grandparents

Dear Friends and family,

Here’s your Funday-Sunday update! (If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been sending every Sunday for weeks now… ;))

Today is our 1 year wedding anniversary!!

Hard to believe that magical weekend was already a year ago-

and what a year it has been! I am so grateful for the incredible man I married and the beautiful son he helped me make.

Look at da Boo! Notice- the Oxygen tube is gone!! Now Alden‘s just left with the feeding tube in his nose. That said, he’s getting better and better at bottle feeding..

We’ve had a busy week that started with a trip to LA for the Milken Global Conference where Joon Yun spoke on Longevity and our work with the National Academy of Medicine.

Then we went out to celebrate Kirk’s 40th Birthday

at the Pearl Lounge.

Thank you to Stephanie Day and her company, Ographr for taking fantastic pics!

To see the full gallery visit this link here.

https://photos.ographr.com/kirks40thbirthday/

Download PIN: 1475

Ographr is like Uber for photographers. If you ever have an event, small gathering, or need a photographer – you must check it out!

This week‘s visitors included Anne-Marie Keenan, who I’ve known since she was Alden‘s age (no joke).

And Kirk’s parents flew out west for another visit..

Grandma Connie fed him a whole bottle!

We’re still doing skin to skin care for hours a day, which the nurses swear has made him the calm and sweet little boo that he is: He trusts that the world is a good and safe place.

And there’s that hairy chest pic I promised

Our chunky monkey now weights 6 lbs 8 oz- he’s like a real baby!

In the above pic he’s staring at a black and white lion picture the nurses placed in his bed.

Since he can only see black and white contrast, he seems to love it.

Our goals for Alden are to get off the feeding tube, pass his eye exams, and go 5 straight days without an “event” (where his heart or breathing stops).

Go Go Alden– you can do it! !

Love from,

The Spaldens

Dear friends and family- it seems to be that time people are checking in again for another update… So here you go!

Spring is springing in Aurora!
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And so too is our little boo.
Here’s a pic of him off his Cpap scuba gear onto the High-Flo tube. This upgrade lasted a whole 12 hours before he had to go back onto Cpap thanks to constant “Bradies” (when your child turns blue from his heart completely stopping.. things you get used to in the NICU 🙄)

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But come on, how cute is he?.. Yes, he resembles the monkeys in Ubud, but we’re completely smitten. 🐒

We think Kirk set a record for the longest Kangaroo care in one setting.. almost 5 hours!..of not peeing…

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As for Charlie, our nightly face off for which one gets to cuddle daddy has been resolved but him discovering the humidifier. Before, he would wake up at 4am dry hacking the thin air up here.. now he sleeps off to the side right under the mist, and I get my hubby back. ✌🏼

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He still hogs him during the day, though..

We’ve had friends and family visiting.. like Uncle Greggy!

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Greg had the best intentions of getting Alden this baby hat with his name on it.. but you can see, it could probably fit his whole body in it!.. oops. Someday!
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Grandma and Grandpa Spahn also made their way here on their 50th Wedding Anniversary trip!!! Cheers to them! 🥂👏🏼😍

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We also had great time catching up with these cool cats below (Mortimer Sackler, Matija Pecotic, Kathie A, Connie & Stephen S, Gordon Uehling, and it wouldn’t be a proper dinner without Charlie)

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(And if I look fat here, it’s because I totally am)

By the by, our child smells like baking vanilla creamy dreamyness.. Like creme brûlée, a butterscotch chip blondie, vanilla frosting or oddly, this non-minty smelling mint floss

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A.C Spahnny seems to double in size every time I see him. He now ways 3.2lbs! 🙌🏼
That said, he’s still smaller thank this Sneetch (granted, it is a sizable Sneetch)

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And this Velveteen Rabbit (Hi Timmy Evans!)

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And this blue bear from the Uehling family

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It was wonderful to have Gordon, Rehana, Zen, Zia, and Vickie all here to give Alden their love!! He especially appreciated the lullaby Zia wrote and sang for him 😌🎵

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And who doesn’t love Grandma/Kika’s TLC?!

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Here’s Kirk on a much deserved Boy’s Night out with Bode Miller and Greg Hill

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And our wall is looking amazing.

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Thank you everyone so much for your care packages, photos, well wishes and most importantly prayers. 🙏🏼
While baby Spahnny is a NICU rockstar in our minds, the poor thing has gone through many needles, IVs, blood draws, antibiotics, Bradies, and hears the constant sounds of beeps and alarms going off, all in his lonely isolette. 😔

His most recent brain scans didn’t show any bleeding (yay), but there did appear to be some inflammation. This grey matter in the scans could be as innocent as a smudge from the computer pixilation, or other something else.. so yea, there’s that.
If you could continue to keep him in your thoughts, please send bright light to his head for a brilliant, sparkling brain free of inflammation!!!! (And his heart murmur, and his gut biome to be healthy from antibiotics, and his lungs to breath well! So yea, just pray for his health, please..!)

Love love love,
Kirk, Jenny, Charlie, and the child we keep accidentally calling Charlie, Alden..
😙

XOXOXO

The Spaldens

Week 11- May 7th

Nearly 5 Weeks- March 24th