Dylan Update

As you know Dylan developed an infection called MRSA. The MRSA started in his lungs and we recently learned that it also spread to his blood stream. As was previously posted, Dylan was started on heavy antibiotics in order to catch and kill the infection. This morning we were thrilled to hear that last couple blood cultures have turned out negative and that his lungs x-ray was looking better. This means that the MRSA in his blood stream has stopped multiplying. The MRSA still remains in his lungs, but is getting better. Earlier this morning the Doctor told Brandi that he was "thrilled how well he is responding to the antibiotics". Dylan continues to fight his way through and we hope and pray it continues.

Due to the infection, Dylan has needed to be given large amounts of fluid to both fight the infection and keep him stable. One risk of having to give him high volumes of fluid is that if it's given too much too fast it can result in brain bleeds. There are 4 levels of brain bleeds (1-mild and 4-severe). The condition associated with brain bleeds is cerebral palsy. However, a level 4 doesn't necessarily mean you going to have problems. There have been level 1 cases that have resulted in cerebral palsy and level 4 cases that resulted in nothing; so I guess you never really know what it's going to do. Needless to say, we have been very worried to see how Dylan would react to the fluid. This morning he had some tests done on his head and the doctor told us that everything looks perfect! Another hurdle cleared! Dylan is one tough and tenacious little dude!

More updates coming soon.

P.S. We want to thank our friends and family for all the support (flowers, dinners, prayers, etc.) and we want to give a special shout out to Sally, Ashley, Kyle and Big D (Dylan). Thank you so much for the letters, it made our day!

Rollercoaster Ride

When we said this was going to be a up and down journey we weren't kidding. Today they discovered that Dylan has a staff infection called MRSA. So far, we know that it's in his lungs and we're waiting for more blood work to come back to see if it has spread anywhere else. They have started him on several antibiotics and anti-fungals and hope to catch it quickly. Dylan's having blood pressure problems and they have also started him on other medications to regulate it. Although this isn't a very common infection it is manageable and it's common for preemies to get infections. There isn't really a way to determine how he got it, but for the time being, having visitors isn't really an option. They are moving him to a more isolated area to prevent the spread of infection. Things will be okay, but it doesn't make it any easier seeing our little boy sick. In fact, words can not express how much I HATE seeing my little boy like this. There isn't a more horrible and helpless feeling in the world than wanting to help your child so much and not being able to do anything about it. This will definitely be a long process of ups and downs and chances are he may go through a couple of different infections before our stay here is done. He's a tough little guy and will pull through, but I just want someone to wake me up when this is all over. Please keep our little Dylan in your prayers.

-Jeff and Brandi

Holding Dylan for the first time

This week has been a rollercoaster with my emotions. Motherhood is amazing. I can't believe how quickly I unconditionally fell in love with this little guy and can't imagine my life without him. You have no idea how hard it is to sit there day after day and not be able to hold your baby. It is torture. Feb 23rd at 11 days old was the first time I was able to hold him. It was by far one of the greatest moments of my life. He is absolutely perfect. He loved being held. He nustled right up to my chest and was totally relaxed. You could tell that he knew his mom. I will always treasure this first time and can't wait to be able to hold him in my arms again soon!





One of the nurses was nice enough to do some hand molds of Dylan. They are amazing! They show so much detail of his little hands and are the actual size.



Here's one of D's molds in Daddy's hand.



Dylan's recent updates and accomplishments
-Peed on Mommy while getting his diaper changed.
-His other eye un-fused (One of his eyes was still fused shut at birth).
-Heart and Head still look great.
-His lungs are giving us fits, but they continue to develop.
-Had his 3rd blood transfusion.
-His feedings are progressing well and increasing in amount.
-Still on the ventilator.
-He surpassed the 2 pound mark. He's now weighing in at 2 lbs 3 oz!
-The nursery is almost done and we'll have pics coming soon



Thanks for the prayers and keep em' coming!!!!

Are You Serious?

Have you ever in your entire life seen something so freaking cute? Seriously though!? He is the most awesome little boy ever! His hair was pretty dark the first couple days, but now almost a week old, his hair is beginning to get lighter and is almost going blonde on us.

Well after 11 total hospital days and nights Brandi was released. Her blood pressure is still a bit high, but we have her on some medication to regulate it and hopefully in the next few weeks it'll go down for good. We wanted nothing more in the world than to take our little guy home with us, but he still has some growing and developing to do. So we'll be pretty much living at the hospital until we can take him home.

So far this has been a really rough trail and at times it seems overwhelming. He's going to have some good days and some bad days, but we have a good feeling everything will work out. We both have been amazed to hear how many people are praying and fasting for our little family. This is very humbling and it has brought tears to our eyes on several different occasions. We would like to thank everyone for the prayers and fasting. Please continue to help us ask the Lord for His blessings.

Dylan's vital organs look great and slowly but surely he continues to progress. We both have already been able to change his diaper and we've been trying to get him to take his tiny little binki. He also loves to grab onto his mommy's finger

Here is a quick update on his progress
-blood gases and sugars look good
-O2 and CO2 levels are bouncing around a bit, but it's normal for a pre-term baby
-he's having a hard time processing the little food we're giving him. This is also very normal due to the fact that we're asking the stomach and intestines to begin functioning when they weren’t ready to start for another 2 months.
-they have been keeping a close eye on brain and heart functions and anatomy and so far both look great.
-he's on some antibiotics to prevent him from getting infections.

The Baby Dylan Davis Story

Life is an interesting thing. You try to plan the way you want things to go and life decides otherwise. That's exactly what just recently happened to us and our original plans have gone straight out the window. To say that the last few days have been stressful would be a gross understatement. It has been an emotional roller coaster and one I hope I never have to experience again. On Tuesday the 12th of February Brandi had a c-section delivery and our little guy joined our family forever. To preface the event I need to you bring back to Friday the 8th of Feb. After already working 3 consecutive night shifts at the hospital, Brandi was informed that she was going to be called into work again on Friday night. When I first heard the news I was less than happy. I hadn't hardly seen her for several days and I was hoping that we would be able to hang out. During the first hour of her shift she mentioned to one of the nurses that she wasn't feeling very good. The nurse told her to go up to labor and delivery to get checked out. Labor and delivery checked her blood pressure and immediately admitted her. As most of you know, Brandi had developed a condition called preeclampsia during the pregnancy. Preeclampsia to put it shortly, is a high blood pressure condition that 5-8% of first time moms can get. It can be a very nasty and serious for both mom and the baby. Brandi gave us a couple of scares and we're so blessed and lucky we caught it when we did. My wife is the most amazing person I have ever known. In the last few days she has been through more than I could ever imagine and I love her more than anything in the world, and would confess to anyone that she's the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. She is my freaking hero. For me, the hardest thing so far has been playing the role of innocent bystander. I’ve wanted so bad to help any way I could, but have felt so helpless through a lot of the ordeal. I've never been so physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted in my entire life. Now a day later, Brandi is recovering slowly but surely and should be able to come home to me in 3-5 days. The thought of "what if she hadn't been called in?" has raced through my mind a thousand times. Her getting called in that night may very well have saved her life. Although this has been an extremely trying time, the blessings we have already received during the last week are too numerous to count.
On February 12, 2008 at 9:40 p.m. at just 28 weeks along, our little Dylan was brought into the world. He weighed in at 1 pound 14 ounces and 13 inches long. Brandi and I love him with all our hearts. We have been told that pre-term babies that have been in distress at any time during the pregnancy do better in the NICU than pre-term babies that hadn’t had to struggle. Our little Dylan had found himself in this very situation and because of that has proven to be a true fighter thus far. He seems to be progressing very well and although everything most likely will turn out just fine, there are a few things we will still have to watch for. It’s going to be an up and down journey and we’re hoping and praying for the best. Just hours after Dylan came into this world I remember looking at him in the new-born ICU and saying to the nurse “Now I got to worry about this little guy” and the nurse grined and said “Welcome to parenthood, you’ll be worrying about him for the rest of your life”. I just smiled, realizing she was absolutely correct. They say that parents should plan on having pre-term babies in the NICU until their due date. His is on May 6 so we'll see what happens. Words can not express how amazing it is to see a little guy his size yawn, sneeze, cry, and stretch. I just get so amped to see him every single day. He is such an awesome little boy and he's so cute.
After they stitched up Brandi from her c-section and enroute to her new recovery room, her nurses brought her up to the NICU so she could see Dylan. They raised and adjusted her bed so she could lean over and touch her little guy. What happened next was the greatest moment in my life. The very second she began to talk to him, Dylan’s eyebrows rose dramatically and he began to almost reach his little arms towards the voice. He had recognized his mommy’s voice and wanted to be with her. There were several of us standing by his bed and after we had seen what had just transpired we all looked up at each other with utter amazement. It was an absolutely incredible moment and I couldn't hold back the tears from streaming down my face.
We would like to thank our friends and family for the countless phone calls, text messages, prayers, fasting, faith, brought over dinners, flowers, and goodie bags. This really has been a humbling experience and it has been so awesome to see so much support from the people who we love so much. To quote the the words of one of our doctors "Your prayers are working"! Please continue to pray for Brandi and Dylan. Dylan has a bit of a journey ahead of him and we need all the help we can get.

Trust me when I say that seeing him in a picture doesn't fully do him justice. Seeing him in real life is total different experience. He is so tiny.

Here Dylan is wearing Daddy's wedding band.












We will have many more pictures soon!!!!

Swimming with the Turtles

A couple more Hawaii pics.....
I took these pics with a crappy underwater camera, but managed to capture a couple of good shots. We just got our film developed and scanned these pics to the computer. About 20 feet off shore from Lane's (Brandi's brother) house a group of about 8 turtles live around a big coral like rock. These turtles were awesome to swim with and some of them were huge! The first time Brandi encountered one while swimming she got kinda nervous and panicked. It was pretty funny. As long as you swam calm they would let you get really close. It was awesome!

President Gordon B. Hinckley

I want to take a moment to express my love for this great man. He is my hero. He has been such an incredible example of every aspect of life. The way he treats and honors his lovely wife has been an example of how I want to treat my wife who I love with all my heart. He always brings a smile to my face with his witty and amazing sense of humor. His work ethic is second to none. Brandi and I both mentioned to each other of how much we're going to miss just hearing his voice and testimony. So many incredible things have come to pass during his tenure as prophet, seer, and revelator. Temples daunt the landscape, generations of people from 3rd world countries and less fortunate circumstances will greatly benefit form the perpetual education fund. He was the people's prophet and the world's prophet. He touched millions of lives across the globe and so many of us have personal experiences of how he has influenced us in one way or another. As I watched his funeral I had a hard time keeping back the tears. He was hand picked and trained by God to lead His church during this time. He is awesome! I know that he was truly was the mouth piece of the Lord. When I get across to the other side I look forward to shake his hand and thank him for touching and blessing my life.

I am so glad he can be reunited with his sweet wife. May we all strive to heed his council to stand a little taller. We love you President Hinckley and thank you for all you have done for us.

Hawaii 2008

Well heaven exsists and it's called Hawaii. We just back from our 8 day trip to Oahu and we had a blast. It was 75-80 degree weather the whole time, with little 5 minute stretches of rain every once in a while. We stayed with Brandi's brother Lane. He has a beach house on the north-shore in the city of Waialua. We could take 10 steps out his back yard and be on the beach. We had a freaking blast and staying on the North Shore opposed to the tourist trap of Waikiki made the trip tons better.

Pics from Lane's (Brandi's brother) back balcony




Lane is an officer in the Army and flys Blackhawks




Lane was nice enough to let us use his truck for most of the week. This was a huge hook up. We were able to see most of the island and do some awesome things.

The Dole Pineapple Plantation







The Laie Temple








Pearl Harbor and the Punch Bowl Cemetery








The Polynesian Cultural Center






other fun things
-Lots of beach time
-Hike up to a waterfall
-Fishing
-eating at lots of good restaurants
-Snorkeling/swimming with sea turtles and tons of different fish
-Shopping
-and tons more

Hawaii is just absolutely gorgeous

Best trip ever! We had an awesome time and hope to go back again soon. Needless to say we were less than stoked to come home to snow, sub 20 degree weather, shoveling our driveway, jobs and real life.