Reherniation....ugh!

So, we went today for our annual follow up with the pediatric surgeon for Christian's congential diaphragmatic hernia. Unfortunately we will have to have another surgery because it appears that he is reherniating (which only happens in about 5-10% of CDH survivors). I was told that life should not have to change for him just because of the reherniation. It is just something that sometimes happens as the body grows and may outgrow the diaphram patch. It is not something that needs to be fixed immediately, but it will need to be repaired. The chest x-ray showed some of the colon pushing up into his left lung. Dr. Kays wants us to get a CT scan and echocardiogram within the next couple months, so I am going to wait for Jason to get home before we do that appt. Once we get that done the doctor will know more about when we should do surgery. Besides the reherniation, the doctor said that Christian seems to be doing well developmentally and that his weight is still a little on the low side, but common for CDH patients. We knew that reherniation was a possiblilty and leave it to our little man to be in that 5-10%. I have to chuckle. When I was still pregant with him, all the ultrasounds showed that his diaphragmatic hernia was not as severe as most. The doctor was guessing we would only have to be in the hospital for a few weeks (we were there for 59 days and the hole was a large hole). The doctor also said that his right lung was looking pretty good and doubted he would require life support(ECMO) and he was on ECMO for 10 days. The surgery was supposed to go smooth (he had internal bleeding afterward and was rushed back to surgery). Now there is this reherniation. Guess we just gotta keep our heads up and know that our strong little man will pull through as usual. I suppose he just likes to be one of a kind.

Our baby girl is one month old!

What an exciting month we have had! Catherine is now one month old. Over the course of this past month we have celebrated her first Christmas and now brought in a new year! She is now tracking better. She stays awake for longer periods to "play" and look around. She is also holding her head up a lot better. Christian loves her so much! He is constantly giving her hugs and kisses.

So, just a brief reflection on 2008. Jason and I had a wonderful year. With each passing day we get closer and closer. We have been together now for 5 years and married for 3. The most exciting news was the arrival of our little girl. Jason had a huge accomplishment. He got his Captain's license. :) I am so proud of him!! I am now fortunate enough to stay home with the kids. I love it! Our pet family has changed. We took in a dog named Biscuit, but lost him. Our cat, Dora, gave birth to 2 litters of kittens this year. (a total of 8 cats) She recently passed, but the kitten's daddy has taken to living here in her place. (Go figure!) Overall, a great year! Hope we have an even better one this year!

One and a half days left!!!!!

It is official. Our C-section date is December 3rd. We go in at 9am and will have the baby around noon. We are so ready to meet our little girl. Everything is done that I wanted to have done before she arrived, so now I can just relax and enjoy my family and friends for this Christmas. I will try to get pictures posted up as soon as we make it home. Some of you will probably get a text message picture before I get some posted on here. I am not putting too much on Jason. I want him to enjoy his time with our new little one. He will hopefully remember to make his calls on his list, but if he doesn't get to you understand it is just because he is preoccupied with his new little one and helping me. We love you all!

Halloween

This year for Halloween Christian and I went to the square to trick or treat. He was Cookie Monster and I was a Whoopie Cushion. I enjoyed spending that time with Christian, but I did feel like the square was a bit crowded and chaotic. What ever happened to going door to door? Christian had fun and was wired all night! I think he finally passed out around 11pm. Such a busy day for him.

4 Weeks Left!!

We are in the final stretch before baby arrives. I have cut back on working only a few days a week so I can prepare for the baby. It is hard to believe that the next time Jason comes home we will also be welcoming our little girl into this world. Everything is looking good for our baby girl. She was 4 pounds 12 ounces at the last week's ultrasound visit. The blood flow in the umbilical cord has been a bit abnormal, but I was told to drink more water to help and I have. The baby's room has been completed for months. Christian has moved into his new room and is loving his new slide bed. Mommy loves that bed too because it gives mommy her bed back!! The delivery date is still up in the air. We are more than likely doing another C-section. (which would happen around Dec. 3rd) I had contemplated a normal delivery, but they make it so difficult at the doctor's office. Since I delivered in Gainesville (almost 3 YEARS ago-mind you) I am supposed to get them to fax my operative report. I don't even remember the doctor's name that delivered me because he was a student and I only met him once after the delivery. Quite frankly I was not interested in learning his name because he only delivered my child and had nothing to do with my son staying alive. I was very preoccupied at the time and have since discarded all paperwork I had from Gainesville except Christian's medical stuff. Arg! So, I have to come up with this doctor's name, address of the office, phone and fax number before they will let me deliver naturally. I don't see that happening. Why does everything have to be so complicated!?

It's a GIRL!!

Our ultrasound appt on Monday, August 4th, showed us 2 wonderful things. First, our baby looks healthy so far. Secondly, it looks like we are going to be blessed with a little girl. We are thrilled! Christian still has not grasped the idea of becoming a big brother. Guess he has 18 weeks left to understand. When I ask him what color we are going to paint her room he says, "yellow or blue." So, looks like she will have a yellow room. As far as names....who knows. I thought I had one picked for sure, but now I am finding more names that appeal to me. Guess the best way to name her would be to see her to find out what name fits.

In other news, Jason will be going to school in September. He is working towards getting his Mate's license. I am so proud! He does such a wonderful job supporting us. I will be leaving work to stay at home with the kids in November, so he will be the sole income.

Christian is growing so fast. He is like a little sponge. He is so smart. He knows his colors and can count to 15. He is always doing silly things. His latest move was the other day in the store. He was riding in the seat of the buggy and starts to stand up. Then continues to shake his bum on the back of the seat and sing, "Dave likes to wear dirty underwear." Of course, from his favorite movie "Alvin and the Chipmunks". It was too cute. His vocabulary just amazed me. He doesn't talk like a typical 2 year old. He is ALWAYS practicing though (He never shuts up. Even talks in his sleep.), so it does not surprise me.

Heartbeat

June 9th was the 3rd doctor's appt. Christian and I got to hear the baby's heartbeat. Daddy was at work. What a beautiful sound! Our next appt is July 7th.

Other news: I am sad to say we lost one of our fur babies. Biscuit met his fate yesterday morning. I am so upset. Jason doesn't know yet because he is out of phone range, but I know he will be just as heartbroken as I am. Though we did have a lot of mouths to feed and I wanted to send some of the babies to good homes, I did not want to lose one to the road. May he rest and peace. We love you Biscuit!