27 January- We are celebrating again as Kel hits the 29 week mark tomorrow. While I've been out of town Kel has done an amazing job of staying positive and not worrying that something would cause me to come rushing home. Today she had another ultrasound and we are so excited that Kel had more fluid today than she has since her water broke. It measured almost 6.3cm and it also appeared that Caroline's stomach and bladder were full. Both are possible signs of her taking in fluid which is great news. We have been so lucky this winter that most of our family has stayed healthy enough to visit Kel regularly. As we continually try to avoid germs even the sniffles are cause to stay away. Well, I've been out of St. Louis for three days now and I have a pretty good head cold. Please pray that I am over it before I return home on Friday. Also pray that while Kel has been doing great that we continue on that path and allow Caroline another month to grow before her grand entrance.

22 January- The last 24 hours have been a little nerve racking. Caroline's heartbeat has had a few big dips and Kel has begun having contractions again. The doctors don't seem too concerned with the dips at this point as they tend to spring right back up, but still something they are watching very closely. The contractions are still not regular so no worries there yet either. We found out today that the girl in the room next to Kel had her baby this morning. She had been in the hospital since Kel arrived and literally was in the same scenario. Her water broke at 17 weeks and she was just shy of 29 weeks gestation today when she delivered. Their baby boy is on a respirator but appears to be taking in more oxygen and doing better than they anticipated he would. It was so awesome to hear their news. We will be praying for their little boy's growth and development and ask that you do too. We want Caroline to stay put past 29 weeks but their story gives us confidence for the day she does arrive.

20 January- For those who wait anxiously for updates, we are very sorry that it has been a week since our last. I have been keeping very busy painting a baby room and other remodeling projects and Kel has been waiting rather patiently for today. Two reasons made today very special. First, it was Kel’s birthday and we had a great celebration this evening. A great birthday present was the growth and measurement ultrasound Kel had earlier. Caroline now weighs approximately 2 lbs 9 oz and is right around the 50th percentile on the growth charts. The tech said she is right on track. More exciting than that was the visible amount of fluid floating in Caroline’s stomach. This is awesome evidence that she has been taking in what little fluid there is. This fluid is essential for lung development and we hope this means she has been getting enough all along. Speaking of lung development, Kel reaches the 28 week mark tomorrow and is already scheduled for her second round of shots to help the lungs mature. This is another huge milestone. This is all great news and helps us stay confident but there are still needs for prayer. I have been ordered to Jefferson City for a week long class starting this coming Sunday. While the timing is awful the class is a necessary step for my military progression. Please pray that Kel and Caroline have the most uneventful week ever so I can focus and not worry about my girls.

13 January- It has only been two days since our last update, but I feel like so much has happened. The contractions Kel started having a few days ago have continued. They are very sporadic but they've become enough of a concern that the nurses have prepared IV fluids to keep nearby just in case. They tell us they are watching for her to have six or more an hour before any new measures would be taken. The specialist explained that since Kel is further along now they would not try to stop the contractions. Of course we would rather the contractions go away so Caroline can grow inside for a few more weeks. Today Kel had another ultrasound and her fluid was again at a very low level. I'm not sure what brought it up but we raised the debate again about Kel's actual due date yesterday and after multiple checks today it has been determined she is due April 15 (the original date). We know we won't get there but its significant because that means Kel reaches the 27 week point tomorrow not this coming Sunday. We are a bit ahead of where we've been thinking. Once Kel reaches the 28 week point she will receive her second dose of steroids. After her ultrasound, Kel was able to visit the new sector of the NICU. This area is where babies go after they graduate from the NICU we toured awhile ago. St. John's is very proud of this new facility and its updates. We hold on to hope that most of Caroline's NICU time is spent there since that would mean she is advancing quickly.

11 January- The last few days have been a little rough. On Friday Kel's ultrasound showed fluid levels at one of the lowest points since the start of our struggle. Doctors and nurses told us not to get too upset that the heartbeat and other signs still looked okay. Then late Saturday night I got a call to come back up to hospital because Kel had felt a few contractions. I could tell fear had set in with Kel as she spoke over the phone. Of course we know Caroline is going to be born early but we are hoping so much to make it past a few more milestones of development. After a few hours of some small and some not so small contractions they seemed to fade and Kel was able to get some rest. Since then she has had a few more but at this point there is no sign of labor. The doctor won't rule out that these could be early signs of heading that direction but they also said it is not uncommon for women in this situation to have a few random contractions. On a more positive note, Kel reached the 26 week mark today and we are praying for eight solid more weeks of growth and development so Caroline is able to receive another round of steroids and given a much better shot at a healthy start.

7 January- Kel has now been in the hospital for a week and two days. We have been getting lots of reports of how well Kel and the baby are doing. In fact, she has been so stable lately that some of the frequent tests they were running have been canceled. She had another ultrasound yesterday and the fluid levels were down a bit but they were still higher than they had been before coming to the hospital. I was afraid that me going back to work would make Kel's days long and lonely. Thankfully, she has been blessed with guests both days so far. Tomorrow Kel and I celebrate our four year anniversary and while we would love to spend it somewhere outside of St. John's we are just happy that it is our first anniversary together since our first one.

2 January- Kel just returned from her weekly visit to the Perinatal Center for an ultrasound. These will now be primarily to check fluid levels since they are monitoring the baby's heartbeat 24 hours a day. We got some exciting news when they discovered Kel's fluid levels were up to 5.4cm. Most of you probably won't understand the numbers but know that today's reading was almost twice as much as Kel has been averaging. We don't want to mislead you, those numbers are still well below where a normal pregnancy would be, but a big step for us. We also learned something else today. These first few days in the hospital, with the added stress and constant monitor adjustments have begun to take their toll on Kel. This morning as Kel sat up in a wheelchair for an extended time she grew very tired and weak. Many factors have contributed to her lack of good rest but please pray that she begin to get more rest especially knowing that Caroline appears to be doing well.