Email From Mommy Kim

First I would like to say "Thank you" to all of you who have sent cards,
gifts, flowers and emails.  I was able to respond to some of you today.
Yesterday was a little too difficult.  However, each and every email
touched both Kirk and I very much.

I never did get my thank you cards out for the last three baby showers I
had.  I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you via email to all
of you.  I will not be able to send a separate note to each of you - thank
you for your understanding.

The flowers sent to us at the hospital for me and the girls and the flowers
sent for Katelyn now are appreciated.  Mommy loves bright and pretty things
- it brightens the day!

Thank you for the monetary gifts as well.  It is greatly appreciated.

Tim (a friend from church) mowed our yard previously in May and it was a
great gift due to Kirk's back injury.  Thank you Tim.  Today we came home
from the hospital and our yard had been taken care of again (and boy did it
need it) but this time by an anoymous friend.  Thank you for this gift --
whomever you are!!!  Little Oscar was not happy with the long grass!

Ok - Kiersten!  They attempted to give her medicine to close the PDA (an
artery that goes over the heart that typically closes before birth).  It
did not work.  They will have to do surgery to close it.  Although this is
a scary thing I am a little more at peace with it since Kendra had this
done a week ago and she did just fine.  However, there can be complications
and we ask that you pray for her to come through it OK.  Other than that
she is doing very well.  Still peeing and pooping - a big thing at her
age!!  She is very low on her ventilator setting and may be able to come
off that soon.  They hope to give her breast milk within a week.  She is
still small and needs to grow - please keep her in your prayers.

OK - Kendra!  The new medicine they gave her on Monday seems to be working.
At this time at least.  They say sometimes there is a "honeymoon" period
where they do well and then go downhill.  We will not accept this and claim
in Jesus name that she will continue to improve.  Her heart is not having
to work as hard as it was,  her urine output (one of the most important
things)is slightly up and increasing each day (by a minimal amount - but
still increasing).  Her ventilator settings were down today lower than they
have ever been.  She still is retaining fluid but it doesn't appear that
she is bigger just the same as she was on Monday.  The more she pees the
more the fluid will go away.  Never thought we would be praying for "pee".
She actually had her eyes open for 15 minutes Tuesday.  Kiersten hasn't
even done that.  We were not there to see this but we will see it soon
enough.  Today Kirk and I actually got to take both girls temperatures and
also changed Kendra's diaper.  She was stable enough for us to do this.  We
are cautiously optimistic, as I am sure you can understand, but
nevertheless, we are still optimistic!

Please continue to pray for the girls - both girls.  Us too!

Kirk is sending more pixs to Cliff tomorrow to "un-zip" as AOL zips the
pixs and people can't open them.  Cliff will forward them to everyone on
this list.  Look for those soon!

Kirk and Kimberly!