BIG HUGE UPDATE part 2

Before I go any further Kaityn's name is pronounced KATE-IN. A different spelling would be Katen. We just like to be different and challenging....haha. =)  Kaityn Jenieva-Faith (Jenieva: pronounced Geneva- she's named after her great grandmother) and the kids chose Faith.  Diya told me that they chose Faith because they had FAITH in me that I could make it through the rough pregnancy and they had FAITH in God that He would guide us through.  Bless their heart!  I truly have amazing kids!  ♥ them!

Anyway....on with my story....

The kids came to the hospital and met Kaityn.  They all (especially Diya!) just adored her!  Diya got to come and meet Kaity before any of the other kids.  It was special for her! =) My parents, Janice, Ketryna, and the kiddos all came to meet her. It was very nice!

Kaity and I were released to go home on June 29. It was 3 weeks to the day since I had been home! I was sure excited to get home!  Of course the big deal of the day was that Baby Kaity had NO clothes small enough for her to wear home!  Deep went on a hunt for preemie clothing.  He hardly found anything at all!  He went to at least 5 stores and finally at a Carters store they had a small section with preemie clothing.  He bought everything they had for a girl!  So he got her clothes just before we left the hospital!

Kaity was very fussy at home. I have never had a newborn be that fussy...so I wasn't sure what was going on. While we were in the hospital she had a couple of gaggy/choking episodes.  The nurses assured me it was due to "fuzz balls" from the amniotic fluid. When this happened her body stiffened up and she turned red. She wasn't able to get a good breath in.  It scared me terribly.  The nurses checked her each time, and said it was "normal."  So back to her first week home.  She was fussy.  We had a few weight checks. Before we left the hospital she was 4lbs 11 oz.  She dropped down to 4 lbs 5 oz. We had a weight check 2 days late later she had gained 1 oz (this was Thursday) up to 4 lbs 6 oz. 

Kaityn's first week home was a HOT ONE!!! We ended up taking a "stay-cation" to a hotel near here. Our house was 90 degrees inside...way too hot!  So we planned to go stay in this hotel for the weekend...Fri-Sun.

7/7/12: Saturday morning Kaity woke up early. Very early in the morning she started having a seizure/choking/not breathing episode. She had about 5 episodes right in a row.  She would go about 30-45 seconds without catching a breath. Her whole body would stiffen up, eyes would get huge, she turned BRIGHT red all over her body, her lips turned blue, and once she could get a breath she would let out the most terrified/terrifying scream.  It was so incredibly heart breaking to see our baby like this. I woke Deep up because I was so scared. He talked me down....I was completely ready to call 911. Had we of been home I probably would have.  So fast forward a few hours...I noticed Kaity had a "barky" cough.  So I called her pediatrician's after hours phone number. Her pediatrician told us to take the baby to the hospital ER.  At the hotel Deep had taken the kids downstairs to swim.  So I went down and explained to him that we needed to go to the ER. They all got out of the pool, got ready, and we headed home then toward the hospital.  Thankfully we had Janice and Ketryna here still. They stayed with the kids so we could both take Kaity to the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital in the evening. It was before dinner time. The triage nurse checked Kaityn's vitals. Immediately we were walked to a trauma room. Her heart rate was dropping very low...like 50s when it should have been well over 100-120. Her O2 was low, and her respiration count was decreased. We got followed into a trauma room with a peds crash cart! The room filled up with people...quickly!  They got my itty bitty baby hooked up to lots of monitors and an IV.  A neonatologist came to check her out.  They did lots of tests.  The decision was made to transport her to Children's Hospital of Michigan AKA Detroit Children's Hospital. She HAD to be transported via PANDA One. (Pediatric and Neonatal Dedicated Ambulance). So we waited on PANDA One to get to Huron Valley to transport her. They arrived between 8 & 8:30. After taking all of her info, getting her loaded and such...we were on the road to transport her at 9 PM. We arrived at CHM at 10 PM.  We were taken into the ER. The first thing I remember is being bombarded by the ER staff. I remember a specific gal asking us..."Do you bed share? Where does she sleep? Was your breast covering her mouth/nose when this happened? Was her face in a pillow or blanket?"etc. The questions seemed to never end, and while I realize they are standard questions to ask of this type of situation...it was VERY overwhelming at that moment.  I was trying to get in my child's ER room to be with her when they unloaded her from the incubator (that's what they transported in for the ambulance ride) as she was screaming, and this woman was blocking me from entering the room.  I started getting quite angry with the woman, and it was visible on my face and in the way I spoke to the lady.  FINALLY I think she sensed my anger and let me get to my child.  Kaity had several tests done...from bloodwork, urine analysis, etc. The Dr. came in and spoke with us and informed us that she needed a spinal tap.  I nearly broke down.  A spinal tap on a 10 day old baby...this was the same procedure that left me nearly lifeless a few months earlier.  I had to leave the room when this procedure was done. I couldn't handle my sweet little baby going through that. =( Deep stayed with her.  He text me when they were done, and I immediately went in to be with my girl. The decision was made to move her to NICU.  We got no real answers as to what was going on in the ER.

I will write our NICU story in the next post....stay tuned for part 3!

***Again written over several days and not yet proof read!***

Kamdyn- 4th grade, Diya- 2nd grade, & Max- kindergarten

Yesterday we got word that the kids report cards were available on Skyward. We checked them with the kids on the phone, and we were so very pleasantly surprised!!!

Kamdyn struggled for a short bit this year, but she completed the year with all As!!! She did very well in the last 9 weeks! =)

Max did well. He is right where he is supposed to be as far as academics, and he is progressing very well on his Speech IEP.

Diya.....I can't even begin to explain how extremely proud we are of Diya....more that she should be very proud of herself!!! The last half of the year has been very hard for Diya. Since my health has taken a turn for the worst our whole family has been in "survival mode" in a sense. We have not had a lot of extra time or energy to do anything extra. Me being sick has truly taken a HUGE toll on our whole family. A few months ago Diya's teacher emailed us to inform us that Diya had not done/or turned in her homework in over a month nor had she been reading any books. Diya has always been a hesitant reader...so for her to go without reading for a month was detrimental to her education! (Please no judgements as Deep & I already hold ourselves responsible, and we worked through this issue!) It was highly recommended that Diya go to summer school so she could catch up and avoid the summer slide. We made an appt to talk to Diya's teacher & guidance counselor. We explained our family situation to both. We explained that our family is going through a lot right now, and basically we are living in survival mode. We are fighting to keep Mom (me) alive and going. Both Diya's teacher and guidance counselor understood our situation, and both offered lots of advice & offered to step in and help with Diya. The guidance counselor started meeting with Diya so she could talk to her about her feelings with me being so sick and constantly in and out of the hospital. It is important to remember that for the greater part of our kids lives Deep and I have been on our own. We have never had family close by to help out. Deep & I are our childrens' parents and that is how it is. Since I've been sick we've had people in and out of their lives. It is a big change. When we spoke with Diya's teacher she was very worried that with the advancement changes in the reading curriculum that Diya would test below or approaching grade level for reading, and the other grades would not be good either. So with Diya's teacher, guidance counselors, and the little extra effort that Deep, myself, Kamdyn, Janice, Ketryna, and my parents have put in....I am so INCREDIBLY PROUD to share that Diya tested AT grade level for reading, and her math benchmark was 95%!! She finished the year with a BANG! We are soooooooooooo incredibly proud of her, and she should be soooooooooo incredibly proud of herself!!! Diya will be doing a couple of summer reading/writing programs, and hopefully that will keep her on track for 3rd grade!!

So as of last week....we currently have Kamdyn as a 5th grader, Diya as a 3rd grader, Max as a 1st grader, and Kohen as a 2nd year preschooler! Our kids are amazing, and they should all be as proud of themselves as we are proud of them!

Kiddos, Momma & Daddy love you with all of our heart, and we are so very proud to be your parents!! =)

35 weeks!!

How far along? 35 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: -1

Sleep: OK...been taking Ambien so I've been sleeping OK.

Best moment this week: Having my growth scan this morning. Baby is measuring 5 lbs 11 oz! Having my Mom, Dad, Deep, my kids, Janice, and Ketryna come to the hospital and having Father's Day lunch with me. I got to leave L&D and go to the cafeteria for a little bit! Having Deep stay at the hospital with me, and seeing him be so very caring for me. He is the best! =) For our anniversary on Saturday he brought me up dinner from Outback. We had steak, crab cakes, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, bloomin' onion, ahi tuna, and yummy ice cream for dessert. He also brought me calla lillies and a cute little pink teddy bear. I gotta say that I married 1 amazing man! I feel so blessed!

 Movement: Baby gets monitored a couple times a day. She likes to play hide 'n seek with the monitors.

Food cravings: seafood, steak & Caesar salad =(

Gender: GIRL!!! She is for sure a SHE!!! =)

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: feeling good, being at home with my kids, not puking all the time.

What I am looking forward to: holding this baby in my arms! I can't wait to see her perfect little face! =)

Milestones: 35 weeks!!! WOW...WOW! I had an ultrasound growth scan this morning and she weighed 5 lbs 11 oz. She is measuring right on to a little on the bigger side! My heart is filled with so much love for this little girl. I can't wait until she is here!

Updates in general: I am at a therapeutic level of heparin. I get 2 bags of heparin a day via IV. I spoke with Dr. Puter (peri) last Friday, and she said we can induce at 36 weeks...that means in ONE week my baby daughter will be in my arms! YAY! =) I will probably be in the hospital until baby is born. Last night I started having bad back pain and having contrax every 10-12 mins. I got a vag check and I had not dilated at all, but my cervix was soft. So hopefully my body is doing something right!!! =) Kamdyn & Devas had their teeth cleaning last week. Kamdyn is CAVITY FREE!!!! Now she goes this week to get 3 baby teeth pulled so she can get her braces put on! Devas has to have 2 weak spots fixed on his 2 top front teeth. The other 3 kids go for cleanings next month. Diya had to take a few days off of cheer because she has Osgood Sclaggers...not sure on this spelling. She is feeling much better now, and she is back to her regular practice schedule. Max had his last football game this week. He got a cute little trophy. This week Max & Diya are doing a sports camp through our church, and Kamdyn is doing a dramatic arts camp through WLCSD.

32 weeks!

I have had a very rough day. I've been very moody & emotional. I wrote parts of this blog at various points through the day so there is a huge possibility that some parts won't make sense.  Also I didn't proofread or spell check.  So overlook my goofy errors.

How far along? 32 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +5, but this is mostly due to swelling

Sleep: While on our "babymoon" I didn't sleep well at all.  I slept better last night in our bed!

Best moment this week:  Deep & I going on our trip!  We visited Bay City, Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island, Petoskey, and Alpena.  We had a wonderful trip!  =)  Seeing Baby BGC in ultrasound at her growth scan.  Last Friday she weighed about 4 lbs and was measuring nearly 2 weeks ahead!  =)

Movement: She hasn't been too active the past few days.  She has had the hiccups a lot lately.

 Food cravings: seafood steak...both which are very yucky to puke. =(

Gender: GIRL!!! She is for sure a SHE!!! =)

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Sleeping well, feeling good, having energy, enjoying a bottle...glass of wine.  ;)

What I am looking forward to: Holding this sweet baby girl in my arms! =)

Milestones: I am at 32 weeks which means that if the baby had to be born soon she would most likely be okay. Of course it is better to keep her "baking" as long as possible.

Updates in general: I had an appt last Friday with my perinatologist. We had a long talk about when is the best time to induce.  She said that it is best to keep the baby in as long as possible, but we have to find a happy medium.  We need to make sure that I keep the baby in until she is safe to be delivered, but keeping me healthy and sane at the same time. I have a terrible rash on my belly.  It is very itchy all the time.  My peri thought it could be an allergic reaction to the Lovenox injections I had been giving myself in the belly.  She spoke with my hematologist, and he recommended that I change injection locations.  My peri told him that I had started to do the injections in my legs a few days ago.  My hematologist told my peri to tell me that "you are a genius!"  I got a giggle out of that!  My peri ordered some bloodwork to check bile acids (checking for cholestasis) and a few other tests that the hematologist wanted done. My peri told me that my OB tells her frequently that I look very good and healthy.  She said I do not see a good/healthy person when she looks at me.  I agreed...I do not look good or healthy! I was very frustrated with knowing that my OB said that.  My peri wants me to see a neurologist for my headaches, and she also wanted me to see a GI dr. to talk about having a NJ tube placed.  I spoke with my OB about the NJ tube today, and he said that the NJ tube comes along with other yucky risks...so he said he doesn't recommend me getting it.  My peri also wants me to try the zofran sub-q pump even though zofran causes me to have horrible headaches.  My OB ordered the zofran pump today...so we will see how that all works out.  I have to call tomorrow to let my home health company to arrange for delivery & training of the sub-q pump.  My OB put me on a few new meds to try out.  So we will see how (or if) they work.  My OB gave me some topical cream to put on my tummy for the itchy rash.

I am now doing NST 2 times a week at labor & delivery in the hospital.  Last Thursday I contracted the entire time I was on the monitors.  The on call OB checked me and did the ffn test.  My cervix is closed thick still.

We had a parent meeting for Diya's cheer tonight. We have decided to add a class for her to focus more on her tumbling. So she will have stretch class 3 days a week, tumbling class 1 day a week, and practice Sun & Tues. She is a busy busy chica! She is doing very well with cheer!  =)

While we were taking our "babymoon" my parents, cousin Janice, and (her daughter) my cousin Ketryna came up to help take care of our 5 kiddos.  The kids all had a great time while we were gone.  Ketryna brought her dog up with her, and the kids LOVE Jezzebelle. =)  I miss having doggies for our kids!

While we were in Mackinaw City they had a fireworks display.  Deep & I were walking hand in hand down the main st. watching the fireworks. At that very moment life was absolutely PERFECT...except I missed my kids.  =)