Well, it's come to my attention (throat clearing...JANE!!!), that I haven't updated our blog lately. I have been absolutely insane for the last week. I was on call last weekend and had to rummage around for babysitters every day b/c Hunter was reffing all weekend.
Then it hit...Hunter got the swine flu!!!!! It was fabulous. He couldn't get out of bed for days. I was coming into work late and waiting on babysitters. Our normal helpers, Hunter's parents, were out of town all weekend until the middle of the week. READ: No babysitters! So, anyways, we managed. Hunter is still not 100%, but we are pressing on!
Emalinn is doing great. She went to see her regular pediatrician on Friday. All is good. She felt like she was looking wonderful. I talked to her about getting Tennessee Early Intervention involved with Ema's care. They are a state-funded organization that offer PT/OT/Speech Therapy and anything you can think of. They come to your house and everything that your insurance doesn't cover, they do! It's a great thing. Although Ema is doing well, I just wanted to get ahead of the game. Our pediatrician gave us some good news though! She felt like they would come to our house and say why are we here. She's perfectly normal! That was really great to hear. So, for now, we just keep on trucking. We go back to Nashville in three weeks!
That's pretty much all the update I have time to give now. I'll do better this week.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Back to Work
Well, I came back to work yesterday. Things were a little slow-going, but I guess I'm back in the swing of things. I really miss being with the kids though. When I have to leave them again after getting to be home with them, I'm secretly super jealous of Hunter...guess it's not a secret anymore!!
Just an update, Ema is doing well. The coolest thing that Hunter and I noticed after surgery is that she almost immediately had what Hunter calls a "panic button." She had never had a real "soft spot," but after surgery, it was one of the first changes we noticed in her. That's a good thing!!!
I'm only making this blog super short to let everyone know that Ema is doing well, so I won't go off on the tangent that I want to, but I will say that difficult times really do bring out the "true" in your true friends. I really do appreciate all of the prayers, support and help that we had from our family and friends...More on "true" friends later.
Just an update, Ema is doing well. The coolest thing that Hunter and I noticed after surgery is that she almost immediately had what Hunter calls a "panic button." She had never had a real "soft spot," but after surgery, it was one of the first changes we noticed in her. That's a good thing!!!
I'm only making this blog super short to let everyone know that Ema is doing well, so I won't go off on the tangent that I want to, but I will say that difficult times really do bring out the "true" in your true friends. I really do appreciate all of the prayers, support and help that we had from our family and friends...More on "true" friends later.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
New Day, New Stress
Well, we got home Thursday evening after staying for 4 extra hours in the hospital. We were "discharged" at 7 am, but the doctors didn't actually write the orders until 11:30 am. The boys were with Hunter's parents, so we sent them on their way instead of making them wait for us. We got to see Hunter's brother one more time before he headed out to meet his wife for a vacation with her family to Vegas...
Side Note: We are so proud of Heath (Hunter's Brother). He applied and has been
accepted into seminary and is going this fall. It's such an amazing thing to be
called to the ministry and it's so cool to actually know someone who has been
called to serve the Lord through his work!!!
So, we got home after Ema slept the entire way! I couldn't believe it. She did so well and even slept through the night. Of course, I did make Hunter sleep on the couch so that she could have plenty of room to sleep with me!!
We have been spending the last couple of days getting adjusted. The boys came home this evening. I knew I had missed them, but I was so excited to see them!!! Our family will now try to get back to normal. Things will probably not ever be 100 % normal, but we are going to make every effort to try! More to come........
Side Note: We are so proud of Heath (Hunter's Brother). He applied and has been
accepted into seminary and is going this fall. It's such an amazing thing to be
called to the ministry and it's so cool to actually know someone who has been
called to serve the Lord through his work!!!
So, we got home after Ema slept the entire way! I couldn't believe it. She did so well and even slept through the night. Of course, I did make Hunter sleep on the couch so that she could have plenty of room to sleep with me!!
We have been spending the last couple of days getting adjusted. The boys came home this evening. I knew I had missed them, but I was so excited to see them!!! Our family will now try to get back to normal. Things will probably not ever be 100 % normal, but we are going to make every effort to try! More to come........
Friday, October 9, 2009
It's Over...So, Now it begins
Monday...we found out our van's transmission has something wrong with it. It had to be taken to Honda for an official "diagnosis." We of course only had one car which I have to drive to work, leaving Hunter with no car. The next day did not get any better.
Tuesday...I had a terribly rough day at work. It was actually pretty horrible for only a 1/2 day. We didn't get much sleep Monday night, so of course, I was tired and overslept Tuesday morning. On my way to work I was pretty tearful just stressing about Ema. My boss managed to get irritated with me about something first thing Tuesday morning. I became even more tearful. Hunter and I are extremely stressed; therefore, we are short with each other. (Read: Something else to make me cry!!) SO...I left work around 12:45 and made a couple of stops on the way home. The boys went down for nap and we packed our things. We headed to Nashville with both sets of grandparents following. We are lucky to have such a good family support system. We basically put the boys in the car w/ Hunter's parents and Ema rode with us. This way we didn't have to rent a car to take.
After a sleepless night...we got up around 4 am and headed out to the hospital around 6 am. We signed in and were called back around 7:00.
It was actually a really unique experience. The worst thing we had to see Ema go through was taking her vitals. She fell asleep in my mom's arms while we waited on the doctors to come back. We talked to the anesthesiologists, surgeons and that was it. She was actually taken from me at 8:30 (the scheduled surgery time). She was put to sleep with gas before an IV was placed, so she never felt anything. Within about an hour and 15 minutes we were sitting in a conference room talking to the surgeon. All went well and we could see her soon. Within a few seconds of leaving him, we were called back to recovery because she was awake and hungry.
The sight of her was truly as exciting as seeing her for the first time. She was awake and fussy. That was a welcome sound!!!
I really cannot describe what it is like to have your child go through something like this. When they took her from us, it was the most helpless feeling in the world, but seeing her again was the most welcome feeling in the world.
We have a long road ahead of us, but she's actually crying to eat right now, so I'll leave you and catch up again tomorrow.
Thank you, God, for being so good to us!
Tuesday...I had a terribly rough day at work. It was actually pretty horrible for only a 1/2 day. We didn't get much sleep Monday night, so of course, I was tired and overslept Tuesday morning. On my way to work I was pretty tearful just stressing about Ema. My boss managed to get irritated with me about something first thing Tuesday morning. I became even more tearful. Hunter and I are extremely stressed; therefore, we are short with each other. (Read: Something else to make me cry!!) SO...I left work around 12:45 and made a couple of stops on the way home. The boys went down for nap and we packed our things. We headed to Nashville with both sets of grandparents following. We are lucky to have such a good family support system. We basically put the boys in the car w/ Hunter's parents and Ema rode with us. This way we didn't have to rent a car to take.
After a sleepless night...we got up around 4 am and headed out to the hospital around 6 am. We signed in and were called back around 7:00.
It was actually a really unique experience. The worst thing we had to see Ema go through was taking her vitals. She fell asleep in my mom's arms while we waited on the doctors to come back. We talked to the anesthesiologists, surgeons and that was it. She was actually taken from me at 8:30 (the scheduled surgery time). She was put to sleep with gas before an IV was placed, so she never felt anything. Within about an hour and 15 minutes we were sitting in a conference room talking to the surgeon. All went well and we could see her soon. Within a few seconds of leaving him, we were called back to recovery because she was awake and hungry.
The sight of her was truly as exciting as seeing her for the first time. She was awake and fussy. That was a welcome sound!!!
I really cannot describe what it is like to have your child go through something like this. When they took her from us, it was the most helpless feeling in the world, but seeing her again was the most welcome feeling in the world.
We have a long road ahead of us, but she's actually crying to eat right now, so I'll leave you and catch up again tomorrow.
Thank you, God, for being so good to us!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Friends
Sometimes you never know what good friends you have until you need them.
Some good news that I got from a wonderful friend was what a good experience she had at Vanderbilt when her daughter had to have a fairly emergent surgery. She also dealt with Vanderbilt when her daughter later had to go through a battery of testing. She is one of the most calm and collected people I know. We went through 2 1/2 years together in PA school and I'm not sure anything ever rattled her. I, on the other hand, am not wired that way! (This is for those of you reading this that don't know this already!) Just hearing her be so calm about all of the things that her daughter went through and is still going through is truly an inspiration. She is an awesome Christian and I have to thank God that she is in my life.
It's just amazing to see why and when God puts certain people into our lives. I would have never made it through PA school without her. I also probably wouldn't make it through this trial in our lives without her!!!
Actually, we have really good friends these days. We were just talking about it before we even found out that Emalinn was going to have surgery. Friends that we know we can count on no matter what or when we need them. There have been people in both of our lives that have come and gone...it's kind of like we've loved and lost. That's always ok, ya know!
Anyways, just continue to keep us in your prayers. I just got over what we think was the H1N1 flu...That was lots of fun. Pray that no one else in our house gets it!!
More to come...
Some good news that I got from a wonderful friend was what a good experience she had at Vanderbilt when her daughter had to have a fairly emergent surgery. She also dealt with Vanderbilt when her daughter later had to go through a battery of testing. She is one of the most calm and collected people I know. We went through 2 1/2 years together in PA school and I'm not sure anything ever rattled her. I, on the other hand, am not wired that way! (This is for those of you reading this that don't know this already!) Just hearing her be so calm about all of the things that her daughter went through and is still going through is truly an inspiration. She is an awesome Christian and I have to thank God that she is in my life.
It's just amazing to see why and when God puts certain people into our lives. I would have never made it through PA school without her. I also probably wouldn't make it through this trial in our lives without her!!!
Actually, we have really good friends these days. We were just talking about it before we even found out that Emalinn was going to have surgery. Friends that we know we can count on no matter what or when we need them. There have been people in both of our lives that have come and gone...it's kind of like we've loved and lost. That's always ok, ya know!
Anyways, just continue to keep us in your prayers. I just got over what we think was the H1N1 flu...That was lots of fun. Pray that no one else in our house gets it!!
More to come...
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Trip to Vanderbilt
Well, we went to Vanderbilt yesterday. Unfortunately, our news was not any better than what we were told at UAB.
The new doctor was pretty nice. He actually had a much better personality and a lot more patience with us than the other doctor did. That was a good thing. I had two pages of questions to ask, and he sat through and answered all of them.
He reviewed Emalinn's CT scans and was optimistic about them until he compared them and realized that even though the fluid in her ventricles is in excess, it is only in the mild to moderate range. The problem is that the fluid has increased quite a bit in the three months since she was born. He, Dr. Tulipan, also said that he would not wait the three months that Dr. Oakes in Birmingham was willing to wait. He did tell us that the surgery (shunt placement) will "fix the problem." We found out that, while it is a good sign that she is meeting all of her developmental milestones, we will not be able to see what disabilities she may or may not have until she's around a year old. Our pediatrician (whom we love, by the way!) said she was extremely optimistic about how she is developing right now. (She had her four month well-baby check-up on Friday and is doing all that she should be and some. She's been rolling over since she was a little over three months old, and it's not a milestone until their six month check-ups).
So, we got a phone call from Dr. Tulipan's surgery scheduler while we were on our way home from Vanderbilt and she gave us a date to be thinking about for surgery. Hunter and I talked for a long time on Monday evening. We feel that it is going to be in her best interest, before she does start to develop significant side effects from this abnormality, to have the surgery. It is so unimaginable to have your tiny little baby to have surgery, but I want her to live as normal a life as possible. It seems that surgery is the only way for her to do this. She will actually be able to do all of the things that her little body will allow her to do when she gets older, after having the shunt placed (i.e. cheerleading or softball - bet you can't tell which parent asked about which "sport).
I say all of this to tell everyone...Emalinn, unfortunately, is having surgery at Vanderbilt on October 7. We have to be there at 6:30 that morning and the surgery will be at 8:30. It's a 30 minute procedure (so routine to everyone except those of us who are enduring that 30 minutes). We will be in the hospital overnight and as long as there are no complications, we will go home on the 8th. Thankfully, she will only be put to sleep for a very short period of time. That's about all I can say about that. I don't want her to have to be put to sleep at all!
Our pediatrician explained to us that the first 6 months are the most crucial when a baby has a shunt. The risk for infection is extremely high. She will likely have to have scheduled revisions approximately twice in her childhood. That is as long as there are no problems with the shunt. She explained that we will have a very low threshold for any problems.
It's going to be a really long road. I just ask that everyone will pray for Emalinn. She has so many people praying for her now, and every single person that is praying matters. We truly appreciate everyone's thoughtfulness and prayers during this really hard time in our family's lives.
The new doctor was pretty nice. He actually had a much better personality and a lot more patience with us than the other doctor did. That was a good thing. I had two pages of questions to ask, and he sat through and answered all of them.
He reviewed Emalinn's CT scans and was optimistic about them until he compared them and realized that even though the fluid in her ventricles is in excess, it is only in the mild to moderate range. The problem is that the fluid has increased quite a bit in the three months since she was born. He, Dr. Tulipan, also said that he would not wait the three months that Dr. Oakes in Birmingham was willing to wait. He did tell us that the surgery (shunt placement) will "fix the problem." We found out that, while it is a good sign that she is meeting all of her developmental milestones, we will not be able to see what disabilities she may or may not have until she's around a year old. Our pediatrician (whom we love, by the way!) said she was extremely optimistic about how she is developing right now. (She had her four month well-baby check-up on Friday and is doing all that she should be and some. She's been rolling over since she was a little over three months old, and it's not a milestone until their six month check-ups).
So, we got a phone call from Dr. Tulipan's surgery scheduler while we were on our way home from Vanderbilt and she gave us a date to be thinking about for surgery. Hunter and I talked for a long time on Monday evening. We feel that it is going to be in her best interest, before she does start to develop significant side effects from this abnormality, to have the surgery. It is so unimaginable to have your tiny little baby to have surgery, but I want her to live as normal a life as possible. It seems that surgery is the only way for her to do this. She will actually be able to do all of the things that her little body will allow her to do when she gets older, after having the shunt placed (i.e. cheerleading or softball - bet you can't tell which parent asked about which "sport).
I say all of this to tell everyone...Emalinn, unfortunately, is having surgery at Vanderbilt on October 7. We have to be there at 6:30 that morning and the surgery will be at 8:30. It's a 30 minute procedure (so routine to everyone except those of us who are enduring that 30 minutes). We will be in the hospital overnight and as long as there are no complications, we will go home on the 8th. Thankfully, she will only be put to sleep for a very short period of time. That's about all I can say about that. I don't want her to have to be put to sleep at all!
Our pediatrician explained to us that the first 6 months are the most crucial when a baby has a shunt. The risk for infection is extremely high. She will likely have to have scheduled revisions approximately twice in her childhood. That is as long as there are no problems with the shunt. She explained that we will have a very low threshold for any problems.
It's going to be a really long road. I just ask that everyone will pray for Emalinn. She has so many people praying for her now, and every single person that is praying matters. We truly appreciate everyone's thoughtfulness and prayers during this really hard time in our family's lives.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Emalinn's Dedication
For those of you that were there....THANK YOU!!
Emalinn was dedicated at church yesterday, and it was such a special day for us. We now have all of the prayers and support of the entire church which means so much.
We were so busy this weekend...Friday was lunch with friends and I cooked dinner for our friends. Saturday was Touch a Truck at the Riverpark, which our boys absolutely loved, then a birthday/swimming party.
Yesterday was awesome! First we had the actual dedication at church. Our family came for that! We then headed home to a house full of people. All total, I counted 52 people that I could remember being there...WOW! I never knew I'd have enough room for that many people in my house, but apparently I do! There were a lot of children there which I love to see. Our kids played really well with everyone. Really well enough that they took a four hour nap! The last visitor finally left around 9:30 last night!
It was a wonderful day. Again for any of you that read this and were there...Thank you for making Emalinn's day so special!
Emalinn was dedicated at church yesterday, and it was such a special day for us. We now have all of the prayers and support of the entire church which means so much.
We were so busy this weekend...Friday was lunch with friends and I cooked dinner for our friends. Saturday was Touch a Truck at the Riverpark, which our boys absolutely loved, then a birthday/swimming party.
Yesterday was awesome! First we had the actual dedication at church. Our family came for that! We then headed home to a house full of people. All total, I counted 52 people that I could remember being there...WOW! I never knew I'd have enough room for that many people in my house, but apparently I do! There were a lot of children there which I love to see. Our kids played really well with everyone. Really well enough that they took a four hour nap! The last visitor finally left around 9:30 last night!
It was a wonderful day. Again for any of you that read this and were there...Thank you for making Emalinn's day so special!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
