Haven Joy & Jackson Levi, 9/29/09

Posted by Jay...Rebekah's perspective to come later...

I guess all of this started officially, even though we didn't realize it, on Monday night. Rebekah started having some back contractions and had to have a shot of terbutaline to knock them out. This was the first time she had experienced that type of contraction. Tuesday morning she was having them again and got another shot. She had a 1:30 appointment with Dr. Koster so we were anxious to see if anything had changed. Dr. Koster found that she was slightly dilated, but her cervix was fairly stable. However, Haven was very low...lower than she had ever been.

Fast forward 5 hours....

So I was working late and in a meeting with my boss and got a page from Rebekah around 6:05pm. I called her immediately and she notified me that she was having pretty consistent contractions and that I probably should go ahead and come to Dallas just in case. The nurse didn't seem to think it was urgent at this point, so I was going to run home and pack a bag real quick. On my way home I got another call from Rebekah at 6:13pm saying that I probably should just head straight to Dallas. She knew something wasn't right. So I hopped on the Loop and headed to Dallas. Then I got a call from Gina, Rebekah's mom who was with her, at 6:18pm to tell me that they were giving her an IV and moving her to labor and delivery just in case. So I'm moving a little faster at this point. By the time I get to Canton it's 7:01pm and I got another call from Gina that they were moving her to the OR. So now I'm doing 90-95 with my hazard lights on the rest of the way.

**Side note...If someone is driving at a very fast speed and has their hazard lights on...you are in front of them and they are honking at you...it means move the heck out of the way! Not purposefully drive slow and not move because you don't care that I have something urgent going on. I'm not sure I used the work heck at the time. =)

Back to the interesting story... I get another call from Gina at 7:41pm to tell me that Haven and Jackson had been born at 7:28 and 7:29 respectively. At first I was very upset that I had missed their birth, but later I found out that no one had seen them yet. Rebekah was completely put under and Gina opted to not see them until Rebekah and I had. God had it all worked out where we were able to see them for the first time together. Rebekah was a little out of it, but she was able to spend some time with each of them. She fell asleep a couple of times with her hand on them.

Many of you know our journey; some more than others. It has been a very long road to get to this point and we are so excited that Jackson and Haven have arrived. It still seem very surreal at this point...partly because it happened so suddenly and partly because we can't hold them yet. Rebekah has only been able to see them twice so far, but I have seen them very frequently. Although intimidating at first, you get comfortable with all of the wires and tubes pretty quickly. They are very small and seem so fragile, but they are tougher than they appear. I changed a diaper for the first time with Haven...they now let me every time I am there for a "touch time." They only allow for us to touch them every three hours so they can get plenty of rest, but we can visit them as often as we want 24/7.

They are both doing amazing. They have now been breathing on their own since last night at 7:00. The nurse practitioner told me this morning that they are doing excellent. We are told to expect that we would take them home around their original due date, which would be early December. We are praying constantly that they continue to progress so positively.

Momma is sleeping at the moment and is very sore and tired. Being on bed rest for over 2-months will make her recover a little more difficult, but she is doing well. I think they will push her pretty hard today. I believe the plan is to discharge her on Saturday.

Words cannot express how excited we are, nor how blessed we feel. For whatever reason Jackson and Haven have captured the hearts of so many people...it has really been overwhelming for Rebekah and I. I know God has a very special plan for both of them and I am so thankful that we get to be a part of that plan. God has provided us with so much along this journey...support, love, encouragement, prayers, and so much more. Thank you to everyone that has prayed for us along the way and for Jackson and Haven specifically. Please continue to pray for them as they develop in the NICU. I know they feel His presence each day as they grow.

More to come soon. There will be a lot to update in the coming days. Stay tuned....