Three Little Peanuts

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY ISABELLA GRACE!!

2008-05-22T08:39:00.002-06:00

I have so much to update about: NICU reunion, school, March of Dimes walk, but for now I just want to say happy 2nd birthday to my littlest miracle:)

We reached our goal!!

2008-04-24T12:55:00.002-06:00

A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to our March of Dimes walk!! YOU ARE ALL AMAZING!!! We have far surpassed our goal for this years walk:) Many of you have been with us thru all our ups and downs of raising preemies. That is why we do this walk. To help other babies, and other families. So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! We are touched by everyone's generosity!!

For anyone out there that knows of anyone who has had more than one premature singleton birth, or who has premature births run in their family, please feel free to leave me a comment or email. I am taking part in a research study that is studying the genetic link in familial premature birth (several premature births and across generations). This is some wonderful research that will hopefully uncover more of the missing puzzle for future generations (and hopefully my girls!).

MARCH FOR BABIES fundraising

2008-04-03T11:14:00.008-06:00

Hi everyone! We are once again walking in the March for Babies (formerly WalkAmerica) to raise funds for the March of Dimes. Our walk will take place in Minneapolis on April 27th. Todd, I and all 3 kids will be going. We did the walk for the first time last year (5 miles!) and were able to raise $500 for the March of Dimes. This year we have doubled our fund raising goal to $1000. This money is used by the March of Dimes to fund research and programs dealing with prematurity and birth defects, obviously something the means a lot to us. Please consider donating to our walk, even if it is only $1. Our hope is that other babies and families do not have to go through what we have. Here is the link to our March for Babies donation page- please take a moment to visit the page- THANK YOU!

http://www.marchforbabies.org/451648 copy and paste this in your address bar, or click on link to the right

*The image above is of Savannah 3 years ago today. She had just come home from her long hospital stay a few days prior.

Easter pictures

2008-03-30T10:07:00.007-06:00

Kids in their Easter clothes...

Bella excited over the candy...

Isaac finding his basket that the Easter bunny hid in the dryer...

Family picture...

With nana, papa, mom, and uncle Ben...

The three peanuts at nana and papas with their Easter baskets...

Bella rolling around on the floor with her candy. can you say hog heaven?

Isaac and dad taking apart hard drives...

Isaac on the typewriter. Can you tell he's a gadget kid?

Perfect ending to the day...

Sadly, we were not able to make it over to Grandma and Grandpa R's house since grandma had the stomach flu. We will celebrate with them another weekend and add pics:)

Pre-Easter festivities
Dying eggs...

Making cupcakes...

Premature birth - CBS news

2008-03-27T12:02:00.003-06:00

Here is a news story from the CBS evening news that highlights the results of a study done on premature birth and long term issues. Be patient, there is a short 30 sec commercial preceding the story. I wanted to bring some awareness to the premature birth epidemic as we are getting ready for our March of Dimes walk in April. I do not have the link to our fundraising site up and running yet, but should by the weekend. Thanks for looking!

We should really play the lotto!

2008-03-24T09:56:00.002-06:00

We should. I spent all last week - my spring break- in bed, with a strain of Influenza not covered in the flu shot. WHAT are the CHANCES?? Ha. It doesn't help I am diabetic and it totally messed with my blood sugars. Luckily Todd could take off work some and then the other days the kids went to my parents (THANKS GUYS!). Once I finally emerged I made sure to wear a mask so hopefully the kids won't get it. I am not sure how they'd handle it with their past/present lung issues and I don't care to find out. Anyway, enough complaining on my part.

Occupational therapy is going great for Savannah. We call it her "exercise class." Today I had all 3 kids with since Isaac is on spring break this week. I talked to him beforehand about how he could be the "helper" today and that seemed to help with his behavior. He had a great time and the OT let him help out alot. Bella on the other hand was, well, Bella. HAHA

Soon I will be updating our March of Dimes walk page. This is our 2nd year participating and our walk will take place on APRIL 27. I'll post a refreshed link when I have our donation page up and running. The walk has been renamed this year to MARCH FOR BABIES (used to be called WalkAmerica). We are excited to participate again this year since this cause is so near and dear to our hearts. Our goal is going to be double last years- $1000. I am sure we can reach it with everyones help! Stay tuned...

Back from OT

2008-03-10T11:17:00.004-06:00

The occupational therapy appointment went fine this morning. It was a little interesting in there trying to keep Bella entertained while they tested Savannah. The had a lot of boxed puzzles that Bella kept getting into (AGGGHHH!). We have been thru testing like this before with NICU follow-up and the school district. I thought they would only be looking at gross motor (large muscle) stuff, but they tested everything- fine motor, cognitive and a bit of speech. ANYWAY, she does definitely have low tone, especially in her core. This is whats causing all her coordination issues and injuries. It's why we can't go ANYWHERE without her falling etc. SO, we will be going every Monday to the rehab place for them to work with Savannah on OT. She will show me some stuff I can work with her on at home as well.

Off to OT tomorrow AM

2008-03-09T19:37:00.002-06:00

Wow, its been so chaotic around here with appointments and school, and life with 3 little ones in general. A friend's blog put it into perspective. She mentioned that they went a whole week without any doctor visits. It made me think, when was the last time we went a week without any appointments? I am not even sure. I thought maybe this week, but now we've loaded up on OT tomorrow for Savannah, ST for Bella Wednesday, and another doctor appointment Friday, on top of my school on Tuesday (BIG TEST) and Thursday + the girl's class on Friday morning. The week after is 2 more doctor appointments I believe.

So, back to Savannah and the OT. Anyone who has been around her for more than an hour or walked with her anywhere has noticed/commented on her motor skills. She constantly falls, runs into things, falls into things, clips things, or has issues going down the steps. We can't walk from the car, through the clinic building, to the pediatricians office without her falling over her own feet and crying at least twice. A few of the neighbors have jokingly referred to her as "kamikaze" because every time she comes running she injures herself. We kind of took the wait and see approach thinking it was maybe just toddler hood. Then the school district did an overall eval when she was in speech therapy, and she scored low on gross motor skills. She was having issues with steps too. I thought it was maybe due to her eyes getting worse b/c she has some astigmatism. I knew she was due to see the pediatric eye doc this last October, so we just kind of sat on it. Turns out her eyes were the same. Fast forward to her 3 yr checkup in Feb. I now decided to raise the concern because she is starting to get injured as a result. She has dead front tooth (which is suspiciously turning back to white:)) as a result and is constantly injuring her face from falls. Her doc thinks it could be weak core muscle issue so she referred us for eval and treatment. I hope it helps her or she may be missing all her teeth by age 4. :0

Heart clinic

2008-02-28T14:40:00.003-06:00

The trip to children's heart clinic went great. Savannah had an EKG and an echo of her heart done. The EKG (electrical graph) of her heart looked good. The echo of heart heart showed pretty good news too. Her PFO (opening) between the 2 atria was closed up:) The other concern was her coronary arteries. Originally, they thought that both her coronary arteries came off the left side, instead of one on each. It turns out the left is normal as expected, and the right is still abnormal, but does NOT come off the left side. It actually comes out a completely different place from where they first thought. It has a higher than normal origin. He said it is considered abnormal, but that it should remain insignificant, meaning it should not affect her. He gave us the clear for her to be in activities etc as if she has a normal heart ("with a twist" as he put it:) She did great during all the tests. She got scared when we went in the ultrasound/echo room, but they popped in a Dora movie - she held my hand and did great. So brave:)

Savannah

2008-02-26T09:07:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow we head to the heart clinic for Savannah's follow-up. I can't believe it's been almost 2 years since our last appt there. They should be doing an echo (ultrasound) of her heart to get a good look at her coronary arteries. As far as we know they both come off the same side, instead of one off each side. It is hopefully a normal variant but NICU follow-up and cardio want to get a better look. Last time they viewed it was in the NICU and her heart was only the size of a coin. They wanted to wait until age 3 for the next echo so that she is able to lay still. Wish us luck!

We will also be meeting up with one of Savannah's primary nurses from special care. We are excited to see her:)

Home from surgery

2008-02-18T16:22:00.010-06:00

Bella's surgery went great! She was a model patient:) She did not cry once, not even after waking from the anesthesia, such a contrast to when Isaac got his. We are home now and she is sleeping. They gave her a narcotic for pain, so she's a little drowsy. We actually haven't heard a peep out of her since she came out of surgery. The 45 minute ride home was nice and quiet (doesn't happen much in our car!).
Ready to head to Children's

Let's get this show on the road. Waiting at Children's

Getting my surgery gear on

Hey! Don't take a picture of me now!

Blowing kisses...

Waking from surgery

Trying a drink

On my way home!

Bella's surgery tomorrow

2008-02-17T20:35:00.004-06:00

Bella is having surgery tomorrow (Monday) to have ear tubes put in. She has had 5 infections since October alone, and fluid in her ears since before that. It is definitely affecting her hearing, and her early childhood teacher put her in speech therapy last fall. Hopefully with the tubes she will hear better, start talking, and maybe sleep at night (ok, maybe I'm pushing it). It should be a minor procedure but she will be put under for it- this is always a little scary for the parent of a preemie with respiratory distress a not so distant memory. It is scheduled for 1:30 pm and she cannot eat anything from after dinner tonight until then. Yuck. Poor kid. It will be interesting trying to feed the other two kids tomorrow with her around. She loves to eat. I will be sure to update after we get home tomorrow evening.
(picture above is of her in her converted toddler bed last month- yes she climbed out of the crib!)

February 12 - Happy 3rd birthday Savannah Mae!

2008-02-11T21:15:00.000-06:00

Happy 3rd birthday to our big girl! You have come so far and we are so proud of you!

Happy New Year 2008!

2008-01-02T13:00:00.000-06:00

WOW, I haven't updated in a LONG time. It has been so nuts here with sicknesses and finals. My fall semester is finally over, and I managed to maintain my 4.0. It nearly killed me though (and drove Todd nuts!). I am hoping to be better at updating this, but Bella has been sick with one thing after another, and it leaves me little time. This morning Isaac actually had a dental emergency on top of it. He woke up with his bottom gums completely swollen, almost covering the back of his teeth. We went in to the dentist, and they will be pulling one of his baby teeth tomorrow. It is one that is already loose, so it shouldn't be major. Between him and his sisters (Savannah recently had a dental emergency/accident too, and now has a black front tooth - but more on that in the next post), we are keeping the doctors and dentists busy. Anyway, I will hopefully have time for a nice long update on everyone tonight- crossing my fingers!

Happy 6th Birthday Isaac!

2007-12-10T09:23:00.000-06:00

Happy birthday to my oldest peanut! It's hard to believe he is already 6. Wow. Last weekend (during the snowstorm) Isaac had some of his classmates over for a party. It was a fun time, but I couldn't believe how loud it was in here. There were a few kids that were plugging their ears! HA

Yesterday, we had the grandparents over for lunch and cake. 2 parties in one week! Lucky kid.

Today, his actual birthday, I'll be picking him up from school and driving into the cities. We'll meet Todd and go for a quick dinner to celebrate Isaac's birthday. Then I am off to class. I wish I didn't have class tonight. I missed Halloween with the kids and Santa's visit because of class too- bummer! Oh well- only 1 more week left of fall semester!b Hopefully spring semester will work out differently.

This is what goes on when I am at class...

2007-11-29T14:09:00.000-06:00

Todd feeds Isabella a BOWL of whipped cream, which she proceeds to stick up her nose, and everywhere else!

friend...

2007-11-27T13:04:00.001-06:00

I really am going to update this thing soon. A friend asked me recently if I was swallowed by my textbook. Yes, I think I have been. Anyways...

Last night I found out a friend of mine has been diagnosed with cancer- Hodgkin's lymphoma. She is 28 and full of life. I am so sad for her and everything she will be going through in the coming months. She has one of the best attitudes toward life than anyone I know. She will be starting chemo on Friday- please keep her in your prayers...

update

2007-11-18T07:45:00.000-06:00

We are on day 7 of Bella's 102-104 degree fever. If it doesn't break today, we'll be back in for more testing tomorrow...

Sorry for no update- we've had a very sick house!

2007-11-16T18:06:00.000-06:00

Well, I am really behind now. I'll maybe have Halloween pics up by Thanksgiving-ha. Thursday of last week I had all 3 kids in to the doctor. Bella had an ear infection and got antibiotics, Savannah had croup and got put on steroids, and Isaac needed an antibiotic for his cough. Bella finished her antibiotic on Sunday. By Monday morning she had a 103 temp again. I brought her in and her ear had cleared up, so the doctor figured it was a virus. By that night I got the fever, but still kept plugging as I had a Powerpoint presentation on Wed night for class. Today is Friday and Bella sits with a 102 temp WITH Ibuprofen. I brought her back in this afternoon and the doctor thought it could be influenza, even though she got the shot. She thought this b/c the fever broke yesterday, but was back with a vengeance today, and that is how influenza presents. So, we did the flu test and doctor just called to say the influenza came back neg, but she thinks its parainfluenza. So, if she is worse this weekend we will go in, otherwise if nothing has changed by Monday we will go back in- that will be 9 days with a 103 fever. So, hopefully this weekend it breaks. I also still have an on and off fever. Hopefully everyone is well by the end of the weekend. This is our first year out of winter "isolation" since the girls were born. Hopefully, this isn't a sign or we may have to start being more selective about how much and where we go out again. UGH!

Fall Harvest Orchard

2007-10-24T09:10:00.000-06:00

A few weekends ago my dad came up for a trip to Cabela's with the boys. Before they left for their big shopping trip we hit the Fall Harvest Orchard. It's actually a big farm that these people open up to the public. It was SO much fun. The kids had a blast! I know I am long overdue for an update on the kids, but it's been so busy lately and I want to share these pictures of the orchard. I will try to do an overall update soon, maybe tomorrow.

The day started with papa showing up at 7:30 to make pancakes with the kids:

As soon as we got to the orchard, Bella started chasing the turkeys:

Feeding the goats (this was a big hit!):
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Holding baby chicks:

Three Little Pigs

Savannah talking to the pot bellied pig:

Bella going for the goat kiss (YUCK!):

Mooooo:

Papa helping Savannah feed the cows:

Pumpkins:

Bad hair day:

Corn pit:

Taking off:

What's that saying? When it rains, it pours.

2007-10-12T11:36:00.000-06:00

Man, what a streak of bad luck. So in the midst of dealing with all this house damage from the hail storm we managed to get rear ended in our van. It was some high school kid that wasn't paying attention. His excuse was "I'm a senior and high school and I'm just so busy!" OK...

So then the brakes in both cars start squealing- both need new brakes. On top of that the water pump in the van is leaking so it needs to be replaced within a week! HA. Right.

Among all the chaos, Bella continues to not sleep at night and all of a sudden her reflux has really flared back up. The other night we were up with her until after 4am and we could hear her refluxing every 30 seconds. She was just screaming and wouldn't even take a bottle. I took her in that morning and sure enough the reflux had caused an infection in her nose, which in turn led to an ear infection. She is on antibiotics now and we will more than likely be upping her prevacid. I need to call back on that.

We are looking forward to an uneventful weekend. Maybe the pumpkin patch?

Happy Birthday!

2007-10-07T09:49:00.000-06:00

Happy 35th birthday daddy!! We love you!!

busy

2007-10-04T10:05:00.000-06:00

Well, I haven't been very good about updating lately. It's just been soooo busy around here with appts, ST, PT, and my school on top of it all! Hopefully,I can get on here soon and post a better update. Until then, this is a picture of the kids at Como Zoo the weekend (beginning Sept) before school started.

It's raining...golf balls? Baseballs?

2007-09-21T11:11:00.000-06:00

Yes, those are holes in our house. The siding is riddled with holes from the hail storm last night. The hail ranged in size from golf balls to baseballs. I was home alone with the kids. We went to the basement and it was so loud I thought the top of the house was being taken. It turns out I was hearing the hail hitting the house. Some of the hail bounced almost as high as our swingset. I have never seen anything like it. A car parked across the street was missing it's windshield when all was said and done. Thank goodness it's just the house. Now, if only our insurance deductible wasn't so high!

Today, Savannah keeps asking where all the balls went, and when are more balls coming. And her new word, "Why? Why? Why mom?"

Proud

2007-09-20T11:40:00.001-06:00

Our little man is so proud of himself. He learned how to tie his shoes last week! He taught himself, with a little guidance from mom and dad. We had been talking about him learning it, and when I called on the way home from class last Wed night he informed me he was tying his own shoes! The next day he came home from school and said that he helped someone else tie their shoes. It's fun to see how excited they get at this age over something so simple. :)

Have to include some pics of my girls in their matching sleepers. It was COLD here last week.

Thank you!

2007-09-17T10:23:00.000-06:00

I wanted to take a minute to thank my family, friends from the preemie forum, and our friends we made while at Children's. You have been so supportive through all this with Bella, and actually the past several years with all the tough times we've gone through with both girls. It is appreciated more than you could ever know...

Things seem to be going around here. Isaac is adjusting better to school now, although I think he'd still rather stay home;) He has talked about some friends he's made and still loves music class. I will update more later about an exciting milestone of his!

Bella is moving right along and is LOVING to tag along with Savannah when she plays dolls. They both have their own dolly stroller and love to push them around the house. Now that Bella has gotten the hang of walking it is starting to become more apparent that she drags her right foot/leg, moreso towards the end of the day, or when tired. It is causing alot of tripping. I will bring that up again when we see her PT, or at her 18 month appt.

Savannah is doing good and has graduated from the pulmonologist (lung doc). We will be able to manage any asthma, or other lung issues, thru her regular pediatrician. YAH! Savannah will see the cardiologist this winter when she turns 3, just to do an echo of her heart to recheck a few things, but hopefully all will be fine and we can cross them off our list too:) That would be so great!

Results!

2007-09-11T07:43:00.000-06:00

The doctor just called with Bella's CT results, and her brain ventricles are NORMAL size! This means no fluid build-up and no hydrocephalus!! YAH!! It doesn't explain the issues she's had, but does tell us that she just has a big head:) Some of her issues could still be her reflux, but she is still on Prevacid for that, and the doc said it's a good dose. But the happy news for the day is NO HYRDO!!!

Isaac's first day of Kindergarten!

2007-09-10T10:33:00.000-06:00

My big boy started kindergarten last Tuesday. He goes all day, everyday. So far it has definitely been a hard transition for him, but hopefully it will get better soon. On a happy note, he loves music class and really looks forward to it. He asked me the other night why the lady presses the pedals under the piano:)

The girls waiting for Isaac (above)

(No results on the ct scan. They said her ped could call that afternoon to get the results, but unfortunately she is on vacation till Tues, so we will have to wait)

CT Scan

2007-09-06T10:11:00.000-06:00

Bella's CT Scan is scheduled for tomorrow AM. I'll update more later.

Isabella

2007-08-23T14:14:00.000-06:00

Look how far I've come:

Bella next to a Beanie at 2 lbs 2 oz

Bella at 24 1/2 lbs!
Yesterday Isabella was in to the doctor for her 15 month check-up and also a head re-check. First, the totally awesome news of the day. She weighed in at 24 1/2 lbs AND was 30 3/4 inches long!!!!!! That is incredible. For the first time I heard the doctor say, " She has done a nice job of catching up on size. She is about average on the curve for a 15 month old." The word average is something every preemie mom loves and waits to hear! She is completely caught up on size, not even adjusting back to 12 months for being born 3 months early. In fact, she weighs nearly what Savannah does at age 2 1/2 (Savannah still being small for age). There is only about a pound or two difference in the girls.

Apparently Bella wasn't nearly as excited as I was about her growth. She cried and moaned the whole hour and a half we were there.

Next, was the not so hot news. Her head is still over the 100% (big) for her age. This is for her actual age of 15 months, so comparing her to kids that were born at term that are her age. For her adjusted age of 12 months, it's even further off the chart >100%. For a peanut that started out with a head smaller than your fist, this is huge. The doctor said it's not so much the size that's concerning, but the rate of growth and that she's concerned about hydrocephalus. She has had some large spikes in her head growth, where it's not really following a curve. As some of you know, we have been going in more often to get her head measured, as it's been of concern to the doctor. I've also mentioned before the trouble with head jerking and the investigation into whether or not she was having seizures. She also is still not sleeping at night and tends to cry and scream alot unless she has constant action to keep her distracted. The doctor said she would like to get a look into Bella's head, but that the soft spot is too small to use ultrasound at this point. The other way to get a look is with CT scan, but as she could see Bella is a very irritable girl, so she would need to be sedated. When we left the appointment she said she would call that night after talking with a few of the other doctors about it.

Last night I did get a call from her. She said the other doctors agreed that the CT scan should be done. She went on to say she is a little apprehensive b/c of the sedation portion (not sure why??). Anyway, as she was talking she said she has rounds next week at Children's and would like to run it by the NICU follow-up clinic to see if they see any other options. So now we wait. Again. Until next wee for the doctor to call back. Obviously sedation comes with risks, but I guess I don't really see the major deal. It needs to be done so why drag it out? We'll hear more next week. Worry, worry, worry.

Developmentally, not much has changed. She is doing ok motor wise, but is still at the level of a 6-8 month old as far as language goes. I'll be honest, I'm a little bummed, but we'll address it more in September when her Early Childhood teacher starts coming out again.

Lipstick

2007-08-15T06:05:00.000-06:00

My Savannah is such a little lady. Savannah was sitting at the breakfast bar last night while I was cooking dinner. When I looked up this is what I saw. She had taken a blue marker and colored her lips and teeth. She told me it was "lipstick." Ahhh, life with a 2 1/2 year old.

Community on edge

2007-08-06T21:00:00.000-06:00

Right now our neighborhood is very much on edge. Not far down the gravel road from our housing development a house was broken into and a lady was killed this weekend. The suspect is still on the loose in the victims car, and surveillance video was just released of him in the area. We also found out from our neighbor that a few days before a house IN our development was broken into and things were taken, including guns. Thankfully, the people were not home. Needless to say I am totally paranoid when leaving the house. I will be sleeping with my eyes open tonight.

Please pray they find this nut job, and soon. That way they can lock him up and throw away the key.

Noisy house and a Bella update

2007-07-30T19:22:00.000-06:00

Wow. The noise in here is giving me a headache! It is normally a pretty big circus around here, but now all three of my peanuts are teething. Isaac is getting his 6 year molars, Savannah is finally getting some 2 year molars, and Bella is getting 6 teeth (yes SIX) all at once. This will be a nice addition since she only has her bottom two. The older two kids are pretty good about the teething. Isaac only complains when he eats, and Savannah just chews on everything in sight. Bella, on the other hand, moans continuously. Day and night. I am really starting to wonder when she is going to sleep at night. I can count on two hands how many times she has slept thru the night. Eight. And by sleeping thru the night I don't mean a nice 12 hour stretch. More like seven on those sleeping thru the night times. I know at one point her doctor kind of wondered if all this has something to do with her head jerking issues.

Speaking of Bella's head, I mentioned before we had it measured and its well off the charts (large) for her age and her adjusted age. The doctor is watching for more spikes in the chart. We go in again August 22. At her last checkup her iron was checked again and is finally on the low end of the normal range. She is no longer anemic (YAH), so are able to try taking her off formula and onto whole milk. We have tried several times unsuccessfully. Her reflux is aweful when we try the milk, even with her Prevacid. Tonight I was at the grocery, so I picked up some Lactose free milk to try. Maybe that is the problem. My kids and their immature GI systems. Why can't it just be simple for once?

Bella's left eye still seems to be turning in every so often. Both girls are still set to go back to the ped ophthalmologist in early Oct.

Tomorrow morning Bella's Physical Therapist comes to the house. I am excited for her to show off all her new skills to Margaret. I am hoping she will maybe get discharged soon from the PT portion of her Early Intervention Program. The only concern I have is she is starting to walk and turns her right leg out when toddling. I've had concerns before with her right side, so I am hoping it's nothing. Come early September, her teacher will start coming out again and working on cognitive/language issues. I'm interested to see what path this takes.

I hope you are all enjoying the last part of summer. It won't be long and we will be heading back to school. My classes start up again August 27, so I am trying to pack in as many things as possible, before I add that back into the mix. :)

Last weekend

2007-07-27T12:26:00.000-06:00

Isn't this the ultimate picture of SWEETNESS???

Last Saturday we were able to get together with Bella's little buddy from the NICU, Ashlyn. Ashlyn was also a 28 weeker, and was born about 3 weeks, or so, after Bella. They were in the NICU together and then in the ICC at the same time. Her, and her family, were camping not far from our house, so we went out to their site for the day. It was a great time! They are a wonderful family. The kids had a great time playing and us adults had a nice time hanging out and relaxing. We are so fortunate to have met such great people that share a common experience that has been such a big part of our lives. Not many people can fully understand the NICU experience and the fear that comes along with it.
Here are some more pictures from out fun day:

Sunday we headed to my parents house as my aunts Lynnette and Janet were there for some lunch and swimming. It was Janet's first time seeing both of the girls too!
This is a picture of my two aunts with Bella, Isaac, and my brother Ben. Savannah was crashed, so she missed out on the photo op.

This next picture is thrown in for good measure. My brother and I.

Bella's head check

2007-07-26T15:04:00.001-06:00

Bella was in for her head check and it is still measuring large. It was 48 cm, so at the top (100%)of the charts for a 14 month old, and WAY off (>>>>100%)the charts for her adjusted age of 11 months.

I have been tagged!

2007-07-24T13:53:00.000-06:00

I've been tagged by Lisa to post 8 random facts about myself.

I have to post these rules before I give you the facts:

1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write in their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

So, here's my 8 random factoids:

1. My husband and I are from the same hometown, but never knew of each other growing up. He is 6 1/2 years my senior. We met while both working for a short time in the local grocery store. I was on my semester off of college after just moving back home from New Orleans and he had just moved home from Denver.

2. I am currently back in school working on another degree. This time, I am going back to be a neonatal nurse, and eventually a neonatal nurse practitioner. Originally, I was going to apply to med school, but decided with 3 small kids that was near impossible when all the logistics came to head; daycare, school, appointments. My current program I am able to do on nights and weekends:)

3. I hope to someday live in the south again. I love the south.

4. I love my grandmother's fried chicken and cornbread, and hope to someday perfect her technique.

5. I have Type 1 diabetes and wear and insulin pump. Contrary to popular belief, the pump is not surgically inserted. It is a small insulin catheter 9 mm long just beneath my skin. I change it out every 2-3 days. The pump clips to my pants and contains the insulin. People cringe when they hear this, but it is 1000x better than doing 6-8 shots a day that is required of the average Type 1.

6. I broke the chain. My three kids were all born premature, as was my mother (30 wkr) and my grandmother (under 2 lbs - gest unknown). I MUST be an oddball (no smart comments here). I was 8 1/2 lbs at birth! HA!

7. My middle name is Lane. It is my grandmother's middle name. I have now passed it down to Isaac. He is Isaac Lane.

8. I started college at age 16.

I am tagging (some of you may have already been tagged??):

Meegan
Anne
Kellie
Sarah
Amanda
Heather
Johnette
Christy
Jennifer

Black Hills trip

2007-07-23T11:22:00.000-06:00

Last week we all piled into the van and headed west to the Black Hills/Rapid City area. Todd's brother, his wife, and twin 6 year old boys live out there. It's been 3-4 years since we had been out to visit them with all the chaos with the girls, so we were due for a trip out there. This was Savannah and Bella's first trip anywhere of great distance. It is about 10-11 hours from our house, so we decided to split the drive into two days. Even with doing that, we still ended up on the road all day with all the stopping.
The first night we stayed in Mitchell, SD. This town is famous (ok, maybe not famous) for having the Corn Palace-HA. It basically a big building/auditorium that is covered and decorated with corn cobs. The design is changed each year. After checking that out we went back to the hotel to swim. They also had mini golf at the hotel, so Todd took Isaac and Savannah to goof around with that for awhile.
The next morning we continued our trip and along the way came upon an 1880's town. We decided to stop, and were glad we did. IT was really neat, as all the buildings were authentic 1880's buildings. The kids thought it was pretty neat and it was hard to tear Isaac away from the schoolhouse bell. I think he could have stood there all day ringing it. Savannah has a slight obsession with animals and wanted to stand by the horses and longhorns the whole time.

Since Isaac wants to be a polic officer when he grows up, I better include a picture of him and Savannah in a "real jail." Yes, my kids were in jail:)

After our stop at the 1880's town, we took a drive through the Badlands. We had been through there before, but wanted to show Isaac again. It's always a beautiful drive. This time we took the time to get out and climb around a little. It was over 100 degrees though, so it wasn't long before the kids faces were red from heat.

Isaac, Savannah and I climbing around...

Notice the beautiful layers of colors in the rock...

After leaving the Badlands, we finished our trek to Rapid City where we finally arrived at Mark and Anne's!

While there we packed in TONS of activities. I won't bore you all with the details, but here are some pictures with highlights:

Storybook Island Park
Cousins together: Savannah, Bella, Jack, Isaac, Noah

Bella the Little Toot

Bella and Tigger

Who's this? Savannah with Raggedy Ann

Reptile Gardens
Touching the caymen

Giant tortoises- the kids thought these were great!

Bella cuddling with uncle Mark

The three amigos: Noah, Jack, Isaac

Bear Country
Savannah pointing out the reindeer below. She was our navigator.

Beware of the bears...:)

Canyon Lake Park
My grandfather was in the Air Force and my grandma said when they were stationed in Rapid City they used to visit this park every Sunday. My mom was just a baby then. She said you could feed the ducks/geese and it was a very beautiful park. As you can see, not much has changed. It was neat to visit somewhere that she had so many memories of.

Dinosaur Park

Hey, who's that climbing the steps?

The three amigos

Mt. Rushmore
We had a litle time before our train ride so we did a drive by of Mt Rushmore. We had been there before, but wanted to show Isaac now that he is old enough to remember.

1880 Train ride
On our final day out in the Black Hills we took an 1880's train ride from Keystone to Hill City, and back. This was our special treat for Isaac. It was definitely hard work keeping Bella occupied and happy. It didn't help that it was 100 degrees outside.

Pitstops along the way

Yes, sometimes Bella's hair looks mohawk-style

On our last night there Mark and Anne got 2 sitters for all the kids and took us out to a nice quiet dinner. It was wonderful. It was nice to be able to catch up without all the kids vying for our attention. It was Savannah and Bella's first time with a sitter other than our parents. Bella did awesome, but I guess Savannah cried most of the time we were gone. She is going thru a really clingy stage right now, so that was expected.
We had an awesome time on our first family getaway! Thanks Mark and Anne for your hospitality:)
Oh, and here is Anne and I. Notice the sign...they were looking for rock stars. That would be us! HA!

One year ago today

2007-07-19T09:33:00.000-06:00

One year ago today we brought our baby Bella home from Children's. What a difference a year makes. It has been a trying year with alot of ups and downs, but we wouldn't change it for the world! What a happy day!
Coming home...7-19-06

One year later...7-19-07

First Steps!

2007-07-11T19:29:00.000-06:00

Wow, what a week it's been! Isabella took her first steps! It won't be long and she'll be a walker:) She has also figured out how to climb up onto Savannah's toddler bed. Thankfully, it's very low to the ground, however, it's still a problem when she decides to stand up and teeter near the edge. HA!

Earlier this week we met up with some friends we made during Savannah's stay in Special Care as a baby. We met at the park where Savannah played with twins Chris and Rachel. Chris and Rachel are 3 days older than Savannah, and were preemies born at 32 weeks. It was pretty hot out, so we only stayed a few minutes and then went to McDonald's with the kids. It's fun to get together and see how much the kids have grown. Here's a pic of the three amigos:

Back in business....

2007-07-06T13:31:00.000-06:00

We are back in business and everyone is feeling much better! Thank goodness! We have been spending alot of time outside lately (the only way to stay sane-HA). Isaac loves to go down the slip-n-slide, but our old stand-by bit the dust so off we went to Wal-Mart to get a new one. Of course, we got there and they were all sold out. The only one left on the shelf was a triple-wide one. So what do we do? Buy it, of course. Isaac had fun on it the first 5 minutes. Being the crazy wild kid he is that's how long it took him to get injured. He ended up twisting his foot on the top edge of it, but all is fine now.
Isaac also decided to spend his allowance on a giant bubble blower. We ended up getting one that came with a giant plastic loop and a dipping tray. BAD IDEA. I couldn't even get the thing to work. He was so disappointed. Later, when we were out we got a different kind that you dip into a wand filled with bubbles. It works awesome!

On the 4th of July we had some very good friends of ours out to our house. They have a daughter that is good friends with Isaac. We had fun hanging out and the kids had a great time swimming and playing in the backyard.

After all the outdoor play the kids were ready for a movie and popcorn! Here's a picture of 2 peas in a pod:)

We tried to get a picture of all the kids in their 4th of July attire, but this is the best I could do. Crazies! :)

Later that night we all headed to fireworks. We sat in the distance in the movie theater parking lot, which was perfect for little kids. We had plenty of room and it wasn't quite as loud. The only drawback was we couldn't see some of the low ones, but that ended up being ok because I think the little one would have been too afraid. Bella LOVED the fireworks. I couldn't believe it. She sat in her stroller awake and grinning the whole time! In past years, the babies have always slept.

pneumonia

2007-06-30T18:23:00.000-06:00

I have pneumonia, so I'll be taking a break in updating to rest. more to come later....

Busy, busy, busy

2007-06-28T11:49:00.000-06:00

Wow, we have been so busy lately. Last week I took the kids to the library as they had a local police car and fire truck there. This was big excitement for Isaac. He tells me he wants to be a police officer when he grows up. He already has big fun with his pretend handcuffs. The only rule is he cannot lock his sisters up! ;) Pictures at right with Isaac in the police car and then the kids by the fire truck.

This last weekend we had some friends out for some fun and grilling. They have kids close in age to ours, so we always have a good time. The kids caught a toad, and thought that was the greatest thing ever! I included pictures of the kids with the toad, and then Isabella getting nice and dirty with the sandbox.

Yesterday, the girls and I went with my mom to the University of MN Landscape Arboretum. I always enjoy going there and seeing the beautiful flowers each year. We had a fun time, and the girls enjoyed the stroller ride. We were definitely all tuckered out after the trip. While we were at the Arboretum, Isaac and my dad went fishing in his boat on a lake by our house. I think Isaac spent more time playing in the boat than fishing. :) Fun in the sun for all.... The picture at right is Savannah walking with nana to look at the water.

Today Savannah has speech. They are amazed at what progress she has made in 6 short months. She went from having such a severe delay to being at almost age level. I am fully expecting her to be discharged this fall. Woohooo!

We will be missing t-ball tonight. We all have head colds and sore throats and need to take it easy! We want to rest up for this weekend and also for the fourth, when we will be having some good friends of ours out for some 4th fun!!

Bella's birthday pictures!

2007-06-21T12:35:00.000-06:00

Better late than never! Bella turned 1 on May 22, and I am finally getting some pictures up! The Sunday before her birthday we had the grandmas and grandpas here for a birthday lunch.

href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h52qH46hIsA/RnrGg24qmNI/AAAAAAAAAXY/sz55FoUNhtE/s1600-h/PICT0046.JPG">

She had her own cake to dig into. She really got into it!

Needless to say she LOVED her cake! After a quick bath it was on to present opening. As you can see she was more interested in her after-cake beverage than tearing open any presents. Savannah was the official "present opener."

That was ok though, because by the next day she was ready to play with all her toys!

And finally, a few pictures from her actual birthday....

Happy belated Father's Day!

2007-06-19T20:07:00.000-06:00

Happy Father's Day!! I wanted to get this up sooner, but I couldn't find the camera cord to upload pictures! I sent Todd on a goose chase to find it and of course it was right where I always keep it- I looked right over it.
We had a great Father's Day this year. This is the first year in a long time that we have had a Mother's Day and a Father's Day all together with no babies in the hospital. Father's Day morning we took Todd out for breakfast. Thats always adventurous with the girls. HA! Then we went to my parents house for lunch and swimming. After that we went to Todd's parents house and out for dinner with them.
It was a busy day, but fun! The kids gave Todd a fishing pole for Father's Day. Isaac is very excited that dad now has a pole. They are planning to go fishing tomorrow night:)

What a difference a year can make...
Father's Day 2007 (top) and Father's Day 2006 in the NICU (below)

T-ball

2007-06-14T12:22:00.000-06:00

This year is Isaac's first time in an organized sport. He is on a t-ball team that consists of 5 and 6 year olds and is having a great time:) It's pretty funny to watch them out on the field. He usually has 1-2 games a week, and Todd is even asst coaching. Fun! I try to make it to all the games, depending on the girls' moods of course.

Bella's 1 year check-up and eye doctor visit

2007-06-08T18:30:00.000-06:00

Bella had her 1 year check-up and shots today. She was just getting over a 4 day fever, but we decided to go ahead with the shots anyway since she was on the mend. She has been anemic in the past, but I am happy to report that her hemoglobin was at 12, which is PERFECT! :) YEAH!! The check-up was pretty good overall. Of course, we talked about her communication understanding and expression, and agreed that Early Intervention would work with her in this area. The other main area of concern was her head size. It is now off the charts, and I mean on the HIGH/LARGE end! Not only is it a bit concerning that a 28 week preemie went from having such a tiny head that was not on the charts, to a huge head that is off the charts in the other direction, but it isn't really following a curve anymore. By this I mean her own growth curve isn't really a curve anymore. Her "curve" has shot practically straight up in a line over the last several months. She said it could be a cause for concern if there is fluid building up (in her ventricles) in the brain. We will be going back in July for another head size measurement. The doctor will determine form there what to do. I have to be honest, it makes me more than a bit nervous considering all the "issues" we have had with this jerking/head movements. Todd said tonight, "maybe she has a headache." Poor kid.

After the one year check we drove across the city to the ped ophthalmologist. Of course, Bella's eye didn't turn in once the whole time she was being examined:0 Talk about frustrating. At that point he thought maybe it was psuedostrabismus, where a child looks cross eyed, but really the pupils are aligning straight. So he decided to dilate her eyes and check her refraction error. Sometimes farsightedness can be a cause for an eye turn. Turns out she is farsighted (+3 I think for all you eye buffs), but kids her age tend to be farsighted, and he didn't think she was quite farsighted enough to be causing the eye turn (although in an adult this would be pretty farsighted). SOOO, he said in most kids it is pretty obvious whether or not they have strabismus, but he said it could go either way, so we will go back in about 4 months for a recheck unless things get significantly worse before then. Good grief.

Bella was just exhausted after all her appointments, poking and prodding. We finally arrived home 6 hours later. Of course, she had a fever back, so hopefully it is just from the shots. Bella has a big birthday party to go to this weekend. Her friend Ashlyn, from the NICU, will be celebrating her 1st birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLYN!

I still haven't gotten pictures up from my Bella's birthday, but I promise to soon!

Bella's eyes and NICU follow-up

2007-06-04T19:34:00.000-06:00

We will be heading to see the pediatric ophthalmologist this Friday AM. Bella's left eye started turning in about 2 months ago, and now its getting more noticeable. At her last appointment she was diagnosed with having a drooping right eyelid. At that time he told is to watch for her eye to turn in. He said she had all the risk factors to develop one: prematurity, drooping eyelid, and genetics (other family members who have or had one). Ironically, it is not the right eye that is turning in, its the left. When I called they said we needed to come in right away ( and not wait till her next appt in Oct). I don't think they were too happy I waited 2 months, but I wasn't actually sure that's what was going on, because it is an intermittent turn, not constant. ANYWAY, they wanted us in within a week, so we'll do that this Friday, after her 1 year check-up. Hopefully we wont need to put glasses on her yet. I cant imagine. She wont even keep a sun hat on:(

Her NICU follow-up at Children's went well. She scored at her adjusted age on motor and cognitive skills. Or course, like usual communication/language was the concern (no I don't mean talking-HA). Her overall communication ability was scored at 5-6 months old. Of course, I was crushed, but with her siblings having had speech delay, I was not surprised. She was already seen by the audiologist a few weeks back and her hearing is fine. It's just a delay that Early Intervention will work with her on more intensively this fall. They seemed pretty concerned at the Follow-up clinic, but I assured them that she is already being followed by Early Intervention. They suggested I get some sign language going with her since she hardly babbles. This may be hard since she has no comprehension of clapping, pointing or even knowing what something is if we say the word anything of the sort. Early intervention made us a book to use with her that has pictures of us and common objects. The point of it is to get her to "know" these things. Not say the word, but know what we are referring to if we say it to her. I think it will be awhile.

Mother's Day

2007-06-03T19:09:00.000-06:00

Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted! As you can imagine, it is one crazy house with 3 kids, especially with 1 and 2 year olds - still very needy, but with totally different needs and schedules.
Anyway, I wanted to post a little about Mother's Day. It was a busy, busy day/weekend. It was Mother's Day, my brother's college graduation (congrats Ben!), our wedding anniversary, and to top it all off I had my Anatomy & Physiology final on Monday! I still found time to enjoy my kids amidst all the chaos.
I want to share what Isaac brought home from preschool. It definitely gave me a few laughs:)It read:

Let me tell you a little bit about my mom...Her name is Jessica and she is 18 years old. Her favorite color is orange and she loves to eat apples. I think she weighs about 90 pounds and when she is alone, her favorite thing to do is work on the computer. I love my mom because she likes me.

At the bottom of the page was a little stick figure drawing that Isaac made of me. It is something I will keep forever!
Mother's day was busy, but great! Todd and the kids got me some beautiful roses and a large baking dish I had been wanting. We went to my parents house that day to celebrate my brother's graduation.
It was a HOT day so we were able to get some swimming in before we had to head back home so I could study for my final:( And yea, the final went great, and best of all SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!!!

20 things to be thankful for

2007-05-24T13:54:00.000-06:00

In no particular order:
1. My three little peanuts, Isaac, Savannah and Isabella
2. Todd, my husband
3. My parents and in-laws who have helped us out through every bedrest and NICU stay
4. Medical technology
5. The sun
6. Chocolate ice cream
7. God
8. Rock and roll
9. Education
10. Neonatologists
11. Dreams and aspirations
12. Seafood
13. Everyone who has supported us through our tough times (and prayed for Bella recently!)
14. Swing sets :)
15. Dishwashers
16. Lessons learned
17. Smiles
18. Chubby baby thighs
19. Sleep
20. Speech therapists!

Now it's your turn! Pick 20 things to be thankful for, leave a comment here with your blog address, make a post just like this one on your blog!

Bella's neurology update

2007-05-24T11:27:00.000-06:00

Well, we finally heard something. The neurologist wasn't sure what Bella's strange jerkings were on the video, but does NOT think it is seizure activity. WHEW. It leaves me to wonder, "what is it then?" ANYWAY, the episode at the restaurant was more likely to be seizure activity, but she has only had that kind of activity that one time, so it is hopefully "an isolated event." We are to continue to watch her, and let them know if she would have any more nonresponsive events like the one at the restaurant with her eyes rolling around and fluttering. If so, then we go in for a stay at Children's. Thanks to everyone for the thoughts and prayers.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY ISABELLA!!

2007-05-22T05:52:00.000-06:00

Happy first birthday to my sweet baby girl. It's hard to believe you are already one. I will update more later. Savannah has speech this morning, and then Bella's NICU follow-up is this afternoon.

Preschool Graduate!

2007-05-21T11:14:00.000-06:00

Mr. Isaac is officially a preschool graduate! May 10 was his last day. He had alot of fun this year and learned so much. I know he has really grown socially too. Next year he will be off to kindergarten all day, every day! The last week of school the preschoolers got to have lunch in the cafeteria with all the "big kids." Isaac tells me it was "so much fun!" Hopefully that means the transition next year will be a smooth one:)

Medicine is not always cut and dry

2007-05-15T06:12:00.000-06:00

There seems to be a huge gray area. When you are a parent waiting on results, and ANSWERS, it is hard to hear things are not definite. Bella's pediatrician called us last night to say the EEG came back normal. It does not rule out seizure activity, but shows there was none during that 20 minute time frame. Well, I could have told them that. She forwarded the video we took to the neurologist and will be following up this week. She could not be sure either way if what she was seeing was seizure activity. She said since there is still some concern there, that the neurologist will probably want to see Bella. Now we wait some more.

Here are some pictures from the night before and morning of the EEG. We were trying to sleep deprive her in preparation, as this will sometimes bring on seizure activity for the EEG.
Bella's first swim

Exploring

Falling asleep sitting up

Still nothing

2007-05-11T18:53:00.000-06:00

Still no news on Bella's EEG. I called the doctor today, and she called back this evening. The results still are not back from the EEG, but are expected Monday. So nice. We can sit and worry some more over the weekend. Not that it would change much of anything, but we still want to know if the EEG will explain anything. It has been very hard to concentrate on studying for finals with all this lingering.

On a brighter note, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the mom's out there!! And HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Todd, if you are reading this. We celebrate 7 years of wedded bliss on Sunday, as well. What a crazy 7 years it has been....

No news yet

2007-05-07T13:52:00.000-06:00

We are back from Bella's EEG. Everything went smoothly. We stayed at a hotel in Bloomington, since we had to sleep deprive her, and it's an hour drive from our house. Let's just stay it was an interesting night. HA We did take her swimming for the first time in the hotel pool. She did try to fall asleep several times sitting up last night and this morning. Kind of funny to see. Once to Children's we got her to sleep, and they attached all the leads to her head. They recorded for 20 minutes and then we were done! Her hair looks kind of like Albert Einstein's right now. She is sleeping and its all full of glue, standing straight up. Anyway, now we wait for the neurologist to read it. They said it could be 3-5 days before we hear anything.

On a scary note, we witnessed another of her "episodes" last night while having dinner out. It seems like it happens in the high chair alot. This time there was no head shaking, but her arm twitched a bit and her eyes rolled back several times. We were not able to get her attention at all. This is the first time we've seen anything like that with her eyes. She was completely out of it. I was glad Todd was there to see it, so we have two of us to describe it. The more details the better. It is like torture waiting to hear something on what's going on. Hopefully they can give us some kind of direction.

Bella went down the stairs

2007-05-06T00:51:00.000-06:00

It seems the drama is nonstop around here lately. First, let me say SHE IS OK. Bella took a tumble down our flight of 15 stairs tonight. It was the most aweful sound ever and makes me sick to my stomach when I think of it. We took her to the ER and she checked out ok. We'll just keep a closer eye on her for the next day or so. The doctor said she was lucky, and that it's good we had carpet. She came out with some rug burns on her head and some minor bumps. We did find out her ear infection flared up again in the right ear, so we got another antibiotic.

Of course, this all happened when I had stuff due tonight for my online class. It's now 2am here, and I just finished two small paper projects for my online Med Terminology class. And I thought college was hard before kids!

EEG

2007-05-03T22:30:00.000-06:00

Well, Bella has an EEG scheduled for Monday to see if they can pinpoint any seizure activity. For a few months now she has been having some strange jerking going on. We had been trying to get it on video forever. We started to relax a little more about it, as she was reaching milestones and it didn't seem to be impacting her negatively. Then on Monday, while in the Wal-Mart check-out line, she had an episode that really scared me (and the lady behind me!). She screamed afterward, and then slept hard for a few hours. I took her in to the doctor on Tuesday. She decided to call the neurologist, who ordered the EEG. Ironically, yesterday she started again while in her high chair, and I was able to get a 4 minute long episode on video. We dropped it by the doc's and now have the EEG on Monday at Children's. We are supposed to sleep deprive her beforehand. We ask that you please keep us in your prayers. We have been pretty worried, and are hoping to get some answers. They told us the EEG isn't always conclusive, as it may not reflect anything unless an episode were to happen during the test. I really hope this isn't just a wild goose chase.

NICU Reunion

2007-05-03T08:42:00.000-06:00

Savannah dancing to the music
Right after our March of Dimes walk on Sunday, we went to Children's in Minneapolis for their annual NICU Reunion. It was a great time! We met up with Ashlyn, and her mom and grandma. They are old friends from the NICU. Ashlyn (28 wkr also) was born a few weeks after Isabella, and they were roommates for part of the time that Isabella was in the NICU. It was fun to catch up with them and see little Ashlyn. Savannah had a great time entertaining the little ones. Isaac had fun eating 3 pieces of cake :0.
href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h52qH46hIsA/Rjn4aUztubI/AAAAAAAAATo/sVfcSzt3AQg/s1600-h/PICT0027.JPG">Savannah, Ashlyn, and Isabella playing
Savannah telling Ashlyn a story
The two moms with babies Ashlyn and Isabella
One of Isabella's primary nurses from the ICC, Christine, came to see her. We also saw Isabella's primary nurse from NICU, Grace, and another primary nurse from ICC, Pam. It was great to see them all and show them how much Isabella has grown. Unfortunately, Savannah's primary nurses were not working:(
Isabella with nurse Christine
Ashlyn and Isabella with nurse Grace
Isabella with nurse Pam

After all of Sunday's action the kids slept the whole hour home. It was so quiet in the van we didn't know what to do!

WalkAmerica 2007

2007-04-30T09:10:00.000-06:00

WalkAmerica was awesome! We showed up at the walk site in Minneapolis at about 10am on Sunday. We registered and stopped at the family tent where Isaac played a couple games. It was pretty hot out- 80's and very sunny. A perfect day. The kids got a little hot, but they had plenty of water. The walk was 4.6 miles for the short loop, or 8 miles for the long. Since we had the kids along, we did the 4.6 miles loop. The girls rode in the double stroller, and Isaac rode his bike and walked some. They did great! Bella had a double ear infection, but was actually pretty good, considering.

The girls had matching shirts made by a lady from our preemie parenting board (www.brightlittlebeginnings.com). Isaac, Todd and I wore "Three Little Peanut" team shirts:) It was a great time and we will definitely be making it a yearly thing. Thanks again to everyone who supported us in our walk!

After the walk, we headed to the NICU Reunion at Children's. I will post about that when I get a chance....

Hard Work

2007-04-25T06:20:00.000-06:00

Isabella has been working so hard lately. She is now pulling up next to toys and furniture. We couldn't be more pleased! She is such a determined little girl. I still can't fathom the idea that she will be 1 next month.

All that hard work tuckered somebody out.

For some reason we haven't been able to get Isabella to eat baby food. I don't think she cares for the texture. She loves her rice cereal though. Recently, we have tried a few solids: crackers, noodles, cheerios. She seems to like them, so I am thinking she is just going to skip the whole baby food thing??

Goal reached!

2007-04-23T09:57:00.000-06:00

Thank you to everyone who has donated to our March of Dimes walk! We met our goal of $500 for WalkAmerica. We couldn't have done it without all of you. We are still taking donations, and are excited to collect beyond our goal. It would be great if we could even make it to 1000. If you still want to donate, you can click on the link to the right for our walk. We appreciate it! I will post pictures from the walk after next weekend. I better run, lunch is burning in the oven....

WalkAmerica 2007 ~ Helping save babies

2007-04-18T09:15:00.000-06:00

It is almost time (April 29) for Todd, the kids, and I to participate in our first WalkAmerica. We have been waiting to do this for awhile, but this is the first year we haven't been dealing with a bedrest, NICU, or a baby home on equipment. We are very excited! WalkAmerica is put on by the March of Dimes, and helps raise money to go toward the fight against prematurity and birth defects. We have been thru this nightmare 3 times, so this cause is close to our hearts. We set our goal at $500, and right now still need $230 to meet our goal. We would love if we could even surpass it! Please consider giving to this worthy cause. Even if it's only a few dollars. Our website to donate online is:
http://www.walkamerica.org/379120
If the link doesn't work, it is also to the upper right.
We appreciate every donation, no matter how big or small. Prematurity and birth defects are the leading cause of death in the first year of life. We are walking to make a difference!

Bella's First Easter

2007-04-12T10:32:00.001-06:00

We had a great Easter this year. We were able to visit both sides of our family as it's the end of cold season. I think it's the first time in a few years that it's
worked out. Since the girls were born very early we haven't been able to be around alot of people with colds in the winter, so it seems we always ended up cancelling holidays at the last minute.

Here are some pictures from Easter weekend. I had a hard time choosing, so there's

alot!

Kids with their Easter baskets

Making pancakes
Isaac and Savannah made pancakes with Papa before church

Ready for church
This was Bella's first time going to church (other than her baptism). We dressed the girls in matching dresses. Isaac was very proud of his suit too:) We went with nana,papa, and uncle Ben.

Finding eggs
After church the kids found eggs. Bella was busy with other things, like sitting with papa and checking out her basket.

...more Easter

2007-04-12T10:31:00.001-06:00

Next we were off to grandma and grandpa Roisum's house.

Another egg hunt
Here is Isaac with all the eggs he found.

Isaac with cousins Jack and Noah

With grandma and grandpa
Here are the kids with grandma and grandpa, and then with all the grandkids.

Magic touch
Great aunt Darcy and Aunt Anne sure had the magic touch with Isabella.

Fun, fun, fun

Easter fun at home

2007-04-12T10:18:00.000-06:00

Coloring eggs
Isaac and Savannah had fun coloring Easter eggs.

The final product. Notice Bella trying to eat the eggs, shell and all!

Chocolate bunnies

Isabella

2007-04-04T12:28:00.000-06:00

This vent is so interesting!

Well, some people have been asking why I haven't posted about Bella in awhile, so I thought I better update. I think I have just been avoiding it b/c it always seems like there is so much going on.

Her physical therapy is going great. I have been working with her everyday on exercises to help her right side. She has come a long way, and it only took a few weeks of this to get her looking alot better. At this point, probably only myself and PT might be able to see that she uses her left side more, so I feel better about that. She is starting beginning crawling, and it's so exciting to see her scoot across the room to get something. I have noticed her right eyelid drooping more when she is tired, but it doesn't seem excessive when she is wide awake. She is still doing some of her strange head jerking, so hopefully nothing comes of that. The doctor mentioned seizures. It seems to be more confined to when she is tired. The doctor is watching her explosive head growth, so hopefully these things are just all coincidence. I didn't push the issue too much b/c overall things are going better than a month ago, and she is starting to reach some important milestones. Time will tell a lot.

Feeding has been interesting. She is now on all formula. The doctor wanted us to keep her on higher cal stuff, but getting whole bottles of that made her spit up huge volumes. We stopped that and moved on to soy. After being on that for 3 weeks she got an awful case of eczema, to the point where her calves were peeling. I took her in and they gave me a steroid cream with bactroban to put on it. They also sent in some blood (GETTING IT WAS NOT EASY!) for food allergy testing, since Savannah had such a problem with that. The doctor actually called at lunch today to let me know they all came back negative! WOOHOO. I am SOOO happy. Food allergies can be awful to deal with. The cream has cleared the eczema up wonderfully and so she said to keep it for the next flare-up. We ended up going off the soy, as our living room carpet was starting to smell like one of those dog food grain elevator things you pass on the side of the road. We will have to borrow mom's carpet cleaner (hint, hint- we'll be there Easter:)) Now we are trying Gentlease to see if she keeps that down any better. It might just be that formula is harder for her to tolerate the doc said. She is still taking Prevacid. It's hard, because she spits up such huge amounts, and it isn't getting any better with age. Bella is also trying to take baby food. She loves thin fruits and rice cereal, but other than that she hates baby food. I am wondering if she will go straight to table food. We tried Cheerios yesterday and they were a big hit.

Sleeping. Ah, sleeping. Well, after Todd and I slept on an air mattress in the living room for a week, we decided the crib needed to be moved back out of our room and into Savannah;s. We just couldn't take the screaming anymore, and our backs couldn't take the air mattress. Originally, we wanted to wait until she was sleeping through the night (at least kind of- without screaming) to put the girls together. Also, we wanted to wait until Savannah got over the idea of hurling herself into Bella's crib. Well, we put her in there anyway. Probably not our smartest move as Bella's screaming just wakes Savannah up. This presents us with the problem of having to run in there to quiet Bella's screaming, which is ALL THE TIME. For some reason, the "crying it out" thing has not worked with her. A few times we just let them both scream, but when Bella finally quits for a minute, Savannah picks up where she left off and just gets Bella all riled up again. I guess eventually Bella's screaming will stop. I think our hair is going to go gray very fast.

Bella had her last home health visit yesterday. It went good. SHe got her last RSV shots. It will be nice to have that expense over with!:)

I am going to sign off with a few pictures from the 81 degree day we had last week. Yes, in MN, in March. Today its back in the 20's. yuck.

Like our matching shirts? Everyone loves a blue eyed girl.

2 years ago

2007-04-02T08:14:00.000-06:00

Two years ago yesterday we brought our little Savannah home. It was no April Fool's joke. She was all ready to come home, except for her breathing, so we brought her home on the oxygen and monitor. I can't believe it's been two years already.

No training wheels!

2007-03-28T11:54:00.000-06:00

Our little man is growing up! Isaac got his training wheels off his bike on Monday and is loving it!
The video is a bit grainy. I didn't realize I had my camera on "standard," instead of "fine."

Isaac lost his first tooth!

2007-03-20T12:28:00.000-06:00

Exciting news in our house. Isaac lost his first tooth on St. Patty's Day. He was out in the garage with dad and decided to take his mittens off with his teeth. Out popped the tooth onto the garage floor! He was pretty excited until he saw blood, at which point he turned dramatic. After some reassurance and talk about the tooth fairy he felt better. That night dad, err I mean the tooth fairy, left him a nice silver dollar. Isaac was so excited the next morning when he found his "big quarter" as he called it. He is so proud. Apparently this tooth losing is big stuff in the preschool world. He made sure he let us know that only ONE other person in his class had lost a tooth. He couldn't wait to tell everyone today.

Savannah's speech

2007-03-18T20:16:00.000-06:00

The speech therapist came out on Thursday to evaluate Savannah. She had Savannah's speech scores from the Bayley test they did at the NICU follow-up clinic, but wanted to elaborate more on those. She did an articulation test with Savannah. Long story short, she scored as having a "severe speech delay" and will qualify for services. She doesn't need to do anymore to get her qualified, but is coming out again Tuesday for more testing to try to isolate more sounds and see exactly what should be written up in her treatment plan. Savannah cooperated great for the testing and just loved the ST. It's actually the same ST that worked with Isaac when he was younger. It's nice to have the same person, since we already know her. It's always kind of strange at first having complete strangers come into your house and work with your kids every week. This will make the transition smoother, and I am happy to see Savannah took to her right away:) I look forward to her making some progress. She gets so frustrated right now with her lack of communication.

Good news, bad news, and a not so good feeling

2007-03-13T14:36:00.000-06:00

Like my new coat?

Isabella had her appointment today at the pediatric eye doctor. Good news, her vision is awesome right now and she scored above average on tracking. :) Then came the not so good news. She has a droopy right eyelid, or ptosis. I have noticed this before, but thought maybe MY eyes were playing tricks on me. Now that I look back at pictures, I can see it. The doctor will see her back in October. Apparently it can affect her vision and/or cause a lazy eye to develop. If problems start, he said a surgery can be done to tighten that eye muscle. :( Savannah will also have her next appointment in Oct to recheck her eye issues.

On the way home I started to have a not so good feeling. We have been noticing subtle things about her right side that are becoming less subtle with time. At 10 months she still doesn't use her right leg/side to roll to the left when on her back. She is starting to scoot and uses only her left side to pull herself. She is starting to hold her bottle when we encourage it, but only uses her left hand open. She will keep the right hand in a fist, but will keep it open if we open it for her. Now her right eyelid is droopy, more obvious at times, less at others. She does use her right side, just not for certain things. Her physical therapist comes out next week so I will ask her what she thinks. Something seems not quite right.

Something sharp?

2007-03-08T14:13:00.000-06:00

Last night, I was feeling Bella's gums for any sign of a tooth and I felt a bump! I pressed a little harder and felt something sharp. Its the very tip of her first tooth. I couldn't see anything in there, but I could feel it. I can't wait for it to come thru. Maybe then she will start sleeping thru the night. Yes, at almost 10 months old, she still has not started sleeping thru the night. Todd and I are actually having a mini getaway weekend coming up. We really just want to sleep, so we are staying at a hotel Sat night, and then going to the Wild hockey game on Sunday. I can't wait to vegetate Sat night. It's going to be great.

Not so fast!

2007-03-06T14:14:00.000-06:00

I got a message from Isabella's doctor today that she should be getting another Synagis shot for April. So, I guess Sat was not her last shot for RSV. She said if her March shot was March 1-15, then she would need an April shot. The shot is good for a 30 day span, and she needs coverage thru the majority of April (RSV season is typically Nov-April in MN).

WHAT IS RSV?

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a very common virus. RSV usually causes mild cold-like symptoms in adults and children. But premature babies or those with lung or heart problems have a high risk of getting very sick if they catch RSV early in life. This is because premature babies do not have fully developed lungs. Also, because they were born early, they may not have received virus-fighting substances (called antibodies) from their mothers that help them fight off RSV and other viruses.
Each year, an estimated 125,000 infants in the United States are hospitalized with severe RSV, the leading cause of infant hospitalization.1-5 Severe RSV infections may cause up to 500 infants deaths annually in the United States.6 RSV may also cause more long-term health problems, such as asthma.

Goodbye nurse Brenda

2007-03-04T13:10:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Isabella had her last home health visit from her nurse Brenda. Brenda has been the home health nurse for both girls, and it was fun getting to kow her. Bella got another RSV shot (actually 2 shots). You would think we have a celebrity in our living room the way Savannah and Isaac crowd around to watch Bella get her shot.

Bella's lungs sounded ok, although Brenda mentioned she heard a little something in there, but no wheezing. I wasn't surprised to hear this since Bella has had a little runny nose. Otherwise, she looked great!

Other big news is Isabella got up on all fours for the first time! I included a picture above. She is really working hard at it, so I am sure it won't be long before she is crawling. I am still working with her on rolling to the left from her back. She just doesn't seem to want to do it.

I had class yesterday morning, and Todd had some work to do, so papa came down and watched the kids for us. Of course they were excited because they got to make pancakes with him. After I got home, Isaac and papa went out in the snow and made a fort. What fun! Above is a picture of them playing trucks in the snow.

and more party pictures

2007-02-28T14:27:00.000-06:00

Party pictures

2007-02-28T14:16:00.000-06:00

Here are the pictures from the party when grandparents came:)

...more birthday pictures

2007-02-28T14:10:00.000-06:00

Finally....birthday pictures

2007-02-28T13:58:00.000-06:00

I am finally getting around to posting Savannah's 2nd birthday pictures. These are from the 10th when we were first planning to have her celebration.

Digging out

2007-02-25T14:36:00.000-06:00

Wow. We really got alot of snow. The kids think it's great. They had fun digging out this morning with dad. Savannah was a little frightened at first, but ended up having a great time (eating snow especially). They were definitely ready for some hot chocolate and marshmallows when they came in!

Pat-a-cake

2007-02-23T13:03:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture of the great birthday present I got from my parents, Todd's parents, and Todd and the kids. I LOVE it! I have been wanting a Kitchen Aid mixer for years. I am going to make a cake this afternoon:-)

Girls' check-ups

2007-02-22T19:03:00.000-06:00

Savannah had her 2 year check-up and Bella her 9 month the other day.

Savannah: Savannah's lungs sounded good. This was a relief to hear after that pneumonia. We will go back to the lung doctor this fall more than likely. Savannah is still on the small side but the doctor thought it would be OK to switch her off of whole milk. Yes! We will go back to see the pediatric eye doctor in a year I think. Savannah has some astigmatism/nearsightedness, but it is mild at this point so he did not prescribe glasses last time. They only like to do that for this age if its a little worse I guess. That is fine with me, although she does seem to fall and run into things alot. hmmm As far as the cardiologist, we will go back in 1 year to get her coronary artery anomaly rechecked with an echo. Her pediatrician said we should defnitely go ahead with speech therapy through the school system, and if that isn't enough then she will arrange more intensive private ST down the road.

Isabella: Isabella's lungs sounded good too. It's always wonderful to hear that because I worry alot about their lungs. We will continue monthly Synagis (to protect against RSV) injections. Her trachea seems to finally be firming up as we don't hear her stridor as often anymore. Bella is finally eating (and liking) baby food and cereal. :-) She is growing up fast.

The doctor did notice her head size shot up to the 70%, I think, on the regular kid charts (not adj for prematurity) so she is going to keep an eye on that and make sure it doesn't jump like that again. Her body size is at the bottom of the regular kid charts and about average if you adjust back to 6 months for her prematurity. She is still crying for long periods before night and naps. These things, paired with some other things that I don't want to get in to, are of some concern, so we'll be keeping an eye on her. Mother's instinct tells me everything is ok, but we will say our prayers none the less.

We are going to keep up with her PT to help her reach some milestones. I am really trying to get her to roll to the left from her back to tummy. She can roll the other way across the room and sit up for short periods now. It fun to see her grow and progress. Although she likes to cry, she also loves to smile and squeal. :-)

I promise to get Savannah's birthday pictures up when I have some free time.....

A true 5 year old

2007-02-16T12:18:00.000-06:00

Today as we were driving around the lake Isaac and I had a conversation:

Isaac: Are those guys out there ice fishing?

Mom: Yep

Isaac: I can't wait until summer when papa (grandpa) can drive his boat out there

Mom: Maybe you and dad can go fishing with him again

Isaac: Yeah, and maybe we can buy some candy corns too

I was laughing so hard.

A day at the spa and sitting tall

2007-02-14T10:29:00.000-06:00

Isabella can now sit up for 1 minute with some balancing help. Physical therapy is going great. She can roll in one direction too- we are working on the other way:) It is hard to believe she is 9 months old this month. Where has the time gone?

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY SAVANNAH!!

2007-02-12T08:05:00.000-06:00

I can't belive Savannah is 2 today. Here are some current pictures, and then some looking back. She has come a long way from that oxygen tank and incubator. She is a little princess for sure. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sweetheart.

Winter crazies and toe touching

2007-02-11T23:43:00.000-06:00

Is it just me or is this winter dragging on forever? I think we have the winter crazies in our house.

Isabella found her toes. Margaret, her physical therapist, will be happy:)

Screaming, screaming, and more screaming

2007-02-10T14:32:00.000-06:00

I am not sure why at almost 9 months old Isabella is STILL screaming when laying down, but I am about ready to pull my hair out. She still has not learned to sleep thru the night, or go to sleep without screaming for no end. I don't know if it's just her "preemie" thing where she can't be soothed or what. She sleeps maybe 1 hour all day on a good day. When I lay her down she just screams. We have been trying the "crying it out" thing for a few months now and the "crying" periods have not gotten any shorter. She could cry for well over an hour, or hours if I let her probably. I usually let her go for 1/2 hour now and then I just can't stand it any longer. Her reflux meds seem to be ok, so I am thinking it's not that??? I don't know if it's just sensory issues or what. At night, it's the same thing. She is better at sleeping some longer stretches at night, but God forbid she wake up~ it's just more screaming then for who knows how long. Last night Todd fed her twice during the night to get her calmed down. I really thought she'd be sleeping better when I decided to go back to school. What was I thinking? agghhh

Bella started a runny nose the other day. She's started coughing a little now too, so I am hoping it is not the same thing that caused Savannah and Isaac's pneumonia. Pins and needles.

Savannah will be 2 on Monday. She sure is growing up. We were going to have a small party today with grandparents, but everyone was sick with colds, so we postponed till next weekend. We can't be having any more germs come into the house. I had already ordered a Hello Kitty cake for her, so we had to go pick that up. We dug into it today. I'm sure my blood sugar loved that;-) I will post some pictures by Monday. Savannah was so excited. She just kept saying, "my, my."

Stay warm and thanks for checking the site! Will the temp ever get above 0 again?? I am starting to wonder....

Pneumonia Round 2

2007-02-02T18:47:00.000-06:00

Savannah has pneumonia now too. She is on day #6 of fever, so I brought her back like they told me to on Wed. She has a spot on her right lung with some pneumonia so we are adding antibiotics. We are still continuing the nebulizers. Isaac seems to be doing better. He still has a nasty cough but is back to his spunky self;-) Still no signs of it in the baby. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

Isabella's nurse came out today and gave her the monthly dose of Synagis for RSV protection. She is bigger now, so had to get it in 2 shots. She didn't like us too much after that, but took a nice nap.

PNEUMONIA :-(

2007-01-31T22:16:00.000-06:00

Well, I am glad we went in. Isaac has pneumonia and an ear infection. He got antibiotics. Savannah also had wheezing in one part of her lungs, but since she's only been sick 3 days, it's still viral at this point and will not respond to antibiotics. SO, we are to increase nebs of steroids and albuterol for both kids. If Savannah doesn't lose the fever by the weekend she will go back in for another lung check. Bella is still showing no symptoms- lets hope it stays that way. I can't imagine how aweful that could turn out. We are being so careful to wash hands between handling kids, and keeping Isaac and Savannah away from the baby.

Good news of the day is I still got an A on my Quiz tonight in Anatomy and Physiology. :-)

To the doctor...

2007-01-31T09:49:00.000-06:00

Well, Isaac has been sick for a week and is starting to complain of an earache on top of his cough. We've been doing nebulizer treatments on and off, but I think it's time to go in. Savannah will be getting her cough checked too b/c of her lung disease history "just in case." Knock on wood, but so far Bella hasn't shown any symptoms! Must be our over zealous handwashing. I have been trying to keep her away from the other two. So, I am going to bring them in this afternoon before my class. Hopefully I get out of there quickly since I have a quiz tonight in lab!

Croup again!

2007-01-29T10:03:00.000-06:00

Well, we have the croup again here. Isaac has had a nasty cough since Thursday. Last night Savannah was up all night with a fever and croup cough. Her lungs still soud ok though. Hopefully, the baby doesn't get it this time around. That was a little too scary last time, especially since she still has a soft trachea.

POWDER KEG

2007-01-29T09:54:00.000-06:00

This was back in December. Savannah decided to dig out a travel size powder and douse herself and her room in it. I can laugh about it now.

New Site

2007-01-28T16:02:00.000-06:00

"Wanna join our tea party?"

Well, I finally got smart and consolidated the girls' websites into one central site. It was getting to be too time consuming to update both CaringBridge Pages and Photobucket, on top of raising three preemies (and all their appts!), and going to school. I will still keep the links to the old sites available so we can look back at their beginnings, but this will be the site that I update.