Baby Jack!

As most of you know, my sweet little sister had twins back on 2/27/2010 at just shy of 26 weeks.  It has been a long road, with lots of surgeries, but baby Jack is in his last few days in the NICU of Texas Women's hospital!!  We could not be more excited, and more uplifted by the prayers prayed on their behalf!  God is so amazing and definitely gives us exactly what we can handle.

When he was born at Clear Lake Regional, I was able to go in with my sister and see him, but at 8 days old, he got transferred to Women's, and though it has been great for Bailey and Matt, only 4 visitors could be listed, and well, the 4 grandparents got dibs!  So I had to sit patiently, waiting and not getting to see him for 5 months (which was probably best with 2 kids at home, my friends already babysit them enough for my doctors visits, etc!).  Finally, after me probably guilting her into it, she talked to the NICU heads or whoever she needed to, and got me clearance to go visit yesterday!  I was so excited.  It was amazing to see her in that element and how comfortable she was with everything, from changing his leads and knowing where everything was that she needed, to mixing his extremely complicated bottle (any bottle is complicated for me, but when you have to add in stuff....I'd have to read the recipe every time I tell ya!), to as soon as we got there, being given two syringes of medicine and she knew exactly how to push that right on through the NG tube in his nose.  It was amazing to see my little sister in her element sweet talking her little man.  I cried almost the whole way up there.  I blame it on the hormones, but I just couldn't wait to get my hands on that little boy.  He is so loved and I know how blessed I am to be able to meet him.  It was just amazing to spend some time with her and him, and as Matt showed up later for equipment training, to see their little family that God has knit together.  I am SO looking forward to the day my kids can meet him, and the day Cara can hold him, and the years as they fly by as the cousins romp and play. 

Ok, I know you all want pictures, so here they are, they are in reverse order of us getting there.

Me cuddling him after his noon bottle.

Super Jack!  I made him an aggie cape for his coming home gift.

If you know me at all, you know I'm obsessed with cheeks!  I couldn't keep my lips off them (or my hands!).

Holding him for the first time:

Bailey sweet talking him as she wiped him down, he was so sweaty from overnight! :)

I love these eyelashes!

One of my many cell pics I posted on facebook:

They still have a long road ahead of them.  Surgery next month to remove some hernias.  Getting adjusted to their new normal as he comes home on Thursday with an oxygen tank, apnea monitor, and food dispenser (NG tube down his nose to his tummy to do most of his feeds).  He's on one bottle feeding a day, but that's a partial feed and about all he can handle right now.  They've got a great team of people surrounding them, including an amazing pediatrician, and home nurses that will come help them get settled, as well as many family and friends.  My kids probably still can't go meet him for 2 months (yeah, you might need to pray for Cara about that, she is so stinking excited!!), and it's going to be hard to turn people away who have been waiting this long to go see him (docs say limited visitors....for months!).  But, as he grows and develops, I know he is going to turn into just the man God intended him to be, and that is what I am most joyful about.  I didn't really know how, as being a mom first for years, and an aunt second, how Bailey felt about my kids, and now I know.  I love that little man. 

Psalm 127:3

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.