hide-n-seek today. The Doppler monitor easily found him, but the longer-term sensor had challenges. It was replaced with another one which worked better. Rebecca was also connected to a contraction monitor (no need to worry: no contractions, just part of the baselining procedures we went through today). Xaviers heart rate is very good, ranging from mid 130's to mid 150's. We have a paper tape of the hours he was monitored. I am suggesting using the tape as a wallpaper border for the nursery.

The monitors were removed after a few hours. The doctors deemed it necessary at this time to only monitor Xavier once a day for about :30 to :60 minutes. That, I think, is a praise report.

Rebecca was tapped again with an IV stub. This one went in easier than the last, but still no blood could be drawn through it. This required another "poke" in her other arm to get the blood. Yes, more tests. Rebecca said earlier "Of course you realize the longer the baby does well, the more tests they are going to run." Rebecca seems to be a rare case and the doctors don't know quite what to do.

We met with her team (she has two doctors and one resident). They were all very open about what is going on, the various possibilities and other turns that can happen. Though the information was hard to hear, still it was delivered calmly and with good context--nothing like last Tuesday's events. That, I think, is another praise report. The doctors are on the same page as Rebecca and me--Xavier stays in the womb as long as possible.

They are treating Rebecca as one at high risk for "severe pre-exclampia" so they will be watching her and her BP very closely. They discussed with us what happens should she reach the point of exclampia, which will not be good for either mom or baby. The last set of tests for protiens in her urine were positive. The amount of proteins found are not pre-eclamptic, but her doctor thinks she is moving in that direction.

With the information the doctors had this afternoon, they would like it better if Xavier weighed more: 500 grams. Last week's sonogram put him at 400 grams. His survival expectation outside the womb at this stage is very low.

After a few hours, we had another ultrasound. Xavier (and mother!) are looking good! Xavier is still three (ish) weeks behind in growth based primarily on the circumference of his waist, which is (apparently) one of the primary markers. His head, arms and legs are tracking right at 24 weeks. His heart is healthy, his bladder was full, his umbilical cord strong and active. They did take a reading of his amniotic fluid, but the technitians did ot comment. I expect the doctors will tell us more about that tomorrow.

Here is some exciting news! Xavier is about 15 ounces (435ish grams). That is still below the 500 grams the doctors would like to have him at, but... Last week's ultrasound had Xavier at the 3rd percentile for his growth. This afternoon's ultrasound puts him in the 6th percentile! Praise God! Note, there is some margin of error in the weight estimates, so the doctors are not committing to saying he has grown that much, but praise God anyway!

The doctors here are cautionary and have re-stated we need to take things day by day. Xavier, having made his first goal, now has a goal of growing to 500 grams, then to 1000 grams as well as the longer-term goal of 28 weeks and beyond (his size is still concerning, and not at the calendar 24 weeks--he needs to catch up to be physically 24 weeks before the doctors here will relax more, I think)

Visitors are welcome, but we are asking not before this Saturday (3/26). Today was trying and Rebecca needs rest. Visiting hours are 7x24 here, but it is in a secured environment (I've had to wait for the elevators twice because somebody tripped an alarm in the baby wing; doing so locks down the floor and the elevators). Visitors need to check in at the front desk right off the elevators.

Thank you for your prayers; they are gold to us and to Xavier!

PS. Team Xavier (the three doctors) came in just now to talk with us. Overall, it was a positive meeting, the upshot being:

1. They are planning to deliver vaginally at this point because the type of C-section they were contemplating would place unnecessary risk on Rebecca. The C-section is not off the table, but for now vaginal birth is the plan.
2. Xavier really needs to catch up in his growth physically.

A view of (a tiny part) the Colorado University Medical Campus, which is behind the building Rebecca is staying in.

Greetings to you all and thank you for prayers, support and visitations.

We had several visitors today, including a Girl Scout cookie delivery all the way from Cheyenne. Even had a surprise visit from one of Rebecca's coworkers, also from Cheyenne.

Rebecca is doing well. Her BP is still a little erratic at times. Sleep today has been difficult. Probably a result of laying around all day and having little activity. The steroid injections may be contributing to this also. The labs all came back negative, although traces of uric acid is now showing in Rebecca's blood. This is a sign of preeclampsia.

Xavier is doing well. His heart rate is strong and fluctuating in a healthy manner. He has been active today, the black smudges on the movement graph is as squiggly as it has been since we began watching. We should have even more news about him tomorrow once we get to Denver!

We have been busy preparing for the journey south; Tuesday morning a final call to University Hospital will be made to ensure there is a bed there for Rebecca.

Meanwhile, the windows we ordered for the Northern Outpost are ready and scheduled to go in this Thursday and Friday. This has caused a slight disruption of our best laid plans. The four-legged kiddos will not migrate south until this weekend, and I will spend Thursday and Friday in Fort Collins to oversee the window installation. It is well we are taking things one day at a time; those who know me know how I dislike my set schedules to change :)

Always, thank you for for your prayers and support.

Hello, greetings and Happy St Patrick's Day to you all.

Always, thank you for your prayers and support. We are seeing prayer answered daily.

Today I got to take Rebecca outside where we dined on fine Culver's cuisine. The sun came and went as did a breeze. As we wheeled around the jogging track, it began to rain, then some sleet and snow. We were a little damp by the time we returned to the hospital lobby.

Yesterday many people visited us, including one surprise drop in who happened to be returning to Denver from Cheyenne. This helped break up the day. Rebecca had a couple of BP measurements that exceeded the 150 upper limit, and the nurses and doctor think it was due to the stimulation of so many people dropping by. (there was laughing, and telling stories about family, etc which put a cheery rose to Rebecca's cheeks--a little too much cheery blush). The doctor suggested limiting visitors to no more than thirty minute stays.

Rebecca's BP is back in the mid range of where we want it to be. She is in good spirits today and we've received several visitors this afternoon.

Xavier is something of an Olympian, both in his ability to hide from the heart beat monitor (although you can catch him wiggling) and in the strength of his heart. Tonight his heart rate ranged from 138 to 158 during the 5-10 minutes we "cornered" him; earlier today he had nearly as active a range. This is exciting, expected and healthy. Glory to God!

Tomorrow, Rebecca will have another steroid injection, have more blood drawn for another series of labs and another 24 hour round of looking for various protein markers in her body. The new round of tests are to help University Hospital in Denver in getting a baseline when she is admitted. Her move will begin about 7:30 AM Tuesday with the ambulance heading south about 9:00 AM.

I am preparing for an extended stay in the Southern Outpost, which means collecting all the can't-live-withouts from up north and getting the Northern Outpost packed in moth balls. I will be practicing bringing home little ones as I will be bringing both Lena (our Dalmatian) and Poof (our 5#, self-cloning fuzzball of a cat) with me. This will be a Poof's first visit to the Southern Outpost.

2 Chronicles 16:9! Our God is strong on our behalf and on behalf of Xavier Michael!

Thank you all for your prayers,

Hello to you all.

Always, thank you for your prayers and support. I write this in every update because we truly are thankful for all your prayer on our behalf.

Little news to report today, which is a welcome thing given the last few days. Rebecca is now allowed out of the room once a day so long as she is in a wheelchair and someone (else) is pushing it for her. Her sister and I took her down to the cafeteria today and had lunch in the sunbeams through the large plate windows.

Xavier is still active and his BP remains strong in the 150 area.

Tomorrow at 6:00 AM Rebecca will get the first of two steroid injections. The second will be 6:00 AM Monday. These injections target Xavier and his pulmonary system, to "jumpstart" it for life outside the womb, should the hospital in Denver deem it necessary to deliver him upon Rebecca's arrival. The steroids will give Xavier a greater chance at life in such a case.

To be clear, the steroids are precautionary. There is no plan to deliver Xavier until absolutely necessary (either for Rebecca's health or Xavier's). The longer he is in the womb, the better for him.

We had many visitors today, generally in groups which was nice. It helped break up the day. The nurses here have all been quite accommodating, friendly and informative, making Rebecca's bed rest more tolerable.

Rebecca's BP medication is now up to three doses a day, every eight hours with one at midnight.

Right now we are looking for Xavier's heartbeat (he's really good at hide and seek). He just got pinned down with a BP of 157.

Thank you all for your love and your prayers. God is good (all the time)!

An image of Xavier's face on February 20th, 2013. He has his mother's cute nose.

Hello to you all. Always thank you for your prayers and support.

Not much news to report today. It was a day in the mid 70's in Fort Collins, a perfect day to have a wheelchair race with my wife. Alas, that was nixed (although Dr. Schneider offered to race me). I was able to wheel Rebecca out into the sun and warm weather for twenty minutes.

Xavier has been active. I was able to feel him moving several times last night, the first time for me. We learned the monitor used to listen/record his heart rate also registers baby movement/activity. We have good, strong families of squiggly lines.

More blood was drawn from Rebecca this morning to run tests on platelets. The test was looking for something that may endanger the baby. The results came back negative (a good thing).

We have the limits of Rebecca's blood pressure identified. Her systolic can range between 120 and 150; her diastolic can range between 80 and 100.

Increased fluids have been prescribed for Rebecca. The elevated hydration of the mother allows the baby to access more nutrients.

The IV tube that was inserted into Rebecca's arm when she checked in is being removed tonight to prevent the vein from getting inflamed. The removal of the IV is encouraging!

Thank you all for your support. As I mentioned yesterday, we are feeling it in so many ways

Here is a nice shot of Xavier's hands. The right hand is the lower one, the left a little higher up. We saw some really good views of his feet and toes, but we did not get a printout of them.

Hello to you all and thank you for your support and prayers.

Rebecca and Xavier are doing well. Xavier has had his first MRI experience and he did not at all like it. Like his father, he seems to be a good swimmer and that is what he did during the scans trying to escape the noise and whatever else he did not care for. We did get a great picture of him, and he is cute as his mother.

Xavier has been exceedingly active today. Just minutes ago we were listening and watching his heart beat and saw a spike. The nurse was so excited she nearly squealed because the spike shows that Xavier has reserve enough to support an elevated heart rate. His rate is staying strong in the neighborhood of 150 BPM. Though his in utero environment is not ideal, he is thriving none-the-less.

The resident perinatal doctor (Dr. Mike Snyder, who has moved here from the South ten weeks ago) explained that in the South where he had been practicing, Rebecca is a fairly typical case of early pre-pre-eclampsia though she does not exhibit any of the typical symptoms. He explained that it is necessary for a woman's immune systems to decline at the cellular level when they become pregnant to allow the "invader" to thrive; it's much like accepting a new organ. It appears Rebecca's genetics are in this category of unwillingness to decline to allow free growth of the baby. He said this cellular level goings-on would explain why Rebecca is not really sick with what's going on, this is simply her body pregnant. That is their theory so far.

Rebecca will be transferred to University Hospital in Denver on Tuesday. Tuesday is the magic 24-week mark when they define Xavier as viable enough to monitor and treat. We have to go to Denver because if they must deliver him for his sake or Rebecca's, Denver has the ability to treat such a young Premie. He is only 13 oz right now but fully formed and functioning. Many have asked, will it be by ambulance or by helicopter. It will be by the boring ambulance.

The doctors have done several more tests (the afore mentioned MRI being one of them) to rule out some rarer possibilities for Rebecca's high BP. Some of her blood is en route to the Mayo Clinic. All of the results are coming back negative, which is good and as we expect.

God is truly answering all the prayers, and every day the doctors are growing calmer. Xavier Michael will live and not die, and declare the glory of God!

Again, thank you all for your prayers and support. Both are felt.

This is one of my favorite pictures, Xavier on February 20th, 2013. Great picture of his head, nose and mouth. One of his arms (probably his right) floats over his face.

Greetings to you all, and thank you for your prayers.

Rebecca is doing well. Her blood pressure is down, and we are getting used to the idea of a longer hospital stay. Our room is very nice with many amenities including an uncomfortable fold-out bed for Husband/Daddy.

The news today now has better context than what we had yesterday. The resident perinatal doctor had some time to assimilate the data and speak with all the other doctors involved, and discussions with him this morning went better.

It appears at this time that Rebecca will be in the hospital through the end of the pregnancy. One thing we heard today was that for every day Rebecca stays pregnant means four less days Xavier will be in ICU. We are gearing up for a premie.

There are several issues at work with the pregnancy. The primary issue is that the placenta early on in the pregnancy did not cleanly connect to mom's uterine blood flow. This issue has nothing to do with age, it happens to young and "advanced maternal" alike. The connection which formed is not allowing mother's blood to enter into the placenta freely; there is a restriction to the flow. This restriction also means a restriction to the nutrients getting to Xavier. The restriction in blood flow from mother to placenta is also contributing to Rebecca's high blood pressure (contributing, but not entirely the cause).

The restricted nutrient flow is the reason Xavier's growth is three weeks behind. This has led to another problem uncovered yesterday by the ultrasound. The amniotic fluid is decreasing as the baby is directing what nutrients he gets to his body and organs and less to making the fluid.

I want to point out, that all of Xavier's organs, skin, brain, bones, etc. are well-formed. His umbilical to the placenta is well-formed and blood is flowing easily and freely to and from the placenta.

The mentioned conditions have set up a situation which is of strong concern. The restricted nutrient flow is not allowing for the creation of a sufficient amount of amniotic fluids and is retarding the baby's growth. Xavier's body is shunting much of the available nutrients to development of the head and brain. Though all his other organs are functioning fine (bladder filling and voiding, mouth, arm and legs moving, etc), there will come a point in time when Xavier's body will start shutting down organs to favor his brain. As the amount of amniotic fluid continues to decline, there will come a point when his heart (and other organs) will stop. This is one side of the issue.

The other side is as the baby grows and his body (and heart) strengthen, they will create greater and greater pressure into the placenta. Though Xavier's connection to the placenta is unimpeded, still the impedance between placenta and mom's blood flow will create a building "back pressure" on the baby's side of the placenta. This will also lead to stopping the heart.

A nuance arose with Rebecca's high BP. As she has had the higher BP through most of the pregnancy, it is now necessary to maintain a high BP (though not as high as yesterday afternoon) because the mother-placenta-child nexus has grown to depend on the higher BP. If the BP drops too low, it will mean a likely loss of the child. So, there is a tightrope to walk in keeping Rebecca's BP high enough, but not so high as to affect her health. There is some concern (as it seems to be common is such cases) of seizures if the BP is too high. This is not only harmful to Rebecca, but probably fatal to Xavier.

To be brief at this point, here is the plan as we know and have agreed to today:

1. We need to get Xavier into his 24th week. If he must come prior to that, the chances of his survival are very low. We believe this will not be a problem as we are already in the 23rd week.
2. Rebecca is expected to remain in the hospital through the rest of the pregnancy, the goal being to attain at least the 28th week (5 and 1/2 weeks away). This is so the doctors can keep a constant eye on the changing conditions in the baby's development and the placental issues working against it. They can react on a moment's notice and give Xavier the best chances. It's going to be day by day for now. Our first goal is to get into the 24th week, then to 27/28 because of his slower growth.
3. Once in week 24, we will transfer down to either Children's in Denver or University (also in Denver). They have the staff and equipment to monitor and manage baby's 24 weeks and older. Also, at 24 weeks, something happens with a baby and makes it much more able to cope with an early delivery (the doctor said it's like a switch being thrown). 24 weeks is when the baby will be medically treated rather than given to hospice care (not my words, the doctor's).
4. The next goal is to reach week 28 (and beyond), but that will depend on how the baby is doing. It is going to be a tight race the doctors think, some thinking 28 weeks is too much to hope for.
5. At 28 weeks, Rebecca returns to PVH in Fort Collins. PVH is well able to manage premies 28 weeks and older and all her doctors are here.

We are spurred on by "for every day Rebecca remains pregnant is four less days Xavier stays in ICU"

We are spurred on because mother, father and child are fighters and we see the 28th week as an attainable goal.

We are spurred on because it is not only we who fight for the life of our little Xavier, but all you also fight along side us with your prayers and support.

We are spurred on because we do not serve our God in vain.

We are spurred on because we are those who walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7)

Great is our God!

Here is a March 12th ultrasound profile of our Xavier Michael. His head is center-right and his body to the left; he is laying on his back. His lips are visible, and though the still cannot show it, they were moving as he practised suckling.

Greetings and hello to you all.

First of all, let me start out with "Fear not!" The news below may sound more dire because it is tersely typed.

I am writing this to let you know that Rebecca is in the hospital for a 24 hour observation period. It was determined today during the perinatal visit that Xavier is three weeks behind in his growth (putting him in the 5th percentile) and the doctors are really wanting Rebecca to be on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy. The concern is that the placenta is growing weaker. The amniotic fluid is lower than our last visit, furthering the concern. This leads to the concern of taking Xavier prematurely, and they are hoping to get through at least the 28th week (5 more weeks). Any time before that and the chances of survival are slim.

The primary reason Rebecca is in the hospital the next 24 hours is due to her high (and growing higher) blood pressure. It was alarmingly high. They are trying out blood pressure medication under controlled conditions. If it works, she can spend the rest of the pregnancy at home, bed ridden. Otherwise, she must stay in the hospital until delivery.

We, of course, are praying and believing that God's hand will prevail, that Xavier will come to term properly, and Rebecca will suffer none of what the doctors' are concerned about.

I wanted to let you know what is going on because you are all close family and your prayers are greatly coveted.

Our God Reigns!