Easter Pics

Ok, here's the catch-up post

So, I know it's been a few months! We have been so busy!! Right after Hunter came home, was my baby shower. Weird because they are usually BEFORE the baby, but not this time. My awesome cousin and my best buddy down here threw it. It was so great!! We got some great things for Hunter and it was just nice to visit with my girlfriends and relax and feel kinda normal!! Thanks Loke and Stacia and everyone that came and all those who have supported us throughout all this craziness. We fell truly blessed. March was okay, just hard because we couldn't take Hunter anywhere except his doctor appointments, which is a lot and I swear take at least half the day! When it's for a baby/child, they should just let you go right in!! :) He's a trooper though and always does good. April was good-ish. Long story short, Reagan got sick, which got Hunter sick. We were watching him super close and tried to keep the house clean and them seperate, but over the weekend, he started coughing more. Monday morning he was really pale (more than normal for us!) and his heart was beating so hard we could see it moving under his clothes. We took him into his pediatrician early that morning and he called the ambulance to take him to the ER. They did tons of tests and x-rays and ruled out RSV. They admitted him to Pediatrics and just figured he had a virus, but didn't know what kind. By the end of the day, they had the intubator ready and moved him into Peds ICU. He got worse for a few more days, had to have a million more pokes and x-rays, and the 24/7 breathing tent then treatments every 2 hours and then he rallied!!! He is so strong and such a little fighter. He was there for 5 days and we were so ready to be done with hospitals! We also found out that the NICU messed up some of his testing when he was born and so more issues compounded this stay. That's a story for another day though. It just made us realize that although he's growing and has rolls, his little insides are still way underdeveloped. As much as we are so ready for normalcy, we still have to be so careful. Oh, on a good note, I was super bummed when all this happened because 3 days before, his pulmonologist was getting ready to schedule the sleep study to see if he could come off oxygen. He was at 1/16 flow then, his pediatrician moved him to a 2 flow before ER, and his Peds doctor said we would have to wait until the summer to think about it coming off, however, because Hunter is awesome, they started weening him and by the last day-ish, took him off and just left the monitor on to make sure he didn't DSAT and he did great!! Alas, no oxygen!! :) ie. no tanks to carry around and stepping on his cord and about ripping his nose off!! :)

Hunter about 11 weeks old

So, this is all weird, so in the next post is Easter and then Hunters PICU pictures. The above pictures are: my dad and Reagan putting on a recital for us, my brother having tea party with Reag while she was sick (he's so sweet! and single!!), and the last is Reagan with cousins Mikell and McKayla at McKayla's 4th b-day.

I know, it's been awhile!!!

I will be posting soon and it will be tons with definite picture overload. In the meantime, enjoy these two youtube links of Hilary Weeks. She is hilarious! She did these songs at a Time Out For Women I went to awhile ago and I died laughing the whole time. It's all too true! Enjoy!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I8FCgaoaG8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6ujADXp0dM

Hunter's Announcement

Here's Hunter's announcement. We only sent one to people that aren't local so I figured I would also post it so everyone could see. This picture was at around 6 1/2 weeks. (He's still on oxygen, just took it off for some pictures!)

My Ten Motherhood Mysteries

1. How mother's survive on such little sleep?
2. Does the "front butt" ever really disappear?
3. Is a mother's house every really as clean as it once was?
4. Does time actually stop while you are looking at your child?
5. Where does the day actually go?
6. Does motherhood actually increase your ability to rhyme?
7. Does shopping for clothes ever become fun again?
8. Does motherhood come with an increased sense of sound (to hear your baby) and a decreased sense of smell to endure all sorts or baby bodily functions?
9. How do mother's accomplish so much with only the use of one hand?
10. Does any mother know they could love a little person so much?

More Pics!

Recent at top again!

He's Home!!!

Ok, so I've been a slacker/had a newborn home! It's official, he is home!! Hunter came home on February 17th. He was 4 pounds 13 ounces. They kept talking about him coming home and I just kept figuring they would wait until he was off the oxygen, but no, they sent him home on it. The blood transfusion did help the anemia and did reduce his oxygen even further, but he wasn't able to come completely off. Anyways, needless to say, I was bummed and so scared!! Nick and I roomed in the night before to make sure we were okay with it. You see, he came home with oxygen, but with no monitors. We were mostly nervous that he would pull it out, we wouldn't know it, and he would DSAT. I mean, I can't watch him 24/7 (although I think I did the first few days). So the room-in was fine, except reminded me of the no sleep that new moms really get. I went home and prepared to go back and get him when Nick got home from work that day. Well, in order to come home, he has to pass his carseat challenge. He has to be able to sit in his carseat for an hour and a half. Well, he failed...twice. So as if I'm not already nervous, now we are thinking he is coming home too soon. They were talking about sending him home in a carbed. Scary!!! Anyways, the pro came in and decided he is too small for our normal carseat and tried a preemie one. He passed and got to come home. PS. Who knew they made preemie carseats?? They look the same, but they have extra slots for the straps to go lower. Anyways, he is home and well. We figured we would jsut keep his hands covered with gowns and we swaddle him like crazy. We are brave now and his hands are out alot. He is more durable than I thought and hasn't stopped breathing yet, that I know of! :) Nonetheless, we haven't killed him and he is thriving!! :) A few weeks ago he was 5.13!!! We go to the dr's again tomorrow and I'll have a new weight for him. He is starting to get the double chin!!! It's still small, but hey I'll take it! He has updates with the eye, heart, and lung dr's for awhile along with the normal ped. But he's doing well and we feel so blessed! Anyways, things are good! Reagan has been really sweet with him and asks to touch him and hold him. She is our sanitizer queen and reminds everyone! She is also my runner. I almost feel bad that I ask her to get so many things, but it's nice!! Anyways, things are good and we are trying to get back used to everything. He is a good baby, but is definately getting spoiled. He's also much rather lay in our bed than the bassinet. He'd loves to be held, which is fine because I love to hold. I'm much more relaxed this time and not caring about pushing him along. With Reag I was always wishing. "I can't wait till she smiles, crawls, walks (what was I thinking?!), talks (REALLY, what was I thinking?!)." Now i don't want him to do those things! He is very alert now and his head is really strong. I'm don't push anything along so far and am just trying to enjoy it!!! I'm so thankful that I was even able to get pregnant this time, let alone have a healthy baby after all that has happened. And to get a boy along with my funny, sweet girl, is just perfect. We obviously could have done it a better way, but I would do it all over again to get Hunter. All you moms know that words can't describe how much and how quickly you can love someone. I am eternally thankful that my Heavenly Father would trust me enough to give his son to me. Thanks for all your support during this hard time. Things are better and we love you!! Again, picture overload!!!! The most current are at the top!

Thanks!

Thank you again for all the sweet comments and calls. This has trully been a crazy time for us and so unexpected and emotional and just hard. The sweet words of support and encouragment really do make a difference. Thanks for all the prayers too. We know that is what is getting Hunter better. We have been blessed with such great friends and family. Thanks for all you do! Thank you, thank you!!!

Latest Update

Since the last update, Hunter has gained more weight. He's up to 4.10!! He's doing well eating from a bottle, basically chows down and doesn't pace himself too well. We are working on nursing still. He's getting better, but gets so tired and he's just so little!! He also had a blood transfusion because his red blood cells were low (he was anemic) and also his hemoglobins and other things. They did the transfusion also hoping that would help him get off the oxygen. He has improved with that, but is still on it. The transfusion helped the other things though. They have switched him to home oxygen which he couldn't handle before the transfusion and is now tolerating. They think that maybe he will come home on it. :( SCARY!!! Anyways for now, here are more pictures. He is still tiny, but getting big to us! He's adorable and opening his eyes more and more. He's a good baby and doesn't cry too much, just when he's hungary. Even then he is very patient. We are so in love!!! (The most recent pics are on top, then decend to older ones.)

Ups and Downs

So, a few days ago, Hunter was doing good and they took out his PIC line, his feedings were at 35 cc's (30 cc's is an ounce), but still through a tube, and his oxygen was down to 21%. I bathed him for the first time and then left at 10pm. Then starting at midnight, he started having "episodes" where his heartrate and oxygen dropped 7 different times throughout the night. His heartrate should be at 180, his was dropping to 60. His oxygen needs to be at 80, it was dropping to 40. So, the had to prick him for blood to do labs and start IV's again. SO SAD!!!! They had just taken everything out, and then he had to be pricked lots all over again! Anyways, he has had an infection and they started antibiotics. They had to take him off his feedings and up the oxygen. He also lost a little weight. Really sad, we were bummed that he was going to have to start over again. However, he has rallied!! :) It only took him a few days and he is doing much better! Here is the current update as of today (which many of you know, this could all change by the time you read it-for good or bad). While I was in with him today, his nurse switched him into an open crib!!!! Yesterday they turned off the heat in his incubator to see if he could keep himself warm, therefore not losing any weight. He is doing okay, so they moved him over and keep him bundled! He is also up to 30 cc's feeding and his oxygen is at 25%. He is up to 4 pounds 6 ounces!!!!!! He is now one of the bigger ones in the NICU! Who'd of thought that 4 pounds would be big?! He also has all of his IV's out again, so hopefully, no more pricks. They are trying to get him to take a bottle, but he seems to not want to work for his food! And really why would you if you can just lay there and have it without doing anything?! :) Anyways, I'm nervous though that if he doesn't want to work at a bottle, he'll never want to nurse since that's harder! :) We'll see... Anyways, so as of today, he's doing better!! Thanks again for all the sweet comments and prayers and calls and everything! It helps us so much!! Thanks!!!