The craziness continues...

In the last 6 weeks both boys have had strep throat AND an ear infection each, Brecken had a trip to urgent care to find out he had bronchitis, this Monday I was at Children's ER to learn that Griffin is "formula intolerant" AND Brecken went back to the dr yesterday for the recheck of bronchitis and now he has to see an ENT specialist for his chronic nasal congestion - she thinks it's his adenoids causing trouble - UFF DA!!!

So needless to say, those other blog posts I wanted to do just aren't going to happen ;)

Thankfully Griffin's fussiness has been WAY better so I've been getting a little more sleep now (with the exception of the past 3 nights.)

The highlight of the last 6 weeks was definitely Griffin's Baptism on 11-11. I'd love to post pictures but I'd rather snuggle my baby right now :) There are a couple pics on my Facebook page though.

I was originally scheduled to return to work this week, but thankfully we recently rethought that idea and extended my leave by 3 more weeks - I'll now return the week before Christmas. Oh yeah, and DJ started a new job this week! He now works from home, which is a HUGE bonus!

I'm trying to keep this post short, but you're probably wondering what "formula intolerant" means...well Sunday evening Griffin had basically his first formula ever and then had MASSIVE vomiting at every feeding for the next 10 hours even though I had switched back to nursing. I called Children's Hospital in the wee hours Monday morning, and they were worried about him being dehydrated since his diaper had stayed dry for the last 8 hours, so they said I should bring him there to the ER right away. Thankfully he wasn't dehydrated. We were there for several hours as they wanted to see him eat again. When he finally felt like eating again, he of course did just fine there. The doctor said it probably just took that long to get out of his system. He told me not to use that formula again (obviously!) and said if we do formula again, we'd have to go to Nutramigen or Alimentum which are both very expensive! I said, what about soy based formula? He said that with that bad of a reaction, you'll most likely have the same result if he has soy because the proteins are very similar. Apparently, Griffin just can't digest any of the traditional formulas, so we have to get the hypo-allergenic stuff that is broken way down. I talked briefly with our pediatrician yesterday, and she agreed that the same thing would happen with soy because his reaction was so severe. Looks like I'll be continuing to nurse and pump as much as possible...not sure how that will go when I return to teaching! (I had initially planned on cutting back some with nursing/pumping when I return to work to do a combination of breastmilk/formula.)

I overheard a mom at the doctor's office yesterday talking about her severely disabled child, and I think that was God's way of whispering to me....relax, just be thankful for all you have! :)

Finally a new post!

We joyfully introduce...

GRIFFIN ALLEN HOELSCHER

8/23/2012 @ 9:50a.m.

7 pounds, 7 ounces; 21.5 inches

 

Griffin arrived via the scheduled c-section. Sorry for the extremely delayed post for those of you who don't have any other connection with us - we've been a little busy lately ;) I started this post several weeks ago and just never got around to actually finishing it.

 

You can check out a 1 minute slide show of Griffin's "virtual baby announcement" at http://video214.com/play/sN1hSXBPWZ3xJU7CAxSQ0w/s/dark Special thanks to First Day Photo and Abbott Northwestern Hospital for the free photo session and virtual announcement.

 

Here are some additional photos:

Soooooo wonderful to be able to hold a healthy baby right away :)



Brecken enthusiastically said, "He has ears!" :)



Waiting to go home



Getting ready to leave - both boys weighed exactly 7 pounds at discharge
 (Brecken was just 2 1/2 months old at his discharge ;)



We stopped to pick-up big brother and are ready to head HOME as a family of 4 :)
(Brecken was very excited about helping to carry Griffiin)

Now for the details...

Many of you probably can skip reading the details of Griffin's arrival and our adjustment to life with 2 kids... Sometimes I write things on  the blog realizing full-well that many people probably don't really need all of these details; however, I record all of these memories for us to look back on and remember.

 

The first part of the c-section went very well. The surgery was scheduled for 9:30, and I was in the Operating Room a few minutes early. Griffin arrived at 9:50, and I was able to see him up close before he and Daddy went to the nursery. Shortly after they left, I suddenly started feeling quite nauseous. I reported that to the nurse anesthetist, and from there I continued to get worse and eventually started vomiting on the operating table in the middle of abdominal surgery! Apparently the anesthesiologist doctor had left the OR, and they had to track him down so that I could get some meds to help the nausea...but meanwhile I continued to vomit and vomited through much of the rest of the surgery (again all while lying flat on my back in the middle of abdominal surgery!) How they were still able to  perform the surgery, I'm not quite sure! I finally got some meds and was just starting to finally not feel so nauseous when they had finished the c-section and STAPLED my incision shut. I guess some doctors prefer stitches, while others prefer staples. The sound of the stapler (it sounded like a big old construction stapler!) made me nauseous again and I was so ready to be done! However, at that point they still had to remove my cerclage (stitch). With this additional component, the surgery took longer than a usual c-section so I was starting to feel fairly significant pain around my incision while they did the cerclage removal because the spinal block was beginning to wear off some. Ok, I think that's enough surgery details ;) It's amazing how none of this seems to matter once you hold that precious baby in your arms :) I should also say that even though I was disappointed to have to need a c-section, I was very thankful that I didn't have to go through hours of labor and then end up having a c-section!

The first few days of recovery were pretty rough...On day 3, I finally took everyone's advice and started taking 1/2 doses of the "real" pain meds. Up until that point I had only been taking Tylenol/Motrin. It was getting to be such a chore to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom, that I decided I better take something stronger. The nurses kept telling me that it is better to take some pain meds and move around than to skip pain meds and just sit in bed all the time. (Many people I know that have gone through c-sections had also told me that walking around helps you heal a lot faster.)

Once I got home, the recovery was still quite rough for a few days. I quickly realized on night one that getting in and out of bed multiple times a night for feedings was just NOT going to happen because it hurt WAY too much, so I ended up sleeping in that lovely recliner that I spent so much quality time with during my 2 months of bedrest. I could get in and out of the recliner easier and with less pain than I could the bed. The worst part about having a c-section was that I really couldn't play with Brecken much for the first week or so afterwards. I obviously couldn't get down on the floor with him or make it down the stairs to play in his toy room. This was really hard because I had been out of commission so long with bedrest, then I was back for a few weeks, and then out of commission once again after the c-section. I felt so bad for Brecken. I was busy taking care of Griffin much of the time anyway, but it would've been nice to do something special with Brecken whenever I did have the chance. After the first week or two though, I quickly made huge improvements and didn't really have any pain at all.

Here are a few quotes from Brecken during the first week Griffin was home:
Griffin was in his baby swing the first evening we were home, and Brecken asked, "Can I give him an underdog?" Thankfully he ASKED first!!!

Brecken has been going to daycare part-time to hold his spot, and when he got home one of the first days, he asked, "How come he's still here?" I'm not sure if he thought Griffin wasn't with us for good, or if he was just wondering why Griffin didn't go to daycare with him.

One day Brecken woke up from his nap, sat up in bed and asked, "Is baby brother bigger now?" Yup Brecken, while you were napping, Griffin turned into a 2-year-old ;)

The first 3 weeks or so after Griffin's arrival, we were on cloud nine as we were just so thrilled to all be at home together instead of having a baby in the NICU! Everything really seemed sooooo much easier than it was when Brecken came home from the hospital, as we didn't have a heart monitor, didn't have to mix all of the milk with fortifier, and we didn't have endless dr appointments to go to.  But then....Griffin's acid reflux started :( We've had a few rough weeks with the reflux because he spits up all the time and starts fussing (and often screaming!) mid-way through most feedings. The reflux also causes him to make all of these loud throat noises that keep me awake even when it's not feeding time. We've moved him to his own room across the hall and don't use the baby monitor, but we still hear him loud and clear. I think for over 2 weeks straight I didn't sleep at all from about 2a.m.-6a.m.! Then I would sometimes catch an hour or two of sleep before DJ had to leave for work.

After we had the reflux almost under control, Brecken came down with a cold which we later found out was strep throat (even though he once again didn't have a fever.)  The only reason I even took him to the dr that Monday was because he eventually said that his throat hurt. Throughout that week Griffin seemed rather uncomfortable because he was really squirmy and had even more loud grunts despite the fact that he was asleep. However, this wasn't really anything new at all, so I just figured it was his acid reflux acting up...BUT I took him into the doctor that Friday to find out that he also had strep throat AND an ear infection at just 8-weeks old! The dr had told me Monday when I was there with Brecken that for Griffin I should watch for a fever or not eating in case he would catch the strep throat. Well he didn't have either one of those symptoms...apparently I have very asymptomatic children! This is very nice in some ways, but it's also very frustrating because I never know when they're really sick. The following Tuesday though is when Griffin suddenly started almost refusing to eat. I wasn't sure if the antibiotics weren't working for him, or if something else was wrong. I took him to the doctor again, and she thinks he was just overdue for a dose increase for his acid reflux med since he has grown so much since we started it. Today he seems to be eating pretty good, but there is a whole lot of screaming with each feeding :( She said it could take a few days for the increase to fully take affect, so hopefully he rounds the corner soon.

Ok, enough rambling, despite the fact that the last month has been pretty hectic, I feel truly blessed to have these two incredible boys and a husband that helps out a lot! It is so much fun watching Brecken interact with his brother. You can tell that Brecken truly adores him and can't wait for him to get bigger so they can play together (and only has a few moments of jealousy...usually during feeding times.) Griffin has also just recently started to coo and smile which is lots of fun, too!

I still hope to post soon about Brecken's 3rd birthday and his excellent check-up at Children's, as well as post Griffin's 1-month stats and some more pictures. Hopefully it won't be over 2 months before the next post again! 



Loving my freedom!

I have been off of bedrest for almost 3 weeks now, and I've been taking full advantage of it! Brecken and I have enjoyed LOTS of fun time together. We've gone to the park, played outside, and have had quite a few play dates too. Last weekend we went to a Hoelscher family gathering and then headed down to the Twins game for perhaps our final big outing as a family of 3 (kind of bittersweet.) Today Brecken and I went to an indoor park that is in the same building as DJ's work, and then we had lunch with Daddy :) I've also been a cleaning machine - I've vacuumed, dusted, cleaned the fridge, scrubbed floors, done laundry, dusted our blinds, etc. (Hmmm...nesting maybe?) I've also made several meals to put in the freezer so that we have one less thing to worry about in those first days after baby is born. Somewhere in there I also have been to school a few times to set up my classroom because I don't feel it's fair to leave that a complete disaster for my sub. As you can see, I have definitely NOT been taking it easy since my bedrest ended and still no baby. Hmmmmm....were those 2 months of bedrest REALLY necessary?! Sometimes that thought crosses my mind, but at the same time I'm glad the doctors took full precautions because it really wasn't worth risking the situation. Since Brecken was born 3-months early, I know just how awful that long road is and I KNOW that it isn't worth the risk of going through a similar experience with baby #2. Also, I still have the cerclage (stitch) in place which I think is making a BIG difference right now...if they would've taken that out at 36 weeks as planned, I highly doubt that I would still be sitting here pregnant 3 weeks later. Some people have asked me if I'm ready to be done with being pregnant....the truth is that I really don't feel that way at all. Yes, at almost 39 weeks, I'm starting to get quite XL and a bit uncomfortable, but I am just SO happy that baby didn't come right after my bedrest was done because now I've actually been able to enjoy a few weeks of my summer by spending some much needed quality time with Brecken. I know that my life is about to change drastically, and I'm just so thankful that I've had a short period of normalcy before the new addition to our family arrives.

Some final updates...I had another check-up this week and baby was still breech. I have one final appointment this Tuesday, and then Thursday is the BIG day (my scheduled c-section)! We're VERY excited to meet this baby, and I am sooooo thrilled that I'll be able to hold this baby in my arms very soon after his birth, AND we'll get to take him HOME with us! :) Praise God!

Quotes from Brecken

Brecken continues to make us laugh each and every day! This weekend I came downstairs to find DJ and Brecken playing ping pong on the floor. Brecken looked up at me and said, "You can't play Mommy. It's just the guys!" DJ said, "Why can't Mommy play?" Then Brecken responded, "I just teasing you Mommy. You can play with us. Here is a ping pong paddle for you."

Later in the day, I was playing with Brecken in the toy room. He asked me to sit on his giant stuffed horse with him. I sat down and he said, "No Mommy, you're going to squish him!" About 10 minutes later, I was sitting on the little chair in his toy room and he said, "Mommy, you can't sit there. You're going to break it." I think Brecken is lucky he's so darn cute otherwise he might be in trouble! Maybe we should work on politeness with him a little ;)

Then tonight at the dinner table, this was a conversation between DJ and Brecken:
Brecken: Why is that fly keep landing on me?
DJ: I don't know; you must be sweet.
Brecken: No, I not sweet. I cute!

Gotta love all the cute things that kids say!

C-section is scheduled

I had my doctor appointment this morning, and baby is still breech. The C-section has now been scheduled for Thursday, August 23rd (4 days before my due date). Again,  if I go into labor before then, they'd have to do the C-section at that time if he's still breech. Or...if he turns between now and Aug. 23 (keep praying :), then we'd cancel the C-section and he'd just be born whenever he's ready. We shall wait and see...

If he comes earlier than the 23rd, DJ or I (probably DJ ;) will post a brief note to let everyone know. So if you don't hear anything, you can assume he hasn't arrived yet. (We're just as surprised as everyone else that after two months of bedrest, here we are a week later and no sign of baby yet.) By the way, yesterday marked 37 weeks so I am officially full term now - yipppppeeeee!

Decision Time

Well we opted not to do the version/turning procedure that would try to move baby head down sooooo unless baby turns on his own, I'll be having a scheduled C-section. Obviously if I go into labor before then, they'll have to do the C-section at that point (assuming baby is still breech) instead of waiting until the scheduled date. I still have the stitch in place (and will have it until the C-section) so if I start going into labor, I will need to head to the hospital immediately. They do NOT want you to labor on that stitch, so I'd have to head to the hospital a lot sooner than I would in a normal situation. At my next appointment on Tuesday they will likely schedule the C-section day, unless of course baby turns on his own between now and then. We'll keep praying baby just turns on his own yet - Come on "baby brother"... try out some of these Olympic gymnastic (or diving) moves ;)

Change in Plans

Well I had my appointment this morning, and I still have my cerclage/stitch. The doctor decided not to take it out because baby is still breech. It's pretty unlikely at this point that baby would turn on his own because babies typically find their permanent spot around 32-34 weeks. If they know they're going to do a c-section, they just wait and take the stitch out at the same time as the c-section. However, we're now in a major predicament...the doctor said that they can try and and physically turn the baby by manipulating him from the outside (a procedure called external version), or we can just plan a c-section (unless baby would still miraculously turn). The doctor (same doctor that admitted me to the hospital in my first pregnancy AND delivered Brecken) didn't have a strong opinion one way or the other. Part of me is like, why not at least TRY turning him to have a chance at avoiding a c-section and longer recovery? The worst thing that could really happen is that they'd have to deliver the baby right away IF baby showed signs of distress from the procedure. Well we already know that baby could come at any point as it is, so that doesn't really phase us. However, the other part of me is like...just let whatever happens, happen. If baby miraculously turns on his own, GREAT, if not, then I have a c-section and so be it. It would certainly be easier to NOT have a c-section, but I'm just so thrilled to basically be full-term that I don't care that much how baby comes. The down side of a c-section is obviously the recovery...I don't really know what that would be like, but they say it's like your body just went through major surgery (which would of course be nice to avoid if possible). Ugh...decisions, decisions! We'll keep thinking it over and praying, and I need to call the clinic back later this week to let them know the final decision. IF we try to do the version/turning, they do that around 37 weeks, so that would likely be done down at Abbott next week sometime. I'll keep you posted...

35 Week Update & Thank you!

First off, here are the pictures I promised of the baby's room including the stripes that DJ did so graciously:

The name will be added on the wall later ;)

Sooooo happy to be at 35 weeks!

It's been a while since I've posted a pregnancy update, but thankfully there really hasn't been much to report. I'm now 35 1/2 weeks pregnant, and after 2 FULL MONTHS of bedrest I am soooo close to finally being done! Sunday will be my official last day of bedrest and then Monday I will be FREEEEEE...I can't wait to spend quality time with Brecken! At that point I'll be 36 weeks and although full-term doesn't technically start until 37 weeks (and my due date isn't until Aug. 27th), they don't do anything to prevent labor once you hit 36 weeks. In fact, at my 34 week appointment, the nurse told us that they don't do anything different when delivering a 36 week baby than they do for a 40 week baby - the NICU team doesn't even come over for the delivery :) The baby would probably still have to go to the "Special Care Nursery" to be monitored for a short time, but hopefully that would be it. I can't even begin to explain how happy that makes me feel after all of this. It has been my goal...well "goal" might not be the right word...it's been my DREAM to be able to hold this baby in my arms when he's born and take him home with us when I'm discharged. However, with the complications I had that started at 27 weeks, my doubt got the best of me and I really wasn't so sure that either of these things would happen. With each week that passed though, I was just so thankful that I was farther along than I was with my first pregnancy and that this baby wouldn't require nearly as long of a hospital stay as Brecken did.

This coming Tuesday, July 31, is a BIG day for us, as that is my next doctor appointment and at that time they will remove the cerclage (stitch) that they placed at the end of my first trimester. After the removal, labor can begin within hours....or it can still be a few weeks! The home nurse that was here earlier this week recommended that I bring my bags along "just in case." I'm really comfortable with either scenario...if baby comes right away, I'm confident that he'll still be healthy (PRAISE THE LORD!) and that is all I really care about at this point. However, if baby holds off for a couple weeks, that is completely fine too because I'm really looking forward to having some quality time with Brecken before baby arrives, and it would also benefit me to have some time off of bedrest to start regaining some of my strength before I have a newborn to take care of! Baby is still in a transversal/ breech position as of Tuesday this week, so hopefully he turns before delivery. Brecken turned just a couple of days before he was born, so I'm hoping this baby will also turn to the correct position. I would rather not have to recover from a C-section on top of recovering from 2 months of bedrest. However, I will be completely thrilled if, like I said before, I can hold my baby after birth and take him home with me. If those two things happen, it would DEFINITELY make every minute of these 9 weeks of bedrest worth it!

We are so relieved to be soooo close to 36 weeks, and we praise God for another miracle! We know that it is only because of Him that I have made it this far after my cervix started thinning and funneling at 27 weeks, and I had that trip to the hospital during week 27 that required me to get a shot to prevent the beginning stages of labor.

Finally, I want to take a minute to say "thank you" to everyone who has helped us out during this difficult time. "Thank you" just isn't enough to express the gratitude that we have for all of the support we've received over these past couple of months. To everyone who has prepared a meal, dropped by for a visit, helped with housework, helped care for Brecken, written an encouraging note, or prayed for our family, we say, "thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" We couldn't have made it without all of your love and support! I have had many difficult moments emotionally during this lengthy bedrest, and I can't tell you how many times I have felt someone's prayer, or received an encouraging word, or a phone call or visit from a friend at just the right time! We thank God for the many wonderful family and friends He has blessed us with! You have blessed our lives, and we will do our best to pass it on and help out others in a time of need!

God bless you all!
Laura, DJ, Brecken, and "baby brother"

My Amazing Husband

I just have to give my husband some credit for the many wonderful things he has been doing over this past month-and-a-half!  He has had a TON on his plate with having to do everything by himself: caring for Brecken (and me too!), doing laundry, grocery shopping, running to dr. appointments, etc, etc, etc! There are a lot of guys out there who probably wouldn't even have a clue how to run a household by themselves, but thankfully D.J. knows how to do laundry, cook, and do the grocery shopping. He has been doing a wonderful job at keeping up with everything and really doesn't complain a bit. I am truly blessed to have him as my husband, and I wouldn't want anyone else by my side during this journey! This weekend though, D.J. was even more fabulous than usual...not only did he do all of the laundry, take care of Brecken, and prepare the meals, but he finished painting the baby's room by adding the stripes that I was really wanting :) The room was painted baby blue when DJ's parents were here a couple weeks ago, and I had honestly become perfectly content with the fact that the room would probably just stay that way because life was just too hectic right now to add anything extra that wasn't necessary. However, D.J. and Brecken went and bought the paint Saturday morning, and then during Brecken's nap time Saturday and Sunday, D.J. taped off the walls and painted the stripes! It looks awesome (I'll post final pictures soon), and it's so nice to have a little more pizazz to the room than just the classic baby blue! Then after he finished painting today, he made a delicious dinner of BBQ ribs and potatoes on the grill, and NOW he is out at Target with Brecken picking up groceries and a whole bunch of other stuff on the mile long list.

We are also incredibly thankful for all of the help we've received from family and friends! Our moms have been taking turns caring for Brecken, and while they're here they have been helping out with lots of laundry, cleaning, etc. Plus, for about 3 weeks we had meals provided for us from friends which helped out a ton! That way D.J. didn't have to worry about dinner when he got home from work, and our moms could just focus on caring for Brecken and helping out with housework.
Even with all of the help from others, D.J. has still had many, MANY, things to do, and through all of the stress he continues to be an amazing father and husband! He still manages to find quality time with Brecken, and he has been very patient with me and my endless requests (and I know I haven't been the most pleasant person to be around after being stuck in a bed/recliner for almost 7 weeks!)
The summer after our very long and difficult journey with Brecken, the song "God Gave me You" by Dave Barnes came out and it has been "our song" ever since. Since then, a country version has also come out, but I still like the original version best :) It is truly fitting and I just love that it talks about the "ups and downs" because that is really what love and marriage is all about - sticking through the many ups and downs of life. Here is a link to the music video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hQK6GIrpYU

DJ, I am truly blessed that "God Gave Me You!"

Big Boy Bed!

This week Brecken moved into his big boy bed so that we could change the toddler bed back into the crib for baby brother. I don't think Brecken could be any more excited! He has seriously been asking for months when he will get his big bed. He had a hard time falling asleep that first night, but I think it was honestly just because he was SO excited! Other than that, he has done really well with the transition. He woke up that next morning and slid off the end of his bed onto the stool (just as DJ instructed him the night before.) All of a sudden he came walking in our room and said, "I slid down my big bed onto my stool!" Then he quickly added, "That was FUN sleeping in my big bed!" :)

We were thankful that my parents delivered the furniture and helped get it set-up! I don't know what we'd do without all of the help from our families over the past month-and-a-half. Here are some pictures from the big event:

Helping Bucka (Grandpa) Dave

Taking apart the toddler bed

Me supervising from my resting position ;)

Bob the Builder?