I'm a preemie mom blogger... Not one of the super-inspirational, "God-has-a-beautiful-plan," type bloggers, though I wish I were, but more of a "we're-just-going-to-laugh-and-get-through-this" type of blogger. Enter the main characters, Daxton, a former 23 weeker turned evil genius, and his not-so-little brother Tyler... And the many, many adventures that ensue.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Cardiac cath
Friday, April 24, 2009
Weekly Update
So, as excited as we are that Dax is finally getting teeth (!!!) I was a little discouraged today to find his cute little tooth coming in is a not-so-cute shade of brown. After freaking out a while I finally talked to his pediatrician, and she told me it's not uncommon for sick preemies to have discolored teeth, but it's even more likely that the discoloration was caused by the high levels of bilirubin when he was so jaundiced for so long. Not only can a baby's skin become discolored, the developing tooth buds can also be stained, and that's probably what happened. There is no fix for it until his baby teeth fall out and his permanents come in, and in the meantime we need to make sure to brush his teeth twice a day as he's at a higher risk for cavities. It makes me sad, but I guess in the grand scheme of things, and after all the narcotics and viagra he's been on, having the teeth of a meth addict probably makes as much sense as anything else! It'll go well with his chain-smoker's voice!
Family photo op. Not sure what Dax is looking at?
Yummmmm... Lola thinks the ducks look delicious!
Until this picture, I was 100% sure Shep was Tyler's father. Now I'm wondering if maybe there was a drunken night with Pac-Man or The Joker I forgot about?
Friday, April 17, 2009
Two things
2. Payton's mom reports Payton did great with the MRI. She met with the cardiologist this afternoon and he says the cardiac situation is def not worst-case scenario. He says the heart has definitely shifted, but she'll know more about what that means for the long- and short-term, and any other findings there may have been, on Monday. Gotta love getting tests run on a Friday, and everyone gets to go home for the weekend while you sit and stew!
Thanks for all the continued prayers for us and for Miss Payton and her family... We love you all!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Pediatrician Appointment
More importantly than that, we discovered today that WE FINALLY HAVE A TOOTH!!!! After three months of drooling and chewing, finally some results!!! It's barely through, but as soon as he lets us get a pic we'll post it. This is quite possibly one of my proudest moments as a mommy!
And just one more thing... (It's been a really good day :) Guess who decided yesterday that rolling from his back to his belly is not so tough? And guess who did it for his daddy, and his nurse, and his speech therapist... and NOT HIS MOMMY??? Yes, that would be my son. Well, right after I ranted and raved today that he was going to make me wait two weeks to see him roll like he did when he first starting rolling belly to back, and used a few choice words about what a rotten, mean child he was, he rolled for me in the doctor's office. Awww. What a sweet boy. Who could ever say anything other than what an angel he is? ... Today?
And speaking of rolling, that completes the third goal we had for baby boot camp. Of course, his goal was to be rolling both ways by 4/4, and he was in fact 11 days late, but I suppose he's never done anything on my schedule and it would be ridiculous for me to think he would start now. He WILL, however, be taking steps by July 27 if it kills me... and it just might!
My mom says I am a mean mother. I say I learned from the best :P
Don't forget to be praying for Payton! MRI tomorrow... Will let you know once I hear.
Oh well, that's all for now. I'm going to make a big birthday post once I get pics, but that may be a while... In the meantime here is one of my recent favorites... How cute can a baby get???
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Please pray for Payton
Just in case you're running out of things to pray for, I've got another request for you... Baby Payton is back in a rough spot again. Payton has been dropping her oxygen saturations quickly and without clear cause... Like from 97 to the teens in a matter of seconds... Her mom reports the doctors think she is either trying to go into cardiac failure or her veins are narrowing. Either way it's not good. Payton will be getting an MRI on Friday to get a better picture of what is going on...
Payton's mom is asking everyone to be praying hard that whatever problem they find is something they can fix. This is a very crucial test and the doctors are waiting on the result of this MRI to determine their course of treatment and Payton's future. Payton's been in rough spots before, and by God's grace and her own sheer stubbornness she's pulled through it. Please pray for a repeat performance!
And also, though her mom would never ask for it, please pray for Payton's family as they ride this roller coaster with her. NICU life is never easy, and this family has had it harder than most.
Thanks again everyone. We love you guys!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Roadtrip and an echo
Day 1 in MS, we spent the whole day with Dax's cousins and I got to meet the littlest one for the first time. She's a little younger than Dax and they just laid and played for a long time, chewing and drooling together. He pulled her hair, she slapped him around a little, and they ended up having a bit of an inappropriate kiss at one point, but all in all it was very sweet to watch. Dax got to go on his first golf cart ride, visit with some family he had never met, and then went to his first T-ball game. We dressed him in his baseball uniform and cap in case they needed an extra player, but it seemed they had everyone they needed. Oh well.
Day 2 in MS, we slept as late as possible then got ready for his little birthday party... Which somehow morphed into 60 people, 100 hamburgers, 500 pictures, and lots and lots of goodies. Dax was a trooper as he was passed from sanitized person to sanitized person, and he completely demolished his cake. There were no mishaps other then his oxygen tubing getting shut in a door for... we're not sure how long... but he never turned blue or passed out so we won't count that as a mishap. The party was amazing and we had the best time showing Dax off, and finally getting to see some of the people who have been so wonderful to us since all this happened. We're so grateful for all of you!
So other than lots of goodies, know what else Dax got a lot more of while we were in MS? SPOILED. We took the weekend off baby boot camp and he was held by somebody most of the trip. Guess who's still expecting the royal treatment since we're home? Yeah. WaaaaaaaaaaaaaI don't want this toy I want that toy and you have to hold me while I play with it aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Rotten.
My friend Kayla was there to do photographs for the party and she was GREAT. If anyone needs pics done down that way, she's flexible and affordable, and maybe she'll sneak me some of the pics early since I gave her some free ad space :) Hint, hint, Kayla!
Meanwhile, Dax's other mother, Lola, found herself a new boyfriend about... 80 dog years her senior. Mom and Dad recently adopted the 15-year-old German shepherd of a couple that moved into the nursing home together after almost 75 years of marriage, and Smoky and Lola made great friends. It was very sweet to watch. He wouldn't swim with her or eat sticks (yes, EAT, not fetch) but other than that they were a match made in heaven :)
Day 3, Shep and I snoozed a while instead of getting up early like we'd planned, since there was a little baby in our room that seemed to think just because he had been passed around like a hot potato and eaten 10 lbs of frosting and cookies that he did not have to sleep well all night. Who does he think he is? We finally drug out of bed and loaded the car and hit the road for home. Another uneventful drive. Dax did great and never fussed the whole 6 hours we were on the road as long as there was a mommy beside him playing peek-a-boo or paddy-cake or feeding him or something of the like. I definitely can't complain!
We do have lots and lots of pics to post, and I promise to do that later once we get them all collected. Can't wait to show off!
And then today, back to the real world. Dax had a cardiology appointment this morning and everything looked fine. The echo showed no improvements, but also no worsening. The doctor increased his Lasix, Viagra, and Digoxin due to his increase in size, and we'll see her again after his cardiac cath on April 29. I'm a little nervous about that procedure and we're planning on being in the hospital overnight afterwards. Ugh, Will keep you posted!
And last of all.... Dum dum dum.... We heard from our realtor on Friday and looks like we're one step closer to getting our house... You remember, that house we've been trying to buy for months now, but the bank apparently would rather foreclose on the house than take our money? Well, we've apparently made it through the first of two required approvals and we should hear within the next two weeks if we get it. Now, if you've been following this story you understand that two weeks = two months and a bunch of headaches, but we'll see.
So y'all keep on praying for our little one as he gets bigger and stronger and prepares for his cath later this month. Pray for all our loved ones that they'll stay healthy and happy and know how special they are. Pray the house we're trying to buy might soon be ours if it's meant to be.
Please pray also for all the sick babies and grieving parents. This is meant to be a joyous time of the year for followers of Christ, but it's been a bittersweet one for us and many friends we have made in the past year, as many lost their babies around this time last year, or have recently lost their little ones and are still grieving, and there are so many sick children we've come to know and love that still struggle to live. Please keep us all in your prayers as we make it through the difficult times.
Thanks so much everyone. We love you all and are so glad we have you in our lives!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Quick post
We're about to be headed on our first road trip (yay!) but I wanted to give a quick update... All is well here... We had a great week with Dax finally starting his speech therapy sessions, then he had a swallow study this morning... I'm a little frustrated that he's still aspirating on liquids when we have him drink from his sippy cup, but the recommendation is for him to move straight to a regular cup. We all know Daxton has never done things in the order he's supposed to, so we'll try out the regular cup and see...
I had my appointment afterwards and everything looks great! 22 weeks along, with a perfect 1lb, 2oz baby boy. Very weird to watch the black and white baby on screen, and know what he would look like in real life. Did you know babies that age have no butt cheeks or nipples, and they're covered in hair? At least mine were. Oh well, shooting for a much bigger baby, WITH nipples and butt cheeks, and a less hairy back. Keep on praying!
I must pack now... Hope you all are well, and I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend. I promise to have lots of new pics next week!
Love you all,
Mollie
Saturday, April 4, 2009
A year in pictures...
Learning to eat like a big boy...
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Update
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
It's picture time :P
I just loooove making messes. I'm alllll boy :P
And here's a clip of Dax that fateful night we decided to give him Benedryl, only to discover it made him turn into the disco king! (Please ignore the baby-toy cluttered floor and the make-up-less and non-hair-fixed mama!)