Epic Fail

Wednesday, February 2, 2013

I forgot to mention yesterday that we had visitors and received a few things in the mail.  Tracy and her friend Meredith ran the Princess Half Marathon on Sunday. On their way up on Monday they stopped by and visited. Tracy brought Jack a teddy bear from her trip to Paris, and a cute jungle outfit to wear later in the year.  In the mail, we got a sling from my Big, Carol, along with some reading material for me and a cute shirt. Her son, Carter, was born a week prior to Jack which is super cool.  We also got more burp towels from mom with rhinos on them. On top of that, the Wojick family sent us an edible arrangement which was so nice. Thank you everyone!! 

Again, Baby Jack is doing well at sleeping in 2.5-3 hr stretches only waking up for small (.5-2 oz) bottles and a diaper change. He slept 2/3 stretches in his sleeper last night, and would have done the third but mommy wanted some cuddle time (sorry folks you think he's cute in pictures wait till you see and hold the real thing).  We did end up giving him a little Tylenol for pain last night because he seemed very uncomfortable.

We hit Dr. Knapp's around 11, and boss man said, "I'd like to keep it in until the 11th but we can put a spacer in and give him more belly room." Bummer. However, if keeping it in longer gives us a better prognosis in the end, so be it. Off we went to have it cut and shaped, the guy today was messy about it, left some jagged edges and what not. So when Knapp came in to check on it I had him clean it up. No cuts for my frog prince! Lol. We asked them about a car bed, jack isn't going to fit in his car seat comfortably much longer. After waiting an hour their answer was he's in an in between spot and we don't have anything for him. You should go buy the next car seat up you'll need it any way. WTF mate?!? It's for a week! Then he will fit in the one he's got! Psh! Yup, I know I will be going to buy the new car seat tomorrow :)

As we were waiting on the car bed, guess who walks in with his gorgeous wife and child? Our ID doc, Dr Jordan. His son had an appt with the neurologist. He asked about Jack, introduced us to his family (such a cute boy he has) and said we would see him on the 11th. Crazy who you run into. 

Once we got home we took it easy and played. Lets be honest, every body loves a little tummy time. Jack isn't liking it as much right now because of the new spacer and the position it puts him in. Dr Knapp still encouraged tummy time, it will just be for as long as Jack puts up with it. He normally likes it quite a bit.

Dad came home not feeling well, he went straight to bed. Send love to JR and prayers for a quick recovery as he has been working through this whole mess. I'm sure it will catch up with him but in hope that it goes away fast. 

We have plans to relax and work on our bonding the rest of the week...feel free to say Hi. 

Love you all...will keep the fun coming.

We're Back!!!

Happy Tuesday! Our little frog prince slept through most of last night, getting the first leg in around 930pm, sleeping until midnight, then had a bottle, went back to sleep with mom and dad until almost 3, had a bottle, then slept until 730. Can't complain.  I got him up and ready, Dad found his way to the golf course today despite the pouring rain. :)  And took him over to Dr. Otero's office for his follow-up and reintroduction to the regular doc. She couldn't believe how big he was! With the cast, if you remember, he was 10 lbs, 14 oz last week, today he was 12 lbs even! My chunky boy! I love it! Especially since he struggled with his weight in the beginning. We checked into Dr Knapps at 6 lbs 8 oz! Now he's between 10-11 lbs! His temperature was normal and he slept through the appt. she suggested rice cereal (a tiny amount) to help him feel fuller and hopefully keep the formula down until we get this cast off his stomach. She also started him on a probiotic to help with all the antibiotics he has been on. We go back when he is cast free to start our vaccines.  We have our first F/U with Dr Knapp tomorrow. I'm going to beg for a recast or removal because our guy is too big for this cast. And he won't fit in the car seat much longer. If they recast we will have to rent the car bed. Which is fine for a week. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing and then napping. Dad got some computer work done. Then I was able to go to yoga. JR brought Jack up to class when we were done to meet everyone. He was a hit :) 

Now he seems terribly uncomfortable. I caved and gave him some Tylenol to get through the night, his swelling isn't any worse but it's hard to keep food down. He isn't vomiting and doesn't have a fever so I continue to be convinced its the cast pressing down on that little stomach. So fingers crossed for it to come off tomorrow. 

Thanks to all the moms I've been drilling. I have so many questions right now :)

Will update you tomorrow with news from Knapp. 

PS tried to load a video didn't work. Will try on the Mac tomorrow. Most on the time I write this on the phone.

Back on the Horse

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Happy Birthday to Bryan Jenkins, and Pam!

Today seemed to go a lot faster than yesterday. I didn't have as hefty as a to-do list either though. I decided that I am not going to get that one last sleep (7-9) no matter how hard I try to convince Jack. So I embraced getting up. It was raining beautifully so....we stayed in our PJs until after noon. It was fabulous. And, in great form, Jack napped on and off for me. Then we got up, got cleaned up, and played most of the afternoon. Jack still hasn't quite given me a true smile yet, so to you mommy's who are getting them, I am jealous! However, he has a gorgeous half smile that just kills me! Today, Jack got to spend most of the day sans clothes in the living room...why you ask? Because I want to get that diaper rash gone. It is almost completely gone, but I figured it doesn't hurt to let him air out once in a while, especially while in the cast. Just have to be aware that he may pee at any moment LOL. Again we were working on getting him to lay down alone while napping. It seems that on the couch with me sitting next to him, and him on the boppy seems to work out well. He doesn't dig the bouncy chair as much, but I think that it is an awkward feeling with the cast on...swing is the same thing. His feet kind of get restricted.  So we will try after the cast is removed.

I have one concern right now being home with Jack...he is growing so fast...that cast I'm sure is starting to restrict even more than before. His feet are still swollen, mind you not as bad, but still swollen. I know that the cast is pushing down on his stomach and the rest of his torso. He seems to have reflux, and gas, so this makes both of those things worse to me. So I am very happy that we did a week and 2 week follow-up. If the doctor shares these concerns then we can get recasted, or have the cast removed Wednesday when we go in.

Today JR gave me another wonderful gift. He watched Jack while I went for my first run since being 37 weeks pregnant...so 8 weeks? With the Iron Girl Half marathon a few short weeks away I was grateful. At 9pm I laced up my Brooks, and hit the pavement. I had planned to do an easy 1 mile run, turned out to be 3.6 miles in 44 minutes. Granted that is slower than I am usually, making it about a 12:14 mile,  usually I am around 11:30. My goal is to get around 10 so I can come in under 2:15 for a half marathon by the end of this year, so I have some work to do.  With having to push a stroller in a few short weeks, I am sure I will be fine to reach that goal by the end of the year.  The run was invigorating...and i am grateful for that 3.6 miles!

Day 1 Alone at Last

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Today I realized, was the first day that Jack and I were alone together. It was quite the day.  I decided that I would make it a goal to finish cleaning the house, which meant I had to get the master bedroom, bath, and kitchen finished. In addition, I wanted to start weaning Jack from sleeping on me/JR all the time, and finish laundry. Boy, am I naive. Jack barely wanted to sleep, which of course is ok, cause we played, sang, had tummy time, took a bath, and cuddled. But when he fell asleep I would put him down. Whether it was in his bouncy chair, swing, the floor, the couch, or in his crib I attempted to let him go. The longest stretch? 20 whole minutes. It took me all day to do most of the above list. I didn't get to the master bedroom, but everything else got done. I successfully went through not 1, not 2, but 3 shirts (thank goodness they were "cleaning clothes) because Jack wanted to share his meals. But his onesie survived all day!

So, my question is? How the hell do working mothers get ANYTHING done? How do you put the baby down? I know that you have to create a schedule, and this was just day one of that for Jack and I, but man...I want to take advantage of all the time I have left with him, but at the same time, I want to make sure we are working towards sleeping alone.  Also, I have weekends off, not entire weeks, the way cleaning went today...my house will never REALLY be clean unless JR and I are off at the same time. The good thing is, he has a streak of AM shifts, so that works to our advantage because I can get cleaning or workouts done once he gets home. The hard part about that is right now he is working, and that seems unfair. However, when I go back to work, then it will even out and I won't feel as guilty.  Though I did realize, that with a little adapting, we can do this.

Today during tummy time, Jack really started to look at the toys, not fully mind you, but a start. He even hit one of them, and reacted to it for the first time. How exciting to see him start to develop...it is simply amazing. On the down side, I am down to one or two nursing sessions a day. And I never thought I would, but I am so sad about it.  When they say that motherhood changes you, they aren't kidding!  The connection you get when you are able to nurse the baby is one I wouldn't have traded for a million dollars. I am so glad I got the time I did with him to do that. They are only this small for so long, relying on you for their nutrition and warmth...truly amazing. I am so angry that this bacterial infection took the time I had hoped to have nursing. I think it is finally setting in. I am so mad about this whole situation. I am proud to have been able to continue to nurse even a little still to this day, but angry that our little man had to go through this at all. To have  been infected by this bacteria, to be torn apart by it, and to have had to spend the first month of his life in a hospital. I can't help but feel cheated. At the same time, I look at how Jack took this month...How JR, and I both handled it. Even more so, I believe that God doesn't give you anything you can't handle. It made us stronger as individuals, and as a family unit...well we are ROCK solid.  My husband stood tall, and stuck right next to our son during all the nasty procedures, if they would have allowed us in the OR, he would have been there. He talked Jack through the pain, and fear I am sure he was having and for that I have to say I am so much more in love with that man than I was prior to this situation. He admitted when the day was too much, and it takes alot for him to do that. He recognized when I could no longer be strong and made sure that I had a foundation to stand on, and a man standing next to me. Our Jack, at 2 weeks under went his first surgery, and woke up the next day like nothing happened. He pushed through a second surgery, many needle sticks to various places in his body including his spine and his head...my son is so strong!  I can only hope to be as strong as the two men who completed my life.  So, I do feel a little guilty about feeling sad I can't nurse my son...because in the grand scheme of things it is not a big deal. Because he was able to get strong...and deal with the very difficulty first month of his life.  However, I need to buck up, and look forward to the amazing bonding we have feeding now even with bottles...and look forward to the kisses, hugs, and "I love you mommy"'s that I know I will be hearing in the coming years. But...I will savor each nursing session we have...because to me...they are priceless.

He is still a little swollen in both feet, but JR thinks that they have gone down. So that is good to know. No fever at all today...and for the most part he seemed very happy (except when I put him down). Our Jack is strong!

I am going to try and get a good video of my guy for you tomorrow...have an amazing Sunday. Oh...and to those at Gasparilla, and Princess...good luck! I will be following your progress. Jack, JR, and I will join next year!

At Last

Friday, February 22, 2013

We are home. Period. End of update. Just kidding. What a wonderfully eventful day we had. JR was off today again to celebrate the homecoming. We started our day at 7 am as usual, as Dr. Peck made her way in from the land of Ortho to round on us before Dr. Knapp came in. She was not excited about the swelling either, and agreed that a spacer would probably be the best thing right now. She confirmed what Dr. Crawford was thinking...that Jack won't last the full 4 weeks in his current cast. Dr. Knapp came a little later, and decided that he did want the spacer. So we waited awhile for that, eventually Dr. Knapp came back with Willie, the ortho tech, and they cut through both legs of Jack's cast, and a little into the groin to remove the dressing from his hip surgery. Jack didn't cry at all, I think it was tickling him actually, he cried only when Dr. Knapp started to get the dressing out. This kid is hilarious. They put two plastic pieces in the cut they made along the legs, and opened up the cast a little, then placed fiberglass over it to protect it. Even now, almost 12 hours later, the swelling hasn't let up a lot. Dr. Knapp said it should in a few days, if not, doesn't matter cause we have a follow-up with him on Wednesday.

The nurses on the floor got us a going away gift, a little toy for Jack. It was so thoughtful. We are so lucky to have had such an amazing group of people taking care of us at Arnold Palmer Hospital. We will miss them. I promised to bring Jack by to visit when we see Dr. Knapp throughout this year.

Dr. Jordan from ID came by, the labs finally were normal! Leave it to our kid to wait until the last possible minute. All his inflammation numbers are down. No temp for over 24 hours. We have a follow-up with Dr. Jordan on the 11th, hopefully immediately following his appointment with Knapp, for the REMOVAL, and not RECAST of the cast. Send those prayers out folks. He is going to do a clinical exam to make sure he is still strong and healthy. Apparently it is possible to relapse.  After that appointment,  I hope there are no more follow-ups or no cast to deal with until we have to address his hip later on. PT ladies, this is when I will need your help as to what to do with him after the cast comes off.

The last thing we had to wait for was surgery to remove his Broviac central line. We waited a while, they received an order to make him NPO (nothing by mouth) and Jack got very hungry while waiting. When surgery came  in, it was an older doctor with his Grey's Anatomy team. He was very straight forward, no joking with this guy. He asked one of his students a simple math question (you know the doctor) and it took her FOREVER to answer, and she never really answered, he did for her. Needless to say, I am glad the other doctor was holding the needle. Broviac came out beautifully. No complications.

We busted out at about 3:30pm (ironically this is when Jack made his debut to the world) and we headed home. He wasn't excited about the car ride, but I think it is because his car seat is mildly uncomfortable with the cast. So we shall see if that last the two weeks too. Since he has been home, he has done just fine. We even got to Skype with my sister for an hour, Jack of course fell asleep :)

We wanted to thank all of the people who came out to visit us, Grandma Stevie, Sammy, April/Rafael/Carter, Ty, Kirsten, Addy, Courtney, Randi, Pat, Tom, Uncle Will and Eric, and anyone my absent mindedness forgot. To those who sent us love, Pat, Pam, Jeff/Kerry, Carol/Daniel/M/Carter, Linsey/Logan, Teresa/Loren/Maddy/Myles, and again anyone I can't remember off hand. We are so blessed to have such amazing people in our lives. From our families, to the families we have created along the way in our lives. Heck, I even got support from women (other new and veteran Moms) from multiple pregnancy forums (WTE ladies XOXOXO), my running group (PRC you are awesome! XOXOXO), work friends (XOXOXO) all of the love and prayers helped us to be stronger, and aided in Jack's recovery. He is so strong, I am so grateful.

To our families, thank you! Lizzie, mom, Mumzie, Aunt Della, Andie, Grandma Stevie/Tom, Aunt Pam, Rocky/Mardi, Jen, all the Wilkinson's...what would we do without you. Love.

And a special shout-out to Niko, and JR's colleagues at work. Thank you for being so flexible in your schedules, and with his to allow what started out as a normal follow-up appointment, turned month long stay in the hosptial. You made this alot easier on us! Uncle Paul, and Eric, thank you for being there for JR and providing him with the support and friendship that he needed :)

I will not be updating every day now. I will do a few days from now, and any time we have a follow-up. I am going to turn the blog into Keeping up with Jack.

All my love

Kat

Our last night

Happy Thursday! I hope everyone had a good day. We had a good day, Jack slept a good 6.5 hrs and woke up to Dr. Crawford. Word from ortho is the CT looked good, his hip is still in place and where it needs to be. Knapp is considering cutting the cast on the right side and placing a spaced in order to give Jack some more space since he is still swollen. I have done my best to keep his foot elevated but that's hard when he spits up if his head is down (duh) and he is not comfortable with the foot elevated. So that may be done tomorrow. ID came by, Dr Jordan said to stay away from anti acids because they can lead to infections in babies. The cast is most likely adding to his reflux we were told. We shall see. I may try to find a different formula that addresses the spit up...otherwise we just have to get used to it for now. ID is repeating the labs in the morning, and we are to follow-up in 2 weeks. March 11th we go in for ortho and ID follow up. We have an appt with Dr Otero (our Ped) on Tuesday. ID also gave us some nystatin cream as jacks diaper rash doesn't look any better. Poor kid. Other than that we have continued to say good bye to our favorite nurses as staff as they've gone home today. JR was able to get out and play some golf, and he let me get to yoga. Both of which did us good. Tomorrow is the big day we hope. Prayers for good blood work...and that we get some normalcy for Jack as we venture home. 

3-4 days and counting

Waiting Patiently

Howdy and good evening to all our friends and family. We are 2-3 days out now not including today. Patiently waiting our discharge. Our baby Jack slept 9 hrs last night only waking for minutes at a time to eat. He slept right through diaper changes which if any of you have ever been in a room with Jack during a diaper change you'd know this is awesome. The pain during changes was the initial indicator that something was wrong with our little miracle. 

Today we saw Dr. Crawford early, she said all is well and the swelling is not an issue still. We just try to keep his foot elevated as much as possible. Dr. Knapp of course followed her, he sounded unsure of what test he wanted to do before we left to ensure that hip is in there. He bounced around with ultra sound and MRI. We ended up getting a CT.  The little frog prince slept right throughout the CT.  Stacy,  our nurse, told us the report says normal. However we shall see what the docs say in the AM. ID didn't come back today, but Stacy told us that they ordered blood work for friday just to check prior to our escape.  Little man had some tummy time today, and some outside time. However, we got nasty swelling in that right foot so we had to spend some time with that foot elevated which he hates. So that was fun for me.  Nikki came in to see if Jack could fit in his infant carseat with the spica cast on, he did with some manipulation however because of the placement we are getting Dr Crawford and knapp to look at it. If not we will be renting a car bed for two weeks to get baby Jack to and fro.

Our favorite night shift nurse last day here with us (she isn't assigned to us) is tonight. So we got to hang out and talk with her for a while. She has kept me sane on nights she's been here talking to me like a person versus a patients mom. And she always went above and beyond for us. We will miss Ms Lisa. We have had so many wonderful nurses both day and night shift. They have had to do so much for our little Jack. From the initial surgery, being a hard stick, triple IV antibiotics continuous, PICC line, plavick brace, taco brace, Broviac, second surgery, spica cast. They have seen him go from 6 lbs 9 oz to the estimated 8-9 lbs that he is now. I hate to say it, but I'm going to miss some of these ladies very much and feel blessed we had such a great floor!

Grandma Stevie took our other babies (Naomi and bogey) home tonight! One step closer to getting home. Hope you all have a great Thirsday...I hope we have nothing but good news to report tomorrow :)

6 weeks birthday

Happy Tuesday to everyone. Before I forget, thank you to Jeff and Kerri for your card, and of course Aunt Jan and Uncle Bob as well. We are so grateful for everyone's kind thoughts and prayers! 

JR, Jack, and I had a nice restful evening. We let JR sleep quite a bit since he's the one working. I had a doctors appointment this morning so I left JR and Jack in the hands of our wonderful nurses. I'm all clear to return to running and yoga yay! 

Little Jack's right foot is still swollen. They did an x-ray to make sure we are ok, according to Stacey the nurse Dr. knapp said it was negative. They said the tummy time is ok and  encouraged. Jack definitely prefers to be on his tummy. ID is all the same. He's on course. 

Jack's grandma Stevie came today to visit and bring lunch before JR headed off to work. She's still very close to getting a real smile but Jack is holding out. One day soon :)

Other than that, another day down! 3-4 more!

Love JR Kat and Jack

Marvelous Monday

Happy going home week!

Hello friends and family! We are at 6 days and counting if they make us stay until Saturday. Jack and I are rested and he is still sleeping as I write this! We still had swelling this morning but not as bad as the evenings. Dr Crawford was back and both she and Dr. Knapp think it is him growing into the cast and positioning. If they need to recast they will before we leave. If not when we follow up we will get recasted or removed. Temp is good this morning. Once last night he was at 99. They also weighed him last night, with the cast he was 10lbs, 4 oz! Big boy!!! They drew his blood for Monday labs. Dr. Jordan from ID came by. The red and white blood counts are back to normal despite the antibiotics (yay), the sed rate is normal, the CRP did not change. Still a go to get our last dose of antibiotics on Friday! He said we will have to follow up in two weeks, if clinically he looks good then they will follow up in a few months. Apparently it's easy to rebound with GBS. So we will follow up with ID and Ortho pretty regularly. 

Poor Jack has a little bout of diaper rash on top of everything. Will have to discuss it with ID and ortho probably the antibiotics giving him diarrhea and causing the rash. Cause this kid does not allow himself to sit long in a dirty diaper he lets us know immediately! It's the one cry I have down. 

They are also checking with general surgery to get the removal of the Broviac scheduled, and nursing is coming by today to fit our little man for his special rental car seat. 

Slow Sunday

Slow Sunday

Hello all. Still no word from ID, they must not stop in on weekends. I saw Dr. Layman at the nurses station this morning, he usually does that first then comes by. Never did. I am going to ask him about discharge tomorrow. Dr. Knapp and Dr. Peck came by, jack's foot is still swollen but they are still monitoring. Basically they said there is no reason for it but they can take the cast off anytime of necessary. Because babies grow so fast they do a lot of cast changes apparently. 

Jack was restless again last night, sleeping in 30 hr to hour spurts. So mom is officially tired for the first time. Today I had finally gotten him to lie down after a few hours and the nurse decides it's a good time to take vitals. 7 hrs later he finally went to sleep but only downstairs where I can't sleep. The other thing is I have ZERO privacy here and the staff has IMPECCABLE timing. Im over the food here as can't wait to cook. Something you'd usually never hear me say. I want to be on my own schedule (well Jacks lets face it he's in charge), and I want out of this hospital!!!

Grandma Stevie came  to visit. She brought strawberry pie :) yum! She almost got Jack to smile! Which would have been awesome!!!! He's teasing us so far, you can tell he wants too lol. Thank you Stevie for the visit, I'm starting to lose my mind in here. JR also noticing mom needed a break came home took Jack downstairs and let me sleep a few hours and get my shower in. I'm proud to say I haven't missed a shower yet!

Anywho, thankfully there wasn't a lot to update. 

Simple Saturday

Good evening friends and family! We are at 7 days and counting. I have to talk with ID on the day. His last day of antibiotics is Friday. He will need to have his Broviac removed by the surgical team prior to going home. No that doesn't mean another surgery. They can do it bedside, but a surgeon will do it versus a nurse. All is the same. No fever (knock on wood) all night, and through today! Jack has actually spent the better part of the day sleeping. Last night he had a great sleep 2.5 hrs, eat 3 oz pattern. I felt rested and he's been out most of the day. We went and hung out in the lobby downstairs and had some hot chocolate. I bought Jack a new book. It's the song, "he's got the whole world in his hands." As well as a chocolate fix for me. We had visitors, April and Rafa came. They brought me a panera fix and a cute onesie for Jack. It's so nice to get visitors after being here so long! It helps get my mind off the crazy and allows me to have actually conversations! Thank you to everyone who treks out here I know it's far! 

This evening Jack got fussy. He also went into the 99 range and his foot swelled. Lisa (our favorite nurse) called ortho and Dr. Peck told her to try elevation and ice. Jack isn't on an IV any longer so there are not many reasons for him to have swelling. Lisa was told to keep an eye on it. Apparently Dr. Peck was still in the building finishing up a surgery with Dr. Knapp and she stopped by to check cause she was still here. Jacks blood flow in the toes is normal (cap refill), and his pulse is strong. So we are watching it tonight. We also got him

Some Tylenol for the pain and low grade fever. 

Other than that we are all good here. A little bit longer!

1 week to go

One week to go

Happy Friday to you all! We are officially 1 week away from going home hopefully! Last night Jack was restless part of the night and awake for the other getting 30-1hr every once in a while. He did not want to sleep on the bed so the recliner was our space.  So of course, little man slept quite a but this morning. 

Doctors: All is well with his hip/cast right now. They check on his skin daily as well as the fit of the cast. ID came by and all is well there. Really no change. He was in the 98 range all night except once. Which is about his normal. Dr. Layman was joking about how we are going to miss him when we leave...um probably not. We will miss folks actually. Our staff here has been wonderful. Must remember to get thank you cards out. 

Jack had a very fussy day. After trying to limit his intake he seems a bit irritated. But it's a matter of delivery and what not. Making sure not to move him to much after he eats, position, pacing etc. He hates to be wet, and usually urinates during a feed. So right after he starts to cry to be changed. So we lay him down to change him and BAM spit up central. I'm trying to work through those to get his stomach settle before the change but that's not always easy. 

Too cold to go outside today boo. I will post a new video and a pic to Facebook. Sorry for the technical difficulties! 

Love Kat 

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day from Jack, JR, and myself!  Today is just another day in our family, we have never celebrated Valentine's Day. Especially with an anniversary two days prior, it is over kill to do both. However, Jack did get his nurses some chocolate, and by nurses I of course mean his girlfriends.  We slipped out of the room a few times today, but Mr. Jack was very tired today. He would eat, and go right to sleep. We actually slept quite a bit last night as well, getting 7 hours total in a 3, and 4 hour spurt.

Doctors: Dr. Knapp and Dr. Crawford both came to visit Jack. Crawford comes just to say hi, but she generally does a little more with Jack than Dr. Knapp. Just another woman he has tied around his finger. She was able to get a peek at the bottom portion of Jack's hip incision as the dressing is starting to come up. She said it actually looks healed! So, the dressing may look scary, but the skin is intact, and actually looks better than the last time.  So, as far as ortho is concerned, we are doing great. ID (Dr. Layman & Co) came down as well. They are staying on schedule with antibiotics, of course still watching those low grade fevers, but still don't seem too concerned. They also say we are on course to get out of here a week from tomorrow!  Jack still has the ampicillin smell to him (to those of you who don't know, it is funky), they think it might be from the cast, which is hard to keep clean most of the time, and one accident can kill the whole thing. So...the good news is, before we leave, Jack may have gained enough weight and grown to require a cast change, or at the 4 week check up when they decide whether the cast stays or goes, the same thing might happen.  Dr. Otero, this is Jack's regular pediatrician, called to check up on him. She is happy with the progress he is making. but she did say we may be feeding him too much. She gave us a schedule, and some suggestions, however I still am going to keep on all of them about reflux, he just shows signs of it, and he may feel better if we put him on something. Surprisingly, he still nurses 3-4 times a day, which is nice for me as I wanted to do it for at least 6 months. He is taking more formula than before of course, but it gives us a few feeds that are just him and myself.

Gabi, the family social worker, came by again today. I don't know if I have shared about her before. She basically is there to make sure that I haven't slit my wrist yet. She is the cutest little lady, barely seems out of high school to be honest. I always let her know I have an amazing support system in friends and family, and that both JR and I are doing great. We are ready to leave mind you, but handling this the best we can.

Being as it was so cold today, Jack and I wandered the hospital instead of going outside to the pirate ship. I didn't have warm enough clothes for him or myself. I also couldn't get a picture in today...so I enclosed two old ones. One is of JR holding Jack for the first time, and the other is of Jack dressed up for Dr. Otero. The frog up top is a gift from Grandpa Rocky and Mardi...thanks you guys! Grandma Stevie also made it, along with Tom to visit today. It is always nice to see them both :)
Jack also got a care package from Grandma Debra! Thanks Ma!  All-in-all, it was a wonderfully boring day. We are counting down those days!! Perhaps at that point, we will make this a weekly blog on the going ons of Jack. Who knows?  I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday, and if you get a 3 day weekend, that you have big plans! Floridans it is going to be cold bundle up!

XOXO Kat

Hump Day

Wednesday, February 13, 2012

My power cord was cut by the super comfy brown recliner chair last night so for the res of our stay I will be updating from my iPhone so bare with me. I don't have the liberty to go to the Mac store and get another one yet.

Doctors: dr. Knapp came in early before I was awake, but like ID is going to each those temps closely. Jack stayed in the 99 area last night. Jack and I did 2-3 hr stretches, walked the floor after he got all his burps in, and then were able to lay down next to dad for 2-3 hrs. He's eating about 4-5 oz over an hour, 3 right away then after a FEW diaper changes he will take a half ounce to an ounce before calming down and dozing off. At 6, I ask JR to take a round if feeding and changing, he kept him until 12 when Maggie Jo (nurse), came in to change the dressing on the Broviac. It's been a week since jack had his second surgery. And he seems to be doing ok.


Ok so Jack will take 2-4 oz of formula and then spits a whole bunch up. Going to discuss this with the doctor tomorrow. I just don't remember kiddos spitting up this much. Any thoughts veteran parents?

Jack and I took a few walks today, and as we hoped we had a terribly boring day :) I took pictures and will post them on FB because the phone won't put them on this page. I already miss my Mac!
Happy Valentine's day tomorrow!!!

Happy 3rd Anniversary

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

 

Today is JR and my 3^rd wedding anniversary, and despite being in the hospital we are celebrating as usual, just without the fancy dinner and with the addition of one cute little baby. At the end of March, we will have been together for a decade. Insane. Time goes by fast.

Doctor Update: Dr. Crawford and Dr. Knapp came in today. Said they are going to continue to follow the blood work, and temperatures as well as consult with ID for Jack’s course. They may have to take the cast off and reexamine the hip again if he continues to have these low-grade fevers and upward trending lab work.  Dr. Layman, came in with his very young residents, and basically said the same thing. He is happy with the antibiotics but would like to see that blood work trending down, so if he continues to have low-grade fevers, he will repeat the blood work prior to Monday.  Other than that, all is boring with the medical updates.

Jack is going through a growth spurt, and he is eating NON-STOP, which means he is going to the bathroom NON-STOP but on the up side of that…he is gaining weight, and if that is considered a “problem,” I will take it!  He is starting to fill out his chunky cheeks, and growing out of that newborn look. He is so handsome. Today he wore his gift from Ashley, a doctor onesie. Which is super adorable. So of course all his girlfriends, had to get pictures. The nurses all love him.  They also got us dessert and an anniversary card for our dinner tonight. How sweet is that? I guess when you spend 2.5 weeks with a group of people you are bound to get attached. Jack and I got to go outside 3 times today, for an hour each.  He slept all three hours!

JR and I had a wonderful anniversary dinner at APH. JR brought us dinner from Old Hickory, and I got a beautiful bag from Fendi for our BIG NIGHT OUT dinner in June. I bought JR a pair of his favorite shoes, and two belts. Leather is the traditional gift to give on the 3^rd anniversary and looks like we both stayed with tradition. Thank you for all the well wishes, gifts, and love!

Updates tomorrow…to be honest I hope it is a boring day! J

More on Monday

Monday, February 11, 2013

Doctors: Dr. Knapp, and Dr Crawford were back in this morning. They checked Jack out, discussing the removal of his hip dressing. It is pretty much inaccessible given that the kid is wearing a full cast. They said it should be good because usually the dressing is not viewable like Jack’s is, and they are not removed. All looks good in ORTHO world.

Dr. Layman was back from ID.  He changed Jack’s antibiotics from amp, to rocephin. The rocephin covers both the e. coli, and the GBS. Blood work from this AM showed the CRP increased by .10, which isn’t much, but you want to continue to see a DOWNWARD pattern in the inflammatory markers, and that is an increase. So with the low-grade fever Jack has on and off, it was advised we address that with a cover all antibiotic. They are continuing to monitor him closely for infection, will repeat blood work on Monday (Hopefully out last Monday here) and go from there. They said that he is still on the road to going home after 28 days of therapy. They will not be coming everyday, but if we need them, they are a page away. 

 

Jack didn’t sleep well last night, only getting an hour or two stretches, and then today he slept at the most an hour an a half total. So by time Grandma Stevie and Dad came home, he was so fussy. Still not bad mind you, but restless and tired. He is very gassy. So we picked up some of the Little Remedies gas drops, and gave him some Tylenol to cover the fevers. Stevie was so nice and brought an anniversary present for JR and myself…Thank you Stevie! We also got a small gift from Tanna, and Ashley/Brandon, so I will take pictures tomorrow…you will love them! Aunt Pam also sent us a care package which was awesome to get as well! Thank you to you all.

Jack got to go outside with JR and I for a while, still didn’t calm him down. And as of right now, he is still fussy. So update will be short. All is well, we just keep going back and forth with the fevers. Thank you for all the love, keep it coming, it is keeping us strong and getting us through this time.

XOXO

Sluggish Sunday

Sunday February 9, 2013

Good evening all! I hope that your weekend was good, especially your Sunday.  JR, Jack, and I had a great day.

Doctors: Dr. Phillips (accent guy) basically ran in and out today, just asked when ID was planning on sending us home. ID didn’t come by today, I am not sure why, but it is Sunday. I expect them twice tomorrow because we have blood work. Jack did have to have the cap of the Broviac changed. Every few days they have to change the cap where they push the medication to keep it as infection free as possible. They have to gown and mask up using sterile supplies and everything.  Other than that, he had his normal day with meds at 6 and 12. He had his favorite day shift nurse today, Stacey, but of course everyone came to visit him. He is quite the ladies man here on the ortho/neuro floor of Arnold Palmer Hospital.

For mom, I got to go out this morning to run an errand (I wanted to find a Seahawks shirt for Jack now that he is sporting Seahawk green) and then meet up with the PRC. What is the PRC you ask? Panera Running Club. A while back a few ladies and their husbands from another online running club I belong too (Bling Ho’s) decided to start a Sunday morning run at the West Orange Trail, after they hit up Panera to celebrate their miles. Now, when I say miles, I mean, all of these ladies were training for their first marathon. So they were getting up to run 15-20 miles at 530 in the morning…believe me, the bagels were a must! This group helped me stay active during my pregnancy, often someone doing fewer miles to run out with me at least 5 miles up until I was 37 weeks pregnant. They have become another family that I absolutely adore!  One of the ladies is a special education teacher in Florida, and she had asked for a ream of paper from her office to print out her curriculum for the month. She was denied, told that she had received one the previous month. So as a surprise, we all pitched in and bought her a ton of paper, and school supplies for the classroom. This is the king of thing this group does for each other. They also organized a baby shower for me, and we have run many races together. So shout out to the PRC, thanks for the love. As a matter of fact, Jack got a Donald from Della and Paul J

Then I went home to drop off some laundry, and then headed out to run my errand. We spent our afternoon watching golf with dad, and enjoying the day. JR and Jack got to go outside while I was out today, so nice to be able to move around with him. Tomorrow we have our medical teams back, and blood work, will keep you updated!

Happy Sunday!

Sweet Saturday...13 Days to go!

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Good evening all! What a wonderful day Jack and I had while JR was at work.  We had a lazy start because lets face it, we can. The evening went well, Jack slept in 2-3 hour spurts, and had one very awake period where we played quietly.  When dad left we got up, and went to sleep and did that a few more times before getting dressed for the day and having breakfast. Not to shabby.

Doctors: Dr Insert Guy with Accent name here, and Dr. Tall, super young, Dugie Howser name here. These guys come in when I am knocked out sometimes. They were on-call this weekend for Dr. Knapp and company. They checked his cast, and feet (of course he wiggled for them) and all is still well J  Dr. Jordan (ID) came in  later, he said that it is e. Coli. The second mystery bacteria. They are going to watch his fever, and inflammatory markers closely before changing his antibiotic regiment. So we will see that Monday afternoon. They are going to do blood work Monday morning; good thing is; now with the Broviac central line, they don’t have to stick him again! They just draw from there!  I’m not excited that he has a second bug but we are in a hospital. He has been running the same pattern of fever that he has since he was born. He hovers around the upper 98’s and lower 99’s. Apparently these are not considered fevers for a kid his age, or the cast too.  If the inflammatory markers go up, or he gets a legitimate fever, his course will change in order to fight the e. coli. 

So, now that we have been here for two weeks, I have to tell you. All-in-all, this hospital is wonderful. But, Arnold, if you are reading…you have to do something about the chairs in the rooms. Exhibit A: The hard chair, these things are basically made of concrete, there are four in our room and were the only options for us on day 1-2. The nurses asked us if we’d like a recliner brought to the room. Exhibit B: The misrepresented recliner. This thing looks super comfortable, but you’re in the chair for longer than a few hours, you’re in for a surprise and bruised tailbone. JR and  I were actually considering bringing in our fold up outdoor chairs that you take to sporting events and firework displays….that is how uncomfortable these chairs are. Though, I have to tell you, now that our little one is on the mend, these chairs are no big deal…

 

On the mend? What do I mean? Little one is responding to all kinds of stimulation on his right foot! Moving it, stretching, it is awesome! I attached a video for those of you who don’t check facebook. I can’t wait to see him without this cast on, I am going to be a mess when he actually starts to crawl or walk! I don’t care how long it takes.

Jack and I also got to go outside today for the first time in our 15 days! They have a beautiful play area outside all Disney'd out. I didn't take a picture of the full play area but I will tomorrow. Jack slept the entire hour we were out there, but we got our vitamin D, and fresh air. It was good for me too!

I guess that is it for today! We had a wonderful day with 3 walks, 2 with mom, 1 with dad when he got home. We shall see what tomorrow holds for us. Have a beautiful Sunday everyone. 

Two Weeks Down...Two to Go!

Friday February 8, 2013

It’s Friday again, and we have officially been here 2 weeks with Jack. The days seem to drag, but it is hard to believe that we are half way there pending the doctors release us after 28 days. Since we have been here, Jack has had surgery twice, received 14 days of IV antibiotics to fight off Group B Strep, has had 2 braces, and 1 cast. He has gained over a pound, and is still breastfeeding for his primary source of nutrition. All-in-all, I’d say it hasn’t been so bad.   We have received an amazing amount of prayers and support from our blood family, and the families we have created a long the way, like Stone Crest family, or the PRC. Incredible to see how many people out there love us.

Last night was a good night, we had some hiccups now and again. Jack gets very fussy (rightfully so) when the pain medications start to wear off. Unfortunately they did, and I couldn’t settle him down. This is one of the most frustrating things so far about being a parent. If he is upset, there is almost nothing I can do to stop him from crying until you find that one thing that is bugging him. For instance, if he needs a diaper change. He doesn’t not like to be dirty at all, so as soon as he goes, he tells us unless he is in a coma sleep.  Around 2 he woke up and I changed his diaper, and tried to nurse him, but he wouldn’t have it. 30 minutes later his meds kick in, and he is able to nurse without a problem and passes back into sleep. Nursing is still ok, I am getting concerned about supply, I can only give him what he needs in the NOW, I am not able to pump and get a real supply going. Which for when I get back to work is a problem. So it may be that Jack only gets this first two months for BF’ing. Needless to say that I am proud of us that we are still going strong even with all that we’ve been through this two weeks.

 

Dr. Crawford stopped in to visit Jack today, all is well in ortho land. Dr. Jordan came, while I was sleeping, and said that Jack would continue the 28 day plan, so hopefully around the 22^nd we go home. He also informed JR that Jack had another bacteria in the cultures from the second surgery but nothing to be alarmed about. Will try to figure out the name just for peace of mind on my side of things.

Jack also decided to treat mom and dad with his first BM with the Frog Prince Cast on. Boy, that was fun. We found new uses for q-tips. But we got everything cleaned up and pretty. We are figuring out the spica cast real quick.

JR and I got to hang out today a bit, and for once I won in Mexican Train. If you’ve never played that game, look it up, come to our house, whatever, just play. Cause it’s fun.  While JR was holding Jack today he wiggled BOTH his feet!!!! First time he has done that with the RIGHT. How exciting! He seems to be more comfortable today, definitely got more sleep, and when he was awake he was very alert!

Jack got to meet his Great Uncle/My God Father Wally today as well. Which was pretty cool, because it is a rare occasion we get to see Wally. He was driving down to Key West and stopped off. He got Jack a couple really cool gifts. We took pictures of the giraffe from Aunt Lizzie. Mr. Tall is his name, and he has a shirt with the coug symbol and Jack’s full name. So cool. 

In addition to it being our 2^nd week here, it is also Jack’s 1 month birthday today! Our little man is 1 month old already. Again, I can’t believe he has been in our lives for a month already. As I sit here typing at the computer, he is lying in my lap sleeping and I am astounded by how much you can love someone you have only known for a month. To know how hard it was for us to get pregnant and the trials that endured during that to my handsome son sleeping peacefully after a successful pregnancy and labor/delivery. It seems simply impossible for me to love him more than I do right now, but I know that nothing is impossible. In celebration of his month birthday, Jack had visitors. April, Rafael, Carter, and of course Grandma Stevie came out to spend the evening with us. April and Co, brought this beautiful cake.

 

Tomorrow is just Jack and me again, we are going to venture out to the pirate ship, pictures to follow.