Milestones and Hurdles

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Sunday, February 17, 2008

Missing My Boys


Today has been a hard day for this mommy because I could not go see my boys. I came down with a fever overnight and some serious chest congestion so I was stuck in the apartment all day while my mom, Trey and my mother-in-law went to be with Ford and Hayden. I am told they both had pretty good days.

That is certainly good news because Saturday was not a great day for either one of them. Hayden had been weaned quite a lot on his rate on his ventilator so he was needing more Oxygen support. At the same time, Ford was having concerning blood gases. His CO2 was high and he just was not breathing all that easily. The doctors ordered labs on him to make sure he was not getting an infection, they also adjusted his ventilator settings to give him more support, and ordered him a breathing treatment. Slowly his gases got a little better in the late afternoon and into the night.

The boys were blessed to have some visitors this weekend. My Uncle Ronny and Aunt Karen came to see them... our sweet friends Julie and Chris, our cousins Linda and Oliver and our life-long friends John, Linda, Mandy and Lauren came from all over Texas to see the boys. I wish the boys would have been feeling better so I could have enjoyed the company more, but the boys needed our attention.

Julie and Chris brought us the sweetest notes and gifts from a MOPS group in Tyler. It is gestures like this that continue to amaze me... and remind me how beautiful the people in this world are. I know these ladies are probably busy with their lives and their children, but fortunately for us... they take time each day to pray for us, WOW! The boys are so loved by so many people they and we have never met. I can't wait to tell them all of the stories about the East Texans and people all over the country who love them and prayed for them to get better.

I am getting to be in that stage where I miss Ford and Hayden so much that I want them to make strides they are not physically ready to make yet. I know it will happen one day in the future and I am more then willing to do it in God's time, but I just want to hold them more, rock them to sleep, give them sweet kisses and have them home. I know it is a normal feeling, but the longing I feel for my sweet baby boys brings me to tears sometimes.

Ford's nurse told me today he was wide awake at some points. I hate that I missed that because I was sick. It crazy how much I miss diaper changes and taking temperatures.

I pray that tomorrow I will have kicked this sickness and fever and will be able to see the twins tomorrow night, but I don't want to do anything to make my boys sick. I alerted the nurses right after I realized I had a fever that I was sick just so they could watch the boys more closely for any signs of infection. I guess my defenses are just down and it doesn't take much to get sick when you don't sleep much and you spend hours upon hours at the hospital watching after Ford and Hayden. There is no other place I should be or would rather be though.

I think about all of you a lot. Those of you who pray for us and blog to us. I want you to know I think you all are very special people. To take time out of your day to reassure us, pray for us and read how our two little miracle boys are doing, just amazes me. There are so many people doing special things for Ford and Hayden. At my mother's work, some of her co-workers are giving up their favorite things until the boys come home, a contractor who worked at my mom's house donated his fee back to the boys, several ladies stopped my mother in law at Marshall's to tell her they were praying for the boys... the list goes on and on! I am just amazed that Ford and Hayden have touched so many people's lives and you don't even know them yet. I want to tell you they are precious. They are all LOVE! The Power of Prayer is working in them and I am so blessed. Trey and I will never take any of you for granted because we know we could not do this without all of your love and support.
All our love,
Dana, Trey, Ford and Hayden

17 comments:

A Cole said...

Dearest Hughey family,

I am loving the new pictures of you both and the boys. I check on you everyday and pray after I check the site and read your postings. I am so grateful to God for His many mercies that He has bestowed on you all. Use this time that you are too ill to be at the hospital to regain your strength and catch up on some sleep. Sometimes the Lord does this to make us stop and refresh (speaking from experience). What a blessing to have family and friends coming to see you all! I also enjoyed your story of the boys' first Valentines and the sweetness of holding them for the first time. I wept over that one (as did my husband when I tried to read it aloud to him). God's blessing on your little family and may He continue to give you His Peace which passes all understanding.
Holding you in prayer,
Anita Cole

Glenda, saved by grace said...

Good Monday Morning Hugheys!
So glad to see the great pics of the boys. When I saw the headline to todays blog "missing my Boys" I thought to myself thats something that never goes away...I have 4 grown sons who are busy men now and sometimes I wish I could just have my little boys back for just a little while. Just to hold them, stroke their hair, kiss their little lips... You, dear Dana, have all that to look forward to. I look back at all the skinned knees, stitches, bruises , fights...ect and I think Lord how did I get through those times? How did I deal with all the overwhelming circumstances, and there were lots of them... I think if I were to try to teach you a bit of wisdom, I'd say "Always find joy in the journey God has called you to travel. Learn how to "rest" in Christ' presence. Trust Him for your deepest needs and savor every minute, hang on to every word, live each day and love 'em like there's no tomorrow!
I continue to pray for ya'll. You REST and get better. Take care of YOU, so you can take care of THEM!
I hope Ya'll have a great week. Rest in Christ and bask in His blessings!
In His hands!
Glenda

Anonymous said...

Hughey's,
Dana I hate that you are sick but please get some rest and get yourself well!!! So good to hear the boys are doing well. I love the pics, they are precious. You are still in our prayers and will remain there in the months ahead. We love yall and appreciate the updates. Have a great day.

Anonymous said...

Trey, Dana and boys,

Dana Dixon Hughey, Take the time to get well, do not rush it. You go back too soon and NONE of you will be happy about it.

We think of you all often and look forward to when your lives can be normal. Whatever normal is with twin boys! Yikes, you all are going to be some kind of busy.

Can't wait until Trey is at home at 4:00 am by himself with the boys, while you are down at the station making the rest of us smile just seeing your lovely face.
Trey will have to learn to juggle bottles and diapers...makes me smile to think of it!

Hope you all have a wonderful week in every way.

Hugs,

Pam J.

Anonymous said...

Dana, So sorry to hear you are not feeling well.
I can only imagine how much you want all of this to be over, and it will! You guy's are over the hump, and it won't be long at all till all of you are home snuggled up. This will soon be a horrible and sometimes happy memory for you guy's. Hang in there! Everyday the boy's are getting older and healthier. Take care of yourself! The boy's will need all of your attention when they get home.
We miss hearing your voice and seeing your sweet face in the mornings. It is so sweet of you guy's to share your pictures with us. We will continue to pray for all of you!

Anonymous said...

I have stopped by this blog several times to check on the status of the babies. I know there are many people who can tell you this but I know what you are going through. I have prayed for you and the babies from the perspective of a mom who had twins born prematurely. Without the grace and help of the Lord, the babies wouldn’t have made it and my husband and I wouldn’t have kept our sanity. The struggles seemed insurmountable! God guided us every step of the way. He taught us so many things about His character and great love. As we struggled financially, living 4 hours from home, in stress with the health of the babies, God directed us to begin praying for and helping others. How Great is our God! We saw miracle after miracle with not only our babies but also many others around us. Before long, (it seemed long to us at the time but now in the overall scheme of things it was short) we were home with our precious gifts. God gave me an older song (“Praise The Lord”) that encouraged me through the toughest of days. He sent friends and family that were extremely supportive. He provided through it all. Now, I truly know that He is a healer. He is a provider. He is Almighty. His grace is sufficient! “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” (Number 6:24-26)

Sheila Barclay
Loving wife of 21 years and blessed mom of
one 9 year old (the first miracle),
two 3 year olds (“twenty toes”),
and a 22 month old (HA! That’s a whole other story).

Anonymous said...

Hughey Family,
I am praying that all is going well for both of the boys and yall as well. My husband, myself and our new son just got out of the NICU as well, all I can tell you is that every thing will be alright, keep your eyes on God and ask him for what you need and he WILL pull you through. You can't look at it like well today was great because tommorw may not be as well you have to stay in the middle but the day will come before you know it that yall will get to come home. Just remember that Jesus said and It came to pass, he did not say that it had come to stay.
Praying Hard,
The Beverlys

Anonymous said...

The roller coaster continues, but again with the downs you have had some great ups. And for that we all give praise to our Lord. Dana, take care of yourself. Those boys will need a strong Mom and Dad. They have grown so much in just a short month. We will continue to pray for all of you and keep your eyes on the Lord. The progress your boys have made is a testimony to the grace and mercy of our Lord.

Unknown said...

Hughey's, I have watched your story since it first aired on the news. I pray for you and your family night and day. I too had a premie, so I know the feeling to want to take them home. It seems as though your not complete until that happens. I wanted to let you know how widespread prayers are for you and your family. My brother-n-law has a web-site called Angel Heart Ministries. This is a web site where people go request prayers and pray for people that have different illnesses. Well I told him about your story and he posted it up on his site. People view and pray for those on the prayer list from all over even in other countries.You can view the sight at angelheartministry.org I look foward to hearing the story of you all going home with the boys. GOD BLESS YOU ALL

Anonymous said...

Dana, I am so sorry that you are sick...we had already added mommy to our prayer list after your episode last week! My heart swells to see you and Trey holding those boys, I can`t wait to meet them!!!
Nanie

Anonymous said...

I hope you get to feeling better soon, Dana. Also, my family and I continue to pray for you and the boys and will continue until they are able to come home. Thanks for the updates. By the way, how much are the boys weighing now? In the pics they look like they have grown a lot. God Bless you and your family and here is to hoping for a great week!!

Miranda

Anonymous said...

Dear Hughey family,

I have been hearing about your little boys for a while. I have been meaning to send you a post, but kept forgetting. I thought about you today and wanted to let you know that I had a premature little girl. My Jessica was born when I was 5-1/2 months pregnant. She weight 1 lb 14 oz and was 12" long. She went down to 1 lb 3oz over night. She had many prayers just like your sweet little boys. She was a Lufkin News Sunday Morning Headliner. My Jessica is now 26 years old, with an associate degree in childhood development. She is a wonderful Christian with a bubbly personality. God hears and answers prayers. The doctors, God Bless them, didn't offer much hope except to say that they did all they could and that she was in God's hands - that she was (and is). There is power and healing in prayer. My church has been praying for you.

Anonymous said...

Your faith in God during this trial is such an encouragement to us. We admire you for continuing to glorify Him during such an emotional time for all of you. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to keep us informed of how your wonderful family is doing. Please know that you have one more family who is praying for you.

Anonymous said...

What wonderful pictures Dana. I am sorry you have been under the weather! I know being away from those boys are tough, but you would do them more harm than good if you were with them. It sounds as if all the love and prayers going up for Ford and Hayden are working. I can't even imagine what you, as a Mother. have gone through but I know the pain of watching your child suffer and it's not something you want to witness! You stated at the end of your entry that you don't know why we love these little boys as much as we do? Dana, we love you!! We know who YOU are and as a community we have latched onto you and we love you, therefore we love your little angels! I know missing your boys are tough right now but remeber these things, you can't take care of them if you are sick! You don't want them to get sick and, as a mother, if you don't take care of yourself, who will be there to take care of your boys?

I am sorry I haven't written in a while. I have been ill as well and my Fibromyalgia has been acting up really bad.

Love to all!! Take care of yourself!

Debra Bunt
Gladewater, Texas

Robin said...

I am a mom of 10 month old twins living in Austin, but originally from Tyler. My mom is here visiting and just told me about your family this morning. My heart instantly goes out to you. I immediately found this blog and wanted to send you a note. Our son (we have boy/girl twins) was a little over 3 pounds at birth and was very, very sick with what is called NEC. Basically he had a hole in his intestines. He also had a blood disease and we were unable to touch him without wearing gloves and a face mask. Estlin was in the NICU for the first 5 weeks of his life and we were told something different every single day...well, every single hour really. On the video clip you said the same thing...that this is such a rollercoaster ride...you never know from one minute to the next how something may change in the boys' condition. Dana, my heart feels so full for you. I have been there. I know that you are emotionally and physically exhausted, yet you hold on with dear life to the one thing you have: HOPE. During Estlin's time in the NICU, in the midst of doctors telling us "this just doesn't look good" and then the next minute saying something a bit encouraging, I had to kind of remove myself from it all and just escape in my mind to a place God had laid out for me. A place where, in my mind, I could just close my eyes and imagine Estlin running in the grass and falling down and laughing and getting back up again and chasing bugs and then chasing his sister...and looking at me with those sweet brown eyes and me being able to see that he is alive and has a future. I BELIEVE THIS FOR YOUR BOYS!!!! I believe they will run and laugh and squeeze you and fight with each other and wake you up all night long and wake each other up (something most moms complain about but you won't...you'll just praise God that they are with you) and look at you for assurance when they take their first wobbly step. I can't wait to hear about the day that they come home. You are such a wonderful and loving mom and even though they aren't home yet, they still know it and love you more than anything else. They feel your love and it is what keeps them fighting. Remember, in those quiet moments when you can't be right be their side, GOD IS RIGHT THERE. He hasn't left them- not even for a second. I would love to be someone you can ask "twin" questions to when the boys get home!!! Much love from our family (Jeremy, Robin, Estlin and Olivia) to yours.

Anonymous said...

Dana,
I hope you are feeling better. Thank you for the continued updates on your boys. I check the blog everyday and when I told my daughter,(now a 23 year old "preemie" who lives in NY) about you and your babies, she began following your story as well. We pray for you and your family every day and look forward to hearing about the milestones they are reaching and the progress they are making.
Thanks again for sharing your babies with us. With love and prayers til next time.

Anonymous said...

Dana,Trey, Hayen & Ford,
I am so sorry to hear that you are sick, but you have to take care of your health so you will be able to take care of your precious boys.
I pray that the Lord will keep you, Trey & the boys in his loving arms until they are out of the hospital. There is no greater or stronger love than a Mother's love for her children. Please know that we are all praying that you will be healed and the boys will overcome their obstacles.They be much stronger than you could ever imagine once they are out of the hospital and playing for hours on end. Boys have a special bond with their Mom and yours will be even stronger because of what you have overcome. Keep your chin up and your faith strong. God will get you through if he brings you to it. Give the boys a sweet kiss and hug from all of us that love you and Trey and those precious boys. Before you know it you will be home chasing those little boys, trying to keep up with them. Continue to keep us updated and we will continue to pray for all of you. Much love to you, Trey, Hayden & Ford and both families that you represent.

Nancy

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Picture Worth A Thousand Words

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