Kids' Sayings and Other Things

Kara -
What a precious little girl. She continues to slowly improve her eating skills, she sleeps a ton, and is overall nothing but a joy. She has quite a few intonations in her cooing (and will only talk to you if she knows you'll listen!), lots of smiles, and VERY seldom cries. God's grace in her personality is abundant.

Katie -
* While being disciplined, Mommy said "When you're ready, you can say 'I'm sorry for disobeying.'" Katie: "I'm focusing on crying..."
* Lately she will hold the calculator or something else to her ear and pretend to be talking on the phone. She'll usually say "He-yo, Mimi! I'm here! I'm helping Kara." and then hold the "phone" out so I can talk also (as if on speakerphone). Yesterday, she said (on speakerphone, she informed us) "He-yo Princess Yay-Ya (Leia). I'm here! So... bye bye!" (Jeremy is so proud).
* Yesterday she fell and bonked her head on our floor. Jeremy quickly went to see what was wrong, comfort her, etc, so I stayed and worked in the kitchen. A few minutes later, Katie said to me, "I fell, and you did not come for me! I was crying, and you did not come." Needless to say, I won't make that mistake twice.

Connor-
Yesterday I told Connor and Katie that I was going to the vein doctor so Mimi would come and be with them (thank you, Mom for watching them - I'm so excited to get my veins fixed, and it's SUCH a blessing that you can take care of Kara also. She does so well with you). Connor said "I would like to go with you." He asked a few times, and he does really well in those settings, so he came. He packed up his backpack with monster trucks and other assorted toys. Here are a few things he said/did while we were out.
* He brought his Curious George clip as his "phone" and was talking on it off and on during the trip. Sometimes to toys. Once he said "He-yo, so... I just want to let you know that I'm coming to your house tomorrow." He said he was talking to Johnny, our neighbor. Then, talking to Katie "Katie, do you need help? I cannot help now, I am on a date. I will help you when I get home."
* "Mommy. I like to be with you."
* "I'm not hungry for hot dog lunch, I'm just hungry for bagel lunch when we get home." (we had a bagel snack after our appointment. Bummer! I love Costco hotdogs, but only when I can share them...)

*sigh* I love our kids!
We are having a family over for dinner tomorrow who is exactly where we were with Kara in gestation. (Large CPAM, drained, re-accumulated fluid, about to get a shunt). Please pray that we are salt and light and use this opportunity to glorify the Lord.

Resurrection Weekend

He is risen!

It was a wonderfully full weekend. James and Mary Russell came from Montana to visit us for the weekend. We have enjoyed this yearly visit on Resurrection weekend for the past five years. James and Mary work at Camp Bighorn where they serve the Lord by serving young campers during the summer and help train college students during the year.

The weekend started out with sunshine Friday afternoon. To celebrate the Russell's arrival we had to break out the grill!

The first grill of the season...rib steak, green beans (in the foil), twice baked potatoes and Meg's french bread.

We were doubly blessed with two days of sunshine!

We visited the Seattle Aquarium with our minnows.


Friends!

Then nothing better than fish and chips on the pier at Ivar's.


Connor and Katie learned to feed the seagulls.


We made sure to clean up.

For those of you who've been on the fence about visiting us in Seattle...wait no longer! Seattle now has Segway tours (for those who don't like to walk).

Just another reason to experience the Emerald City.

You know you live near Seattle when...

... your 3 year old says "those 2 boys are wearing shorts! That's silly!" when you're finding "Silly Things" in a 2 page spread of High Five (junior version of Highlights) magazine. Yup, Connor, incredibly silly... shorts in late April.

On that note, we are having a gorgeously sunny (although not quite warm) day today.

Already, but not yet

I have had "blog!" on my to-do list for a few days now, and God gave me (Lord willing) 30 minutes today to update.

Lately I have felt the "already, but not yet" of our situation. I love how it correlates to and reminds me of the "already, but not yet" of my salvation. I am already saved by grace, justified in Christ, declared righteous, and seen as holy. Yet my salvation is not yet. I am waiting, groaning for the day when I will have a new, resurrected body that is truly holy. Piper's sermons on Romans (which I am plodding through at an extremely slow rate) have been a great reminder that most often, salvation in the Bible is FUTURE salvation. What a hope we have!

As far as our current circumstances, we are already so many things. Home from the hospital, past surgery, have a good prognosis, thankful for Kara's well-being. But not yet. She is not yet strong, she is not yet off her feeding tube, and I am very much not yet able to "do" "everything" (Wait a minute, am I ever? Praise the Lord I am not, even the meager amount I can do leads me to sinful pride).

Last Friday and through the weekend, we were discouraged. Kara seemed to have plateaued in her eating abilities and Jeremy and I realized (and still think) months, rather than weeks, are how long we will be on the feeding tube.

Since then, she has started to progress a bit. Her oral feeding numbers have gone up a bit, and we are so thankful! She averages around 40 mL per fed (formerly more like 30... stuck there for quite a while), and her feeds are 95 mL each. So, we're about halfway. We're not sure the criteria for being off the tube (how long she has to be at what % of the feeds, etc). I think that is a decision we and the Drs. will make when we are much closer to being there. For now, we are so thankful. We found a feeding position that Kara enjoys and seems to do better at. We have also improved at "pacing" her at the beginning of the feed. (Pacing her means we are making her breathe which she tends to forget to do - harder than it sounds. If we do not pace her, she forgets and just does "suck, suck, suck..." it's like a marathon runner who sprints the first mile. She tires out and cannot finish).

I am thankful for so many things with her feeding. Yes, it is a LOT of dishes and coordination with my pumping, her bottle feeding, and her feeding tube. But it is such a joy that she needs Mommy or Daddy to eat (feeding her is much different than our other 2). I am also very relaxed because we know exactly how much milk I'm making and exactly what she's getting. I never have to wonder "did she get enough?" "is she crying because she's hungry?" Nursing Moms, you must know what grace that is to not have the stress.

She is PLAYING! (i.e. batting) and SMILING regularly. What a joy! She first smiled purposefully about 5 days ago, and I was thinking "what in the world??" I am not one for checking out "when is baby supposed to do that?" but in this case, I did. Yup, right "on time" at 6 weeks. I figured that since she missed a few weeks at the beginning of her life she'd be slow to smile and interact. Thank the Lord I was wrong (at least in this small milestone).

We are "managing" at home. I am so thankful she is our 3rd child. Our other 2 can be quite self-sufficient and helpful. I have thanked God again and again for all my Mom's help around our house the last few weeks in cleaning our home and for her constant willingness to watch kids and loan her car for Drs. appointments or just to give me an extra hour or two with Kara or to nap. Naps have been incredibly scarce, but God has given us the energy we need. We are still surviving on freezer meals from others (thank you!) and a few I made while pregnant.

I had my 6 week O.B. appointment yesterday (Kara is 7 weeks Wednesday!). My O.B. was also our perinatologist and it was a joyous reunion to see her, our sonographer, and the nurses who walked the prenatal journey with us. They were thrilled to see Kara (I figured they wouldn't let me in the door without her... all my appointments were always about her =). We were reminded to thank God for the excellent care. All His children are in His hands, but Kara's life has clearly already been saved at least twice.

Please keep us in prayer for wisdom as we re-enter life. We have felt isolated and "busy" within our little nuclear family for a long while, and I can feel the temptation to start doing and seeing too quickly. Pray for Jeremy to get GOOD rest at night.

Join us in thanking God for His goodness, sustaining grace, Kara's progress, and particularly on my mind right now for His grace in allowing Kara to still have Mommy's milk.

Here is a picture of Connor and Katie enjoying the Snoqualmie train with Mimi and Papa. What a treat to have them so nearby. We are looking forward to other Grandparents visiting here soon.

Cute things to Share

Kara is now smiling intermittently. We think her total "purposeful, right at someone" smile count is 4. She has been cooing fairly well for a little while.

Connor and Katie play on Mommy's bed sometimes in the morning with Mommy and Kara. The other day they kept saying "Nose to nose!" and then giving each other "nuzzle noses" (or eskimo kisses).

Katie picked up a book of Kara's (the kind babies can chew on) and made up her own story. Each page started with "Once on a time..." and this was one of the pages "... there was buzz the bee. And he was a-yone (alone)". Another page was "...a frog sat on a brown log, and there was a turtle, and a doggie."

Connor has entered the "why" stage. Instead of why, though, he inquires "because what?" I think I prefer the latter. Two of his other favorite sayings are "what's that you're having?" Or, "what's in your mouth?" We can't get away with anything these days!

Both kids are guardians and lovers of Kara. "Daddy, Kara is crying. You need to get her!" Or "It's o.k. Kara-beara, brother is here!" Connor pats her and says "sweet girl." or "so sweet!" Katie says, first thing in the morning, "I need to see my Kara-beara"

Don't know how to fix the "smart uploader" on blogspot to fix this picture. Here is one of the latest of Kara. I'm afraid we are falling into the 3rd child pattern of not taking as many pictures.


Daddy and Kara enjoying an afternoon nap
Our little "diva". She loves her sunglasses that Mimi & Papa bought her, and this "doggie sweater" is one of her favorites from Sarah. (Thanks Sarah!)


Enjoying our little girl's hair with a hairbow (thanks Kristin). Daddy is so cozy for a nap.
Connor is reading about dinosaurs to Kara while Mommy gets Kara some milk.

3 babies, all "learning to play"

Large Update

We got a CD of Kara's x-rays from the hospital. It's pretty amazing to see the work that God did through the surgeons and medical tools like her intubator. She really did go through a lot!

All the x-rays are taken with Kara facing the x-ray machine (so her right lung is on the left side. The CCAM was in her lower lobe of the left lung which is on the right side in the pictures.)

First x-ray: 14 hours after birth, just after arriving at Children's, before intubation. In the right lung, there is barely any black (air). Not good! The left lung (the CCAM is completely full of air, compressing the heart all the way into the right lung and extends to the top of the right side. (The heart is the white mass in the right side of her chest).


After this x-ray, the intubation was pushed into her right side only, as far as possible so that it would inflate her right lung only and hopefully allow the air in the CCAM to decompress. As you can imagine, her chest cavity was under extreme pressure. This caused hypersensitivity and necessitated lots of sedation. We would agitate her if we sang or touched her too much. She was also placed on her left side to allow her right lung to be "on top" and not be squished.

Second x-ray: One week after birth, just before surgery. The right lung is fully inflated and working well. The CCAM has decreased. This improvement enabled Kara to handle being on her right side (right lung squished) for the 3 hour surgery. Praise the Lord.



Third x-ray: Day 15 (one week after surgery): upper lobe of the left lung is well ventilated, she is off intubation now and breathing on her own.



We have been doing well at home. It takes almost all my time to take care of me and Kara, so we have had some help with Connor and Katie. Connor and Katie sure do love their little sister. They are trying to give her toys and books "so she can chew on".

Kara is eating approximately 1/3 of the calories she needs (gets the rest via NG tube). She has been eating out of a bottle for only 10 days and nursing for just 7. She is doing just amazing when I think of it that way. She has a very sweet disposition and caring for her is a joy!

Here are some pictures:

Kara loved cozying with her Grandma Dot at the hospital:


Ready to come home:


Connor and Katie helping Kara learn how to play (later in the day they commandeered her playmat and pretended to be babies)


Oops! Kara pulled out her NG tube. Daddy did an AWESOME job putting it back in. First try. (Isn't she pretty without tubes?)


Playing with trains who are eating pizza, under the umbrella. "Trains don't like pepperoni, just cheese pizza, just like kids do"... in case you were wondering.


Kara is adjusting to home very well.



Isn't it amazing what God has brought us through? We continue to be thankful for His daily grace and provision as we continue to work through the challenges brought by Kara's breathing.