Clayton Keith Danley

Thank You

2006-03-30T08:03:00.000-08:00

Where do you begin with words, when words will never do justice to what you are feeling? I do not know if this will even begin to explain the range of emotions that Hannah and I have felt over the last 10 weeks. Or if it will even come close to letting you all know how thankful we are. Thank you for your comments on my writing. But, for once I am failing at writing what I want to say. That being said, here's a lot of things...

In case you may not know (or just want to re-live the excitement), January 23 was any normal day for us. I went to work. Hannah and I had planned to go to a Mars Hill basketball game that night, but we decided to stay home and ended up trying to nail down what we were going to do to his room. Around 5:30 a.m. on January 24, Hannah punched me and said, “Joel, I think my water has broken.” And of course, my bleary-eyed, half-awake answer was, “Are you sure?” So, we called the hospital and they said come to the ER. Well, to make a long story short, we: went to ECM, stayed for about 3 hours, put Hannah in an ambulance, I drove the longest drive ever to Huntsville, called all important people, spent the day in labor, and by 9:32 p.m. we had the new love of our life. We finally got rid of everyone but the grandparents, and Hannah and I finally ate supper together (cold/reheated McDonald’s and Burger King). We knew we had made it, but we weren’t sure what we were in for.

Since that night, our little baby boy has become one fat, big baby boy. We’ve gotten to know Huntsville better than we ever thought we would. We think we know enough to be practicing LPNs. And we have been truly reminded of just how blessed we are and how many people love us. We have tried to make a note of the gifts and cards and I know Hannah has already sent out several thank you cards. But, somehow none of that seems to do justice to the blessings we have received. Even if you get a card I still don’t think we could say thank you enough. We will spend every day of the rest of our lives reminding Clayton how many people were praying for him, pulling him through. It has been amazing.

I consider myself knowledgeable enough about technology to be dangerous. I can do more than the average person, but still manage to mess some things up. I wasn’t sure how I was going to start him his own webpage, but I finally put several ideas together and we came up with the blog. I put a counter on the right hand side because we were interested to see how many hits it would get in a day or over time. Now, any normal statistician would probably say the numbers are a little skewed based on the average number of times that one particular uncle checked it per day, but the counter was just one more way for us to see how many people were thinking of us.

We could not have been in a better place. Even though we don’t like Huntsville anymore (just kidding), we have been completely pleased with the hospital. Our nurses have been fabulous. They have been our family for two months. We have made many new friends and we were actually kind of sad to leave them. But we have many addresses and phone numbers with promises to update. I am working on a letter to send to the hospital thanking them and giving credit to the people who have helped us get to this point today.

We don’t know how to effectively express the way that we feel now that this is over. Your thoughts and prayers have pulled us through. It was heartbreaking to see so many families going through some of the same things we were without a support system. We have been so blessed to know so many people and have so many helping us out in anyway possible. Continue to pray for us. As has been said, we will not be up to any visitors for several weeks. But you better believe as soon as he is well, he will be making the rounds. I will for sure update with the any new dates on the Clayton Danley World Tour. We are so thankful for where we’ve been and where we are now. God has blessed us beyond compare. Kiss your kids. Tell your family you love them. And even when the car needs fixing or your boss is a pain or your frustrated with the people around you, remember: God is good and He is good to those who love Him. We are a blessed people and the trials of this life are but for a short time. We love you all deeply and your generous spirit will not be forgotten.

With all the love we can begin to give back,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (5 lbs 10 oz)

P.S. Oh yeah, we are home finally. We made it around noon on Wednesday. I didn't get the basketball goal up in time, but I did have the baseball and gloves ready (j/k). I will try to update this in the future, but I make no promises. Right now, we are all surviving. Life will never be the same, but what fun would that be? And, hey, that's the way we like it.

Picture Time

2006-03-25T14:05:00.000-08:00

Man you guys are so demanding with this blog thing. You teach people a little about technology and they go crazy. Or maybe its the little kid that is making you all crazy??? Either way, I promise this is the last post before the final one. And everyone is pushing for a continuation of this after he gets home. Man. What do you guys want? A TV show? I'm thinking the "The Clayton Show" you know, kinda like the truman show. Anyway, Hannah wanted to say a few last words before we make it home so...enjoy.

P.S. This was when he was getting his picture made in the unit. If you want to see it, go to the Huntsville Hospital page and click on Babyface and then his birthdate (01.24.06) or you can find the grandparent/aunt/uncle/great-grandparent closest to you.

My Little Dream

I am finally going to be a “real” mommy! I could not be any more excited to get him home with Joel and me. Life has been anything but easy the past 2 months for us, but we have done remarkably well considering all that we have gone through. Clayton is simply beautiful and such a good little baby. He only cries when he is hungry and it is the sweetest little cry I have every heard (wonder how long I will be saying that). I got to rock him to sleep for the first time on Tuesday. My heart was so full it could have exploded. We have been getting his room ready for him and getting the house ready for us. Joel and I can not wait to be home again. There is nothing like your own bed and shower. We have come to appreciate so much these past months.
Joel and Clayton are my dreams come true. I have always wanted to be a wife and mother. Another one of my dreams was to be a famous singer, but I always said if that did not happen I would be completely satisfied singing my babies to sleep every night. I am now getting to sing Clayton to sleep and he loves it. To see him look at me and I know he knows that he is loved and safe in my arms. I am blessed beyond measure.
I could not thank all of you enough. You do not even know how much Joel and I depended on your messages. It was so wonderful to sit and read those every night. We know so many of you have prayed for our family. For that we are forever grateful. We have so many people who love and care about us and it has been overwhelming. I see parents of babies who never have one person come to visit. They are completely on their own. I don’t know how they do it. We have been truly blessed!!!!! Please continue to pray for us as we begin our life together at home with a baby! You may not see Clayton and me for a while. We are okay but he has to stay healthy. I am not going back to the hospital with him. I am going to be one over protective mom please be patient. You will all get to see him. I love each of you. You will never know how much you have meant to us.

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (5 lbs 4.1 oz)

Almost There

2006-03-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

Now that is a man who likes his bath. Last Thursday when Hannah got ready to give him a bath, his nurse told Hannah that she could put him actually in his tub to rinse him off. And he was so hungry that we had to give him his pacifier so he could suck on that. But he loved it.

I said I wasn't going to update again, but I wanted to let you know what our plans were (oh yeah, and we had one complaining uncle who wanted more pictures). But we talked to the doctor Tuesday and we decided to come home next Wednesday. He is going to have to come home on oxygen which is ok. We will just have to drag around a tank and a monitor for a few weeks. Have no fear, I'm sure Hannah will decorate it to match his clothes. That also means that we have to take an infant CPR class and room-in at the hospital before we take him home. So, we are going to do all of that Tuesday and be home for good on Wednesday. Hannah and I are going on one last farewell tour (Florence-Wed, H'ville-Thurs, Dunlap-Fri, Florence-Sat, and H'Ville-Sun-Wed) to make sure we are ready for him.

We know you all are excited to see him, but he won't really be up to visitors for several weeks. Trust us, as soon as he is well, he will be making the rounds to visit. But, for a couple of months he and Hannah will get to be hermits. We hope that you will understand because he is still little and very sensitive to sickness especially from visitors. We do have an appointment with the federal government to come and de-germ our house. Just kidding. Thank you again for your prayers and good thoughts. We are a little nervous, but really, really, really excited about getting him home. We will see you soon.

Flo-town bound,
Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (4 lbs and 13 oz)

P.S. Don't forget to check back next week for one final post.

Momma, I'm coming home...

2006-03-19T18:02:00.000-08:00

We're almost there!!!!!! In case you haven't heard, we might get to be coming home soon (the Ozzy reference above is for T-Pop and Pops). Or, in the case of my wife, who in her excitement, urging me to share Wednesday night in class said, "Tell them our good news!!!" You should have seen the looks on their faces. No. We are not pregnant again. And although we hope to have several brothers and sisters for Clayton in the future, that time will be...well, in the future. The distant future. Far off future. Galaxy far, far away kind of future.

We are very excited about getting him home. I have the glove and ball ready to go. Just kidding. Monday will be the day to see if we bring him home this week (which will mean with our own, personal, lovely oxygen tank to drag around) or later, maybe next week (without oxygen). I hope that you guys are still checking this, even though I haven't done it in a while. Please tell others in case they have given up on me. Life has been just a little strenous with the travel. Anyway, I will not plan on writing again until we have him home, soon and very soon. Please check back from around Thursday on. Hopefully by then we will have good news and ONE LAST good post to say thank you. I will save those words till then. We do thank you and we do love you.

Seeing the light at the end,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (4 lbs and 10 oz, oh yeah, fatboy)

P.S. The picture above is from either the second or third day of his precious, little life. Tune in next time to see how far he has come and just how blessed we are.

You're getting very sleepy...

2006-03-13T19:45:00.000-08:00

We decided that he looked like he could hypnotize someone in this outfit. We decided against spinning him around to see if it would work though. It is straight from the great country of New Zealand. Hannah put it on him, but he was almost too big for it. Go figure. We weren’t sure if we would ever be able to say that. If you haven't seen him in a while, you can really tell how much bigger he is. I'm always so very excited to see him after the weekend. It is good to be home again though and I am working on "boy proofing" the house.

He had a good weekend and a pretty good start to this week. Starting around Sunday, he started taking his bottles better, so Mrs. Naomi started giving him one every other feeding. So far he is still taking those well. Sunday night he weighed 3 lbs and 15.8 oz. We were very excited that he might be pushing past 4 lbs tonight, but this morning his doctor decided that he needed blood. He did get blood this morning along with another dose of lasiks. The plan is that his new blood and new energy will help him get off his oxygen for good. Then maybe he will keep getting better at eating and we will be home soon!!!! Keep praying for us as we see are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We love you all and WILL see you soon.

Finally at the 4 mark,
Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (4 lbs and 2.4 oz YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Oh what fun, it is to...

2006-03-09T20:10:00.000-08:00

So now you know how he really feels about bath time. He's about as interested in it as he is his bottles. You can also see how he always manages to pull his nasal canula out of his nose. His evil twin Jacob is now up to 4 lbs and 6 oz. So we have some catching up to do. Mr. Jacob is also taking all of his food by bottles. The challenge has been thrown down and our son...yawns. Pure excitement. Sort of like today when he fell asleep again while Hannah was trying to feed him a bottle. Oh well.

So I know that I've fallen behind again with our updates. But in my defense life has been pretty crazy around here. The road between Florence and Huntsville has been often traveled. Needless to say after being gone for two days, we were glad to see him again last night. We are so looking forward to the day when we get to go home. Thank you once again for your thoughts, comments, stories, laughs, antedotes, smart comments, sarcasm, and most of all prayers. We love you all.

Growing by leaps and bounds,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (3 lbs and 12.3 oz, that's right!!)

Catching up...

2006-03-07T07:35:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. I can feel the mob rising up because they have not been able to get there "Clayton fix." It has been a few days, but things have been even crazier being at the hospital and then traveling between H'ville and Flo-Town. But I am writing this around 10 on Tuesday morning. We are in Florence for today and tomorrow. Hannah has her 6 week checkup today. Who can really believe that it's been that long?? But when we left last night, he was doing just fine. It was bath night and he was better behaved again. And then the picture on the left is of his main night nurse, Mrs. Naomi, feeding him a bottle. He did pretty well, but Lisa said he fought her yesterday morning when she tried. So, she told on him and got him in trouble. But after eating and bathing, when we left last night he was one tired little pup.

His breathing is still going okay. We're not pushing him too far too fast. Some days are better than others. His weight gain is still good. And the bottles are doing so, so. The other picture is of the toys that Lisa bought him and Jacob. One is a train and the other a fire engine. They are really long lost twins. They are the two coolest dudes on the block. Plus they are now sharing an apartment. Thank you for your continued support and prayers. And seriously, thank you for your dedication to this blog. Several people have told me how they check it every day. And several have said that they let everyone in their office know what is going on. I would love to sit down one day and see how far this reached and how many people. It is a true testament to the beautiful nature of the Lord's church and how He intended for his people to work together. God is good and He will bless those who seek Him. Have a great day!!!

Clean as a whistle,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (now weighing in at a whopping 3lbs and 8 oz even)

Feed me!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-03-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

This picture is going to be the new PSA for hungry children. Look at him. No one will feed him, so he has to resort to a blanket. Isn't that just pitiful? Really this is a picture of a child who has just had a bath (which he handled with a better attitude) and is ready for a full belly. One of the things he has been doing well is waking up a little before feeding time and then sucking on his pacifier, his fingers, my fingers, a blanket, or anything else in the general vicinity of his mouth. His nurse fed him a bottle at 3 am this morning and he didn't take it well, but did better when Hannah fed him one at 3 this afternoon.

We want to say thank you to everyone who has continued praying for all three of us. We are still hanging in there and longing for the day we get to all go home together. Please continue to pray for us as we are doing more traveling between H'ville and Flo-Town. We are enjoying every second together as a family. Hannah discusses how American Idol is going and I discuss the ins and outs of Tiger's swing change. We all love each other and that keeps us going. BUT, we love you all too and owe you so much for your prayers.

Getting pop culture ready,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (3 lbs and 3.6 oz)

P.S. Thank you for your prayers for our nurse Holley and her husband. They are still finding more out from the doctors and are in great need of prayers.

Fat and Happy

2006-03-02T07:27:00.000-08:00

Ok, so he's really not "fat", but he is happy. This will probably be one of my favorite pictures. My two favorite people. This was taken right after feeding time...Clayton's not Hannah's, j/k. He decided to turn difficult at feeding time for Hannah, so she fed him some and the nurse finished. Then Hannah burped him and got to cuddle him for a few minutes.

Our eye test went fine. The nurse told us the doctor found everything to be normal, at least until later when he may become blind like some members of his family. Seriously he is still hanging in there. Our oxygen was down lower yesterday than ever before, but it will probably still be a while before he gets to come completely off of it.

We do want to thank you for your prayers for us and also solicit them for someone else. One of Clayton's nurses, Holley, just found out that her husband found cancer. They are going to have to do some surgery to remove lymph nodes close to his kidneys. Anyway, they are both 24 and wanting to have kids one day. Please pray for this family and for all of the nurses that are taking care of us... and Clayton.

Already fine-tuning our afternoon nap,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (3 lbs and 3 oz)

Staring down the barrel...

2006-02-28T19:56:00.000-08:00

...of a bottle that is. Our second overall, and our first by momma. Child and momma are doing fine. We are, however, going to have to work on the "force" behind our burping pats. His easily bruised mother is afraid he is going to be an easily bruised child. His burps are also not up to his Pops' standards, but we are getting there. All in all, we survived and will try again tomorrow morning. Mrs. Naomi told us that they will give him a couple of more days and then go up to 2 bottles a day.

Mr. Clayton had another good day. His oxygen has stayed at a better level since he had his lasiks treatments. We are hoping that will continue to improve. Tomorrow is a big day because it is Eye Day. At some point the people will come around to check how his eyes are doing, i.e. if he is blind like his mother, grandmothers, uncles, etc or if he will have perfect vision like his father. Each day is a blessing, but we look forward to the blessing of being home. We love you all so much.

Burping only A-C of the alphabet,
Joel, Hannah, and Clayton ( 3 lbs and 1.4 oz)

BATH NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-02-27T19:42:00.000-08:00

Playing dress up. At least that's what his mother called it. You may not be able to tell, but his feet come down to the knees of this outfit. He also doesn't look to pleased because it was bath night. And apparently he didn't want it to be. I've never seen Hannah nervous around a baby, but with alot of other parents around the room and our's screaming his lungs out, it was a little uneasy. But we all survived and we finally calmed down. Welcome to the wonderful world of your kids embarassing you.

The big news of the day though was that he took a bottle. Lisa said he took the whole thing, but it really wore him out. So, he slept most of the day. But it was a good step forward. They are going to try him on one bottle a day right now. He is still looking adorable and still doing better on his breathing. Thank you once again for all your prayers, thoughts, and concern. We love you all.

Hating being clean,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (3 lbs. and 0.4 oz, hopefully over 3 for good!!!)

Hanging Chads

2006-02-25T19:11:00.000-08:00

I demand a recount. Just when I thought it was behind us. Here comes Florida all over again. Hanging chads and all. Look at this face. This is a face disagreeing with the results. He's holding in his pacifier because he is speechless. 80 to 41. 66% to 34%. That is crazy. I appreciate all of you who were looking out for me and my lips. Every vote counted. I shoulda gone with legs. Hannah thinks he has my chicken legs. Oh well.

Thank you for everyone's congrats on his weight gain. But the asterisk was there for a reason. Dr. Novak came by today and said that they were going to give him 2 more doses of lasiks to maybe help with his breathing. The blood on Monday plus the big weight gains may mean he needs to get rid of some fluid that may be hindering his breathing. But that is ok if it will help him get his breathing regulated. He is still "too cute" and just getting prepared to wow the ladies (that his mother will never let get near him). We love you all.

Standing tall on skinny legs,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (2 lbs and 14.6 oz)

3.03*

2006-02-24T20:11:00.000-08:00

That's right. 3 pounds and .03 ounces. Sort of. Well, his nurse weighed him and he weighed 2 lbs 15.6 oz. We didn't like that. We demanded a recount. So we tried again and got 3 lbs and .01 oz. So we tried best 2 out of 3 and got 3 lbs and .03 oz. He is now on record for the fastest weight gain in the history of the world. But we are glad that he has hit 3. They tell us that going from 3 to 4 is easier than 2 to 3. He is fattening up quite nicely.

Today was also clothes day. This picture was the surprise alluded to last night. He got to put on a hospital t-shirt last night, but this morning he got to put on his first piece of clothing and hat. His Mimi got him the outfit from a website called "Preemie-Yums". His mother is quite excited about playing dress-up. And his father has resigned to that until a date to be named later. His feedings are still going well and his breathing is still coming along slowly. We are so ready to be out of here, but not if he isn't ready. We can't wait to bring him home and start our new life as a family. We love you all.

Puttin on the pounds,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (now officially over 3 lbs)

The Thinker

2006-02-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

Ok, so maybe this picture won't be as famous as Rodin's statue, but don't tell that to his momma. She's already making calls to the Louvre. We're not really sure what he was so concerned about, but he at least seemed to be in very deep thought. We're considering calling it, "The Cutest Thing Ever." Sounds kinda catchy.

Mr. Clayton (as most of his nurses call him) made it through his first day on the progressive side of the NICU without any trouble. He did manage to secure an apartment next to his evil twin and partner in crime, Jacob. They talk to each other through their beeping monitors. He is still tolerating his feedings well and breathing ok. That is as long as he keeps his canula in his nose instead of his mouth. Also, he is doing well with controlling his temperature. It's just the breathing we are working on. We had some more cute pictures from tonight, but we are excited about a "surprise picture" for Saturday's post. You don't wanna miss it. We love you all and hope to see you soon.

Solving all the world's problems,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (2 lbs and 15 oz.)

Elliott...phone home...

2006-02-23T08:38:00.000-08:00

Don't worry. I'm not making fun of my son already. It's his mother who thinks that he is now in his "E.T. box". Plus, one of his monitors that stays on his foot has a red light on it. I enjoy putting my finger on his isolette and saying, "Elliott" (with that slow, raspy voice). And who can forget the "Ouch". And don't worry, this is a step up for him. It allows him to begin controlling his own temperature, and plus its pretty cool. The next step will be an open-air crib. It's harder on the ol' parents because we can't touch him as often or talk to him as easy, but it is better for him.

We were also moved to the progressive side of the NICU. Most of you have been asking when he will get to come home. Well, we are still looking towards April. That is what they told us the first night he was born, and as of right now, they haven't told us any different. He has done pretty well for his age, but we just aren't sure. Breathing is still a problem some days. But overall things are okay. We will update you again soon. We love you all.

Changing apartments,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (2 lbs and 14 oz)

For it's root, root, root for the home team...

2006-02-21T19:55:00.000-08:00

Well, we've discovered our fingers. And his nurse, Nicole, says that he thinks and acts like he's found the New World. And tonight, Hannah offered her (clean) finger and he liked that too. I'm told that's called "rooting", but I'm just a dad, what do I know. I just remind him of the last 10 NCAA champions, how many divisional championships the Braves have won in a row, and the exact equations for the BCS.

We've had a pretty big weekend and start to the week. I got so caught up in discussing the ins and outs of grandparenthood that I didn't talk much about our son. He did pass 1200 grams and get to graduate to big boy diapers that really swallow him whole. We have moved from 28 cc of food over 4 hours to 20 cc of food in 1 hour every 3 hours. So, basically he has switched back to a routine more like taking a bottle every 3 hours. And, he also had a blood transfusion on Monday. Not for bad reasons, but just to help him and re-energize him. His color looks better already.

I wanted to remind everyone that you can click on either January 2006 or February 2006 on the right hand side to read old posts. We try to check them in case anyone commented on them. Thank you for your comments and thoughts. For the 43rd time, we do check them first thing and laugh and cry with you. We love you all and hope to see you soon.

Gettin bottle ready,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (2 lbs and 12.6 oz, weight still moving along well)

The Grandparents Issue

2006-02-20T07:26:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone. This is actually an old picture. I've been in Florence for the weekend and don't have any new ones. But I thought you might enjoy this one. I've decided to talk for just a minute about the phenomenon called, "Grandparents." Enough said. Now, don't get us wrong: we love our parents. But they've gone off the deep end. Seriously. Head first. With a one and a half somersault, reverse five pike, with a twist. In case you haven't heard, when we told them we were expecting, Freddie jumped off the couch and yelled, "NNNOOOOOO!!!" We think he was just kidding. Especially since he is now the ringleader of them all. Our nurses love his bread, but it comes at a price when he talks their ears off. Clayton's grandparents have also been indentically challenged. We'll give Mark credit for settling on Pops or Poppa first, but after that it's been all downhill. Freddie has been concerned about his, but since we call him Freddie T, we think we've settled on T-Pop. Now, the g/mothers have had the nicest, kindest "fight" over "Mimi". So, Diane has decided on Nana and Tammy is currently (let me check the weather...) Mimi/Grammy.

WARNING: If you see any of these people running crazily around a store, stay out of the way. Do not make direct eye contact. Do not stop them to say hi. They may be armed and dangerous. Also, if you see them around their new grandson, you may hear all manner of sounds coming from their mouth. Do not be alarmed. We thinking they are "cooing." Do not mention anything as they may begin crying without control.

Seriously, we love them very much and know they will be wonderful grandparents. Mark fixes our camper for us, T-Pop brings the food and washes the clothes, and the grandmothers keep us company. Please pray for us as we continue to get better and try to work with these grandparents.

Ooing and Ahing,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (2.116 lbs)

P.S. Oh yeah, our son...He is still doing ok. He is gaining weight well, but his breathing is still a struggle sometimes. He did graduate to BIGGER DIAPERS Saturday night. More about him tonight...

Which way did he go George...???

2006-02-17T18:39:00.000-08:00

You remember that kid from "A Christmas Story" that was so wrapped up that he couldn't move or see? Well, Lisa sort of did Clayton that way today. Hannah got to hold him for a few minutes and it looked like he could hardly see. Needless to say, you can imagine that it was very cute. She cherishes every second holding him. We may be pretty new to this whole parent thing (and sort of rushed into it), but we feel like we are doing an okay job.

Clayton had another pretty good day, which means basically that he had no major setbacks. He did get a visit from his T-Pop. He explained the ins and outs of GBN to him. We are in negotiations for his own show. Actually, he came to bring our nurses some of the natural phenomenon and crowd pleaser that we call "Freddie Bread." We don't believe in bribing, but it may be pretty close to it. I am returning to Florence to work for the long weekend. So I will try to give an update either Sat night or Sun night. We count each day as a blessing and thank you for your continued prayers and comments.

Gaining weight by sourdough,

Joel (+/- several), Hannah (thinks its overrated), and Clayton (still unweighed at press time, but getting a little through his feeding tube, J/K)

In Daddy's Hands

2006-02-16T20:09:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite picture taken since Clayton was born. My two favorite boys in the whole entire world are cuddling. Joel and I both got to Kangaroo with Clayton today. He always breathes better when we hold him and today he did the same. Joel kept him just as warm as I do and Clayton absolutely loved his daddy holding him. I knew Joel would be a wonderful daddy and I was right. He talks to him and sings to him. It is the sweetest thing to see Clayton in his daddy’s hands. Joel is beginning to change Clayton’s diapers (not the poopie ones). He really is a natural at it all. I can not imagine going through all this with anyone else. I want everyone to know that Joel and I are doing wonderful. I think in hard times it is easy to get upset and frustrated with your spouse. Joel and I realize that we are completely there for one another and our family is number one to us right now. We are keeping our sense of humor and are in love with one another and our beautiful baby boy.
Clayton is doing well today. We are really just taking everything one day at a time. He is still on the nasal canula and just working hard at breathing. It is hard work for him. I take deep breaths sometimes watching him hoping it will help. It wears me out just watching. His hair is getting more blonde everyday. He looks almost bald on the top of his head but it is because his hair is so blonde. Today I gave him a bath and washed his hair and I gave him a side part. It was the cutest thing in the world.
We say it every night but we mean it. Thank you so much for your prayers and messages. We are amazed daily at how many people are checking his website. Please keep praying for us.

Kangarooing till we drop,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (2.89 Wed. and 2.94 Thurs.)

He put in his thumb...

2006-02-14T18:36:00.000-08:00

So, we kinda just went right past the whole sucking your thumb thing and went straight for the whole hand. However, as long as he is not pulling out any of his tubes, his nurses are okay with that. When Hannah called this morning to check on him, his nurse told us that he had pulled out his CPAP (AGAIN) and she was going to give his poor nose a break and put the nasal canula back in. So, we’ve spent another day on the canula and he handled it fairly well. As of tonight @ 9:30 tonight, he was officially 3 weeks old. It’s hard to believe that it has been that long. It has felt like 3 weeks and 30 week all at the same time.

Have I mentioned that the nurses here at great? When we got to his bed this morning, there was a Valentine’s Day card waiting on us. I wanted to close with the poem that the nurse wrote on the inside. It was signed: Love ya’ll, Clayton (with his handprints and footprints as his signature). I hope you all understand why Hannah wrote what she did last night. Some days are good and some days we feel overwhelmed. Just know that we love you all and are really, really, really looking forward to being home and seeing you all.

My tiny hands that you hold are getting stronger as I grow. I grasp your finger ever so tight to let you know that I will fight. I may be small but God has a plan. You must have faith that I will grow to be a strong young man.

XOXO,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (2.71lbs.)

P.S. Don’t forget that you can access old posts by clicking on the link on the right hand side or on the months. Also, click on the smaller picture to see his card to us, it was a dog shaped card.

Cowboys and Indians

2006-02-13T19:52:00.000-08:00

Come on now. You all (or at least the guys) know that you had a tent when you were growing up too. It's just too bad that Clayton's has to be held up by his tubes. But, he's still cute anyway. As far as an update for today, he is back on the CPAP, but breathing better than before. We think he might be back on the uphill climb as far as his weight. Each day he is just trying to grow a little stronger. Sorry I didn't write this weekend, but I had to return to Flo-Town to do a little work. Thanks for checking on us each day. We've felt like it is hard for everyone to really understand what we are going through, so Hannah wrote something for you to read.

Enjoying Hide and Seek,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (2.68 lbs)

A Day In The Life

I hope this finds everyone doing well. I want to thank you so much for the prayers, calls, and everything else you have done for our family. Today’s entry may be a little long, but I think it is necessary. I want to tell you all in a little greater detail what we are going through. Joel tells you all each night what is going on in our lives. He makes things funny to keep us sane. If we told you everything that was going on in our lives right now you would not even believe it. I also don’t let Joel tell you all what is going wrong with Clayton everyday. Every woman wants their baby to be perfect when they are born. I am no exception. Clayton is perfect in my eyes, he has problems daily, but to me he is perfect. He does not look like a normal full term baby, but to me he is perfect. There is some information that we keep to ourselves. I don’t think people can fully understand what we are going through right now unless you have been through it yourself. People wonder if they can look at him through a window or think that all he has to do is get bigger and then we are out of here. I wish all this were true, but the reality of our life right now is that it is not. You can not look at Clayton through a window. You have to scrub up just to go in and see him and not just anyone can go in and see him. I want you all to understand a little better what we do each day and what we have to see our baby go through everyday. I don’t tell you this to make you feel sorry for us, but I do tell you so if you wonder why we don’t answer the phone or seem like ourselves (especially me) you might understand and hopefully look past it.
I was pregnant Monday night, Jan. 23 and the next morning at 5:30 I go into labor and have him that night at 9:32. I am pregnant one minute and the next I am not and my baby is no where around me. I could not hold him or anything. They swept him away. I just got to give him a quick kiss and that was it. That is one of the most awful feelings in the world. Joel and I wake up every morning around 7:30 or 8. We immediately call about Clayton and then begin to get ready to go see him. We get to the hospital about 9 am and sit with Clayton until 1pm. From 1-3 we can not be in there with him. They make all the parents leave for quiet time. At 1 Joel and I will go eat lunch and try to relax for a minute. Several days Joel and I have taken a nap in our car at the hospital. At 3 Joel and I head back in the hospital to be by Clayton’s bedside. We will stay until 6 pm. From 6-8 the NICU has shift change so we have to leave. We go eat supper and try to unwind a little bit. At 8 pm we are back again to be with Clayton. We then will stay from 8-10 pm. Joel usually has to make me leave. So you see we spend our entire day by our baby. It is a very tiring thing to do but if I all I can do for him is be by his side then I will be by his side. I finally go to sleep about midnight after I call about him one last time before I try to rest my eyes.
Some of the hardest things to do are to see Clayton laying there crying and uncomfortable with tubes and wires hooked to him all over and I can only sit there. I am his Mommy but right now the nurses are with him and do more for him than I can. That is so hard for me to admit. When he is crying I can talk to him and calm him down, but I can not hold him to comfort him. I am helpless. He struggles for every single breath. He weighs 2.5 pounds. He has no fat on his body. I see every single rib and watch his chest almost touch his back just to take a breath. That is not an exaggeration. He has tubes about 2 inches long in his nose that go down his throat. He is so uncomfortable and tries to get them out. And I have to sit there and watch. I can change his diaper but I have to struggle with all the cords that are attached to him. He does not eat out of a bottle. He has a feeding tube that is in his mouth and taped to his little chin. That is how he gets all his food and medicine. He does not even have the sucking reflex yet so when you put a pacifier in his mouth to soothe him it does not do much good. The nurse said today that premature babies are not just small babies. They have all kinds of problems and issues to overcome. He can not even control his temperature. He is under a warmer. That is another hurtle we will have to overcome also. They do things to him that I do not understand. There are possibilities of infection which to a 2 pound baby is not a small thing. We live scared. He is doing okay but he is a very sick baby with an incredibly long road ahead of him. We are actually living in an RV at the Space and Rocket Center camp ground. We are an hour away from our home, 3 hours away from Joel’s family, and 2 hours away from my family. Life is anything but normal and comfortable. Once again I don’t tell you these things for a pity party but I want some people to understand what our life is like right now. I don’t wish this on my worst enemy. For all of you who had normal pregnancies and babies please be grateful. When I say kiss your babies each night I mean it. Don’t take your little rugrats for granted. Please be understanding and empathetic to us. We expect him to be here at least until April. We are in this for the long haul. Whatever you do please do not stop praying for us. That is all we have right now to get us through this. So many churches have sent us cards and money and there is nothing we can say to thank you enough for your generosity. You never fully understand the love of the church until you are in need and they run to be by your side and help you in every way possible. We love you all so much and are grateful for everything.

And...stretch, 2, 3, 4

2006-02-10T19:46:00.000-08:00

Well, we don't actually have him on an excerising regemient yet. But, he does like to stretch a lot. And we mean alot. He likes to flex his bulging biceps for all the lady nurses to see. So, far he has gained alot of attention. And we mean alot.

However, the main event for today was a major explosion. And we mean major. But, we did learn that Hannah has some good hands, since she managed to catch most of it in her hands. We also learned that when nurses told us his stool would turn "yellow and seedy", they meant YELLOW AND SEEDY. Needless to say, you could have seen two new parents with some "deer in the headlight" looks, according to his nurse, Danielle. Our new phrase to refer to events like these that will just get worse and worse is that, "It's all downhill from here."

We are closing in on three weeks. We are pretty sure that it has been the longest three weeks of our lives. But we are excited about what lies ahead. It's all beginning to run together, but we are seeing little improvements each day. Keep praying and we will see you soon. We love you all.

Working on our aim,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (2.59 lbs. [+.31] YEAH!!)

It's alive...It's alive!!!!!!!

2006-02-09T19:29:00.000-08:00

So, Hannah thinks this picture is really sweet. And all I can think of is that scene from Alien where that monster thingy comes out of that persons stomach. Go figure. Anyway, we took another shot at Kangaroo Care this afternoon and guess what, they both liked it. One of his favorite nurses, Lisa, let him be near his momma. And he spent most of the time with this goofy grin on his face. Seriously. You can see the video later.

He has made it another day and continuing to slowly improve. He went up to 6 cc of food today, but he is still on continous feeds. Also, Monday and Thursday nights are bath night. So we had a party, shampoo and all. Of course, we got video of that also. I know that it may seem that there is not much to report, but right now we are just sort of in a mode where it may take a while to reach some milestones. But overall we have had a good two weeks, two days, and six minutes. Thank you for your continued prayers. We are going to get some sleep.

Lathering, Rinsing, and Repeating,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (2.28 lbs [+.03])

Ole Blue Eyes

2006-02-08T19:13:00.000-08:00

Ok. So really we don't know what color his eyes are, but that is what I thought of when his nurse put him in his blanket and hat (I'm running out of material, okay). It was huge on him...of course everything is huge on him, but anyway. Hannah did get to hold him for about 7 or 8 minutes tonight. And she loved it.

As far as his day, it has been another steady one. His feedings are still holding strong. He just continues to battle breathing. Not in a bad way. It's just that sometimes during the day, he has to have more oxygen than other times of the day. His momma still loves sitting by his bed side, but we get her out several times during the day. Today she went to a scrapbooking store to start collecting things to start his book, while I...slept in the car. We don't want to be stranded anywhere in the snow, but if we had to be somewhere we would want to be here.

Each day is a blessing and we try to count our blessings each day. We know you all are thinking of us and that helps so much. His mother will probably not let him out of the house, once we get him home, until he is at least 34. But sooner or later, we hope to introduce him to everyone who was praying for him. We love you all.

Already excited about Blues Clues,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (2.1 last night [-.08], but on the up and up tonight, 2.25 [+.15])

Hush little momma...

2006-02-07T19:33:00.000-08:00

Ok. So maybe we are just a little tired. Just a little. At least twice over the last couple of days, my lovely wife has tried to perform the patent "Hannah Headbutt" to her newborn son. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this move, it's how she got me to marry her. Just kidding. It's actually her signature wrestling move where she tires herself out (fooling you) and then falls forward and headbutts you, knocking you out. Each time I have barely caught her, fed her, and put her to bed.

Don't be too worried. We are trying to get plenty of rest. Clayton is still doing well, which makes momma do well. His continuous feeds were causing him to have some residuals ( leftover food in his stomach after eating) so the doctor prescribed him some MCT Oil which will give him more calories without adding volume to his food. Hannah and I are almost finished with our cheap nursing degree, I say cheap, but we haven't started getting the bills yet. We feel like we know how to run the NICU.

He is basically still doing well. It is kind of a hurry up...............and wait game right now. He will start gaining weight and breathing better on his own soon. Mom and Dad are doing just fine and becoming better nurses by the day. Thank you for the 400th time (but still not enough) for your thoughts and prayers. We love you all.

Trying to all sleep in one bed,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (written pre-nightly weighing)

P.S. You can see the old posts by clicking on the titles on the right side of the page.

Monkey see...Monkey do

2006-02-06T21:40:00.000-08:00

Boys and their toys. He hasn't even been alive for two full weeks yet and we are already building our full arsenal of toys (I think I'm still getting a no from the nurses on the golf ball and basketball in the bed). Clayton's nurse, Lisa, has appropriately named his bed, "Clayton's Zoo." You may have noticed in the other pictures that we are now up to a worm, a frog, a bear, and his monkey. They each take turns standing guard over the bed. Actually the bear is currently on undercover assignment as a NICU preemie under the blue light (see picture above).

Little man is still pushing forward. As of midnight, he has made it through another day with his nasal canula. I don't think I have mentioned that we have moved to continuous feeds, which means he gets his fortified milk through his feeding tube over the course of a few hours. He is working pretty hard to breathe so we're not sure how much weight he will gain, but he should be getting ready to start piling on the fat. Although we did check out his six pack tonight. He is continuing to train to lower his 4.4 speed. Seriously. When he is on his stomach, if he can get his feet on the bottom of his horseshoe, he will push up and try to "crawl" out of his bed.

Thank you again for your comments letting us know you are keeping up with us. It makes the hard days seem a little easier. Several of you have expressed trouble with making a comment to one of the posts. I believe I should have made it where you don't have to register to make a comment. But we love hearing from you so don't quit trying. We hope to see you all soon.

In the jungle, the mighty jungle,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (2.19 lbs -.08)

Super Bowl LXVIII MVP

2006-02-05T21:03:00.000-08:00

Move over Ben Roethlisberger. Get out of the way Hines Ward. Meet the new MVP. Sure the Lombardi Trophy is taller than he is. So what a football weighs more. I can already tell he has 4.4 speed. I have a meeting with a sports agent sometime in March.

How do we know that he has such a great future?? Because he is ornery. Twice today his nurse found him with tubes pulled out. Once with his feeding tube pulled out and twice with his CPAP tube. And both times he had dirty diapers. So, the second time the nurse decided to try him on his nasal canula again. As of tonight, he is still taking it pretty well. Over all another pretty good day.

HOWEVER, we decided to skip out on the wal-mart or Olan Mills picture and start our own famliy album. Our first family picture. All three of us. Before we went to church tonight, his nurse told Hannah she could hold him again. And after several minutes, she asked if I wanted to hold him for a few minutes. So, we both took several minutes apiece and, don't worry, took plenty of pictures. Dad's still a little nervous, but Mom's a natural. I can't think of something that weighs two pounds to compare it to, but he is very light. I can still feel his little chest rising and falling in my hand.

We are still making plenty of friends in the NICU, but it is still good to hear from our old ones that they care. Honestly, we still check everytime we get in the room to see who has written. Prayer works and we continue to see that everyday. We love you all and hope to see you soon.

Slowly gaining weight,

Joel (+several), Hannah (-several), and Clayton (2.27 lbs, +.06)

Short and Sweet

2006-02-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

Tonight's post will probably be short and sweet. Kind of like our new son. Well, actually he is kind of tall for his age. Just kidding again. He is having a tough time keeping the women at bay though. His nurses all love him very, very much. His mother is already worried about some little girl calling him Clay instead of Clayton.

Clayton had lots of visitors today. Aunts, uncles, grandparents, great-grandparents. His great, world traveler, money-saving 1st cousin twice removed even was able to spare a few minutes for him. As you can see in the picture, he has taken a liking to be wrapped up in his very cute blankets. Another day has passed and he is continuing to get stronger. He did gain a little weight and his lungs are looking better by the day. He is going to be small for a while, but we can't wait to introduce him to everyone who was praying for him. We will update you again soon.

Lovin the swaddlin,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (2.21 lbs)

Kanga and her Roo

2006-02-03T21:24:00.000-08:00

A mother's touch. That's what they say does the trick. And we finally saw it in action today. We went back to the hospital around 4:00 and Clayton's nurse, Brandi, told Hannah that she could hold him. This morning he had his UAC (the catheter through his belly button) removed. It acted as his IV so we were very careful with it, but now with it gone, they told her she could try to hold him. They were going to try something called Kangaroo Care. So she was able to put him against her skin and they both loved it. He basically slept the whole time, stayed warmer than in his bed, and all his levels stayed normal. Now, Hannah has always had motherly instincts, but they came out in full force as I watched her cuddle him closer and closer to her. And in place of a small little boy there was an empty bed.

We still have several bridges to cross, but we are making strides. He continues to eat more and hopefully if he does so, he won't need an IV; which his mother hates herself and more so for him. The bridges seem easier and shorter after days like today.

We are still holding up just fine. Your prayers, comments, and even votes (of which I am in need of) seem to pull us through each day. Keep writing and above all keep praying. If we come out of this in fine shape, then we know that we owe it to God first and you all second. Hannah and I are amazed each day to find out who is praying for us and keeping us in mind. Our family and friends mean the world to us and we will forever be grateful for you all.

Mom continues to read almost every day. We are working on his reading aptitude and we think that his ACT score is quickly rising. Now if we can just get a question on the test about "The Little Engine That Could." Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers. We will update you again soon.

Cuddling with his momma,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (2 lbs and 1 oz.)

The Vote 2006

2006-02-02T22:22:00.000-08:00

Okay. It's time to settle up. Now you the people have a voice. If you will glance to the right side of the page, hopefully you will notice a new feature on our lovely page, the mini poll. Your vote counts and you can help us decide once and for all. Whose lips does he have? So, in the words of the iconic tv station that has changed our world (for better or worse you decide), "Rock the Vote."

Our little fighter continues to press on. In the grand scheme of things, we are probably still in round one, but we are pressing forward. You may have noticed in yesterday's picture that the blue and white tubes running from his face were his CPAP tubes. That had prongs that were about 2-3 inches in length running in his nostrils. Well, Hannah and I went to visit this morning and watched him struggle a little bit with his CPAP. We left afraid that he would have to go back on his vent (despite the fact that his nurse yesterday kept his vent around to, "ward off evil spirits"). But when Hannah called to check on him from our room this afternoon, his nurse Brandi said that he had jerked the CPAP out of his nose, so she was trying him on a nasal canula. That is the next step up after CPAP. Basically a nasal canula is what older people have when they are on oxygen, no added pressrue, just a little extra oxygen. Thus the picture above. We could finally see all of his face and his mother wants you to know that he has her dimples. Not quite noticeable in the picture, but nonetheless still there. He is still doing well. We are hoping that he will continue to get more food each day and that Hannah will be able to hold him soon.

We can't say thank you enough for checking his page and writing him and us messages. We do check them several times a day. I have been meaning to mention that I added a link to the Huntsville Hospital on the right hand side in case anyone was curious. There is a place for babies pictures, but his isn't there because of the circumstances. But you can see the wonderful place he is in. The NICU has been wonderful, but are ready to take him home soon. Thank you again and you will hear from us soon.

Grinnin' like a fool,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton (2 lbs. and .02 ounces)

I really love my Blu Blockers...

2006-02-01T21:02:00.000-08:00

There may have never been a person who liked his BlueBlockers more than our wonderful son. He manages to keep working his way into his aviators. Unfortuantely, these sunglasses are to protect his little eyes from the blue lights of his phototherapy. It helps with his jaundice (http://www.hhsys.org/healthlibrary/articles/newb4806.shtml). Today we tried to take another step and take him of his ventilator and move to CPAP (tubes in his nose applying pressure to his lungs). With his CPAP, he is breathing on his own, just having some pressure keeping his lungs open. One picture is of his vent monitor saying Standby because it is now shut off. The other picture is of him laying on his stomach (with his sunglasses on, but light off) just chillin. He had another pretty good day. Each day not going backward is a small step forward.

Mom and Dad are doing just fine. We are making great friends with all of the nurses and staff in the NICU. Clayton already has the girls fighting over him. Several nurses want to be his "primary nurse", which means they would have him when they are working. He is a cutie and we are already trying to decide whose mouth he has, and ears, and eyes, etc.... He may never have a tattoo, but in the picture above you can see that he does have a little heart on his backside. That is just one of the monitors that keeps up with his tempature.

Again we just want to say that we really appreciate all of your comments, calls, concern, prayers, gifts and so very much more. We feel a little overwhelmed in several ways (most good). Please, continue to leave comments and sign our guestbook. We may not get back to you, but that is the first thing we read when we get to our room. We're not sure of our living arrangements right now, so you can just send cards to 2369 Parc Place, Florence, AL, 35630. I will be going to Florence several times to get mail and work a little. We are still not up to a lot of visitors just yet, but we appreciate you thinking of us. If you are in town we will be glad to show you some pictures and videos. Thank you for your encouraging stories also. We know that soon we will have a point guard on our hands with the girls hanging over him, but we have several bridges to cross to get there. We love you all and will continue to update you soon.

Breathing on our own,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton Keith

Let us know you have been here

2006-02-01T12:28:00.000-08:00

We wanted to try to keep up with everyone who has visited Clayton's site so I tried to start a counter on the right hand side of the page. And each time we log in, the first thing we do is read together the comments people have left us. Your well wishes and prayers are what keep us going. So, now there are two ways...

#1. At the end of each post there is a link that says comments or the number of comments that have been left. Click on that and then leave us a comment/message. We love those.

#2. I also attempted a guestbook. On the right hand side there is a link that says "Sign My Guestbook."
a. Click on that and it should take you to our guestbook.
b. Click on the tab that says post. It will ask you a bunch of questions. Don't answer anything except Your Name, Your E-mail, Where You Are From, And Your Comments.
c. Make sure the boxes at the bottom are unchecked, retype the code into the box and click post entry.

I know this sounds like a lot so you can choose option #1 if you want. We just love hearing from you all and knowing who it is checking up on us. We want to be able to at least attempt one day to let Clayton know how many people were praying for him and keeping an eye on him. Thanks again.

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton Keith

With this ring...

2006-01-31T20:53:00.000-08:00

Yes. That's right. That is my wedding ring around my son's left arm. We tried to make it a bracelet, but it kind of turned into an arm band. One of his nurses suggested we take this picture.

As far as his health, he is still holding his own. He's one tough little man. He went up on his feeding again. The doctor said he is going to wait until he is eating better (and hopefully gaining weight) to try taking him off his ventilator again. He is on the minimal setting anyway, be we want him to be a little stronger. We really didn't get to see him as much today because they were admitting new babies to the NICU. He manages to get new neighbors everyday who cry alot. He doesn't care for that too much, so he always runs them off. We've seen several come and go. We think he likes it a little too much, but we can't wait for the day he gets to go home himself.

Tonight was his 1 week birthday. We celebrated with Hannah reading him, "If You Give a Pig a Party." The thrilling sequel to his favorite, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." He's already asking when John Grisham's next book is coming out. We really can't say enough how grateful we are for your prayers, gifts, and just thinking about us. Some have asked about sending us a card. You could probably just send something to our Florence address and when I sneak away to work, I will pick them up and bring them back to mom and son. Hannah is doing well physically and holding her own emotionally. Knowing you all care so much really helps. Thanks again for everything you are doing and we hope to see you all soon.

Partying with the pigs,

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton Keith (now 2.21 lbs)

I wear my sunglasses at night...

2006-01-30T21:33:00.000-08:00

Many of you may remember that chart-topper from the late great 1998 by Corey Hart, "I Wear My Sunglasses at Night." Well, that is Clayton's new theme song. He has to stay under a blue light for a process called Phototherapy. Basically it helps break down red blood cells in his body, but while this goes on, he must wear his sunglasses at night. He is one cool dude already.

Hello Everyone, this is Hannah. I have not really had much contact with the outside worldin teh last couple of days. Everything is just a bit overwhelming. For you have children, I know you understand. For those of you who do not, just wait. It is true when your parents tell you that you will never understand just how much they love you. We are so excited that Clayton is here. He is doing very well considering all he is going through. We are taking life now by the hour. I got to change my first poopie diaper today. I have never been so excited and nervous all at the same time. They are gonna try and take him off the ventilator in the next day or so. I am really nervous about this because then he has to work really hard. I just pray that he will do okay with it all. They weighed him again tonight and he was 2.27 lbs. They have also went up on his food intake. He is getting 7mL. His daddy is in charge of his feedings(holding up the syringe) and I am in charge of the other end. Thank you all so much for your prayers. I don't know how we could do this without everyones love, help, and support. In the picture I am reading "The Little Engine That Could". I read to him often and he usually will settle down and stop being a wiggle worm. If you don't hear from me personally know that I am okay I just need some time. It is so hard leaving my precious baby. If you have children give them an extra tight hug and kiss today for me. If you are a child call your mom and dad and tell them you love them. Keep praying for all of us and know how much we love and appreciate you.

Just testing

2006-01-30T13:20:00.000-08:00

I am just testing to see if I can add pictures to this. I will try to update every day, so tell anyone and everyone about this site. Thank you again for all your prayers!! We love you all

Monday, January 30, 2006

2006-01-30T13:12:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all!!!

I wanted to find a way to have pictures for everyone to check out and to give some updates, and I hope I have found one (crossing my fingers). Hannah and I do have internet access in our hotel room and we want to keep everyone updated. Your thoughts and prayers have meant more to us than you will ever know. We will never begin to understand how many people have been praying for us.

As of right now, we are all holding our own. Hannah is fully recovered from the pregnancy and we are both learning to deal with the wonderful world of "Life after Pregnancy." Clayton is also doing okay. He is hoping to try to leave his ventilator behind him today or tomorrow. He has tried once, but had several spells of apnea (basically, forgetting to breathe; boy aren't we glad we don't have to worry with that). So we are going to try again.

All of his nurses and doctors are pleased with his progress so far. Except his nurses get mad at him cause his little hands manage to find his feeding tube and pull it out. He is as busy as his momma. We do have a long road ahead with lots of bridges to cross, but we will cross them when we get there. Keep praying for him, his nurses, and for us. We hope to bring home a healthy baby boy soon.

We love you all!!

Joel, Hannah, and Clayton Keith (now 2 lbs. and .09 ounces)