June 23rd

Colton Update

Colton continues to keep us on our toes. He's our wild child, our little mini Ryan, and I have a feeling he's going to give us plenty of gray hairs one day.

Yesterday, his central line was removed, which is a big step forward. He's maintaining stable respiratory function on the ventilator, and while he still has occasional moments where he and the ventilator aren't quite in sync, overall he's doing well. His blood pressure and urine output remain stable, and he's tolerating full feeds with even limited amounts by mouth. He's also off his continuous sedation medications and seems comfortable and content. HES WILD!!!!

Most importantly, he's letting more of his personality shine through every day. He is active, alert, and always finding ways to keep us entertained. He is 9lb 5oz. (How?!??)

Declan Update

Declan is still fighting hard against this infection, and it's been a tough week for him. He's understandably angry about all the pokes and procedures, but we're also seeing glimpses of our sweet boy. He's opening his eyes more, loves having our hands to hold, and reminds us daily how strong he is.

There was some encouraging progress yesterday. His swelling has improved, and his breathing looked better after receiving a dose of diuretic medication. The team attempted a lumbar puncture to gather more information, but there wasn't enough spinal fluid available at that level to obtain a sample.

For now, he remains on antibiotics for presumed meningitis and his recent bloodstream infection. His respiratory status remains stable on the ventilator, his blood pressure and urine output are appropriate, and he's tolerating slowly advancing feeds… don’t tell him. He’s officially eating more than ever before. If time in his life… let’s go! He's also having good stool output and appears comfortable with his current sedation plan.

While we still have hurdles ahead, we're thankful for every small step forward and every sign that his body is continuing to fight.

From Mom

I'll be honest, I am exhausted. Head to toe exhausted.

My body aches. My heart feels heavy. The emotional weight of these past months seems to settle into every bone, and I feel like I could sleep for days.

But tomorrow comes, and so do these boys.

So we'll keep showing up. We'll keep celebrating the victories, no matter how small. We'll keep trusting the doctors, leaning on our family and friends, and most importantly, leaning on God.

Thank you for continuing to pray for Colton and Declan. Some days the progress is measured in giant milestones, and other days it's measured in quieter victories that only a NICU family understands. We're grateful for every one of them.