Friday, April 11, 2008

A big step forward

Tricia went all night without the vent! And her CO2 levels (carbon dioxide) are all good. Because she's had such a difficult time getting off the vent, they're going to take the cautious route and get her through tomorrow morning in ICU. Then, barring any kinds of setbacks, she'll be transferred to a step-down unit tomorrow.

Keep in mind that before the tx Tricia had not breathed on her own since the first week in January when she was ventilated. So her body has had to relearn how to breathe on its own. The muscles that we use to breathe had to be revitalized in a sense. So they're wisely delaying the transfer one more day. They don't want to send her out only to have to bring her back again.

Gwyneth is doing great in her new bed. She's tried to crawl out a couple of times, so they've had to put the sides up on the crib.

Those of you who got suckered in by the smaller pug (on April 1) just got taken again, I'm afraid.

She is maintaining her body temperature, which was the main concern. They've cut back a little on her bottle feeds simply because she's so small and it's such a workout for her, burning up calories. But they're still working with her on the bottle. She's now tipping the scales at 3lb. 2oz!

To give you an idea of how small she still is, I saw a news report on TV last night about a baby born the day after Gwyneth who weighed 1lb. 4 oz (that's 2 oz. less than Gwyneth), who has already gone home and weighs 6lbs! So this has been a fight for her. But she's incredibly strong.

Tricia's brother Joe and his wife Carolyn are driving down today from PA for a visit. Tricia and Joe are just weeks apart in age (remember, they're adopted), so they're very close. Like twins.

Nate's still enjoying his time off. And the skies are Carolina Blue today for the first time this week (at least here on the OBX).

Rick Lawrenson

85 comments:

My2Girls said...

Wonderful news!

Unknown said...

Thanks for the update, Grandpa!

amy smith said...

thank you so much for keeping the posts up! Prayers for weight gain and strong lungs heading your way...

Sheila said...

Woo! Way to go, Tricia! Sounds like you are making great progress, and sounds like the doctors are making good careful decisions for your care and recovery program.
Good news re. Gwyneth too, maintaining temperature is a big step. And all that weight gain is just awesome.
Thanks God for another good day for the Lawrenson family!

Kelly said...

Wonderful update! Thanks Rick. I'm glad they are being conservative with Tricia's care. Patience is a virtue and I know how much everyone wants her out of ICU, but better safe than sorry. I'm sure you already know that! As for Gwyneth's growth...you know you can't rush a woman! She's a strong girl and I'm proud of all of the progress she's making. As always, thanks for letting us all share in the blessings from Above! I pray for you all everyday. God bless.

Smiles,
Kelly

Our Two Blessings From Above said...

Great update!

Praying for Tricia that all goes well and she will be moved out of ICU tomorrow. Great news on Gwyneth.
Thanks for the update.
Please send some blue skies to Minnesota.

Lee said...

GREAT NEWS all around.. praying for you all....

blessed said...

Congratulations on a very big mile stone! God is Faithful. I pray God gives Tricia the strength she needs to continue to improve! I also pray that Gwyneth gains weight. No matter what comes your way today just remember God is Always There!! :) He will never leave you nor forsake you! When you are at the end of your rope that is the beginning of God's!
Thanks for all the updates.

Anne said...

Thank you for the update!!!

I'll keep praying that both girls get healthier and stronger every day, and maybe they'll come home together, wouldn't that be the grestest thing!!!

Unknown said...

God is so AMAZING! Thanking Him every day for bringing your family through this time. It's great to see how the girls are doing! KEEP IT UP! Lot's of love and prayers from Ohio.

Blessings From Above said...

Thanks for the wonderful reports. great news on all fronts. While I am sure Tricia (and Nate!) are anxious for her to be moved to the step-down unit, better safe than sorry.

Have a blessed day!

Kerry said...

Thanks for sharing the good news Rick! Nate, continue your focus on your family! I am amazed by the pics of Little Miss Gwyneth in her big girl crib- she may be tiny but she is mighty!

I pray Tricia has a good day & night and the move to the step down unit will be a great one!

As always, continuing to pray for all! Kerry

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the update on the girls!!

Angela R. said...

That is great news! Nate has two very strong girls on his hands. Praying for you all ALWAYS and looking forward to more good news.

-Angela

Vicki said...

Great news! Continuing to pray for you all.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful update, I hope everything continues to go well! (and you guys are such tricksters with the smaller pug!) :D

Patty Honeycutt said...

Thanks for the update! To God be the glory great things He has done, and will continue doing.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Grandaddy, the fingerprints of God are all over your family, how amazing! See you in OBX soon!
Praying Hard,
The Shepards

capitoldiver said...

I think I saw that clip on TV last night, about the baby who was born early, and the mother unexpectedly just died, and other new mothers were donating their milk to feed the tiny baby. I thought about Gwyneth's continued weight gain, and I also thought, "soon, Gwyneth will weigh 6 lbs!"

Em said...

Wonderful news. He is quite the joker with the smaller pug.


Prayers to all.

NCBeachMom said...

wonderful! and i wish I was at OBX with you all today! :0)

continueing to pray!

Anxious AF said...

Praying for a move out of ICU

marcia said...

Thanks for such an in-depth update, Rick! I am so very impressed with how careful the Duke people are in encouraging progress, but at a very SAFE pace! It simply makes good sense to keep Tricia in ICU for another day. Why rock the boat at this point in time?!! So, so happy with all the good things that are happening!

Jane said...

I think it is cool that both of your girls are progressing together these past few weeks.... had one moved ahead of another, she would be home without mommy or daughter. Now THAT would not be easy on anyone in the family, especially Daddy!

So God's timing is proven to be AWESOME in all of this. He has kept them safe. And now they will be released in similar time frames! YEAH GOD!

still praying in SC! (where it has been blues skies all week, might I add!)

mjdav said...

Praise the Lord!

Nora said...

Great news... continuing to pray..

Kristen said...

Yay for improvements for both Lawson Ladies!
I have an adopted brother close in age (10 months) and we behave like twins sometimes. I'm glad we're not the only adopted siblings to have that bond!
Laters
Kristen

terri c said...

GO, Tricia and Gwyneth!!! Hooray!! And hope Nate has some enjoyable times on his much-deserved break. Prayers continuing.

Jen in Al said...

OH, i totally feel for it again!!!! :)LOL Prankster! thank you for the great update! praying over all the requests, jen in al

Nadine said...

That is so great to hear!
We are going to continue to pray for your family faithfully every day
God Bless you all!

Destini said...

Such great news. Thanks so much for sharing. It is so nice to hear such great news on such a sunny beautiful day. God is so good!

Erin & Gary said...

Rick - thanks so much for continuing these updates. I love knowing the specific ways I can pray for each of them!

holly h. said...

This is wonderful news! Can't wait to hear the statement on the blog page saying "they are going home".

abi said...

Woo-Hoo! thanks again for the wonderful update Rick. It looks like the ladies are growing and recovering nicely and it also looks like Nate is adjusting to his new role as "CF/double lung transplant husband" well too. thanks for keeping us inthe loop while he's taking a much deserved break. I'll continue to keep you all in my thoughts and prayers, Abi

Jenny said...

Awesome news! I'm glad they're being extra cautious with Tric and keeping her one more night.

I'm so happy to hear that Gwyneth is still doing well. It seems like it took forever for her to hit 2lbs, but now she's over 3!

Still praying. Thanks so much for the update!

Emily said...

So glad to get the update!!! I will be praying for a great day & night so that Tricia can get out of the ICU tomorrow! Baby Gwyneth is precious & such a little fighter. I am also praying that she will gain strength & get to go home with Mommy & Daddy very soon. You have quite a family & your family has quite a testimony & I am so thankful that I came across your story...You are all an inspiration! Thank you so much for sharing this journey!
Emily

bradsmom123 said...

I think Gwyneth is slowly gaining weight because she is waiting for her Mommy to be released at the same time. She doesn't want to leave without her! For the time being both of Nates girls are in the same place so he doesn't have to split his time up 'too' much.

Anonymous said...

Awesome news for Tricia! I hope she does well tonight so you guys can get some peace.

And I'm so bummed that the dog was a trick. I really thought she was gaining on that pug! Lol.

Amy

Rebecca (Ramblings by Reba) said...

Thanks, Rick. I can't imagine having to relearn how to breathe.

Glad Gwyneth is adjusting well. AWESOME about her maintaining her temperature. As for her weight... I know the doctors had started expressing concern (based on something Nate posted), but it sounds like she's starting to pick up steam in that department. She's turning into a bruiser! ;)

I know you're thankful for all these blessings... and probably many more we don't know about...

Rebecca

Marsmile said...

Great, glad to hear all is well for both girls and Nate! Glad the medical professionals are being cautious and making sure both girls are fine and remaining strong before doing more-- by that, I mean Tricia being moved to a step-down floor and Gwyneth drinking more from the bottle. :-)

Have a terrific weekend!
Marissa

Carol said...

Well, all good news! One good thing about the slow weight gain for a while--you guys are all in the same place. You'd definitely be torn in two if Gwyneth were at the hotel and Tricia was in the hospital!

pam said...

Oh man, 49 year old women with brain burps should not be messed with. I kept looking at the newest pug picture and finally decided that maybe she was stretched out instead of her normal little tucked stage. Whew--so I'm not loosing it. So exciting to hear all the good news.

Brooks Family said...

HA! Loved the comment about her trying to crawl out...giggle...

Great news!

Kristy said...

Ahhhhhhh!!!! Just sighing with alot of relief!!! Our God is an awesome God!!!!!!!!!!!

Love , Kristy

Cindy said...

All too soon, Gwyneth's mommy and daddy will be putting up a gate on her door or putting her back in her bed for the umpteenth time in one night. Yes, that is what is going on at our house right now!

Although it doesn't feel like it when you have to drag yourself out of bed for a 2:00AM feeding - time really does fly.

Exciting stuff!
Cindy

Amy said...

Thanks for keeping us updated Grandpa! Make sure that son of yours continues to take as much time as he needs on a break...he needs to take care of himself too!

Praying for all of you always.

Unknown said...

wow pretty soon you all are going to only have normal everyday life stuff to write about!

go Tricia!!!!

ps) I was trying to figure out why Gwyneth looked so huge this week! lol.

Violet said...

sounds like everything is going well!!

Anonymous said...

Great great news!!!

jenray said...

Thanks for the update! More prayers for Gwyneth's weight and Tricia's strength. Also for Nate as he takes some more time off.
Jen
steadfastministry.com

mom nana nelson said...

"it just keeps getting better"
of course showering u & urs lovingly with prayers and happy wishes
patricia n.

shoutingforha said...

Wonderful news!

Still praying for both your girls.

Erin said...

Okay, that was the correct pug in the pictures. The joke was that Gwyneth tried to crawl out of the bed - right?

That's what I originally thought . . . but now all of these comments are beginning to confuse me! :0)

Way to go girls!!!

Love, Erin
Florida

Anonymous said...

Great news! We are still praying. Hope Nate is enjoying some quality time with his girls. Thanks so much for the updates!

~Sara in MD

Matt Millard said...

Thank you so much for keeping us updated. Both of the girls sound like they are doing wonderfully and getting stronger everyday. Praise be to God.

Sarah

Em said...

That's great news! Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps the Lord has allowed her to grow at this slower pace so that Nathan wouldn't be torn between two places in his role as caretaker. I've thought of your family lately as I've sung "My God is so Big" with my little girl. That age old Sunday school song holds such truths that are reflected in your lives - "there's nothing my God cannot do!" :)

Rick Lawrenson said...

To avoid any further confusion...
I've edited the post. The pug this week was the original pug. I was referring to the April Fool's pug that so many didn't catch.

And yes, Gwyneth has passed the original pug by.

~j~ said...

Another wonderful update. Bless you Tricia for your perserverance and faith, sweet times are ahead for you and your husband and daughter and we are all joyful in anticipation of that day.

Thank you Pastor Rick for the updates, the skies are blue here in California too, and for good reason!

Tracy said...

Rick Lawrenson said...
To avoid any further confusion...
I've edited the post. The pug this week was the original pug. I was referring to the April Fool's pug that so many didn't catch.

And yes, Gwyneth has passed the original pug by.


Good, cause I was a little upset about the pug bieng a trick again. Granted I didnt fall for it the first time (but it was a good joke), it would be a little cruel to keep switching pugs on us :-)

jamie said...

Such great news!!!! Thanks for updating Rick! I am so happy those girls are doing so well. Enjoy your down time Nate. Won't be long til those girls are gonna keep you hoppin'!!!
God Bless you all
Jamie in Texas

megasam said...

Yeah Tricia! You Rock!!!

Anonymous said...

It's wonderful to hear how well Tricia is doing. Glad Gwyneth continues to thrive and gain weight. They are both such strong fighters. Continuing to pray for them!

twin power mommy ♥ said...

thanks :D
i am glad they are taking it cautious with tricia. better safe than sorry.

Blessings From Above said...

Thanks for the pug clarification. I thought I had been fooled again! She has grown so much lately, it really is almost hard to believe the pictures were taken next to the "regular" pug.

Beth said...

What a precious family! I started reading your blog about a week ago, and now I regularly check up on you guys! Your girls are so blessed to you taking care of them. Christ's love is truly being shown though your actions!

I'm praying for you guys (along with many others, I see!)

Kristina said...

I was up a lot last night, and it was a great chance to keep Tricia in prayer for a vent free night. If tonight is frustrating in the sleep department again (I am a few weeks away from delivering my third child) I will see it as joy so that I can keep her in prayer as well.

Jenny said...

I'm so glad and proud for everyone. I just wanted to remind everyone that in addition to *someday* donating your organs to save lives, you can also donate blood (or plasma) fairly often and every donation of whole blood can save as many as three lives!

(As an aside, I'm donating tomorrow and it is always an exciting day for me because I'm O- and it usually is marked to go to the pediatric unit! I don't know if Gwyneth - or Tricia - ever needed blood, but just like (hopefully) my lungs will save someone's life someday, my blood may save someone even sooner!!!)

North Carolina Mom said...

Everything's exciting up there at Duke these days!

Thanks for the update!

Apryl in NC

LindsayS said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
LindsayS said...

What a great update!

Thank you for keeping up Nates blog, especially for the "junkies" like me. I look forward to the news you and Nate have to share.

I think about them everyday and am so thankful for the progress Tricia and Gwyneth have made.

Sending love and prayers...

LindsayS

Sandi said...

What great news! Thank you so much for keeping us updated!

Melissa Dovel said...

Gotta a question if you do another Q&A im sure enquiring minds want to know:) What are the plans if one is released b 4 the other? I am praying the hospital will work with you the best they can to get them both released at the same time.

Thanks & as always praying,
Melissa

ps- the big old 6pounder is just going to be a big girl and your sweetie is going to be a dainty lil princess:) My nephew was born a few days shy of 25 wks at 1.6 and 11in and left the hospital at 3.8 or something near that he's just a lil guy even now at 4 years old I think he's 30lbs soaking wet. He is as healthy and as smart as can be just small:)

kekkey said...

blessing all around! amen!!

Candy said...

Thanks for the updates! They are both doing so well. Our God is amazing.

Em said...

Keep it going Tricia!!!!

KYnurse said...

So happy to hear such great news for you all. You guys are all so strong--praise God for his wonderful hands and arms that keep you lifted. I can't believe how much Gwyneth weighs now and Tricia is getting stronger every day. WOW!!! Thanks for the updates!!

Katie said...

It is so good to hear the great news! Thanks for keeping us updated. And tell everyone to keep up the great work! Nothing but prayers coming your way!

Lauren M said...

It's amazing how much tiny babies can move. A NICU nurse shared a few stories with me of close calls she's had with premies scooting their way to the edge of cribs. Fortunately she or another nurse caught them all before it was too late. They really do take good care of the babies. So wonderful she's growing so quickly now.

Rapchik Items said...

i m going to start a family soon. its not tat u gave me a education, even i like sticking to my own business, its just tat u gave me courage to face problems, i cud have in future, and also i shud not be worrying, bcoz my better half is always going to be thr in any problem.

Joy W said...

Carolyn called me today and she hadn't seen the pictures of Gwyneth in her new bed yet. I guess it doesn't matter because she and Joe may be able to see her when they visit. I can't wait to hear more.
-Carolyn's sister

terri c said...

GO GWYNETH! GO TRICIA!!! Wonderful news and thanks for the update, and it delights me to see where Nate comes by his humor. Prayers continuing.

Kristi said...

New to your story but following it daily. Covering your family in prayer and will be adding you to our small group prayer list. Much love and well wishes from Texas...

Scott said...

It all sounds good so far! We ae praying for more good news! Hope you have an awesome weekend and Trisha gets moved where you can be with her more.

Movin-on said...

I was introduced to your story by a friend, I am in awe of your family, and you are such an inspiration !! Your faith is indeed what has you staying strong!! May the Lord continue to bless you richly !!