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!

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...

Adilene Jules Korpi

Two weeks ago I had it all planned out to write a post to update everyone on how our baby girl was doing.  I had 5 appointments in one week for her and so I thought I would have some good information to share.  On Wednesday however everything changed.  We had another ultrasound to make sure everything was okay and she was growing.  The tech took a few quick measurements and tried to make her move to get some more but baby girl was not having it.  The doctor came in and told us that there was no fluid and I needed to deliver today.  Talk about a shock, we headed straight to the hospital we wanted to deliver at, found a babysitter for Blaiden, and I was induced.
At 3:53AM we became a family of 4.  Adilene Jules Korpi weighing 5 pounds 5 ounces and 18 1/4 inches long.  She came out so tiny but we were just happy that she was here and healthy.

My mom came into town because we knew that we would need some help with Blaiden.  It was awesome to have the help, we had quite a few doctor visits in that first week and since she was here I didn't have to worry about Blaiden.

We are so happy to have her in our family, I will add more pictures and write a post about all the doctor visits we have had.

The Conclusion to the Colorado Trip

Wednesday was going to be our last day, the plan was to go into town with my mom and do some shopping.  However when we got home on Tuesday night my dad asked if we could stay longer.  He asked if we could stay forever, I countered with Saturday and he accepted. 
Granny came into town and we walked around downtown and got something for everyone in the family.  I even did some Christmas shopping.  It was a fun day.
Since we had some time Friday I went to see everyone one more time.  First we went to see Margaret, then we went to my mom's office to see the girls that work there, and my aunt Melissa was there also.  Then we headed down to Sanford.  First we went to Granny's to see the horses.  Blaiden loved this.  He was so excited he tried to climb the fence just to be closer to them.  He also got a treat from his uncle Cole, he doesn't get candy very often but he loved the sucker.

After Granny's house we headed out to Papa's.  He was supposed to be working on the cows but it got pushed back to Saturday.  Instead we started walking around the fields.  Blaiden found some water in a trough and ended up falling in.  It was scary for a few seconds, Blaiden was soaking wet and we had to run inside to take a bath to clean him off and find some dry clothes.  Papa then took us out to see the cows.

On Saturday morning my parents drove us back up to Denver so we could go home.  Our flight went great again, this time we had the entire row to ourselves.  Blaiden played with the guy behind us and then as we landed Blaiden fell asleep.  Fred was there to pick us up.  We had a great trip but we were sure happy to be home, we had been gone from Fred for to long.  

Colorado Contunied..

On Monday morning Blaiden and I headed into Alamosa to go see Fred's mom.  It was a holiday so she was at home.  It was great to see her and she was the only one at her house so it was very relaxed.  I was so comfortable that Margaret or I didn't even take any photos (whoops).  Blaiden had a great time because there was another cat there and he loved chasing it throughout the house.  He even got to go outside and look around for the cat and played with the 5 dogs there.  Right before we left Timmy and his grandma came by to see us.  It was a great morning and Blaiden had a fun time seeing his grandma.

After Blaiden's nap we went out to let him have a ride on the tractor with my dad.  Blaiden had a blast!  G-Pa let him drive and Blaiden took the wheel and didn't want anyone else to touch it.  He played with the horn, lights, blinkers, and even the GPS.  When we finished the field I took a few pictures.

 That night Jed and his family and Thad came out to the house for dinner.  It was a very relaxed day and I think Blaiden had a great time.

Our nights started to get a little rough and Blaiden wasn't sleeping well.  It happens every time we go to Colorado the air is so dry it makes his nose get stuffy and sleeping is always an issue.  Tuesday we planned on going up to Creede early but Blaiden needed a good nap so we waited until after his nap to head out.  That afternoon we hung out with all of Fred's family.  Margaret even got to come up to see Blaiden again.  He had a great time seeing all the relatives and being the center of attention.  Unlike the Larsen's he is the only kid around and I think he enjoys this just as much.  We ended the night going out to dinner with Fred's dad.  It was great to see everyone.

 One of Blaiden's favorite things was to play peek-a-boo with Robert, and drinking out of his Great Grandma's water bottle. 

Trip to Colorado

Blaiden and I decided we wanted to take a trip to Colorado before the baby comes because we are not sure when we will get to go next.  I booked a flight and planned my days for the short trip home.  It had to be a quick trip to fit in between all our doctor visits.  At this point I didn't know if I would need to go in for weekly non-stress tests or not so we were planning on being back in time.  We found out two days before we left that I wouldn't have to get the tests yet!

Fred gave Blaiden and I a ride to the airport just down the road on a Friday afternoon.  We had a non-stop flight to Denver where my parents were waiting to pick us up.  Blaiden did great on the flight, he found a friend about his same age in the seat in front of us and they kept each other busy for a while.  I also had a DVD he could watch which helped him stay calm and sit nicely on my lap.

When we got to Denver my parents were shocked as to how big my belly was.  They couldn't get enough of Blaiden and they were so cute as to how excited they were.  We went out to dinner and then headed home.  Blaiden slept the entire way home which is no surprise because it was way past his bedtime.  When we finally got home it was late and so unlike usual, we didn't stay up all night and talk, we all went to bed.

Our big plan for Saturday was to see Kaitlyn, Hadley, and new baby Emerson!  I was very excited to meet Emerson and for Blaiden and Hadley to play together.  We took the morning easy and then headed over to Jed and Kaitlyn's house.  It was the first time I got to see there new house and it was beautiful.  Blaiden and Hadley played for hours and had a great time together.  I got to meet Emerson and she is so sweet.  This is what I miss about not living closer to family.

My parents came to pick us up to go home for the night and Blaiden found himself a new friend...

On Sunday we planned a big Larsen family party.  We thought it would be easier for us to get to see everyone if we had a party rather then us going down to Sanford for the day.  It was go great to see everyone and almost all the family was there.  I got to meet 3 more babies that I hadn't got to yet even though 2 of them were 7 months old.  The kids ran wild and this was very entertaining for Blaiden but his best friend was Asia who he has always had an attachment with.

 We ended the night cuddling together with the cat.  I guess Blaiden was missing his Mommy since our day had been so busy with a ton of different people.