Updates

I saved all of the updates that my mom and I sent out.

Dec 17, 2005
Hi all!!!! Jamie and I just wanted to thank all of you for your gifts, cards, and messages. I will try to return calls in April when our little boy is home. It's been a tough few weeks and I know we have a long road ahead of us but with all of your prayers and support, we'll get through this. God doesn't give us anything we can't handle. I can't wait for you all to meet him..........he's perfect and I wouldn't trade him for the world. PLEASE continue to keep him in your prayers. He is having another surgery on Wednesday to relieve bleeding and fluid in his brain. He's a little fighter and we know he's going to pull through.
I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas.
We love you,
Jamie, Jill, and John Craig

Jan. 2, 2006
Hello everyone!!!!!!!! This sure has been the hardest month of our life............but we made it. He opened his eyes a few weeks ago and seems to look at us when we talk to him. We definitely are not out of the woods yet but we have had a couple GREAT days. We met a Christian couple in the NICU who are here from Georgia.........they had quads (they are triplets now) but they have told us many success stories of children with brain bleeds like John and their little girl Danielle. With all of your prayers and all the specialists we have lined up my hope is that John will be running around this time next year like all other one year olds. Please continue to pray for his brain to heal and not have any long-term effects and for his liver to heal (his liver has an abscess in it and has enlarged so much that it is putting pressure on his heart and lungs.) The Dr.'s think it will heal with time..........lots of time. The plan is to start feeding him towards the end of the week. Also, pray that goes well. He now weighs 2 pounds 6 ounces and should start gaining more weigh as they start to feed him. Like I said in the last e-mail, he's a fighter and he's not going to give up now.
Thank you all again for EVERYTHING you have done for us. We feel so blessed to have so many wonderful friends in our life.
Love,
Jamie & Jill

Jan 24, 2006
Hello dear family and friends. I know I keep repeating myself but we feel so blessed to have you all in our lives. Everyone has gone above and beyond and we can't thank you enough. The support from all of you has been amazing. We have entered a world that we never knew existed but this is what was dealt to us and we are going to run with it and never look back. Our rough road still isn't over but things are definitely looking brighter. The Dr. said it looks like we are in the clear as far as inserting a shunt in his head..........what a blessing. They will do an MRI at the beginning of March to see exactly what part/parts of the brain has been damaged however no Dr. or x-ray is going to tell us the fate of our child. With all of your prayers, we know he will be just fine. He is on full feeds now!!!!! No more IV's. And, he just reached 3lbs last night. He is as sweet as can be and has a personality of his own. I'll try to update again soon........but you know how that goes.
We love you,
Jamie, Jill, and John

Feb 5, 2006
Dear family and friends,
John Craig - cutie patootie, apple of my eye, sweet pea, bundle of love - he's all those and more! No more ventilator or CPAP or IV's. This little miracle child is breathing room air with NO assistance, receiving full breast milk feeds (36 cc every 3 hours) through a tube in his nose, and growing, growing, growing. He's now three pounds and twelve ounces - mammoth in our opinion, but all relative.
He has a full developmental team of therapists (speech, occupational, physical, etc.) working towards sucking and swallowing, tactile enrichment, and massage therapy. I was ready to sign up for the latter, but the NICU nurses assured me that they do not "do big people." With no significant changes in either the brain or the spot on his liver, evolution will determine to what degree or IF John experiences long-term effects from being premature. Curling his toes, grasping, responding to voices - all are positive signs for this little nine-week-old angel.
The talk now is about moving him out of the incubator and into an open crib next week. This would have him reaching two of the three requirements for going home - 1. breath on his own 2. maintain his body temperature 3. eat on his own. Initially we were told to expect a due date (March 17th) homecoming, but optimistically we hope to celebrate earlier. It's torture as a grand mother not being able to hold him and smother him with kisses. From the pictures you will see that I did sneak a few cuddling moments by accident - I put his diaper on too loosely and the bedding became a bit damp and yellow. "Oh shucks, I guess I'll have to hold him while you change the bedding," I said with a smile to the nurse.
As always, thank you for your love, generosity, and prayers. It truly is the littlest things in life that matter the most!
Love, Cindy (Grandma Lindley)


Feb 14, 2006
Hi all! Well, John will be 11 weeks old tomorrow. I can't believe how fast time is going. He is now up to 4 lbs 5 ounces. He is finally out of the incubator and into an open crib. The Dr.'s are getting his discharge papers ready however; it will still probably be close to his due date (March 17th) before he comes home. We feel so fortunate to have all of you in our lives. We thank you again for your continued prayers for him, and for your encouragement to us. It means the world to us, and when things seem particularly crazy, your presence reminds us that we are never alone. May each of you know how appreciative we are of your support, prayers, and love.
Love,
Jamie, Jill, and John

March 11, 2006
Dear family and friends,
Three months, 14 weeks, 101 days - time flies when you're having fun. The word fun can definitely be added to our daily descriptor list. John Craig has successfully been on room air since February 4th, began sleeping in a regular crib on the 6th of February, and today weighed in at a scrapping 6 pounds 1 ounce.
Four weeks ago, John was transferred to the NICU at the main campus of Phoenix Children's Hospital on Thomas Road. It decreased our drive by a whopping one mile but more importantly, the move gave John his own private room. The room is complete with a window, couch, bookshelves filled with Grandma's favorite children's literature, dresser drawers, and it is QUITE. John's move from bed one at McDowell's campus to the Thomas campus was like moving from a tent at the intersection of the 51 & 101 to a suite at the Hilton. He flourishes with the new environment.
Eating has been the most challenging of the three requirements (eating, breathing, and maintaining body temperature) for going home. He sucks and swallows beautifully with no bradycardias but proceeds to fall asleep far short of a full feed, 55 cc every three hours. Apparently, this is common for preemies - breast or bottle-feeding is hard work compared to the feeding tube. Sleep, eat, and not have to work! I hate to be the one to pop his bubble and tell him that he has a few years before reaching retirement.
We ask for prayers once again, as little John undergoes surgery Monday afternoon. He has developed a hernia directly below the incision from his perforation surgery in December. Due to the fact that he will have to be put under and back on the ventilator, the doctors have agreed to a three for the price of one. John Craig will have a MRI on his brain to evaluate the brain bleed, have the hernia repaired, and have his circumcision on Monday. It's a heck of a way to start the week off, but we are confident that he'll bounce back quickly.
There is a real good chance that our little angel could possibly go home within a week after the surgery. He may have to drag the feeding tube with him, but we don't care. He is without a doubt our million, two million, maybe even three million dollar miracle. What a blessing!
I've attached pictures of John with mom, dad, and Uncle Craig. The smiles on their faces say it all. It has been an incredible journey in which all of you played a significant role - from calls, to prayers, to notes, to dinners for the kids. There are no words to completely express our gratitude. However, know that we love each and everyone of you!
Love, Cindy (Grandma Lindley)

March 12, 2006
Dear Friends & Family, Just wanted to give you a quick update on John's status. One hundred and three days have now passed since November 30th, and here’s where things stand… John is now 6 pounds 2 ounces, which looks like a giant compared to his former self, at 1 pound 8 ounces at birth. The Doctors and nurses have finally mentioned the "H" word, and it looks like we may be heading home on our due date.......which is this Friday, March 17th!!!!! We cannot wait to take John home and be a family, without the Doctors, Nurses, monitors, leads, bells, whistles, alarms, and constant chaos of the NICU. John had another eye appointment last week and it looks like he still has Stage 1 ROP (retinopathy of prematurity). ROP has five stages. Stage five being the worst. Dr. North (John's ophthalmologist) thinks there is a 90% chance that the ROP will resolve itself and won’t require surgery. Please pray that he is correct! Tomorrow is a big day. John has another surgery for an incisional hernia that resulted from his previous abdominal surgery. While under anesthesia, he will also have a circumcision and an MRI to gage the extent of his brain bleed. Our prayer is that the surgery is performed quickly without any complications and that he is able to come out of the anesthesia without any setbacks. We know that God is in control of all of the details of everything that John (and we) are going through. Thank you for continued prayers for our family. We will update you again soon.
With Love,
Jamie, Jill, and John


March 14, 2006
Quick update:
I am hopelessly behind on returning calls and emails so thank you all for understanding. The surgery, circumcision, and MRI went well. They rolled him out of the NICU at 12:30pm and he was back in his room by 2:05pm. It was much shorter than we anticipated. The surgeon came by this morning and is very pleased. Things are good except that we have a very sore little boy. We'll keep you updated.
Love,
Jamie & Jill

March 21, 2006
Dear Family and Friends,
The sun is shining brightly this morning, the birds are singing a song of celebration, and John Craig Birtch is at home sleeping in his own cradle !!!!! After one hundred ten days, our little angel exited Phoenix Children's Hospital last night and arrived home about 9:30 PM. If fireworks had been available, I am certain the entire city would have known about John Craig's homecoming.
Weighing 6 pounds 10 ounces and measuring 18 inches in length, he's come a l-o-n-g way! The feeding tube and a monitor came home with him, along with a mound of belongings accumulated over the extended stay. Actually, moving him home was somewhat like moving his mom out of the dorm in college. One little person, yet so much STUFF!
The plan was to program the feeding tube so that John Craig would have a continuous feed over an eight-hour span of time at night. Thus, giving both John and his parents much needed sleep. Perhaps a bit on the cheating side, but ... So much for best laid plans! Jill just called with an SOS. I guess the machine for the feeding tube malfunctioned and the monitor repeatedly went off. Hence, they have officially experienced their first sleepless night with a newborn. One down and many, many more to go! Just wait until they reach the sleepless night when he is seventeen or so.
Home sweet home! There is no better place for our little guy. Now we can focus on his development as we work to stimulate his little brain and assist him in reaching his full potential. Smother him with love, drown him with kisses, and spoil him rotten. John Craig has created a magnificent opportunity for grandma to continue teaching in retirement.
I've said if before, but it can't be said enough - THANK YOU for the continual support and prayers. Each of you makes the world more special just by being in it!
Much love,
Cindy (Grandma Lindley)

March 21, 2006
Hello Friends and Family,
Well 110 days have now past since the birth of our son and..............WE ARE FINALLY HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! We were discharged from Phoenix Children's Hospital around 9:30pm last night. We couldn't be more excited to be at home as a family. Thank you all for your continued prayers........you helped make our dream come true.
I am going to keep this e-mail short because we officially had our first sleepless night last night:):):) I'll update again soon.
Love,
Jamie, Jill, & John

March 31, 2006
Home Sweet Home!!!
As you can see from the pictures, our John Craig loves the latest routine of life at the Birtch household. Seven pounds and growing! He's also growing to love being held and showered with attention. He readily accepts love from anyone and everyone.
The developmental nurse told us not to worry about spoiling him at this point. The more holding, the better! And I always (almost always) do what I am told.
Love,
Cindy(Grandma Lindley)


May 4, 2006
Dear Family and Friends,
I can't believe John is 5 months old. I would say that time flies when you are having fun but the past 4 months have been the least bit fun. Thank you all for being apart of this journey. As difficult and painful as it has been I would do it all over again for my son. He is our everything and we are so proud to be his parents. The video below is a glimpse of what our past 5 months have been like. I hope you enjoy!
Love always,
Jamie, Jill, & John


May 23, 2006
Dear Family and Friends,
John is officially a big boy now. He weighs 10 pounds and is in the 95th percentile for his weight and 25th percentile for his length. Of course it's charted on a preemie growth chart. He will be 6 months next week however we'll go by his adjusted age (the age he'd be if he were born on his due date-March 17th) for the next two years. So, he's two months old and doing everything a two month old should be doing. The Doctors and we are very pleased with his progress. As much as we'd love to show him off we aren't allowed to take him anywhere until this time next year and then for the next few years we will be in hibernation every winter. I'll keep you updated and send pictures though. I hope everyone is doing well and we hope to talk to you all soon.
Love,
Jamie, Jill, and John

June 19, 2006
I hope all you Dad have had a wonderful Father's Day. John is doing well. He started cooing last week.......I love it! He has also rolled over twice. Every milestone is major to us so we are very excited. Attached are some recent pictures. We took the feeding tube out for the day........of course we had to take lots of pictures. Hope everyone is doing well.
Love,
Jamie, Jill, & John