💙 COLTON RYAN — WHAT A DAY!!! 💙 I could seriously cry happy tears right now. Actually, who am I kidding? I already have! 🥹💙 Today was ALL about our big boy Colton, and I am so incredibly proud of him! After everything this little man has been through over the last nine months, today was another BIG day. Another surgery, another trip to the operating room, another day of holding our breath and praying that everything would go smoothly. And guess what?! OUR BOY DID AMAZING!

First things first, we need all the prayers for our sweet Colton tomorrow! 🙏🏻💙 Our little man is heading into surgery, and we are hoping to accomplish a few things. The biggest priorities are getting his G-tube placed and doing a bronchoscopy to take a closer look at his airway. This is a HUGE step because we are hoping to get some answers about whether he is ready to start moving forward with the home ventilator. We are also hoping to squeeze in his circumcision, but we a

(This is a long one) One Boy Out of the NICU, One Still Fighting, and a Whole New Chapter 💙💙 After nine LONG months, one of our boys is officially out of the NICU! 💙 I still can’t believe I’m typing those words. After everything Declan has been through, every setback, every surgery, every scary moment, every prayer, and every single day spent wondering what tomorrow would bring… our sweet boy has finally taken this HUGE step forward. And while this isn’t exactly the tradit

Nine Months. A Lifetime of Love. A Life on Pause. Nine months. 273 days. Nine months of fighting, praying, crying, celebrating, surviving, and loving harder than we ever knew was possible. Today, Colton and Declan are NINE MONTHS OLD! 🥹💙💙 Nine months ago, two tiny little boys entered this world at just 27 weeks, weighing barely over a pound each. We had no idea what was ahead of us. No idea how many mountains we would have to climb, how many times our hearts would break, o

Another Monday, Another Curveball… Well, Monday. You sure know how to show up and remind us that nothing about this journey is ever going to be easy. I wish I had a more exciting update to share today, but instead, we are starting another week with a few unexpected bumps in the road. Nothing we can’t handle, but that doesn’t mean the disappointment doesn’t sting a little. Let’s start with Mr. Declan. Over the weekend, Declan and I were both battling what I can only describe a

So Close, Yet So Far Away ❤️ Well, it looks like Declan decided to share something with Momma… and unfortunately, it wasn’t his snuggles. It was rhinovirus. 🤦‍♀️ The good news? I feel perfectly fine. The bad news? I have absolutely ZERO voice. And for anyone who knows me, you know that’s a problem….. So today, instead of spending my day with my two little nuggets, I spent it isolated in my room at Ronald McDonald House. And let me tell you, today was hard. I’m hopeful that t

Another Bump in the Road… Just when things seem to be moving in the right direction, the NICU reminds us that nothing is ever predictable. Our sweet Declan has tested positive for rhinovirus (the common cold). For most babies, this might just mean a few sniffles, but for our boys and their little lungs, we have to be extra careful. Having two babies in the NICU is hard enough, but having to keep them separated makes this momma heart hurt a little more. We moved Colton down th

Two Different Journeys, One Momma Heart 🩵💙 Another week with our boys, and another reminder that even though they came into this world together, their journeys continue to look very different. There is so much to celebrate, so much to be thankful for, and still so much uncertainty. Some days, it’s hard to know exactly how to feel when your heart is experiencing so many emotions at once. Declan 💙 Our little social butterfly is doing AMAZING! He continues to grow, get strong

A Good Kind of Busy 💙💙 Another busy week in the books for the Lehr boys! But this time, it was a good kind of busy. We have had so many weeks filled with challenges, setbacks, procedures, and uncertainty that it’s nice to have a week where we can simply say… things are going well. Declan continues to make us so proud. He is doing incredibly well, and every day we are seeing more and more of his little personality. He had his circumcision and additional repairs this week, an

A Weekend Full of Love 💙💙 Dad came to visit this weekend, as he always does, and we had the BEST time! From naps and full bottles to a little playdate together, it was one of those weekends that made life feel a little more normal. Like maybe, just maybe, things are finally moving in the right direction. And goodness, does that feel good. We also spent Sunday cleaning the house and getting things ready… like running to different stores to exchange diapers…. The boys are so

It’s been a busy week. Lots of visitors, lots of conversations, and of course, two little boys who continue to keep everyone on their toes. We’ve had quite the revolving door of visitors so far this week! My cousin, one of our nurses from our previous hospital, our family friend Nancy, my godmothers, and tomorrow another friend. Plus the best… dad this weekend!!! It’s been so nice having people come visit us. Sometimes I forget how much I miss normal conversations and familia

What a Great Weekend… Dad has the magic touch. I swear, the boys listen to him. They sleep. They play. They are sweet, good little boys. Basically, they make Mom look like a liar. 😂 But really… they are both doing well. I’m almost scared to type those words because after everything we have been through, saying “they’re doing well” still feels like tempting fate. But they are. We aren’t living in that same terrifying, minute-by-minute, high-risk world anymore. Yes, Colton is

It’s been a few days since our last update… actually, somehow it’s been the entire week. It has been a hectic one, but in a different way than so many of our weeks before. Both boys have been busy, playful, demanding, and doing their absolute best to drive their nurses crazy. Basically, they are acting more and more like babies & we love it. One of the biggest changes this week was that we temporarily moved over to the CCU/PICU side of the floor because of construction in our

Eight months. It’s hard to even type those words. Eight months ago, two tiny 1.5-pound boys entered this world far earlier than they were supposed to. And somehow, here we are. Eight months later. Still in the hospital. Still taking things one day at a time. Still waiting for the day when our whole family finally gets to go home. But today, we celebrated. Dad even skipped softball this morning to spend the boys’ 8-month birthday together as a family. And honestly, those simpl

Today was a rough one. Not rough in the sense that anything really bad happened… thank God, but just one of those days that tested Mom, the nurses, and everyone going back and forth all day long. It was BUSY. Let’s start with our easier child today… Colton. 😂 Colton is doing great! He is still hanging out at a PEEP of 9. They did add a few extra breaths, so at times he gets a little additional pressure, but overall he is handling everything really well. Possibly Thursday, we

It’s been a few days since our last update because we took some much-needed time this weekend to just enjoy being together as a family. 💙 Saturday morning was actually a pretty big step for our family… we got our family car! Three rows with plenty of room for the boys, all of their things, and eventually the additional nursing help we’ll have with us. It feels a little surreal to buy a vehicle specifically thinking about bringing our boys home, but we absolutely love it. Aft

Not much has truly changed this week, and honestly, sometimes that’s a good thing. We are still taking things day by day and letting the boys grow, rest, and continue moving forward at their own pace. We’re still working on Colton’s puffiness, in his face and head. At times it seems like it isn’t quite as tight, but he is still holding onto quite a bit of fluid. We’re going to continue working with surgery and a few other teams to see if there are any other options we can try

It’s been a little while since our last update! We had a very busy, but very much-needed weekend. Mom and Dad finally got to spend some time together after almost two weeks apart, and Dad was able to see the boys on Saturday. Much needed family time. ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 And boy, did they show off for dad! 😂 They sure like to act good when Dad is around. They also love to snuggle and sleep with him. Colton and dad are already sleeping buds. He mentioned how much bigger and better they

Both boys have been having some really good, restful Green Day’s & that is exactly what we needed. We’ve been following our new schedules, and things have been going so smoothly. Both boys are learning to take nice, long naps in the middle of the day and are sleeping through the night. Apparently Mom’s schedules might actually be working. 😉 Right now, our biggest goal is simple: rest, rest, rest. Declan is becoming such a little man. He sits in his MamaRoo chair twice a day

Today was a good day. A calm, mellow, relaxed, exactly-what-we-needed kind of day. 💙🩵 After the chaos of the weekend and then a couple of quieter days to recover, it finally feels like the boys are getting back on the ups. Mom may have gone a little overboard and created official schedules for both boys and hung them up in their rooms. 😂 The goal is simple: protect their rest, make room for therapies, and make sure we aren’t asking too much of them at once. And somehow, wi