The McMahon Family

Another McMahon Family Update

2007-08-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a month since the last entry, so I figured that I should write another update. For those of you who are still checking...sorry that we've become rather lazy in typing entries. This summer has flown by so quickly, it some ways everything seems like a blur. The girls are continuing to develop normally and become more active. Makaila is now pushing her upper body up, rolling around the room, laughing, making cooing noises, grasping toys with both hands and getting ready to start crawling. Faith is basically doing the same things, although she gets more frustrated when she is in the crawling position on her tummy. The other day we started feeding them solids, which they tolerated well (while making many funny faces). At their pediatrition appointment last week, Makaila weighed in at a whopping 13.8 lbs, and Faith was slightly lighter at 12.15 lbs. Both girls are in the 10th-15th percentile for their weight (which means 85-90% of children their age are heavier). Two weeks ago, Makaila had a brief three night hospital stay due to a urinary track infection. I decided to take her into emergency because she had been fighting a fever for a few days, and sure enough, after doing blood work and taking a urine sample, she tested positive for e-coli in her urine. As a s result, she was put on antibiotics for 10 days.
We will be heading off for three weeks of holidays at the end of the month where we will be spending most of our time at Sprout Lake. Graham's parents have offered to take all three kids for three nights, so Graham and I will be staying at a cabin (without kids) in Ucluelet. We also plan on visiting great-grandparents in Victoria as well as my parents in Courtenay. The day after we return from our holidays, Graham will be doing the kick-off for his Wednesday night youth nights.

Thanks for checking back with us every so often. You can assume that no new entries means that life with three children is extremely busy and that there's not much time to do anything else at this time. No news is good news.

Blessings,
The McMahons

McMahon Family Update

2007-06-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

For those of you who keep checking our blog, (Paulette Grieve) we apologize for our lack of blog entries these past few months. Let's just say that our lives are very different now that the girls are home from the hospital, and I have a hard time finding any free time in my schedule to sit at the computer and write.
We cannot thank you enough for your faithful prayers. The girls are both doing extremely well. We have regular appointments with our pediatrition, the infant development center as well as the neonatal follow-up program at BC Children's Hospital for developmental assessments and we're always encouraged by the news that we receive. Makaila is "on track" with her development and is acting like a healthy full-term baby weighing in at a whopping 11.9 lbs. Faith is a little smaller (only 11 pounds), and is doing the same things as her younger sister - she's just a few weeks behind. Countless doctors and nurses that we have come in contact with along the way have stated that our girls are doing 'absolutely amazing' for all that they've been through - and we wouldn't say anything different. The Lord has given us the gift of two absolutely beautiful miracle babies - and an incredible story to tell as well.
On the practical side of things, we've had a constant stream of house guests staying with us to help us out. My mom has been here a total of eight weeks since the girls have been home from the hospital. Graham's parents and my sister have also come to help us out for a week at a time. We're now just getting to the point (almost 4 months later) where we no longer have people phoning to ask us when we want them to stay and help us out. I have several close friends who live in Abbotsford who have also been a huge help - whether it's volunteering to take Isaiah so that I can have a break, helping to clean my house or feed the babies - they've all been amazing.
We're looking forward to a fun summer filled with lots of friends and family and a few trips along the way. In one more week one of my best friends will be visiting for a few days from Saskatchewan with her husband and daughter. We then have a friend staying with us the last weekend of June. In early July I plan on taking the kids to Courtenay for one week while Graham is away in Oregan on a youth trip. We also have plans to head to Kelowna to celebrate my grandmother's 85th birthday at the beginning of August, and have scheduled our own family vacation the first three weeks in September. We're just hoping that some time in between all of these events we'll manage to find time to finish painting our house!
All in all...life seems to be settling into routine now. I'm no longer completely 'freaked out' to be left home alone with all three of my children :-) All I can say is "hats off" to those women who have triplets!!!

Update on Faith & Makaila 23

2007-04-08T22:05:00.002-07:00

Last Friday my mom and I took Faith and Makaila into Children's hospital so that Faith could have her second MRI and Makaila could have an eye exam. Both girls did very well - considering it was a very long eight hour day. We were pleased to hear the results of Faith's MRI. Before going into the exam, we had been told that there might be some concern that Faith's head was growing at a faster rate than normal (which could mean that fluid was collecting in her brain). Of course, this concerned both Graham and I, so we were quite eager to receive the results of the MRI for some peace of mind. Later that evening, Dr. Miller called us at home to give us the results. (Dr. Miller is one of eight top neurologists in the world who is following Faith and Makaila's development). First of all he reassured me that Faith's head is a normal size - in fact, it is in the 50% percentile (good news). He then said that the ventricles in Faith's head are a little larger than he would normally expect and that they ARE larger than Makaila's ventricles. Essentially this is due to one of three things. #1 - it could be due to genetics (afterall, the McMahon's have been known to have large heads). #2 - it could be due to previous trauma to the brain (which could have occurred when Faith was first born) - however this is unlikely as there are no other visible signs to indicate that there has been trauma to the brain. #3 - there IS fluid collecting in the brain - which one could assume if her head continues to grow abnormally fast. At any rate, the doctors will continue to keep a close watch on Faith's head size throughout these next few months to rule out the last possible reason for her "larger than expected" ventricles.

In other news, the girls seem to be adjusting well to being at home. I think we're finally starting to settle into a bit of a routine. My mom went home to Courtenay to celebrate the Easter long weekend with my dad, so Graham and I have been doing the parent thing on our own these last few days. Things have gone relatively smoothly - despite a few minor hiccups along the way. I asked Graham to describe these last few days in only three words and he said "fun, complicated and busy". (I'm glad that he's finally had a taste of what my mom and I have been doing for the last month!)

Thanks everyone, for your suggestions on buying a used vehicle. Graham and I are pursuing things with the Motor Dealer Council of BC as well as Mastercard to see if we can get our $2000.00 deposit back. In the meantime, we have made a verbal commitment to buying another vehicle - a 2004 Toyota Sienna LE - from a lady in Whiterock. All the papers will be signed sometime later this week.
Happy Easter everyone! Thanks for continuing to read about our crazy lives!

New Photos!

2007-03-29T01:09:00.001-07:00

We have posted new photos of Faith, Makaila, and the family on our photo blog: http://mcmahon-family-photos.blogspot.com/. Check them out!

Also, a few posts ago, Karyn mentioned that we had found a 2004 Toyota Sienna in Vancouver. Well, things went from bad, to worse, to absolutely terrible. To make a very long story short, the vehicle was not what we thought it was because the dealership did not disclose some very important details to us, we decided we didn't want it, asked for our deposit back, and they refused to give our $2000 back to us. So, we are currently out $2000 and we're trying to get it back through other means, but we're not holding our breath, nor do we have much time or energy to give to a lengthy fight. Sometimes we think we just need to write it off as an expensive learning experience (if you want to know what NOT to do when buying a used vehicle and what to look out for, just let us know and we'd be happy to enlighten you). Consequently, we still don't have a van either! So, if anyone knows anyone who wants to sell a 2004 or newer Toyota Sienna (we need the space and the backseat configuration this van provides) for a fair price, we're still looking! Your prayers for a good van we can afford would be appreciated too!

We are still trying to get the feeding thing down, but the girls are catching on. Sometimes it seems like all we do is feed them, but we are overjoyed to have them home. Isaiah is doing AWESOME!!! Our prayers to have him grow into a loving, caring, and protective big brother are being answered right before our eyes. When someone comes into our house Isaiah proudly introduces them to his little sisters and he's always kissing them and wanting to hug them. We are thoroughly grateful for this and we are so proud of him. Thanks so much for all of your support and prayers...we still covet them.

Blessings,

Graham

Welcome home Faith!

2007-03-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much everyone for leaving your comments. It's so good to know that people are still thinking of us - especially as our lives have changed so dramatically within these past few weeks. We always wonder who is still following our journey...

Anyway...yes...we have some big news!!!

On Friday Graham and I went to the hospital to pick up Faith. It was rather strange...just knowing that there would be no more trips to the hospital. Again...feelings of 'surrealness'. Was this REALLY happening??? Is Faith REALLY coming home to live with us??? On the one hand this was the day that we had been dreaming about for so long...and yet it was also a very normal day. Nothing spectacular happened at the hospital. We just loaded her into her carseat, packed up her stuff, received some last minute instructions from the nurse, then we headed back home. It was all so easy. After 142 days of visiting Faith in the hospital and experiencing the emotional roller coaster of having two extremely premature babies...this leg of our journey was finally over. Nothing big and flashy. Just time to move on...

Faith has managed to fit into our daily routine very well. She's a great 'feeder'. (Much faster than Makaila who often spits up). At this point, our lives seem to revolve around food & changing diapers. Isaiah calls both girls "Taya" (a shortened version of Makaila's name). He's very affectionate towards both of them. To our suprise, Isaiah has decided to take potty training to the next level these past few weeks. He's now able to remove his own diaper (which we have discovered several times when we have gone into his room to retrieve him from his afternoon nap). We just know that one of these days we're going to discover something unpleasant in his room. Despite this however, we're excited that he's taking the initiative to potty train himself.

I've basically accepted the fact that it will be almost impossible to go anywhere with all three of our kids right now. At this stage, I think it would be too much hassle (with feeds, naps, potty training etc). We also don't really have a vehicle that would fit all of us and our gear (unfortunately the deal that we had made with buying the 2004 Toyota Sienna ended up falling through). That's okay. We don't mind being "home bodies".

Well...I'm sure there's probably lots more that I could say...but my time on the computer is very limited. Thanks again everyone for your continued prayers. I will be taking Faith into Children's hospital on Friday for her second MRI. Our pediatrition recently told us that her head is growing at a little faster rate than normal - so we're eager to get the results of the MRI. We're not too worried though. In all honesty, I think that she's just inherited a "McMahon head". We'll be sure to post the results when we recieve them.

Blessings,
The McMahon 5

Update on the McMahon family

2007-03-19T22:40:00.000-07:00

Makaila has been home for almost three weeks now, and life is starting to settle into routine.
I have continued to visit Faith in the hospital everyday - however I admit it is getting harder and harder. How many days has it been already? Just out of curiousity...I decided to count...and its been 139 days. This means that I have probably visited the hospital over 200 times in the last five months. No wonder I was thinking to myself the other day "...I'm done!!...I can't handle this anymore...I want to get on with my life!!"
Fortunately we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The doctors and nurses are preparing Faith to come home this Friday. Throughout the last two weeks she's been slowly weaned off her diuretics, and as of today everything was stopped. My mom is still staying with us - which is so awesome! She's been a great babysitter, cook, cleaner etc. In preparation for Faith's coming home, tonight Graham and I went mini-van shopping. We've known ever since we first found out that I was pregnant with twins that we would need a different vehicle, but neither of us have been too eager to go car shopping with everything else going on in our lives. We managed to find a 2004 Toyota Sienna in Vancouver for a decent price, so we put a down payment on it. Sometime in the next few days the subjects will be removed and we will be proud owners of a new, used vehicle.
For those of you who still read this blog - thanks! It's great to read the comments and know that people are still thinking about us. You've all been so encouraging! Thanks!

New Photos!

2007-03-10T01:50:00.000-08:00

We have posted new photos from the day Makaila came home. More will follow. Just go to http://mcmahon-family-photos.blogspot.com/ to view them. Blessings,

Graham

Update on the McMahon family

2007-03-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

Makaila has been home for two days now. Graham and I picked her up from the hospital on Thursday afternoon while Grandma stayed home with Isaiah. We weren't sure how Isaiah would respond to having a little baby around, but he's done very well. He welcomed Makaila home by meeting her on the stairs with a smile on his face and a ball in his hand saying "HI!!!" (in an extremely loud voice). He was eager to share his ball with her and place it in her infant car seat. Amazingly. he seemed to know what to do around her (i.e. pat her head and give her kissess). it was very special watching him interact with her. He even cooperated by partcipating in a fairly lengthy photo shoot.

The community health nurse visited today to check up on things and weigh Makaila. When she left the hospital two days ago, she weighed 8.2 lbs. Now, however, she weighs a whopping 8.6 lbs. I was surprised to hear that she is surpassing most new born babies in terms of average daily weight gain.

Faith continues to do well in the hospital. I've only been to visit her once since Makaila has been home. Tonight my mom decided to go so that I could have a night off to do a few things We've been told that it won't be much longer until she'll be ready to come home.

Well...I'm off to bed! Goodnight!

Update on Faith & Makaila 22

2007-02-28T15:15:00.000-08:00

Well...the day has finally come!! One of our girls is coming home!! We're planning on bringing Makaila home from the hospital tomorrow. It's been almost 4 months of trips to the hospital, sleepless nights, tears, family visits, typing blog entries, more tears, countless prayers...and FINALLY we get to have one of our daughters at home with us!! Graham and I went out for dinner and a movie last night - knowing that our lives are drastically going to change in one more day. We reflected a bit as we were sitting at 'Ethical Addictions' (a local coffee shop). Are we ready for this??? In one way I would say a resounding "YES!" I have dreamed about this day for soooo long. There is however, a little part of me that is feeling a little nervous and anxious. What is it going to be like having two kids at home? How will Isaiah respond to his new sister? How will we prevent germs from spreading in our house (so that Makaila doesn't get sick)? What if she does get sick...will she need to be hospitalized again? How will I manage with three kids when Faith is discharged from hospital? How much is Graham going to be able to help when he's working full-time and is required to travel with his job? I stayed awake most of the night last night just thinking about all of this.

I've been doing a lot of running around today - buying diapers and other things that I will need when Makaila is here. I'm off now to do some cleaning. I guess as a typical Mom I am experiencing 'nesting'.

Update on Faith & Makaila 21

2007-02-23T21:42:00.000-08:00

We are happy to report that both girls are doing well. Although Faith had a rough week (she had a relapse with her cold), she seems much stronger now. Just yesterday Makaila's NG tube (a.k.a feeding tube) was removed. She's been eagerly taking a bottle ever since (YEAH!!!) This is a huge step towards coming home. She's managing to feed herself entirely on her own, and she's not getting too tired!!! While she's currently still hooked up to all of the monitors, we know that this will be changing soon. Apparently, as parents, we need to get used to seeing our daughters on their own (free from all computer monitoring that tell us how their heart rate and oxygen levels are doing). As soon as we get used to this (which won't take too long)...we'll be bringing her home! Praise the Lord!

Update on Faith & Makaila 20

2007-02-18T20:52:00.000-08:00

The girls are officially 111 days old today. In some ways the time is flying by, while in other ways it seems like it is taking forever for the girls to come home. I went to the hospital this afternoon for the 5:00pm feed. Once again it was a rather frustrating feed. Faith managed to take 20 ml from me and then we tube fed her the rest. She is taking a total of 53 ml now. Makaila, on the other hand, would not wake up to feed so we had to feed her entirely by tube. This is the way it seems to go - one day the girls are eager to eat - and the next day they are too tired. Apparently this is typical behavior for 'extreme premies'. Whatever we do, we cannot push them too hard, otherwise this will just set them back. Graham and I are both trying to be as patient as possible, but at the same time, we desperately want our lives to normalize. I can't wait to stop all of the visits to the hospital!

It seems like the number one question that most people ask us is: "How much do the girls weigh now?" Well...as of two minutes ago (when I last called the NICU) Makaila weighed 7 lbs 11 ounces, and Faith weighed 6 lbs 5 ounces. As a typical mom, I already feel a sense of sadness when I see them outgrowing some of their adorable premie outfits.

On a different note, Larry's time with us is almost up. He'll be heading back to Victoria at the end of February. He's been living with us for the last 3 1/2 months, and he's been such a huge blessing. I honestly don't know what we would have done without him. He's been our 'lifesaver' when its come to taking care of Isaiah and helping out around the house. Just this past week, he babysat Isaiah for a night so that Graham and I could go to Birch Bay WA for a belated Valentine's Day celebration. After Larry leaves, Graham's mom (Terry) will be coming to stay with us for a few days. My mom will then move in with us for the month of March. Thank you God for the amazing parents that you have blessed us with!!!

Thanks again for your prayers. We are happy to report that both girls are feeling much better.

There's been two more photos added to our photoblog!

2007-02-11T15:27:00.001-08:00

Update on Faith & Makaila 19

2007-02-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

Faith and Makaila have both had colds the last two days. They have been stuffed up and have had a difficult time coordinating their sucking with their 'plugged' little noses. As a result, my efforts to breastfeed have been rather frustrating and we've resorted to feeding by tube instead. With their colds, they have also been very exhausted and have spent most of the last two days sleeping. Yesterday our nurse moved Makaila to an incubator to help her with her breathing (the humid air is much easier to breathe). Faith is still sleeping in her cot, however, she may be moved to an incubator as well if things don't get better soon. Apparently last night both girls experienced spontaneous episodes of 'brady' (low heartrate) and 'desats' (low oxygen levels), which required giving them oxygen (with a mask) and chest compressions to remind them that they needed to breathe. I've been told that there have been fewer incidences the last few hours - so that's good!

With the exception of the fact that the girls are sick right now, we did have some positive things happen this week. On Wednesday morning when I visited the girls, I found them 'co-bedding' together in a crib. They looked so cute snuggled together in their cozy pink blankets - just like it was meant to be. Makaila was wide awake staring at her big sister who was just inches from her head. She looked quite excited and was moving her little arms around - almost like she was trying to grab Faith's hand. This was a moment that I had been waiting for since I first found out that I was carrying twins. My girls - together as last!! Needless to say, I was quite 'teary-eyed'.

I talked to our pediatrition this week (Dr. Cohen), and she said that while Faith may still be in the hospital for at least one more month, Makaila could come home earlier (depending on how her feeds continue to progress). At this point, I just want them to both be healthy again. I get quite emotional just thinking about the fact that they are having a difficult time breathing. Yet again - we feel the up and down motion of the roller coaster continue.

Graham and I can't wait to get off the ride.

Thanks so much for your prayers.

New photos!

2007-02-07T16:38:00.000-08:00

We have posted some new photos on our family photo blog (mcmahon-family-photos.blogspot.com) so be sure to check them out! We have some more recent ones from the MSA hospital in Abbotsford that will be posted soon. Enjoy!

Blessings,

Graham

Update on Faith and Makaila 19

2007-02-04T22:10:00.000-08:00

The girls have been at MSA hospital in Abbotsford for one week now and they are both doing well. Makaila weighs almost 7 lbs. and Faith is approximately 5 1/2 lbs. They are even starting to outgrow some of their premie clothing! I (Karyn) have been going to the hospital for two feeds every day. This takes about 4 hours. It's quite a long process to feed two little girls who are just learning how to suck. Right now they are both doing a combo of breastfeeding, bottle and tube feeding. As they get stronger and can suck for longer periods of time, the tube feedings will eventually stop. While both girls are considered stable, we were reminded the other night just how fragile they still are. Faith had a massive "brady" (low heart rate) and "desat" (low Oxygen level) following one of her feeds. She turned blue and took a few minutes to recover. Needless to say, it was a very scary moment for myself and Grandpa (who was also there to witness everything). I left the hospital that night feeling relieved that they are not at home with me yet.

So far nothing has been said to us yet about when we can expect the girls to come home. We know the date isn't too far off though, so we're busy getting our home ready. We've recently been trying to get Isaiah accustomed to sleeping in his "big boy" bed - which has been a challenge. We were hoping that we could contain him in his crib a little longer (until he was 2 maybe?), but he started climbing out of his crib last week and had a few rather painful crashes onto the floor. He still doesn't understand that he has two sisters who will be joining our home shortly...so we're trying to do everything that we can to make the transition as easy as possible.

As always, thanks again for your ongoing support. We cannot thank you enough for your encouragement, visits, cards, gifts and most importantly...prayers. We have felt people around the world praying for us. Our God is so amazing! I feel absolutely overwhemed with thanksgiving that Faith and Makaila are both doing so well. They are truly MIRACLE babies!

We love you all...
Karyn, Graham, Isaiah, Faith & Makaila

Update on Faith and Makaila 18

2007-01-28T15:15:00.000-08:00

The girls are on their way to MSA Hospital in Abbotsford by ambulance as I am typing this! We are very excited that they are coming home and that we can all now live in the same city! This is a huge blessing, and we are so grateful for all of your support and prayers over the past months! We will continue to keep you all updated on their progress...thank you for everything!

Blessings,

Graham

Update on Faith and Makaila 17

2007-01-25T16:28:00.000-08:00

Wow! I didn't realize it has been so long since I have updated our blog. I guess I was waiting for something different to post, because the girls were so stable and their conditions remained unchanged...which is good news. Now, there's been some changes that are definitely worth letting you know about!

The girls are still in BC Children's hospital, but they are getting very close to being transferred to the hospital in Abbotsford (provided there are two beds available, which might mean a transfer to a hospital closer to us, but not necessarily Abbotsford). Faith just came off of CPAP on Wednesday and is doing well. She is on the nasal prongs with minimal oxygen and is also eating well. She now ways 4.7 pounds.

Makaila has been off of nasal prongs for quite a while now and has been doing very well breathing on her own without any assistance. The only tube she still has in her is her feeding tube. She now ways 5.8 pounds. She had another MRI yesterday and the doctors told us that everything looks fantastic.

So the goal right now is to get the girls to learn how to breast feed and/or take a bottle. Now that they are both off of CPAP, getting Faith off of the nasal prongs and both of them on the bottle or breast are the last things that need to happen before they can come home. We were told last night (Thursday) that there is a good chance that the girls may get moved to the hospital in Abbotsford today, which is very exciting. This is also a bit of a reminder that very soon they will be coming home and that we are still a ways from being ready to have them come home. We have all been sick as of late, especially Isaiah, so we also have to get better in preparation for their coming home.

We will keep you updated on the events of the next few days. If you don't hear anything, it's because they haven't moved and not much has changed. As soon as the girls have moved to Abbotsford, I'll let you know. Thank you for your support and prayers.

Blessings,

Graham

Update on Faith and Makaila 16

2007-01-04T23:13:00.000-08:00

We have good news to report! Faith is doing well on CPAP and has even had two cuddles with Mom! She has also moved out of her incubator and into a crib! This has helped because she likes being wrapped up and she was too hot being wrapped up in the incubator. So now she can be wrapped up and not get too hot (try saying those last two sentences fast). She still needs to get stronger and she still hasn't been on CPAP that long, so keep praying for her...it's working!

Makaila is continuing to do well. Today she tried breast feeding for the first time which is a big deal! This is a big step towards being transferred to Abbotsford, however, this is usually a very difficult process because premature infants don't have the same sucking reflex full term babies have and they tend to not eat and breathe well together. They can forget to breathe when they are swallowing so you have to give them a little shake or smack to get them breathing again (we've heard of babies going blue, yikes!)...or they forget to stop swallowing when they breathe and they choke. So, we don't expect this to be a smooth or easy process, but so far so good. Makaila took to sucking right away and took breaks in between to breathe (or so we think) but she only latched on for a minute or two.

While we are still a ways from being transferred to Abbotsford, some of the babies that have been around Faith and Makaila in the NICU are being transferred to other hospitals. This has got us thinking that one day they will be coming home and that day is at least 2 months closer then when they were born. They could be transferred to Abbotsford within a month and then home a few weeks after that (these are generous guesses). We are both excited and overwhelmed: excited to have our girls home, but overwhelmed by what we need to do, buy, and get to be ready for them and do all this while Karyn lives most of the week in Vancouver and while I work in Abbotsford and travel to and from Vancouver (oh ya, and then we'll have two infants and an almost 2 year old in our house to care for...yikes!). We would appreciate your prayers as we attempt to prepare for Faith and Makaila's homecoming.

Blessings,

Graham

Update on Faith and Makaila 15

2007-01-02T19:04:00.000-08:00

My apologies for the long gap between this post and the last. We have been in Vancouver for most of the holidays and between being busy with the family and the sporadic internet access, we have found it difficult to get updates up. So, if in the future there is another long gap, just assume that no news is good news! So, here's what's been happening in the worlds of Faith and Makaila...

Makaila has been doing very well on the nasal prongs, only needing just the slightest bit of oxygen to help her with her breathing. She was able to come out of her incubator about a week ago because her body temperature reached 28 degrees Celsius so she is now in a small NICU crib. This is great because we have easier access to her and it's just one more step in her journey towards coming home. Her weight is now 1790 grams (almost 4 pounds) and she is looking more like a little baby girl rather than a premature baby.

Faith needs a lot of prayer right now. She went in last Friday to have her bronchial tube examined because there was a chance that she might have scar tissue forming as a result of the reflux she had been experiencing. They were able to conclude that her bronchial tube was fine and that her airway was simply small because of her premature age. They put her on CPAP the next day and she has been on it since, but has really struggled at times. The medical staff (and Karyn and I) really don't want to see her go back on the ventilator because this will set her back another two weeks. She's had several dips where her heart rate and oxygen levels have dropped, and at one point needed chest compressions to get her heart rate back up, which it quickly did. They have given Faith a dose of caffeine and plan to do give her more tomorrow, so we hope this will help her to remember to breathe. So, if you could pray that Faith would be able to stay on CPAP and catch up to her little sister, we would really appreciate that! Faith currently weighs 1465 grams (almost 3 and a quarter pounds). She was much closer to Makaila a short while ago, but has slowed down in her weight gain.

So, that's it for now. We will be posting updated photos of Faith and Makaila soon, so check out mcmahon-family-photos.blogspot.com

Blessings,

Graham

Update on Faith and Makaila 14

2006-12-22T23:38:00.000-08:00

Today has been a good day in our journey with Faith and Makaila. This morning we went in to the hospital for around 7:30 because Faith was going in for her MRI scan. We got there in time to see her all strapped into the MRI incubator (there will be pictures soon). We walked her into the MRI room in the hospital and then went back to their private room to wait. I got to have a cuddle with Makaila while we waited. Around 9:00am she came back and an hour later the neurologist came in to give us the results...and everything looks good! Her ventricles (the spaces within her brain) are a little bigger than expected (by only a few millimeters) but this is most likely due to her premature age. The ventricles haven't enlargened since her brain scan a few days after her birth which rules out the need for concern. The doctor said that two months from now the ventricles will most likely be the same size but the brain will be 50% larger. Next week the neurological radiologists will be in to confirm the doctor's findings, but he is confident they will be just as positive. So, we are relieved and excited about the results to say the least. They also hope that by next week she will be ready to try going back on CPAP. They want to wait until after Christmas so we can just focus on being with her, cuddles, and not worrying about putting her through the trauma of switching her over to CPAP. Sounds good to us!

As I mentioned earlier, I was able to have a cuddle with Makaila today. It has been weeks since I have been able to cuddle either of them so I made up for it with a 3 hour session! Makaila looks more like a little girl than a premature baby, especially with her little clothes on. She was squirming around at first, looking up at me, probably the most alert I have ever seen her, but then she settled down and slept soundly (and I got to catch a few z's too!) until it was time to move her back into her incubator. The cuddle definitely made my day and I realized how much I missed being with them for long periods of time. I am definitely looking forward to the next week!

Thank you for your continued support and prayers. We greatly appreciate them!

Blessings to you in this Christmas season,

Graham

Update on the McMahon Family

2006-12-20T00:27:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been keeping everyone up to date as best I can with Faith and Makaila but haven't spent much time talking about the rest of the family. For the past 5 weeks my father has been living with us in Abbotsford taking care of Isaiah. This has helped immensely because it has given Isaiah a routine that keeps him grounded. My Dad has him in swimming lessons, play groups, and out for play dates with friends. My Dad and Isaiah are out in Abbotsford usually from Sunday to Thursday afternoon and then we all go into Vancouver to be together as a family for Thursday night, Friday, and Saturday. We have had the huge blessing of staying in a condo in False Creek right on the water next to the Burrard Street Bridge and across from Granville Island. This condo is owned by a wonderful man in our church named John Wiebe and he has been gracious and generous enough to let us use his condo as a home away from home until the girls are released from BC Children's Hospital. We are going to stay their as a family with my Mom, Dad, and Brother over Christmas. We've even been able to decorate the place up a little for Christmas!

When Karyn has been in Vancouver on her own she has been staying at a house two doors down from the hospital owned by friends of my parents (Gwyn and Michael). She stays in a guest room upstairs and can walk to the hospital that's literally across the street. We have been so blessed by their generosity because we don't have another car and without their hospitality Karyn wouldn't be able to stay in Vancouver and be with the girls.

Between these two places, Karyn has been able to spend every night of the week in Vancouver which means she has been able to see the girls almost every day since they were born. She comes in to Abbotsford for church on Sundays and sometimes for a night or two on occasion. I am usually in Vancouver with her at the condo somewhere between 3 and 4 nights a week and we're all together (Karyn, Isaiah, and I) a couple of nights a week. We've gotten into a pretty regular routine which makes it easier to plan our week and to know what to expect, but it continues to be hard on all of us. At some point throughout every week, one member of our family is on their own without the other two, we're only together as a family for barley 48 hours, and we're never truly a family with the girls in the NICU. We are really looking forward to being all together for a week over Christmas at the condo in Vancouver.

Well, when I get another chance, I will continue to let you know more about how we are doing and how we are coping during this journey. We continue to covet your support and prayers. Thank you for all of your comments and prayers.

Blessings,

Graham

Update on Faith on Makaila 13

2006-12-19T23:37:00.000-08:00

In our last entry Faith was going on CPAP and Makaila was continuing to do well on CPAP. Faith lasted for 16 hours but wasn't able to stay on it. She had too many apneas and so was put back on the conventional ventilator. We were a little discouraged but were happy that she made it as long as she did and she continues to do fairly well on the ventilator. When they put her back on the ventilator, they discovered some swelling in her throat at the top of her trachea. The swelling is caused by acid reflux, which is common amongst premature babies, but her reflux is particularly acidic. They put her on medication to change her pH levels and this seems to have done the trick; the swelling has gone down. Faith was supposed to have an MRI early this week but has been bumped to Friday instead. We are eager to hear the results and hope that everything comes back normal.

Makaila has been doing really well on CPAP. So well, that they took her off of CPAP a day and a half ago. She now only has oxygen prongs in her nose to keep a constant flow going. This is far less evasive and a great sign of her growing stronger. A few days ago Karyn went in to visit the girls only to find that they had been moved from their usual spots in the NICU. It turns out that they needed the space so Faith and Makaila have been moved to their own private room. This is great for visiting because we have our own room to ourselves, can decorate it how we want, and it's set up better for longer visits. The only drawback is that we won't see the other parents as much whose children have been Faith and Makaila's neighbors for the past 8 weeks. We'll just make sure we go in and visit them on our way in and out.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers. We greatly appreciate them!

Blessings,

Graham

Update on Faith and Makaila 12

2006-12-12T00:23:00.000-08:00

Since our last entry, not much has changed with Faith and Makaila which is good news. Makaila continues to do really well on CPAP and has had a cuddle with Karyn almost every day she has been at the hospital. Late last week Makaila had an MRI done as she is part of a research project that studies the brain development of premature infants. We are very fortunate to be able to be a part of this study because there are only a few neurologists in the world that specialize in infant neurology (like maybe 8) and Canada has one and he is one of the best and is at BC Children's hospital. The MRI incubator cart they put Makaila is the only one in Canada and is worth $400,000. We are so fortunate to have this kind of care for free! Makaila did really well throughout the MRI, sleeping through it all. Karyn was able to find out the results within an hour of the MRI and we have been told that everything looks great. The doctor doing the MRI said he saw more fluid between her brain and the inside of her scull then he thought there would be, but said it was not something to be concerned about and they would simply monitor it in the MRI's to come.

Faith is not yet ready for an MRI because she hasn't been stable for long enough and their priority for her is to get her off the ventilator. Faith was taken off the oscillator late last week and has been doing well on the ventilator's conventional setting (she got to have a cuddle with Mom a few days ago). They have continued the process of weaning her off of the ventilator and she has done well on the lower breathing rate and lower oxygen levels. Today they started administering caffeine (yes, our girls are already coffee drinkers) to get her breathing rate up and steroids to keep her lungs strong. This is all in preparation for tomorrow afternoon when they hope to transfer her to CPAP. We are really excited and very nervous at the same time. When they have tried Faith on CPAP in the past she has not lasted more than 30 minutes and it has been very traumatic for her and for Karyn and I. Faith has been doing really well in the last week or so, so we hope that this time she goes on CPAP, it will be for a much longer time so she can learn to breath on her own and grow her lungs. This possibility excites us greatly! Please pray for Faith as she goes on CPAP tomorrow (Tuesday), that she will be able to stay on it until she doesn't need it anymore.

Thank you for all of your support and prayers!

Blessings,

Graham

Update on Faith and Makaila 11

2006-12-06T01:35:00.000-08:00

The last 3 days have seen some improvements in Faith and Makaila's conditions. Three days ago, Makaila managed to remove her ventilator tube again, and so they decided to put her on CPAP. She has continued to do really well on CPAP and her reliance on it for oxygen is very minimal. She has had a few cuddles with Karyn and these have gone very well for Makaila and have been a huge highlight for Karyn, something she has really cherished. We are very encouraged and we just keep hoping and praying that she can stay on CPAP.

Faith is still on the oscillator, but she seems to be doing well on it. Her oxygen levels stay fairly level, she has been crashing far less, and really only needs to have her oxygen levels upped when she is handled. The goal with Faith is to wean her slowly off of the oscillator. This means gradually dropping the pressure, the breathing rate, and the oxygen level. Once she is less dependent on the oscillator, they will move her to CPAP. We are not sure how long this will take, but it will at least be days before she can be switched over. She has yet to be stable enough and long enough for Karyn to have a cuddle with her. We hope that in the next day or two, this will be able to happen.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

Blessings,

Graham

Update on Faith and Makaila 10

2006-12-01T23:54:00.000-08:00

Not much has changed since our last update. Faith and Makaila continue to be on full feeds and are both still on the ventilators. Faith has had to go back on the oscillator setting because she isn't getting enough oxygen. She had another blood transfusion today and that has seemed to help. Makaila has been put on CPAP to see how she does, but she doesn't last much more than an hour. So, the goal right now is to get them bigger and stronger so they are capable of breathing on their own. The medical staff are adding supplements into their milk as needed to help with this process. So far they remain infection free which is encouraging, and this needs to continue to help keep their bodies focused on growing. They are both reasonably stable as long as they are left alone, so it has been a while since we have had a chance to cuddle with them. Karyn and I are satisfied with how they are doing, but we want them to grow and get stronger as soon as possible so they can get on CPAP. Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
Blessings,

Graham

Update on Faith & Makaila 9

2006-11-24T23:02:00.000-08:00

We have continued to be encouraged by Faith and Makaila's progress over the past couple of days. Both girls are up to full feeds which means they have been taken off their IV lines, their PIC lines have been removed, and so have their arterial lines. This means that other than their feeding tube and ventilator tube, they're tubeless! With no tubes puncturing their skin, there are now far less sites that might contract infection, and keeping infection away is a top priority right now: they can use all their resources for growing instead of fighting infections. Both girls have also gained weight over the past days with the increase in their feeds. Faith has broken the 900 gram mark and Makaila has cracked the 1000 gram mark (that's 1 kilo, yay!).

Both girls are still on the ventilator, though they tried Makaila on the CPAP today for a short period of time. She just wasn't ready yet. So, that's the next goal, getting them off the respirator and onto CPAP so they can grow their little lungs. They are currently 28 weeks and 4 days gestationally and if they can get on CPAP soon and stay infection free until 30 weeks, their chances of survival and normal development will be very good.

Being infection free, off of sedation and antibiotics, tubeless, and relatively stable means we have had several cuddles with Makaila and one cuddle with Faith (and hopefully more tomorrow). These have been great experiences for Karyn, myself, and the girls. This week has been very encouraging and our hope continues to grow. Our biggest concern for the girls continues to be remaining infection free and getting them off the ventilators, so keep praying for those two things! Thank you for all of your prayers and support!

Blessings,

Graham

New Photos Posted!

2006-11-23T02:23:00.000-08:00

I have posted 10 more photos of Faith and Makaila, including our very first McMahon Family photo! Go to mcmahon-family-photo.blogspot.com to view them. Blessings!

Update on Faith and Makaila 8

2006-11-21T22:22:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been very encouraging! Faith and Makaila have improved considerably over the past week. It appears that both of their infections are almost gone or gone altogether. During the time they were sick, neither Faith nor Makaila were able to take any of their breast milk feeds. Now, however, Faith is up to 4 mls of breast milk every 2 hours and Makaila is up to 9 mls every 2 hours. They are receiving these feeds well which means the amount they receive will be increased on a regular basis. When Makaila gets to 13 mls and Faith gets to 11 mls they will be able to come off of their IV lines. Makaila is obviously closer but it will still be several days for her and probably even more for Faith before this will happen. Both girls are now on the conventional ventilator (Faith was on the oscillator in my last update) and are doing well. Their oxygen saturation levels are good, so they are not relying too heavily on the machines.

While things look positive, Faith and Makaila still have a long road ahead. The key is for them to not get sick again so they can just focus on putting on weight and growing. Faith and Makaila have both put on roughly a hundred grams each but are still bellow the one kilo mark (Faith is around 800 grams and Makaila is around 900 grams). Faith's level one hemorrhage in her brain has not increased which means it is still not a concern. If they can make it to 30 weeks (gestational time) without any significant setbacks and they keep putting on weight, then their odds for survival will be very good (we recently found out that when they were born, their odds of survival where anywhere from 30% to 60%). On November 21st they turned 28 weeks so that's two weeks to go!

Please continue to pray for the protection of their health and that they would keep putting on weight and developing those little lungs (we want them on CPAP soon!). Thank you for all of your support and prayers!

Blessings,

Graham

Photo Blog Updated!

2006-11-17T16:29:00.000-08:00

I have posted some photos of Faith and Makaila during their first two days on the planet! Go to mcmahon-family-photos.blogspot.com to see the pictures. Blessings.

Photo Blog!

2006-11-17T12:46:00.000-08:00

We have added another blog page to post photos on, so the written entries don't get lost amongst the pictures. I haven't had a chance to post photos yet, but hope to do so this afternoon. So here's the link to the photo blog: mcmahon-family-photos.blogspot.com. Keep checking this blog page (mcmahon-family.blogspot.com) for written updates and I will also post short entries letting you know when I have updated the photo blog. Thanks for reading!

Update on Faith and Makaila 7

2006-11-17T12:06:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! My apologies on the the long gap between this update and the last one. We have had some rough luck with internet access the past couple of days. It has been a crazy few days as of late and we are at the hospital right now. But there is good news. Both Faith and Makaila are doing better. Makaila started off as the worse of the two this past weekend with lots of crashes but has recovered the most so far. She is off the oscillator and back on to the ventilator, which she apparently decided to do on her own. One evening a few nights ago Makaila somehow managed to remove the oscillator tube from her throat and mouth. They're not sure how she did it but they decided to put her on the ventilator and she has done well with the change. Her reliance on the ventilator for oxygen has dropped, which means her levels of oxygen saturation are higher which is good. The ventilator is still doing most of the breathing for Makaila so she can rest, she is being weaned off of the sedation medication at this point, and her blood pressure is better. Makaila's lungs are still filled with and surrounded by fluid so they are putting her on medication to remove some of that fluid and we are still waiting on blood cultures to come back to find out if her lung infection is progressing or regressing.

Faith started off being the strongest of the two girls, but that quickly changed a few days ago and she remained in an unstable critical condition with lots of crashes. Everytime they tried to move her or do any work on her she would crash so she was being heavily sedated. Her lungs have also filled with fluid and are surrounded by fluid. Yesterday they gave her hydrocortizone, a steroid, and this both helped raise her blood pressure (together with another blood transfusion) which had been low and increase her ability to receive oxygen on her own. Faith is still on the oscillator but is only on 38% oxygen which is low (and about the same level Makaila is on) and means she's doing most of the work on her own. She has stabilized significantly and they hope to put her back on the ventilator later on today. We are also waiting to hear the results of her blood cultures to see how her blood infection is progressing.

Both girls are doing much better than a few days ago, but they still have a long way to go to get back to where they were before last weekend. They need to overcome these infections and get strong enough so they can get off the ventilators and onto CPAP. While the ventilators help them breathe, being on them for a long period of time actually works against the healthy development of their lungs. So getting them stable enough as quickly as possible so they can get on to CPAP is our biggest goal right now.

We are encouraged by the turnaround both Faith and Makaila have experienced in the last 24 hours. We have been told that Karyn will even be able to have her second cuddle time with Makaila today! Faith has a bit more to go to catch up to Makaila before she's ready for another cuddle, but we hope that this can happen in the next few days. Thank you for your continued support and prayers, they are very much needed and are making a huge difference!

Blessings,

Graham

Update on Faith and Makaila 6

2006-11-14T01:12:00.000-08:00

Karyn and I were able to visit with Faith and Makaila for a few hours this evening. They are both on oscillators, which is the setting on the respirator I mentioned in my last post. Both girls are heavily sedated so they don't fight the oscillators and remain comfortable. The oscillator breathes for them with very quick little puffs, so quick it looks like they are trembling. Their oxygen saturation is also being assisted by the oscillator, however, they are able to provide roughly 60% of their own oxygen at this point.

The fact that Faith and Makaila are on oscillators is not the our primary concern at this point. In fact, being on oscillators can actually be better for them then the ventilators they were on before because an oscillator doesn't apply as much pressure to their lungs making it possibly less damaging. The real concern is that both of them are showing signs of infections. Faith has a blood infection and Makaila has a lung infection. The medical staff are not sure what the infections are specifically but they are able to treat them with what they believe are the right antibiotics for the types of infections they are. They hope that early treatment will mean a faster recovery for both Faith and Makaila. This is crucial, because these infections take away the resources their bodies need to grow their lungs, brains, and organs and right now, their lungs are being hit the hardest. Out of a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the worst state their lungs could be in and 10 being the best state they could be in, Faith and Makaila are at a 3 right now.

The doctor we spoke to tonight said that it could be up to 2 weeks before they get closer to a 10. It is their hope that the combination of oscillators, antibiotics, blood transfusions, blood pressure medication, and sedation will get them there. There were some signs today that this treatment strategy is starting to work because they have settled a little, their oxygen levels are up, and their blood pressure is better. Karyn and I will be going in again tomorrow morning for another visit before I head back out to Abbotsford to work (Karyn will be staying at the apartment in Vancouver and my Dad will be coming to help her take care of Isaiah). We hope that tomorrow will bring more reports that things are looking at least the same as today and hopefully better.

Thank you for your prayers and continued support. Faith and Makaila need them especially now, as do Karyn and I and Isaiah (who has come down with a nasty cold).

Blessings,

Graham

Update on Faith and Makaila 5

2006-11-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

The roller coaster ride continues. Yesterday (Saturday) was probably one of our best days yet with Faith and Makaila because we got to hold and cuddle them for an hour and a half, but it has since been somewhat overshadowed by learning that they both had a difficult night and Makaila has since gotten worse. This morning (Sunday) we received a phone call from the doctor supervising their care last night, which has never happened, so we were very concerned that she was phoning. Faith and Makaila had a difficult night with their breathing last night, and if things got worse, then they would need to change the setting on their respirators to one that is more aggressive and takes over the entire process of breathing. I'm not sure I understand why, but this setting shakes their entire body, so it will be very difficult to see our little babies in this state. As I write this, Karyn is on her way to the hospital to be with the girls.

About an hour after she left, I received another phone call from the resident supervising Faith and Makaila's care today, which again meant that we were probably in for some more bad news. Faith remains in the same condition as she was last night, but Makaila has gotten much worse. She has been switched over to the new setting and is on 100% oxygen saturation, which means her lungs aren't working at all on their own right now. They say that she is "sick" but don't know for sure what she is sick with. They believe that it might be chronic lung disease which can be developed in premature babies as young as Faith and Makaila. The resident assured me there are still ways of treating it so that it can go away. There is still hope, but she is very ill right now. I am not heading out to the hospital yet because I am leading the Young Adults group tonight at our church, but I am very concerned about Karyn being there on her own. If she needs me, I will go out to the hospital tonight. If she is ok, then I will go out tomorrow afternoon.

The struggles with their breathing seem to be the biggest and only challenge for Faith and Makaila right now. They have been eating lots (Faith is up to 9 ml of milk every 2 hours and Makaila is having her feedings upped at a faster rate and has been responding well). Being able to hold and cuddle them yesterday was a huge blessing. Karyn and I sat in rocking chairs by their incubators. Karyn held Makaila and I held Faith. We were able to cuddle with them for about an hour and a half and the next time they are stable, we hope to hold them even longer. They are so tiny, warm, and often squirmy, but mostly they were very peaceful and calm resting skin to skin with their Mom and Dad. It was a beautiful moment we will cherish for a long time to come. I took lots of pictures and captured some of the moments on video so I will try to post them when I can.

Please keep Faith and Makaila in your prayers...especially Makaila as she battles this lung ailment. They need God's breath in their little lungs. Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

Blessings,

Graham

A Rude Awakening

2006-11-10T02:44:00.000-08:00

Now, while this has been a very traumatic and often difficult journey in the past couple of weeks, there have definitely been some great moments of laughter and so I thought I would share this little story with you that happened this past Tuesday morning when we were staying at Bob and Sally's apartment in Vancouver. So on this particular morning, Karyn got up with Isaiah to feed him breakfast and watch him (watching is all she really can do, because the c-section surgery has left her only able to do limited and slower movements and she can't pick anything up). Now, just "watching" Isaiah is normally all that one needs to do with him in the morning...or so we thought.

As Isaiah's morning pattern has shown has shown us for the past year, he gets up, eats breakfast in the highchair with his PJ's on, gets down, we take his PJ's off, and we change his wet diaper (it's just wet, no yucky stuff). On this particular morning, all was going according to his usual pattern. He got up, ate breakfast, got down from the high chair, Karyn sat on the carpet, and Isaiah walked over to have his PJ's removed and his diaper changed. Karyn manages to get his PJ's off without incident and is about to remove his diaper when Isaiah decides that he would like to take it off himself. Usually we get him to lie down and then we remove it. But he's a big boy (17 months), so Karyn decides to let him try. So Isaiah continues with his attempt to take off his diaper by pulling on the sticky tabs on either side of the front of his diaper. And...Success! The diaper drops to the ground and to Karyn's horror, it's filled with an unexpected load of yucky stuff! To which Isaiah exclaims "Poo!" And then proceeds to plant his left foot squarely in the middle of it! And then run around the living room in circles yelling at the top of his lungs, "Poo! Poo! Poo! Poo! Poo!"

Now this all happens in about 3 seconds flat, so poor immobile Karyn is left just sitting there watching in shocked disbelief as our son runs buck naked in circles, leaving clumps of poo and pooey foot prints on the carpet. Karyn finally comes to her senses and manages to get Isaiah's orbit to come close enough to her so that she can grab him and wipe off his foot. Now that she has him, she needs me to contain him while she cleans up the mess. So she starts yelling my name to get me out of bed to come get Isaiah. The unfortunate thing is that I'm wearing earplugs because part of Isaiah's morning pattern is that he usually likes to yell at the top of his lungs quite randomly and for no apparent reason...so whatever parent gets to sleep in, often sticks earplugs in to get some uninterrupted sleep.

Now, remember the title of this blog entry? "A Rude Awakening". Well, I'm sound asleep when I feel someone shaking me. I wake up and it's Karyn. I'm staring up at her face and her mouth is moving, but no sound is coming out. She sees my puzzled look and proceeds to yank my earplugs out of my ears. "Isaiah stepped in poo and tracked it all over the carpet and I need you to contain him while I clean it up!" Still a little asleep, I find this story a bit puzzling and hard to follow, but the urgency in Karyn's eyes tells me she isn't joking. And then I notice Isaiah standing behind her, completely naked. And then he turns around to leave the bedroom, and I see a hunk of poo protruding from his bum. "Well, now I definitely know she isn't joking," I think to myself . So I get out of bed and go into the living room to survey the carnage. And sure enough there are five significant sized, half lump, half smeared piles of poo on the floor. I guess Karyn had grabbed the "nuggets" before Isaiah had managed to press those into the carpet too.

I grabbed Isaiah, cleaned off his "little friend" he was carrying around with him, and kept him away from the deposits he had left on the floor before he decided to step in them again. I simultaneously got a bucket of hot soapy water and a cloth, gave them to Karyn, and she scrubbed the three contaminated areas of the carpet. It was my job to play goalie with Isaiah while she scrubbed. I was the goalie, he was the puck, and his "deposits" were the goal. Needless to say, I'm a pretty good goalie and I managed a shut out. By the time Karyn was done, the carpet looked as if nothing had happened (though I don't think I would say, "The floor's so clean you could eat off it!") Well, by all accounts you'd never know what had happened that morning if you looked at or smelled the carpet, and I guess that's what counts. At least, I hope that's what counts. Sorry Bob and Sally if that's not what counts! Thanks again for giving us your place for a couple of weeks! Don't worry, we won't let Isaiah change any of his own diapers again! I think it's safe to say we've learned our lesson.

So, I hope our little story brought a smile to your face, as it sure did for us. Because, after a morning like that, and being woken up like that, what else can you really do?!

Update on Faith and Makaila 4

2006-11-10T02:09:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a few days since our last blog entry, and mostly encouraging things have been happening in the little lives of Faith and Makaila. In our last update, I mentioned that Makaila needed a blood transfusion, and she did get one, and since then, so has Faith. Now, as I also said in my last update, this is normal because they aren't "plugged" into Mommy anymore; they simply can't produce enough red blood cells (or other important ingredients contained in their blood) on their own. So they've been getting help, and it's going well.

I also mentioned a short while ago that both Faith and Makaila looked like they were coming down with something. To play it safe, the medical staff started them both on antibiotics, but were able to take them off of them because their blood cultures came back negative! Yay! They should be in the next Bond film, because they dodged that bullet! Payer works! Maybe we could make a movie based on premature twin girls powered by God through prayer that dodge bullets! Maybe not...Anyways, we are encouraged!

Both girls are eating well. Faith is up to 8 ml every 2 hours! Makaila is up to 3 ml every 2 hours! We thought we weren't going to need all the milk Karyn has been pumping, but it turns out these little girls' big appetites will not let any of that milk go to waste. And apparently their plumbing is working great, because they're pooping and peeing up a storm (which is great!...but not a storm I would want to get caught in without an umbrella!).

They took Faith off of the respirator and tried her on the CPAP but she only lasted 20 to 30 minutes. She had several apneas and her oxygen saturation levels are just simply not where they need to be yet so they have put her back on the respirator. We are just fine with that. She gave it her best, but her lungs are just not there yet. Soon enough they will be, so we are good with waiting. Makaila is almost ready to go back onto CPAP as her breathing rates and oxygen saturation have been good. That should probably happen sometime tonight or tomorrow during the day.

Faith had her arterial line taken out of her umbilical cord today, which reduces the risk of infection....and most importantly, it means both she and her sister (Makaila had her arterial line out last week some time) are ready for CUDDLES!!! Yes, that's right, the doctors and nurses encourage skin to skin contact with Mommy (and Daddy too, I think) as soon as the babies are stable enough. This apparently is very soothing for the girls, nurtures their brain development, and even boosts their immune systems!!! The boosting of their immune systems happens in a pretty crazy way! Apparently (now, I'm not the doc, so I hope I get this right), when the girls are in their Mommy's arms, if there are bugs in the air, the mother's body picks up on those and her body starts to automatically produce the antibodies needed to fight those bugs and those antibodies go into the milk she produces and that milk goes into the twins' tummies and it keeps them from getting sick! Wow! God knew what he was doing when he designed the amazing and beautiful bodies of women and the miraculous process of bringing little new lives into the world! Sorry guys, our function in the matter is purely utilitarian.

So needles to say, we are very much looking forward to bringing little Faith and Makaila out of their plastic homes to cuddle skin to skin with Mommy (and hopefully Daddy) tomorrow evening! And I will have my video camera and SLR rolling and clicking away! I will write abut the experience and post the pics as soon as I can! Thank you for continuing to pray for our little ones. They are truly blessed by your love and compassion! They are alive and doing as well as they are because of your faithfulness! We can't thank you enough!

Blessings,

Graham

Update on Faith and Makaila 3

2006-11-07T00:55:00.000-08:00

Today Faith and Makaila turned one week and it was a better day for both of them. Faith remains stable on the respirator with not much change. She is still eating well, now up to 3 ml every 2 hours. Makaila has settled into being on the respirator again. She isn't on any oxygen which means she is getting enough oxygen into her blood on her own. However, working so hard to breathe on her own while on CPAP this past week has warn her out physically. Between that and the blood tests they have done to check her gases (oxygen and carbon dioxide levels), Makaila needs a blood transfusion. This is apparently very normal, as premature babies born as early as Faith and Makaila have trouble keeping up the production of red blood cells while they grow and develop outside the womb. If they were in the womb, as they should still be, they would have direct lines plugged into them in the form of umbilical cords that would be pumping all the blood with red blood cells they would need. We expect both Faith and Makaila will need multiple blood transfusions so we are not too concerned.

Both Faith and Makaila appear to be coming down with something, but we are waiting for their blood cultures to come back to tell us what they have contracted so it can be treated properly. So far, they are not seriously ill by any means so we hope finding out what they have will lead to a quick treatment before anything does become serious. A day like today after a day like yesterday is apparently the norm. This is the roller coaster reality of having children in the NICU. I guess we get double the ride with two though!

Our Girls' Names and Why

2006-11-06T03:48:00.000-08:00

Someone asked in one of the comments what the full names of our girls are. Here's an excerpt from "The Twins' Journey: The Whole Story" which will soon be published on this blog. It explains the names of our girls, Faith Lynne McMahon and Makaila Joy McMahon. We decided to tell people the names and sexes of our girls on the Saturday night before they were born because we wanted them to be able to pray specifically for each twin and the particular challenges they were facing. So here's the excerpt:

"We named Baby A, who was head down and losing amniotic fluid, Faith Lynne McMahon. Faith, because our faith is in God alone, especially when it came to this life who was in distress; Lynne, because this is the name of an amazing godly woman whom Karyn and I both respect who has shown incredible faith and love in very challenging circumstances. Lynne and her husband, Bryan (who passed away of ALS), were and still are the picture of godly marriage Karyn and I base our own marriage on (and a healthy and godly marriage is the best gift Karyn and I feel we can give our children). We named Baby B, Makaila Joy McMahon. Makaila, because it means, "who is like God". It is because of who God is, His character and His promises, that we have hope and faith. Her middle name is Joy because of the unshakeable joy we experienced (and still experience) when we found out we were having twins and the joy we experienced again (and still experience) when we found out they would be girls."

We wanted the twins' names to have meaning, to tell a story of the girls' beginnings, and to point to the hope of their futures. We wanted their names to be constant reminders to them, Karyn and I, and our family and friends, of the God that gives life, sustains it, and gives us faith, hope, love, and joy in all circumstances. We hope this makes sense to you!

Pictures of Faith and Makaila!

2006-11-06T03:02:00.000-08:00

I have lots of pictures to add, but it is getting really late, so here is one of Faith and one of Makaila. I will add more later.

This first picture is of Faith, taken on Saturday, November 4th. She's wearing the smallest diaper available, and yet it seems the diaper is wearing her! The tube going into her nose is her feed tube and goes directly into her stomach - this is how she is fed breast milk. The tube going into her mouth is the the tracheotomy tube from the respirator.

This second picture is of Makaila, taken on Sunday, November 5th, just after she crashed. You can see that her face is clear of the CPAP nose tubes and tape (you'll see what that looked like soon) and you can see the "bag" they use to keep her breathing when she's too tired to do breathe on her own. That's Karyn's hand at the bottom of the picture.

Click on the pictures to see the larger versions.

Update on Mom and Dad 3

2006-11-06T02:25:00.000-08:00

After you read "Update on Faith and Makaila 2", you will already have an idea of how we are doing. In addition to a day of new challenges faced by Faith and Makaila, neither Karyn nor I had a good sleep Saturday night. In fact, I am not sure if I slept much at all. Though I went to bed sometime after midnight, deep sleep was hard to find. I found myself to be very restless, with visions of tubes and wires and incubators filling my thoughts and dreams. Several times I almost got up to phone the NICU to get a live update on how the girls were doing, but somehow never mustered the gumption to get out of bed. Karyn was too hot last night to sleep well, and had to get up to eat on one occasion and to pump breast milk on another. I got up early with Isaiah (7:30am) and tried to keep up with him until 10:30 when Karyn got up. I went back to bed and crashed for 2 hours of the deepest sleep I'd had in the previous 24 hours.

We spent the better part of the afternoon and early evening in the NICU with the girls and brought in a few guests who came to visit and meet Faith and Makaila. The entire time was particularly emotional for Karyn, and was especially difficult when Makaila crashed (for an explanation of what "crashed" means, see the previous blog entry). It is very difficult to see your very vulnerable infant go through significant physical distress. When they decided that it was time to take her off of CPAP and put her back on the respirator, we decided it was time to go. We stayed long enough to see Makaila's little face free of the cumbersome nose tubes and tape for the first time since her birth. I took a few pictures and then Karyn's brother, Daryl, took us out to Red Robins for dinner (thanks Daryl!), which was a welcome distraction by this time.

Isaiah spent the afternoon and evening with my parents (Terry and Larry) and we met them back at Bob and Sally's apartment after dinner. After Isaiah went to bed, Karyn and I decompressed with my parents for while. The reality of not taking our little girls home has hit Karyn hard. Especially considering it won't be until after February 12th (their original due date) that we will even be able to think about bringing them home. This is especially daunting after difficult days like today. In a particularly emotional and vulnerable moment Karyn expressed in words what was running through her mind, and I don't think she was exaggerating or out of line by saying them: "Living through three and a half more months seems like it will be hell." We are only 6 days into a 105 day journey (at least)...99 more to go.

At times, especially tonight, this is a sobering and discouraging fact. Being honest and expressing how we feel to each other and our family and friends with whatever emotions come with these feelings, has been crucial and life giving during these early parts of this journey. The unconditional love we have received from each other, our families, and friends has been healing and encouraging. Writing this blog is also very therapeutic for me, and your encouraging "comments" have been tangible and much needed blessings for both Karyn and I. We deeply appreciate your love, kindness, grace, encouragement, and prayers.

Blessings,

Graham

Update on Faith and Makaila 2

2006-11-06T01:44:00.000-08:00

Today was a rougher day for Faith and Makaila. Their first week up to today has pretty much been a "honeymoon period" with a few little hiccups (jaundice). Today has been the first day that the reality of their very young gestational age has really become apparent. Faith has been running a higher than normal temperature (aka, a fever) and has been getting fluid backing up in her tracheotomy tube (the tube that enters the top of her throat that pushes air into her lungs from the respirator). These are the early signs of an infection, which will most likely end up leading to pneumonia. Once the blood cultures come back and they know for sure, they will immediately start Faith on antibiotics before a serious infection sets in. She is still relying heavily on the respirator and still needs oxygen to keep her going, so it is not looking like she will be going to CPAP any time soon.

Starting last night, Makaila has been having significant apneas (periods of time where her breathing slows down drastically or stops all together), several of which have required the nurses to intervene by bagging her (start manually pushing air into her lungs using a rubber balloon shaped back attached to tube attached to a plastic mask that covers Makaila's mouth and nose) and adding oxygen to her CPAP. During these "crashes", Makaila stops breathing, her heart rate drops from 160 (average) to 40, and her oxygen saturation (the oxygen being brought in and added to her blood by her lungs) drops off quickly. The last time she crashed was around 6:00pm this evening when Karyn, her brother, Daryl, and I were visiting. This is the first time we have seen her crash and it was hard to watch. They poke and prod her and lifted her up to "wake her up" so she starts breathing again. It took a little while for her to respond and it was a pretty weak response at that, so they had to bag her. It was decided after this crash that Makaila needs to come off CPAP and go back on the respirator. Switching her over is quite a process and requires that she be sedated (they remove her nose tubes and then put a tracheotomy tube down the top of her throat - not a pleasant experience I'm sure). When I went back this evening, she was on oxygen and the respirator was set to 50 breathes per minute (which is high and means the respirator is doing a lot of work for her). Makaila was still sedated which probably explains why the oxygen was needed and the breathing rate so high.

While both Faith and Makaila's change in conditions today are hard to watch and take, they are expected. Our nurses and doctors assured us that these are normal and expected setbacks that the vast majority of infants at this gestational age experience. Their immune systems are very weak (if existent at all) and so they cannot fight off a lot of the bugs that you or I would not even notice we had in our systems. So it is very common for them to get sick and need antibiotics. Just as their immune systems are weak, so are their lungs. They are nowhere near developed enough, and their little bodies nowhere near hearty enough to be able to sustain breathing at high enough rates with high enough oxygen saturation for an extended period of time. Makaila has simply worn herself out trying to breathe on her own for so long (5 days). It is amazing that she was able to go onto CPAP as early as she did and last as long as she did. The respirator will give her a much earned Sabbath (time of rest) until she is ready to get back on the CPAP.

Both of our little girls are fighters, but they continue to need our prayers. The medical staff is second to none, the medical equipment they rely on is top notch, but it is God who gives and sustains life. We are confident that He will see Faith and Makaila through these current trials, and the many future trials they will no doubt face. Thank you for your continued vigilance in praying for them!

Please Feel Free To Interact!

2006-11-04T02:01:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who has left comments of prayers, well wishes, and words of encouragement! We really, really, really appreciate them and need them! Please feel free to leave more and to ask any questions you might have because this is probably one of the best ways for us to receive them. It has been difficult for us to get access to email and this way, both Karyn and I can read them any time (rather than having to forward emails to each other). I will do my best to answer your questions in new entries or by adding my own comments. Thanks again!

Update on Mom and Dad 2

2006-11-04T01:44:00.000-08:00

Today has been a much better day for Karyn and myself, especially for Karyn. She got a great sleep last night, the best she's had in a week and that has made all the difference. She has been in great spirits and is a "one-woman-milk-factory" (don't tell her I said that!) pumping like crazy so our little ones will be well fed (actually, she's pumping so much that they probably won't need it all...oh well, I guess my morning cereal regimen will benefit!).

We both had some good visits with Faith and Makaila today and hope to be checking out of the hospital tomorrow and moving into Sally and Bob's place just off Oak Street. Tomorrow we'll get to have our son, Isaiah, back as he has spent the week with our great friends Mike and Lyndsay (thank you so much!). Apparently their eldest daughter asked if they could keep him and their son now feels like a big brother after looking out for his adopted (temporarily) little brother. That definitely gives us a lot of peace knowing Isaiah has become so comfortable and safe in his second family...but we do want him back. So we look forward to spending the day with him tomorrow and to taking him into the NICU to see his little sisters for the very first time. You better believe I will have the video camera rolling and the SLR camera taking pictures!

The plan for the next two to three weeks is still unfolding, but so far it is to stay at Sally and Bob's place for as much as possible. Karyn will probably stay there full time with her mom and Isaiah and I will be staying there until Tuesday. I will head back to work in Abbotsford sometime that morning. At some point late in the week, I'll head back out, but we still haven't figured out those exact details yet. The NICU at BC Children's Hospital will be our Sun for the next 3 to 4 months, and our lives, job, and house the planets that rotate around it. Thank you all for your continued support and prayers!

Blessings,

Graham

Update on Faith and Makaila

2006-11-04T01:28:00.000-08:00

The twins have had another good day today. Faith continues to increase her ability to consume more breast milk. She started off at 1 ml every 4 hours, increased to 1 ml every 2 hours, and is now consuming 2 ml every 2 hours. While the amount is not particularly important in terms of nutrition (that's what the intravenous fluids are for), breast milk helps her immune system out and trains her for when it becomes her primary source of nutrition a few months down the road. Makaila is still on 1 ml every 4 hours, but they figure that is because of the CPAP that is assisting her breathing. Air sometimes gets into the stomach, making it uncomfortable for her to eat. She's getting enough to get the practice of it, which is really all that matters at this point.

Makaila is doing really well on the CPAP and the PICC line is great. She had some blood work done today and everything looks great. Faith had one of her lines taken out of her umbilical cord and has had a PICC line put in. This is not only to give her a less infection prone sight for the intravenous fluids, but to also prep her for going on the CPAP. Her breathing is getting better, but is not quite there yet. They hope that by tomorrow they will be able to switch her over. Her lungs aren't quite as strong as we would like them to be, so we will be fine if she isn't ready yet, or if she needs to switch back to the respirator after going onto the CPAP. We're not in a hurry and we are so proud of how well she is doing considering her traumatic entry into the world and her very young gestational age. She's our baby slugger!

Update on Mom and Dad

2006-11-03T02:51:00.000-08:00

It has been a pretty traumatic week to say the least. Today Karyn and I spoke with a psychiatrist that specializes in pregnancy and postpartum patients. It was good to decompress and share what the last week has been like, to relive some of the moments that were too shocking and overwhelming to even comprehend at the time and walk through them at a slower pace.

Today is "Day 3" for Karyn, the third day after giving birth. With virtually no sleep over the past 6 nights, her hormones in chaos because of her shrinking uterus and her breast milk letting down, recovering from major surgery (the C-section), the craziness of the past week, and her two little daughters in the NICU with whom she has not been able to spend much time with, things have been piling up emotionally. Day 3 is the day that the emotions start to come out. Karyn cried on and off throughout the night and day, has experienced moments of anxiety attacks, and has been generally exhausted.

As we talked through the events between Friday night and the delivery of the twins on Monday with the psychiatrist, Karyn was very clear that at no point was she ever afraid. In fact, she said that throughout the entire time she had this huge sense of peace and calm. She felt God telling her, "My peace I give you, my peace I leave with you". One evening in the delivery ward before the twins were born, she had a vision of a host of angels surrounding her bed dressed in glowing white doctor and nurse uniforms and they were tending to her and the twins within her. After their birth, she continues to have a similar vision, but of the angels surrounding Faith and Makaila in their incubators in the NICU.

What amazes me most about what she shared was how she responded to Faith falling into her underwear (that is literally how she was born). She said that the nurse asked her to walk over to the bed and then she pulled Faith out of her underwear and lay her beside Karyn on the bed she was sitting on. Faith's little arms were flailing around and she was trying to cry, but nothing came. Faith then grew still as the nurse and obstetrician gave her chest compressions. Karyn said she just kept encouraging Faith saying, "Breathe Faith, breathe. You're a fighter, I know you are a fighter, just keep fighting." And again, at no point during this traumatic time did she ever feel afraid. The whole time she felt God's peace and was totally calm. When I went into the OR to be with Karyn after the NICU team had whisked Faith off to stabilize her, Karyn was not upset at all. Later on in the recovery room when I went to see how she was doing, she was sitting in bed, completely calm, completely at peace, so much so that it was somewhat disconcerting. It was as if she had seen the future and saw our twins running and playing and new that what had just transpired was simply the way they chose to enter into this world and nothing more. She knew in her heart of hearts that Faith and Makaila were in God's hands, and that they will be just fine. Karyn's strength, courage, perseverance, and faith absolutely blow me away and challenge and grow my picture of who God is.

While Karyn is still experiencing God's peace, the whole experience of this last week has left both her and I warn out emotionally, mentally, and physically. We will remain in our suite at BC Women's Hospital until she is more stable emotionally and physically, so it looks like we will be here until Saturday. We are both pretty overwhelmed right now so little things like choosing what to eat, or how to get things done like paying bills, or answering the phone have become difficult to do. And our emotions are always very close to the surface. But we know that we will get through this season of this new journey we are on. And as always, we covet your prayers and support. Thank you for how you have so blessed us already.

Blessings to you,

Graham

Baby Makaila Update

2006-11-03T02:31:00.000-08:00

Makaila is the more robust of the twins. She was born weighing 813 grams (about 1 pound 14 ounces) and measuring 33.5 centimeters in length. Faith weighed in at 695 grams (about 1 pound 9 ounces) and measured 29.5 centimeters long. Makaila was put on a respirator when she was stabilized but never needed oxygen. She was just fine on room air. On Tuesday they switched her to CPAP (for what CPAP is, see the "Baby Faith Update") and she has done really well so far, breathing on her own.

Today they took our her two umbilical lines. One line was for injecting nutritional fluids and blood transfusions and the other was for drawing blood and measuring her blood pressure. While these lines work well, they are a higher source of infection, so they have inserted a PICC line that enters a major vein in her foot and travels up to just above her diaphragm. This line will deliver her nutritional fluids (like an intravenous).

Makaila was a little jaundice this evening so they have also placed her under the big blue light that helps lower her jaundice levels. They don't expect her to be under it very long. Makaila started receiving breast milk on Tuesday as well, but through a tube that goes through her mouth because of the CPAP. She is not quite up to the same frequency of eating that Faith is, but they expect her to catch up soon. We saw her first poop two nights ago. It looked like a tiny little bit of green tar. If poop can be cute, then that's what I'd call it!

Baby Faith Update

2006-11-03T02:05:00.000-08:00

Faith is doing well today. She had another brain scan via ultrasound today and her condition has not changed since Tuesday. Faith has a minor to level 1 hemorrhage which should clear itself up over the next couple of weeks. She was a little jaundice today, so they put her under a big blue light that helps resolve this condition. Faith only needed it for part of today because her jaundice levels have dropped to a level that is no longer a concern.

One of our primary concerns with Faith is her lungs. Because she was born smaller than Makaila and had been without sufficient amniotic fluid, her lungs are a little underdeveloped. On Monday, once she was stabilized after her traumatic delivery, she started off on a respirator without needing Oxygen, which was great. Tuesday evening they began giving her some Oxygen to assist her breathing, but were able to cut her back to room air today. Tomorrow, they hope to switch her to CPAP, a breathing apparatus that allows her to breath completely on her own, but gives her some constant pressure just in case she gets too tired to take full breaths (apnia). It will attach to her nose using two small curved tubes that curl into her nasal cavities.

Faith has been receiving breast milk (pumped from her Mom) through a nose tube since Tuesday and has been able to up the amount she can digest today, which is a very positive sign. She hasn't had her first poop yet, but that's nothing to worry about. The blanket that covers her incubator to keep it dark has a sports theme to it. One of the images on it is of two baseball bats crossing with words arcing over top of them that state, "Baby Slugger". That's exactly what Faith is, our baby slugger.

Keep Checking Back!

2006-11-02T03:05:00.000-08:00

We are currently staying at the BC Women's Hospital in a private suite in a recovery ward while Karyn mends from her C-Section. Faith and Makaila will be in the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the BC Children's Hospital for at least the next two and a half months under the watchful eye of their amazing medical staff. We will be moving out of our suite in the next couple of days to our friends' apartment while they are away on holidays (thanks Sally and Bob) so we can be close to the twins (we're from Abbotsford). Once there, I will be able to post photos, maybe some video footage of the twins, and the full story of their journey into this world. Keep checking back for more updates!

Blessings,

Graham McMahon

Introducing The McMahon Family Blog!

2006-11-02T02:49:00.000-08:00

Recently, our family started a new and very unexpected journey. Two months ago we discovered we were having twins, which came as a huge surprise because there is no history of twins in my wife's family, nor in my family. After the initial shock passed, we were looking forward with great excitement and anticipation to the addition of two new children to the one son we already had. We expected them to arrive in late January to early February, but on Monday, October 30th, after a roller coaster weekend, our little twin girls decided to arrive early, only 25 weeks into their gestation, almost 13 weeks early! This Blog will allow you, our family, friends, and community, to journey with us as we, Graham (Dad), Karyn (Mom), Isaiah (Big Brother), Faith (First Born Twin), and Makaila (Second Born Twin), walk through the very early and tumultuous beginnings of being a family of 5 with two very small and premature infant members. We covet your prayers, thoughts, and support in the months ahead!

Blessings,

Graham McMahon