Lucas

Here is a picture of baby Lucas, he died from NEC in the NICU on May 6, 2008. We also lost his brother David who was born still. They are in the arms of the Lord.

The Angel's kiss
Our dear Christ knew the way was rough,
and his precious body was not strong enough,So, He called an Angel and sweetly smiled,
as He laid in her arms a darling little child.
"Be very tender with him", He said,
"I took him gently from his mother's arms,
I did not mean to cause his mother any pain,
and he was not taken in vain.
He had such tiny hands and feet,
he was so helpless and dear and sweet,
he could not walk earth's stormy way,
so I brought him back to Heaven today."
He will grow beautiful and strong,
for the ones he left behind who care.
His family is very pained at heart and over and over their teardrops start.
But we'll love and keep him, you and I,until they come to meet her by and by.
A notion? Perhaps, but I'm sure of this:This sweet child woke and smiled at the Angel's kiss.

Alex

Hello, everyone. Elijah continues to do well. He weighs almost 11 lbs now and is developmentally acting like a 2.5 month old, which is where he should be. He smiles and coos a lot, especially at his big brothers. He is starting to sleep through the night now, which is wonderful for me! His reflux still bothers him and he has alot of gas and is starting to have issues with constipation. I'm trying to get his doctors to change his formula. They don't want to because he is on the high calorie preemie formula. But, his older brother had to go on Alimentum due to protein and milk allergies, so I think that is the problem here.
Halloween is coming and Alex is going to be a buccaneer. His costume is adorable! I'll post some pictures. Dillan my big boy is going to help his Nana pass out candy. My niece Cassie is going to be a Southern Belle, her costume is beautiful!
I've been very busy with school. I'm taking online course for my Masters in Elementary Education, very time consuming! But, I'm home anyway so it works out! Wish me luck. Continue to pray for my family.

illness and RSV

Well we had a little scare. Alex (our two year old) started running a 103 degree temp. Of course we were worried about him and about Elijah catching his illness. It turns out he had an ear infection and so far Elijah hasn't shown any signs of sickness, so pray he won't! Speaking of infections RSV season is upon us, I found a neat form letter for parents to send out about RSV, so I'm including it in this post!

RSV letter and awareness:
Dear Family and Friends,
We're writing regarding a very important matter: RSV. For those of you who plan to visit us over the next few months, and even if you are not, please take a few minutes to read this letter. We want to start by saying thank you for the outpouring of support we have received from everyone. So many people have done so much for us, and every bit of help we have received truly is appreciated. We are experiencing
the biggest challenge of our lives, and we're lucky to be surrounded by so many family members and friends who have shown us so much love and support. We'd also like to share an important topic that we recently discussed with our babies' pediatrician. If you are not aware of RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, you are among the majority. Most people have not heard of RSV, even though nearly every child has had the virus by age two. For full-term babies, RSV typically is not any worse than a common cold, but for preemies, the virus can be quite different. Babies born earlier than 36 weeks are at the highest risk for serious complications like pneumonia, bronchiolitis, and other sometimes fatal complications. Our
baby was born premature, is a multiple, and had low birth weight; these are among the highest risk factors for contracting RSV and developing serious complications. This website offers a great visual comparison of a preemie's lungs compared to the lungs of a full-term baby: http://www.preemiecare.org/LungsTrees03-4.pdf
Preventing the spread of RSV is very difficult. Thus, we must be vigilant about keeping our child safe during RSV season (October through April). The virus is spread through physical contact, in the air via a cough or sneeze, or by touching an infected object. The virus can live as long as six hours on hands and up to twelve hours on objects, and it spreads very easily, especially from child to child. Studies have also shown that infants pose an even higher risk of spreading RSV to others. You may ask, "Can't they fight it off and build up their immune system? Kids need to get sick, right?" The simple answer is NO. Since our baby was pre-term, he did not acquire the necessary immunities to fight off infection.
If he contracts RSV, he could be hospitalized and develop serious complications. We'll be asking our visitors to follow a few guidelines to help prevent the baby from contracting RSV or any other illness.
We ask that all visitors do the following:
1. When you arrive, please wash your hands and use hand-sanitizer as needed before touching the baby.
2. Please, if it is possible, get a flu shot.

3. Please refrain from coming over if you are currently sick and have not been symptom-free for at least 5, if you live with someone who is sick, or have been in close contact with someone who is sick.

4. If you smoke, we ask that you change your clothing and refrain from smoking prior to visiting, as a
preemie's lungs are very sensitive to smoke. Most RSV sites recommend against passive smoke
exposure.

5. If you are parents to a baby or toddler, please refrain from bringing them to our house during RSV
season.

Unfortunately we will not be attending many events during RSV season. Our goal is to make it through this and the next RSV seasons without the baby contracting RSV or any other serious illness. His lungs are still very fragile until he is 2-years-old. Please understand that this letter is not meant to offend anyone, just simply to provide an explanation. We hope you understand, and we appreciate your help keeping our baby safe.
We are also providing several resources with additional information about RSV below.
http://www.preemiecare.org/rsv_resourceshtm.htm
http://www.preemiecare.org/rsvfaq.htm
http://www.preemiecare.org/rsv2.htm
http://www.mostonline.org/preemieBB/viewforum.php?f=82


Love and best wishes to all!
Elijah's family
Brian and Denise, Dillan and Alex

Just another crazy day....

Hello everyone. Oh the day I had today, someone actually backed their car into my double stroller as I was putting my babies in the van (thank God they were not in the stroller). I don't know what was wrong with that girl, my stroller was sitting so close to my van that if it hadn't been there she would have hit the van. People need to pay attention to what they are doing. So impatient, I would have gladly moved it if she couldn't wait for me to buckle the car seat in, she just had to ask! Believe it or not no damage was done to my stroller(as far as I can tell), maybe it was worth $250 after all! The physical therapy office gave me a big run around, they had given me the wrong time for therapy, come to find out they were mixing our name up with someone else, Pruitt instead of Privett. Then when we finally made it to the appointment there was no referral for Speech. The doctors office was supposed to schedule for O.T. not speech, so the day was wasted and very stressful. I've requested home health care to do therapy in the home!
Elijah is doing good. His reflux is pretty bad though, he is on medication for it now! We have so many appointments. He is in Physical Therapy and will also be getting occupational therapy as well as early intervention services. He has an appointment next week for his cardiomyopathy. Everyone pray that we get a good report. I'm putting it in God's hands!
He is off oxygen now, which is wonderful news for us! His big brother's are doing great and adjusting to their new brother. It is so funny what kids pick up on. My two year old is becoming wise beyond his years, he can tell you everything about a hospital and the doctor. He has also developed a fear of nurses!
Yesterday I was upstairs with Alex when Elijah's Apnea alarm sounded, as I headed down the stairs Alex(my 2 year old) looked at me and said, "he's still breathing". And of course he was, we have so many false alarms now. I think the pulmonologist plans on taking him off the alarm soon. I'm going to be so nervous about that!
Elijah weighs 10lbs 2oz now, that may sound very small for a 6 month old, but it is a long way from 1lb 8oz! I don't even try to look at him like a 6 month old, I see him as a 2 month old and that is how I expect him to act developmentally. He is very alert and coos at us and smiles alot now, especially at his brother. He is such a blessing!

Recent Pictures