Movies for Mimi

Wesley's Mimi (Lucy's mom) has been requesting more videos so here is one, hope you enjoy! Our little guy is 4 pounds! He has been flirting around that for a couple of days. Last night he was 4lbs. 2 oz. Yes, Greg will be eating 4 pounds of something. That video will air sometime soon when we get ther chance to do it. Now that he is in a crib and has his PICC line out he is wearing clothes. He smiles sometimes when we talk to him. He brings us such joy. Wesley has been doing so well and progressing each day. It has been so fun to watch. What a joy he is to Greg and I. We have been able to get him up and hold him more since he is in a crib and getting older. It is hard to believe that he is 7 weeks old, but still 7 1/2 weeks premature. We get the question all the time when are you going home and will he be transferred? No, he will not be transferred to another hospital and we are still planning on being here till his due date: July 16th. If it is sooner we will be overjoyed! Wesley is doing great and is getting bigger, but he is only 32 (33 tomorrow) weeks gestationaly and has alot of growing and developing to do. His size makes you think he is a little older. One excited thing was the doctor walked by us the other day excited about Wesley's progress, and said to the nurse, " I guess we are going to have to start treating him like a healthy baby!" That was music to our ears. He has a way to go, but how encouraging is that? We have a- healthy baby!

Hey Wesley Welcome to Your Crib

What a big big big last 24 hours for our little Wesley. When we left the hospital on Friday night Wesley was doing great with his PICC line in his left arm and he was sleeping in his comfy isolate. So we show up on Saturday and WOW the PICC line (his internal IV) was gone which made his left arm look brand new. One less machine he is connected to! Then we showed up today and to our surprise he was out of his isolate and into a big boy crib. We were floored to say the least. He is getting so big. We are feeling so blessed today that he has taken some huge steps forward. These are just some small glimpses of the light at the end of the tunnel. We are getting good reports about everything else going on with him. although we know that we are not out of the woods with him completely the doctors are encouraged by the progress he is making. There is still concern for the fluid that is on his brain but they are going to space out his ultrasounds in order to get a more accurate picture of what is going on with him. As most of you know we have been taking this whole experience one day at a time. We know that we have a long way to go still but we are going to rejoice today about the PICC line being removed and him moving into his new crib. We are so thankful. We are also so thankful for your prayers and support. Way to go God! Way to go Wesley!

Wesley's Bath

Wesley had an AMAZING day today! Thank you Jesus! He did smell a little like stinky cheese so he had a bath and I thought that you all would like to see!

Getting my face washed

Getting my hair washed

Rinsing my hair

Getting my hair brushed

Freedom! No feeding tube or oxygen tube! Isn't he handsom?

Washing the neck rolls

Putting lotion on

Getting my back washed

Bath is done and all snuggled up!

Exhausted from the bath, all bundled up and ready to go to sleep!

Don't you wish sometimes that the most exhausting part of your day was taking a bath?

Happy 6 week birthday

Greg's wedding ring again...it has a yellowish tint to it right now.

Thank you Windy Gap work week.

An aerial shot of our little guy. What a birds eye view.

Snoozing while Lucy chats with Whitney.

Flexing the E.T. hand check out the guns! That's right throw up that L

Go Cards!!!

It is another Sunday and that means one thing. Wesley is another week older. It just seems like yesterday we were at Windy Gap having a good ole time when all of a sudden we were at the hospital giving birth. We have had a crazy roller coaster of a ride ever since, but we are so thankful for everyday we have had with him. Here is a quick update in picture of how our little 6 weeker is doing. Hope you enjoy and again we are thankful for your support.

Another look in to the world of Wesley

We hope you enjoy the video. We are sorry for the lack of updated photos. We have taken some, but they haven't been to good. It is getting harder to get pictures of him, so we thought this video might help. As of last night Wesley is 3 pounds 10 ounces. Only 6 more ounces to go before we reach 4 pounds, and yes we will be having a 4 pound party when that happens. Greg is going to eat 4 pounds of something. Please let me know if you have any suggestions on what that should be. My vote is cotton candy. Please pray for Welsey and his breathing. He has kind of been all over the place respritory wise and that gets nerve racking fast. Please pray for Greg and I during this time that God would give us the Grace and the Strength to make it through each day.

Wesley Today

We have been through a lot of changes in the last week with Wesley. This biggest being his weight gain. If you will remember when he was born a short 6 weeks ago he weighted 2 pounds 9 ounces. About a week later he was down to 2 pounds 1 ounce. Once they got his PDA closed they were able to get him back on breast milk and he took off like he was chowing down at Golden Corral. He is now weighing a hefty 3 pounds 9 ounces. We are loving the pounds on him and he is starting to look more like a baby.

We have had some excitement today. Much like most days we don't know what we are going to walk into when we come to visit in the morning. Today was one of those days. When we got here the doctor told us he was going to repeat the spinal tap in order to relieve some of the fluid. We were nervous, but we took some time to pray with Wesley and lift him up again to the great physician. We were also thankful for folks praying that we sent a quick text message t0. He went through the procedure just fine, but it will take a while to see the results. Also today we got news that he is going to have an eye exam tomorrow. Every preemie has a test done when they are 31 weeks gestationaly to see if the blood vessels in the back of his eyes have developed correctly. Please join us in praying for that test. We have been so blessed by the way we have seen God's hand in these last few weeks. One of the most obvious ways is in the way people are praying and God is listening. Thank you for being faithful.

"A satisfying prayer life elevates and purifies every act of body and mind and integrates the entire personality into a single spiritual unit. In the long pull we pray only as well as we live."

A.W. Tozer

And a 17 inch white boy from Greensboro, NC weighing in at 3 pounds 8 ounces.... Wesley Noble

Can you believe it??? Our little guy is growing like a weed. He gained 2 ounces last night and is now up to 3lbs8oz. He is eating more everyday and handeling it really well. If he keeps eating well he will have his fluids and stuff taken away this week and solely be on breastmilk, so that means that he will loose the PICC line in his arm and they will start giving him his medicine oraly. That is exciting for us. Please keep praying for his head. He will have another ultrasound this week to see the progress. His head is growing bigger but the last ultrasound showed that the ventricles are getting smaller and the brain bigger so it might be taking care of itself! This doesn't mean that we are outof the water, but he is doing good right now and could possibly avoid a shunt which is our prayer. I feel like a Mom more everyday the more time I get to spend with him. He seems to be more alert during wake times and seems to turn to a voice. I can't tell you how much we love this little boy, how weird that he is ours, and how hard it is that we have to leave him everyday. I am trying to keep my eyes on the prize. Thanks for all your prayers and support.

Lucy's First Mother's Day

Wesley and his mommy
Lucy and her mommy

Greg and his mommy

Greg and his baby's mama

Happy first mother's day Lucy!! We just got back from having one of the most amazing days of our four years being married. Both of our parents have been in Asheville for the weekend to celebrate mother's day and our dad's birthdays which both happen to be on the same day, May 12th which made it even more fun. We got up this morning and had a sweet visit with Wesley over at the NICU with our good friend Margeaux who was in town for a wedding. It was so great to see her and spend a little time getting caught up while she could check out how awesome Wesley is. Then we hooked up with the rents and went over to the Biltmore to spend the day together. It was awesome. We had a great brunch at the stable cafe and then spent a few hours walking around the gardens. They are so nice this time of year. It was the perfect way to celebrate with Lucy as she enjoyed her first mother's day. Even though we had no idea we were going to be spending it during 2009. After the Biltmore we went back over to the hospital to spend some time with our little man. I have been so blown away by how great Lucy has been during this whole experience. I knew from the moment I met Lucy that she was going to be an awesome mom one day and it has been amazing to see all of that come true in the last month. She has been so sweet and excited to be around Wesley. It makes me so excited to know that we are going to have a lot of fun over the next years getting to know each other better while at the same time getting to know Wesley. I am so blessed to have her as a wife and a friend and so excited to see her become more of a mother everyday. Heres to our first mother's day. I cannot wait for many more to come.

What a difference 5 days makes

Hey there friends out their in blog world. Greg here and I hope you are all doing well. For those of you that were wondering I am feeling alot better and was able to pull myself off of our couch back at home and head to Asheville this morning. It was really hard to be away for much longer than I thought I was going to be but I am feeling alot better and it was good for me to stay away so Wesley does not get sick. I want to give a quick shout out to all the folks that were at the shower on Saturday. Lucy and I both felt very blessed to be with you all and we were so encouraged by your love. Well I hit the road this morning to get back to Asheville and I could not get here fast enough. I went straight to the hospital to see how my little boy was doing. When I took a peek into his bed I was blown away by how big he had gotten since I saw him Saturday morning. He is so big that when we called tonight he weighted in at a hefty 3 pounds. That rights 3 pounds. He has gained almost a half a pound in a short 5 days. That puts him in the same category as a good size bass. I would be happy with a fish that size and I am blown away that my son weighs that much now. He is getting so big and it is fun to see. Thank you for praying for him to grow and to be so healthy. He is getting to be a little chunker and it is awesome.

Kangaroo Care and Baby Steps!

This is one of my favorite things that I get to do. It is called Kangaroo Care. I get to hold Wesley skin to skin. It is suppose to do great things for him and me. It is such a sweet time. He gets to hear my heart beat and that reminds him of the womb. They say that it helps with his development all the way around and promotes a bond and closeness between us.

I spoke with the nurse this morning and got some good news. A small prayer answered! We all thought that he would have a spinal tap today noticing the trend of his head growing, but we were excited that we had held it off this long. Well the nurse measured his head this morning and it had not grown ! Praise the Lord. It stayed the same size. She also said that his head felt good. We are hoping that he might be starting to deal with it himself, if not and he has the spinal tap tomorrow then Thank you Lord for the answered prayer today!

My Baby's Daddy

When the resident doctor checked me out and looked at Greg and I and said, "you are 10cm dilated you are having a baby" Greg and I looked at each other and his face hit the floor. I was worried that my husband would loose it right there, but the opposite happened. Greg has been amazing through this whole situation. The way that he has cared and continues to care for Wesley and I blows my mind. I am so in love with him, and this whole crazy ordeal has made me fall more in love with him. (if that was possible) This last month has brought us closer together. He has faced every situation with love, faith, and courage and it encourages me to do the same.

Greg has started going back a couple days at a time to Greensboro to work. This has been hard for him feeling guilty about work or about not being with me and Wesley. We drove back to Greensboro together on Saturday morning after being with Wesley for a baby shower. I drove back with my mom on Sunday and Greg stayed to come back today (Tuesday morning) This morning Greg called and said that he had been up all night being sick. Greg has the flu! He went to the Dr. and they gave him some medicine for nausea but said it has to run its course. This is a bummer not only b/c he is sick, but that he can't be up here with us. Please pray for Greg that he would get better quickly! Please pray that I will not get what he has b/c I was exposed to it also. Please PRAY for Wesley that he will not get it since I have been touching and holding him so much. Both my brothers and their wives are both sick with the same thing, (thanks Mom) and it hit everyone at the same time. I have not held or touched Wesley today to be extra careful. If I get through today without it I think I might be ok. It is so hard not to grab his little hand.

Sometimes we ask ourselves do I have what it takes to be a good.... I asked this about myself when I was going through pregnancy: do I have what it takes to be a good parent. Greg definitely has what it takes and more. He not only loves us unconditionally but points us to the one that has always and will always love Wesley and I unconditionally. If there is a father of the year award out there Greg deserves it!

Wesley is 1 month old today!

Not only are we celebrating Mexico's independence (Happy Cino de Mayo) but Wesley is also 1 month old today! Horray! This month has flown by! I can't believe that our little man is a month old already. It has been the craziest month full of ups and downs, highs and lows, and lots of joy. We never thought that parenthood would start like this, but we are trying to make the best of it. The last couple of days have been filled with worry about the fluid on Wesley's brain. He had another brain scan this morning we were pleased with the results. His head growth is a little larger than it was a week ago when they did the spinal tap, but the ultrasound showed that the venticals were about the same size or a little smaller than the last time they tapped him. We knew that there was fluid on the brain and something was going to have to be done, so we were excited that the brain scan didn't show major growth that required immediate surgery. Right now we are trying to buy time to see if he will resolve it on his own and try to avoid the 2 surgery routes available. Pleae join us in prayer for this. He will most likely have to have another spinal tap tomorrow or another day this week.

More exciting news is that our little boy is not so little anymore, he is now a whopping 2lbs. 12oz and over 16inches long.
Thanks for all your prayers, notes, gifts, and encouragement! We are truly blessed!

A Minute in Wesley's World

I thought that you might enjoy seeing a minute into Wesley's World, for those of you that have not seen him yet or haven't seen him in a while. This is pretty much what he does all day. Since we posted last he has been doing great! Please continue to pray for his brain and the fluid. The doctor said that he thinks that he will have to have a shunt, but he also said that he could be totally wrong, lets pray that he is. He is more alert and such a joy to his mommy and daddy. Greg went back to Greensboro for a couple of days this week and we are glad to have him back. My time alone with Wesley was sweet. Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement. Take some time to watch the video of our sweet boy, its worth it!