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Um, sorry

Pizzaface, Bigmouth, and Chris have fallen to Dr. Chickenhead. Who can stop him? Suddenly a voice rings out "I wiw stop you," it is Not So Super Baby. ''Mwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehohohohohohohohohohohoho hihihihi....hi....ha....ho....!'' The Dr. is cracking up. After he stops laughing he said, "Bring it on.''......




-Micah out

Back to my story.



Pizzaface pointed the gun at Dr. Chickenhead. ''Surrender now!'' Pizzaface yelled. ''Never!''
said the Dr.''Eggstroid attack!'' Suddenly eggs began falling from the sky. Pizzaface was soon buried in a pile of eggs...


-Micah out

''Never!'' yelled Bigmouth. ''Fine,'' Dr. Chickenhead said ''bye,'' he pulled the gun's trigger. ''Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha-,'' his laugh was cut short as Pizzaface lept through the air and tackled him. They rolled on the ground and wrestled until Pizzaface got the gun and pointed it at the Dr. ....



-Micah out

When we left off, Bigmouth saw the horrible, monsterous, Evil Dr. Chickenhead. It is now time for the faceoff! They charged toward each other. The Dr. released a stream of eggs from his egg gun. The eggs went splat as they hit Bigmouth. He fought back by eating the eggs. Then they started wrestling each other. Suddenly, Dr. Chickenhead grabbed Bigmouth around the throat and said while pointing his egg gun at him, "Surrender now!"...





-Micah out

Sorry,I haven'twritten foreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeever.Let's continue my story.

''Uh oh,'' said Pizzaface. ''Hmmmmm, ah ha i'll get Bigmouth. Ding Dong Splat went the super horn. The apple was 20 ft. away uh...15...10...5...4...3...2...1 splat Pizzaface was flat as a pancacke. Then Bigmouth came and gulped the apple up. ''Hm,'' he thought ''I wonder where that came from.'' Then he saw the horrible, montsorous, ......




-Micah out

Lots of Photos

The Dreaded RSV

They told us to keep the twins away from the public to avoid sickness but they got sick anyway. Most of us have had colds, so I guess RSV was unavoidable. We are at Children's Mercy in downtown KC. It's a wonderful hospital if you have to be in one. Joel and Leah are actually doing okay. Being here just keeps their condition from getting worse. There is nothing they can do to speed the healing process since this is a virus. No antibiotics, no magic medicine... just time. They are both on a little oxygen to help their breathing and they are sleeping peacefully. I am looking forward to SPRING!

A Tribute to My Valentine

At the risk of being overly sentimental and extremely mushy I must give honor to my husband today. I am overwhelmed with gratitude that he is my life partner. He is truly the most amazing man I have ever known. He has always loved me beyond what I deserve, but through this pregnancy (which began with a shock, horrible morning sickness, a move, another shock -
!twins!- and ended with an enormous whale of a wife who could hardly move) he has completely out done himself. He truly lays down his life for me daily. Not only did he have to go to work everyday, but he would come home to huge messes, laundry, and usually no dinner. He took over without complaint and made sure I was okay!

Over the past three weeks since the birth of the twins, he has been my encourager and emotional strength. He has taken care of my physical well-being by making sure I eat and drink. He holds our family together with his humor and wisdom. While it would be impossible to list everything I love and admire about Todd, I can say his character and integrity are beyond measure, both in our home and outside these walls. He is a man of strength, courage, and most of all faith.

I can say all of these wonderful things about him, but I know he would give credit elsewhere. He would say it's because of Jesus he can be this way, because of a God who first loved him that he can love us all so much. I know he is right. What a blessing that we have come to know personally this Sovereign, Holy, God of the Universe who made all things and is through all things, who sent His Son Jesus to die for us that we might live through Him. The love Todd lavishes on me pours out from the love Todd receives from our Savior. Todd has surrendered himself to Jesus, spends time praying, studying, and seeking His will. I am so grateful to receive the love of Jesus through my husband which has healed me, shaped me, humbled me, and blessed me.

Happy Valentine's Day my sweet Husband. My heart is forever yours!
Rebecca

Micah's Blog

This is Micah. The babies are doing fine. My mom and dad are up most of the night taking care of them (big surprise).

Let's read stories.

When all seemed lost suddenly Johnny Mc. John John Jr. (most people just call him Chris) springs out from behind a bush and runs towards the apple. He tackles the fruit and gets knocked out. Then Pizzaface the superhero decides that he will sing to stop the apple "I love you you love me," He sings.
"Roooaaaaaaaaaaar," the apple roars and rolls towards Pizzaface.....

Keep reading.


-Micah out

Micah's Blog

I'm going to tell stories now. Okay? Alright? Let's get ready to rumble.




Once on a happy day in Happy town. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" said a scared civilian. What has happened? A bank robbing? A jailbreak? A man with a golden idol running from a boulder? No, it's much worse. It's bad, very bad, no it's horrible. It's- it's- an apple?!? The apple is starting to take ice cream and throwing it in kids faces, beating parents up, but worst he's doing all these things and leaving without saying goodbye! Oh the horror! What will the people do? When all seemed lost suddenly.....


Stay on to find out more.



-Micah out

First week photos

The First Week

Adjusting to life at home has been challenging, joyful, anxious, fun, difficult, and worth every minute.

We are starting to learn a new way of life.

We are learning...

• Tag-team diaper changing.
• Tag-team feeding.
• Ways to fall asleep after feeding babies in the night.
• Ways to give quick baths after cleaning up spit up.
• The joys of experiencing 5 kids.
• Ways to trust and lean of God every moment.

-Todd

Micah's Blog

Hello. This is Micah. Look at all my comments I got, w-well or my...um... one. Thanks Aaron. I'm glad you like it.

The twins are looking good.

I'm getting pestered (not really) about writing stories. Next time I'll write. OK. Let's wait until people tell me if that's alright. Loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong pause.

-Micah out

We Are Home!!!

Our night nurse Ashley made these towel elephants after we joked with her about being on a cruise. She went online and learned to make these as we fed the babies. That's great customer service!!!

Mom & Dad getting ready to leave!

First car ride.

All our wonderful kids.

Our entire family is together at home finally!!!!

Peaceful sleeping babies! We like this.

Joel's and Leah's temperatures stayed in the right range and the doctor released us this morning. After going through all the final check-out procedure, we were able to come home. We arrived home to the joyful shouts of Elizabeth, Hannah, and Micah. Micah didn't really yell; it was more like "hi". But I'm sure inside he was very excited because he wanted to hold Joel as soon as possible.

We are rejoicing in the Lord and praising Him! It is good to feel the joy that comes after the sorrows and challenges. We praise God for the trials of this week as well.

-Todd

Saturday

Here is a quick update on Joel and Leah...

Joel has been out of his isolette for 32 hrs. and is still holding his temp. He is gaining a little weight and eating well. His breathing is excellent.

Leah had to revisit her isolette at 4am after being out for 13 hrs. This was an emotional set back for us, but something we have no control over. She was in her isolette for 6 hrs. and her temp. got up to 37.5 so she came out again to a crib around 10am. She is gaining weight and eating well, we just have to wait for her to get her act together in the temperature department.

We appreciate all your prayers for these little ones. We are hopeful to be home soon...

Family Together & Temps Maintain

Micah and Joel

Elizabeth, Micah, Hannah, & Joel. Leah is still in the "cooker".

Hannah holds Joel for the first time.

Elizabeth holds Joel for the first time.

It's been a good day. We finally had all 5 kids together for the first time. We gathered in the NICU and shared a few moments together. I was so blessed to see all the kids enjoying one another. God has truly blessed up. Elizabeth said about Leah "she's adorable!" We all agreed.

The other good news is that both Joel and Leah are in cribs now. This means their temperatures are looking good. Joel was put into his crib this morning and has maintained his temperature all day long. Leah was put into her crib around 4:00 p.m. Her temperature continues to hold at this point as well. They also need to maintain their weight or gain weight. Once these two things line up (temperatures & weight), I believe we can go home. We continue to pray for God's will and His strength.

Todd

Today's Photos

Joel - "What?"

Joel gets some kisses.

Mama love for baby Joel.

Joel - Keeping warm!

Leah - Hiding. She was shy today.

Another Day...

Well, we're still here. A week ago today, I was at home mentally preparing for my C-section. Now, a week later, we have two precious babies in the NICU. Leah became an official NICU patient yesterday. She and Joel are both in isolettes. Picture a crib with glass sides and a glass roof. We take them out to feed them and then back in they go. Every three hours, we take their temps, change their diapers, I nurse one then Todd bottle feeds, I nurse the other then Todd bottle feeds. We are supplementing each nursing session with formula to try and get them to gain weight and hopefully help them hold their body temperatures.

This may be way too much info but here is our situation: The isolettes have an air flow of a constant temperature. The temp in the isolettes started out at 33.0 degrees celcius. Leah and Joel have to hold a body temp of 37.5 degrees celcius and above. If they reach 37.0 or above, the nurses turn down the isolette temp. 1/2 a degree. When the isolette temp reaches 28 degrees, they will begin the transfer to a crib- then they have to hold their body temp for 24 hrs before they are released. If they fail in the crib, we start over. Both isolettes are down to 31 degrees after 24hrs. in their isolettes. It's a slow process. The great thing is, they are both healthy, just suffering from their immature status.

Please pray specifically for them to hold their body temps. We are emotionally ready to go home and be a family again. Of course we want to take home healthy babies, so we're willing to wait, but the wait is challenging. We were moved to a different room again last night. Now we have windows again and a bigger room but we're back to three security doors and a walk to our precious little ones instead of being right outside their door.

I haven't mentioned the incredible care we have received here. Our NICU angels a.k.a. nurses have been so amazing. They have hugged me as I cried, laughed with us, admired our little ones, and have gone above and beyond in everything. We are so thankful to have Joel and Leah in their care and know the Lord has sent them as an extra blessing when we have needed one so desperately.

Photo Time!

Leah (left) & Joel (right)

Leah sun bathing

Joel sun bathing

Leah (left) & Joel (right) - Enjoying their first moments together since birth.

Leah - Look at those eyes.

Ups & Downs

What day is it? Oh, Tuesday. We have had several days of ups and downs. Each day with kids in the hospital is an adventure in emotional endurance. Some moments are exciting because there is a victory and the next thing you know there appears to be another problem.

Joel is completely off any breathing devise. His respiration rate is great. They continue to monitor it, but it has not changed in the last two days. This is what got him in the NICU. Yeah!!!

Joel is now off the feeding tube. He is eating well; both from mommy and a bottle. This is a great sign.

Joel will finish his round of antibiotics on Wednesday night. Once this happens, they will take the IV out of his arm. We hope the current IV holds so they do not have to put another stint in.

Joel was out of the warmer until this afternoon. His temperature dropped a little so he is back in the oven (warmer). He has to maintain his temperature before we can go home.

Leah is still a patient. Her weight dropped more than they like and she is a little yellow. They decided to keep her in the hospital. Her weight is now increasing and she is eating pretty well. However, her temperature has dropped as well. She is sun bathing as well. We thought they would release her on Wednesday, but we are not sure now.

Rebecca is no longer a patient of the hospital. She is my patient now. My job is to keep her eating and drinking. According to the nurses, she is suppose to have 3500 to 4000 calories each day. She is also suppose to drink about 4 liters of water each day. She has been tired and challenged by this entire situation. The emotions are up and down. We have had several tears over the past few days.

We continue to hang onto the strength of God and call out to Him often and we are so thankful for all the people surrounding us with prayer and encouragement.

Another praise is that we moved rooms over to the NICU. It feels like we have moved in with the nurses and doctors. We literary step out of our room, through the nurses area, and into the room with our babies. Before we had to walk from one side of the hospital floor, through 3 doors of security, to the other side in order to see and feed Joel. The other awesome part of this move is that Joel and Leah finally got to see each other for the first time since they were born. We put them side-by-side and enjoyed this precious moment.

Rebecca and I left the hospital this afternoon for about an hour. We went home to is Micah, Hannah, and Elizabeth. It was great to spend a little time with them. We long to be home and restart our family life.

Signing Off!

Todd

Micah's blog

4 days old! Leah is a little cold because mom and dad took her clothes off to feed her (parents, parents). Joel is still in the N.I.C.U. . It'll be fun when they come back.


I'm gong to tell stories next time. Until then,



-Micah out

51 Hours Old

Today has been a busy, tiring day but with God's grace I am sustained moment by moment. I have had a few opportunites to hold Joel and try and teach him to nurse again today. I am very thankful for any time we get with him. The times we can hold him are very scheduled, so it makes the day challenging - nursing Leah, pumping for Joel, eating three meals, reassuring our oldest three, holding and trying to feed Joel etc... Lizzie asked me today, "Are you going to cry again mommy? Why you crying?" I confess I spend a lot of time in tears which is why even chatting on the phone is hard right now.

Joel is improving, but it seems with every good report comes a potential bad... today he is off oxygen, but still needs a little "push" of air so the tube in his nose is still in. His chest x-ray today showed a small pocket that may or may not be an infection. Tomorrow will determine what happens next. If the pocket is gone, it was just fluid and we can begin the process of getting him eating on his own (right now he has a tube into his belly) and coming home in a few days, on the other hand, if it is an infection we're looking at another 7-10 days on antibiotics in the NICU.

I am trying to find rest in the unknown at the feet of Jesus. He is mighty, and bigger than these circumstances. If I think too long on all of this I feel like I might suffocate, so I must simply take each moment as it comes. Please continue to pray for all of us- the "big kids"- we are seeing signs of stress with them, continued strength for my sweet husband who is too amazing for words, healing for our sweet little Joel, that Leah would continue on this great path, and recovery and peace for me.

Blessings and love to each of you,
Rebecca

Micah's Blog

They're here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The twins are so sweet and tiny. My mom is tired, Leah is, um, uh, sleeping, and Joel is in the N.I.C.U. . The Long family is big.




-Micah out

Additional Photos

Joel on the Neonatal Breathing Ride - He's off this machine now and doing much better. We miss him.


Proud Sister Elizabeth with Leah

Loving Sister Hannah with Leah

Bigger Strong Micah with Leah

Daddy playing Dress Up