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.