No news is good news

We have nothing new to report except that Kanyon is still doing good. I just know that many of you admit to checking the blog dozens of times per day, so I thought you would like to have even the smallest update.

-

Pray for Jaymie and Kory as they travel to Paris tomorrow for the memorial. The rest of Kory's family flew in from Montana yesterday and they will be traveling to Paris as well. I know this time won't be easy for any of us, but we appreciate your prayers and support.

-

Many people have asked if there is something they can do or something they can donate to in Jayde's name. That's under discussion right now and we'll let you know when they decide.

Another good night, and prayer chain extended

Kanyon did great again last night - still breathing and digesting well, so praise God for that.

-

I just found out that the prayer chain website for the Phillips is going to have slots to sign up extended through next week, so follow this link and sign up for a time if you would like to. When you scroll down to the sign-up part, be sure to scroll to the right to see the new days. I know it gives Kory and Jaymie great comfort knowing that they are covered in prayer 24 hours a day.

http://www.mysignup.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?datafile=kanyonandjayde

The memorial service will be at 3:30 on Sunday in Paris, so remember to lift them up especially during that time.

Late night update

We just got back from the hospital a little while ago, and everything is still good. Kanyon has gained a little bit of weight, and this evening they upped his milk intake to 2cc per feeding. Keep praying for his little digestive system, but so far he's handling it well.

-

I see that many of you are already doing this, but when you leave a comment, please let us know where you are from. Jaymie and Kory have a map in their room and they are coloring in all the states and countries where they know people are praying for them. By the way, if any of you are from Nebraska, please let us know because someone (I won't mention names) started coloring in Nebraska thinking it was Kansas. If you know anyone from Nebraska, call them and tell them to pray and leave a comment so we can finish coloring that one in.

Knowing that they are being constantly lifted up by so many people in so many places is such an encouragement to Jaymie and Kory and all of us- please keep it up!

Evening update

I just talked to Kory, and Kanyon is still doing great. They say he's pretty much on cruise control right now. The doctor took a couple of lines out of his IV today, which he wouldn't do unless he was very comfortable with his status. He is still digesting well, but keep praying about that. Kory said they are going to run several tests on Monday, so we can start praying for that also. He also told me that they walked down to the NICU one time today, and they looked in the window to see the nurse on duty just relaxing with her feet up. She apologized when she saw them, but Kory said it was so great to see that she was able to be so relaxed. That hasn't been the case before now, so that's a good sign.

-

I realized that I was wrong when I reported this morning that Jaymie is going home. She was discharged today, but they aren't actually going home. The hospital is letting them keep their room for a very small daily fee as long as someone else doesn't need it. So they can come and go as they please and even stay there at night, which is such a blessing.

-

I have a trivial request - when you leave your comments, try to leave them on the most recent post, even if you are not responding specifically to that post. That will make it easier for us to just print the new comments from the latest posts to take to Jaymie and Kory. If you comment on an old post that has already been printed, they will probably read it eventually, but it may be missed for right now. Thanks!

Morning update

I just talked to Jay this morning, and nothing has changed, but I just thought everyone would like to know that Kanyon is still doing good - he's breathing well and digesting well. Praise God! Jaymie is being released from the hospital today. I know it will be so hard for her to go home and leave Kanyon there, so pray for strength and comfort.

Kanyon is eating good!

I just wanted to let everyone know that Kanyon is still doing good. Clint, Roselyn, and I drove to Longview today and I haven't been near a computer for a while, so this is the first chance I've had to give an update. They've given him Jaymie's milk several times today (1 cc per feeding), and he is doing a good job digesting it so far. He also tee-teed on his own today, yeah! Tomorrow they are going to increase the amount of milk per feeding to see if he can handle a little more, so pray specifically for his digestive system. Also pray that he can be resistant to any kind of infection, which is one of the biggest dangers he'll face in coming weeks. And continue to pray for his little lungs. He is breathing so good right now and just pray that his lungs are strong as they continue to develop.

-

Jaymie and Kory and both of their families are so appreciative of all the love, support and prayers that you are sending their way. I saw them reading the printed pages of all your comments tonight at the hospital, and it is such a huge encouragement to them. People keep asking me how they're doing. I don't really know how to answer that question other than they're handling it the best they can and definitely better than I would. I am constantly amazed by their faith and strength.

-

I've also been getting a lot of questions about arrangements for Jayde. Details aren't finalized, but they have decided to have a private ceremony for her on Sunday with just immediate family.

A note from Wes

Wes Phillips, who is Kory's dad and grandfather of the twins, handed me a note last night when I was in Longview that he wanted me to post on the blog. Obviously it was written before we lost Jayde, but I still thought it was very relevant and appropriate to share it with all of you.

"These babies are so, so, so fragile, it is almost incomprehensible. Their lives are literally hanging on by your prayers to our God and Father whose great power is all that could possibly save them. Please pray for His spirit of life to breathe in them.

At times our hearts are crushed, but not broken, filled with agony but not despair. We are comforted by God's care of their souls.

Thank you all for your caring, sharing, and loving. May God bless each of you for your goodness and faithfulness."

Another update

Jay just called again and said that they are about to give Kanyon some of Jaymie's milk. She has been pumping, and they are going to give it to him through a feeding tube. (Before now they have been feeding him some sort of nutrients through an IV in his umbilical cord, I believe.) Pray that he responds well to this.

-

Also, a lot of people have been asking me what they can do and if they should visit or call or what. I asked Jay to find out for me, and for now they would really prefer that you just leave a comment on the blog. They are being printed and taken to them at the hospital continually, so they are getting your messages and feel so blessed by them. But they have been flooded with phone calls and visits and as much as they appreciate them, it is taking up all their time, and they haven't really had time to themselves or time to think about what to do next. No arrangements have been made yet.

-

So if you want to know what you can do, for now just keep praying and leaving comments for them to read. Your support is just so amazing!

Great report on Kanyon

Jay just called me with a great report on Kanyon. He is now breathing 90% on his own, and he is breathing regular air instead of straight oxygen. I know we all needed to hear some good news. Praise God for this bit of progress.

Very sad news

There’s really no easy way to break the news – we lost Jayde last night. In Kory's words, she went to be with God. Her poor little lungs just weren’t working well all day yesterday, and they finally stopped working completely late last night. I know it goes without saying, but please lift up this family in your prayers right now, and continue to pray for little Kanyon. He is doing okay right now, but he still has a long way to go.

Prayer chain

Someone at the Alpine church in Longview has set up a prayer chain where you can sign up to pray at a specific time to make sure that Kanyon and Jayde are being prayed for 24 hours a day for the next few crucial days.

Here's a link to the website:

http://www.mysignup.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?datafile=kanyonandjayde

Also, they now have a prayer pager! Whenever you say a prayer for Kory, Jaymie, Jayde, or Kanyon, just page them and enter your zip code so they know how covered they are in prayer right now. The number is 903.210.0122

What great ideas! Thank you again for all your prayers.

They tee-teed!

Well, I just got some good news from Jay - both of the twins have tee-teed! (I know there is a more official word for that, but when babies do it, we Spencers and Phillips like to call it tee-tee.) That means their kidneys are working, so praise God for small victories.
-
He also told me that Jayde has been having some trouble keeping her oxygen levels up today, so they have had to help her pump her lungs manually through the ventilator. So pray for her little lungs to start working better.

A few more details

I have a few more details about last night and this morning. When their blood pressure dropped, both babies had to have transfusions, and they had Jayde on three different medications to try to fix her blood pressure. They have been able to reduce her medicine today. The chest tube was to drain fluid from her lungs, but the bleeding in her lungs has now stopped. They were going to do an ultrasound on their heads sometime late this morning to check for bleeding in their brains, and I'm not sure if that has happened yet, but they should have results from that sometime this afternoon. The bleeding isn't from trauma of delivery, but just because their little blood vessels are extremely fragile and can break spontaneously at any time.
-
The doctor says that they are stable for now, but he also says these are still very sick babies. Normally they say that the first 72 hours are crucial, which would end at midnight tonight, but since they have had so many complications already, he would probably extend that crucial time until Friday. So please pray extra hard for the next couple of days. The doctor has also said that these are very tough babies, and we attribute that to God's grace and to your prayers.

A rough night

I just talked to Jaymie, and they had a rough night last night for both babies. Both of their blood pressures dropped, which is scary in babies that little because it can cause bleeding in their little heads and lungs. They had to give Jayde some medicine to stabilize her blood pressure and they also had to give her a little chest tube. Jaymie thinks it was to help with fluid around the lungs. Both are more stable now. Kanyon isn't on any meds, just a ventilator. The doctor is going to scan their heads sometime this morning to check for any bleeding which can result from changes in blood pressure. The doctor said that the next 24 hours are especially crucial, so keep praying.
-
Jaymie also said to thank everyone for all of your prayers - they really can feel it and want everyone to continue to pray. She also asked for prayers for the doctors and nurses that are taking care of them. Their neonatologist is Dr. Chris, and a couple of the nurses taking care of them are named Donna and Jim.

Hospital address

I've had several requests for the hospital address. It is:

Good Shepherd Medical Center
700 E. Marshall Ave.
Longview, TX 75601
Jaymie is in room 1225.

I just got off the phone with Jay and they don't have anything new to report - the twins are still stable and holding their own.

Another scare for Jayde - but she's OK!

I just got off the phone with Kory again, and he said that Jayde had another scare a little while ago. Her heart actually stopped beating, but before they even had time to get the doctor and do anything about it, it started beating again. The doctor said that he's not sure what happened or why her heart started again, but Kory and Jaymie know why. These little babies are covered with your prayers and that is so powerful and effective - please keep it up!
James 5:16 - Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Good news on Jayde

I just got off the phone with Kory, and they are very encouraged because they just got a good report on Jayde from the doctor. She has been stable for several hours now and the x-rays they took on her lungs came back better than before. So they are still keeping a very close watch on her, but things are not as critical as they were before. Your prayers are working! Kanyon, in Kory's words, is 'just chillin', but of course keep praying for him as well.

A few pictures

Here are just a few pictures I have from yesterday morning. They aren't very good quality, but I'll have better ones later.

Here are the proud parents with Kanyon. He has saran wrap over him because he was having trouble maintaining his body temperature.

Here's Jayde. She's a little purple because her delivery was rough and fast. The doctors say the bruising should fade in about a week.

I can't look at this picture without tearing up. This is Jayde holding Jaymie's finger:
Here's Kanyon wearing Kory's wedding ring as a bracelet:
And here is Kory's hand next to Kanyon so you can see how small he is. As you can see, these babies are tiny and fragile. Their skin should be more developed in about a week.

Pray for Jayde

Well, I just talked to Gay on the phone, and little Jayde had a setback during the night. They have stabilized her, but she is not doing very well. They are running tests and x-rays and we'll have more info later, but please just pray extra hard for Jayde right now. The doctor has warned them that there will be lots of ups and downs, but it's still hard to hear any bad news. Kanyon is doing just fine.

-

Clint and I are back in Paris now, but Jay and Gay are there with them, and Kory's parent's flew in from Montana yesterday to be with them. They are at the Good Shepherd Hospital in Longview. Gay told me that Jaymie's OB is going to keep her there until Friday so she can be close.

-

Thanks for your prayers!

The twins are here!

For those of you that haven't heard yet, Jaymie and Kory's twins are here! Jaymie went into early labor on Sunday, March 25th at just 25 weeks. They tried to stop her labor, but they couldn't. They were going to take the twins by c-section, but the little girl was already in the birth canal, so they delivered her normally, then took the little boy by c-section a few minutes later. They were born just after midnight on March 26th.

-

They named the girl Jayde Spencer and the boy Kanyon Luke. They are so tiny! Jayde is 1 lb. 12 oz. and Kanyon is 1 lb. 9 oz., and they are about 11 1/2 inches long. They are on little ventilators, but they are stable and doing as well as can be expected. Jaymie is recovering fine and they should release her from the hospital in the next day or two. She and Kory are handling all of this so well. They say they can really feel the prayers of all their friends and family and feel that everything is going to be OK.

-

Jaymie and Kory and these sweet little babies have a long road ahead of them, so please keep them constantly in your prayers. For now I'm going to be giving updates (I'm Rachel Spencer, Jaymie's sister-in-law), but when Jaymie gets home this will become her blog where she will keep everyone updated on their progress. Feel free to leave comments for Jaymie and Kory.