JonesLife

The New Site is Up and Running!!

2009-12-08T08:03:00.001-06:00

As of last night, JonesLife.net is up and running under the new format. If you frequently visit the site and you do not see a drastic change when you go there next, hit the F5 key on your keyboard and it will refresh/update to the new format. We are so excited about the new format...hope you like it!!!

www.JonesLife.net

God Bless,
Ethan

The New Look of the JonesLife

2009-11-25T17:21:00.001-06:00

*Some folks have reported problems with linking to the site from this page. It is best to copy and paste the link into your browser window to get to the new site*

Ok, here it is...the much anticipated (at least by me, anyway) new version of JonesLife.net! This is only a temporary link - eventually the page address will be joneslife.net again, but I wanted to get this out today. Hope you guys like it!!

http://joneslife.net/wordpress2/

God Bless,
Ethan

Changes Coming and More Updates Coming Soon...Promise!!

2009-11-17T20:30:00.000-06:00

Sorry I've been absent from here so much lately! It is really taking a lot out of me to get the new site done and at the same time, school and work are really busy right now! I've got much to share, mucho, mucho: we're taking our first road trip (that's right, all eight of us), Casey is going under the knife, there is a GINORMOUS announcement that is coming soon, got a cool little tool that we are going to start using on the site that will enhance everyone's lives, pictures, pictures, pictures, and oh yeah, the babies are doing awesome so there is plenty to share there, of course!! Life is good, look for something just before Thanksgiving... :)

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Prayers for Reese

2009-11-12T09:44:00.000-06:00

If you have a special Bible verse that has helped you through a difficult time, please post it so I can forward to the family. The surgery went well yesterday, but was long (seven hours) and little Reese and her family have a long battle ahead. Please continue to pray...

If you'd like to know more about Reese's story, follow the link here.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/reesenicholson

God Bless,
Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

Prayers Needed, Please!!

2009-11-11T15:17:00.000-06:00

I wanted to ask for some prayers for a classmate of mine as he has just found out about a very difficult challenge his family is faced with. His three year old daughter was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer called Wilm’s Tumor. Here is a link to the condition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilms%27_tumor. Reece is the daughter’s name. Her tumor is 14 centimeters and they are removing it and a kidney today. Please lift up her and the family in prayer. Thank you!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Change Is In The Air...

2009-11-05T14:58:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that there are a lot of changes that will be happening with the website and blog in the coming few weeks. I've been taking advantage of some very, very, very, absolutely ridiculously slow time with my day job, Eliot J Construction, by working on a new design for the website, the blog, and all points in between. There will be lots of new features, different pages, and different capabilities that will be coming and we are really excited about it!! Even after the new site is launched, I expect there will be quite a few more changes as we work to make it more functional, more user-friendly, and will even allow for better communication back and forth between us and the "followers" (not sure I like that term...a little too egocentric for my tastes! Any suggestions?). So if you come to the site one day and you are directed elsewhere, have no fear, it will lead you to a better place... ;-)

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Happy Halloween from the Jones Six Pack!!

2009-10-30T09:55:00.002-05:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Thank you, Kelly, for putting that video together of the Fab Five...hilarious!! Hope everyone has a safe and happy
Halloween from Tinkerbell, Casper, and the Four Plumpkins!!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Five Healthy Babies and The Fab Five's First Park Trip...oh yeah!!

2009-10-29T11:37:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick update on the Fab Five from their nine month visit to the pedi last week...

- Brooklyn Faith: 16 pounds, 4 ounces, 30%; 27 inches, 75%
- Britton Grace: 13 pounds, 8 ounces, 3%; 24 inches, 3%...I told you she was tiny!!
- Jack William: 19 pounds, 8 ounces, 45%; 27 inches, 25%, and oh yeah, 90th percentile for head circumference...he still has some balancing out to do!
- Lila Addison: 16 pounds, 8 ounces, 45%; 26 inches, 25%
- Ryan Elizabeth: 16 pounds, 9 ounces, 45%; 26.5 inches, 50%

All of the babies are as healthy as can be and are developing as well as most full term, 9-month-olds. The only developmental skill they were lacking was in the ability to pick things up with their fingers, every other milestone was checked off the list! Thank you all for your prayers that helped to make this a reality!!!

The picture above is a sneak peek of the photos we got from our photo session yesterday at Mayfield Park, close to downtown Austin. The babies had a great time at the park while completely ignoring the utter chaos swirling around them as we tried to get the perfect picture of the less than blissful moment! Between me, Casey, Eliot, the photographer and a friend of hers, and our go-to helper, Tricia, I think we managed to make it happen. Everyone was completely wiped out after an hour and a half of whooping, squeaking, jumping jacks, songs, smiles, and any other trick we could think of to get five 9 month-olds to look at the nice lady with the camera, but it was FUN, and you guessed it, CRAZY!!!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Meet Mr. Giggles

2009-10-28T17:39:00.002-05:00

Jack William, aka Big Bad Jack, aka Laid Back Jack, aka Mr. Happy now has a new nickname...Mr. Giggles! Too dang cute!!

Email Address for Letters to the Troops

2009-10-23T08:54:00.000-05:00

If you would like to join me in writing a letter of thanks to the troops, you can email it to: sigridwgilbert@yahoo.com. Thank you!!!

Thank You to Our Troops!

2009-10-22T11:18:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine asked me to write a short letter of thanks to our troops in support of a letter-writing campaign he was helping with. Though I've thought of the men and women serving our country often and once had the occasion to thank a service member personally, I have never written them to say thank you. It was surprisingly difficult to write! I had a difficult time finding words that could adequately express thanks to a group of men and women whom I will likely never meet, yet have sacrificed so much in their own lives so that you and I may continue to enjoy the freedoms to which we have become accustomed. Sometimes words just don't do sentiments the justice they deserve, nonetheless, here is my attempt at doing so...

To the Men and Women Serving Our Country,

Because the fights are always “over there,” it is difficult to fully comprehend what you guys do day in and day out in defense of our Constitution and our liberties. To be certain, your efforts do not receive the attention that they deserve. However, know that there are many Americans who think of you daily, pray for you continually, and hope without ceasing for your safety, success, and quick return from the battlefield. Your sacrifice to country and in service to the lives of millions of Americans as well as hundreds of millions of the world’s citizens are a shining example of the finest of that which is found only within the human spirit.

God Bless,

Ethan Jones

Austin, Texas, USA

If you have ever considered writing a letter to the troops, I encourage you to do so. I can't even begin to imagine what they experience on a daily basis and how difficult their sacrifice has become. One of the best things we can do to give back is to simply say thank you.

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

A Special Bond

2009-10-18T15:37:00.000-05:00

A friend of ours did this side-by-side comparison after Casey posted some new pics of the babies on Facebook and I had to share. The picture on the left is Eliot when she was somewhere between 6 and 9 months old. The picture on the left is Lila on her 9 month birthday. The similarities are striking! Not only is it cool to see the two girls look so similar, it's also adds another piece to the Eliot/Lila bond that began before the babies were born. Here's a run-down of some of the events that have us very excited to watch how the relationship between the two girls develops over the years:

- When Casey was pregnant, one of the babies always got up underneath her ribs on her right side and caused her considerable pain. Every time this happened, Eliot said that it was Lila who was being the trouble-maker.

- When I took Eliot up to the NICU to see the babies for the first time, we had not assigned any of their names yet. At that time, they were just babies A, B, C, D, and E. As I was holding Eliot in my arms and walking around to each of their cribs she didn't have much to say, seemingly overwhelmed by the experience and trying to reconcile the images in her head of a newborn baby with these heavily wired, hooded, sunglass wearing little alien creatures that she was now being told were her new sisters and brother. When we got to Baby D, she immediately pointed to her and said, "This one is Lila!" We had no idea at the time how we were going to assign the names we had picked out, but clearly this one had to be Lila!

- To date, Eliot has given one baby a nickname and she gave it to Lila the day she came home from the hospital, christening her "Lila Bear" the moment she saw her that day.

- Both Eliot and Lila were born with umbilical hernias that went away on their own after about six months. None of the other babies had one of these.

- Everyone who sees Lila (and there have been many, many people!) has said that Lila looks just like Eliot from the very beginning. Even people who have only seen the two girls in pictures from the blog have commented that they look exactly alike. I guess the picture above is the final verdict!

Who knows what all of these connections mean, but Casey and I can't help but feel that there is a special bond between these two little beauties...can't wait to see what's next as the relationship grows!

Here are some other pics that were taken the day before the annual Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma. Texas took the title once again!!

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

2009-10-15T15:49:00.001-05:00

The picture on this video isn't great, but if you like the sound of baby belly laughs then this is for you! Ryan and Brooklyn were having a blast...doing what, no one will ever know!!

Eliot and Ryan had some fun together the other day...very cute!

Y'all enjoy!!
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Surprises - The Good, The Bad, The Red

2009-10-06T12:21:00.000-05:00

As you might imagine, there have been many surprises that have come along with life since receiving the big surprise last August when we found out that the Quint Invasion was headed our way. Not all of the surprises have been good, not all have been bad, and certainly some that seemed one way or the other at first, turned out to be quite the opposite after the dust had settled. The fact that I am still enrolled in Baylor's EMBA program is a huge surprise that would not have been possible without the unbelievable support we received from the Baylor community. The excitement we felt when we heard we were the topic of conversation on 590 KLBJ's morning show a few days before the babies' birth will not be forgotten. Nor will the punch in the gut feeling that quickly followed when we heard all of the awful things that were being said about us by both the callers and the show's DJ's...not a good surprise to say the least! With the diaper drive held on our behalf along with their sizable gift card donation, HEB's incredible generosity clearly stands out as one of the highlights in the long list of godsends that have helped to turn our response to this adventure from overwhelmed to overjoyed...the list could go on...

But clearly the most gratifying and rewarding "surprises" that have come our way have been the individual acts of love, support, and selflessness that we have experienced from the big hearts of our volunteers and other helpers. I put the word "surprises" in quotes above because there was a certain level of expectation of this sort of attention when we decided to go public with our story. We knew that people would rally around us and around these babies in some form or fashion. We believe in the goodness of people, in the strength of God's love in the hearts of the faithful, and we knew that our journey would inspire some to get involved. But the thought, the extent, and the care to which people have gone to ensure that our babies are taken care of, to help us involve our older daughter in the amazing transition for a family of three to a family of eight, and even to give Casey and I some time to each other has been a source of constant amazement, humility, and yes, surprise. We can never thank these folks enough for the indelible mark they have left on our family's hearts!

My primary reason for writing this blog is to recognize two of these folks, two of these surprises, two very special ladies who have not only left their mark on our family, they have become family in every sense of the word (we've managed to get past the fact that both of them are red-heads...somehow). The two women pictured below, Tricia Harrison and Jennifer Ericson, are as much a part of this story as anything else.

Jennifer, wow, what a cool story! She saw us on the news, found us on the web, signed up through the care calendar, and has been here at least five days of every week for the past three or four months...and we have no intention of letting her go anytime soon! I'm not sure what compelled her to jump into the lives of complete strangers - she's a little on the shy side, though I'm certain there is a dark side lurking underneath that red hair of hers! But now she is our total, on-call girl...Miss Go-With-The-Flow! Casey emails her every day to let her know what time we'll need her help, depending on how much help has signed up on the care calendar, and that is when she arrives ready to love on babies! She has even recruited her mom and one of her high school friends for the cause! Her calm, happy, loving spirit is the perfect antidote for crazy babies and knows a thing or two about quieting an inconsolable infant...which is usually Britton :-). She loves the Fab Five like nobody else and the Fab Five loves her back!! Thank you, Jennifer, you are AWESOME!!

We knew Tricia and her husband, Dusten, sort of, through our church group at Riverbend. And because of her, we are alive today...I'm only barely kidding! Tricia jumped in red-head first from the beginning, organizing the care calendar, running background checks, cooking meals, and just generally being AWESOME!! Then, she took it about 1000 steps forward...she started picking up shifts - day shifts, night shifts, weekend shifts, vacation day shifts, back-to-back shifts - you name it, she did it and did it with a smile (a slightly mischievous smile, but a smile nonetheless)! During the toughest time of this experience, the time when the babies gave Casey and I less than three hours of sleep each night, Tricia was there, every other night, four nights a week, for three months straight to allow Casey and I to sleep, uninterrupted for at least six hours. Now do you think I'm kidding when I say that we are alive today because of her??! She even dragged her husband and two high schoolers into the fun, bringing them along to help with all of the above. They are an amazing family! Now that calmer nights have arrived and the focus has shifted more to the days, Tricia is still with us, arriving every day before 7:00 so that Casey and I can get ready for our day ahead, walk Eliot to school, and allow us to get other stuff done around the house. Spirited, fun, giving, selfless, loving...thank you, Tricia, you are all of these and more!!

So we're getting used to surprises these days in whichever form they choose to present themselves. They've come fast and furious and in the most interesting ways. And, God willing, they'll keep coming...red-headed or not!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Six Teeth, Hello to Sparkle, Goodbye to Laid Back Jack, and Other Jones Family News

2009-09-28T22:21:00.001-05:00

It's been an eventful month for the Jones Clan as we have celebrated quite a few firsts with the babies! We have teeth! Six to be exact - two each on Jack, Brooklyn, and as of today, Miss Ryan Elizabeth. All three babies have the bottom two front teeth...so cute! Jack likes to show his off as he giggles which happens quite a bit these days. Another first - Ryan can now move from her belly to the sitting up position on her own. It's pretty cool that she can do that and I hope the rest catch on quick - along with the greater mobility she seems to be able to entertain herself for longer periods of time. All of the babies are starting to pull up on chairs and tables and I think it's possible that Ryan will go from the army crawl to walking without ever doing a real crawl. She is constantly pushing up on her hands and her toes...really funny! It's been busy keeping up with all of the changes, but we're really having fun with them all now that survival mode is a thing of the past!

The babies have been doing great with their cereal and veggies and have been packing on the pounds. Here are the latest not-so-scientific weights: Brooklyn, Lila, and Ryan are all 15 pounds which is surprising to us because Brooklyn is quite a bit longer than the other two girls. Big Bad Jack is tipping the scales at 19 pounds and Little Baby B, Britton Grace, is still a featherweight at a mere 13 pounds. We'll get an accurate count on all of the stats next month when we take them in for their nine month checkup.

It's official - Laid Back Jack is gone and we have welcomed Mr. Adventure into our home! He still isn't crawling, but he's mastered the army crawl with great speed...and, boy does he love to be on the move! That kid is everywhere - crawling under the bouncey seats, wiggling his way down the hall, diving into the stacks of wipes, sneaking around behind the rocking chairs, and all points in between! And, oh yeah, don't get in his way 'cuz he's not changing course...several of the girls have had to learn this the hard way... :) Check out the videos for Action Jack on the move! And I have to mention one more of my boy's new activities - every time I come upstairs to see the babies, Jack wastes no time crawling over to me, climbing up my leg, and giving me a huge, pick-me-up-daddy smile...as you might imagine, I love it!! There is more to read below the videos...

We have another new addition to announce - we have welcomed Sparkle the Crown Tail Betta to our world! In the picture above, where Eliot is in a yellow shirt standing next to what could pass as an empty vase, you will see Sparkle if you turn your head slightly right, close one eye, and stand very, very still...
Eliot has been very excited about her new little buddy and is doing a great job of taking care of her (and has held her off from begging for a dog for at least a little while longer)!!

This has been our best month so far since the babies arrived...it's amazing what a regular sleep pattern can do for your state of mind! The babies go down no later than 7:30 these days and Eliot is out an hour later, finally giving Casey and I some time together away from all of the demands that come with our new lives. The babies are much happier and easier to manage during the days, Eliot is absolutely loving kindergarten and doing great, school is definitely working me over, but no more so than I'm used to by now, and Casey has been able to get a pretty good workout routine going (until she fell and hurt herself...bummer!). Oh yeah, and another cool thing - we get to walk Eliot to school every day and most days we get to take a couple of babies along for the ride...they love their morning walks! But of course, most importantly of all - college football is in full swing...oh yeah!!!!! All in all, life is just a little bit easier as a tiny fraction of normalcy has begun to sneak its way back into the Jones home. Hallelujah!! October is just around the bend, hopefully along with some cooler weather...exciting times ahead!

Quick Update and a Few Good Laughs from the Babes

2009-09-15T20:50:00.002-05:00

Here are a couple of funny videos of the babies just before bedtime...they always seem to be in a great mood during Boot Camp! In one of the videos, Ryan and Jack seem to have their own little inside joke as they continue to crack each other up with nothing more than a look in each others' direction. In the other one, Jack does his best serenade of the ladies as he slowly drifts off to sleep. This has become a common scene as Jack apparently has some things he'd like to say before he is done for the day!

Boot Camp, by the way, has been a fantastic success! I can officially say that our days of barely surviving the days because we were on two or three hours of sleep are behind us...yay!!! Survival mode no more! All in all, the babies are much more manageable and are really fun! Their personalities are coming through more and more, they are able to entertain themselves for longer periods of time, they are starting to interact with each other a bit, and even their limited mobility seems to be helping their moods as well. Next up - full on crawling - probably from either Jack or Ryan, but Little Britton has shown she has some moves of her own so who knows which one will be first?! Anyone up for another horse race...?

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Eliot's First Week of Kinder, The First Walk, Boot Camp Update and Other Random Notes

2009-08-30T20:08:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to give a quick little update on all of the happenings of last week since, as we have become accustomed, everything has changed about our days and once again we have a "new normal."

Eliot Begins Kindergarten...The biggest change this week involves the little princess, Eliot McKenna, who started Kindergarten on Monday, which, with this being our first experience with having a child in public school, apparently changes just about everything in the rest of a family's life! Here are the highlights:

- Eliot LOVES just about everything to do with going to big girl school...except getting out of bed at "night"! She is not used to getting out of bed before the sun comes up and on the first day of school as we were preparing her breakfast and getting her ready to go, she asked, "why are we doing morning stuff at night?!" Hilarious!
- Talk about loving the whole experience: as she crossed the street with the help of a crossing guard for the first time, she exclaimed, "That was totally awesome!"

- She loves PE, but is really looking forward to going to the library, which didn't happen last week for some reason. Hopefully this week she'll get to go!

- She is also not a fan of the 30 count rule at the swingset...each kid on the swings has to count to 30, then let the next kid go after that. Obviously, that is not a popular rule!

- She is all about riding her Razor (scooter) to and from school every day like all of the other big kids...too cute!

- On Tuesday, before she discovered the Razor phenomenon, she wore her new tennis shoes which, according to her, make her run really, really fast. I'm not kidding when I tell you that little girl sprinted the entire way to and from school that day to show how fast she was!!

The First Walk...We finally took our first walk today with the whole gang, something we've been looking forward to for quite awhile now. Casey, Eliot, and I used to take pretty regular walks around the neighborhood, but have had to put those on hold since Casey went on bedrest nearly a year ago. For whatever reason, we decided today was finally the day to get the babies out on the road for a little stroll. I don't know if it was the heat or the newness of being in a stroller or if that little demon that shows up in our house from time to time to torment us, but the babies did not enjoy the experience one bit! You'll notice in the picture above that four out of five are very eagerly expressing their displeasure with this whole walk idea! There was at least one baby crying...no, check that...screaming is a better word for it...the entire time we were out there and usually it was two or three that were...uh, yeah, SCREAMING!! Regardless of that, I'm glad we got them out there and knocked another first off of the list...maybe we'll wait for cooler weather before we try that one again!

Boot Camp Update...I am very happy to report that we have logged significant victories in the battle for house control! The babies are just no match for the classical music, the soft, cuddly sleep sacks, the warm, frothy goodness of a bottle of formula, many talented baby-helpers, and two very determined parents!! For much of the month of August, we have managed to get them all down no later than 9:30, with at least two of the babies (one of them is always Britton, Baby Bright Eyes) getting up in the middle of the night for a little snack bottle. But for the last three days it's been closer to 8:30 with only Britton getting up. It may be too early to stake this claim, but, what the heck, VICTORY IS SWEET!!!

And finally, a couple of random notes. Britton is the first to be able to sit up without any help...see the picture! She's awesome...doesn't even do the baby-forward-lean to do it! We now feed them all cereal two times a day, mixed with green beans for dinner...hmmm, yummy! Jack and Ryan are not fans of the cereal, but Lila loves it and the two B's, Brooklyn and Britton are pretty ok with it all. Actually, Ryan the Lion pretty much screams her entire way through her bowl of cereal!! Ryan seems to have all of the necessary skills for doing a real crawl, but hasn't figured out how to coordinate it all just yet. She's soooooo close!! Last note: I begin school again tomorrow so say your prayers that I'll somehow remember how to juggle this madness once again!!!

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

Yes, Absolutely...It's a Time to Celebrate!!

2009-08-23T20:49:00.002-05:00

When we got home from the babies' church dedication last week and before we had changed clothes and settled into a Sunday afternoon feast, a little spontaneous moment of celebration broke out between me and Casey. I had gone to the garage fridge in search of a casserole to warm up for the meal. What I discovered, along with the casserole, was a bottle of champagne that a client of mine had given me a few months back; a bottle which I figured due to our hectic life would not be dusted off for many months from now, perhaps on our 11th wedding anniversary next June. Popping the top on a bottle of champagne means only one thing in my mind - a celebration has ensued - and I was immediately struck with the realization that in the midst of all of the chaos and craziness that this day had brought to our family, we had not taken pause to celebrate the day for all that it meant to us. Needless to say, I came back from the garage with more than a casserole in my hands.

It was Thursday, August 14th, 2008 when we got the news that would change our lives... immediately and indelibly. At the time, it was six babies, labeled by our fertility doctor as A, B, C, D, E, and F on the sonographer's screen. And as you know, the final head count ended at five, labeled six months later by their still-in-shock parents as Brooklyn, Britton, Jack, Lila, and Ryan. And now here we were, seven months to the day after their birth, committing our little tribe to the care of Christ's church. On that day it was never more apparent that these five babies - five blips on a sonographer's monitor 12 months ago, five little newsmakers on Austin's TV screens just seven short months ago - had grown into five precious, beautiful, little miracles, whose very lives speak volumes about the glory of our creator and now continue to change our lives...immediately and indelibly...every day. Yes, we had reason to celebrate!

Maybe it was the busy-ness of the preparations for the day or the fact that we went on our mini-vacation the two days leading up to the dedication that directed our thoughts elsewhere. And though I had had some thought that the day was every bit as much a celebration as it was a dedication, it never really occurred to me actually take time to, well...celebrate. Judging by the look on Casey's face when I walked in from the garage with a casserole in one hand and champagne in another, the thought hadn't occurred to her either. But as the cork was popped on that pink, bubbly bottle and we shared our first toast, there was no doubt that a celebration was called for...and maybe even longed for.

When the first toast was being poured out, a friend commented to us that he sensed that the day had been a bit of a celebration - honestly, I think that is the first time the word had been uttered in reference to the babies' dedication. Of course, our immediate thoughts and response were in reference to the babies: we've got five healthy, happy, growing, smiling, beautiful babies that were dedicated to the church today...heck yeah, this is a day to celebrate! We're still alive, still mentally competent, still married, and still happy with life after seven, wait make that twelve, of the most difficult months anyone we have ever known has ever had to endure...you better believe we're celebrating!! That day, and most especially that moment, will forever serve as one of the more captivating memories in my overstuffed inbox of memorable times thanks to the course of life our Father has put us on!

In the few days following the dedication, once the glow of recent memories began to fade like the embers of a campfire as do the stories that are passed around it, my thoughts began to trail to a different reason for celebration on that day, in that moment, because of these times. No question, the day was reserved and celebrated for the babies and God's goodness and that was reason enough. But another reason began to emerge, unknown and unspoken to most, but equally important to our family, if only in our little world with only quiet recognition.

Casey and I have been married for ten years and dated for six years prior to that and had enjoyed a pretty decent relationship for much of that time. But never had our marriage been on more solid ground than the day we got a glimpse at what lay ahead for our marriage and for our family. We had just come off a year of heavy focus on what was most important in our lives – faith and family – and we had found a really good place for both. To find ourselves in that place, where our marriage was never more alive was an achievement we were proud of and as we went through the process of trying to bring another baby into the world, we were looking to the future with more excitement than at any time since we said our "I do's."

And that is why, as the doctor dutifully identified the six little blips on that screen as our future brood, behind the excitement was a whole lot of fear in both our hearts. How would our relationship survive, let alone thrive, with all that the changes that these blips would someday bring to our lives? We had worked so hard to bring our relationship to a place that God had intended when he created the institution, why would he now drop this bomb on our hopes, plans, and dreams? How would we have enough time to ever focus on each other, something that had been so vital to our lives together? I don't know how to accurately rank our fears following the news we received on that day little more than a year ago, but I can say for certain that the future health of our marriage, our relationship, and our love for one another was at the top.

So after a bit of reflection on just what it is that we were celebrating on Baby Dedication Sunday, my answer to that question may not be as obvious as once thought. The way I see it, the babies' health, well-being, and miraculous lives are reason alone to celebrate on that day, but honestly, those things were never in question in our minds. God did the heavy lifting on that part, with little input from us. He created them, protected them in the womb, allowed for the amazing medical advances that ensured their health beyond the womb, and stirred a tremendous amount of love in people's hearts to help care for them in the months since. You've heard me say this before, but truly, God did this.

I believe that there are times in life where God takes complete control as I believe he did with the babies' health. But I also believe in free will. And somewhere between these two polar opposites, I believe there are times in life where he simply presents us with options and gives us a choice to make and decisions to be made around that choice. And this is what I believe was presented to me and to Casey, as individuals and as a couple, in the days following that fateful appointment in our doctor's office. We were presented with options and were forced to make decisions that would impact our lives forever...immediately and indelibly.

I tell you today that the evidence is on display and our verdict is in: we made the right choices. We chose to not allow this pregnancy and these births to destroy what we had worked so hard to build. We chose not to accept survival; rather we chose to maintain our focus, sharpening it where necessary. Simply, we refused to believe that God would allow his creation to destroy his blessing…as long as we did our part – make the right choice. And somehow, through all of the craziness that has swirled around our lives lately, our marriage has found an even better place than it had a year ago. Somehow, in spite of all of the stress and the worry for what lies ahead for our little band of misfits, we are even more excited about the future than we ever could have imagined!

So yes, absolutely - it's a celebration! It's a celebration of all that is good and pure and miraculous about life, as any baby's life can attest. Can there be any more striking example of God's goodness than the life of an infant, let alone five at one time? I think not! But it's also a quiet celebration for Casey and me, a small victory dance between the two of us, whether the world is watching or not. We have survived, we have thrived, and we continue to fight alongside our Father - for our marriage and for each other and for our family - as we look confidently towards the future. And yes, every once in a while, we celebrate...

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

New Videos Uploaded

2009-08-23T14:56:00.002-05:00

Check them out here:

Britton and Her Jumperoo Naps:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkh0SrNIj58

Baby Boot Camp - Five Happy Babies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD7Z5uZKE-0

Lila and Ryan - Morning Sweetness:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj0g_vuKdV0

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Baby Dedication...Pics and More!

2009-08-19T14:31:00.005-05:00

Wow, the baby dedication was AWESOME!! We had a great time finally getting our whole clan out in public and introducing them to the Riverbend family! The babies were out of the house for about four hours and did absolutely wonderfully! No fussiness, no blowouts or blow-ups, no spit-ups on their beautiful outfits, and no drama...excellent! All five of them even took a little nap between the two services! My lady was looking AMAZING as the pictures can attest and Eliot, aside from hiding behind me the entire time we were on stage during the second service, was a perfect little angel! It was a great day with lots and lots of family, loads of friends, and tons of well wishers and good vibes from our church family!!

I also have to mention that the entire weekend was made so amazing by several of our baby helpers who pitched in extra time to allow us to take Eliot to Fiesta Texas and also to take much of the burden of entertaining family off of our shoulders. We had several folks who helped out with the babies while we were out of town, one fine lady named Farrah, aka Rah-Rah!, who rallied up several of her friends to cover the whole day on Saturday, and two tireless helpers, Renee and Pam, who cooked a Saturday night dinner and a late Sunday brunch for our entire family!! Additionally, Riverbend went out of their way to put together a slide show for the services and sing a special song - "Let Them Be Little" - as the slideshow played. I'm trying to find some good video to upload so I'll let you know if I'm able to do that. Thank you to everyone who helped make it such a special day!!

You can also follow this link to see some pictures from Grandpa's camera:

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=48543b72fd4f8551&sid=2AaOWrdi4aMWE0

God Bless,

Ethan

http://www.joneslife.net/

Ok, I decided after I posted this that I needed to add a few more details about the trip to San Antonio. So we walked every square inch of the Riverwalk, literally, and did our fair share of sweating. We actually did a pretty horrible job of doing the Riverwalk thing...we walked from one end to the other and decided it was time to eat after we were way too far from the good restaurants to walk back. Then we decided to go grab the car and drive around and find a restaurant. After driving around awhile and not finding any restaurants we parked again and walked a whole lot more before realizing we were exactly where we had started - on the Riverwalk, a long way from good restaurants...long walk, decent food, bad margaritas (we sent them back - who has ever heard of doing that on the Riverwalk?!), but still a great night!

Six Flags Fiesta Texas was totally awesome! That place is really, really cool! We did all of the rides that Eliot was allowed to do, saw a couple of shows, played some games (she won the Supergirl cape she's wearing in her tough-girl pose above), then hit the water park to cool off. Excuse me, did I say Eliot? I meant, Little Miss Fearless! There was not an ounce of fear in her body as we hit the roller coasters - flips, turns, twists, and loops - she loved it all! I swear, if you've never experienced Six Flags in that way, do yourself a favor - go out and grab the first five-year-old that you can find, hit the park with no agenda, and put the little one in charge of the day's activities...you'll have the time of your life!! At least, that is, until the little one has a meltdown because she is over-tired, over-stimulated, and a little over-heated, which for Eliot hit around 6 pm. After about a ten minute nap, she was ready to go again so we left the park, hit the restaurant for some refueling, then stopped by the ice cream shop before heading back to the hotel for the night. Good, good, good times!!!

Baby Dedication This Sunday...(after our mini-vacation to Six Flags)!!!

2009-08-13T14:04:00.003-05:00

Alright, the original three are headed south again for another mini-vacation. Casey, Little Miss Sunshine, and I are headed to San Antonio in about one hour to begin our trip!! We are headed to the Riverwalk tonight for some good mexican food, a couple margaritas, and a good amount of sweating in the August heat. Tomorrow, Six Flags Fiesta Texas is the destination for some roller-coaster riding, water parking, and more sweating in that danged ol' August heat!!! We come back Saturday to a house full of babies, volunteers, and grandmas and grandpas (and hopefully escape that crazy Texas heat)!! Thank you to Tricia and the Harrison family along with all of the incredible "helpers" (that's what Eliot calls the baby volunteers) who are making this trip possible!!!!

And then the big event, the moment we've been waiting for since it was scheduled in early June - the babies' dedication to the church happens this Sunday! I cannot begin to express how excited we are about this day!! Not only will it be our first real venture out into public with the entire family, it will be the Fab Five's first appearance at Riverbend Church which has been such a strong supporter of our family during this incredible time. We will all be up onstage for both services, 9:45 and 11:15, along with our superstar volunteer, Tricia Harrison, to introduce the family. The service will also include a couple of cool little extras prepared by the Riverbend staff...very exciting!!!!!

I feel a little bit out of place (in other words, a little girly) commenting on this next aspect of the day, but I have to mention what the babies will be wearing for the big show. A high school friend of Granda Bill's, Beth Lewallen, made dresses for the girls and a suit for Jack out of Casey's wedding dress...seriously, that is really cool!! The dresses are absolutely adoreable, Jack will be looking totally dapper, and I am pumped because I no longer have to lug that silly dress around every time we move!! Ok, really, what a great idea! On top of that, she included a monogrammed handkerchief for all of the babies - and one for Eliot, too - to be worn in their own weddings...like 40 years from now! And then on top of that she also made a pillow out of the gown's bodice to be used to by the ring bearers in each of their weddings...which will all happen at least a year or two after I am dead and gone!! Huge, GINORMOUS thank yous to Beth for doing this for us!!!!!

So come on out for a wonderful, happy time in celebration of these five little miracles as we dedicate them to the care of the church and as we dedicate ourselves to raising them up in a Christian home! We loved the experience of doing this for Eliot when she was a baby and really value the symbolism and importance that this event will hold in our lives as a family!!

God Bless,
Ethan
http://www.joneslife.net/

On the News Again... :)

2009-08-10T13:14:00.001-05:00

Sorry, I totally flaked this morning/last night and forgot to update everyone to let y'all know we were going to be on the news again. KXAN came by on Thursday and interviewed us for the story linked below...enjoy!

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/mobile/Catching_up_with_the_Jones_quintuplets

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Baby Boot Camp

2009-08-05T21:40:00.005-05:00

August is officially Baby Boot Camp month in the Jones house as we launch an assault on the Fab Five and begin the reclamation project...at least that's the plan any way! Maybe we've completely lost our minds or maybe we've been sipping from a few bottles of our own as the babies gently nipple their daily nourishment, but we have decided that this quintet of crazies can no longer have control of our lives...at least not total control!!!! And so it begins...

There are three goals for the months: get all five sleeping through the nights, get them into a night-time routine and down by 9:00, and get them all eating cereal with ease (ok, relative ease)...stretch goal - naptime routine. It's ambitious, we know, but something must be done! Well, it's August 5th and I can tell you that we have opened all three fronts of this baby battle with some early success to report! Four out of five slept through the night for two nights in a row, but then the babies launched a counter-attack on night three, waking us up SEVEN times in one night...aaaaaggggggggghhh!!! We've actually had them all down between 8:30 and 9:30 on all four nights (it's 9:55 as I type this...yeah!!). And as you can see from the pictures, the cereal feeds have begun. As you can also see, Jack and Brooklyn just LOVED it... I'm pretty sure that if Brooklyn could speak, she would have been saying something along the lines of, "Just what the..........do you think you're putting in my mouth????!!" :)

So here's the battle plan for the night time routine, with a huge thank you to the Wilkinson's, victorious veterans of their own quintuplet home dominance battle, for lending us their expertise! First, we hit them hard with the ultimate baby killer - low lights and classical music! Ruthless, I know...we mean business here! Next, a new diaper, a change of clothes, maybe a little lavender lotion and then we hit 'em wear it hurts - right in the belly with a big, warm bottle of the good stuff! After that, we continue the assault with story time while their food settles and the classical riffs softly lead them to lullaby land. Finally, we go in for the knockout blow by zipping them up in their sleep sacks and topping 'em off with another couple ounces of the frothy goodness. It's a combination they can't resist...well, almost...but it is working pretty well so far!! I mean, why wouldn't it...who wouldn't be ready for a long night's sleep after that kind of treatment??

Seriously, Jack and Ryan LOVE the new routine! Jack goes into smiley, happy chill mode while Ryan thinks it's party time and she's the star of the show...it is the cutest thing ever! She smiles, she gurgles, she laughs, she screams a little bit, then does it all over again...hilarious!! Britton is the biggest fighter of them all and doesn't go down without a scrap-fight every time. Generally, that's how Britton is all of the time these days...never sleeping unless she's being held, never happy unless she's held, never content unless she's...yeah you guessed it, being held and walked and bounced...for hours on end...not fun!

Brooklyn and Lila are battling it out for the sweetest of the bunch. We thought all along that Brooklyn had it, hands down, but Lila has shown a sensitivity in the last few weeks that we didn't know was there. She got so upset with me two times, I thought her little heart had broken right into a million pieces. Once, I was tickling Eliot and Lila did not like it one bit! The other time, she and Ryan were in side-by-side bouncies and both were fussing. Since Ryan was making more noise (no surprise there), I picked her up to calm her down...bad move! Lila was crushed and she let me know about it!! Really sweet, but broke my heart as well! Don't get me wrong, Brooklyn is still our little sweetheart, but Lila is positioning herself right alongside her in the sweetness department.

One other quick note - Jack loves the bouncey seat these days and all of them love their activity tables. Jack will bounce and laugh for the longest time, happy as can be. I loaded up a short video of him getting a good laugh at some of my antics and you can see it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hPIMEogJVw

So there you have it...the battle has begun! Pray for us, my friends, we may not make it out of this in one piece, but we must prevail...no matter the cost!!!!!! ;-)

God Bless,

Ethan

http://www.joneslife.net/

Six Month Doc Visit and Ryan's Wounded Army Crawl Video

2009-07-26T13:30:00.003-05:00

Updates, updates! I have updates! We took the amazingly unintelligent decision to take the babies to the doctor last week...all five at the same time!! It was chaotic, stressful, crazy, but totally fun and something we'll remember forever...though we probably won't be pulling that stunt again any time soon! Imagine five babies and five adults in a room about the size of a master closet...for two hours, complete with two shots for each baby...aaaaggggggghhhh!!!! Imagine five little wigglers all wearing nothing but their diapers on an examination table at the same time, then imagine Ryan trying to crawl over the other four to get to who knows where while Jack keeps rolling to his tummy, steam-rolling Britton in the process! Then imagine giving them all two shots!!! At one point, they all decided it was time to eat so we had two nurses plus Dr. Ma each feeding a baby while Casey and I handled the other two...too funny! Though it was relatively normal for Casey and I, I think it was a bit stressful for the doctor and her staff. As we were leaving, she said, "I think I liked it better when you brought them three and two." I think we'll take that as a not-so-subtle hint as to how she would like the next visit to be structured... :)

The babies are all doing very, very well and are mostly ahead of where they should be developmentally. They are officially six months and a few days old, but their adjusted age (based on their actual due date) puts them around three months developmentally. Here are the new stats (% based on adjusted age):

- Brooklyn Faith - 24" tall (50%), 12 pounds, 7 ounces (25%), 41 cm head circ. (50%)

- Britton Grace - 22" tall (8%), 10 pounds, 0 ounces (3%), 41 cm head circ. (50%)

- Jack William - 24" tall (50%), 15 pounds, 5 ounces (55%), 43-1/2 cmm head circ. (90%)

- Lila Addison - 23" tall (25%), 11 pounds, 12 ounces (20%), 41 cm head circ. (50%)

- Ryan Elizabeth - 24" tall (50%), 12 pounds, o ounces (25%), 39 cm head circ. (10%)

They are definitely hybrid babies - doing some of the things six monthers do (crawling, for example) and doing some of the things three monthers do (like not sleeping through the night!!!). Ryan is the most striking example of this mix as she is fully mobile now...just put a toy a few feet in front of her and watch her go! This is definitely not something most three monthers are doing by this age! Here is the link to the video of her making her way across the three activity gyms to get to some toys:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYdvjN1wJ0Q

None of the babies made a peep on the drive to and from the doctor's office so I guess they enjoyed it - it was the first time The Fab Five was all together in the car at once. And since we dropped Eliot off at school on the way, it was also the first time all eight of us together in the car. And let me tell you, we were CRAMPED!! Thank goodness none of them fussed because there would have been no getting to them!

Our next venture out as a family is on the schedule for August 16th. We are very excited for this day as it is the day we dedicate the babies to the church at Riverbend. We'll be on stage (yes, all of us!) for both the 9:45 and 11:15 services to introduce the clan to the congregation that has been so supportive of our family since before the babies were born. What a day that will be!

I want to take a quick moment to thank Jan (one of Grandma Stevie's good friends) for making her third trip from the Dallas area to our home for the weekend to help take care of the babies. She has been so awesome to help out and really works hard to give us a break when she comes! Because of her and Grandma Stevie taking care of the Six Pack last night, Casey and I actually got to go out on a date!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Thank you also to all of the volunteers for their continued support and to everyone out there praying for our family! Life continues to be in a constant state of change and mostly entrenched in chaos, but you all have helped to make it a very rewarding time for our family!!

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

Not quite done with our 15 minutes!

2009-07-17T11:52:00.002-05:00

We had a visit yesterday from two local TV stations who wanted to do a story on the quints' 6 month birthday. It has always been kind of hectic to do these interviews, but it is always so worth it when you get to see your babies on TV, showing off their super-cuteness! Here is the link to one of the stories that ran (the other station hasn't posted their story).

http://www.kvue.com/news/top/stories/071609kvue_Jones_turn_6_mos-cb.48b8dad4.html

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Happy Birthday, Eliot McKenna!!

2009-07-14T15:40:00.003-05:00

Eliot turned 5 years old today...we can't believe our baby girl is all grown up now!!! Well, I guess "all grown up" is a relative term - I guess grown ups don't put on singing shows for their parents while wearing a princess night grown and singing to "A Whole New World" from Aladdin like Eliot did last night. And I guess most grown ups don't request pumpkin pie for their birthday treat or pout for half an hour because one of their party balloons floated away while unpacking the car. And I would have to say most grown ups do not spend their evenings drawing pictures of their family, complete with rainbows, sunshines, smiley faces, and Daddy's spikey hair.

But she's definitely not the tiny six pounder who came into our lives five years ago today and instantly turned our lives upside down for the first of many times to come! She's not the little one-year-old that I used to call "Two-Toofers" because of the two front bottom teeth that she flashed with every smile. She's also not the toddler who used to run around the house on her tiptoes, used to use my stomach as a trampoline, once spread diaper rash cream all over her face and her stuffed tigers face because they had a rash, and each night at bedtime was never satisfied with just one book. And she's not the four-going-on-thirteen-year-old who developed a taste for independence early on in life and made sure everyone around her respected that freedom. Nope, as all who have kids know, the changes come fast in the first years and with them new joys and an almost equal amount of headaches - headaches that only appear when you forget to laugh first! We've loved every minute of it, Little Miss Sunshine, and can't wait to see what the next chapter in our lives brings!!

Happy Birthday, Eliot! We love you!

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

The Original 3 Head South

2009-07-12T12:01:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pics from our mini-vacation July 2nd and 3rd. We had a blast playing in the sand and the surf (though I think Eliot preferred the hotel pool) then cooled off later taking in Ice Age 3 - Dawn of the Dinosaurs in 3d. It was great to get a small taste of what our life used to be like before diving head first back into reality on the 4th!!

God Bless,

Ethan

http://www.joneslife.net/

Update - Finally!!

2009-07-07T13:45:00.005-05:00

First of all, thank you to Elle Mendenhall of Ella Bella Photography for these awesome pictures of the babies!! She came out a couple of times to photograph the babies, volunteering both her time and talents to capture these pics. Elle specializes in newborn photography displayed a unique talent for keeping the babies calm. Too bad she can't hang around more often! Visit her website at www.ellabellaphotos.com!

It's been awhile, hasn't it? Sorry for my absence - school has been working me over lately! Summer session is in full swing and is every bit the wall that everyone told me it would be. The work is intense, the topics are complicated, and the summer school blues are in full effect!! I'm ashamed to admit that for the first summer ever, I didn't get a sunburn until this past weekend...pathetic, I know! I'm used to having my first burn no later than April 1st so this is a bit tough for me to accept! Alright, onto what you really want to know about...The Fab Five!!

The babies are all doing really well and have started to calm down after sufficiently punishing us for being away for a couple of days. The original three - me, Casey, and Eliot - headed south to spend a couple of days at the beach last week and get some much needed time away from Babyville. We had a blast!! We put the little one in charge of the agenda and she wasted no time lining out the plan, complete with a list of events in order of priority! We spent time at the beach, in the pool, in the ice cream shop, and at the movies and even managed to get two solid night's sleep!! It was really good to be back in the normal world even for just a bit and remember what our life used to be like, but it was also good to get back and see the babies.

Obviously, we had loads of help from several different volunteers with the Harrison family staying over at the house to coordinate everybody and handle the night shifts. We can't thank all of you enough!!!!! Supposedly, the Fab Five took it easy on them while we were out, apparently saving their energy for when we returned. We got back on the fourth and spent the next two days mostly without volunteer help as the babies took turns seeing which one could chug the most formula then scream the loudest. I think they set it up as a double-elimination tournament format because the competition, which began around 2:00 in the afternoon on Saturday, didn't wind down until around midnight on Sunday evening.

As expected, Ryan the Lion took the prize for longest period of unstoppable screaming fit throwing. Brooklyn and Britton came in a close second while Lila took the trophy for loudest mouth of the south though it must have taken all she had because it didn't last very long!! Brooklyn was the formula eating champion, putting on an amazing display of back-to-back full bottle chugs several times during the tournament! Even Big Bad Jack had to pay his respects to her bottle management mojo. Let's just hope she doesn't carry that skill with her to college life... :)

All of the babies are rollers now, though only Brooklyn and Ryan can do so from their backs to their tummies. Jack is trying for all he is worth to get the back-to-belly roll down, but his big ol' dome just won't cooperate! They are all smiling with great regularity and Lila, Ryan, and Jack have started to laugh from time to time...it is too dang cute!!! They are also starting to grab toys and interact with the different dangley things that hang from their bouncey seats and other rest stops. Ryan appears to be the strongest right now - she stands all the time and holds her head up for long periods of time when she is on her belly. I guess that's the benefit to her regular screaming fits - strong back and neck muscles from arching and flexing all the time! She's building some serious core muscles in the process as well!

Other than that, they are all still acting like normal babies - restless, hungry, and inconsistent. The longest stretch of sleep we can expect out of them is about five hours, but that is a pretty rare feat. Most nights, one of them will wake up after about 3-1/2 or 4 hours and we wake the rest up to feed at that time. Dear Lord, we are looking forward to them sleeping through the night! Consistency to the schedule is still little more than a dream that can't come soon enough!

I did a very unscientific weigh-in of everyone about a week ago using a bathroom scale. Here are the weights (the scale only reads in whole and half numbers):

- Broolyn Faith - 12 pounds

- Britton Grace - 9 pounds

- Jack William - 14 pounds

- Lila Addison - 11 pounds

- Ryan Elizabeth - 11.5 pounds

In the personality department, Ryan and Britton are the stars of the show for the time being. They are both bursting with smiles, coos, and other flashes of personality while Jack, Lila, and Brooklyn are still pretty laid back. It's so cool to watch their personalities develop and to see how they differ from each other. From their cries to their smiles, all of the babies are incredibly unique from each other! Here is a short video that the Harrison's took while we were gone of Britton saying hello and showing you why we call her Bobbles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsZAO3Ajo30

So life continues to roll on in this crazy new world of ours. We're still one day at a time and finding that some days it can be a lot easier to keep it all in perspective than other days. We laugh, we cry, we get really stressed and frustrated, then we laugh some more...and we can often cycle through all of that in about an hour or two! If you've been praying for us, please keep us on the list! And if you haven't been praying for us, why not? Kidding!! Y'all take care!

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

6199

2009-06-19T12:01:00.004-05:00

"For this cause will a man go away from his father and mother, and be joined to his wife; And the two will become one flesh; so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Let not that which has been joined together by God be parted by man." Mark 10:7-9

Ten years ago today, Casey and I began our new life together as husband and wife. There have been many good times and a few rough ones along the way, as most married couples can attest. Over the years, we've had quite a few major moments, definitive events in our life together, especially in the last few. But the moment we both said "I do" to a life lived together continues to be the single most impactful moment of my life.

This year, unlike any other will continue to shape and mold our future like nothing else before it. And though our ten year anniversary celebration tonight will likely consist of eating leftovers for dinner, feeding babies until all hours of the night, and looking forward to more of the same for the weekend ahead, I have never been more excited about where we are as a couple and as a family! Our life is crazy, so is our marriage, but it has never been better than it is right now!!

Happy Tenth Anniversary, Casey Ann...I love you!

God Bless,
Ethan
http://www.joneslife.net/

Brooklyn's Sweet Cry

2009-06-14T22:21:00.003-05:00

I finally got around to getting Brooklyn's sweet cry on video. I loaded this one up to YouTube because Blogger was having a hard time uploading the videos. I also loaded up several other videos I took yesterday of the babies in action, making their first attempts at rolling over. We now have four of them that can roll from their tummies to their backs - Lila, Britton, Ryan, and Jack. Brooklyn is the only hold out! That's a picture of Ryan the Lion above as she is making an attempt at a roll. It's so much fun to see the babies progress! Y'all enjoy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y22YyD7YdwA

God Bless,

Ethan

http://www.joneslife.net/

Welcome to the Family, Summer Ann Jones and Angel Marie Jones!!!!

2009-06-10T16:40:00.004-05:00

It has been my intent to update on this for a while, but things didn't quite time out the way I was hoping. So, at last, here we go...

For those of you who have been following the blog for awhile, you know that my mom and dad welcomed two little girls into their home last July as foster parents with the intent of fully adopting them once they could wind their way through the legal process that was required. Well, I am very excited to report that the process was completed on May 6th and the Jones family has two new additions to throw in the mix! If you want the full details on this part of our lives, follow this link to the original blog I did on the subject:

http://joneslifeaustinblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/youll-never-know-whose-life-youll.html

I think my dad does a better job than I could in describing the day. Here are his words on an email he sent out to friends and family after the adoption was complete:

"On May 6th, Lynn and I drove to Hillsboro, TX and finalized the adoption of our 2 girls. The attached picture is (from Left to Right), Angel Jones-daughter, Katie Jones-granddaughter, and Summer Jones-daughter in their Easter dresses. They are officially our daughters. As the judge said, “they are the same as if they were our biological children”. What is amazing about this whole process, almost immediately Lynn and I noticed they begin to act differently. It is like they knew that they were no longer a “guest” but a “permanent resident”. Full citizenship in the family of Jones. Even though Lynn and I have never treated them any way but as our daughters, they somehow knew that it was not official.

Prior to the proceedings, we had to sign some papers and so did the girls. It was really interesting to watch the girls sign the adoption papers. At ages 6 & 7, they painstakingly took their time, concentrated, and signed their new name in their very best penmanship. It was very important to them that did they did their very best.

Summer made the comment, “now we have the same name as Mom, Dad, Dusty, Jaime, Tristan, Jacob, Katie, Ethan, Casey, Eliot, and the 5 babies.” For those of us who have always been a part of a family, no matter how dysfunctional, we really do not know how secure or important it is. For 2 little girls, whose only family was each other and a mother that is in prison, it is a BIG deal. To be a child and not have someone “Big” to take care of you is very scary. To be in a situation of no security one day, to full security the next and to be only 6 & 7 years old and have that understanding, has got to be pretty amazing to 2 little girls.

Just for the record, Lynn and I have not had one minute of regret for taking this on. We both agree, yes the girls definitely are beneficiaries, but we are the bigger beneficiaries. We have been truly blessed. Thank you all for all of your thoughts, comments and prayers."

Reading these words, I cannot be more proud of my mom and dad and the lives they have lived. And I am absolutely amazed at the life-altering decisions people find the courage to make in the face of incalculable costs when they open their hearts to God's call on their lives!! So, here's to you, Mom, Dad, Summer, and Angel! And thank you, to all four of you, for the impact you've had on my life and on the lives of untold others...CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

What Day Is It...Seriously?

2009-06-06T19:02:00.003-05:00

Two days ago, which was Thursday, I thought it was Wednesday...all day long. I made scheduling calls for a project I'm running, I made plans for studying that night, and I did all of the other things that I would have done had it been the day I thought it was...Wednesday. This isn't the first time since the baby invasion that I've lost track like this and I'm afraid it will not be the last. We have developed an irritating little habit of forgetting to feed Eliot dinner until she gently reminds us around 8:30 or so that she is about to start gnawing on the furniture if we don't get her some food. A few weeks ago, several pieces of our clothes, Eliot's blankets, and a few other things had to be thrown back in the dirty clothes pile right after they came out of the wash. Apparently, somebody forgot to put detergent in the machine and everything that came out smelled like baby vomit...awesome.

Yes, the baby invasion is taking its toll on our sanity. It is taking its toll on our everything, actually...energy, patience, sanity, civility...say goodbye! School started up last Monday and is in full swing for the next two months, Eliot is losing interest in her new role as daughter-in-waiting - very stressful, the inconsistency of our day-to-day has become a consistent source of frustration, and cabin fever has struck Casey with a vengeance - she left the house one time last week...one time! All in all, this experience has begun to tug at the ties that bind.

Despite all of this, we have found some peace amidst the storm as a sliver of light has appeared at the end of this tunnel. It's merely a dot on the horizon at the moment, but it is there nonetheless, and it has provided us with renewed focus and a renewed sense of what life will be like once survival mode is a distant, laughable memory. Among other little improvements that have come in the last few days and/or weeks, Ryan's colic seems to have settled a bit, all of them are sleeping slightly longer stretches at night, and all are smiling, cooing, and gurgling with great regularity, we've settled into a night routine that is more manageable than before, and there is a plan in place for Casey to get some time outside the house on a daily basis. None of this was happening or could have been managed just two weeks ago, but now it is and we plan on taking full advantage. It's possible, rather it is likely, that these whispers of future freedom are the source of much of the frustration of late. We're an impatient bunch, no doubt, and the hints of progress bring with them much anticipation of better days! And that sliver of light? I have to admit that it is more than just a sliver and it is more than just light...it is soul. Here is what we see when we look around the room at the faces that have already begun to shape our future:

Brooklyn Faith - She has the most unique look of all of the babies - huge eyes, wide lips, chubby cheeks, and male pattern baldness...adoreable! As you know, she also has the sweetest little cry we've ever heard. She has developed a taste for her hands which can be found in her mouth, sometimes both of them and sometimes the whole fist, almost all of the time whether she is hungry or not. Maybe it's just the cry that leads us this way, but we think she is going to be our sensitive one, the crier who just wants everyone to be nice.

Britton Grace - Baby Bright Eyes is living up to her name, though today I started calling her Bobbles. Her eyes shine bright, seemingly all the time, and with her teency, tiny frame she almost looks like a caricature. I'm calling her Bobbles because she loves to stand up and when she does, her growing dome is too much for her little body and constantly bobbles as she looks out at the world. She is the one who we believe will give Eliot a run for her money in the personality department!

Jack William - Just call him ice because he is super cool, all the time. Seriously, Casey and I laugh that if he was our only baby, we'd forget that we had one at all. He lays back, taking it all in, never fussing unless he is hungry. When he is hungry, he eats - no fighting the bottle for this guy who often feeds himself with a bottle propped against the arm of the chair. He is built like a bowling ball and when you hold him he feels like one, too. Big boy doesn't talk much, but when he does, it is sweet as can be. We don't think he could have been designed more perfectly for life with five little girls competing for rule of the roost!

Lila Addison - Another little chill bug, Lila is generally kicked back, eyes wide open, watching the chaos swirl around her. With her blond hair, big eyes, and perfect little face she is in competition for the prettiest of the bunch. Just about everyone who comes through here says she looks like Eliot and we agree. Almost every time she falls asleep, she does so with her hands and fingers laid out like she just got a manicure and she's waiting for her nails to dry...funny! She is a sweetheart who never seems to be too bothered by much, but we haven't quite figured her personality out just yet. I guess we'll have to wait and see...

Ryan Elizabeth - She used to be Ryan the Lion because of her constant roar. Now, she is Ryan the Smilin', Cryin' Lion because that's all she ever does - cries or smiles...no in between. She'll go from screaming so loud you think she's going to pop to smiling the biggest, flirty smile you've ever seen and back to screaming in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, her crying doesn't come in two hour spurts anymore...thank the Lord! Britton and Eliot better keep their eye on this little firecracker if they hope to continue their diva dominance!

As the metaphor goes, we are still climbing the mountain and probably will be for awhile. But the terrain seems to have leveled out a bit, the trees are clearing, and we can finally see clearly the first of what is sure to be many summits on the path that lies ahead. We still could use your prayers, we still needs loads of help to make it through each new day, and we continue to rely on God's provision to help us enjoy the craziness we call life. But as these five little lights, souls of the most innocent kind, continue to teach us how beautiful this life can be, we cannot help but feel fearfully, wonderfully blessed.

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

Lots of Happenings in the Jones Life!

2009-05-24T17:35:00.008-05:00

Well, I'm back from DC...what a great trip! For those of you who do not know, part of the curriculum of my MBA program is a week-long trip to DC to learn about how daily life in that town effects business in America. It wasn't a very restful week as I was hoping, but it was an incredible experience! Our schedule was packed all day, every day with lectures from various politicians, former Treasury Department staffers from the Bush administration, lobbyists, Chinese and Japanese Embassy officials, and various other "in-the-know" types who gave us a crash course in the ways of Washington. We got a private tour of the Capitol (AMAZING!!), attended a committee hearing on foreign government corruption, sat at the conference table at the Fed where the Fed board meets and decides how much more money to print that day for bailouts, and watched Bay Buchanan hammer her Democratic challenger in a debate put on just for our group. We got the inside story (at least inside the media curtain) on Nancy Pelosi's current troubles, the various reasons for the financial meltdown on Wall Street, the decision making that went into the economic stimulus packages and the bailouts, the pending battle over nationalising health care, how decisions are made at the highest level, and the transition from the Bush to the Obama administration. It was a fascinating week filled to the brim with a few of my favorite pastimes - education, high level debate of multi-faceted issues, and political maneuvering!

In between all of this, I managed to squeeze in a trip to Arlington National Cemetery to watch the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Memorial Mall where I saw the Lincoln, Jefferson, World War II, and Korean War Memorials, the Washington Monument, and the White House. Washington is an incredible town with an energy to it like no other and I have to admit that I came away with a little more respect for those who devote their lives to carrying on the business of running this country.

While I was away, Casey kept the machine well oiled and running smooth with a little help from the normal carousel of volunteers along with her mom, Aunt Ricki, and cousin Kim...thank you, ladies! It was a wild week for them all, but that's nothing new anymore. The babies all made their third trips out of the house to visit the pediatrician and all received a clean bill of health. Eliot had a blast with the family in town - cousin Kim kept her running (or vice versa) and made it really tough on the little squirt to say goodbye when it was time to head back to Pennsylvania where she and Ricki are from. And Casey actually got a sliver of a chance to get out of the house on a couple of occasions for some free time!

The Fab Five continues to amaze with their health and persistent growth. Jack, the beef cake, is now over 12 pounds and is built like a bowling ball, literally - his head size is in the 75th percentile while his height is only in the 10th! Britton is still our little baby, but she is well over 7 pounds now and continues to pick up about an ounce every day. The quints cruise through over 100 ounces of formula and 50 diapers every day as they continue to dominate every aspect of life in the Jones home!

Here are the latest stats - height and weight with percentiles in parentheses. The percentiles are as compared with a 6 week old baby which is basically what they all are if you go by their original due date.

Brooklyn: 22 inches (25%), 9 pounds, 4 ounces (10%)

Britton: 20 inches (10%), 7 pounds, 9 ounces (10%)

Jack: 22 inches (25%), 12 pounds, 1 ounce (50%)

Lila: 21 inches (10%), 8 pounds, 4 ounces (10%)

Ryan: 21 inches (10%), 9 pounds, 4 ounces (10%)

*It doesn't seem right that the girls are all in the 10th percentile with the range of weights they are, but that is what the nurse wrote.*

Eliot just graduated from pre-k and also put the wraps on her first soccer season with a Memorial Day tournament...they won! She seems to really enjoy soccer and does really well when she's not too busy being the team clown and giving Mason, one of the boys on the team, mid-game live action hugs! She's growing up so fast! She is really doing well with all of the comings and goings in our new, little world. She has not complained about the babies one time, though she definitely has had her moments of major need of attention and clinginess...very stressful when that happens! She is helping out with the babies and helps to "entertain" the volunteers when Casey and I are downstairs catching up on bills, laundry, etc. Please continue to pray for her...this has got to be difficult for a little girl to understand. I'm a little worried about how the summer is going to go with her love of the swimming pool. It is almost impossible to get out of the house so I have no idea how we are going to keep her entertained on all of those hot summer days that are headed our way!

Casey and I are still very much in survival mode. We have more than our fair share of frustrating days and sleepless nights as we continue to try to navigate this crazy, mixed up world we are living in. It will be really, really, really nice when the babies sleep longer through the night and begin to settle into some sort of consistent schedule - who knows when that will be, but it cannot come soon enough! The health of the babies, the steady flow of loving volunteers, the prayers and support from friends and family, and the knowledge that it won't be like this for long provide the relief and encouragement we need to keep a smile on our faces. Keep it coming, people!!!!! :-)

God Bless,

Ethan

http://www.joneslife.net/

Life With Ryan Elizabeth

2009-05-13T21:33:00.003-05:00

Life with Ryan can sometimes be a blast!!

And other times, it can be something else entirely...

I want to thank all of you for the positive feedback on my last post, "Where Do I Begin..." (and the others) . The uplifting words of encouragement, the helpful hints, and most gratifying, the thank you's from those who found their own bit of encouragement from our experience are incredibly rewarding and most appreciated. I'll do my best to keep the blogs coming though typing one-handed tends to slow me down a bit... :)

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

Where Do I Begin...?

2009-05-02T23:13:00.011-05:00

*Author's note: the last time I wrote a blog with a similar theme as this one, I unwittingly created a bit of a stir. To those who know what I'm referring to, I want you to know that all is well and there is no need for concern. Happy reading!

The title says it all, I do not know where to start. It's been a long two weeks since I updated the blog with anything truly substantial and a lot has happened in that time. I apologize for not updating sooner, but I'm guessing you'll forgive me :). Two weeks ago...ah, yes, that is the day Baby Bright Eyes finally came home, the six pack was finally complete, and everything in our happy little world was officially turned upside down.

So again, where do I begin? Right now seems as good a place as any so here we go. It's 11:27 pm on Saturday night. Casey has been in bed for 45 minutes and I've been trying to get this blog going for the last :27. This is my fifth time to sit back down, laptop in tow, after getting up to bounce Ryan in her bouncey seat, each time saying a little prayer that she'll just give me an hour. So far, the prayers have gone unanswered. The other four are fast asleep, each in a bouncey seat of their own, snoozing away the hours until their next bottle.

I'm up, listening to some nonsense that's playing on the TV (why do they play nothing but junk after 10 pm??) while Ryan is sleeping - finally, face down across my lap between my stomach and the laptop. And I type away. I am up because I am pulling the first shift tonight while Casey gets her 4~ish hours of zzzz's for the night. The next feed begins at midnight, assuming they all cooperate between now and then, so I'll be lucky to finish this blog in this sitting.

There used to be a schedule to all of this, each of the babies had a set time and an order in which they fed and they pretty much stuck to it...not anymore. Now, if we can just get them all fed and quieted down within the two and a half hour time we have allotted for them to feed, life is good...exceedingly good. If all goes well, my head will hit the pillow around 2:30 and I won't have to get back up until around 7:00. Reality is I'll probably get in bed a little later than that and I'll likely get up a time or two to calm one or two or three of the babies before Casey's shift begins at 4:00. And that is how it goes on nights when we do not have help. It is now 11:41 and, as if an invisible spirit just went through the room and pinched all of the babies at the exact same time, Jack, Brooklyn, and Lila have all started to fuss. I'll be back...

Good morning! I'm back and it is now 9:51 on Sunday morning. Jack is in the cradle, the girls are all sleeping in bouncies, Casey is getting dressed, Eliot is playing downstairs, and I am upstairs, bouncing Ryan with my left foot and hoping that Lila's fussing doesn't turn into a full blown baby freak out. If I randomly type something like "Schlitterbahn" in the middle of a sentence, it's because Eliot has just come upstairs and asked me to help her name her dogs that she just bought from my pet store...(Schlitterbahn is one of the names we've come up with so far). Ryan and Brooklyn woke up this morning around 6:30 so Casey got them into bed with us and bought us another hour of sleep. The rest of them started fussing around 7:45 so that is when the day officially began.

All of the babies are eating every four hours and we still wake them up through the night to feed, whether they want to or not. We could probably stretch them out a little longer at night, especially Jack and Brooklyn, but the problem is that if we do not keep them on a regular schedule, I think we would be handing care of the asylum over to the patients. I'm only half kidding when I call this place the asylum because the babies all completely lost their minds around this time last week and just about drove Casey and I to commit ourselves. Call it a growth spurt, call it babies being babies, whatever it was, it was nuts for all involved. What used to be a relatively peaceful existence turned into utter chaos and is just now starting to settle down a bit.

Side note - you think my perspective on life has changed slightly over the last six weeks? Read that sentence before one more time and you'll have all the proof you need. Yeah, the one where I described life with five newborns in the house as "relatively peaceful". Knowing what you know about our lives these days, could you ever even come close to describing it as relatively peaceful?? Yeah, life has changed, just a bit, and along with it so has our perspective.

Alright, back to the story. For the first 3 or 4 weeks since Jack came home, managing the babies' care was about as easy as it could be. They were all like little alarm clocks that ran on formula instead of being wound up. every three hours, the formula on the clock would run low and its alarm would go off. Fill it up with formula, and the clock re-sets itself and goes into snooze mode for another three hours. Other than the occasional leaky clock or minor maintenance work needing to be done (aka: bath time, tummy time, or cuddle time), piece of cake. The nights were long only because we had to get up to feed them, not because they were up screaming for some inexplicable and inconsolable reason.

Like I said, relatively peaceful...until last Saturday. That is the day the babies, apparently in a collusive agreement, decided to flex their collective muscle and launch an assault on our sanity. Fussy? Check. Sleepless? Check. Inconsolable? Check, check! Baby team solidarity and commitment to the cause? Oh yeah! The four hour feeds became 1-4 hour feeds; the sleepy little angels became angry little devils; night became day, day became mayhem; minor maintenance became major overhaul; relative peace became a relative grip on reality. Honestly, I think it was just a growth spurt that they all went through...at the same time. They all wanted to be held all the time - even easy-going Jack, Britton was eating every two hours (more on that in a minute), and Ryan decided to scream for two hours at a time, several times a day. Collic? Gas? Who knows, but anyone who has been through it with their baby (we also did with Eliot) knows that it sucks, no other way to describe it. Oh, other than helpless, frustrating, and exhausting...

Ok, we're done with dog names - Schlitterbahn, Feliz, Boy, Pinkers, and Princess - and now we're onto watching Hotel for Dogs, carefully narrated by Miss Eliot McKenna. Picking up on a theme here? One of the casualties of this new life of ours was the dog we promised Eliot. She hasn't forgotten that one and may need therapy someday to forgive us for it... ;-)

Britton has now been home with us for two weeks and she is doing very, very well. The NICU reluctantly released her to us with careful instructions to zealously guard her daily formula intake. Two ounces of her own special mix, every three hours, only given by mom and dad - no volunteers or other family. If she doesn't take it down, insert a tube in her nose and get her the food that way. Those are the doctors orders...not easy, but better than keeping her at the NICU and struggling to get up there to see her every three or four days. In the NICU, whether she took her bottles or was being fed through the tube, she was having a heck of a time keeping her food down and gaining weight so we really had to be vigilant. After about 12 hours at home trying to keep her on the three hour schedule, we made the decision to pull back to a two hour schedule and feed her less with each bottle...'round the clock. That is six hours spent every day feeding one baby. I might have said this once already, but I'll say it again - not easy.

Well, I'm very happy to say that after about 12 days of two hour feeds, Baby Bright Eyes is gaining weight as she should, keeping her food down (mostly), and is now back to a three hour schedule!! It is such a relief to see her finally beginning to thrive! She actually sleeps now...with both eyes closed...amazing! I am also very happy to say that whatever demon had entered our home over the last week appears to have left as all of the babies seem to have calmed down a little over the last 24 hours or so. Except Ryan. I'm afraid her tormenting spirit will be with us for awhile...uuggg :(

Despite this week's craziness, the babies really are doing very well. Brooklyn still has the sweetest little cry I've ever heard and, as Casey told me this morning, she is by far the best cuddler. Britton is a total diva, but amazingly cute, alert, and ready to party! Jack - Chillmaster. The little guy is so relaxed about everything, rarely fusses unless he is hungry, and simply seems to be content with life. Lila, another chill bug, but more alert and social than Jack. Ryan, as before during the NICU stay, is competing with Britton for H.D.I.C. - Head Diva In Charge. Ryan doesn't fuss, she screams, but good lord, she is beautiful! I'll probably get skewered for saying this, but at this point she is the prettiest of the five, not necessarily the cutest and certainly not the sweetest, but without a doubt the prettiest little thing I ever did see!

Here are their weights as of Friday:

- Brooklyn - 8 pounds, 7 ounces

- Britton - 6 pounds, 10 ounces

- Jack - 10 pounds 2.5 ounces

- Lila - 7 pounds, 14.5 ounces

- Ryan - 8 pounds, 5 ounces

You can probably tell by what you've read so far that the smooth edges of our life are not so smooth anymore. I'm guessing you can sense a bit of frustration through my words and you are sensing right. Life with the Fab Five plus Little Miss Sparkplug is tough and it has taken its toll. We are tired, stressed, ready for things to calm down, and hoping that those calmer, relatively more restful days come sooner than later. Casey and I pass each other in the halls and are barely aware of each other even when we are arms length apart in our own bed. Everything we do now - from showering to eating to playing with Eliot to brushing our teeth - is done in a hurry, usually with a baby or two in hand. Our bodies ache, a sure sign of the worry, stress, and long nights that are now as familiar to us as anything else. We miss each other terribly, we miss our church, we miss our family and friends, and we miss the comforts of our former lives.

Yet, every time I'm at the peak of my frustration, times like last night when I was trying to write this blog, and the words "I can't take this anymore" begin to form in my head, something stops the thought from completing itself. Every single time, without fail, the thought retreats. Maybe it is the power of the Holy Spirit at work in me or maybe it is my faith in the One who brought this mayhem into my life, I don't know exactly because I haven't felt this disconnected spiritually in a good while (kind of hard to squeeze a daily quiet time into the new normal). But when I feel as though I'm coming to the end of my rope, something gently reminds me of how good I've really got it. Something always reminds me of how heartbreaking and life destroying this story could have been. Something reminds me that no matter where I am in life, no matter how challenging everyday living has become, someone somewhere has a steeper hill to climb...no matter what.

We have become a living case study in James's teaching in the first chapter of the New Testament book that bears his name. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds!" Read the rest of the thought outlined in that chapter of the Bible and you'll discover that the key to navigating the storms of life is to be happy, right where you are, no matter what is happening in the world around you. That is the challenge that God presents to us in those few words at the beginning of James and that is a challenge we are proud to have overcome for the moment. Yep, we are stressed, more so probably than we ever have been. We are tired and we are looking forward to a better day (which hopefully comes tomorrow!). We've been through some tough times before, some very rough patches, none as challenging as this one, however. But here's the part that is different this time around: we're happy. We are not bitter, we are not angry, and we are nowhere near regret.

We are in an odd sort of storm, maybe like a hurricane with several eyes where the sunshine shines through with random regularity, I don't know. I've tried to come up with an adequate way to describe the tempest that swirls around us, but to date that's the best I've come up with. Yes, this time in our life is HARD! But it is also the most gratifying, electrifying, and exciting time we've ever experienced. Our main complaints are so minute in comparison with what could have been thrown at us. And the steady mantra of "short term pain, long term gain" maintains its presence at the forefront of our minds, providing a nugget of wisdom and comfort that can be gained only from life experience.

No infections, no illnesses, a seemingly well adjusted, though completely nutty, four-year-old firecracker, great help from generous folks volunteering their time to help us through it all, abundant love for each other and for the babies, relative financial security, donations that still come in from time to time, a mini-community rallying around us, relationship with the God who made this all possible...five precious, beautiful, amazingly perfect little babies. We have so much to be thankful for that the thought of being unhappy seems as ludicrous as does the thought of having five babies at one time. Ha! Crazy, right??!

Be happy, right where you are. It hasn't always been this way for us, it's something we learned. Or rather, it is something we were taught through a conscious deliberate effort on the part of the Great Engineer. When we opened our hearts to Christ, he opened his arms to us and this peace amidst the storm that we now enjoy is the greatest gift he gave (oh yeah, that and the whole eternal life through salvation of our soul thing...). He's been good to us and given us a good life, as defined only in His special way. Sometimes it seems as if he has asked a lot of us though he has promised much in return. But when you boil it down to the basics and you strip away all of the baggage that we bring to the journey, life becomes a lot more manageable. Truly all he has asked of us is to love on these five little babies, to love on each other, and to love those around us as a witness to his power in our lives. That's not asking so much, now is it? :)

It is now 4:25 pm on Monday. It has taken me no fewer than 20 sittings to get this blog done. I am typing this one-handed because my left arm has been occupied by Mr. Jack for the last half hour as I attempt to hold him off of the bottle for as long as possible. For some reason, four of the babies decided to eat at the same time (maybe that evil spirit is not quite done with us yet). Casey is upstairs feeding two babies while a volunteer feeds a third. I think Britton is the only one of the five not being tended to at the moment. The volunteer is leaving soon and we have no one else coming until tomorrow morning...it is going to be an interesting night.

And so the mantra continues its steady beat...hard work always pays...short term pain, long term gain...be happy right where you are...someone somewhere has a steeper hill to climb...God works for the good of those who love him...consider it pure joy...

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

A Rare Feat

2009-04-29T17:11:00.002-05:00

Believe it or not, there is some peace and quiet in our lives. All five sleeping at the same time is not terribly uncommon at night, but during the day...not so much... :)

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

I Was Going to Update the Blog, but...

2009-04-27T18:22:00.003-05:00

Choose one:
- I was feeding a baby
- I was changing a baby
- I was trying to calm a baby
- I was sleeping
- I was too tired from not sleeping
- I was brain fried from my Finance class
- I was playing with Eliot
- I was showing a first time volunteer the JonesLife Operation
- Most likely, I was feeding a baby

Ok, so life is a little busy now, but I just finished my finance final exam...side note: it was brutal...which means I should have some more time soon to update everybody on the happenings of the fab five. It's craziness x 5 but also good x 5...

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

For Your Viewing Pleasure...

2009-04-19T12:42:00.002-05:00

More wiggling going on here than a can or worms...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feuAamgP21w

First Family Photo Shoot!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55cC2uQrOzk

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Welcome Home, Britton Grace...We've Been Waiting For You

2009-04-18T23:19:00.004-05:00

She's home!! Enough said...? No, of course not!

Britton Grace came home today, weighing in at 6 pounds, 1 ounce...probably more than 3 pounds less than Jack and 1.5 pounds less than the next smallest, Lila Addison. She is a dainty little thing and she's going to be high maintenance for awhile, but oh my gosh is she cute!!! The acid reflux thing is definitely going to be tough to manage so please keep the prayers coming for her (and us!). She is on a three hour feeding schedule (the others are now on four hours), Casey and I are the only people allowed to feed her, she has to be held upright for at least 45 minutes after she eats, and if she doesn't eat enough, Casey and I will have to put a tube down her nose to get her the rest of her bottle...not easy. Goodbye to the little sleep we were getting... ;-)

I've got to say that despite the challenge that lies ahead, we are so relieved and happy to have Britton home with us. Today was her three month NICU anniversary - far longer than we ever expected - and it was getting really difficult to get up there to see her. It's also so gratifying to finally have our whole family under one roof...can you tell by the smiles on our faces?? We had a lot of fun taking these pictures...good times today and many good times to come!!

I'm going to bed now...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

Baby Bright Eyes is Coming Home!!

2009-04-14T10:24:00.003-05:00

Yeah...Britton is coming home on Saturday!!!! We are so excited to finally have the fab five together under our roof!! Hopefully this is one of the last pictures of our little spa girl getting the royal treatment in the NICU... :)

She is still working through the reflux and having some trouble feeds, but she has shown some improvement since her Prevacid dosage was doubled. Hopefully by the time Saturday rolls around she will have ended her battles with the bottle. However, if she has not done so, she is still coming home with us after we get trained on how to insert a feeding tube in case we are not able to feed her a full amount on a consistent basis. Feeding tube or not, we are really excited to have our baby girl home with her sisters and brother!! Please continue to pray that she will respond to the medication and outgrow this little issue sooner than later!!

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

2009-04-11T13:55:00.003-05:00

Hey everybody! We're alive and well, just a little sleepy! All is going very well with the rapid transformation of our lives and assimilation of four (and eventually five) babies into our little world. Our theme of the week is "control them or they'll control you..."!! Kidding...a little. Seriously, it's all about the schedule these days. Keep them on schedule, get them as much formula as you can get down them in 30 minutes and life is good. Do not follow the schedule, let them slack on the bottle and you can be certain your life will be very chaotic for the next several hours! Side note, why don't they make baby bottles squeezable?? Is that wrong?

Here are a few pics of daily life in the Jones house. We can't seem to feed Jack enough formula lately so he decided to take a bite out of Brooklyn's head!! That's Ryan with Eliot in her bed - she has been taking one of the babies down to her bed before night time while we read to her. The picture of Eliot by herself is at her school's Spring Fling where she sang western songs with her class and played lots of games. Nana has been down a few times to pull some overnight shifts for us...thank you!! Only thing missing from these pictures is Baby Bright Eyes Britton...come home soon, baby girl!!

I actually don't think Britton is ever coming home. It's really surprising to us that she is taking this long and I think it's time to crank up the prayer machine! She's doing ok, but it is believed that she has acid reflux which is making it very uncomfortable to eat. Actually, the nurses and doctors have told us that if we didn't have four other babies, Britton would be home by now. Apparently they think throwing a high maintenance baby in the mix with four others would be a bit difficult. Got to give the NICU staff credit for thinking about that...once again, they are AWESOME!! Please pray that Britton conquers the bottle and battles back the reflux so she can come home soon!

Because of the reflux, she takes about half a bottle then throws in the towel...great if you're on a diet, awful if you're a three month old baby! She has been on Prevacid for about a week now and it has helped some, but not enough so they are doubling her dosage as of yesterday and increasing the calorie count of the formula she is getting. She was on 22 calorie formula, now she'll be on the 24 calorie. Amazing that 2 little calories per ounce could make a difference!

The four at home are doing fantastic! They are all eating very well, sleeping very well, and growing very well!! So well, in fact, that we are in the process of moving them from a three hour feed schedule to a four hour feed schedule...yeah!! That simple move will free up four hours per day...can you believe that?? It doesn't help a ton with the sleep, but it is very helpful, nonetheless.

The volunteer help continues to be incredible as well! The only reason I get to write this blog right now is thanks to volunteer help. Everyone who has pitched in has been great and we are starting to get a few regulars that are really learning the system well and helping out a ton. The nights are still pretty rough as the overnight help is hard to come by, however. We have hired a night nanny to help us out two nights a week starting in two weeks. Hopefully by doing that, it will take a little pressure off of our moms and the others who have been helping out with nights and we'll all survive the next couple of months!!

So far, Miss Eliot appears to be handling everything with ease though we have seen our share of clinginess from her. We are keeping a close eye on her state of mind and making every effort to keep life relatively normal for her as we move through this process - she makes it very clear when she feels she hasn't gotten enough of the focus! She got to go to an Easter egg hunt this morning with Casey and later went with me as I did a couple of things for a project I'm running. We are also enlisting her help whenever we can with the babies and she really seems to love doing that...as long as it doesn't involve poop, she's in!

I know I sound like a broken record here, but we continue to feel amazingly blessed with everything that is happening right now! Life is busy, hectic, and very challenging at the moment, to be sure, but there are about a million different ways that it could be much, much more difficult. God is good and he is carrying us through to a better day...one with a little bit more sleep... :)

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

The Baby Feeding Factory

2009-04-03T21:01:00.004-05:00

These pictures aren't our best work, but it was the best we could pull together for the purpose of this blog. We promise to do better this week! I had to include the picture of Eliot because it was just too cute. That was her first soccer game and needless to say, she was not happy! The weather played a nasty trick on us and blew in a good 30 mph wind and temperatures in the 40's. The game was called early because none of the kids wanted to play!

We're trying to come up with new names for our home. Since the purpose and activity level of this house has changed pretty dramatically lately, "home" just doesn't quite tell the whole story. Here is what we've come up with so far:

- The Baby Feeding Factory

- Babyville or Baby Town

- The Baby Place - Where Serious Suckers Get Their Fill

- The Poopin' Shack

I don't think Casey will go for the last one, but I think it has a nice ring to it... ;-)

Our days start no later than 7:30 am because that is when the first feeding begins. Since they aren't stable enough to be set up in a boppy to be fed and we often only have one person available for feeds, they get fed one at a time. To get all four taken care of, it takes about two hours. The babies are on a three hour schedule so after the feed is done, there is an hour break before the next feed begins. This schedule continues around the clock...every day...seven days a week. Is it possible that they've only been home a week and a half??

The schedule has also been really hectic because of all of the doctor visits we've had to get them to. Each of the babies has had three different appointments since their discharge which ended up being a total of six trips because of their different discharge dates (Jack goes by himself, the three girls all go together). Today, however, was a unique experience because we got an actual house call from their eye doctor! Pretty cool, right? Actually, much thanks go to Jeannie, one of the NICU Superstars, who arranged it all with the doctor and came out ahead of him to dilate their pupils and assist with the appointment.

Right now, we're just trying to hang on and catch as many zzzz's as possible. The schedule is definitely more packed than we would like, but we know it will not be this nuts for too long. The volunteers have been great and have been a huge help. Thanks to them, we have been able to have a little bit of breathing room. We've been able to go to Eliot's first soccer game, I'm able to write this blog, and Casey has been able to shower almost daily (kidding, Baby, but you know I love it when you're a little funky!). Despite all of the help we have received, we are looking for a night nanny for a couple of nights a week to help with the long nights. We're hoping that combining that with help from grandparents and the volunteers, we ought to be able to survive until they get off of the three hour feeding schedule.

Though the days, and especially nights, have been long we are having a good time with it all and couldn't be happier with the way they are all doing! As has been the case from the day this adventure began, life is crazy, but life is good!!

God Bless,

Ethan

http://www.joneslife.net/

Still Here, Just a Little Busier These Days...

2009-03-30T16:53:00.002-05:00

This is going to be quick because I'm tired and I'm a little cranky...really tired, more than a little cranky. Here goes:

- Babies: awesome, totally, completely, incredibly, awesome and perfect in every single way!!
- Britton: started to take her feeds really well, thought she was coming home today, first heart rate drop in 15 days on Saturday has her on lockdown until the end of the week... We miss her terribly because it is next to impossible to get back to the NICU these days. We've been there twice in the last week...not cool... :(
- Jack: Big Boy continues to dominate the bottle and spend his hours in chill mode...loves the TV, even when facing away from it, he does back bends to try to see it...just wait 'til college football starts, my boy, just wait!!
- Lila: Competing with Bright Eyes Britton for the brightest eyes and social butterfly title...too incredibly cute!
- Ryan: Total trouble maker! Likes to be held...a lot...also doesn't like to wait her turn to get the bottle...already living up to the baby of the family role she earned by being born last. Gets cuter by the moment, however!!
- Brooklyn: might be taking over as the ultimate girlie-girl...her cry is so sweet I actually want her to cry so I can hear it again and again...she sleeps, fusses, falls back to sleep, fusses, falls back to sleep...flipping adoreable!
- Volunteers: totally ROCK! All have been incredible - thoughtful, respectful, good with the babies...huge relief, answer to prayers...AMAZING!!!
- Night Time Volunteers: Really hard to come by...Tricia, The Velvet Hammer, is a ROCK STAR!
- Feeding Schedule: Difficult...feeding takes two hours, babies eat every three...do the math...zzzzzzzzzzzz...
- Casey Ann: AMAZING!!! Nuf said...oh, wait...BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
- Grandma Stevie and Nana: Rock solid...thank you, thank you, thank you!!
- Sleep: next to none, contemplating night nurse, but muy, muy expensive...something must be done, however. That bullet is going to hurt when we finally convince ourselves to take the bite...
- School: Timing - bad, Baylor - fantastic, current class (finance) - very interesting, light at the end of this semester's tunnel - pretty bright...
- Noteworthy About Today's Blog: no pictures...this time it's the lack of pictures that speak a thousand words. Casey was born with a camera in her hand...hard to take pictures when your camera hands are full of baby...
- Future: Never better...

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Four Down, One to Go...Welcome Home, Ryan Elizabeth!!!!

2009-03-25T22:05:00.003-05:00

We have quads today, and probably no more than that for the next few days at least. The baby of the family, the last born, Baby E, Ryan Elizabeth, came home today...yeah!!!! Her final NICU weight was six pounds, two ounces; not bad considering she is supposed to have been born two days from now. That leaves only our little social butterfly, Baby Bright Eyes Britton, still to make the journey home. She is doing well, but hasn't yet mastered the bottle...we just hope she makes it home in time to celebrate her first Christmas with the family... ;-)

Oh yes, one more thing...Eliot has decided on nicknames for three of the four. We've not got Lila Bear, Prince Jack, and Ryan the Lion. I guess she's still working on Britton's and Brooklyn's names, but she's off to a great start!

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

JonesLife Nights...Good Times!!!

We meet with the doctors at 1 o'clock this afternoon, then we're bringing two of them home!!!! It's still a little up in the air as to which babies are coming home, but it is most definitely two of them!!! Very EXCITED!!!!!!!!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

The Ride has Arrived

2009-03-16T20:53:00.004-05:00

Add this to the list of new experiences - actually two new entries for the list - buying a vehicle site-unseen and having a vehicle delivered to your home...nice!! Kind of crazy buying anything without putting your eyes on it, but our choices were extremely limited. In other words, unless we wanted a cargo van, a Ford Expedition EL was the only option for our family. And having it delivered? That happened because the dealer was kind enough to sympathize with how busy our lives are now and offered to bring it out to us to save us some time! It may take a giant shoe horn and several volunteers to make it happen, but believe it or not, our entire family, car seats and all, will fit into the new ride. So, when we happen to wake up at six am on a Sunday morning, we'll actually get to go to church as a family...yeah!!!

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

The Home Stretch

2009-03-15T21:31:00.005-05:00

Here are a couple of quick notes before we get to the action. The two babies with Casey and I are Ryan and Jack. Can you guess which one is BIG Bad Jack?? The baby getting a bath is Jack - he went straight to the tub after a serious daddy diaper dilemma! And the two cuties who look nearly identical are Ryan and Brooklyn. We think these two look the most alike and Jack looks a lot like them as well. As far as we can tell, Lila and Britton have their own look about them, but it seems to change quite a bit as they put on weight so who knows? Now, let's get down to business...

And here they come, race fans! Around the final bend and into the home stretch, we've got a tight field! All bets are in, the atmosphere is electric, and all eyes are on the Fab Five as they make their final push for the coveted solo ride home from the NICU!!

As we entered the final turn, it looked like Big Bad Jack and Little Lady Lila had this thing sewn up, competing solely with each other for first prize. Hot on their heels, however was Unbridled Brooklyn bounding boldly in this baby battle. But wait a minute, who's that closing in fast?? Is that...no it couldn't be...that must be Radiant Ryan running ragged to reclaim the race!

Where did she come from? How did she get here? Radiant Ryan was almost renamed Written Off Ryan just three days ago. But as the others prepared their podium platitudes (a bit prematurely, don't you think?), Radiant Ryan rightly remembered...the turtle? Yes, the turtle! Slow and steady won the race...and ran the rabbit right into retirement!

The doctors' doubts have subsided so dutifully they've decided, one of these babies simply must go...or will it be two, maybe more? By the end of the week, it could even be four! While Baby Bright Eyes Britton is still biding the by (I hope she makes it home by the end of July!), her brother and sisters are putting on a show and have everyone in JonesLife on the tips of their toes! Who will it be? Who has the right stride? To the victor the spoils and time alone with the pride! Stay tuned folks, for the end is at hand, only two days more 'til the first baby will land!

And then, the real fun begins...

God Bless,

Ethan

http://www.joneslife.net/

Worth a Thousand Words

2009-03-10T11:21:00.004-05:00

I'll let these speak for themselves...

Thank you so much to Tracey Taylor of Taylor Made Portrait Studio for these amazing pictures!! www.taylormadeportraitstudios.com

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

Getting Closer, Getting Prepared, Getting Stressed

2009-03-08T17:50:00.006-05:00

Don't let the pictures throw you off - no babies are home yet - but we seem to be getting closer every day to the first of five big homecomings. We do not have a definite date yet for any of the babies. The pictures above are of Jack and Brooklyn having their car seat test. They put the babies in the car seat for an hour with the monitors on to make sure the seat doesn't cause any issues with their breathing and heart rate. All of the babies had this test yesterday and all passed! They have all also cleared their hearing exams!

There is talk of Jack coming home towards the end of next week, possibly along with Lila which would be awesome! But every time we think the course is set, there is a minor setback with one of the babies or one of them decides to make a push to be the first one home. Today's setback - four out of five babies had spontaneous heart rate drops today, all except for Jack, but he continues to have them while feeding. And today's push - Ryan is stepping it up with the feeds and if she continues, she will definitely compete for the first one home. Our hope is that they come home soon, but more importantly that they come home when we are 100% certain that all of their issues are resolved, of course!

Our other hope is that they all make it home as closely together as possible. As it is right now, Casey and I go to the NICU every afternoon together. However, once a baby is discharged from the NICU, they can no longer return. This means that Casey and I will have to start alternating when we go to the NICU so that one of us will be able to stay home with the homebound baby. Since it is certain that the babies will not all be ready to go at the same time, we are hopeful that their individual discharges all happen within about a week's time of each other.

In preparation news, we had the first of two JonesLife Volunteer Orientations this past Saturday at our house. In all, 22 volunteers came to the house so we could meet them all, show them the house and baby care area, and go over all of the general guidelines for how all of this craziness is going to operate. We have organized several infant CPR classes for the volunteers so that most of them have now had some level of training. We are planning one more orientation for two weeks from now and we expect about twice the number of volunteers this time around. This Saturday's group was very engaged in the discussion, came ready with questions, and seemed to be excited about the pending homecoming. Casey and I are very happy with the way things went and were quite impressed with the volunteer group!

In other preparation news, it looks like I'll be trading in my truck this coming week for a Ford Expedition EL (the "EL" stands for Extra Long!). It'll be a sad day to wave goodbye to the truck that has served me well for the last 5+ years, but what must be, must be. I've driven a truck since my sophomore year of college and hope to get back into one sooner than later, but we couldn't make the numbers work this time around. I'll be taking over Casey's Tahoe for the next couple of years and Casey will take the reigns of the mini-bus...once the back up alarm has been installed. Please join me in a brief moment of silence as we say goodbye to my beautiful Betty Ford...

I'd be lying if I said the stress wasn't getting to us...it is. Though it is not overwhelming and we are keeping a positive spirit as we look forward to life with five plus Eliot, please pray for us to continue to keep our heads straight and our focus clear. We are so thankful that the most dramatic life event that we have experienced in our lives to date has been and will continue to be overwhelmingly positive! Yet it doesn't come without its share of questions and doubts about the future. And for those times when our vision is blurred by the weight of it all, we will continue to lean on our faith, our family, our friends, and our new-found extended support system that comes to us daily through blog comments, emails, Facebook posts, cards, and phone calls all offering love, support, and encouragement for the challenges that lie ahead. Thank you to all for pitching in and helping out, no matter what shape or form that help has taken, we are forever grateful!!!!!

God Bless,

Ethan

http://www.joneslife.net/

Jack Pulls Ahead

2009-03-05T21:27:00.006-06:00

Ok, race fans, it's time to place your bets! It looks like this chase is coming to a close in the next few days so it's time to commit! Big Bad Jack has pulled out to a late lead, bolstered by his night in with Mom and Dad, and may have this thing about wrapped up. But don't count Little Lady Lila out of the hunt just yet. She continues to dominate the bottle, but her little heart skipped a beat just yesterday...was it nerves, was the bottle getting the best of her, or is she simply holding back so she can bring home victory with flair??

We're still waiting on Unbridled Brooklyn to step up and fight that bottle to the finish...she won't be coming home until she does. Radiant Ryan is taking the slow and steady approach and may have a surprise for us in the end, but time is running out for a daring dash to the finish. Don't place your bets on Little Baby Britton as she has absolutely no chance...I'm pretty sure she's decided that going home will cut into her social life so she's going to hold out as long as she can with eyes wide open!!

As mentioned above, we got a night in with baby boy Jack on Wednesday night. The hospital has a room just down from the NICU for parents of preemies to come up and spend a night with their baby before they come home. This is an important night for many of the parents because their babies are coming home with different issues that may require more than your average baby care. With the baby still hooked up to the regular monitors and nurses just down the hall, the night in is a good practice run for these parents. Since we've been going to the NICU every day for nearly two months now and have been heavily involved with their care in the last couple of weeks, the night served us to just enjoy some alone time with our baby boy. Other than the lack of sleep because one of his sensors decided to be a little sensitive, it was a great time! I think the coolest thing was falling asleep to the sounds of a squeaky baby at our bedside...a sound we will no doubt get our fill of in the coming weeks!

Here are some updated weights on the Fab Five:

Brooklyn Faith - 4 pounds, 14.5 ounces

Britton Grace - 3 pounds, 10.1 ounces

Jack William - 5 pounds, 5.5 ounces

Lila Addison - 3 pounds, 15.2 ounces

Ryan Elizabeth - 4 pounds, 11.4 ounces

We had quite a day at the NICU this afternoon with lots of visitors. First, the group of ladies who knit blankets, caps, and booties for all of the NICU babies made a special trip up to make a special delivery - 5 little blankets with an angel knitted into them. Thought they couldn't come in to see the babies, it was great for us to meet such a loving group of ladies who do so much good for all of the babies in need!

Next, we had Grandpa Bill came in to see the babies and he got to hold Jack for the first time. I think you can tell by the picture how he felt about his grandbaby boy!

Finally, the dean of Baylor's business school, Dr. Gary Carini, came up to check in on his future students. What an awesome gesture from a man who could probably spend his time 1000 other ways, but instead decided to spend it spreading a little Green and Gold love! Thank you again, Gary and the rest of the Baylor group, for the incredible support you have given our family!!

All kidding aside, it looks like Jack will be coming home early next week, possibly with Lila by his side. Brooklyn and Ryan are a very close third and fourth. In other words, it is not outside the realm of possibilities that we'll have four of five home with us next week...AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! Reality check is coming soon to the Jones household!!! Um, prayers please!!!!!!!!

God Bless,

Ethan

http://www.joneslife.net/

Down To The Wire

2009-03-01T21:56:00.010-06:00

It appears we may have a photo finish as to which of the Fab Five gets to come home first. The lucky winner will enjoy an indeterminate number of days garnering all the attention that this former family of three has to offer!

As you all know, Brooklyn jumped out to an early lead only to have my main man Jack take her over in the 34th week. It appears now, however, that we've got a new challenger in the mix. That's right, one of the Delivery Day Dainties, Lila Addison who weighed in at a daring 2 pounds, 3 ounces on her birthday, has mounted a late charge and threatens to dash Jack's dreams! Oh, the drama!!!

As of yesterday afternoon, Jack was comfortably in the lead with the finish line coming into view. However, he tripped on the home stretch allowing Lila to pull up neck and neck beside him! Poor little guy held destiny in his hands before a spontaneous heart rate drop dropped out of nowhere and opened the door to all challengers. Little Lady Lila, weighing in at a full pound lighter than Big Bad Jack, seized the opportunity by continuing her dominance at the nipple resulting in the removal of her feeding tube! Having escaped the wrath of the dreaded heart rate drop for several days now, she may have snuck away with the title.

But don't place your bet before Unbridled Brooklyn has her last say! She proved herself to be strong out of the gates, but will she have what it takes to finish with flair?? No heart rate drops for her either, but the nipple has been her nemesis! She approaches the bottle work with gusto, but her gale of glee too quickly flees long before the bottle has bowed in submission. The nurses say she could turn it on like a light and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat...and don't we all know better than to nay-say a nurse's knowledge?

Radiant Ryan and Little Baby Britton (with whom all are sure to be smitten) have little chance to challenge for the charmed chariot ride to their new castle, but both have made their mark on the JonesLife marquee! Ryan, the youngest of the crew, is a quiet little charmer who selflessly chose to allow her older sisters and brother fight for the glory...this time. Beautiful Britton, with her big, bright eyes (which seem to always be open, by the way!), still prefers the quiet solitude of her isolette to the bright lights of the big stage. With her tiny, little face, big, bright, beautiful eyes, and melt your heart charm the nurses are certain she'll have more than her fair share of the spotlight.

Who will pull it out? Who will make the final push? Is Big Bad Jack baby boy enough to break free from this estuary of estrogen and stake an early claim to family dominance?? Will Big Sister Brooklyn redeem herself after such a promising start and subsequent fall from grace? Does Lila have enough left in the tank to shock the world? Will Britton ever close those big, bright, beautiful eyes and go to sleep? And what about Ryan - will our sleepy little siren ever wake up long enough to show us what she's made of?? No one can say, but there are sure to be more twists and turns along the way. Tune in to see who comes out of this baby scrap fight with the coveted title - First Home Arrival!!!!!

God Bless,
Ethan
http://www.joneslife.net/

They Must Be Twins or Something...

2009-02-25T20:27:00.002-06:00

Ok, one more thing. I had to add this picture we got today of Jack and Brooklyn because it is the first time we have been able to hold them next to each other. We discovered something when we did - they look exactly alike!! Ryan has a strong resemblance to them both as well. We think Britton and Lila probably look a lot like each other, but it's too early to tell. Anyway, just wanted to share.

God Bless,

Ethan

http://www.joneslife.net/

Five at a Time...Priceless!!!!

2009-02-25T19:49:00.004-06:00

We got a very cool surprise today in the NICU today as Casey was holding Britton and I was holding Jack. I'm not even sure what started it, but one minute we're just sitting there chatting with the nurses and the next thing you know, we've got nurses bringing us the other three babies for a quick photo op!! It was really cool to have them all side by side and the pictures we got are absolutely PRICELESS!!!! The babies are in birth order in the picture from left to right - Brooklyn, Britton, Jack, Lila, and Ryan.

To be honest, I got a little nervous doing this because it meant that Brooklyn, Lila, and Ryan were disconnected from all of their monitors to make this happen, but we were surrounded by nurses and we only got to do this for a few quick minutes. Don't let my nerves fool you however, the babies all continue to do very, very well. They each still have their own little issues that they need to overcome before they are allowed to come home. Brooklyn needs to get better at eating, Britton needs to grow, Jack needs to stop having heart rate drops, Lila had a pretty big setback today, and Ryan just needs to eat, eat, eat!

Lila's setback was a really scary episode that quickly reminds us how important it is for the babies to be so closely monitored. For some reason she had a major heart rate drop coupled with a prolonged episode of very low oxygen saturation that required her nurse to artificially breathe for her for about four minutes. She never completely stopped breathing, but her oxygen saturation was too low to allow her to work through the problem on her own. This was out of character for her, but apparently isn't an uncommon event for preemies to experience. She's ok, but this little episode means that she will be in the NICU for a minimum of seven more days, probably longer.

2009-02-08T21:24:00.007-06:00

We got a great surprise when we showed up to the NICU with my dad on Saturday. Jeannie, one of the nurse superstars, said to us, "So, it looks like we've got three holders." Huh? Say that again? Did you say THREE holders?? Up to this point, Casey and I have been the only "holders" - we were the only people allowed to hold any of the babies. Jeannie, however, had a little surprise for us - Brooklyn and Jack had grown big enough to be bundled and held. Apparently, when the babies' weight gets to 1500 grams (somewhere around 3 pounds, 6 ounces) they can maintain their body temperature well enough that they can be held without being skin to skin with their holder.

My dad, or "Bapa" as the grandkids know him, chose to relinquish his chance to be the third holder, however. My mom, "Nana," wasn't with us at the time and my dad wanted her to be the first to have the opportunity to hold one of these little bundles. So after church on Sunday, we made an unplanned visit to the NICU for the express purpose of getting Jack some well earned Nana time! My dad had to bow out again because the girls (Eliot and the two adopted little additions to the Jones family, Angel and Summer) couldn't come into the NICU and time was limited, but I imagine he'll get his fill of baby holding in the coming days, weeks, and months. To say the least, I think the visit went well and we are very happy to have new holders in the mix!

God Bless,

Ethan

http://www.joneslife.net/

P.S. Check out the website when you get a chance...we've updated the front page and I think it turned out really cool!!

Our New Normal

2009-02-07T12:22:00.009-06:00

Sorry for my silence the last few days. I've been playing a lot of catch up with work, bills, school, getting to know my wife and daughter again, and simply getting back into life...a new life, but life nonetheless. We've found a mini-rhythm to our days which will probably change in the next few days, but we're enjoying the beat we're marching to at the moment. We have had Grandma Stevie (Casey's mom) and Nana (my mom) in town since Casey got home from the hospital which has been a huge help - laundry, dishes, dropping off and picking up Eliot from school, grocery store runs, cooking meals - these are all activities we have not had to worry about, thank God!! The help leaves on Sunday so, like I said, the rhythm will change...soon!

During this time, Casey and I have spent as much time at the NICU as possible getting to know our babies as best we can. We live in a different world when we pass through the NICU doors - the babies in their protective environment of the isolettes, tethered to the multitude of chords and wires under the watchful electronic eyes of the monitors, the gentle hum of the nasal canules that help them breathe, the frequent sounding of alarms, and the ever present care of the nurses and doctors surround us. As yesterday's heart rate drop on Britton quickly reminded us - we are very grateful for this environment and acutely aware of how necessary it is to our babies' survival. The nurses and doctors are absolute pros at what they do and they do it with a unique sensitivity to our needs and concerns that can only come from bringing your heart to the job. They are truly a credit to the nursing profession!

It is frustrating for us on some levels that the first 60+ days of the Quints' lives and of our relationships with them will be spent in this environment, however. Despite the necessity of their stay, the quality of their care, and the amount of love they receive from this special group of professionals, it is hard for us to connect with the babies here. The separation is very real when they are in their isolettes. Though we can reach in and touch, it is very difficult to talk to them or interact in any way while they are in there. When we hold them, they sleep, and we generally have to hold them up so high on our chest that it is difficult to even see them. We must be mindful at all times not to overstimulate them in any way which, among other things, means no looking them directly in the eye, very little movement when they are held, and keeping their heads held in a very specific position.

Though we spend 4-5 hours with them every day, we are not truly responsible for their care at the moment and this is a strange feeling to us. They are not fed at mama's breast, but rather with milk which is pushed through a tube by a pump. They are lulled to sleep by the hum of the machines they are connected to, not by the sound of our voices singing them lullabies. And their cries are placated not by the gentle warmth of Daddy's chest as he rocks them slowly, but generally by something only one of the nurses can fix. All of this is necessary to the babies' well-being, and as the multitude of moms and dads who have been through this same experience will tell you, it is also heart-wrenching to the parents.

There is one other thing that is different about our interaction with these babies - being as premature as they are, they are not expressionate and interactive with you. Mostly they sleep with their mouths slightly open and very little expression on their faces. I didn't even realize this was different until Brooklyn stole my heart yesterday with all of the faces she was making at me as I was holding her. For about 10 minutes, Brooklyn was wide awake and ready to please! She was smiling, working her little tongue around her mouth, her eyes were darting back and forth in response to different sounds around her, and generally acting like new born babies act. It was really cool and it reminded me of how fun it was to get to know Eliot in the first few days of her life!!

We know that all of these activities I am now lamenting the absence of will come to us in due time...and when they come, they'll come like a tidal wave!! They are making great progress every day and, honestly, they'll probably be home sooner than we are ready. Brooklyn seems to be the leader of the pack - she is completely off of breathing tubes as of yesterday, she is the first to show us some personality with her facial expressions, and she is the first one to take a full bottle feeding (Lila took a small bottle feeding before her). Brooklyn was also the biggest at birth and continues to be the biggest girl. Jack continues to eat and grow and sleep and not much else. Britton is still our little diva, making everyone aware of her displeasure at a moment's notice, though Ryan has emerged as a close competitor for Britton's diva title! Lila has settled into Jack's way of thinking and spends her days on the chill side of life.

So this is our new normal, at least for now. The beat changes pace and rhythm often, and when it changes, we change along with it. Though it seems like an eternity from now, the babies will be home soon and chaos will be the new rhythm to life. Until then we'll keep praying, waiting, and hoping for our babies to come home soon, come home healthy, and to come home ready for their new lives to begin...

God Bless,

Ethan

http://www.joneslife.net/

Perspective...Quick Note

2009-02-03T19:11:00.002-06:00

Several have asked why Jack and Brooklyn can't be held together so I thought I'd clarify. The only reason is that Britton's bed is between theirs and the cords that they remain tethered to will not reach far enough for them to be held together. The unfortunate thing about holding a baby in the NICU is that they are hooked up to a feeding tube, a heart monitor, a temperature monitor, a C-Pap or other breathing device, or any number of other little cords and tubes at any given time. Because of this they can't venture too far from their little incubators.

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Perspective

2009-02-02T21:32:00.010-06:00

Today, we got a special treat. As the pictures show, we got to hold two babies at the same time! This is the first time we've gotten to do this - very cool!! Casey held Ryan and Lila while I held Brooklyn and Britton. After we were done with those four, Casey and I took turns holding Jack. The babies' beds are situated with Brooklyn, Britton, and Jack on one side of the room and Ryan and Lila on the other side. Because of this, Ryan and Lila will always be held together when two are held at the same time. Britton will either be paired with Jack or Brooklyn, but Brooklyn and Jack can't be held together. We generally hold each baby for an hour each day, but oftentimes we only get to four before we run out of steam or time or both. Now that we can hold two at a time, we'll be getting all five held every day and we'll probably get a little more than an hour each time. As you might imagine, we are very excited about this new development!!

And now, onto "Perspective"...

We've gotten a lot of comments to this effect and even we've noticed it ourselves - the babies look like "normal" babies in most of the pictures. In a lot of ways, that is accurate, but I thought I'd try to provide some perspective that the pictures don't quite communicate...I guess these pictures need more than 1000 words!

- The babies' toes are the size of a grain of rice.
- Take a match and break it into thirds. One of the pieces is the size of their fingers.
- Britton's whole hand wraps only half way around the tip of my pinky.
- Their arms from the elbow to the tip of their pinky is the same length as my pinky.
- Their heads are about the size of a baseball.
- You could probably fit at least three, if not four legs (around their calves), into my wedding ring.
- Jack weighs about 15 ounces more than Britton. Not much until you consider that this is 33% of his body weight.
- Jack and Brooklyn (the two biggest eaters) are fed 24 mL of breast milk every 3 hours...that's about 5 teaspoons.
- Their total caloric intake over 24 hours is 90 for Lila and Britton and 120 for Jack, Brooklyn, and Ryan...that's one beer, a single serving of pudding, or 1/4 cup of ice cream (Blue Bell Cookies 'n Cream to be exact!).
- Their hearts are about the size of a grape.
- Our friends' baby girl who was born a week before the quints weighed 8 pounds at 41 weeks...that's roughly 4 times the weight of Lila and Britton on their birthday.

- One more - the babies sneeze a lot when they are out of their isolettes, maybe 10-20 times an hour. Funny thing about their little sneezes, while it is a full-bodied sneeze, it wouldn't blow a feather off a flagpole...funny stuff!!

I have new weights as of Saturday, the 31st. Here they are:

- Brooklyn Faith: 2 pounds, 13 ounces
- Britton Grace: 2 pounds, 2.1 ounces
- Jack William: 3 pounds, 1.7 ounces
- Lila Addison: 2 pounds, 11.3 ounces
- Ryan Elizabeth: 3 pounds, 1.3 ounces

And let's wrap it up with some GREAT news. All five babies have gotten their PICC lines removed which means that they no longer have an IV!! The PICC line is a really long IV that goes in their wrist and feeds all the way up to a blood vessel right near their heart. They were able to remove this because they are getting as much nutrition as they need from their milk feedings. Removing the line greatly reduces the risk of infection and hopefully means they will not need another IV!!! Life is going exceedingly well for all five!!

God Bless,
Ethan
http://www.joneslife.net/

There's a New Superhero in Town...

2009-02-01T14:36:00.002-06:00

Fair warning to the ladies reading this blog: DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING BLOG!!! I'm serious about this, don't read it. If you love Casey and want to continue loving her, stop reading, close your webserver, and walk away. I promise reading the update below will definitely change the way you feel about her so please, please do not continue reading past this point!!

Now that we've gotten the fair warning out of the way, here goes. We've apparently got a new superhero in town and her name is Casey the Elasti-Girl. She can stretch her body to amazing lengths and pack on pounds like an NFL lineman in the off season all while nurturing five babies to good health inside her womb! Now that the babies have been born, we've discovered her new talents: snapping her skin back to its pre-pregnancy condition and dropping pounds like a beauty queen before the pageant!!

Ok, seriously, she weighed herself this morning and discovered that she had already lost 64 pounds. 64 pounds gone in just two weeks! For those of you keeping score at home, that's 64 pounds gone out of the 72 that she gained while pregnant!!! I know, I know...it's disgusting (unless you happen to be her husband!) and if you ignored my warnings you are probably plotting her demise at this very moment. You should have heeded my advice and just walked away, but you had to keep reading, didn't you? Please, don't hate her...!!

P.S. In all seriousness, part of the reason she lost the weight so quickly is that she lost a lot of muscle while she was on bedrest. We didn't discover this until all of the swelling had subsided, but it is clear that her arms and legs are not near as muscular as they were before she got pregnant. She was actually in the best shape of her life when the pregnancy began. She is excited to get back in shape as soon as she is able...Go Elasti-Girl, GO!!

God bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You HEB!!!!

2009-01-31T11:25:00.004-06:00

Ok, so I am officially designating HEB as the Greatest Store With the Most Kind Hearted People In All the World!!! They wrapped up the diaper drive yesterday with quite a few little (and one big) surprises that really blew us away! Seriously, they could not have met the need more head on nor done it in a better, more thoughtful way. They presented us with over 8,000 diapers that the community donated to us! The community outreach alone was phenomenal and we are so grateful to each and every person who pitched in!

Along with the community donation, HEB matched the amount of diapers given in the form of gift cards which worked out to over $2000...on top of that, they had a grocery cart full of other little baby need items, toys, and other goodies...and then on top of that, they had a backpack full of markers, stuffed animals, and other kid stuff for Eliot...and then on top of that, they gave us a personal shopper for a year who will do our grocery shopping for us and deliver them to the house...AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT...it just keeps going!! They gave us a very generous gift of several more gift cards!!

But wait, there's one more thing that I think puts the cherry on top of the sudae...they contacted the Wilkinsons of Cedar Park - the quint family who has helped us out along the way - and donated to them as well!!! Are you kidding me?? How COOL is that?! They absolutely thought of everything and went waaaaaayy out of their way to make sure they did everything RIGHT!!

WOW!! Thank you so much to everyone at HEB who made this possible, who worked extra to put up displays, who took the phone orders, who moved diapers all over the place, who helped load the truck, who helped in any way whatsoever...THANK YOU!!!!!

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

GREAT NEWS - These Girls are Fighters!!!

2009-01-30T16:06:00.003-06:00

Great news on Lila and Ryan - both of their heart problems appear to be gone!! Lila's PDA is completely gone as is the other small hole that she had. Ryan's PDA is still there, but very, very small!! YEAH!!!! The cardiologist actually came into the NICU while Casey was holding Lila to confirm that they had done the echo cardiogram on the right baby because he didn't believe the results!! From this point, they will not be doing any more tests or medication unless they pick up another murmur when they listen to their hearts as part of their normal checks on the babies. Thank you all so much for your prayers, stories of success from similar situations, and all around encouragement!!!!!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

How Can You Possibly Believe This All Happened By Chance??!

2009-01-27T20:56:00.009-06:00

Quick update: Good news on Lila, but not great news...yet. The PDA is smaller than it was, but is definitely still there and is definitely still a problem. They are not continuing the meds for the time being, but also are not pushing to operate either. They are going to re-check her heart again tomorrow. We should know more about Ryan's heart late today or tomorrow. Please continue to pray!!

One of the cool things about spending time in the hospital and talking with doctors on a daily basis about Casey or the babies is that you get to learn a lot of really fascinating things about the human body. For example, did you know that much of the amniotic fluid that developing fetuses spend their days in is actually from the baby's urine? Kind of gross, but fascinating at the same time, right? Or this really interesting tidbit - babies learn to coordinate sucking, breathing, and swallowing around the 32nd week of pregnancy. They can suck, but they forget to swallow. Or they swallow, but forget to breathe. Kind of makes it difficult to take the new baby home which is mainly why ours have to stay in the NICU for so long.

Not only is it fascinating to me that our bodies are programmed to know these things and perform these functions without our needing to do anything about it, but it is also really cool to me that we know that our bodies do these things. How is it that we know that cerebral palsy is caused by a group of blood vessels in the brain that bleed in premature babies and from other trauma? I don't know, but I am thankful for that knowledge and I am thankful for the tools we have to diagnose the problem early on. How do we know that giving the expectant mother two shots of steroids during the 28th week of pregnancy will help the baby's brain, lungs, and intestines to mature faster if it is born in the next four weeks? Again, I have no idea how we know that, but I am forever grateful to the doctor who figured it out!

When I come across a nugget of wisdom about our amazing bodies, my belief in our design is emphatically reinforced. I am awe-inspired by the level of sophistication that went into the biological processes that we take for granted. Some of the simplest and sometimes most annoying aspects of our bodies often turn out to be vital to our survival. Ever thought much about ear wax? Try typing "ear wax" into Wikipedia then try ever taking ear wax for granted again. Annoying? Yes. Gross? Sometimes, yes. Vital? You betcha! It turns out that ear wax is one of those incredible little things that seems to be something so simple yet is something so incredible when you dig a little deeper! Some see a simple biological function, others see amazing design.

As I listened to Dr. Hodges, the Seton neonatologist, explain what is going on with two of my daughters' hearts, I had one of these moments that I get from time to time when learning about our complex little world. These moments - they come and go at times expected and times unexpected - are times when I feel a warm and comforting sense of the power that surrounds us. I've had "moments" on the beach, I've had them on top of a mountain. I've had them at church, at work, and at school. I've had them in hospital rooms and now I've had one of these moments in a neonatal intensive care unit as I slowly rocked my barely two pound daughter and listened to her doctor speak.

You see, Dr. Hodges was explaining that there is a blood vessel in all of our hearts that is designed to be open during pregnancy and closed after pregnancy. He was explaining that our bodies know that our lungs need more blood while in utero than after we are born and that is why our bodies know to shut this vessel once we are born. He also explained that in premature babies, this vessel sometimes doesn't close because our bodies were designed to last longer in the womb and as such didn't know that it was time to close the vessel.

The fact that we know all of this about our bodies is amazing enough. The fact that we know what to do about it is even more amazing. Dr. Hodges went on to explain that there is a medication that we can give the babies that can close this vessel. "Well how does the medication know to close this vessel without closing other vessels?," I asked. He said he didn't know. Is there something unique about this vessel that causes it to react to this medication without affecting the others? "Yes," he replied, "there is. It was designed to close after birth and it is the only vessel that we carry that is pre-programmed to do this."

And that's when the moment happened...the comforting warmth that enveloped my body and put a smile on my face. In moments like this, I know there is a creator with a plan for our lives. In moments like this, I know there is design and purpose to our lives and I am reminded of the complexity of it all. And I am awe-inspired by the rhythm and beauty of the design. Some see simple biological processes, others see design.

I don't get it, personally. I don't know how you can say this all happened by some evolutionary accident. Believe in evolution if you will, and I'm not getting into that debate here, but don't tell me that this all happened by chance. Don't tell me that because we have science we need no God. I can't make my mind work that way. I simply can not accept that the complex beauty of life - the beautiful struggle - just happened and we are all the lucky holders of a winning evolutionary lottery ticket. If you want to believe that we are products of evolution, that's fine. On some levels I can accept that explanation for the way nature has worked itself out. But I can not accept that explanation if you remove God from the equation.

See, those who see what is happening with my daughters' hearts as a simple biological process have a little issue they have to deal with. Though they claim to have the answers for how it all works, what they will never be able to explain with any level of credibility is how it all began. How did the first domino fall? How did something all of a sudden explode out of nothing? With all of our scientific knowledge, that question now and always will go unanswered. I don't see simple biological processes, I see design. I see the hand of God at work in complex issues like what is happening in my daughters' hearts and I see it in the most mundane of biological processes...and yes, that even includes ear wax!

God Bless,
Ethan
http://www.joneslife.net/

HEB Diaper Drive - Phone Orders

2009-01-27T20:31:00.002-06:00

First, a quick update. We'll know something on Lila's heart at some point tomorrow. They did another echo cardiogram on Ryan today and it appears that the hole in her heart (she also has a PDA) is smaller than it was originally which means she is definitely responding to the medication. She is being put on the same round of treatments that they now have Lila on and we will know more about her condition in a couple of days. Please continue to pray for Lila and add Ryan's heart to your prayers as well!!

A good friend of mine who actually took the call from HEB about the diaper drive asked if he could "guest blog" for me to update some of the details. Since he has been coordinating everything with them, I figured that was a good idea...

My name is Dean and my wife and I are close friends of Ethan and Casey. We've been so blessed to see the outpouring of support from not only our church and Austin, but from around the country! For those of you not from Texas, HEB is the largest grocery chain in Texas with over 300 stores. They are THE grocery store in Austin. HEB has been so incredibly generous with how they have rallied around the Jones family with this community diaper drive, and now they want to open it up to those who can not physically get to this specific Austin HEB location. This HEB location will take phone donations at 512-336-7700. Just tell them you want to make a donation to the Jones Quintuplets diaper drive and they will take it from there and match your donation! The diaper drive goes through this coming Friday, January 30th.

On behalf of Ethan and Casey and their entire support group we want to thank, individually, the wonderful folks at HEB who have stepped up to make this diaper drive happen over the last week. Leslie, Jill, Tamra, Leticia, Xavier, Chad, Cynthia, and Jeff. Jeff actually came in at 3:30 a.m. on his day off to finish up the wonderful in-store displays. Also, a very special thank you to Mr. Charles Butt, the CEO of HEB. Mr. Butt personally got involved when he saw the story on the Quintuplets and said "We HAVE to help this family". HEB did not have to do this diaper drive, and they have asked for no PR or recognition in the process. They did it because they are a caring organization that is made up of absolutely wonderful individuals. You can see why they retain their employees so well and maintain such a fantastic work environment.

For those of you that have already taken the time to donate to the drive, a huge THANK YOU. We'll update everyone after the drive wrap up Friday! And again, thank you to HEB for allowing those not in Austin to be part of this phenominal event! Dean

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Lila's Little Heart...Please Pray for Her!!

2009-01-26T21:05:00.003-06:00

It turns out that Lila was not responding to the meds they gave her to close one of the holes in her heart (the PDA) after all. Though they couldn't hear the murmur any longer, the echo cardiogram they performed on her today not only confirmed the hole is still there, but also that it is a very large hole (the fact that it is very large is probably why they couldn't hear it any longer). At this point, they are stepping up the meds to make a last ditch effort to get her to respond, but the doctors are not real optimistic that it will do the trick. If it does not close on its own and does not close because of the meds, the only options will be to wait it out or to operate.

She is not showing any ill effects from the hole at the moment, but there is still plenty of concern that she will begin to have issues. The question for us will be do we go ahead and operate while she is doing well so that she can handle the operation better or do we wait until she starts to have issues before we operate. Clearly, this is not a decision Casey and I would like to be faced with!

We were contacted through the blog by a mother of triplets whose child had to go through this operation. She said that it went great and her daughter did much better once everything was over. Thank you, Shelley, for your words of encouragement! I don't believe that this is an all too uncommon thing for premies to go through, but it is a scary one nonetheless. We should know something in the next couple of days. In the meantime, please pray for Lila's little heart!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

No Bald Babies

2009-01-25T21:09:00.003-06:00

We've been trying to figure this out since they are born - do these babies have hair and if so, what color is it? We knew that several of them had some hair up there, but weren't certain which ones or what color because we haven't seen them without their beanies on since just after they were born. Well, finally today the mystery has been solved. Brooklyn, Britton, and Ryan are brunettes while Jack and Lila are blondes! Who knows what color they'll end up with, but it's fun to know for now what the mix is for the moment!

A Great Day for The Jones 8!

2009-01-25T19:47:00.010-06:00

The Jones family - all eight of us (nine if you count the newest resident at our home, Casey's mom) - had a great day today! Casey is doing better, the babies are continuing to bore the nurses (not really, but they don't have many issues they have to deal with - that's a really good thing!), Eliot had all kinds of new adventures, Grandma got to visit with friends and spent more time with the babies, I got to hold three of the five, and we all got to see several of our Marriage Builders friends who came up to see the babies...good times for all!!

Casey had it really rough all day yesterday. She spent a lot of time in the NICU holding babies, but for some reason, she was really nauseous and worn down all day long and into the night. Our guess is that she's probably pushing herself a bit too hard, but poor girl is being torn in two different directions! She has doctor's orders to stay completely off her feet for all but one or two hours a day from Dr. Reich, but she also has doctor's orders from the neonatologists to be in the NICU as much as possible. I bet you can guess which order she is complying with...

Today, she woke up feeling much better and didn't have any of the same issues as she did on Saturday. She held Britton for about an hour and held Lila for nearly two hours. Right now, she's getting some good Eliot time, cuddling on the couch while Eliot "paints" whiskers on her mama's face... :)

Eliot got to spend lots of time in the NICU, then got a surprise trip to Chuck-E-Cheese...yeah another trip for Eliot to C-E-C's without daddy!! One of our good friends, Ryan Jones (or Uncle Jonesy to Eliot) came up to see the babies and took Eliot off our hands for awhile. She had a blast, of course, then came back to the NICU and helped Nurse Stacy give Brooklyn a sponge bath. That was really cool to watch - she was totally into it! Hopefully that is a sign of things to come when the babies come home!

For my part, I got to spend most of the day in the NICU to make up for not being able to come at all yesterday. I spent Saturday playing catch up from the last 2+ weeks away from home and work. Today, I held Ryan, Brooklyn, and finally my boy, Jack! That's Jack in the picture above.

The babies are all doing very, very well! Seriously, the nurses have very little to report to us anymore when we come up. The only issues worth noting are Ryan and Lila's heart problems, but we also have good news on that. Whoops - I just realized I haven't posted info on Ryan's heart problem as it just showed up yesterday. She has one of the same issues that Lila has - a hole in her heart that is allowing too much blood to get to her lungs. Both girls have responded well to the medication they've been on and the large holes they both have (the PDA's) appear to be closing up. There is still a decent possibility that the holes will open back up however, so it appears that this problem will be on our minds for a while. Lila's little hole is not something that is helped by the medication so they will continue to monitor that as well.

We couldn't be more excited with how well the babies are doing...these little squirts are proving to be a plucky bunch! It appears that Britton has won the Diva award for now as she continues to make her demands known to all within earshot of a squeaky little 2 pounder. Ryan has quieted down over the last couple of days so she is out of the completition for now. Brooklyn and Jack are still competing for the most chill while Lila is just hanging out and taking it all in. They are all taking feedings pretty well and their little infections have all cleared up. As the doctor said yesterday, they are all at various stages of EXCELLENT!!!!

God Bless,

Ethan

http://www.joneslife.net/

Baylor Comes Through Again

2009-01-24T18:55:00.003-06:00

When I returned to class Thursday evening, my Baylor classmates had a little surprise for me - a very generous group donation! Before class began, one of my classmates stood up and was telling the rest of the group about the diaper drive that was to begin the next day (she didn't realize that I was there at the time). After her announcement, another classmate got up, said a few good words and then presented me with an envelope filled with donations from everyone in the class. It was awesome!!

You may not be aware that Casey and I found out about the quints four days before I was to begin my orientation week for grad school. I was really torn as to whether or not I should stick with the program given the time constraints and financial burden it would become with the babies on the way. Fortunately, I couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that I should wait to make a decision because I'm still with the program today and I have no intention of dropping out.

My classmates, the Baylor staff, the professors, the director, and the university as a whole have been incredible from day one! They have allowed me the flexibility I've needed to take care of my family, provided financial support, and have shared in the excitement every step of the way. Thank you again to Baylor University, the faculty, staff, and my classmates for all you've done!! To sum it up: BAYLOR ROCKS!!

For more info on the support Baylor University has provided, follow this link to a blog post I did a little while back: http://joneslifeaustinblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/baylor-rocks.html.

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

"Various Stages of Excellent"

2009-01-23T23:59:00.004-06:00

Whew!! What a wild day this turned out to be! It started with the kickoff to the diaper drive at HEB, rolled through three TV interviews, nearly six hours in the NICU, a few momentous occasions, and is finally coming to a close with this blog post. Casey and I are pretty exhausted (and so is Eliot!) and we're hoping we can catch up on a lot of busy work and rest this weekend...that's the plan, anyway. We haven't had much success sticking to the daily plan lately so I guess we'll just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings!

So here are the highlights:

- As you see below, HEB kicked off a week long diaper drive for us at the four points store (click the HEB logo for details)...very exciting! The folks at HEB were incredible!!

- I got to hold one of the babies for the first time this morning!! I held Britton for about an hour while Casey held Brooklyn for the first time. It was also the first time that we got to see all of the babies without their beanies and eye shades...their little faces are so perfect! It seemed like the world stood still for a while as we held each baby, slowly rocking them and telling them about the new world they are now a part of...so peaceful!

- The KVUE interview was really neat because we got to hold a couple of the babies (Brooklyn and Britton) up for the cameras and introduce them to Austin! That was the first time that I had really "handled" any of them and believe me, I was nervous! I know just about all men have an irrational fear of holding babies because they are so fragile and we feel like we're going to break them, but with these little guys, that's a real concern! They are so frail in your hands it feels like if you sneezed you'd probably break a few ribs!

- When we were taking a break from our first time in the NICU, KEYE called and asked to come up for another interview. We met up with them 30 minutes later, talked with them for about 20 minutes, then ran upstairs for a second round with the babies.

- In the afternoon, I got to hold Lila while Casey held Ryan, again for about an hour. Lila was the second smallest so I held the two pip squeaks of the bunch today.

All in all, the babies continue to do very well, however we still need prayers for Lila's heart problem. They performed an echo cardiogram on her today to determine what exactly was the cause of her heart murmur. The news wasn't unexpected, but it wasn't welcome, either. She has two holes in her heart, one big and one small.

- Brooklyn has been the most relaxed of the five...she's just totally chill everytime we go up. She was moved to an isolette (incubator) to help her maintain her fluids and heat. Eventually, all of the babies will make this move and will stay in their isolette for several weeks.

- Britton is going to be our little beach bum - you can tell she has really enjoyed freedom from the womb! Several times when I've been up to the NICU, she's been completely stretched out like she's laying out at the beach...too funny! She has a little issue that popped up today that they are watching pretty closely. She has a raw spot on the inside of her right leg that was probably caused by some urine getting between her legs. With her skin being so sensitive, it caused a really nasty looking sore to develop. They are trying to keep her legs open so it can heal up and not get infected. She has also been in competition for the loudest and has already been awarded the most high maintenance award. The instant she has a wet diaper, this girl is letting the nurses know!!

- Jack is also a little chill bug. Everytime I'm up there, he is perfectly content and chilled out! He doesn't fuss, he doesn't squirm, he just lays back and takes it all in. He is probably doing the best of all of the babies which is surprising because usually the premie boys don't do as well as the girls. He is the only one so far to take a feeding and actually digest the milk. That's my Jack!! Did I mention how big his hands are...HUGE!! ;-)

- Lila Addison is also pretty relaxed. She doesn't make much of a fuss and doesn't seem to be bothered by much. Her jaundice has been worse than the other babies so they have had her under special blue lights to keep it under control.

- Ryan is in competition with Britton for the loudest one of all. She is the only baby who was making noise in the operating room and she hasn't stopped yet! They are keeping a close watch on her belly button as it appears to be developing an infection. The doctors have put her on IV antibiotics and are keeping the area moist with some triple antibiotic cream. They are not too concerned at this point, but are really monitoring her closely.

In general, all of the babies are doing really well for their age and weights. They all have little issues that they are watching, but the doctors are very happy with how they are handling everything. Everytime we go up to the NICU, the nurses give us a full report on each baby - they really throw a lot at you! By the time this is all over with, Casey and I are going to be able to take over...yeah, right! The babies are expected to remain in the NICU until we near their original due date, March 27th. It's a long time, but they are in really good hands so we are not complaining. There is no question that these babies would not survive if it weren't for all of the amazing care they are receiving!

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

We're on the News!!

2009-01-16T18:47:00.002-06:00

Still waiting on that battery to charge, but a couple of the news stories from today have been uploaded to the website. Check them out on the media page at www.JonesLife.net!!!

God Bless!!

Happy Birthday, Quints!!!

2009-01-16T17:33:00.002-06:00

Ok, pictures are coming soon, but we're contending with a dead battery...we wore that thing out today! The babies are all doing "better than average for their age and weight" according to the NICU doctor who checked them all out!

What an experience from start to finish! Casey is doing very well, resting, and anxious to see her babies - she only got to see a flash of them in the operating room before they were whisked away for further care. Unfortunately for mama, she did all the work and missed out on all of the fun... :(

Here are the weights:
Baby A - 2 pounds, 13 ounces, 16-1/4 inches
Baby B - 2 pounds, 2 ounces, 14 inches
Baby C - Jack William - 2 pounds, 11 ounces, 14-3/4 inches - that's right, as with the entire pregnancy, Jack was right in the middle in the birth order!
Baby D - 2 pounds, 3 ounces, 15 inches
Baby E - 2 pounds, 10 ounces, 15-1/4 inches

We won't know which baby gets which name until after Casey is able to go up to the NICU with me to figure it all out. Whew!! What a day! More to come later...

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

It's Go Time...FIVE BABIES TODAY!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-16T07:58:00.002-06:00

Here we go!! Casey's kidneys have started to fail as indicated by an extreme drop in her urine output over the last 24 hours. Though her labs all came back pretty good - platelets are way up - we can't wait any longer. We're scheduled for noon~ish today!

Please pray for Casey's continued health, the health of the babies, the hands and minds of the doctors and nurses, and for peace for all!!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

P.S. Thank you again to all who posted on statesman.com...because of you we effectively, respectfully, and definitively changed the conversation!! I am most likely going to be on 590 KLBJ Monday morning!

Positive Energy Always Wins!

2009-01-15T14:28:00.002-06:00

Thank you to all who have posted comments on statesman.com as you have successfully taken the attention off of the negativity that was gaining ground earlier today! This morning almost every post was negative, but now you have to get to the bottom of the second page to get to the first hateful comment! God love you all!!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

One More Thought...

2009-01-15T11:11:00.002-06:00

If you have time, you can also email 590 KLBJ to request that they allow me some time to correct the inaccuracies of their reporting and the listeners' assumptions. Here is a link to their website:

http://www.590klbj.com/

If you write, please go above and beyond to be gracious in your comments.

God bless you all!!
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Update on Casey 1/15 and Austin American Statesman Article

2009-01-15T10:34:00.003-06:00

Life is good! Casey had another good night, though not as good as the previous two. She didn't sleep quite as well, but her contractions have been fairly well spaced and not as intense as they have been. They decided not to do labs again until tomorrow so we live another day without the threat of delivery unless her body takes a turn for the worse. The doctors are actually talking as if she can hold out another week to ten days...WOOHOO!!

We are also very excited about the FRONT PAGE news article the Austin American Statesman did on us this morning! The reporter, Andrea Ball, did a wonderful job of conveying our story and keeping the facts straight which is a big relief. They also did an on-line video story that was really well done. Check out the stories here:

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/01/15/0115quints.html

The video link is off to the left side of the article under "More on This Story".

I have to say, however, there is a good bit of disappointment we're dealing with this morning in regards to the response to the article. If you read many of the readers comments on-line below the article, you will get a good idea of what direction the topic of discussion went on 590 KLBJ this morning. There was quite a bit of hateful, self-serving feedback which, unfortunately, was mostly predicated on misinformation that people either deducted from the article or got from what was mis-reported on the radio this morning. Disheartening to say the least.

Because we know first and foremost that these comments do not represent the truth, nor do we believe that the hearts of Austin are as jaded as these comments suggest, I would like to ask for a little help. If you have the time, please log onto the article and register as a user so that you can post your own comment to the article. It may be a small token, maybe just a blip on the radar, but maybe it will change the direction of the conversation. And maybe, just maybe, it will allow God to work in the hearts of some of the folks who posted a negative comment this morning. I have already emailed KLBJ to offer my time to help answer some of the critics and provide the accurate information that was not reported this morning. Though I know we will never change everyone's mind, I at least want one opportunity to set the record straight.

The main reason that we decided to publicize our story is because we believed that God could use us to impact lives that we otherwise would not be able to reach. I believe that he is doing this and I believe he will continue to do this as long as we keep the focus squarely on him. For our part, we will continue to get our story out to further this goal. Until we are led in a different direction, this is our call, and we will do everything that God allows us to do to answer that call.

God Bless,
Ethan
http://www.joneslife.net/

No News is Good News

2009-01-14T08:47:00.002-06:00

I have very little to report this morning...yeah! Casey had another great night sleep and seems to be settling into some sort of pattern. Good night sleep, decent morning, awful afternoon, decent evening has been the course over the last couple of days so we'll see if that continues today.

Contractions are her constant companion, but they vary in frequency which makes a huge difference in her condition. Both Monday and yesterday, starting in early afternoon and lasting until early evening, the spacing was every 2-3 minutes. These are the roughest patches she goes through and they get everyone's senses up that maybe the time has come. Yet, so far at least, the time has not come and the contractions back off to every 12 or 15 minutes by early evening.

She is still Pre-eclamptic, but she is stable and they will not be checking labs again today. Therefore, the only thing that would force delivery is if she goes into full out labor, the contractions never back down on their frequency, and her cervix begins to dilate. The exciting news about her cervix dilating: Casey's was sewn shut at week 14 and if it begins to dilate, the suture will hold, while her cervix will not. While this does not present a significant health risk, the hope is that her labor will not progress so rapidly that this happens as it is certain to be incredibly painful...fun times!

Please continue to pray for Casey's health and the health of the babies. The mental aspect of this fight is going to take its toll eventually and Casey will need all of the strength she has to keep her sanity. She's one tough mama, but everyone has their breaking point. Let's pray that this does not happen before her body decides it has had enough!!

God Bless,

Ethan

http://www.joneslife.net/

A Rare Sight...And Many More to Come

2009-01-13T22:25:00.004-06:00

You're not going to see this every day - two women, 10 babies (soon to be anyway). On the right is Rachelle Wilkinson, quintuplet success story who lives in Cedar Park. She gave birth to her babies 18 months ago and she still has all of her hair...can you believe it?? I've even heard rumors that she can be seen running around her neighborhood pushing a 20 foot long stroller with five little babies strapped in and enjoying the ride. Apparently, there is life after quints!

Rachelle reached out to us early on in the process and has been our advisor ever since. She stopped by Monday night to check in on Casey and offer her support from one of the few women who have been there, done that. Her and Jayson, her husband, have been very gracious in welcoming us to their home and allowing us to peek inside their very busy, very efficient, very loving lives. We can't wait to get the 10 babies together for an incredible photo op!

God Bless,

Ethan

www.JonesLife.net

P.S.

2009-01-13T09:55:00.002-06:00

I'm having a lot of fun with this this morning: they weighed Casey a little while ago and she has gained 67 pounds since the pregnancy began. She tipped the scales at 182.4 which means she officially weighs more than I do...ha!!

She has gained over 12 pounds in the week since we've been here at the hospital. Unfortunately, most of that is fluid that she is retaining which has chosen to settle in her legs. Her legs are ballooned up like you wouldn't believe. She has a roll on both ankles and her calves are stretched so tight they feel like watermelons. The funny thing is that she has not a bit of stubble despite going more than a week without shaving because her legs are so puffy.

This is one of the many discomforts that Casey is dealing with along with everything else that she's faced over the last few months. Of course, as with most everything else, very little can be done to relieve her. But she keeps on smiling through it all...AMAZING!!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

A Daily Dose of Amazement!

2009-01-13T09:31:00.002-06:00

As we continue through this process, I am continually amazed at the resiliency of the human body and the strength of Casey's spirit...and the knowledge of the medical staff...and the power of prayer...and the rallying of support...and the unpredictability of life...and the calming presence of God in your life...and the...

Casey had a great night sleep, only waking up a couple of times...amazing after what she went through yesterday evening. There was a two hour time frame from about 5-7 where we were pretty certain things were progressing and everyone was on high alert. But everything calmed down and Casey slept better than she had in weeks (and so did I with the help of our friend, Ambien)!

So they are running labs as we speak - testing everything that they've checked before - protein in the urine, liver enzymes, blood pressure, platelet count, etc. If everything checks out ok, then we continue the waiting game.

It appears that no matter what happens with Casey's body, the doctors will hold out for every last possible hour before delivering the babies. Even Casey's water breaking will not mean that we make a mad dash for the operating room! Apparently, as long as the babies have a little bit of fluid in their sack, they can continue to survive and grow inside the womb. Even if Casey goes in to raging labor, we'll still have about four hours before the operation begins.

This up/down/stop/start game we've been playing has been stressful on us all, no doubt, but we are glad to do it as long as Casey stays pregnant. Casey's focus has continued to wow us all! Though she is in complete misery, she has not complained other than to say that she's frustrated that she may have to deliver before she's ready to give up the fight!

Please keep up the prayers for Casey's strength and health and the health of the quints...the prayers are working!!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

No Babies Today!

2009-01-12T08:39:00.002-06:00

Casey had a decent night sleep last night until about 2 am when she started having pretty intense contractions. At that point, she had to have pain medication regularly to keep things under control. However, her labs came back this morning and everything looked good. As long as her contractions do not progress to "real" labor, we will not be having any babies today!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Update on Casey #2

2009-01-11T18:20:00.002-06:00

We saw Dr. Berry a couple of hours ago and got some good info from him. He did a quick sonogram to check on the babies' heart rates and all was good there. He also did a measurement on the fluid level in each sack and again all was good. Checking the fluid in the sacks is an indication of how much room the babies have left to grow inside Casey's belly.

He didn't change anything with Casey's meds, but they are going to scale back the pain med because little Miss Casey has been pretty loopy this afternoon...funny! The good thing though is that her contractions have spaced out a good bit.

The big news is that they are going to run Casey's labs again in the morning and if her platelet count has dropped, the delivery will be scheduled. If it has not, they will likely run the labs again on Tuesday. Dr. Berry gave us 33% odds of delivery tomorrow and 50% odds of delivering by Thursday. So the waiting game continues...

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net