Childlife Specialist...Glow Worm...Poop

A childlife specialist just came in to see Jess and I. These individuals help siblings deal with the hospital stay by using art, music, and play therapy. They help them process through their feelings and answer their questions. Charlotte and Julia have both been struggling with Delaney's hospital stay, which is to be expected. So we thought it might be a great idea for them to meet with one of these specialists this afternoon. We will let you all know how that goes. (Gramme and Mikey don't worry the big girls are okay...just taking extra percautions so they feel better about the situation). Bill is graciously going to bring them up around 4:30.

The childlife specialist also tries to help the patient feel more at home... Sicks kids are a totally different ball game than sick adults. Toys, music, routines mean so much more to them especially when not feeling well. The lady brought Delaney a bouncy seat to sit in because she likes her bouncy seat at home. She also brought her two rattles because she likes looking at things that make noise. Finally she brought her a brand new in the box lullaby glow worm that she can keep and take home with her. I love the glow worm. She has a little hat at home that we call her glow worm hat so it's cute that she now has her very own glow worm.

If you are wondering where the poop comes in...here it is! :) Delaney has not pooped since midnight after she had a REALLY BAD blow out diarrhea diaper. She has taken two breast milk bottles...and actually latched to feed for 7 minutes too. They are not running through her like they were yesterday which is a good sign. We are hoping that Delaney is able to go home today, but that is all up to the next several hours. We are cautiously optimistic.

Here are some pictures to feast your eyes on since the last few posts have just been me talking...

1 month

Today Delaney is 1 month old. ONE month! I just can't believe it. We worked so hard for her. We prayed so many prayers for her to join our family...and here she is next to me this morning. What an amazing little girl she is. Our trying to conceive process was not easy. My pregnancy was a nightmare. And this hospital stay has been so very draining. However I would not trade all of it for anything! She is so so loved...I have never loved anything or anyone in my life as much as I love her. I have never wanted anything in my life more than her. Knowing what I know now...I'd go through the TTC process all over again and I'd be pregnant for another 9.5 months. She is just such an amazing blessing...so sweet and kind and gentle but with a little attitude that I totally think is cute right now but won't find so cute if it hangs around until her teenage years LOL

Since I've got everyone's attention...I need some more help...not for me or Delaney or Jess or the girls this time... It's for a friend and her son (R and E). He was born with some kidney issues and they found out this past week that he will require surgery and will lose complete function in one kidney...and the other kidney is showing signs of infection. Please lift them up in your prayers. Little E could use them and R needs to know that we are all thinking about her and her son!!
We are thinking about all of you R!

Code Blue...Down the hall

There is nothing scarier than hearing the words "CODE BLUE" in the middle of your sleep. Around 12:50 this evening I heard just that and immediately woke up out of a much needed sleep. I knew that it couldn't be our baby because I would be able to hear people in our room while sleeping so I wasn't terrified...just a little scared. A little baby about the size of Delaney two doors down stopped breathing. About 10 minutes later I hear the Children's Mercy helicopter team land on the roof and a few minutes later come running down the hallway next to our room. The little baby was loaded up and left the hospital to go to the bigger branch of this hospital a few miles away. It got me to thinking that although we are looking at our sick baby struggling with stomach cramping, vomiting, and diarrhea our baby is OKAY. She will make it out of this hospital. It scared me for that babies parents. It made me sad for them tonight. So here at 1:42a.m. I lift them up in prayer...asking that God protect their baby and give them strength they will need in the coming days/weeks to be there for their very sick little person. Everything is relative...Delaney is really sick don't get me wrong but it's all about perspective. So tonight I am going to snuggle our beautiful baby girl and with each tear that falls tonight thank God that she is going to be okay...and we will eventually take our baby home with us.

Quickie

Her 9p feeding did not go well. Explosive diarrhea and THROWING UP! Eek :(

X-ray and other updates

This is her x-ray from yesterday showing how much her stomach is distended. You can see how swollen the left side of this picture is...the right side of her stomach. You should be able to see her intestines looping around but the air in her belly distorting it all. This was the reason for the tube down her nose yesterday. Her belly is looking better today but is starting to SLIGHTLY swell up again....

Charlotte and Julia came by to see Delaney today with Jess' parents. They brought her a little bear called Kisses. Charlotte was visibly upset by seeing her tiny little sister in a hospital bed, but that may have been caused by not sleeping two nights in a row (two sleep overs) as much as actual fear/concern. Julia was her usual hyper self. She blew D kisses from afar. We did not allow either sister to come within about 3 feet on her hospital crib just to protect D from any germs they may be carrying. We learned later that they played all day with cousins that were sick. Good thing we kept them away from D.

I am now sitting in Room 48...just me and Peanut. Jess had to leave early to take the big girls home to get them showered and put in bed...otherwise we'd be facing a HUGE meltdown from both.

Our Nurse T is back tonight...she's the one who greated us last night. She is so SUPER nice and helpful and lovely. She is sweet to us and our little lady unlike Nurse N who was wretched today. I did catch a 45 minute nap today that seems to have made me feel rested for the moment. In the 24 hours we've been here I have pumped 47oz of milk. That is making me sooo terribly thirsty and hungry. Nurse T went downstairs and got me an orange slush to make me feel better. :) It has now taken me nearly 40 minutes to write this update but I've had to get up and check on little squeeks from Peanut, find her binkie that she spit out, and talk to Nurse T about treatment protocol.

Let's pray there are no updates throughout the night except that Peanut is feeling better and taking all her feeds perfectly!

P.S. D, T, & M we are very happy for our computers working up here too! We'd feel so disconnected if we didn't have them. Can't wait to talk to you girls soon!!!

2 steps foward...1 step back

Let me first say that all of you thinking about us and praying for us really is giving us all strength. Now on with the update...Of course with all sick babies things can change in an instant. Her 5a feeding of pedialyte went well. Her 8a and 10a feedings of pedialyte also went really well. The doctor came in at 11 and told us that because she was doing so well we could start feeding her breastmilk at her next feeding and could potentially go home in a few hours. So I pumped (I wanted to give her fresh not frozen...she's been through a lot). We gave her a nice warm bottle of breastmilk and she sucked it down like a champ! Then about 5 minutes later we see the face turn to a grimce of pain, she started pulling her legs into her stomach as if she were cramping, gas started coming out both ends, and the diarrhea came in full force. This is the first stool that was green (which I'm told is a bad sign). Her belly started to puff back up with air (once again I'm told that if the belly gets too destended her bowl can perforate which would mean serious serious issues). She started to whimper and cry. Our little Delaney was back to feeling like crud...so we quickly called the nurse and doctor back in to check her out. They took her back off the breastmilk, explained it was her stomach being attacked by the rota virus, and that it would all just have to run it's course. We were told we would be here another night and that until she can tolerate 2-3 breastmilk feedings we would remain in the hospital. I will be seeing a lactation consultant tomorrow to work on relatching little miss once she is able which is a very positive thing. Jess is headed home to once again pack me an overnight bag. The big girls are returning from a trip to their great grandparents house this evening. They will be stopping by to see Delaney but not touch her. Then Jess will take them home to spend some quality time with our other little ladies (p.s. I totally 100% miss the holy heck out of them!). That's the update for now... here are some pictures from this morning...........

Jess holding our baby girl...

We just love her sooo sooo sooo much!

On the mend

It is 4:31am here in Kansas. I have slept 45 minutes. About 45 minutes ago Delaney started coughing pretty badly so I called the nurse into the room to tell her. I explained that the tube in her nose was bothering her still and that she was continuing to push it back out of her nose. She called the Hospitalist (fancy word for Doc) in to check her gut and low and behold the swelling in Delaney's belly had gone down considerably and he could not hear or feel pressure any longer. He ordered the tube be removed under the condition that it would be immediately reinserted if she vomited or had any swelling. Delaney woke up, drank 3oz of Infalyte, and is now snuggly back asleep in her hospital crib (I could hold her all night but I figure she would get more rest in the crib and she needs her rest since she's so sick). Here is Miss Delaney withOUT the tube in her nose...taken at 4:15am!


Thank you for all the healing vibes and prayers. It's amazing how many people we don't even know out there thinking about our daughter! She is obviously feeling those prayers and thoughts so keep them coming...we aren't out of the woods yet.

Horrible Day

The welcome sign you never want to see...

So today seems like the worst day of my entire life. Our sweet little baby girl is sitting next to me in a hospital crib with an IV in her leg and a tube coming out of her nose. She screaming and she's in pain. She's looks so sad. Even holding her, kissing her, and hugging her doesn't help. For the first time in her entire life...I feel so terribly helpless. Our precious Delaney is laying in a hospital bed. In the past 24 hours she has had blood drawn from each side of her head, both hands, both arms, and both feet. She has had an IV started in her left foot. She has had a NG tube strung down her nose and throat and into her stomach to relieve stomach pressure. We have had to hold her down for three x-rays. She has had a catheter put in. And all the while she's been hurting from stomach cramps and sicky because of diarrhea. She has cried and screamed for about 3 hours now...when she hasn't cried for more than 1 minute at a time her entire month of life. She is waking up from a 10 minute nap so I need to get going... If you have a baby at home...squeeze them and then thank God they are healthy. If you are waiting to hold your baby...pray you never experience this. If you don't have children yet... know that this is the worst feeling a person can feel... helpless when their child needs them the most.

God is our light...our peace...our hope.

Mommy and daughter


Mommy and daughter

She's such a trooper


I can't help but feel like she looks so small and frail in this hospital bed.

Pedialyte

So D is still feeling like poo...she's shooting diarrhea out her hinney immediately after every single breastmilk feeding. She acts like she is in pain most of the time because of stomach cramping we're guessing. We have started feeding her 2oz bottles of pedialyte to see if that will help hydrate her a little better by keeping it in her stomach for longer than the milk is obviously staying in there. Still running a slight fever but still staying just barely under that little mark of 100.5 that requires another hospital visit.

2.14.09

Jess and I were both up practically all night. We got a couple of hours total but it sure doesn't feel like it. We had to make sure that Delaney was taking in AT LEAST one ounce of milk every single hour. She is still having diarrhea. She has not vomited again but is doing a lot of spitting out of food that she doesn't normally do. Her temp has hit 100.4 so we are right on the cusp of having to go back in to the hospital to get a spinal tap to check for meningitis. She's still acting sick, but we did have a glimpse of the old happy Delaney...here's that picture from this morning