Getting Closer...

Another couple of days have passed, and we have some more news about our two little bundles of joy...


Ryan is improving, he is now taking four bottles per day, and four tube feedings per day. This morning, he actually finished his first full bottle! Usually he only drinks about 35ml of the 55ml bottle, then they have to put the rest in his tummy through the tube, but the fact that he finished one is a big step forward!

He is still a pretty sleepy little guy, only seems to wake a little bit for feedings and baths and then is out like a light the rest of the time. The above picture was right after a bath, so he still was pretty alert. The nurses and doctors are hoping that Ryan can be out of there in a week or less, and we hope so too!

Little Katie, on the other hand, looks like she may be out of the hospital within the next day or two! She has been taking 100% bottle feedings for 48 hours now, and they have removed the feeding tube completely, as you can see in the picture. Finally having her tube-free is quite a relief!

Daddy got the chance to feed Katie tonight, and she ended up giving him a nice little surprise:

So all in all, some very positive developments! Of course, having one baby at home and one baby in the ICU will present some challenges of its own, but we are definitely looking forward to having Katie home with us (with Ryan soon to follow, hopefully).

As far as prayer requests go, we have a few:

1. Tricia has been a bit under the weather for the last few days, and unable to go to the hospital to see the babies, so please pray for a speedy recovery for her!

2. The continued progress of Katie and Ryan...

3. The balancing act that all of this commotion requires of all of us!

Until next time,

The Johnson Five

Happy Easter!

At 6:50am today, Jake was yelling "Happy Easter" from his bedroom, so we got the day started by finding what the Easter Bunny had decided to bring him in his basket. Jake was thrilled with all of the candy and the gift, and we have been trying to contain sugar consumption ever since! :)

Here's Jake with his little Hot Wheels mini track that the Easter Bunny got him. The little car falls down into a tank of water with "pirahnas" in it, and then comes out "scratched" when it gets wet. Hours and hours of fun!

As for Katie and Ryan, it has been an eventful couple of days. Mommy and Daddy got to bathe each of them on Friday, and they got to put on clothes for the first time! Of course, that lasted for less than 24 hours and they had slight setback yesterday, as they both became a bit jaundiced and had to go back under the UV lights. However, it appears that 24 hours under the lights did them some good, and they are back solidly in range that they need to be. Here's a video of part of Katie's bath:

Both of the babies are also taking some bottles now as well, in addition to their tube feedings. Katie is now getting four feedings per day from the bottle and four from the tube, and is doing quite well. Ryan, on the other hand, is getting two bottle feedings and six tube feedings per day, and is a little behind his sister as far as taking to the bottle. We seem to keep missing Katie's feedings, but ended up lucking into one of Ryan's bottle feedings last night. Also, the NICU was a bit short-staffed last night, so they let Tricia try to feed him, which they don't normally let parents do this early in the game:

As we remember Christ's sacrifice and resurrection on this Easter, we get some first-hand symbolism about the new life we have in Him. Some of us progress faster than others, some have setbacks, some take their food more readily than others, but God loves us all, and is actively participating in our development on a constant basis! We praise God that not only is He taking care of and developing our little babies, but He is working on us at the same time as well. Please pray for us and our babies, but also for those who are spiritual "babies" and may have not even had their "birth" yet!

Until next time,

The Johnson Five

Update on the Dynamic Duo

Just before we head off to bed, we thought we'd give a quick update on Katie and Ryan.

Katie is still progressing very well and no longer receiving IV fluids. The only thing she is on is a little bit of oxygen, which they plan to take away tomorrow! The next steps for her will be to try to maintain her own body temperature (with clothes on), and also to nurse well from a bottle. She fed from a bottle for about 5 minutes today and did a so-so job, so the nurses are hoping that she can pick it up a bit next time. Almost forgot, Katie had her first bath and Mommy and Daddy got to hold her for the first time yesterday! :) All in all, she is doing great!

Here's a little video of Katie hanging out (from yesterday):

Katie getting a bath:

Ryan is also doing well, but still being outdone by his sister. :) He is off of the ventilator now and just on oxygen. He is still receiving so IV fluids, but they hope to be able to take him off those tomorrow. Today, Mommy and Daddy got to hold Ryan for the first time, and he also got a bath. It actually was a very big day for Ryan, as we got to see his eyes for the first time! Since he got ripped off in the last blog entry, we're posting two of his videos this time. :)

Daddy and Ryan after his bath:

And, not to be left out, the big brother!

Thanks to all for all of the prayers and support. Please keep praying not only for Katie and Ryan, but the whole family, as the 3X daily trips to the hospital have proven to be exhausting (and expensive) for us all. We praise God for the strength he gives us to get through each day and the grace he is giving Katie and Ryan to adjust to life so quickly!

Until next time,

The Johnson Five

Mommy's Home!

It's a big day here at the Johnson house, as Jake and Daddy welcomed Mommy home today. One down, two to go! :) We are very excited to have Tricia back, and she is glad to be home, because even though they took very good care of her, they didn't let her sleep much. Now that she's home, she's going to try to get some good sleep so that we can gear up for 4X daily trips to the hospital.

Okay, I know everyone is looking for a baby update, so here it is... Katie was taken off her ventilator today, so she is now breathing 100% on her own, though she does have oxygen right now to make the transition easier. She should have the oxygen taken away tomorrow, and then maybe everything else as well, so there is a small chance that we could get to hold her for the first time tomorrow evening! She is doing very well, and although it looks like at least another week in the ICU for her, she's doing great.

Here's a little video of Katie fussing, now that she is doing a bit better:

And another of her... sneezing? Making some weird noise, anyway. You can also get an idea of how tiny she is by seeing my hand and her pacifier. :)

As for Ryan, he is also doing well, but he's about a day behind his sister as far as his breathing and everything goes. The one thing he is ahead of her on is eating, however. :) Here's a picture of him today:

So we're all doing well, in need of some rest, and just sort of feeling our way through this right now. Please pray for all of us as we adjust to this new way of life. Also, please pray for our situation with our car, as Daddy and Jake were on the way to the hospital in the dark and rain last night and hit a pothole in the road that broke the suspension on one of the front wheels of our car. So although we are okay, we are also trying to organize repairs for the car. Not too worry too much though, we are fortunate enough to be driving a car that belongs to a volunteer that's back in the US, so at least we have a way back and forth to the hospital. God is good, and we are reminded of it often!

Jake's Quote of the Week

Jake: "So if you're happy to come home from the hospital, why were you crying when we left?"

Mom: "Well, Mommy is happy to be coming home, but I was just sad to leave Katie and Ryan at the hospital..."

Jake: "Oh, so you were just being dramatic then?"

Keep praying!

Until next time,

The Johnson Five

Welcome Katie & Ryan!

So, the blessed day has arrived! At 3:35am and 3:36am respectively, we welcomed Katherine Rayn and Ryan Robert into the world a couple of weeks ahead of time. Tricia is pretty sore and tired, and the babies are going to have to spend a week or two in the neonatal ICU to help them with their breathing, but we praise God that everyone is fine and healthy! We are all very excited (especially Jake!), and thank you all for your prayers over the last (almost) nine months. Here are some photos!

Tricia and the doctors preparing for the caesarean section (ironically, on the day Julius Caesar was murdered). :) History nerd moment...

Katie resting in the neonatal ICU just a few minutes after her birth. She weighed in at a dainty little 4 lbs., 13 oz.

Katie's little brother Ryan resting in the bed next to her, weighing in at an unexpectedly manly 6 lbs., 3 oz.

The beautiful baby Katie

The handsome baby Ryan (who looks more like Jake's twin than Katie's, we think)

Please continue to pray for us all in our various areas of need, but especially for a quick recovery for Tricia, and a good (and fast) adjustment to life on the outside for our little twins!

Until next time,

The Johnson Five

Getting Ready!

Well, we are getting pretty close to delivery time for the twins, the doctor told us that we are “in bonus time” now, and he is happy with the progress of the pregnancy so far. He says that the babies are about 2.1 kg each now, which is about 4 lbs. 10 oz., and we are hoping that they can reach 5 lbs. each before they are born. Right now the scheduled delivery date is March 27th, but in reality, it could happen at any time! Tricia is getting pretty uncomfortable these days, so she won’t mind when it is over and we have two little babies. :)

Some of the ladies here threw Tricia a baby shower last weekend, so we received some of the things that we will need, and Tricia had a lot fun as well! Here are a couple of pictures of Tricia getting presents and playing baby shower games:

Jake and Jeremy set the cribs up this weekend, and we went to buy mattresses and some final baby supplies, so we at least have all of the absolute necessities here in case something happens soon. Finally, we have settled on names for the two new members of the Johnson family: Ryan Robert and Katherine Rayn. So please be in prayer over the next few weeks for all of us, but especially Tricia, Ryan, and Katie!





















Jake’s Quote of the Week

Jake: "Mommy, can you make hearts with your eyes? 'Cause I really want to make hearts with my eyes when I see beautiful girls."
Mommy: "What do you mean, Jake?"
Jake: "You know Mom, like Popeye does when he sees Olive Oyl."

Praises and Prayer Requests

We thank God for the way that he has safely brought Tricia and the twins through this pregnancy. With just a couple of weeks left, we are so thankful and blessed that we have had no complications at all. God is good!

Please remember the following needs in prayer this week:

-- Our family, as the time for the twins' birth draws near.
-- The many World Mission Communications projects that we have going right now
-- That God would provide continuity for the 3D program while Tricia is caring for the babies.

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake