Not a happy blog post. Not about us.

January 30, 2013 | Stacy

Last Thursday there was a tragic house fire in Chili. My niece, Katelyn, her mother-in-law, Judy, and her two children, R.J. (4), and Mara (7 mos) were all in the house at the time.

A postal worker (new to the route and who did NOT take her break that morning) drove by the house and saw smoke coming out the chimney. It didn’t look right and she called 911. Then she saw Katelyn’s mother-in-law, Judy, yelling out the window. The postal worker helped to pull her out of the window as the first firefighter arrived. R.J. could not be coaxed to the window and he was not removed from the building until more help arrived. Katelyn and baby Mara were found in the house a little later. Both Katelyn and Mara were significantly burnt.

It was an electrical fire that smoldered for some time before really making itself known. No fire detector sounded a warning. The four of them breathed in toxins and smoke.

All four have been in ICU since Thursday. They adults are on ventilators. The children are on ECMO (heart/lung bypass) machines. Katelyn and Mara need skin grafts when they are stable.

As of today Katelyn is battling a fever.

The house is uninhabitable.

They all need prayers.

A picture worth the extra trip

January 20, 2013 | Stacy

These photos are almost 2 weeks old now. I just realized I forgot to upload my camera in a while.
That Monday, 1/7, the girls were at AHG and the boys were in the basement playing Wii. I didn’t want to disturb the boys as they had a friend over and I feel like they are constantly doing the things I ask and need them to do. I’d had my own nap on the sofa so I made the trek upstairs myself to wake Johanna from her nap. I cracked open the door and found this.

I drank in her sweetness for a few seconds and then I just knew I needed to record it forever. I tip-toed out of her room and back down the stairs for the camera. I made a second trip UP the stairs… much more slowly this time. I moved at a turtle’s pace partly because I didn’t want to make noise and wake her… but more because I was breathing hard by that point! As I approached her room I was rewarded to find she had not woken up. I got my shots in and even the sound effects of the digital camera didn’t give me away. I got to sit next to her and rouse her gently.

Can you see the evidence of her tea party up by her pillow? And the books she read to Laura Carrot and Jimmy Gourd. Oh. She’s getting to be a very big girl. But those moments where I still get to dote on her are so special. And it was so worth the extra trip downstairs to save this image for later.

Ducky update!

January 17, 2013 | Stacy

Ducky is looking very, very good, according to our perinatologist. I continue with weekly non-stress tests (NSTs) and had another ultrasound (u/s) yesterday. This week’s u/s showed that the fluid remains in the normal range. This is such a praise! Having dropped so dramatically on 12/27 we did have real concerns it might continue to drop from high, THROUGH good, and into a dangerously low zone…

But it didn’t.

It’s been a crazy month, really. I feel SO MUCH BETTER these days. SO MUCH. I continue to follow the doctor’s instructions for activity restriction and I must say being mostly housebound is not a lot of fun. But it seems to have worked very well and I am grateful for the improvements we’ve seen.

A month ago I felt downright toxic. The most I can liken it to is when I had the flu in March 2008, or H1N1 in November 2009. I felt like I had a fever. I had all tremendous malaise and generalized achiness. The incessant contractions depleted me of so much energy. I seriously felt poor enough to accept meals from friends (thanks Emily, Tara, Deb & master-chef Jenn) and let Emily clean my bathrooms! (You have to know I felt sick to allow THAT kind of humility.) I constantly felt like I needed to nap. It was just unpleasant. As a matter-of-fact on 12/21 I sat on the floor in my bedroom with John for about 70 minutes to help him organize and wrap the small amount of gifts we had. That little expenditure of energy coupled with my sheer size pressing on my bones was enough to render me wasted and sore for 12/22. It was a bad way to feel.

And today? I feel so much better. I can breathe. I can move around more easily. I don’t feel like I need to sleep all day long. I still pretty much sit around all day. I’m not going to mess with what is working. But I feel downright well.

I shared with a friend via email this week, though, that I am just so blessed to be on the receiving end of what our family believes is a miracle. For 16 weeks we watched and waited and prepared for a preemie. As my belly stretched 7 weeks ahead of schedule we just continued to PRAY and we know so many who were praying for us, as well. And then good things started to take shape. We are now just a few days away from being considered full-term. Both doctors now suggest I could easily make it to my due date.

It has been a VERY hard 16 months with praying for people who were go through so many losses and hurting. And the kids have just prayed so faithfully. I have been so blessed by how much they committed to praying steadfastly. AND – we LOVED when people were able to share how they saw God in their trials, etc. Well, to be on THIS side of it – I have to say if it is a witness to one of my kids that they hold onto then I say it is all worth it.

The pictures aren’t as cute this late on as they were 10 weeks ago. Tabitha, in fact, thinks Ducky looks grumpy.
We’ll find out soon enough.
Thank you for praying!!!!

What will they do?

January 10, 2013 | Stacy

I had just walked the speech teacher to the door.
The piano teacher had one student left.
Where were the girls to play with Johanna so I could do language with Nigel?
It was so quiet.
Then I heard it.
Giggling.
In the bathroom.

This is okay? Right? Right? Good homeschool fun? I should be glad they are growing up together. Right? They could be stuck in lines waiting to walk to art. But here they can BE art! Right?

She’s “Kitty.” A Danger Ranger.

My most diligent worker

January 7, 2013 | Stacy

She’s up before me these days as I struggle with sleep.
She has her math, spelling, and reading done before 7:00 AM.
And she’s taken to emptying the dishwasher everyday, not just the days she’s assigned.
I’m praying about a way to recognize her efforts, but my normal way would be to take her out for dinner just the two of us and that’s not an option right now.
Something will come to me.
She’s as helpful as Squanto ever was.

They slept over at Nan’s

January 6, 2013 | Stacy

and they MADE a new friend.

Back to school…

January 6, 2013 | Stacy

We eased back into school Wednesday doing our morning work before Mama headed out for OB appointments. But then on Thursday it was full steam ahead.

It would be just spiffy if Ducky stayed put until his or her due date in mid/late February. I’d LOVE to knock off another 5-6 weeks of school before the major shift that will come with a newborn.

Who wouldn’t love schooling with these characters? Not everyone has George Washington and Squanto at their dining room table for Anatomy and Physiology.

I’m blessed. ♥

Maternity catch-up

January 3, 2013 | Stacy

You’d think someone on bed rest would have more time to blog…. huh?

Here is some catch-up. After our busy and fun weekend 12/9 and 12/10 I spent all day 12/11 and 12/12 on the couch. I was struggling with relentless contractions and a fatigue I’d never experienced before in pregnancy! I likened the malaise to when I had H1N1 in 2009. We did basic school as Marie did the out-loud readings for Tabitha and her work. The kids pitched in wholeheartedly as I languished. Am I being dramatic? Um, nope. It was really bad.

I had my first scheduled NST on 12/13 and we saw 3 contractions in the 20 minutes. The perinatologist raised his eyebrows but conceded it was likely an irritable uterus given the fact that it measured close to 37 weeks… and I was only 30 weeks along. I went from there to the OB for my scheduled appointment. I was fully prepared to hear him say I needed to slow down. BUT – see – I felt like I needed him to TELL me to slow down. Otherwise, I know I would have pushed and pushed myself to make sure my kids got to do all the cool things we had planned to do in the Christmas season. Well – he most certainly DID instruct me to slow down. As in – no work, no Christmas shopping, no excessive hospitality. Chill. Out.

That is harder than it sounds.

The next week was spent recovering. I humbly accepted the delicious meals and pizza gift cards from friends, and even held my friend’s baby as she cleaned my bathrooms. Humility. 😛

My NST on 12/19 showed only 2 contractions in 20 minutes.

We got through school. We got through the broken hot water heater. We missed a lot of fun activities – dropped a caroling night, dropped having friends for dinner, dropped a festive evening out. We did get to have one set of friends for dinner on 12/22… mostly because she brought the food.

Then John got 11 days off from work for the winter shut down. The timing was excellent and much needed for us to put our house back together.

Then something incredible happened. On December 26th as I was dressing it suddenly became clear to me that I was smaller. I was climbing out of bed easier. It was easier getting dressed. I was breathing easier. I was smaller. This seriously concerned me. It was the rapid reduction of fluid that made it so Nigel was delivered emergently at 32w3d!

I was scheduled for another NST on 12/27. And I was scheduled to see the NP in my OBs office. Now, I was a little concerned because I wasn’t seeing Dr. Grace (the perinatologist) in his office for the NST; I was to have it in The Birthing Center due to scheduling issues. I was also not seeing my doctor, who knows me well, as he was on vacation. Thoughts bounced through my head: “Should I call Dr. Grace’s office in the AM and share what I think?” “Should I call Peg (the nurse practitioner) in the morning and share my concerns?” “Should I ask the nurse in the Birthing Center to call Dr. Grace?” “Should I stop by Dr. Grace’s office and ask to see him?” But I kept dismissing them and concluded, GOD CAN HANDLE THIS. God cares for me. He doesn’t just look out for those of us who know how to navigate medical offices, etc. He has this covered. So I just worked to not worry and NOT fear.

I left here at noon and headed to Park Ridge. On the way there I started to wonder again if I needed to do or say something. But I just prayed. I remembered the Truth – that God loves Ducky even more than I do. That He knows how many hair are on my head. That not a sparrow falls! I just asked Him to please show up big for me. Please just to show me quickly He was THERE and HE has this all.

So – as this was the first time I’d been in the Birthing Center this pregnancy, I had papers to fill out before my NST. The unit secretary pointed me to a weird little hallway with a few seats and lots of walls and corners. A couple was sitting around the corner from me. A Dr. X came and was talking to them about some procedure and asked them about whether or not she’d had an ultrasound (u/s) yet or seen Dr. Grace yet. She hadn’t yet so they talked and Dr. X called Dr. Grace on this unit “phone” system they all carry. I hear Dr. X say to the couple that Dr. Grace is coming right over. Then after a few minutes I hear Dr. Grace’s voice. I did not see which way he came in from. Dr. X wasn’t done talking to the couple yet so Dr. Grace just said, “Well, when you’re done talking send them over and I’ll do u/s before you start.”

Then he walks away from them in my direction. He sees me and stops to say, “Hi.” He also re-congratulated me on my blood work from last week. In my head I was astonished. I felt tongue-tied. I’m sure I looked like I wanted to say something OR God was holding his feet, because he was just hesitating in front of me. I found my voice and I told him there was no doubt in my mind my belly had shrunk. I told him I was to see Peg at 2:15 and that she would measure me to confirm it. And as I prepared to remind him about Nigel’s history he quickly said he remembered and recounted some of the story. He concluded with saying if Peg or I had ANY concern to just come back down and he’d do an u/s.

I didn’t have to call him. Or stalk him. Or plead with Peg.

God sent the doctor to me. I was just amazed as I sat there. God.Sent.The.Doctor.To.Me.

God has this!

Okay – I’ll speed up to say, I went to my appt. with Peg. I lost two pounds (over Christmas and while on bed rest no less!…) and my belly was almost the same size as it was 4 weeks ago. The belly, my assessment, and the weight loss led Peg to quickly agree an U/S was a good idea. She called Dr. Grace’s office personally and arranged for me to go down there. I had to wait until 4PM, but I was more than fine with that. It was better than going home and heading back in on Friday.

I spent the next 90 minutes waiting, but not worrying. I still had no idea how things were going to turn out. I still had visions of Nigel coming at 32w3d, but I just knew, GOD HAS THIS COVERED. Nothing surprises Him. It might not be happily-ever-after but GOD HAS THIS COVERED.

Finally Dr. Grace came and got me a few minutes after 4PM. The baby looks great. The fluid had dropped by half. I had HALF as much fluid as I did three weeks before!! HALF! But I was still at the upper limit of normal. Ducky was active, had a great heart beat, and offered the doctor no concerns. Where the fluid went is anyone’s guess. They simply can’t explain it. He did feel there was plenty of fluid for the time being and as long as our checks on Ducky are fine he won’t ever say the baby had to be delivered JUST because of a fluid level.

Then this past week, on 1/2, I went in for another NST – no contractions this time! – and for another U/S. My fluid level was a little lower, but Ducky still looked really, really good. Big… but good.

This week on 1/9 I will have another NST and see Dr. Tripp again. We still don’t know how this will end. It’s not over til it’s over. And as any parent knows… it’s never over. 😉

But that is what we’ve been up to.

Homeschooling on ~~house arrest~~ bed rest/modified activity isn’t as bad as it sounds. Housework is probably what is lacking the most around here. The kids do a magnificent job with their chores and over all I am happy to say I have seen really good fruit most of the time. John’s burden is a lot heavier, however. As there are some tasks we just have to leave for him.

New Year’s Eve

January 1, 2013 | Stacy

Usually I work on New Year’s Eve. Or first thing in the morning on New Year’s Day. We have never done anything to celebrate. Since I am home on restricted activity it didn’t seem right to just ignore it. Well. It didn’t seem right to the kids. I really figured since I never celebrated it before… well, why start now. 😉

So I asked some friends what they did with their kids to mark the evening and more than a few suggested eating snacks and watching a movie. While I don’t think too much about movie-watching I DO love snacks! So we got some suggestions for the movie portion and I dug out some easy recipes for John to prepare and voila.

Par – Tay