Going home 2!

Today was a good day! AC's labs came back down with just one day of antibiotics. So, we get to go home tomorrow! She will be on iv antibiotics for another week.  They will put in a picc line tomorrow and set up home health, and then we get to head back to Greenville! I am so excited.  It was also wonderful to have Amelia back with us.  It felt so good this morning to eat breakfast and see my 3 favorite people sitting with me.  Amelia did pretty good today too.  They have play rooms full of toys, so she was happy.  Having a room at the FedEx house was wonderful.  She was able to go back and get a good nap.  They were suppose to be playing finding nemo in the movie room, but they canceled it, so drew and Amelia showed up to watch the movie but couldn't get in. It was fine though.  Our friends John and Beth came to see us again.  So, we were all able to visit with them.  It really does make being here so much more bearable when we have friends and family come.  My parents and sister surprised us with a visit.  It was a really good day! Amelia also got to have her face painted like a cat.  She was so cute.

Sorry most of my posts are difficult to read.  It is not so easy to type on the iPad.  I will try to fix them when I get home.  Plus it likes to "correct" my words for me without me realizing it.

2 steps forward 3 steps back

Yesterday was probably one of the best days I have had in a while. Anna Claire was able to start eating again, and she pooped and it was green! This was very exciting. I took a picture of he poop just for this blog. I tried everything I could to upload it, but it just wouldn't work.  I'm having to do all of this on the iPad.  So, some day soon hopefully you all will get to see my girls green poop.  You may wonder why I'm so excited about green poop, and for us it means that our little girl will hopefully be ok. It means that the bile is draining.  She hasn't had green poop since she was born.  We were also told that since she was doing so well we may get to go home on Sunday!!!  I can't wait to be home!  I can't wait to have my family together again. Since she was on the road to recovery, we decided to start dividing ourselves between the girls.  There is no reason for us both to be at the hospital so one of is with Anna Claire while the other is with Amelia. I got to stay with Amelia last night. It was the mot sleep I have gotten in while.  It was wonderful.

This is our green poop.  I'm sure you think this is gross, but it was pretty exciting for me!

Well, today was not such a good day. I felt like we took 2 steps forward and 3 steps back.  Drew called me to say that Dr. Langham had rounded, and that Anna Claire's white blood cell count is high and so is her bilirubin.  He is worried she may have cholangitis.  Because of her condition she is real susceptible to infections in her bile duct.  If this happens, the bile duct can block of again.  If that happens our next step will be transplant.  We are now back on strong antibiotics iv, and will not be going home tomorrow.  I was devastated! I can't take having the family split up anymore. I feel like there is no end in site.  The wonderful thing about lebonheur though is that they have the FedEx building right cross the street for families to stay. I called drew to see if we could get a room.  Luckily, we could, so now Amelia is with us.  She and drew are staying there tonight, and I'm with Anna Claire. They may not be in the same room, but we are at least within walking distance of each other.  Please continue to pray for my girl.  I am so scared for her.  I want nothing more for her than to be healthy and happy!

Moving forward

Well AC had her surgey yesterday.  She is doing really well and will get to move to a regular room today.  She has been sleeping a lot, but I prefer that. She seems to hurt when she is awake.  So we now finally have our answers.  It isn't what we had hoped for her, but we will take what we were given and move forward.  She did have a choledochal cyst which they removed and did have to do some rerouting of her intestines to allow for bile drainage.  She also has biliary atresia.  Basically the bile ducts get hardened and do not allow bile to flow.  Bile is necessary for your body to metabolize fat.  If it does not drain, not only can your body not metabolize fat causing issues with weight gain and absorption of fat soluble vitamins, but the bile also will back up into the liver.  This causes damage to the liver and can eventually cause liver failure.  Luckily hers was caught soon, so the doctor was able to get some bile drainage, we are not sure if it is significant enough.  We should know over the next week what will happen from here.  Hopefully, her bile will drain and she will be able to clear her jaundice.  If not, we will be looking at a transplant in the future.  I am just so thankful that we know what we are dealing with and we can now move forward with a plan.  I am also thankful that my girl is otherwise healthy. She had put on 2 pounds since birth, which is very good for her condition. She has lost a little, but nothing significant.  Now we just have to work on getting her to gain.  We get to go home as soon as she is eating and pooping good.  We are praying for green poop! I have never been so anxious to see poop in all my life!

AC in her ICU bed.  That thing on her chest is called Freddie T frog, and it is wonderful.  She slept so peacefully when that was on her.  We brought it home, but I am too afraid to use it.

 

Amelia is being crazy spoiled by the family.  She is probably going to be rotten by the time we get home, but that is ok.  She is at the zoo with Mimi and pop now.  They are going to bring her by so I can get a quick hug.  I can't wait to have both of my girls together again!

Thank you to everyone for the prayers.  We are so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful family and friends.  We couldn't do this without each of you!

Blessed

Anna Claire is in surgery right now.  We are very anxious to hear from the OR staff how everything is going.  We have been very blessed these last few days to hear from friends and family near and far.  Many people are praying for our girl right now.  Sunday, my parents came to the hospital so Drew and I could have a little break.  We went and enjoyed some food at Old Venice.  But, truthfully, we were both so mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted that it was difficult to just really relax.  After, we went to spend time with Amelia.  It was so nice to see her.  We had a lot of fun.  We played kickball and jumped on the trampoline.  We have some great photos.  I will post once we get home.  I can't upload photos here.  Monday, Drew spent the day with Amelia, and Tuesday, I spent the day with Amelia.  I think she is enjoying her one on one time. 

We have definitely gained a new found respect for people who are hospitalized for several months.  It is definitely very eye opening being on the other side.  I now know how frustrating it can be to have people come in your room at any and every hour.  I finally reached my breaking point Monday night.  After spending several hours getting AC to sleep, and having random people come in and wake her each time I finally got her to sleep, I had reached the point that if just one more person had come in, I was going to let them have it.  I know God is watching out for us.  Not a single person walked in again for several hours. 

I am having a hard time concentrating on this.  We have a lot more people sitting with us than I expected.  I will update later.

Waiting for our big day

We are now playing the waiting game. We are so anxious for Wednesday to get here.  I never thought I would be wishing my life away, but right now I am wishing these next 3 days could be skipped.  Luckily we have great friends and family that are keeping us sane! Drew's parents came to spend the day with us thursday. Drew's cousin Molly and her husband came Thursday night.  They were sweet and brought us some yummy Mempis pizza cafe and snacks.  It was nice to have a little break from thinking about the scariness of that day.  Friday my parents and sister came with Amelia.  It was so good to see my girl! My childhood friend, Tish, also came to visit.  She has another friend who is in the hospital now, so she was in town to help them out.  Yesterday, I went to get Amelia and bring her back to spend the day with us.  We got some good news while I was gone.  The on call surgeon said that biliary atresia is definitely ruled out.  But, the gi specialist says we still won't know until after the surgery.  So, it is sill a waiting game as far as that goes.  But, my friends Beth and John came to visit.  They brought us a good basket.  We are so blessed by all our friends and family!  It is hard sitting waiting and we have really enjoyed having people come visit and entertain us for a little while.  Amelia started running a little fever that afternoon so we took her back to my sister's house.  She is fever free now, hopefully it will stay that way.  I know she is struggling with all of this.  She was clinging to me at my sister's house, and she woke up crying 3 times last night.  I'm not sure if it is that she isn't feeling well or if she is stressed.  I'm just glad that this time in our lives will be only remembered by me and their dad and will only be a story for them.  Please continue to pray for both of our girls and us through all of this.  We did ask the on call surgeon today about moving the surgery up with a different surgeon.  She is going to get back with us.  I feel it is unlikely but we are hopeful.

Hoping and praying

My sweet baby girl turned 6 weeks old on Wednesday.  She went to her pediatrician on Wednesday for her 2 month shots so she could start daycare next week and I could go back to work.  The doctor said she looked a little jaundiced to him. I had thought her eyes did look slightly yellow but she was just not a bright yellow as with typical jaundice.  But, we did know that she had had a cyst near her liver when I was pregnant. We did an ultrasound on her when she was born, but it was ordered for the ovaries only.  The ultrasound was normal, she seemed to be a very healthy normal baby, so after speaking with her pediatrician and knowing that most cysts are nothing to worry about we decided to let it go.  I did request that he review the previous ultrasound, which he did request. Well, since she was looking jaundiced to him, I requested that we repeat the ultrasound on wednesday, so we did. It turned out that the cyst is still there about 4 cm, and he sent us directly to lebonheur at that time. We rushed home to get a few things, picked up Amelia at daycare and headed to Memphis.  My sweet sister didn't even ask, she just said she was taking Amelia. They met us at the er to get her. We spent a few hours in the er before being admitted. After a whirlwind of tests and meeting with doctors we have found out that Anna Claire most likely has what is called a choledochal cyst. It is blocking her common bile duct not allowing her liver to drain bile.  She will have surgery on Wednesday to correct this and determine exactly what is going on with her.  It has been a roller coaster of emotions for us. A lot of tears and fear.  My angel has been so strong through all of this.  We have been blessed with amazing family and friends who have offered all kinds of support. We are surrounded by a wonderful hospital staff. I have gone through all the questions of why my baby, but why should it be anybody's baby.  It is a very rare condition.  Hopefully after surgery this will all be over and we will get back to our happy family of 4. I am missing my big girl like crazy.  I know she is beyond thrilled to be with my sister.  She loves her cousins and I know is having all kinds of fun, and I know my sister is spoiling her rotten.  I just ask that anyone reading this would please pray for my sweet girl.  She is a little fighter and I know she will be ok.

All smiles!

Anna Claire has been smiling for several weeks now, but they were few and far between.  She is finally starting to smile more and more every day!  I finally caught her cute smile on camera!

I am still learning what she likes.  She is nothing like her sister.  Amelia loved to lay on her activity mat and play.  Anna Claire is still not quite into "playing," but she loves when you talk to her, make funny noises, and give her kisses on her cheek and neck.  She is so sweet and makes the cutest cooing noises.  Looking forward to more of this and less of the crying!  But, I know it is coming soon!

I am currently working on transitioning her to her crib.  We have been putting her in her swing because she sleeps so good in it.  Usually 4-5 hour stretches.  Well, the past 2 nights she has been in her crib.  She is now up every 3-4 hours.  Which I know is still good.  But, we really need her to start sleeping through the night!  Hopefully the transition will just take a few days for her to get accustomed to! 

Amelia is still her little mischievous self.  She has now discovered how to open her bedroom door.  It had been closed but not all the way to, and she got out Monday morning.  I thought I would fix the problem by making sure that the door was pulled all the way closed, well this morning, she sure did turn the knob and open the door by herself.  Monday, she sneaked into Anna Claire's room and about scared me to death.  I was sleeping in there because she has a hard time falling asleep in her crib, so it's better than climbing the stairs a hundred times.  Drew also told me that he heard one of the toys singing that morning.  So, I really don't know if she had gone downstairs and played a minute then went back upstairs.  But, this morning I was feeding Anna Claire downstairs when it happened.  I am dreading the day that she comes and is standing beside the bed.  That will really freak me out!  Hopefully we can find a way to keep her in her room!

A week with the family

We are just returning from a week at my parent's house and slowly getting back into our regular routine.  My parents live in the country so I don't get cell phone or internet service.  This means that I have a lot of catching up to do!

We left last Sunday.  Drew had an early flight to Phoenix on Monday.  Mommy didn't like the idea of spending a week with a 22 month old and 1 month old by myself, so we went to grandmomma and granddaddy's house.  We had a lot of fun! 

Monday, we met some friends at the zoo.  It was slightly chilly outside which I think is the best time to go to the zoo.  The animals were so active.  Amelia was so excited to see them so close! 

Anna Claire's first trip to the zoo.

Amelia and Meyers checking out the elephants.

Tuesday, we met my sister and her kids at the mall for a little shopping and to ride the carousel.  Amelia didn't know what to think about that.  She had a huge smile on her face the entire time!  It is so much fun to see her experiencing new things!  We went back to my sister's house so the girls could take a nap and I could make a trip to target.  Well, my trip to Target turned a little dramatic when I went to the car and it wouldn't start.  So, we had to make a quick trip to go get a new battery.  Thank God I was at my sister's house with my family when that happened and not at the zoo by myself with the 2 girls. 

Anna Claire at the carousal.

Wednesday we had a low key day.  We went to my parent's church to play on their playground and have lunch with my mom.  It was nice to have a relaxing day in the mix of it all.

Thursday, my sister and her family came over that afternoon.  We played outside and had a bonfire and roasted hot dogs.  We were going to have a hayride, but it started to rain, so we had to cut it short.  We still enjoyed our time with our family.  That evening daddy finally came back home.  We were so excited!!!!

Friday, we made the trip back home to Greenville.  Along the way, we stopped off in Hernando, MS at the Cedar Hill Farms.  So much fun for little kids.  I love the fall and all that comes with it.

We went straight for the pony ride.  Amelia had this face pretty much the entire time, emotionless.  But, she said she liked it, and it was her favorite.

Riding the train with daddy. 

On the hayride to go get a pumpkin.

We let her pick whichever pumpkin she wanted.  She chose probably the ugliest one out there.  It looked all warty like.  Anna Claire had a matching outfit.  I will get a picture of them together soon.  She pretty much stayed in the baby bjorn the entire time.

Our last adventure was just for mommy and daddy.  Grandmomma and Granddaddy came to Greenville yesterday to watch the girls so that mommy and daddy could go to the UT football game in Starkville.  We had that planned long before we knew we would be traveling up there.  We had planned to take Amelia, but with an 8 o'clock game time, we decided that was not a good idea.  Plus it was good for mommy and daddy to have some adult time.  It was an exhausting week and weekend.  Hopefully mommy can catch back up on rest during her last week of maternity leave. 

Some random photos from this week.

This is how I found the room in Sharon's house that Amelia was "napping" in.  This happened in the matter of just about 10 minutes.

It's hard to see in this photo, but she was taking her diapers and swaddling her little teddy bears and putting them to sleep.  It was so cute!

Amelia slept in a big bed by herself for the first time.  She did so good!  I think she is ready, but we'll keep the toddler bed for a little longer!

1 month/ 22 months

Today, my baby turns 1 month old!  Where has the month gone!  I can't believe that I have just 2 more weeks before I have to go back to work.  I am so thankful that I only work part-time.  I want to spend as much time with my girls as I can.  Anna Claire still sleeps a lot, but is waking up more and more each day.  She sleeps really well at night in her swing, not so well when we try to put her in the pack and play.  I plan to move her up to her room in 1 week, so we will see how it goes!  She has suddenly become a little piglet eating 4 oz every 2-3 hours.  She goes 4 hours at night (only when she is in the swing)!  She loves her bath.  She is slowly starting to smile more.  I am so excited to see her personality show itself more and more.  I know she has grown because I can see it in her hands, and her hair line is receeding, but otherwise I really wouldn't be able to tell.  She makes the sweetest cooing noises, and the funniest grunting noises at night.  It isn't so funny at the time though. 

I have a friend that blogs that wrote that she didn't mind her midnight feedings with her second child because she knew it was her last time.  She wanted to soak it all in.  I haven't experienced those same feelings.  I have been looking forward so much to when she will actually start sleeping through the night.  In the beginning, I was very frustrated by the night feedings, but I have gotten over that.  Last night, she was so sweet, plus she has gotten better about eating and going back to sleep.  But, last night, I just watched her fall back to sleep and she did that sweet cute thing that babies do as they fall asleep and their face shows every emotion possible.  I love that.  I remember when Amelia was a baby calling it the 20 faces of Amelia, and now I get to see it again with Anna claire.  She will give the biggest sweetest smiles.  It just makes you wonder what they are thinking. 

Anna Claire and I just came in from sitting on the swing.  It was a really sweet moment.  She was being fussy, but was immediately happy when we went outside.  She fell asleep while we were swinging.  I just looked around and listened.  I realized that I do love our neighborhood.  It is the best part of Greenville.  It is so pretty.  It has amazing trees.  The birds were chirping in the background, windchimes were playing.  The world felt perfect for those few minutes that we set on the swing, holding my sweet baby, and listening to the world around us. 

Love this little face!

 

My big girl turned 22 months this week.  She is becoming such a big girl.  It is crazy to me that she just all the sudden grew up over night.  She is starting to pretend play.  It is so cute to watch her.  She will have a tea party with her little animals now.  She is getting very independent, which would be nice if she could actually do the tasks, but since she is wanting to do everything herself, we are really working on teaching her.  

She loves wearing mommy and daddy's shoes.

Daddy got a really big box full of geese this weekend, so we of course turned it in to a fort for her to play in.  She loved it.  Would close herself completely in it, and not freak out at all unless you tried to open it and see her.

She loved playing hide and seek in the box.

Anna Claire is on the left and Amelia on the right.  This was Amelia's 1 month photo.  I put Anna Claire in this outfit earlier this week to compare them.  You can tell they are sister's, but I definitely believe they have their own look!

Cody Ellis

There is one member of our family that I don't mention much.  Our dog Cody.  He was Drew's dog before I met him.  He has been with him for 11 years.  He is Amelia's best friend.  He is the smartest dog I have ever met.  And, even though he isn't much of a guard dog, he always made me feel safe when Drew is out of town.

Our sweet Cody died this morning.  We are all heartbroken over losing him.  I never thought I would be so sad.  But, I went to work this morning and came home.  Usually, he is there at the gate waiting on us to get home, but today he wasn't there.  I knew he wouldn't be there, but it was my natural reaction to look for him.  He will truly be missed. 

Cody with his 2 biggest fans doing what he loved the most.  He was happiest when he was retrieving.