Galloway Miracles

5 Months Old

2010-08-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to begin... The time has flown by these last few months. The boys turned 5 months old Monday and they could not be doing any better. Leah and I struggled the first couple of months we were home. We were lucky to get 2 hours of sleep at a time and it was hell. But we were fortunate enough to have a friend share the book Baby Wise with us and it quickly became our guide for getting these boys to get on a schedule. It took some time but we are happy to say it worked. The boys have been sleeping through the night for over a month now!!! I had no idea how precious a good nights sleep was until we had these boys. We will never take it for granted again.

The Supa Sonic Soul Squad

Beau

Dax

Family Photo with the Boys

Our nanny Iris with the boys

Beau's cheeks are getting big

Dax is already a hell-raiser

Beau weighs close to 16 pounds now and Dax is right behind him at 14.5. Dax continues to struggle with reflux but he is a tough little guy and fights through the pain as best he can. We love our nanny, Iris. She takes amazing care of them and the boys seem to like her a lot.

We have been blessed to have family and friends come see us and meet the boys. It seems like every weekend we have another visitor that wants to come meet the boys. This weekend we welcome in Leah's brother Randy and his two girls. We are excited to see them!!!

Lastly, we are so thankful to God for blessing us with these healthy baby boys. He is with us every single day and Leah, Beau, Dax and I are forever grateful.

One Month Home

2010-05-28T14:08:00.000-07:00

MeMe came to help momma on the first Friday we were home.
Granny and Jackie helping us out while momma and daddy napped.
Uncle JZ stopped by to say hello.
Getting some couch time.
Loungin'

Wednesday marked one month home for the Galloways. It has been a great month overall. We are thrilled to death to have the boys home. There have been many challenges and even more long nights, but Leah and I as well as all of our family are working hard to care for these little angels. In the month we have been home, we have had many visitors over to see the boys. It has been great to have the support we have had since we've been home. We want to thank our parents and our family and well as all of the family of friends we have. We are truly blessed to have you.

Leah goes back to work in two weeks. It's a moment neither one of us are looking forward to. On Tuesday our new nanny starts. We pray daily that God has placed this person in our lives for a reason and that she will care for the boys as if they were hers.

As far as the boys. They are both approaching 9lb.s and we couldn't be more pleased. They are still adjusting to sleeping at night which means they aren't sleeping much at night. But we are resting when we can and are trusting everyone's advice that they eventually do sleep. God has truly blessed us with these healthy boys and we continue to praise him every day for it.

CG

Happy Mothers Day

2010-05-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

Dax and Beau
Beau and Dax
Beau Playing
Dax checking it out

The Soul Squad has been home 12 days. We have already had our first pediatrician appointment and the boys got their first round of shots. After all the things they had to endure in the NICU, they took them like champs. We had our final follow up appointment with the Ophthalmologist on Friday and the boys eyes are great. There have been a lot of adjustments on everyone's part here at home. The dogs aren't real sure what to make of things just yet. We had some trouble in the beginning getting the boys to nap for any extended period of time. But we have discovered they are big fans of the swings and they now spend a lot of time swinging in them. Our biggest adjustment obviously has been the lack of sleep. The most we can seem to string together is 4 hours at a time. Momma and I are exhausted but we are getting help from our family and friends. We are so blessed to have the support group we have to help us with a few "shifts" here and there. Other than that, we continue to be amazed at how God has graced us with these amazing children. We still can't believe we are home with them. They make us laugh every day and we are so truly thankful for them.

We want to thank all of you for continuing to support our family with thoughts and prayers. I will continue to update when I can. As you can imagine, we take pictures every chance we get.

God Bless,

CG

Finally, we are home...

2010-04-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing view from our window
Getting ready to head out!
Wow! This is really happening!
Cold Chillin.

After 51 days in the NICU in Austin, we were discharged Wednesday afternoon and we got back to Houston late that night. We are doing good overall. Mom and Dad are sleep deprived as we expected and the boys are adjusting to their new surroundings very nicely. The good news is we came home from the NICU on a feeding schedule. This has truly been a blessing. The boys appetite has gone through the roof since we got home. We are told that is due to a 6 week old growth spurt they are going through.

It feels great to finally be home and have our babies with us. We are so grateful to the people at Seton in Austin. The doctors and all of the nurses to such good care of us. We miss them already. Thanks as always to God and all of our family and friends. We can't imagine where we would be without all of your support. We love you. Now the real adventure begins!

God Bless,

CG

The Nursery

2010-04-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

The nursery is finally finished! Mom worked overtime making the bedding and curtains so it would all be ready for Beau and Dax! The wall art came from an awesome designer in Austin. She made the letters especially for the boys. www.salvage-style.com

Now all that's missing are babies! It looks like they may be seeing their new room sooner than we thought. They are progressing wonderfully with their feedings and the Dr's are optimistic about a discharge date possibly within a week! We cannot wait to have them home! Please keep them in your prayers; we feel so close to the end of this road and the beginning of a whole new adventure.

More Pics...

2010-04-16T05:12:00.000-07:00

Little Beau
Beau getting his hair washed
Beau is not a fan
Dax likes his bath time

A Great Week

2010-04-16T04:56:00.000-07:00

Granny's in Heaven

Granny and Grandaddy holding the boys
Uncle Mikey holding Dax

This is probably the first week since we've had the boys that we have nothing but good news. I mainly wanted to share some great pics we have taken but an update is always just as important. The week started with Uncle Mikey coming on Saturday and Granny and Grandaddy coming to see us on Sunday. We also got to give them both a bath for the first time this week. It was a lot of fun. Well, Beau didn't have much fun but momma and daddy did. Little Beau's feedings have been increased all week. Whatever he had going on last week with his tummy it seems he has worked out. Dax is close to 5lbs and may even be at 5lbs as of today and Beau is right behind him at 4lbs10ozs. They are both in cribs now and they are doing great. Both of the boys are feeding off momma as well as a bottle for over half of their feedings. This is hopefully the last remaining hurdle for them. When they are able to eat full time off the bottle or momma, they will remove the feeding tubes and we will hopefully go home soon after. A popular question this week has been do we know when we will go home. The answer is no. It is up the the boys, God and the doctors. Leah and I keep the May 21st date firmly in our minds so that we don't get our hopes up. We want them home when they're ready.

We are so thankful for the support, love and prayers we continue to receive. God has blessed us with many wonderful people and we will never forget what everyone has done for us. Have a great weekend. We hope you enjoy the pictures.

God Bless,

CG

Dax and Beau are one month old...

2010-04-10T06:13:00.000-07:00

Little Beau posing with his balloon.
Proud Papa.
Little Dax with his balloon.
Beau Coleman
Dax Harrell

I spent the day with the boys yesterday while momma, her sister and her mom are spending the weekend in Houston finishing the nursery. The boys and I had a great day yesterday. Beau continues to improve. They removed his cannula on Thursday and yesterday his feedings went well and increased throughout the day. He also went the entire day without a single "Desat". Desats are common in preemies. They sometimes hold their breathes or their breathing or heart rates become irregular causing a desaturation of their blood-oxygen levels. Dax had a few yesterday but he continues to do awesome overall. Yesterday, I fed him twice with a bottle and he took almost the entire amount from the bottle! This will be one of the last and major hurdles before they are able to come home. Beau is behind Dax in this aspect with the rough week he has had but I was able to get him to eat from a bottle for a bit yesterday as well. They also both weigh roughly 4 1/2lbs.

It's hard for Leah and I to believe that the boys are a month old. It feels like we have been here much longer than a month. But God has continued to be with us. He keeps us sane and without him, none of this would be possible. We are thankful He has blessed us with the family and support He has as well as all of the incredible doctors and nurses that care for us daily. We have a new family in the NICU. It's amazing how they all have bonded with Leah and I and Beau and Dax. We will never forget any of them or the job they are doing to care for our boys. Thank God for them. I hope everyone has a great weekend. We love you.

God Bless,

CG

Soul Squad Update

2010-04-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

We had another scare for little Beau the last couple of days. His stomach was very swollen yesterday which concerned the nurse practitioner and the doctor. They did x-rays and learned he had a large amount of gas/air in his belly that he was not releasing. They felt that he might be having some problems with his rectum, colon or intestines. They also said he may have a condition called Hirschsprung. This was not good news because if he would have had this, it would require surgery. They immediately stopped his feedings and put a tube down his throat to suck out the air and observed him over night.

This morning they did a follow up x-ray and another one was done at noon. These follow up x-rays revealed that he had resolved the problems in his stomach for the most part. The infection they thought might also be present was not seen on the film. Another bullet dodged it appears, Praise the Lord. They have since stopped the tube sucking air and they are going to see how he does overnight and see if his belly swells up again. He has yet another IV in which serves as the only way he is being fed. If his stomach does ok, they will resume his normal feedings some time tomorrow. We feel awful for him. He's very hungry and very upset about all of the things that are happening to him. We feel blessed though - it could have been much worse.

They also did their eye exams today which is not a pleasant experience for them but they both passed so all is good on that front.

We appreciate the continued thoughts and prayers as we continue down this path that God has laid out for us. This weekend will be the first that Leah has left the boys to go to Houston. She is going back with her mom so they (along with sissy) can finish the nursery. I will stay here to be with the boys. Please pray for safe travels and an event free weekend for the boys. We love you.

God Bless,

CG

Week 33 - Our 1st Easter together.

2010-04-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter to our family. I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted. This was the first week I had to stay in Houston all week for work so I was real busy. We have had a great week with the boys overall. To start with little Beau - the doctors were unable to pinpoint exactly what was going on with him and the possible infection. They never officially ruled that he had a urinary tract infection. Whatever was going on with him, they had him on antibiotics so fast that the medicine was able to take care of whatever was ailing him. He finished his last round of medicine yesterday. He is doing great! His weight is over 4lbs now and his feedings seem to increase daily. He is no longer in his isolette so he is able to maintain his temperature on his own which is one of the things he has to do in order to go home.

Dax is also doing great. he reached the 4lb milestone today and his feedings have increased daily as well. He is also out of his isolette and doing great. He is not on any type of oxygen help (his brother is still on a cannula) which makes his momma and daddy very happy to see all of the tubes gone. Today was a big day for both of the boys. We fed them with bottles today. They didn't eat a lot of food but they did eat some. This is one of the biggest hurdles for preemies to cross. They have to be able to eat from a bottle or nipple before they are released and they don't usually grasp this until week 34.

Today is the 26th day we have been in the NICU in Austin. We continue to get amazing care from the nurses and doctors at the hospital. We are so thankful that God has put them in our lives to care for the boys. We usually spend every waking moment up there and then come home and collapse. It has begun to wear on us both and we have a long way to go but we feel so blessed they are doing so good. Thank you again to God, our family and all of our friends for the prayers and support. Have a great week.

God Bless,

CG-

My special day with Momma and her sweet boys!

2010-03-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

I went to Austin yesterday to spend the day with Leah and her precious boys. Since Beau had a little set back Curtis asked me not to take pics of him. I could not help myself, he is still precious.
Leah is an amazing woman, watching her love on her sweet boys was amazing. I am so proud of her. She has been so strong.
Here are a few pics of Leah with Beau and a lot of pics of Dax. The boys are both gaining weight and are getting stronger everyday. I know that Beau will be right where his brother is soon.

Beau's little outfit warming up and waiting for him to get back into it!

Easter egg footprints of both the boys little tootsies!

Dax was so content. He did not want momma to let go. I don't think momma wanted to let go either.

After I left today I found out that Beau is now off of the CPAP and little Dax has moved to a crib. The boys are doing awesome. I can't wait to go back in 2 weeks and see them again. Continue to pray for them.

McCalle

A quick note on Beau

2010-03-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

We arrived at the hospital yesterday to chaos. Our nurse Rhonda informed us quickly that Beau was not doing good. He had been having breathing issues all night and most of the morning and they were very concerned. He was having shallow breathes as well as holding his breath some which is a big no no. So the doctor did his exam of him and sat us down to tell us they felt he had some sort of infection. He said they needed to test his blood, urine and do a lumbar puncture to test his spinal fluid. The tears started again...

The tests were done. He was put back on the CPAP and late yesterday afternoon we learned he has a urinary tract infection. He was on antibiotics all day yesterday and will continue to be on them until this clears up. They hope this infection clearing up will help his breathing and get him back to normal. Thanks for the continuous prayers for the little man.

Much Love,
CG

Prayers are answered again

2010-03-27T06:51:00.000-07:00

Leah and I want to thank all of our family and friends for praying for us. God is great and he is listening! Yesterday was probably one of the best days we have had as parents of Beau and Dax. To get the news that he is completely clear of any head issues has really lifted our spirits. Our doctor, Sami, told us that the first head-scan could have been a mistake or Beau along with God and tons of prayer could have worked it out on his own. I choose to believe the power of prayer along with him being a tough little dude got it done. So now that we can breathe again...

They are both continuing to grow. As most of you know, they are now free of the CPAPS and are breathing on their own. Their feedings seem to increase every few days and they are putting on weight. They are both weighing roughly 3.5lbs!!! The doctors continue to tell us they are doing as well as can be expected for their age. We still have a long way to go but we are very excited about bringing them home one day soon. Thanks again for all of the support. We love you.

God Bless,

Curtis

Beau Update!

2010-03-26T12:03:00.000-07:00

Since many of you have been asking I am going ahead and updating the blog for Team G. They just got the answer we were all hoping and praying for. Beau is in the clear! His CT scan came back normal. Either the scan was misread last week or the problem they saw cleared itself up. Either way this is another prayer answered. Please continue to keep The entire Galloway clan in your prayers!

Prayers for Beau

2010-03-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

Please be in prayer tomorrow for Beau. He is having a CT scan in the morning. Please pray for good results and healing for him.

Mom, Dad, and boys are doing well!

It's been a rollercoaster...

2010-03-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

Above: Momma with Beau Below: Little Dax Sleeping in his Isolette

Since this is my first time to blog/post, I will go ahead and apologize in advance for rambling. I promise, over time I will get better at this. Leah and I wanted to take a minute to first thank all of our family and friends for their prayers, love and support. Without God and our friends and family, we would truly be lost. God has answered so many prayers for our family. He has blessed us with two beautiful baby boys. We will never forget the outpouring of love from our family and friends. You are a true blessing to us.

These past few weeks have obviously been quite a shock to Leah and me. We came to Austin to spend the weekend with friends. One minute, I’m playing golf with some friends while Leah is at Old Navy, and the next minute we are both riding in an ambulance to Seton wondering if our boys were going to make it into this world. This has been a head-spinning experience for us both. We never imagined in a million years that our boys would be born 10 weeks early. They obviously knew something we didn’t. They wanted to say they were born in Austin!!! I think the best way to describe these last couple of weeks is to say it has been an emotional rollercoaster. We went from sheer terror with trying to get Leah and the boys stable to thinking we were settling in for awhile before we had them to me coming home from dinner March 9^th to be told, “Hey dad, put these scrubs on, it’s go time”.

Now we are just beginning life as parents of preemies. There have been so many ups and downs already and we are only 10 days into this. We are told to expect the boys to be in the NICU until their due date on May 21. That’s 73 days in the NICU. An unreal number of days… So we spend our days now praying that as we enter the NICU each morning and we are greeted by our nurse and doctor that we get a good report. We have most days. The boys are breathing on their own. Their feedings are going great. They seem to be doing better every day. And just as you start to feel like you have some control over the situation, you get dealt some difficult news. The boys had CT scans on their heads yesterday. We found out today that Dax is great but Beau has some issues going on with his little brain. He has a small hemorrhage that they say had a good chance of fixing itself. We were also informed that at some point either before or during or after he was born, there might have been a small part of his brain that was deprived of oxygen and this may have caused a small cyst. I got the doctor speak translated for me by my cousin Forrest last night – he is a NICU nurse in Little Rock. This has obviously rocked Leah and I quite a bit. We continue to pray and ask God to look over the boys and our family.

And so as we approach the end of this week, I am returning to Houston to start back to work Monday. I have never dreaded anything more in my life. The thought of leaving the boys and Leah behind are almost too much for me to take at times. It’s a moment I know has been coming all along and it is tearing me up inside. I won’t be here to hold them for the hour we get a day. I won’t be able to get any Dr. Reports that we get daily and I won’t be here when we learn the results of the next head scan for Beau…

The rollercoaster continues…

Day by Day

2010-03-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

Every day brings new challenges and adjustments. Curtis has this last week off of work before heading back to Houston. Leah is out of the hospital and at home with her mom. They are adjusting to their new existence and it is hard. They are getting to hold the babies kangaroo.

Both boys are doing well. They were moved from the lamps to their own isolettes this week. They had CT scans this week. Dax looks great. There are some minor concerns with Beau that we need to be in prayer about. These are common issues and abnormalities in babies that are born as early as he was. Most of the time, they work themselves out on their own. Please pray that is the case with Beau. The little guy is a fighter like his mom and dad I know he will continue to do well.

Mom and Dad are hanging in there best they can. It's hard for us to imagine what its like seeing those boys in the hospital each day. Anxiously waiting on the doctor's reports and for the day they bring them home. Continue to pray for these Galloway miracles!

Support for the Galloways

2010-03-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

This blog was created by friends of the Galloways to share photos, provide updates on the boys, and give our love to Team G. The boys are doing great but are looking at a 6 to 8 week stay in the NICU. They have lots of growing to do. The Galloway family will be facing many challenges over the next few months. Curtis is returning to Houston to continue to working while Leah stays behind in Austin with the boys. I know they are both looking forward with anticipation to the day they bring their boys home.

So many people love them and have asked how to help. We are raising support for them to make this easier and provide for them during this emotional time. There are lots of ways to show your love. Please continue to pray for the boys and their development, mom Leah as she stays in the NICU each day with the boys, and Curtis while he travels back and forth to Austin. Please pray for the doctors and the nurses that are caring for the boys.

Gift certificates are great. Restaurant cards will help feed them (which is the greatest form of love..right?) but also give them a chance to go out with each other and take a break together. Gas cards to help with the expense of Curtis's travel. Visa gift cards are always awesome because they can be used anywhere and to pay bills. Please send an email to gallowaymiracles@gmail.com. We will be happy to send you the address in Austin to send them too.

We have also included a PayPal link where you can make a donation to the Galloways to help with the boys and things they need.

If you are in the Houston area and would like to sign up to deliver a meal to Curtis, please email us at gallowaymiracles@gmail.com We are working on a schedule of delivery and can let you know when he will be in town.

But most of all, continue to encourage them. Post on here so they can read your messages. Reach out to them for support.

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights" James 1: 17

The Miracle of Dax and Beau

2010-03-15T19:01:00.001-07:00

This is the story of two of God's tiniest miracles, Dax and Beau Galloway. Mom Leah and Dad Curtis were doing great at 29 weeks. They were getting the nursery ready and preparing for the last 2 months of a beautiful pregnancy. But Dax and Beau had other plans. They decided they wanted to be born in Austin. So on Saturday, March 6th, they let mom know at Old Navy. After several days in the hospital, they were ready to meet the world. On March 9th at 11:25pm, Dax made his debut followed shortly by his brother Beau at 11:29pm both weighing in at 2 lbs 15 ozs. Team G welcomed its 2 newest members!

Dax Galloway

Beau Galloway