Last day of July

Today is my actual due date and we have some more good news about our little man. Liam has been taken completely off his nasal canula (YAY!) and hopefully they won't put it back on overnight. He also was moved to the "step down" room. We were told that it is the room for babies that are close to going home. We spoke to his doctor earlier today who told us that they would take his nasal flow down to a 1 and possible turn off completely (which they did). She said he still has bouts of Tachypnea, which is where his respiration spikes, and he needs to not do that in order to be released. Hopefully its just a matter of time before he learns to keep his respiration low after a feeding (this is usually when it spikes). We are optimistic that he may come home by the end of the week, although his doctor said maybe the middle of the week, but I'm trying to not get my hopes up too high yet! Tonight we attended a NICU discharge class that our nurse told us to attend. We learned CPR, which chris and I were really excited about, I wish we would've taken a class on it before Avery was born just to know how and what to do in an emergency! We are praying that Liam just keeps on improving so we can take him home and finally introduce him to his sister. She is dying to meet him!! Please keep him in your prayers still this week, I will try to update when we hear something new! For now, here is a pic of him just after a feeding, he makes the same smiles Avery used to make after a feeding;

I just love this little guy!

21 months old

Avery is now 21 months old

• Avery insists on washing herself during her bath now. Shampoo, soap she does it all and gets upset if she isn't the only one!
• She goes through fruit phases, this month she was all about blueberries! I had stopped buying them because she wouldn't eat them and then all of a sudden she loved them again!
• Avery surprised me by singing her ABC's and actually knowing quite a few of her letters!
• She loves to talk about "meeting bubba", she can say his full name, Liam David.
• Even though she became a big sister this month unfortunately she hasn't gotten to meet him yet! hopefully he'll be home soon and she'll get more than she's ready for!!
• She did surprise me today when we pulled up to the hospital she said "I born", her talking continues to amaze me!
• This month's update is short, we've had alot going on :(

Click here to see pics from July!

Ring around the Rosie

I promise we have not forgotten about Avery!!! Although, right now she is more interested in Gigi than mommy and daddy! She is getting lots of attention while we make trips back and forth to the hospital. Last night after her bath she started singing Ring around the Rosie on her own. Its so cute, here is a video of her;

oh boy!

Today was another good day for Liam. Yesterday I got to give him a bottle for one of his feedings and today chris got to feed him, since we still couldn't hold him we were able to lift up his head and turn him on his side to feed him the bottle. This was as close as I had been to holding him and I was overjoyed. That was until this evening, I finally got to do what I've been dying to do since he was born, I got to HOLD HIM! His respiratory rate was slightly elevated today (it has to be below 60 and was 66) so we didn't get to bottle feed him, he got his milk through his feeding tube. But, I still soaked up every second I got with him. His respiratory rate still sometimes jumps into the 100's but the nurse said that that can be common with newborns (erradic breathing). I was worried that he might need another dose of surfactant but the nurse told me that as long as he didn't start requiring more O2 we wouldn't need to think about him needing another dose. Right now he's on the nasal canula but its on 21% O2 which is what we breathe normally so its only supplying some pressure. This was reassuring for me. Now we just need him to keep his respiration low before feedings so they can continue increasing the amount and bring us closer to going home. The nurse told me that if things go well over the next few days we may even get to try breastfeeding!!!! very exciting!

I love this little guy more than I could've ever imagined! Can't wait to bring him home.

Big day!

Our little Liam is 5 days old and today was a very exciting day. We arrived at the hospital this morning to the joyous surprise that Liam was no longer on the ventilator or sedation meds. He has a nasal canula but it is only supplying a little pressure. He looked so good and his respiratory rate is wonderfully low!!! We were overjoyed and so excited that he is finally showing some major improvement. I think the doctors finally figured out what he needed. The surfactant seems to be just what his little lungs needed. He also got his first bottle feeding this morning and chris and I were so excited to be there for it. He took the small amount of breast milk like a champ. The doctor said as long as his respiratory rate stays below 60 during his feedings today then tomorrow they will start increasing the amount of milk he gets. I was so excited to hear this because this means he is just a few steps closer to coming home to us! I snapped a few pictures today and looking back noticed what a little chunk he seems. I can't wait to bring our little chunky monkey home!! I still haven't gotten to hold him since he has a central line through his belly button but hopefully soon. We go back this evening to watch another feeding, change his diaper and check his temperature. Our prayer now is that he continues to improve and takes quickly to bottle feedings so we can bring him home! :) thank you for all your prayers, keep them coming!

The birth story of Liam David

Chris and I arrived at the hospital to check in around 8am. I got into a gown and answered a ton of questions while we waited for my scheduled c-section which was at 10am. I saw the anesthesiologist (same one who gave me my epidural with Avery!) and saw my doctor just before going back to the OR. I had been feeling pretty good until about 30 min before surgery, I had a mini panic attack. I got really restless and wanted to go home. Fortunately, I then fell asleep for about 15 min!! I have to say, the surgery was the weirdest experience I've ever gone through. Being able to feel but not feel pain was weird. I was very nervous about getting the spinal, that it would hurt, but it didn't at all. The only pinches I felt were from the numbing medicine before the spinal. My legs went weirdly numb but I could still feel someone touching me. They brought chris in just before starting so he could sit beside my head. Less than 30 minutes later we heard the sounds of Liam taking his first few breaths. He was a loud crier. Chris got to go see him while they cleaned him up. I had to wait for what felt like an eternity before they finally brought Liam over for me to see. He was so cute, with chubby little cheeks. I got to kiss his chubby cheeks before they took him away again. About this time I noticed chris was putting his head between his knees. He was looking a bit pale (he has passed out in hospitals before). He stepped out of the OR for a couple minutes to get some fresh air. One of the nurses followed him to make sure he didn't hit the floor. Fortunately, he was fine. We could hear Liam coughing and crying. Thats when I heard them talk about calling the NICU. They finally finished up with me and wheeled me out to recovery. They brought Liam with us initially while they found someone to take him to the nursery. Chris got to go with him to the nursery but he didn't stay long there before they took him to the NICU. Once they found me a room they wheeled me to the "Mom-baby unit" where I would spend the rest of my stay. It was very hard to be in the room without my baby. Avery has been talking about "meeting bubba" each time she comes up to the hospital but unfortunately she is too young to go into the NICU. I can't wait for her to meet him but looks like it'll be at least another week before that will happen.
** Update; Yesterday the doctors looked at his chest xray and his bloodwork and came to a new conclusion. His blood cultures have not grown anything so it no longer looks like he has pneumonia. Now the doctors think he has Respiratory Distress Syndrome. In a nutshell, he doesn't have enough surfactant in his lungs. They believe he may have been born with some but he used what little he had up in those first few days of breathing so fast. The only way to put more surfactant into his lungs is to put him on a ventilator. So yesterday evening they did just that, they also sedated him to let him rest for a little while. He has been working so hard the past few days breathing so fast they wanted to give him a break and kinda catch up on his rest. We saw him this morning and he looked so peaceful. His breathing rate was wonderfully slow, in the 40's and 50's when it had been in the 130's-140's! The doctor is hoping to take him off the ventilator either tonight or tomorrow morning. We are praying that this was just what he needed!!! If need be they can give him another dose of surfactant but hopefully one dose was all that was needed. Please keep praying for our little guy, he still has a long road before he can come home. He is so adorably cute I just can't wait to get my hands on him and hold him. :)**

Here is a pic of our guy from this morning;

Liam, some people have asked how to pronounce his name and this is the easiest way I found; "LEE-um" it means strong protector!

Our little astronaut

Liam David was born at 10:24am on July 22nd. He was 7lbs 6oz and 20 inches long. He has dark hair and dark eyes(for now). My surgery went well but shortly after his birth while they were cleaning him up the nurses noticed he was breathing very fast. He ended up going to the nursery and then the NICU while I was still in recovery. I got to hear him cry and they brought him for me to see before taking him away but I didn't get to hold him. We were hoping he would just need a day or two to slow his respiratory rate and be back to normal, but things don't always go the way we hope. I want so badly to hold my baby boy and cuddle and kiss him. Unfortunately, today the doctors did a chest xray and noticed that he still has something in his lungs. If it was fluid it would be getting better by now but its not so they think its pneumonia. They started him on antibiotics this morning and also drew blood for cultures. The antibiotics take 7 days to run through so he will be in the NICU at least another week. Once his breathing slows down and stabilizes he will still need a day or 2 to learn how to eat from a bottle and then hopefully from me. We are constantly praying for our little man. He is strong and definitely a fighter. He is perfect in all other functions except for his fast breathing. I know that he will get through these little hurdles and be home with us soon but the wait is heartbreaking. I want nothing more than to hold him close to me and make everything all better. I feel very helpless and am praying for God to keep up my strength, Liam needs us all to be strong for him. Chris has been so wonderful and so helpful through all of this. I thank God that I have such a wonderful husband to help me through all of this. He gets up with me every 3 hours to pump, help me get in and out of bed and wheel me to and from the NICU. I don't know what I would do without him. I think God for giving me such a wonderful partner in life. We are waiting to see how our little man does over the next few days but today his breathing had already started slowing after just starting antibiotics so hopefully it is just what he needed! I can't wait to bring him home and introduce him to his sister, Avery is so anxious to meet him. My parents have been so wonderful keeping her for us. They've had their hands full but have still been able to bring her up to see us. Words can't express our appreciation for all they've done this week. I will post some pics of his birth soon for you to see! for now, here is a pic of our little astronaut;

We are so in love with this little guy!!

2nd Pregnancy thoughts

Here are my thoughts as this 2nd pregnancy comes to an end...

• Once again I was blessed with a very easy but "surprise" pregnancy. We actually found out we were pregnant on Thanksgiving day but didn't tell anyone till Christmas, after our first doctor appointment!
• I was pretty sure we were having a girl this time especially since all of my friends were having girls BUT...
• At 17 weeks 1 day we found out we were blessed with a little boy.
• I first felt him move around 17 weeks. Little flutters.
• Chris first felt him move between 18 and 19 weeks.
• For this pregnancy I gained 17lbs.
• My belly got big very quickly this time around. I was definitely showing at 16 weeks. I looked about the same as when I was 22/23 weeks with Avery. :)
• I also continued doing crossfit for this pregnancy and definitely think its helped keep me healthy and fit.
• My appetite took a huge jump around 22 weeks. ALL I wanted was sweets, chocolate, cookie dough and ice cream. :P (my favorite indulgence was Reeses mini peanut butter cups.)
• I have been a little more irritable this time around. Seems like everything and everyone irritates me, poor chris has had to bear the brunt of these mood swings. I am ready to be back to my old happy self. :)
• A big difference in this pregnancy was that Liam was breech for most of the time whereas Avery was head down. This introduced some new feelings, I would get very low kicks and his head would feel like it was about to bust out of the top of my stomach.
• He also loved to kick or punch my bladder causing me to feel like I was about to pee my pants.
• I think Avery will be a good big sister. She already loves babies and loves to kiss and hug my stomach. She calls her brother "bubba" and tries to say his name which comes out more like "eeam".
• It was definitely a different experience being pregnant and taking care of a toddler. The last trimester my energy level was greatly reduced, coupled with the extreme heat and I was needing a nap everyday.
• I think part of the reason my stomach got bigger faster was because Liam is bigger than Avery. At our 36wk ultrasound he was estimated to weigh 6lbs 15oz, Avery's 36 weeks estimate was 5lbs 5oz!! little bit of a difference.
• I thought I would be lucky and get no stretch marks but I did get 2 very small ones. Hopefully they'll go away after I lose the baby weight?! They are just love marks anyways :)
• Overall I feel very blessed that I got to carry this precious miracle and can't wait to meet him, kiss his little face and watch him grow.

TOMORROW is Liam David Rhodes' BIRTHDAY! :)

ABC's

Here is a video of Avery working on her ABC's;

listen close, she gets a few of them!

36 weeks pregnant!

How far along?: 36 weeks 3 days
Total weight gain: I'm supposed to be gaining about a pound a week (Liam gains about 1/2 a pound a week!). As of today I've gained 17lbs. This may sound low but I had an extra 10lbs leftover from my pregnancy with Avery, so my goal this time has been to hopefully end up at the same ending weight! In other words to not gain too much extra weight!
How big is the baby?: the sono tech estimated that he weighs about 6lb 15oz, which is 2oz more than Avery weighed at birth!! No wonder my belly looks the same as it did at 40wks with Avery.
Stretch marks?: NONE! knock on wood, I hear its mostly genetics and my mom never got them so hopefully they won't pop up in the next 2 weeks
Sleep?: Actually pretty good. I can usually get a good 30min-1hr nap while Avery naps and I'm sleeping good at night. I occasionally get up once to pee at night but not near as often as I did with Avery.
Best moment this week?: Seeing our little guy at our last ultrasound today!
Movement?: yes lots. He gets the hiccups everyday (sometimes multiple times a day) and his movements are more like complete belly shifts. Its crazy to watch him move my belly, my belly also moves when he has the hiccups. Although he is now starting to make me uncomfortable with his movements.
Food cravings?: finally got one; mashed potatoes. :) I made some the night my parents left for their cruise. oh boy they were yummy!!!
Labor signs?: Not really just lots and lots of Braxton Hicks. I am 1cm dilated as of today, I never did dilate on my own with Avery so you never know... my doctor said to go ahead and pack my bags (haven't packed yet) just in case. I am praying he stays put though, chris only has 2 days off between now and the 22nd and I don't want him to miss anything, eek!
Belly button in or out?: its somewhere in the middle. It never fully popped out with Avery.
What I miss: My energy!!! also being able to see my toes and bend over. Oh, and going out on the boat and skiing!!! Next summer :)
What I’m looking forward to: getting back in shape! My best friend, Melissa, is getting married at the beginning of December so I will have to work out like crazy and start a good diet!
Milestone: At this point Liam is almost full term. If he did decide to come early he should be perfectly healthy!
Biggest Difficulty: bending over and getting out of bed! I forget how difficult it is to use your stomach muscles when your belly is this big!

2 weeks and 2 days till we meet our little man!