His 2 week old picture. This was right after we did kangaroo care today. I was having a hard time getting a good picture of him and he HATES the flash so this was the best I could get. I love that his eyes are open - he is just too cute! :)
two weeks old...
Can you believe that our little guy is 2 weeks old already?!? There is not much new to report which I suppose is a good thing. He is still getting 25 cc's of breastmilk with the added calories. Since he no longer has the IV they have started to give him vitamins with his feedings. He has moved up a size in the preemie diapers - but they are still SO tiny! He weighs 2 pounds and 15 ounces. Hopefully when they weigh him tonight he will hit the 3 pound mark! He was so peaceful today when I held him. Then when we put him back in the isolette he was wide awake and squirming around. His nurse said that he flipped himself from his belly to his back 3 times today...I guess he did not feel like being so quiet today! :)
His 2 week old picture. This was right after we did kangaroo care today. I was having a hard time getting a good picture of him and he HATES the flash so this was the best I could get. I love that his eyes are open - he is just too cute! :)
His 2 week old picture. This was right after we did kangaroo care today. I was having a hard time getting a good picture of him and he HATES the flash so this was the best I could get. I love that his eyes are open - he is just too cute! :)
it was a great weekend....
Cannon did great this weekend. He is still breathing all on his own and is doing great with it. He was breathing pretty fast at first, but now his breaths per minute are right where they like to see them. They even took the sticky things off his face that hold the cannula in place yesterday - that means they do not plan on him needing the cannula again. His feedings have been increased to 25cc's per feeding and they are now adding a calorie supplement to help pack on the pounds. He is still getting an enema every day to help move things along. When I asked the nurse about it she said it is very normal to have to do this since he should still be in utero right now he would normally not be eating food this early. His digestive system just needs a little help to get started. He is no longer receiving any nutrition through his IV so they took it out of his arm today. I am so happy about this because the IV was pretty big compared to his arm and they had all kinds of tape on it to hold it in place. It just looked so uncomfortable. They also turned off the humidity in his isolette since his skin is looking so good. He is down to just the feeding tube and the leads for his heart rate, oxygen saturation and respiratory rate.
This picture was taken a few days ago right after they took him off they nasal cannula. You can see that he still had the IV in this picture because of all the tape on his arm. 
On Sunday, Eric took him to the Boise Philharmonster. They got to play the instruments which is right up Charlie's alley.
Then they played in the leaves at Grandpa Rodger's house.
This time of year is so fun!
This picture was taken a few days ago right after they took him off they nasal cannula. You can see that he still had the IV in this picture because of all the tape on his arm. Charlie had a busy weekend. We spent lots of time with Cousin Roger. On Saturday, we braved Boo at the Zoo along with the rest of the city. It was crazy! Charlie wore his Paul Stanley costume which was a big hit. Everybody loved the wig and makeup. He had a great time getting candy and checking out all the animals.
On Sunday, Eric took him to the Boise Philharmonster. They got to play the instruments which is right up Charlie's alley.
Then they played in the leaves at Grandpa Rodger's house.
This time of year is so fun!he is doing it on his own....
My mom and I went to visit Cannon this morning. I noticed right away that you could see his face so well- then I realized, his nasal cannula was gone! He has been breathing completely on his own all day. He is working a little harder than they would like to see, but he is doing well enough that they are not ready to put the nasal cannula back in. They are going to continue watching him closely through the night to see how he does. His feedings were increased to 15 cc's of breastmilk. He was getting a "nutrition cocktail" through his IV that was basically giving him all his nutrition, but now that the feedings have increased they discontinued that. He is still getting the lipids (fats) in his IV. Eric and I went tonight and I got to hold him. He is usually awake when I hold him and it is so cute to see him with his eyes open looking all around. Susan is his nurse tonight. She is great because she has been working with premature babies for 40 years. She is full of so much great information and she is always up for a chat. She was telling us tonight that although Cannon is fiesty, he is also very quiet. She said the quiet babies always do so much better in the NICU because they use all their energy to grow. :)
pumpkin patch fun with cousin rodger...
Charlie is so happy that his cousin Rodger is visiting all the way from China. Yesterday we went to the pumpkin patch. Even though it was freezing, I think the boys had a great time together.
This picture makes me laugh! He was complaining that his hands were cold.
Just like last year, Charlie was convinced that we were at the patch so that we could eat the pumpkins. Luckily, he did not throw a huge fit this time when I told him we were just supposed to pick one and take it home with us. He was not very into it though - all the pumpkins were either too dirty or prickly (the stems). Now we can't wait to decorate them. I think we are going to skip carving this year, I don't think he is up for all the mess quite yet.
This picture makes me laugh! He was complaining that his hands were cold.
Just like last year, Charlie was convinced that we were at the patch so that we could eat the pumpkins. Luckily, he did not throw a huge fit this time when I told him we were just supposed to pick one and take it home with us. He was not very into it though - all the pumpkins were either too dirty or prickly (the stems). Now we can't wait to decorate them. I think we are going to skip carving this year, I don't think he is up for all the mess quite yet.one week old...
Cannon is one week old! Seems like the time has both flew by and stood still at the same time. We planned to get there tonight in time for his feeding, but it just didn't work out. His feeding times actually couldn't be any worse to fit with our schedule. He had another great day. His feedings were increased to 8cc's of breastmilk. They increased the flow to 2 liters on his cannula to make it a little easier for him for him to breathe today. His weight is 1162 grams so he has gained 2 ounces since he was born. Nothing else really changed - he is just working on getting stronger and bigger.
This is usually what his isolette looks like when we get there. They keep it covered with a blanket most of the day so it is darker and more comfortable for him.
The NICU has a whole collection of children's books available to read to the babies. We usually read 1 or 2 when we visit. Sometimes we just want him to hear our voices, but we don't know what to say so it is nice to have the books to read to him.
His one week old portrait. He just LOVES being on his belly. Every once in a while he pushes up on his feet and sticks his bum way up in the air. I thought he was going to roll himself over the other day he was pushed up so high. They have put little clear stickers over his knees to protect the skin since he rubs them on the blanket so much.
We are just so proud of our little guy and could not be happier with all the progress he has made in his first week.
This is usually what his isolette looks like when we get there. They keep it covered with a blanket most of the day so it is darker and more comfortable for him.
The NICU has a whole collection of children's books available to read to the babies. We usually read 1 or 2 when we visit. Sometimes we just want him to hear our voices, but we don't know what to say so it is nice to have the books to read to him.
His one week old portrait. He just LOVES being on his belly. Every once in a while he pushes up on his feet and sticks his bum way up in the air. I thought he was going to roll himself over the other day he was pushed up so high. They have put little clear stickers over his knees to protect the skin since he rubs them on the blanket so much.We are just so proud of our little guy and could not be happier with all the progress he has made in his first week.
quick update on mr. cannon....
We just got home from visiting with Cannon. He is doing so good. I got to hold him again tonight. I didn't get to hold him the last 2 days because he was back under the phototherapy lights. He is off the lights now and it does not look like he will need them again. They increased his feedings today to 5 cc's of breastmilk every 3 hours. He is doing great with his breathing on the nasal cannula. He was on 3 liters of pressure for the cannula and they reduced that to 1.5 today. He is working just a little harder with the lower flow, but doing good enough that they are not concerned. They have to find the balance where they are pushing him just the right amount. Because we were there at his feeding time tonight, I got to take his temperature and change his diaper. We took some video but I cannot get it to upload to YouTube (arrggh!). I am still trying to get the video from the other night on there too. I hope to spend some time on it tomorrow. Here are a few pictures from tonight: 
See how great his skin looks? He was pretty red the first few days, but now he has that healthy pink color. There he is reaching for his cannula....he loves to pull it out of his nose.
Doing kangaroo care tonight. The tube you see draped across my hand is his feeding tube. They hook the syringe up to it and then let the milk flow down into his belly. They usually give him his pacifier at the same time so he can associate the sucking with a full belly.
See how great his skin looks? He was pretty red the first few days, but now he has that healthy pink color. There he is reaching for his cannula....he loves to pull it out of his nose.
Doing kangaroo care tonight. The tube you see draped across my hand is his feeding tube. They hook the syringe up to it and then let the milk flow down into his belly. They usually give him his pacifier at the same time so he can associate the sucking with a full belly. Thank-you for your continued prayers for Cannon and Charlie. Charlie is feeling much better today. His fever is down and he is taking antibiotics. Today was a much better day!
so happy to be home....
Sorry for no update yesterday, I am trying to get settled into our new routine. I got to come home on Saturday. I had to wait around all morning for the doctor to come in to release me. She finally came in around 2:00 and I think we were out of there by 3:00. My mom took me to the Macaroni Grill for lunch on the way home - it felt SO great to be outside to enjoy the beautiful fall weather and have some decent food! I am feeling really good. Everything seems to be healing up nicely and I am just taking ibuprofen for the pain/anti-inflammatory.
Cannon has had a great few days. Yesterday as my mom and I were waiting for them to get all the release paperwork done, we ran up to the NICU to visit him and they were just getting ready to take out the intubation tube. His breathing had improved enough that he could go back on the high flow nasal cannula. We got to watch the respiratory therapist take out the tube which was both exciting and hard at the same time. He was trying to cry, but his voice was pretty much gone due to the tube being in his throat for a while. He just scrunched up his face and wiggled around as they took the tape off his face. So hard to see him in pain. She was very quick and he seemed very happy to be back on his tummy all snuggled up when she was done. They started the breastmilk feedings through his gavage tube yesterday. They are giving him 2cc's every 3 hours. He is tolerating the feedings very well. They decided not to increase his feedings today because he is retaining some water. He is getting a diuretic called Lasix to help with that. He got his chest scan yesterday and the medicine did the job - his PDA valve was closed! He also got his IV removed from his belly button and put into his arm. They put the IV all the way up into his arm up to his chest near his heart. So, it is a small surgical procedure but the doctor said he did great especially since he was still on the breathing tube at that time. He is also off of the phototherapy lights for now.
These pictures hopefully put his size into perspective a bit:
I got to hold him for the first time last night. We did Kangaroo Care, which is where you hold him skin to skin. That way my body will keep his temperature up. It is supposed to be very good for the baby and of course I loved it! I got to hold him for about 30 minutes and he was awake for most of it. So cute to see him open up his tiny little eyes and look around. We can continue with the Kangaroo Care once a day.
On another note, please keep Charlie in your prayers. He got a cold over a week ago and was starting to feel better, but now he is sick again and it is much worse. He has had a fever of 102 all day and tonight his breathing is pretty labored. We are going to take him to the doctor in the morning. Also please pray that Eric and I do not get sick. There is just so much going on right now, I just don't think I could handle it.
Cannon has had a great few days. Yesterday as my mom and I were waiting for them to get all the release paperwork done, we ran up to the NICU to visit him and they were just getting ready to take out the intubation tube. His breathing had improved enough that he could go back on the high flow nasal cannula. We got to watch the respiratory therapist take out the tube which was both exciting and hard at the same time. He was trying to cry, but his voice was pretty much gone due to the tube being in his throat for a while. He just scrunched up his face and wiggled around as they took the tape off his face. So hard to see him in pain. She was very quick and he seemed very happy to be back on his tummy all snuggled up when she was done. They started the breastmilk feedings through his gavage tube yesterday. They are giving him 2cc's every 3 hours. He is tolerating the feedings very well. They decided not to increase his feedings today because he is retaining some water. He is getting a diuretic called Lasix to help with that. He got his chest scan yesterday and the medicine did the job - his PDA valve was closed! He also got his IV removed from his belly button and put into his arm. They put the IV all the way up into his arm up to his chest near his heart. So, it is a small surgical procedure but the doctor said he did great especially since he was still on the breathing tube at that time. He is also off of the phototherapy lights for now.
These pictures hopefully put his size into perspective a bit:
I got to hold him for the first time last night. We did Kangaroo Care, which is where you hold him skin to skin. That way my body will keep his temperature up. It is supposed to be very good for the baby and of course I loved it! I got to hold him for about 30 minutes and he was awake for most of it. So cute to see him open up his tiny little eyes and look around. We can continue with the Kangaroo Care once a day.
On another note, please keep Charlie in your prayers. He got a cold over a week ago and was starting to feel better, but now he is sick again and it is much worse. He has had a fever of 102 all day and tonight his breathing is pretty labored. We are going to take him to the doctor in the morning. Also please pray that Eric and I do not get sick. There is just so much going on right now, I just don't think I could handle it.
one step at a time...
We have had a few ups and downs over the last day, but overall Cannon is good. Yesterday evening his breathing became too much work for him and they decided to intubate and give him surfactant. It appears to be making a big difference. If he keeps doing as well as he has they will take the breathing tube out tomorrow morning. He will then go back on the nasal cannula. His heart scan showed that his PDA valve is still open so he is getting 3 doses of the medicine to close it and they will rescan tomorrow to see if it worked. His brain scan this morning looked great - no bleeding! He has been under the phototherapy lights since yesterday and will continue to be under them for a few days on and then a day or two off. Even though he does not have jaundice, the tolerable blood gas levels are a lot lower for preemies so it is pretty normal for him to need the lights. I am sure he likes the lights anyway because he gets to wear the cool little eye shades :) These pictures are from last night: 
The lights just fit on top and shine right through his isolette.
Here you can see the breathing tube and his eye shades.
The lights just fit on top and shine right through his isolette.
Here you can see the breathing tube and his eye shades.I am doing pretty well after surgery. I had a tubal ligation as well so I have some pain from that in addition to the c-section, but it is tolerable. (that's right, we are NEVER doing this again!) Emotionally, I am up and down - I am sure that is normal. I am thrilled to say that I am not feeling that distance from Cannon that I did before he was born. As I laid in the recovery room my eyes just filled with tears as I realized that all those fears had completely disappeared the minute that I heard my sweet baby cry.
I received this beautiful (and Delicious!) fruit arrangement from all my wonderful friends at Archiver's:
If you ever thought of sending one of these to somebody, do it! It was great. Thank-you gals, you are all very sweet.
24 hours old...
At a day old, Cannon is still doing pretty good. He had a great night. They started the simulated amniotic fluid feedings around midnight and he is tolerating that pretty well. This morning his breathing became a little more labored. He was breathing faster and was requiring a little more oxygen than just room air. The doctor ordered a chest x-ray to see if his lungs have dried out since yesterday. They are still a little hazy but she did not think they were concerning enough to have to do the surfactant/intubation. They are going to continue to watch his respirations closely and do another chest x-ray to follow-up. The IV in his belly button also started to ooze a little so they have had to move him to his back - which he hates. They were hoping they could move him back to his belly this afternoon.
They will be doing the brain scan tomorrow to look for any brain bleeds. They do not expect to find anything since he has not shown any signs of problems in this area. They also will scan his heart to see if the PDA valve has closed on it's own. This valve is supposed to close automatically at birth but sometimes in preemies it doesn't. They can give him medicine that will usually close it.
Everything has been pretty familiar to us so far. I think that has made it a tiny bit easier. This morning he had a pacifier and looked so cute sucking away on it.
After the excitement of the c-section yesterday and the situation was evaluated, all the doctors were very happy with the decision to deliver. Dr. B. said that my placenta looked terrible. It was very thin and calcified. She said he had pretty much gotten all the nutrients out of it that he was going to. After evaluating Cannon, Dr. Merchant (the NICU doctor) also agreed that it was good timing. Even though he is looking great, his head is large and his body is pretty thin showing that he was doing what he was supposed to by feeding his brain and crucial organs, but he would not have been able to do that much longer before his condition would have started to deteriorate.
We took these pictures last night when he was still curled up on his belly. We also took a little video but I am having a hard time loading it because the internet is pretty unpredictable at the hospital. I will try to post in when I get home.
They will be doing the brain scan tomorrow to look for any brain bleeds. They do not expect to find anything since he has not shown any signs of problems in this area. They also will scan his heart to see if the PDA valve has closed on it's own. This valve is supposed to close automatically at birth but sometimes in preemies it doesn't. They can give him medicine that will usually close it.
Everything has been pretty familiar to us so far. I think that has made it a tiny bit easier. This morning he had a pacifier and looked so cute sucking away on it.
After the excitement of the c-section yesterday and the situation was evaluated, all the doctors were very happy with the decision to deliver. Dr. B. said that my placenta looked terrible. It was very thin and calcified. She said he had pretty much gotten all the nutrients out of it that he was going to. After evaluating Cannon, Dr. Merchant (the NICU doctor) also agreed that it was good timing. Even though he is looking great, his head is large and his body is pretty thin showing that he was doing what he was supposed to by feeding his brain and crucial organs, but he would not have been able to do that much longer before his condition would have started to deteriorate.
We took these pictures last night when he was still curled up on his belly. We also took a little video but I am having a hard time loading it because the internet is pretty unpredictable at the hospital. I will try to post in when I get home.
the little man is here....
cannon jon smith
arrived at 12:47pm
2lbs 7oz
14.5 inches
arrived at 12:47pm
2lbs 7oz
14.5 inches
He is doing wonderful! He was letting out the cutest little cries once they got him out. The NICU doctor said everything was pretty much the best possible scenario at this point. He is breathing on his own but they are using a high flow cannula to help him while his lungs are still drying out. We are in love. :)
we are making our way to the OR...
The ultrasound showed very little growth from 3 weeks ago so it is time. My surgery time is set for noon. It has been kind of a hurry up and wait situation. We had the u/s early and found out right away what the plan would be. I got to take a shower and we got the room picked up and ready to be transferred to the postpartum unit. I have my IV in again and now they are making me stay on the monitor..can you believe it? Seems a little bit much to me :) So, just sitting here waiting and praying. We will try to update later with the baby's status.
just sitting tight today....
As expected, not really any news from the ultrasound today. It was pretty much the same as yesterday so we are going to wait and look for growth tomorrow. They are planning on doing the u/s fairly early in the morning because the doctor wants to do the c-section around noon if we end up delivering. This will give the NICU more time in the afternoon to do their assessments and get the baby stabilized.
a little disclaimer: You have probably already noticed that I pretty much write whatever I want on this blog. I know I have a lot of new visitors that are checking for baby updates and sometimes I feel like I need to edit what I say because I do not want to be too emotional or make anybody uncomfortable. I am just going to be honest because I feel like I need to get some of this out, for me. I don't mind at all that you all are reading it, just know that you are forewarned there is mushy stuff ahead :)
I feel like each day I am slowly falling into a deeper slump. Even though I am an emotional basketcase today I feel okay about it because we should have some answers tomorrow. Either the baby will be here, or there will be a new plan in place. (even though it may just be more waiting!) At least we will be past this big "Wednesday" milestone we have been trying to reach for what seems like eternity. The guilt has set in big time. I don't necessarily blame myself or think I could have done anything different, but I do feel guilty for being so incredibly miserable in this hospital. Even sometimes wishing that they would just do the surgery so that I can get out of here. The only thing I can do for this baby right now is sit in this bed and at times I do not feel like I can do even that for him. I am feeling a little disconnected from him. I remember feeling that way with Charlie as well, but I always thought that was because I was a first time mom with him and had no idea what I should be feeling. I thought I would feel differently this time since I know what that bond between mother and child feels like now. I am sure it has to do with knowing what we are in for - not being able to hold him after he is born, not being able to take him home, not being his primary caretaker. Just trying to protect myself from the pain I guess.
I know that God can change this. He can heal my baby and he can turn this pregnancy right around. Even though it sounds like I have already given up, I have not. I am standing on his word and his plan. I do forget to pray for myself and my own strength. It is so easy to keep the focus on the baby.
Either Eric or I will try our best to keep the blog updated tomorrow. Thanks as always for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.
a little disclaimer: You have probably already noticed that I pretty much write whatever I want on this blog. I know I have a lot of new visitors that are checking for baby updates and sometimes I feel like I need to edit what I say because I do not want to be too emotional or make anybody uncomfortable. I am just going to be honest because I feel like I need to get some of this out, for me. I don't mind at all that you all are reading it, just know that you are forewarned there is mushy stuff ahead :)
I feel like each day I am slowly falling into a deeper slump. Even though I am an emotional basketcase today I feel okay about it because we should have some answers tomorrow. Either the baby will be here, or there will be a new plan in place. (even though it may just be more waiting!) At least we will be past this big "Wednesday" milestone we have been trying to reach for what seems like eternity. The guilt has set in big time. I don't necessarily blame myself or think I could have done anything different, but I do feel guilty for being so incredibly miserable in this hospital. Even sometimes wishing that they would just do the surgery so that I can get out of here. The only thing I can do for this baby right now is sit in this bed and at times I do not feel like I can do even that for him. I am feeling a little disconnected from him. I remember feeling that way with Charlie as well, but I always thought that was because I was a first time mom with him and had no idea what I should be feeling. I thought I would feel differently this time since I know what that bond between mother and child feels like now. I am sure it has to do with knowing what we are in for - not being able to hold him after he is born, not being able to take him home, not being his primary caretaker. Just trying to protect myself from the pain I guess.
I know that God can change this. He can heal my baby and he can turn this pregnancy right around. Even though it sounds like I have already given up, I have not. I am standing on his word and his plan. I do forget to pray for myself and my own strength. It is so easy to keep the focus on the baby.
Either Eric or I will try our best to keep the blog updated tomorrow. Thanks as always for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.
the doctor apologized today...
Finally had the ultrasound today around noon. I was spoiled by the doctor coming first thing in the morning before. Anyway, the news was not as good as it has been. The one doppler that was normal yesterday was back to where it was on Wednesday when I was admitted to the hospital. The other two dopplers were still stable so Dr. B decided that we did not need to rush into any decisions today. She still wants to check out the growth on Wednesday. If he is not showing much growth there is no reason to not deliver since obviously my body is not doing much for him. So, she apologized for saying something yesterday about the possibility of going home. Doesn't look like that is going to happen at this point, but we all know that God can change that! We are still going to do the dopplers tomorrow, but it looks like unless there are some major changes before then, we will be hanging tight until Wednesday to see what the plan will be.
Today has been a tough one. It is so weird being here. I can be in good spirits, reminding myself to just take it one day at a time and then all of a sudden I feel like I just smack into a brick wall. Eric and Charlie stopped by for a few minutes this morning before Charlie went to spend the day with grandma P and I just fell apart. I tried to hold it back because I know that is probably the last thing that Eric needs to see right now, but I think he just knew that it was a matter of time. It was the same last time I was here with Charlie. I did get to take a shower after that so I am feeling much better now - it is the little things that make a big difference around here! :)
I wanted to say "HI!" and thank-you to all the sweet gals from Archiver's. I have received many sweet e-mails and well wishes from them and it has really made me smile. I also received a very nice visit from our friend/neighbor Jen yesterday - thank-you so much for the care package. I used the lotion last night and you are right, it works great!
Today has been a tough one. It is so weird being here. I can be in good spirits, reminding myself to just take it one day at a time and then all of a sudden I feel like I just smack into a brick wall. Eric and Charlie stopped by for a few minutes this morning before Charlie went to spend the day with grandma P and I just fell apart. I tried to hold it back because I know that is probably the last thing that Eric needs to see right now, but I think he just knew that it was a matter of time. It was the same last time I was here with Charlie. I did get to take a shower after that so I am feeling much better now - it is the little things that make a big difference around here! :)
I wanted to say "HI!" and thank-you to all the sweet gals from Archiver's. I have received many sweet e-mails and well wishes from them and it has really made me smile. I also received a very nice visit from our friend/neighbor Jen yesterday - thank-you so much for the care package. I used the lotion last night and you are right, it works great!
happy sunday....
So happy to say once again that the ultrasound this morning looked great! The umbilical artery bloodflow is actually looking so good that it is considered "normal" now - It has always been a little high since they started watching it weeks ago and it was the one that was the most concerning when I got admitted on Wednesday. The baby also had a lower activity level before, another sign that he was showing some distress. The last few days he was been moving like crazy and we also found out this morning that he had moved into the breech position.
The daily ultrasounds are going to continue and if things are still looking good on Wednesday they are going to measure his growth and compare it to his size from 3 weeks ago. If he has shown some good growth, I might be able to go home! Of course I would still have to be on very strict bedrest but I was surprised to hear her say those words this morning! The doctors are always very cautious about what they say because they do not want to give any false hope, so it made me so excited to think that he must really be doing great if they would consider letting me go.
Everything else is going good. My blood pressure and labs are normal and I am on the monitor for 2 hours on and 4 hours off. I have had lots of visitors and uplifting e-mails so my spirits are staying high. My parents brought me some scrapbooking magazines and Eric even brought in the wii last night and we played The Price is Right for a while. I do not deserve to be so spoiled! :)
The daily ultrasounds are going to continue and if things are still looking good on Wednesday they are going to measure his growth and compare it to his size from 3 weeks ago. If he has shown some good growth, I might be able to go home! Of course I would still have to be on very strict bedrest but I was surprised to hear her say those words this morning! The doctors are always very cautious about what they say because they do not want to give any false hope, so it made me so excited to think that he must really be doing great if they would consider letting me go.
Everything else is going good. My blood pressure and labs are normal and I am on the monitor for 2 hours on and 4 hours off. I have had lots of visitors and uplifting e-mails so my spirits are staying high. My parents brought me some scrapbooking magazines and Eric even brought in the wii last night and we played The Price is Right for a while. I do not deserve to be so spoiled! :)
baby is getting comfy...
Apparantly our little trip to the NICU the other day must have scared the little one as much as it did me, because he has decided to hang in there a little longer. The dopplers looked great this morning! With the good news I am getting many more freedoms today - monitoring for 2 hours and then 4 hours off (YEAH!!), no more IV in my hand, I can wear my own clothes (good bye gown!) and I even get one wheelchair ride around the hospital if I would like to venture out. Where oh where will I go? :)
I had a much better night sleep last night and am feeling like a new person today. My nurse for the day is also awesome - so sweet and she was definitely fighting for me to get a few of the extra privileges today. Eric is going back to work today. I don't think he really wants to but there really isn't much for him to do around here. I did not get to see Charlie yesterday so I miss the little squirt. Eric said he was asking a lot of questions about me and the hospital last night so he is going to be sure he gets to come by and see me today. I wonder what he must be thinking about all this?
I know I just can't say it enough - your thoughts and prayers are working miracles. Thank-you.
I had a much better night sleep last night and am feeling like a new person today. My nurse for the day is also awesome - so sweet and she was definitely fighting for me to get a few of the extra privileges today. Eric is going back to work today. I don't think he really wants to but there really isn't much for him to do around here. I did not get to see Charlie yesterday so I miss the little squirt. Eric said he was asking a lot of questions about me and the hospital last night so he is going to be sure he gets to come by and see me today. I wonder what he must be thinking about all this?
I know I just can't say it enough - your thoughts and prayers are working miracles. Thank-you.
a little tour of the new digs....
After I updated this morning the doctor did decide to monitor me a little heavier than they had anticipated today because of the heartrate decelerations last night. There was one more in the morning, but the rest of the day has looked great. I am hooked to the monitor right now, and if they decide it looks okay then I just may be able to go tonight without monitoring! I am just dying to find out - a good night's sleep sounds so heavenly right now.
On one of my monitoring breaks today I took some time to take some pictures of my surroundings. This room is almost identicle to the room I had with Charlie. I am loving the wall paper border and eighties curtains. :)
On one of my monitoring breaks today I took some time to take some pictures of my surroundings. This room is almost identicle to the room I had with Charlie. I am loving the wall paper border and eighties curtains. :)
The beautiful flowers that I have received. The colorful ones on the left are from my great friends Heidi and Holly. The bright orange color you see are fall leaves mixed in with the flowers. Very cute. The azalea plant is from Rodger and Anita. Thank-you guys - they are brightening up the room today since it has been a very dreary day, it even snowed this afternoon, crazy!
The soap. Boy does this stuff bring back memories. Anytime I have smelled this over the past three years I am immediately taken back to our days in the NICU with Charlie. This is some strong stuff that starts to just eat up your skin once you use it enough. Looks like I may need to get out my Mary Kay Satin Hands lotion set again.
My home away from home.
Eric's home away from home.
Ahh, the monitors. I have a love/ hate relationship with these things. But they help us keep tabs on the little guys, so the hassle is worth it all
My bracelets. The middle one is for the baby...seems a little ridiculous to me. I would show you my other hand, the one with the IV, but it is pretty gross looking.
The entrance from my point of view. Love seeing visitors walk through that door :)
The nurse just talked to my dr. and she is going to require that I have the monitor on for 2 hours and then I get a 3 hour break off of it throughout the evening. That is way better that what I had to go though last night...so I am very happy for some relief! Sleep, here I come!
good news!...
Just got back from the ultrasound and it looks like we are going to be getting another day! Most of the dopplers looked good and some even looked better so the doctor said there is no need to deliver today. The routine will continue as it has, we will keep doing the morning ultrasounds and hoping that we don't see any decreases. Dr. B. said "Well even though you aren't too thrilled, it looks like the little guy likes it here". She has that right! I am struggling - last night was horrendous! Even with taking the Ambien I got very little sleep since the baby would not stay on the monitor and the nurses made me stay on my back all night. Then they came in every five seconds to adjust the monitor. I would hate to see how bad it would have been if I had not had even a little help from the sleeping aid! The babies heart rate did show a few concerns last night, but they are pretty sure it was from the overall situation - the Ambien, that I had to be on my back all night, and that I was not allowed to eat to be prepared for surgery just in case. Today they are hoping to give me short breaks from the monitor so that I can keep my sanity for another day! :) I hope I don't sound too whiny. Of course I know that it is worth all the torture to give this little guy more time to grow and less days in the NICU. Just trying to get down all the details this time around I guess.
Anyway, as you can see, your prayers are working! I can't say thanks enough.
Anyway, as you can see, your prayers are working! I can't say thanks enough.
hospital update, day 2
Sorry it is so late for todays update. Today has been a long and emotional day. Not that we have much news to report, but I think it is all just starting to sink in that we are really going through this again. I did have another ultrasound this morning and the baby looked better. His dopplers were actually a little better than yesterday so we were happy to see that! I have been on the baby heartrate monitor all day and he seems to be doing good. Lots of movement and heartrate within normal limits. I will have another ultrasound in the morning and if the baby is still looking okay than we think we will have another day. They are being cautious and I am not allowed to have any food or drink after midnight tonight in case we do need to go forward with the c-section tomorrow. If the baby gives us any concern in the u/s than we will do the c-section at noon, 48 hours after I got my first steroid shot. Because todays news was positive, I can't help but think that tomorrow will be good too...all we can do is stay positive and keep praying.
The early morning was a little rough for me today. My room is right outside the nurses station so I heard a lot of noise all night (despite the Ambien they gave me, how is that possible?). For the past few weeks the little guy has been up like clockwork at 7:00am and moves around like crazy for about 20-30 minutes. I usually just lay in bed and enjoy the moment. I didn't think much of it at first and then I realized that this may be one of the last mornings that I will feel him moving around inside of me...our special little time together. Luckily, the good news at the u/s helped to cheer me up. Eric came by after he dropped Charlie off at preschool. He is being so strong and helpful as I am stuck in this bed. I know it is hard for him because he wants to be here with me, but he needs to take care of Charlie and also all the other daily responsibilities that cannot be ignored for too long. Eric's mom and my mom took Charlie for the afternoon so it was nice to have some time alone with Eric as we embark on this journey again together. The NICU has been completely expanded and remodeled since we were here last time. They asked if we would like to take the tour so we would be prepared for when the baby came. Boy, I was not prepared for that. As she took us around and showed us all the familiar equipment I got very sad. I thought I was ready for this, but I guess I am not as strong as I thought I was. All the monitors, the smells, the sounds, it was all a little bit too overwhelming. When we got back to my room I asked Eric how he was doing and he felt the exact same way as I did. I think we both felt a little bit better after talking about it, but I still get emotional thinking about it again. I keep reminding myself that the Lord is not going to give us anymore than we can handle. This baby is perfectly and wonderfully made and he is going to be exactly who he is supposed to be despite all my preconceived expectations.
Charlie seems to be handling everything pretty well. He has been such a light around this hospital. I know that my heart smiles when he walks through the door each visit. All the nurses love him and get very excited when he comes around. He actually achieved a very special milestone in his class today. Once the kids know all their letters, the sounds they make, the 5 vowels and the 2 sounds that each of the vowels make they go to the headmasters office to recite it all to her. If they can do it they receive an Alphabet Crown. He looked so cute marching in today very pround of his crown and happy that Miss Karen had time to see him today. (He was supposed to do it on Tuesday but Miss Karen got too busy - he was very perturbed that she was too busy for him, how dare her, right?) Of course our camera battery was dead this morning so Eric could not take any pictues but I hope we will be able to take some pictures in his crown in the next few days. He just looks too cute in it to pass that up.
I have received many wonderful and caring e-mails today and I just want to say thank-you to each and every one of you that are praying for us. Our hearts are overflowing by all the love and support that we have received from our friends and family. Thank-you times a million. :)
If I do not get rushed off to surgery in the morning I will be sure to post an update of how the ultrasound goes tomorrow! Good night.
The early morning was a little rough for me today. My room is right outside the nurses station so I heard a lot of noise all night (despite the Ambien they gave me, how is that possible?). For the past few weeks the little guy has been up like clockwork at 7:00am and moves around like crazy for about 20-30 minutes. I usually just lay in bed and enjoy the moment. I didn't think much of it at first and then I realized that this may be one of the last mornings that I will feel him moving around inside of me...our special little time together. Luckily, the good news at the u/s helped to cheer me up. Eric came by after he dropped Charlie off at preschool. He is being so strong and helpful as I am stuck in this bed. I know it is hard for him because he wants to be here with me, but he needs to take care of Charlie and also all the other daily responsibilities that cannot be ignored for too long. Eric's mom and my mom took Charlie for the afternoon so it was nice to have some time alone with Eric as we embark on this journey again together. The NICU has been completely expanded and remodeled since we were here last time. They asked if we would like to take the tour so we would be prepared for when the baby came. Boy, I was not prepared for that. As she took us around and showed us all the familiar equipment I got very sad. I thought I was ready for this, but I guess I am not as strong as I thought I was. All the monitors, the smells, the sounds, it was all a little bit too overwhelming. When we got back to my room I asked Eric how he was doing and he felt the exact same way as I did. I think we both felt a little bit better after talking about it, but I still get emotional thinking about it again. I keep reminding myself that the Lord is not going to give us anymore than we can handle. This baby is perfectly and wonderfully made and he is going to be exactly who he is supposed to be despite all my preconceived expectations.
Charlie seems to be handling everything pretty well. He has been such a light around this hospital. I know that my heart smiles when he walks through the door each visit. All the nurses love him and get very excited when he comes around. He actually achieved a very special milestone in his class today. Once the kids know all their letters, the sounds they make, the 5 vowels and the 2 sounds that each of the vowels make they go to the headmasters office to recite it all to her. If they can do it they receive an Alphabet Crown. He looked so cute marching in today very pround of his crown and happy that Miss Karen had time to see him today. (He was supposed to do it on Tuesday but Miss Karen got too busy - he was very perturbed that she was too busy for him, how dare her, right?) Of course our camera battery was dead this morning so Eric could not take any pictues but I hope we will be able to take some pictures in his crown in the next few days. He just looks too cute in it to pass that up.
I have received many wonderful and caring e-mails today and I just want to say thank-you to each and every one of you that are praying for us. Our hearts are overflowing by all the love and support that we have received from our friends and family. Thank-you times a million. :)
If I do not get rushed off to surgery in the morning I will be sure to post an update of how the ultrasound goes tomorrow! Good night.
checking in from room 1601....
That's right...I have some new temporary digs! Well, our ultrasound appointment this morning did not go as well as we had hoped. The baby showed some growth but not on the same trend he had been showing before. The dopplers (bloodflow) were also up showing that the baby is having to work much harder to keep up. I went into the appointment pretty upbeat, thinking we were going to hear the same we had in the weeks past but it became clear pretty fast that Vanja (the u/s tech) was concerned. Dr. Bobrowski was pretty somber when she came in and said "I think you know what I am going to say, don't you?" My heart just dropped. She wanted to check on a few things herself, especially the umbilical artery to his heart to see how that was doing. The bloodflow there was moderate so she thought that could buy us some time to get the steroid shots for the babys lungs. We were able to get the steroid shots with Charlie and the doctors said it made a huge difference for him, so we are hoping for the same this time. She had me go straight to St. Alphonsus so we could get the shots right away. Complete deja vu from last time. I have seen some of the same nurses and the one that was checking me in even said to me "Your name sure sounds familiar....are you the one that had a seizure in the bathroom last time you were here?" Yep, that was me. I was pretty surprised that they would remember that. The plan at this time is to get the second shot of steroids tomorrow and if the baby is not showing any improvement, we will probably deliver on Friday. Dr. B. said we are hoping to squeeze out as many days as we can, but statistics have shown with this type of problem, the best case scenario is a week at the most. My tests all came back great - no signs of pre-eclampsia so it looks like we are still just dealing with a faulty placenta.
I plan to update everyday because I did not document any of this stuff with Charlie and always wished I had. So, feel free to stop by for updates. Who knows, maybe I can share some photos of my beautiful hospital gown or the 50 plastic bracelets that have me wearing on my left arm.
As always, I would appreciate your prayers during this time :) I also have some extra time on my hands now, so feel free to drop me a line if you would like. I would love to hear from you!
I plan to update everyday because I did not document any of this stuff with Charlie and always wished I had. So, feel free to stop by for updates. Who knows, maybe I can share some photos of my beautiful hospital gown or the 50 plastic bracelets that have me wearing on my left arm.
As always, I would appreciate your prayers during this time :) I also have some extra time on my hands now, so feel free to drop me a line if you would like. I would love to hear from you!
harvest ho down....
Our neighborhood's harvest festival was almost ruined by the rain today, but they were able to salvage most of the event by moving it inside the community center. Charlie was very excited to be able to dress in his cowboy gear again today. He had "western days" at his school last week and pretended to be a cowboy for several days afterward. Today he was all about the games and played ring toss, apple race, the cake walk, and lasso the steer. He definitely did NOT want to get his face painted though...
Whenever he plays games, he gets so excited that he puts his hands out in front of him and shakes like crazy...he has done this since he was very little.
Picking out the perfect prize.
Lassoing the steer is hard for a lefty.
Trying to get that rope figured out.
You can never have enough candy.
Hey there pard'ner!
So done with the pictures.
Whenever he plays games, he gets so excited that he puts his hands out in front of him and shakes like crazy...he has done this since he was very little.
Picking out the perfect prize.
Lassoing the steer is hard for a lefty.
Trying to get that rope figured out.
You can never have enough candy.
Hey there pard'ner!
So done with the pictures. Fall is definitely in the air around here. The trees are changing colors and the mums are blooming like crazy. The weather is starting to cool down, but we are still having pretty warm weather for this time of year. It is my favorite season and we are enjoying every minute of it! I think Charlie is a pretty big fan as well.
another week down...
We had our weekly ultrasound today. The little guy is doing good! They did not do any growth measurement today, but the blood flow and amniotic fluid is looking good. I also took the glucose test again today since my OB had me do it too early before. I was not too worried about it, but happy to hear that it came back normal. My blood pressure has also remained steady so we are happy to report that we should definitely be making it to 30 weeks! When I was put on modified bed rest, getting to the 30 week mark seemed so far away...now here it is right around the corner! Hoping that we will see many more!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)