The original due date...

Greetings!

The original due date for Elsa and Jonas was April 1st. It is with a grateful heart that we can officially announce them both full term babies! While we have a ways to go in the hospital, it is reassuring to reach another milestone. Sometimes it feels like the deck is not being dealt in our favor, but then we remember how awesome it is to have a hand to play at all. It has been a hard week but I have to say that our spirits were lifted when we opened our shades today to an April 1st snowstorm. Snow on both their birth days and their due dates...our winter miracle extends into spring! And with that...an update on our two babies:

Elsa met with the speech therapist today to work on bottle feeding. While she didn't take a great amount, the specialist was pleased with her breathing and swallowing. Elsa has made progress these past couple of weeks. Two weeks ago she was only receiving about 30 percent of her milk via her mouth. Now she is up to the mid 40% range. She is so close!

Jonas has had a long week. His surgery went well on Thursday with the surgeon happy with the outcome. He has been up and down in his recovery. When he started to come out of his sedation, he fought the ventilator which required him to be further sedated. The past couple of days it seems like he has been doing better. While he is sedated, he no longer is on the paralytic medication. His eyes are open and he grasps visitors' fingers but he is still a bit out of it. We are hoping that these extra days have given him more time to heal. The doctors and nurses have been pleased with the incision area and feel it has closed up nicely.

Again, many thanks for the kinds words, prayers, cards, and thoughts for our family. We continue to pray for healing and growth for Elsa and Jonas.

God Bless,

Dan & Mari & Elsa & Jonas