I had a Dr appointment today for my glucose test and regular check up. All is well and I survived the blood work (barely). I am a huge needle phobic and you would think as many times as I have been stuck or watched Noah get stuck I would be over it by now. Although it has improved dramatically (I can actually go by myself now), today it really got to me. I regained my composure after a short time though! The best part of the appointment is that I got the date for my c-section!! February 17th will be the big day!! I know it seems really early but since it is scheduled they always go two weeks early. That's two months from tomorrow! Yikes!
Zane had a rough weekend with strep throat but we caught it really early and he was started on antibiotics right away. He is now feeling much better and back to his old self. Only 3 more days left until Christmas vacation! I think he might be just a little excited about that....
Noah is doing great! He had an awesome therapy session yesterday and was showing off all of his tricks. He is still letting go of things and doing some free standing but hasn't quite yet tried to take a step. He has been eating great lately! We have been able to get almost 300 calories in him a day and he is still drinking up to 3oz of water/juice on his own. He is still getting 11-12 hours of continuous feeds into the j at night and water boluses of about 7oz during the day. He has started pointing at food that he wants and actually showing signs of hunger.
As long as everyone behaves, there are no Dr appts or therapy until after Christmas so we intend on relaxing and enjoying our families and each other over the next week. We still have lots to do to get ready for everything and I will make a public apology now for not getting Christmas cards out this year. I had every intention of doing so, but then just never got around to it.
Thanks for checking in on us!!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Baby Baker Gets Another Good Report
I traveled back up to U of M yesterday for another fetal ECHO. Since the last one was great, I wasn't as nervous this time, but there is always that shadow of doubt that enters your mind. Once again, we received good new that the baby's heart looks great!
I added a link with some good information on cystic hygromas to the right if you are interested. I have had alot of questions in regards to our early prenatal findings and what we might be in store for. This was the info we were given in the beginning. As I read through it again, I am in awe of our good fortune and blessing at how things have been unfolding. When we were told at our 10 week ultrasound of the increased nuchal fold and then when it developed into a cystic hygroma, the Dr's had painted a very grim picture for us. Truthfully, although we intended on carrying this baby as long as God had intended, we were preparing for the worst. When our chromosome test came back normal we knew our chances were better, but never did we expect the hygroma would resolve and as of now we would have a healthy baby with no other anomalies detected. This was one of the reasons in that we had decided to keep the gender a secret. With Noah we told both the gender and the name which left so much emphasis on his birth defect and the unknown of his future. Keeping this little secret this time around has allowed us to focus on more than the tests, specialists, and fear of the unknown. Yesterday has added even more confirmation that in just 12 short weeks we will be welcoming a new baby into the world with one of the only fears being....how in the heck am I going to keep my sanity with 3 kids!!
I added a link with some good information on cystic hygromas to the right if you are interested. I have had alot of questions in regards to our early prenatal findings and what we might be in store for. This was the info we were given in the beginning. As I read through it again, I am in awe of our good fortune and blessing at how things have been unfolding. When we were told at our 10 week ultrasound of the increased nuchal fold and then when it developed into a cystic hygroma, the Dr's had painted a very grim picture for us. Truthfully, although we intended on carrying this baby as long as God had intended, we were preparing for the worst. When our chromosome test came back normal we knew our chances were better, but never did we expect the hygroma would resolve and as of now we would have a healthy baby with no other anomalies detected. This was one of the reasons in that we had decided to keep the gender a secret. With Noah we told both the gender and the name which left so much emphasis on his birth defect and the unknown of his future. Keeping this little secret this time around has allowed us to focus on more than the tests, specialists, and fear of the unknown. Yesterday has added even more confirmation that in just 12 short weeks we will be welcoming a new baby into the world with one of the only fears being....how in the heck am I going to keep my sanity with 3 kids!!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
18 months
It's hard to believe that today Noah is officially a year and half old....what an amazing 18 months this has been, and it just gets better and better every day. I will always look back on each and every day with a thankful heart.
He is doing so much better with the g-j tube, it really is like night and day. He is sleeping better and so much happier during the day. He actually had the best dinner last night and ate more in one sitting than I have ever seen him eat. Right now he is getting 12 hours of continuous feeds through the j at night. I am not giving him anything during the day in terms of formula bolus. He may require an occasional water bolus through the g. Knock on wood, he has been doing really well with the sippy cup and drinking quite a bit of water, up to an average of 3oz a day. If he keeps that up we can keep things the way they are, if not we will supplement what he needs during the day.
Just in the past few days he has initiated standing by himself. He will pull to stand at the couch and then let go long enough to clap for himself and then get his grip again. He's so proud! He really seems to be gaining some confidence and I think his orthodics have been a big help!
Zane had his first basketball game yesterday and did great! They played two 40min games back to back full court! He was really tired but played so well! He went out deer hunting with Uncle Jeremy this afternoon for the first time. He was so excited I don't think he slept much this weekend. I will admit that I am a bit nervous about it but at least they are on private property and will be the only ones out there. I am sure he will have some stories when they get back!
He is doing so much better with the g-j tube, it really is like night and day. He is sleeping better and so much happier during the day. He actually had the best dinner last night and ate more in one sitting than I have ever seen him eat. Right now he is getting 12 hours of continuous feeds through the j at night. I am not giving him anything during the day in terms of formula bolus. He may require an occasional water bolus through the g. Knock on wood, he has been doing really well with the sippy cup and drinking quite a bit of water, up to an average of 3oz a day. If he keeps that up we can keep things the way they are, if not we will supplement what he needs during the day.
Just in the past few days he has initiated standing by himself. He will pull to stand at the couch and then let go long enough to clap for himself and then get his grip again. He's so proud! He really seems to be gaining some confidence and I think his orthodics have been a big help!
Zane had his first basketball game yesterday and did great! They played two 40min games back to back full court! He was really tired but played so well! He went out deer hunting with Uncle Jeremy this afternoon for the first time. He was so excited I don't think he slept much this weekend. I will admit that I am a bit nervous about it but at least they are on private property and will be the only ones out there. I am sure he will have some stories when they get back!
Noah and I were home alone last night so I grabbed a little video of him including his awsome dinner! (Sorry that one is a little long) You might have to pause the music player first before you hit play in order to hear the sound on the videos.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
We're Baaaack....
It's been a long two days, but we are back from Ann Arbor!
I will try and give you an overview of each event....
Pulmonary Function Test - Of all the tests Noah has had, this was by far the most bazaar! We had to wake him up (and keep him up) at 4:30am Tuesday morning. In order for the sedation to take good affect he must be sleep deprived on top of that. So we had to be creative, but we managed to keep him up until the test. Once he fell asleep they proceeded to put him into an inflatable vest and load him into a contraption that Brian pointed out strongly resembled something Superman traveled in from the planet Krypton. Once inside the clear plastic box they put a mask on him and began using different techniques to measure his lung volume, function, ect. Afterwards the pulmonologist reviewed the results with us. She said that she was happy his lungs were growing but he was having some issues with obstruction, air trapping, ect. She recommend that we continued the inhaled steroids daily and do another PFT when he is 2. Although the test obviously showed issues with his lungs and that they are not in the best of shape, it's not hugely uncommon for his diagnosis. She is going to call us with the final results of this test in a week or so and review the rest of the findings.
Surgery Clinic Appt - We then took a very drunken Noah down to meet with Dr M in ped surgery. He made quite a spectacle of himself with his head rolling around, eyes flipping back and yelling "Bye Bye" to everyone. We reviewed the plan for the g-j placement and feeding issues and were on our way.
A Visit With The Landrums - Some friends of ours that we met when Noah was born were in the hospital with their son Luke who was recovering from another heart surgery and we were able to stop and visit for awhile. Both the boys have come leaps and bounds since we all saw each other last! It was great to catch up and see Luke doing so well!
Hip X-ray - We were then on to radiology for Noah's hip x-rays to see if they could find the source of his hip cracking. We got those results back today and all is normal! They hope that when he starts walking and standing on his own that this will diminish.
A Date With The Ellingers - Noah was ultra crappy as the day wore on so I was worried about how well he would play with others but he had a great time seeing Mason! It is always great to see them all! We had some good laughs and they boys were equally amused with each other although I have learned that Noah needs to work on his sharing skills!
A Long Night - Noah didn't sleep to well in the hotel last night. I think he gets frustrated that he can see us through his pack-n-play but can't understand why we aren't letting him out. We could see his head pop up over the edge and feel him staring at us angrily. He has never been one to lay still and snuggle with us in bed but this morning he gave in and curled up next to Brian for a little extra shut eye before we left. Zane was my cuddler as a baby, but Noah usually won't hold still so it was super cute and I hated to wake him.
G-J Placement Procedure - We arrived back at the hospital early this morning for the g-j placement, much to Noah's dismay. Brian was able to walk him back to the OR and stayed till he was under anesthesia. The tube was placed successfully and Dr M removed all the excess granulation tissue from the site. He was back in recovery in just over an hour. He has had a little pain from the tissue removal and a sore throat from the breathing tube, but other than that he is doing well. He has been really crabby and uncomfortable most of tonight but I think he is mostly just worn out from the past two days.
We are so glad to be home and have these two days behind us! We are going to try and get a good feeding regimen set up in the next few weeks and try and find what works for Noah to get him eating and gaining weight again! Zane was glad (I think) to have us home, or so he says, but I think he wouldn't have minded hanging out at Grandma's house a few extra days! He had a great time and maybe got a little spoiled? We are officially in "snow delay" season so he has been watching the weather channel all night praying for snow. Can't say I blame him!
Thanks for checking in on us! I have my follow up fetal ECHO next week but Noah gets the whole week off from appointments!
I will try and give you an overview of each event....
Pulmonary Function Test - Of all the tests Noah has had, this was by far the most bazaar! We had to wake him up (and keep him up) at 4:30am Tuesday morning. In order for the sedation to take good affect he must be sleep deprived on top of that. So we had to be creative, but we managed to keep him up until the test. Once he fell asleep they proceeded to put him into an inflatable vest and load him into a contraption that Brian pointed out strongly resembled something Superman traveled in from the planet Krypton. Once inside the clear plastic box they put a mask on him and began using different techniques to measure his lung volume, function, ect. Afterwards the pulmonologist reviewed the results with us. She said that she was happy his lungs were growing but he was having some issues with obstruction, air trapping, ect. She recommend that we continued the inhaled steroids daily and do another PFT when he is 2. Although the test obviously showed issues with his lungs and that they are not in the best of shape, it's not hugely uncommon for his diagnosis. She is going to call us with the final results of this test in a week or so and review the rest of the findings.
Surgery Clinic Appt - We then took a very drunken Noah down to meet with Dr M in ped surgery. He made quite a spectacle of himself with his head rolling around, eyes flipping back and yelling "Bye Bye" to everyone. We reviewed the plan for the g-j placement and feeding issues and were on our way.
A Visit With The Landrums - Some friends of ours that we met when Noah was born were in the hospital with their son Luke who was recovering from another heart surgery and we were able to stop and visit for awhile. Both the boys have come leaps and bounds since we all saw each other last! It was great to catch up and see Luke doing so well!
Hip X-ray - We were then on to radiology for Noah's hip x-rays to see if they could find the source of his hip cracking. We got those results back today and all is normal! They hope that when he starts walking and standing on his own that this will diminish.
A Date With The Ellingers - Noah was ultra crappy as the day wore on so I was worried about how well he would play with others but he had a great time seeing Mason! It is always great to see them all! We had some good laughs and they boys were equally amused with each other although I have learned that Noah needs to work on his sharing skills!
A Long Night - Noah didn't sleep to well in the hotel last night. I think he gets frustrated that he can see us through his pack-n-play but can't understand why we aren't letting him out. We could see his head pop up over the edge and feel him staring at us angrily. He has never been one to lay still and snuggle with us in bed but this morning he gave in and curled up next to Brian for a little extra shut eye before we left. Zane was my cuddler as a baby, but Noah usually won't hold still so it was super cute and I hated to wake him.
G-J Placement Procedure - We arrived back at the hospital early this morning for the g-j placement, much to Noah's dismay. Brian was able to walk him back to the OR and stayed till he was under anesthesia. The tube was placed successfully and Dr M removed all the excess granulation tissue from the site. He was back in recovery in just over an hour. He has had a little pain from the tissue removal and a sore throat from the breathing tube, but other than that he is doing well. He has been really crabby and uncomfortable most of tonight but I think he is mostly just worn out from the past two days.
We are so glad to be home and have these two days behind us! We are going to try and get a good feeding regimen set up in the next few weeks and try and find what works for Noah to get him eating and gaining weight again! Zane was glad (I think) to have us home, or so he says, but I think he wouldn't have minded hanging out at Grandma's house a few extra days! He had a great time and maybe got a little spoiled? We are officially in "snow delay" season so he has been watching the weather channel all night praying for snow. Can't say I blame him!
Thanks for checking in on us! I have my follow up fetal ECHO next week but Noah gets the whole week off from appointments!
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