Jack's Last Days

On Friday March 19th, Jack started acting sick. His heartrate speed up and he was very pale. Although initial bloodwork leaned toward viral they began him on antibiotics anyway. As the day progressed he continued to get sicker. Overnight, under the care of his favorite nurse, Jack rallied and seemed to get better. Saturday brought Mackenzie's birthday party and a devastating phone call from Jack's doctor. Jack had taken a turn for the worse and was in very critical condition. Additional bloodwork showed he did have a severe infection that had most likely spread to his brain causing seizures. DJ and I rushed to the hospital to be with him. Shortly before we arrived at the hospital Jack went into cardiac arrest. They were able to revive him and stablize his heartbeat for awhile. Just after 6:30pm Jack went into cardiac arrest again while the NICU was closed to parents. They were again able to bring him back. When they reopened the NICU, the doctors broke the news to us that despite their best efforts, they would not be able to bring Jack through this. Words cannot describe how we felt.

Jack passed away shortly after 11:30pm Saturday March 20th in the arms of his daddy. We will eternally be grateful for the time that we were able to spend with Jack and for the impact that he had in this world. Our hope for Jack's memory is not for the shortness of his life, but for the incredible miracle that Jack's life was. He was an amazing gift from God.

Thank you so very much to everyone who has poured out their support in the last couple months and especially over the last few days. We hope that Jack has inspired you and has shown you the awesome power of God our savior. Although our hearts mourn for Jack we take comfort in knowing God's promise for him and that we will be reunited one day in heaven.

~Jeny

Big Boy Bassinet

They have Jack in a bassinet now and out of the incubator!! He is doing well maintaining his temperature too and is still growing like a weed. It's so neat to be able to see him without all the plastic in the way! Now I can get some pictures of him that aren't as fuzzy :-) He is up to 1714 grams (roughly 3 lbs 12 1/2 oz) now. They are talking about trying to bottle feed him here in the next week or so. I can't believe that he is getting so big!
Post again soon,
~Jeny

2 Months!

Ok, so my kid is officially 2 months old today! Can't believe that it has gone so fast! He is doing well on the cannula and gaining weight quickly. He is up to 3 pounds 11 ounces, and he looks every ounce of it! They are hoping to move him out of the incubator and into a crib here in the next couple days. Then he'll start wearing clothes full time and start looking like a real baby. Hopefully then I can get some clear pictures of him without that funky plexi-glass in the way :-)
Post again soon,
~Jeny

1500 Grams!

Jack officially hit 1500 grams last night which is roughly 3 lbs 5 oz. He's getting so big so fast now. He is still doing well on his cannula and they have his oxygen around 30%. He looked so good when I was up there. I got to hold him like an actual baby, which is a lot more difficult than it sounds. Since he is so little it was touch to keep him propped up because his body doesn't reach all the way down my arm. Jack also decided that he didn't like this and we ended up putting him on my chest like usual. (Called Kangaroo Care)
Jack had another eye exam yesterday. He tolerated it better than the last one, and it looks like the ROP has not progressed any. Good news indeed!
Post again soon,
~Jeny

Pictures as Promised

Well, here are the pictures that I took of Jack without the nasty ventilator tube or CPAP. Some of them came out a little blurry, but you can still see that beautiful little face :)
Jack did well overnight on the cannula and is still maintaining his oxygen levels. We still have a few hurdles for him to overcome so that he can come home, but he is making incredible progress. Can't wait!
Post again soon,
~Jeny

Jack and the Cannula

Well, Jack has made it all day on the cannula and is doing very well. They have weaned him down to 35% on his oxygen and he is still maintaining O2 saturation. He looks great and it's so exciting to be able to see his face. I'll try to get pictures uploaded soon.
Post again soon,
~Jeny

Yay Jack!

Jack had a great night on the CPAP! He did very well keeping his oxygen up and they will put him on a canula today at some point. I can't wait to see his cute little face without any tubes! I'll try and get some pictures posted soon!
Post again soon,
~Jeny