More Videos

Here are some videos taken with my Canon Powershot A640 camera - pretty amazing for a P&S digital. They are much higher resolution on my PC but the uploaded files get resized for distribution.

March of Dimes Walk - Kenosha, WI

March of Dimes Walk - Dayton, OH

Little Video

Here is a quick "flash" video of Gus crawling around and standing up...

13 Months and March of Dimes!

We have once again organized "Team Gus" for the March of Dimes. There is a link to the right or you can click HERE too. Our local walk is at Wright State University in Dayton, OH but this year you can sign up to walk for Team Gus ANYWHERE there is a walk! Very cool.

Gus LOVES the camera and is rarely without a smile when it is pointed at him...

Here is Gus crawling around at our friends home. His tractor book goes with him a lot. He pushes it to where he wants to be then crawls to that place.

Gus continues to do well at his developmental assessments - today the county's "Help Me Grow" program came out and Gus has met or exceeded all of his targets at this stage. He is crawling really well now and likes to babble a lot. He mimics sounds like "hi" and "ba" and will sing/shout when sung to.

No official height and weight recently but we think he is about 20 lbs and 30 inches long.

Peace,
Gregg, Jill and Gus

ONE YEAR OLD!!!

Well, the day in here that seemed so impossible a year ago! Gus has turned ONE!!! When he was born the doctor said "his condition is very grim" and indications were that he may not live past his first 24 hours. Then it was 48. Then one week. Then his first surgery. And so it goes - 365 wonderful days later he has beaten the odds and blessed us amazingly. We acknowledge that Gus would not be here without the dedication, expertise, love and prayers of so many people. Family, friends, doctors, nurses and a fair share of complete strangers who came to know and carry "Big Gus" in their hearts through his blog.

Happy Birthday Boy Gus - most usually with a smile on his face and a mission! Here we were playing chase around the kitchen island. He is a pretty fast crawler and is a good sport about having his picture taken as we scoot around.

A few pictures of Gus in the chair that was mine any my sister's when we were kids. (Correction, this is MY chair. My grandmother had given me and my sister each one. Hers is still in North Dakota...) The solemn pose...

Mr. Bright Eyes.

with giggles... You can sort of see his tooth that is poking through on the bottom!

Gus and his beautiful mommy - Jill. We were reminiscing that we got more sleep last night than the night before Gus arrived. I'm glad not to be sleeping on one of the hospital's chair/sleeper contraptions tonight!!!

Thank you all for continuing to follow Gus' miraculous life. We are again organizing "Team Gus" for the March of Dimes WalkAmerica this year so details will be coming.

We haven't had an official weight and length in a big but we will get one tomorrow at Gus' one year check-up. We're guessing he is somewhere between 18 and 19 pounds (8.1-8.6kg) and around 28-29 inches (71-74cm)long. He is catching up and healthy in every way.

Peace,
Gregg, Jill and Gus

New Year - New Fun

Happy 2007 to all our dear friends and family! A quick update from the Holidays until now... Gus is now 16.5 pounds and around 28" long. He loves to bounce and babble and giggle. It is rare to find him without a smile on his face, even when he wakes up in the morning!

As you can see Gus loves his oatmeal and fruit! He enjoys any vegetable - mixed is his favorite - and most fruits. He still isn't crazy about meat but friend Janie B assures us she'll teach us how to cook with tofu if needed!

Gus (and Gregg) love to do acrobatics. Here Gus is practicing his "look at me balance on Daddy's hand" trick. It freaks Jill out a little and almost every other mother out there - but Gus grins from ear to ear and loves to show of his new skills.

Santa's Little Helper in one of his many Christmas outfits received from friends. Thanks to all - Gus did get to wear each of them at least once...

Paper, paper, paper! Oh, there are presents too? Gus really loved the process of ripping paper and trying to get it into his mouth. He enjoys all his toys - lots of pounding, sorting, learning and singing going on in the house right now.

As Gus' one year birthday approaches in only six weeks we are thankful for the great progress he has made. Other than taking a few extra months to catch up developmentally (weight and length) he has no other noted physical or mental problems at this point. He is on track with the social/physical development of a eight-month old so continues to progress toward his "real age" against this adjusted age. We know we are blessed to have Gus doing so well and attribute it to the great faith and love of our many friends and family.

Grateful for each day,
Gregg, Jill and Gus

Thankful!

This Thanksgiving is truly a time of thanks and joy at our home! The miracle of Gus this year - his continued growth, progress and wonder - are a blessing and gift! It is hard not to enter this holiday season with full hearts for all of the prayers, love and support given to our family this year. To everyone - we are thankful!

Gus continues to amaze everyone and as his doctors this month put it, "it's nothing short of miraculous". He loves to Jabber and tell lots of stories, chew anything (no teeth yet, though), smile and play. He loves to roll from his back to his belly and can't wait to crawl. He started sitting up a few weeks ago - still a little wobbly but he loves the new vantage point. He is full of giggles and is a very smiley guy. It's wonderful to hear him wake up in the morning (after 8 to 11 hours of sleep) talking away to his mobile of bears and then greet you with a big smile. He's started solid foods and just recently taken off with enjoying the sensation of eating. In keeping with the Thanksgiving theme we introduced sweet potatoes and he devoured them. He may look like his dad but luckily he picked up my love of squash and sweet potatoes! We're having fun...

Here is Gus with his Grandma Susie last weekend. She joined us from Maine for the weekend and Gus couldn't get enough of her. All she had to do was smile at him and say hello and he'd break out into belly laughs. It was a wonderful visit ...We're still smiling.

Big Gus is now 15 pounds and over 24.5 inches long - about the same height as his new teddy bear from the Graham Company (thank you!). As you can tell from the smile, he is a pretty loved little man.

Gregg took this picture a week ago and it shows Gus at rest, just contemplating the world (or what next to stick in his mouth).

We started the month of November with doctor visits and are thrilled to report that all went well. Gus received his first flu shot and his first of 5-7 synagis shots. The latter is to help prevent RSV, a serious threat to preemies' lungs during the cold and flu season. We are following doctors' orders to keep him away from crowds this winter and are so thankful to have Ellen providing such loving care for him at home. Our travels and crowd interaction is restricted until the spring, which is nothing if we can keep a healthy baby.

The eye surgeon was pleased with Gus' progress and we no longer have to visit her, just 6-month checks with the pediatric opthamologist at this point. Gus was even able to sit up for his exam and did not need the metal springs to hold open his eyes. He smiled at the doctor and had no problem tracking the light she used in the exam - what a difference! The gastroenterologist took him off of prevacid and the pulmonologist was thrilled with his overall growth. Again, we no longer need to visit either of these doctors. He actually made it onto the charts for his overall size (5th percentile). One of his doctors thought he'd catch up to his actual birth age in a few months (not years!). We heard several times how blessed we were and how his progress is nothing short of miraculous. We do not take one moment or smile for granted! We enter this season...

Thankful beyond words,

Gregg, Jill and Gus

Big Gus Rolls On

We know it's been a long time since we last posted! It's been a big month: Gus was baptized, Josiah became a teenager and Gregg was ordained! Gus' grandparents joined us from Maine and North Dakota for these events and enjoyed spending time with him out of the hospital. The last time both grandmas saw Gus he was literally a few days old and significantly smaller. Gus continues to amaze us with his progress ... not to mention his rolling over! Last night he did a complete 360 degree roll for friend Pam - did we mention he's a genius. Our home is an explosion of colorful toys and baby gear, and we've now entered the bib phase- we average 4 wet bibs a day. Gus also loves to put anything he can find into his mouth - especially his thumb. He's sleeping longer through the night - 8 to 10 hours - which is great for all. Even waking up at 3 am is okay - we just can't help smiling at him at any hour.

As you can see Gus looks more and more like his dad. I know there's some of me in there somewhere! His hair is growing in and so far is auburn with lots of strawberry-blond highlights. I think I saw some of my wave in there this morning... Oh yes, eyes are definitely blue!

Yes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree in the Brekke clan! It was a wonderful visit with Josiah and his grandparents. Gus was great entertainment for everyone and had many "stories" to tell us. Gus loved returning his Grandpa Dean's big smile.

Here is one of Gus' big smiles. He is one happy little baby with giggles, smiles, chatter and coos. It probably helps that we can't stop smiling at him and pouring on the kisses. Every day we think about how blessed we are with this fun little miracle.

One of the things that didn't happen much this month was doctor visits. It feels so good! We did go this week to Gus' developmental assessment through Miami Valley Hospital. This was a four month (since coming home) check on his physical development, speech and overall health. Everyone was pleased with his progress and the fact that he's right on target for his 4-month adjusted age (based on the June due date). He's now 13 lbs 3 oz and 24 inches long. Dr. P, one of his NICU doctors, met with us and couldn't stop returning the smiles. It's bittersweet not seeing the wonderful NICU staff and friends that we grew to know so well, but so nice to not have to go into the hospital to be with Gus! We go back to the eye surgeon in November for a 3-month check. From our view, Gus' eyes are picking up people and shapes at a distance and he is seeing things very well. He loves to explore patterns on his blankets (thanks to everyone for those) and trace them with his fingers.

Rolling along,
Gregg, Jill and Gus

Gus Goes Wireless

Gus visited the pulmonologist on Friday and was released from wearing the apnea monitor! What an exciting and terrifying time. We remember all the times from Gus' early days when he would stop breathing and turn blue - needing to be resuscitated by the nurses.

We have been assured however, that Gus is over the "apnea of prematurity" stage of life and we have nothing to worry about. In fact, Gus did just fine Friday night. He was able to sleep without being strapped down in his crib and seemed to have a great time spinning around!

More smiling Gus pictures. He really does love to laugh and play - what fun!

Gus in his swing. Jill took this timed exposure of him in the baby swing. He likes to go side to side and when he is really tired it is one of the best places for him to take a nap.

In just one week Gus has gained another 1/2 pound. He was 11lb 8oz at the doctors yesterday. We don't have to go back to the pulmonologist for another 2 months and that will probably be our last visit to him as long as all is well. We were barely home 2 hours and the company that provided the apnea monitor called to schedule a pick-up next week. What a great feeling. We think Gus is just perfect and we are so blessed that he has made such great progress. Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement.

Smiling (but sleepy),
Gregg, Jill and Gus

Gus is 6 months!

Gus turned 6 month old on August 26. Of course his "adjusted age" is still less than three months. He is really catching up though - he is trying to roll over and really tries to push himself up when playing on his tummy. Our last pediatrician visit went well. Gus is gaining as quickly as any other preemie the doctor has observed.

Gus is also getting quite a personality. He loves to smile, giggle and "tell stories" when he's in the right mood. As of Sep 5, Gus now has a babysitter during the days - Miss Ellen. She has raised four boys of her own and the youngest is now a sophomore in high school. Ellen is great with Gus and he really enjoys being with her too.

More bath time pictures. Here Gus is being a little serious. He's not into playing during his bath - all business...

Gus is now over 11 lb and we go to see the pulmonologist this Friday. Hopefully he will be taken off the apnea monitor. We are just using it during the night right now so Gus is "wireless" during the day, even for his naps. We are excited to see the monitor go away, but it is also reassuring to have it on at night. This is one of those 'harder on me than it is you' moments in Gus' life...

Take care,
Gregg, Jill and Gus

Summer Daze

What a wild summer it has been. Gus' coming home has definitely changed our lives a lot - much for the better. Doctors appointments have gone well - Gus' eyes are now completely healed from surgery and he only needs to go back in once a quarter for checkups. He will be going in for an eye exam with a pediatric opthomologist - he may need "baby glasses" but we are unsure as of yet. The last visit to the pulmonologist went well too. Gus no longer needs caffeine or diurel. He is still on the reflux medication, Prevacid. We can now have Gus off the monitor during his waking hours. The pulmonologist hopes to remove the monitor completely at our next visit in September.

Gus is really starting to smile and giggle a lot. Here he is giving a little glance to his sister Anna. He was so taken with the other kids and misses them a lot now that they aren't around.

Here are all the kids - Anna, Josiah, Gus and Zoe.

Good friends Mark and Susan from Minneapolis sent Gus a huge stuffed kitty and a cool Daddy Diaper bag! Gus loves the textures and softness of the big kitty. Its perfect for rolling around and "tummy time."

Gus has passed the 10 lb mark now - he is probably close to 10.5 lb at this time as he gains almost an ounce a day! He sometimes sleeps a lot and other times not so much... Last night he had one eight hour stretch of sleep which we really appreciated. Everyone is definitely growing into a new phase of life - the summer has flown by in a daze. I'm starting up with a new church in September and have definitely really my time home with Gus and the other kids. Jill continues to work from home and has had a little travel while appreciating the flexibility.

Blessings,
Gregg, Jill and Gus

Gus is 5 months! Post #100!

It's been a while since we've posted an update and as you can imagine life is bold and full with our big guy home! It's my turn (Jill) to update, a first for me on the blog. Gus is just like a regular 7 week old baby (corrected age from his original due date) at this point. We've changed many diapers, quickly cleaned up baby throw-up off of various pieces of furniture and ourselves, logged many miles in the rocking chair and melted thousands of times in his embrace.Gus has discovered his fingers and almost has it worked out to get his thumb into his mouth! His eyes are inquisitive and he loves to kick and GIGGLE when he listens to music. His senses are really tuning into shapes, colors, sounds and textures. He's very loving and enjoys snuggles, giving lots of smiles and cooing. We can't wait for you all to meet this miracle and sweet boy in person!

Gus loved meeting his Aunt Melissa (Missy) this past week - as you can see. The two of them logged many hours cuddling and smiling together. Aunt Missy gave Gregg and I a big present by staying with Gus and his siblings one night so we could have a "date". It was good to step out for dinner and enjoy each other for a few hours knowing, all were in the most loving of care. And yes, Gregg and I still know how to talk about things other than baby body functions - it was great!

Another recent highlight has been Gus' introduction to his big brother Josiah and sisters Zoe and Anna. As you can see, the "guys" in the family are pretty taken with each other. It's a beautiful thing to see big brother rocking Gus to sleep. Zoe and Anna are also big helps and love their baby brother. Being the "big" sister is a new thing for Anna and she loves the role which includes entertaining - something we all enjoy.

Gus loves to explore and is starting to push himself up on his arms. We learned early in his life that he has a strong will - it's great to see it come through in his play and discovery!

This is another shot where we were coaxing a smile out of the big guy. One day I came down from my office and Gregg and Gus were staring at each other and giggling. As Gus giggled, Gregg giggled harder, then Gus giggled more...Yes, he does not lack for love!

Last week at his 5 month checkup Gus weighed in at 9 lb. 3 oz and was 22 inches long. We know he's gone through a big growth spell this week and will drink 3.5 to 5 oz of formula or breastmilk at each feeding so we're guessing he's just under 10 lbs today. We're down to one doctor appointment a week and he is no longer on Oxygen. His eyes are getting better and we visit with this doctor every 2 weeks. He is doing so well - we are blessed by the love and care of so many to be at this point with him. Another great thing for us is that good friend Ellen has agreed to care for Gus in our home starting in September when Gregg starts officially with his church. He is one lucky little man!

Smiling...in our hearts,
Gregg, Jill and Gus

Jill's First Touch

I had to search through the pictures, but here is Jill's first touch with Gus - late evening on 2/26/06 - Gus' birthday:

First moments of life.... Gus' skin is so thin that it is translucent - showing the dark tone of blood. Now look at him below!

Smiling, almost 9 lb, Gus. A far cry from the 1 lb 12 oz Gus of the picture above. Yeah Gus - such a big boy.

Keeping in touch,
Gregg, Jill and Gus

New / Old Post

OK - first of all, life with Gus is awesome. We are getting "tuned in" to his needs and his medications have stabilized quite a bit over the last week.

The pulmonoligist reduced his diuretic dose by half and is eager to take him completely off of it and caffeine by his next visit. One month off caffeine with good results and we will be able to shed the pulse/respiration monitor as well! Gus' eye exams have gone really well too - his right eye is catching up so we are now on every 2 week exams instead of every week.

The addition of Prevacid to Gus' medication regime has made a great difference. After about two weeks on this medication we can really tell a difference in his ability to keep food down. Lots less throw-up and reflux after feeding. He was 8 lb 6 oz last week so we expect he is near 9 lb at this time.

Here are some pictures from Gus' first days in this world - I had just returned home from my seminary transcultural trip in Mexico and was not using the digital camera at that time. It took all 5 months to finish off this roll of film in my Leica and have it developed... I think you will agree that these are some moving photos from February 26 and 27, 2006.

Sweet Jill was able to eke out a smile the day after her delivery ordeal. She is so gracious an beautiful - even in the lovely hospital gown.

Nurse Sherri was Gus' receiving nurse. She was the nurse who did all the pre-care on Gus - getting him wired up, respirator in and IV lines in place so he could merely stay alive his first few hours of life. Jill was wheeled in on her delivery gurney to see Gus. What a miracle to see these pictures again for the first time... Sherri stayed on as Gus' primary evening nurse his entire hospital stay - such a blessing! Another picture shows Jill touching Gus' hand - she had no recollection of touching him in his first days so having these pictures available is certainly an encouragement.

Nurse Lindsay was with Jill and me during delivery. She was the one who made sure Gus was transported into the NICU right after he was born. Lindsay also was a regular with Gus - it is amazing how deeply committed each nurse and doctor was to our individual case.

Here is the first picture of Gus through his portal. You can see the variety of tubes - breathing tube, IV line, heart monitor, feeding tube - all in place. This was probably taken in the wee hours of 2/27.

Nurse Susie taking care of Gus and being so patient with us... Again, another caregiver who stayed with Gus through his entire hospital stay and became a good friend along the way. Susie lives in our community and has lots of ties with other friends so it seems fateful that we got to know her so well.

Not much else to report. Gus is eating more and more - about 3.5 oz every 3 hours. I'm still staying home with Gus - my full-time job doesn't start until September 1 so this is a great experience. I have A LOT of respect for parents who stay at home full-time having now experienced it myself. Jill has been back to work for a few months now. She works at home so it is really nice that she can take her breaks to be with Gus and me.

Enjoying the little things,
Gregg, Jill and Gus

Long Time, No Post

Needless to say - life has been a little busy lately. Gus is growing a lot and generally doing well. He has had some upset tummy problems this last week so we are keeping an eye on that. He sees the pediatric GI specialist tomorrow (Monday) so hopefully we will get a better picture of how to help him feel better. At Gus' 4 month check he was great. Obviously small for a 4 month old but for his adjusted age of 3 weeks he was right on target: 8 lbs and 21.5 in long. We have to keep reminding ourselves that Gus was due to be born on June 11 so he will be much more like a 3 week old...

We also had a visit from the OH state program called "Help Me Grow" that is specifically in place to help premature babies reach their developmental goals. At this checkup there were four assessors who checked for all sorts of things like reflexes, motor skills, body symmetry, etc. Their assessment was that Gus needed no developmental help and shows no signs of physical or mental disability! We were very pleased!!! We will continue to have a case worker with us until Gus is at least two, just to keep tabs on his development. But Gus won't need any regular physical therapy or developmental help which is a big relief.

Gus' big eyes like to follow us around. He makes some great expressions but rarely has the patience for me to get the camera out and ready - especially if I use the flash. He already knows what is coming...

Good friend Pam B who was with us the night Gus was born - she lives nearby and drove Jill's mom to and from the hospital quite a bit during her labor and delivery. She is such a great mom to her own two daughters and really had a knack with Gus.

Here is my good friend from seminary, Cori T with Gus. As you can see she was able to coax a smile out of him. Cori brought lunch and hung out for a while - what a great gift that was.

Gus just hanging out making his "ooooh" face. We will try to get more pictures of him with Jill and me. He is cute all on his own though.

Gus' most recent eye check was pretty much the same as before. The left eye is completely clear while the right eye continues to slowly make progress. There is no word on when/if a determination for further laser surgery will be made or if they will just continue to watch it heal at this pace.

We also received information from the March of Dimes walk this week. "Team Gus" came in 6th for raising money in Montgomery County Ohio! His team fundraising amount came in right behind one of the larger banks in our area (and ahead of several others.) It looks like he was the largest non-corporate, walking for a preemie, team fundraiser. Pam, in picture two above, and I are going to the awards banquet on July 12. Thanks for your continued love and support.

Finding out who is the boss,
Gregg, Jill and Gus (the boss)