I felt like I got to spend time with each person and that made their trip out here great, it's things like this that make me sad we don't live near our families.
December 31, 2013
Family Time
On the 7th of December we had some visitors come out. My mom, dad, and brother Thad got to come out for a few days before Christmas. We all had a great time and they left to soon. It felt like we managed to do a ton of fun stuff while they were here but also had time to relax. I even talked my dad into doing a few projects around the house.
They got in late on Saturday and so we relaxed that night and most of Sunday too. Monday Fred went into work and so my dad replaced our garbage disposal and hooked up the water to our fridge. Tuesday was our fun day. Fred took the day off and we went up to Amish country. We had to take both cars because there is no longer enough room in the jeep (we need a new car). We drove around (Fred got lost) and got to look at the area, stopped at a cheese factory and candy store and ended our trip with a stop at this fun general store that had anything you can think of. Later that night we did a little shopping and went out to eat. Wednesday it was time for them to leave but they had a later flight so we had most of the day. My dad and I went shopping and then out to lunch, just the 2 of us. I haven't had any daddy daughter time in a while and it was so nice to be alone with him. I am not sure what night it was but Fred, Thad and I went to the movies. It has been over a year since I have went to a movie so I sure enjoyed it.
I felt like I got to spend time with each person and that made their trip out here great, it's things like this that make me sad we don't live near our families.
I felt like I got to spend time with each person and that made their trip out here great, it's things like this that make me sad we don't live near our families.
December 22, 2013
Adilene's First Bath
I wasn't that excited to give Adilene her first real bath. Blaiden hated getting a bath and would scream the entire time so I just assumed that she would be the same. I hated the baby bathtub we had for Blaiden and so I made sure we had a better one this time around. I am not sure if it was the bathtub or the difference in personalities but Adilene loves taking baths. She loves to have the warm water wash over her. It makes giving her a bath so much fun and who doesn't love the smell of a freshly cleaned baby.
The first time I made sure and get some pictures. I had everything ready so it would only have to be a couple minutes if she hated it. Blaiden was right there to help the entire time. He can't stay away from water now. It was a great experience for all of us.
Thanksgiving and November Fun
Wow I am about a month behind on blog posts... Lets see if I can get caught up before the new year.
This year we were thinking that we would have a baby that was a few days old or I would be in the last few days of my pregnancy at Thanksgiving. As it turns out we had 3 week old baby. I had planned to take it easy and not make a huge dinner. It was just going to be us 4 at home and Blaiden doesn't eat much so I bought a chicken from the deli, made some side dishes and called it good. The food was delicious and a perfect way to spend our first Thanksgiving as a family of 4.
We also went to a Christmas parade. Its funny because this happened the weekend before Thanksgiving but it felt like Christmas it was so cold. Adilene was only 2 weeks old and so I stayed out there for a while with her but then we went back to the car. She was in a carrier and wrapped up in a blanket then my coat shielding her from the cold so I don't think she was cold but I didn't want to chance it. Fred and Blaiden stayed a bit longer but soon Blaiden was cold so it was time to come home. It was fun to get out of the house and I think Blaiden had a great time collecting and eating candy.
This year we were thinking that we would have a baby that was a few days old or I would be in the last few days of my pregnancy at Thanksgiving. As it turns out we had 3 week old baby. I had planned to take it easy and not make a huge dinner. It was just going to be us 4 at home and Blaiden doesn't eat much so I bought a chicken from the deli, made some side dishes and called it good. The food was delicious and a perfect way to spend our first Thanksgiving as a family of 4.
We also went to a Christmas parade. Its funny because this happened the weekend before Thanksgiving but it felt like Christmas it was so cold. Adilene was only 2 weeks old and so I stayed out there for a while with her but then we went back to the car. She was in a carrier and wrapped up in a blanket then my coat shielding her from the cold so I don't think she was cold but I didn't want to chance it. Fred and Blaiden stayed a bit longer but soon Blaiden was cold so it was time to come home. It was fun to get out of the house and I think Blaiden had a great time collecting and eating candy.
December 16, 2013
Adilene 1 Month Old
Last Saturday Adilene turned 1 month old. I am a week late on this post but with my parents and brother in town I didn't even open my computer until today.
One Month Old
My Appearance: I went to the doctor a day before my one
month birthday and I now weigh 7 pounds 7 ounces and I am 20 ¼ inches
long. My hair is growing but it is
really hard to see because it is so light.
Mommy says I look like Daddy because my hair is thin on top but thicker
on the sides and back of my head. My
face is very round and when I get mad I can make it wrinkle up and get very
red. My eyebrows are very thin and you
can’t really see them, the same goes for my eyelashes. Mommy says my nose is a button nose, whatever
that means. My eyes are still dark but
Mommy and Daddy think that they might turn green like Mommy’s. I am putting on weight daily and now I don’t
have saggy skin like I did when I was born.
My belly is big and round, especially after I have just eaten. I am getting longer every day too. My torso is very long. I also get a lot of kisses on my hands and
feet so I guessing they are pretty cute too.
Milestones: This month has been a month full of
firsts. One of the major firsts is I
rolled over! Mommy was so surprised she
scared me after I did it. I went out to
my first restaurant dinner; Mommy didn’t get to eat much because I decided I
wanted eat. I have been on my first mall
shopping trip with Mommy. I took my
first bath and loved it.
Daily Routine: I am eating every 3 hours. Eating is a big deal for me because I am very
slow. First Mommy tries to nurse me,
when I get tired of that she then feeds me a bottle. I eat really slowly so this has taken about
an hour and then Mommy burps me and I lay down for a while so she can
pump. After that I usually take a nap until
it’s time to eat again. I am usually
awake around 1 and I do some tummy time.
Blaiden loves it when I do and is right beside me the entire time. I have been waking up around 9 or 10 at night
and then I don’t want to go back to bed until around midnight. Mommy doesn’t really like this but she stays
up with me anyway. I then sleep until
about 5 when daddy wakes up to go to work.
Special Events: Let’s start from the beginning, this month I
met my family! I love everyone especially my big brother. I also got to meet my Gma, Gpa, and Uncle
Thad. I had to go to the hospital for a
night when I was 6 days old and be under bright lights because I had a high
bili level. I also got and EKG done and
an Echocardiogram. They found 3 holes in
my heart but they are all small enough that I don’t have to have surgery
yet. I went to my first parade, had my
first Thanksgiving, and also got to meet all of Mommy’s and Daddy’s
friends.
December 4, 2013
December 2, 2013
Today was my Due Date
Way back at the first of April we found out our new little addition would be here on (or around) December 2nd. When I got farther along I always had this feeling that I was not going to make it to my actual due date. My guess was around November 18, about 2 weeks early but still full term. I never thought that I would have a premature baby. I think that if there were no problems she would still have came early but definitely not 4 weeks early.
Thinking about today made me want to relive and tell the story of the day Adilene Jules was born.
Wednesday November 6th was a very busy day. It started out by going to the pediatrician's office so I could meet with the doctor. This was a waste of time because the doctor's schedule had changed and I never got a call to change my appointment. Then Blaiden and I had to run to the store, then go let a friends dog out: all before nap time. During nap time I did a few things around the house, ate lunch, and relaxed a little before getting ready to go to Akron Children's Hospital for our ultrasound.
I had to wake Blaiden up from his nap and load him up in the car. Fred got home just in time to get in the car and leave. We stopped by McDonald's to get Blaiden some lunch then started the 20 minute drive to Akron. I was not nervous at all for this appointment, things had been looking great and nothing new had come up in weeks. However, I was very happy to have this appointment because in the past 2 days I had noticed that she wasn't moving much. This was weird because she was always very very very active. I also wanted to see how much she had gained because everything I had read about babies with Down Syndrome was most had a low birth weight.
Everything about these appointments had become so routine and this one was no different. Throughout this pregnancy I have learned so much about what to look for in an ultrasound and I think if I was given a picture I could figure out what they were looking at. I had running check list of things to look for: First thing I noticed was she was head down. Then the tech started looking for my fluid pockets to measure them. She looked around for a quick minute but moved on to start measuring our baby girl. She took the measurements of the arms, legs, head, and stomach. All looked okay from what I could see as the readings came up on the screen. Then she started trying to make her move so she could get a better view of the fluid pockets. She wouldn't move and this is when I could tell that she thought that something was wrong. She took a few measurements of the fluid that she could find and said she was going to get the doctor. I asked how much she was weighing and she said about 5 pounds 11 ounces. This was only 1 ounce more than our last appointment 2 weeks ago.
As soon as she left Fred and I looked at each other and we both knew that something was wrong. We could tell that there was not enough fluid and then when she wouldn't move it confirmed our feelings. Fred said we would be having her that day. The doctor came in and looked around for about 60 seconds and said that she "recommends" that I deliver. Recommends is a funny word. With Fred as my go to doctor I sometimes feel I have no choice in my care. Not that this is a problem, I am so happy that someone I trust so much is there and can understand the entire situation but I also feel very lost sometimes.
Wait, WHAT!! Talk about a shock, I couldn't help the tears from falling. She wasn't ready, she was too small, she needed more time. I wasn't ready, I had another month to get ready, my bag wasn't packed, I didn't have arrangements for Blaiden, I needed more time. WE needed more time!
Once I got over that then the fear started. Was she okay, was she going to be okay. Was her GI track fully developed, her lungs, heart, her tone. I had a million thoughts running through my mind I could hardly hear what the doctor said after her "recommendation." I am not sure if Fred had asked any other questions or the doctor said anything else but we were cleaning off my stomach so I could go get a stress test, still with tears in my eyes. We wanted to deliver at a hospital close to home with my regular OB but we had to make sure that we had time to drive the 20 minutes back to the hospital. I was hooked up to some machines for about 20 minutes and then the doctor said we could go but to go straight to the hospital!
On the ride back I called my mom, Fred called a friend to meet us so he could take Blaiden, and we drove quickly to the hospital. Fred dropped me off at the door I said goodbye to Blaiden and headed up to the maternity floor. My doctor had been called and all my paperwork was there so check in was easy. I was in my gown and getting hooked up to the machines by the time Fred got there.
It was just before 4pm when they started me on pitocin and antibiotics. Now I'm not going to go into detail about the whole labor part. I ended up getting an epidural when I was about 4cm. I knew that there was a good chance of a C-section happening and so I knew I wanted an epidural. The contractions were just starting to hurt at this point. I figured that I was going to have an epidural so why wait. After I got it, baby girls heart rate dropped a little and I was getting light headed. I never do good with strong meds, so I was put on oxygen for a while.
While all of this was happening Fred couldn't be in there so he went home to put Blaiden to bed. We had a different friend come over to spend the night with him.
Labor went on and for about the next 5 hours it was pretty quiet. Baby girls heart rate was low but stable and she was handling the contractions pretty well. At about 3am I noticed that during the contractions the heart rate was dipping really low and wasn't coming back up. After about 15-20 minutes of this I woke Fred up and we called the nurse in. I am not sure why the nurse didn't come in before but I was put back on oxygen and the doctor was called. I also told the nurse that I could tell it was getting close because I could feel a lot of pressure like she was ready to come. I was right and now we just needed to wait for all the doctors to get there.
There was quite a few people getting ready in our room. There was a special care nurse, respiratory nurse, another person I am not sure what she was, and then my doctor and nurse and we were waiting for neonatologist to get there before I started pushing. My doctor decided I should try pushing 1 time to see how it would go, baby girl did not like this at all. This is when I got my little pep talk by Fred and my doctor. I needed to push hard and get this done quickly, she needed to get out as fast as she could. She did not recover from the practice push and so even though the neonatoligist was not there I needed to have her. As we were waiting for the next contraction the doctor came in. I only had to push for 2 contractions and she was here. At 3:53am she started crying and so did I. After Fred cut her cord she was taken to the other side of the room. I sat there waiting and waiting and waiting to hear if she was okay. Fred went over there to see her. It seemed like forever before I heard anyone say anything, finally I got the okay that everything was fine. Again it seemed like it took forever before they brought her back to me but finally I was holding my baby, she was breathing and healthy, she even tried to nurse a little.
It was a stressful delivery and afterward my nurse said she had everything ready to head to the OR because she was sure it was going that way. I can not say enough good things about my OB, she handled the situation wonderfully. She knew when it was time and knew what our baby could handle.
Thinking about today made me want to relive and tell the story of the day Adilene Jules was born.
Wednesday November 6th was a very busy day. It started out by going to the pediatrician's office so I could meet with the doctor. This was a waste of time because the doctor's schedule had changed and I never got a call to change my appointment. Then Blaiden and I had to run to the store, then go let a friends dog out: all before nap time. During nap time I did a few things around the house, ate lunch, and relaxed a little before getting ready to go to Akron Children's Hospital for our ultrasound.
I had to wake Blaiden up from his nap and load him up in the car. Fred got home just in time to get in the car and leave. We stopped by McDonald's to get Blaiden some lunch then started the 20 minute drive to Akron. I was not nervous at all for this appointment, things had been looking great and nothing new had come up in weeks. However, I was very happy to have this appointment because in the past 2 days I had noticed that she wasn't moving much. This was weird because she was always very very very active. I also wanted to see how much she had gained because everything I had read about babies with Down Syndrome was most had a low birth weight.
Everything about these appointments had become so routine and this one was no different. Throughout this pregnancy I have learned so much about what to look for in an ultrasound and I think if I was given a picture I could figure out what they were looking at. I had running check list of things to look for: First thing I noticed was she was head down. Then the tech started looking for my fluid pockets to measure them. She looked around for a quick minute but moved on to start measuring our baby girl. She took the measurements of the arms, legs, head, and stomach. All looked okay from what I could see as the readings came up on the screen. Then she started trying to make her move so she could get a better view of the fluid pockets. She wouldn't move and this is when I could tell that she thought that something was wrong. She took a few measurements of the fluid that she could find and said she was going to get the doctor. I asked how much she was weighing and she said about 5 pounds 11 ounces. This was only 1 ounce more than our last appointment 2 weeks ago.
As soon as she left Fred and I looked at each other and we both knew that something was wrong. We could tell that there was not enough fluid and then when she wouldn't move it confirmed our feelings. Fred said we would be having her that day. The doctor came in and looked around for about 60 seconds and said that she "recommends" that I deliver. Recommends is a funny word. With Fred as my go to doctor I sometimes feel I have no choice in my care. Not that this is a problem, I am so happy that someone I trust so much is there and can understand the entire situation but I also feel very lost sometimes.
Wait, WHAT!! Talk about a shock, I couldn't help the tears from falling. She wasn't ready, she was too small, she needed more time. I wasn't ready, I had another month to get ready, my bag wasn't packed, I didn't have arrangements for Blaiden, I needed more time. WE needed more time!
Once I got over that then the fear started. Was she okay, was she going to be okay. Was her GI track fully developed, her lungs, heart, her tone. I had a million thoughts running through my mind I could hardly hear what the doctor said after her "recommendation." I am not sure if Fred had asked any other questions or the doctor said anything else but we were cleaning off my stomach so I could go get a stress test, still with tears in my eyes. We wanted to deliver at a hospital close to home with my regular OB but we had to make sure that we had time to drive the 20 minutes back to the hospital. I was hooked up to some machines for about 20 minutes and then the doctor said we could go but to go straight to the hospital!
On the ride back I called my mom, Fred called a friend to meet us so he could take Blaiden, and we drove quickly to the hospital. Fred dropped me off at the door I said goodbye to Blaiden and headed up to the maternity floor. My doctor had been called and all my paperwork was there so check in was easy. I was in my gown and getting hooked up to the machines by the time Fred got there.
It was just before 4pm when they started me on pitocin and antibiotics. Now I'm not going to go into detail about the whole labor part. I ended up getting an epidural when I was about 4cm. I knew that there was a good chance of a C-section happening and so I knew I wanted an epidural. The contractions were just starting to hurt at this point. I figured that I was going to have an epidural so why wait. After I got it, baby girls heart rate dropped a little and I was getting light headed. I never do good with strong meds, so I was put on oxygen for a while.
While all of this was happening Fred couldn't be in there so he went home to put Blaiden to bed. We had a different friend come over to spend the night with him.
Labor went on and for about the next 5 hours it was pretty quiet. Baby girls heart rate was low but stable and she was handling the contractions pretty well. At about 3am I noticed that during the contractions the heart rate was dipping really low and wasn't coming back up. After about 15-20 minutes of this I woke Fred up and we called the nurse in. I am not sure why the nurse didn't come in before but I was put back on oxygen and the doctor was called. I also told the nurse that I could tell it was getting close because I could feel a lot of pressure like she was ready to come. I was right and now we just needed to wait for all the doctors to get there.
There was quite a few people getting ready in our room. There was a special care nurse, respiratory nurse, another person I am not sure what she was, and then my doctor and nurse and we were waiting for neonatologist to get there before I started pushing. My doctor decided I should try pushing 1 time to see how it would go, baby girl did not like this at all. This is when I got my little pep talk by Fred and my doctor. I needed to push hard and get this done quickly, she needed to get out as fast as she could. She did not recover from the practice push and so even though the neonatoligist was not there I needed to have her. As we were waiting for the next contraction the doctor came in. I only had to push for 2 contractions and she was here. At 3:53am she started crying and so did I. After Fred cut her cord she was taken to the other side of the room. I sat there waiting and waiting and waiting to hear if she was okay. Fred went over there to see her. It seemed like forever before I heard anyone say anything, finally I got the okay that everything was fine. Again it seemed like it took forever before they brought her back to me but finally I was holding my baby, she was breathing and healthy, she even tried to nurse a little.
It was a stressful delivery and afterward my nurse said she had everything ready to head to the OR because she was sure it was going that way. I can not say enough good things about my OB, she handled the situation wonderfully. She knew when it was time and knew what our baby could handle.
November 29, 2013
Visits
In the short 2 1/2 weeks of Adilene's life we have been to the doctor
or hospital more than I would have liked. It all started the day after
she was born. Friday, November 8th her Bili level was a little high and
so she was put on photothearpy in the hospital. She was in the nursery
unless she needed to eat and that was the only time I got to see her.
Saturday the 9th we were able to come home. Tuesday the 12th we went to
the pediatrician for the first time, I knew it was coming and so I
wasn't that surprised that we needed to check her Bili level again. The
shock of that appointment was she developed a murmur and we needed to
go see a cardiologist the next day. Her Bili was high also and so she
needed to be put on a Bili blanket at home.
On the 13th at the cardiologist she got and EKG and and Echo done. They found 3 holes in her heart, but all are small enough that we are just going to wait and see if they will close on their own. We will go back in a few months to check them again. While were were there we learned that her Bili level that we had checked that morning was getting higher and so she needed to be admitted into the Children's hospital. This was another shock, I was more worried about Blaiden at this point than Adilene because I knew this would solve her problem. I just had a hard time being away from Blaiden so much.
While in the hospital Adilene had to be poked a ton. This was the hardest part because she was not bleeding very well and so getting any blood from her was a big deal. We had to put off a blood test that she needed because there was just no way that they could get the amount of blood they needed (and it was only about 3ml).
The 15th we went back to the pediatrician to check in and make sure she was still getting better and didn't need to go back to the hospital, she looked great! We also went back on the 22nd to check her weight gain. She weighed in at 6lbs and is doing great.
Today the plan is to head up to Children's Hospital to get the blood test done that we couldn't on the 13th. It shouldn't be bad as long as Adilene is cooperating, she will bleed more, and they can find a vein easily.
All of this seems like a lot but really it hasn't been that bad. The first week was a little stressful but Fred could take off work, we had friends that helped with Blaiden, and my mom came to help too. I knew that there would be health concerns when we found out she had Down Syndrome and my only hope was that we didn't need to go into surgery right away. I just didn't know if Adilene or myself could handle that. We are in the clear so far and I don't see any reason why that would be changing. All of the issues that Adilene has had are all fairly common and although they happened to her with Down Syndrome they could just as easily be found in a child without Down Syndrome. Overall she is doing wonderful and her diagnosis has not affected her at all.
This
is a picture that a friend sent me while she was watching Blaiden one
morning while Fred had to be at work. I think he was having a good
time!
On the 13th at the cardiologist she got and EKG and and Echo done. They found 3 holes in her heart, but all are small enough that we are just going to wait and see if they will close on their own. We will go back in a few months to check them again. While were were there we learned that her Bili level that we had checked that morning was getting higher and so she needed to be admitted into the Children's hospital. This was another shock, I was more worried about Blaiden at this point than Adilene because I knew this would solve her problem. I just had a hard time being away from Blaiden so much.
While in the hospital Adilene had to be poked a ton. This was the hardest part because she was not bleeding very well and so getting any blood from her was a big deal. We had to put off a blood test that she needed because there was just no way that they could get the amount of blood they needed (and it was only about 3ml).
The 15th we went back to the pediatrician to check in and make sure she was still getting better and didn't need to go back to the hospital, she looked great! We also went back on the 22nd to check her weight gain. She weighed in at 6lbs and is doing great.
Today the plan is to head up to Children's Hospital to get the blood test done that we couldn't on the 13th. It shouldn't be bad as long as Adilene is cooperating, she will bleed more, and they can find a vein easily.
All of this seems like a lot but really it hasn't been that bad. The first week was a little stressful but Fred could take off work, we had friends that helped with Blaiden, and my mom came to help too. I knew that there would be health concerns when we found out she had Down Syndrome and my only hope was that we didn't need to go into surgery right away. I just didn't know if Adilene or myself could handle that. We are in the clear so far and I don't see any reason why that would be changing. All of the issues that Adilene has had are all fairly common and although they happened to her with Down Syndrome they could just as easily be found in a child without Down Syndrome. Overall she is doing wonderful and her diagnosis has not affected her at all.
November 24, 2013
Mobile Snapshots #7
I always do the previous month of pictures from my phone so all of these pictures are from October, That is why there is none of Adilene. I wanted to have one of her so here are a few...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)