I'm just sending a quick update to everyone about little Audrey. She is definitely starting to become more alert each day. Shannon and I spent about four hours with her today, and we feel very encouraged. Please keep praying that she continues to do a little more each day. They are taking out her PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line tonight so the only thing she will have left is her feeding tube. I'm including some videos of her from earlier today. Talk to you soon...........

JB

We've been doing so much talking about little Audrey that little Austin has gotten left out a bit. I have given him the nickname, Hondo, which Shannon absolutely hates, but John Wayne would love it........:)) It certainly beats calling him the little Gerald Ford that Shannon was calling him. The little guys is definitely fussy at night which is totally awesome..........I'm kidding. He has really grown in the past three weeks. Macy has really taken an interest in helping Shannon and I take care of him. We were really kind of worried about that, but she is really protective of him. I'm including a video of him getting his bath last night. Audrey continues to progress........she started becoming more alert yesterday evening right before we left, and the nurses commented to me early this morning that she is definitely more alert. She seems to be staying awake a little more with appropriate eye movements and body movements. Hopefully, the phenobarbital will continue to wear off. Everyone has really been super supportive of Shannon and I. My work has really stepped up and has overwhelmed us with support. We have been totally blown away by all the giving that they have done. We will always be grateful for everything that our friends and family have done for us whether it be a prayer, meal, or whatever.........talk to you soon.

JB

Just thought I would drop a quick line to let you know that Audrey continues to fight strong. She has been off the vent for over a week now and seems to be doing well. She occasionally cries and grunts when the nurses are messing with her so that is a good sign about her vocal cords. She definitely is moving all four of her extremities and her head when her Mommy touches her. Please continue to pray that she continues to improve. The physicians have taken her off the anti-convulsants so we are hopeful she starts to stir around more. They will begin OT and PT with her on Monday to help her with swallowing and her gag reflex. Austin is doing great other than keeping us up all night.............:)) Aunt D and cousin Bailey visited us at Duke today also so Audrey and Austin got plenty of loving. I'm including a video of Shannon holding Audrey just a little bit ago. Talk to you soon............

JB

As usual my blog posts are like visits from Haley's comet............:)) We have some great news. The twins were born on December 5, 2007 at Womack Army Medical Center. There were some complications during birth that have really turned our world upside down. Austin was born first with no complications. Shannon literally had him out in two pushes. He spent about a week in the NICU and has been home since. He is doing great and eating and growing like a horse. Our girl, Audrey, had some significant issues. She experienced a prolapsed cord during labor and went without oxygen for a short period of time. It was very scary at her birth because she was not breathing. The neonatologist in the labor suite immediately took action and intubated her airway. She almost immediately started have seizures. She was flown via helicopter to Duke University from Womack and they started cooling her body down immediately to belay any brain damage that may have occurred. It has been a long three weeks, but little Audrey has come a long way. She is moving all four extremities when she is stimulated and is breathing on her own now. She is even opening her eyes and occasionally looking around. They have performed multiple scans on her head, and they have shown some small areas of her brain that went without oxygen, but nothing too bad as it was explained to us. She is still receiving some anti-seizure medications to prevent any seizures but they are starting to wean that off now. This medicine makes her pretty stoned so its hard to see what she is really doing. The little girl needs a lot of prayer that she continues to improve. We have no idea if she will be cognitively affected by this, but we are certainly praying and optimistic that she will be alright. This journey has been an emotional roller coaster to say the least. I think I have driven to Duke just about every day which is exhausting because its about two hours one way. Christmas has definitely been different, but we are thankful for everything that we have and are continuing to pray that the Lord will take care of us. I'm including some pictures of the little ones............talk to you soon.

JB