Hello!!! Here are some new and updated pics!! Waving Hello!

So sleepy...

Maybe I'll wake up IF you STOP FLASHING THAT CAMERA!!!

Look mom, NO HAT!!!

Body Shot!!!

Her Paci is bigger than her!!

Peace Peeps!! :)

FIRST time holding her!! She was one week old!

Hi everyone! Been a long time huh?!
Well, my little girl is doing good! She is 3lbs 12 oz now, but still no hope of coming home for a while. She is unable to tolerate the breastmilk I have been pumping for the last 6 weeks (UGH!!!) and has been switched to Alimentum, and doing great. I have decided to stop pumping, and it has been a terribly hard decision to make. But, it is taking a toll on not only my body, but my emotions.
My dr. changed me from Wellbutrin to Zoloft, and I can already notice the difference! I was having a ROUGH time, and I was sure I was going to lose my mind, along with my husband. :cry: It has been a long 6 weeks (YES! She is 6 weeks old!!) and I am so tired!
So, on to the title of the topic! We are officially in the Ronald McDonald House now and it is AMAZING! We were told this is the largest in the nation, housing 80 families! We are so blessed to be less than 10 minutes away from Rae, versus the 2 hours it is from home. I plan on staying for a little while. Elijah is with my parents, and will be visiting me a few times on the weekend. While I know that being away from him is hard, I miss my baby girl so much and I only get to see her 1 time a week, and it is killing me. I can't wait to post pics! She is getting chunky! Ask me how a 3lb baby can look chunky, and I will SHOW you the pics!!! :)
Anyways, I just wanted to give a little update, and say hi! I miss being here, and hopefully I'll have more time now!

Hi guys!! I just wanted to quickly update while it is quiet here. First off, thank you all for your prayers. I appreciate it SO much. RaeLynne is doing well! They are going to attempt to remove the vent tomorrow and put in a feeding tube so that she can start getting breastmilk. She is on room air, they were just leaving the vent in as a precaution for a while. She is retaining her body heat well. She is SOOO tiny. I can't believe she is here now, it is all surreal! I have went and seen her a few times, I am just now to the point that I can move without feeling like I am ripping apart. They took out my IV and cathedor which really made me feel better. They took off the bandages on the incision and it was just over 5 inches! The staples kind of hurt, but other than that, it doesn't bother me. I have started pumping for her and the VERY first time got quite a bit and then it slowed down a bit. They said that she'd only get a couple cc's for the first few days. I just went down to see her a few minutes ago and she was doing well. She opens her eyes and looks around and goes back to sleep. I will update later, just wanted to check in and tell everyone thanks for keeping her in your prayers!!

another update

This is Amanda again. i wanted to update you guys again and tell you what has happened today. When Raelynne was first born, her lungs needed help opening up, and her apgar were 1,3,6. since then they have weaned her ventilator from 60% to 45% down to 32% and they are trying to get her off of it tonight. and are trying to get her onto the cpap tonight. they started her on photo therapy as a precaution she is fine now, but they dont want her getting jaundice. she was sobbing when elisha went down there earlier at 7pm. elisha put her finger in her incubater and Rae went right to sleep. after wrapping her little fingers around her finger. we have a very strong baby in our hands and she is going to be fine.just keep up the prayers. elisha is resting well. still sore and really can't fall to sleep but they are thinking about taking the cathader and the IV out tomorrow and starting her on oral pain medicine. i will update you more tomorrow. Elisha says thanks for all your prayers and thoughts.

Baby RaeLynne is here!!!!

Hey this is Amanda, Elisha's sister. she wanted me to post and let everyone know that she went into labor this morning and had Raelynne. At this point, im not exactly sure what time or how long she is, but i do know that she weighed 1 pound 15 3/4 ounces. they both seem to be doing well for how far along she was. everyone pray little Raelynne is going to need it. Elisha is just getting to go back into the room and see her so when she gives me more details i will get back on and post pictures and anymore details.

THIS SUCKS.

I had an FFN, an ultrasound and a cervical length a little while ago. All the results weren't good. The FFN was positive. My cervix thinned from 9mm to 5mm. I am here for at least another 2 weeks. She is still breech so if I would go into labor again it'd be an emergency C-section which I am terrified of. She was 1lb 13 oz. I am so sad...I was so ready to go home. I can't stand being away from everyone anymore. Especially Eli. I miss him more than I could have ever imagined. This sucks. It really does.

Today's update

Just wanted to check in and let everyone know how things are going.

Today was Eli's day to come home, and my aunt is keeping him for a few days. My dad had a heart cath Wednesday and doesn't feel well and my aunt doesn't work weekends so she's keeping him until Sunday. He's gonna get to come visit on Sunday and I must say that I can NOT wait. I've been saving him the cottage cheese (individual containers) for him cause it's his favorite!!

The update for today is basically the same...just watching to see how things go. My fetal fibernectin was positive, big shock. They are waiting until next week to repeat it cause they don't want to stir things up. They don't want to mess around when I'm not contracting. So, I'm in this super comfy bed (that wasn't sarcasm, actually) that they brought me cause my other one was making weird buzzing noises that were making me crazy. I don't have a room mate anymore, and I am next on the list for a private room. YAY.

They have been sedating me at night cause I can NOT go to sleep for nothing, and I went 47 hours without a single minute of sleep. Everytime I get to sleep, I start having horrible nightmares and wake up soaked in sweat.

So, on to why my baby boy isn't a baby anymore. This will definately tear your heart out and stomp on it...if you are emotional like me. I called my aunt after she picked him up and got him to her house and fed. She said, "Eli, your mommy is on the phone..." and signed mommy to him. She said that he dropped the toy he was playing with (and I HEARD this...) "MY MOMMY!?!?!"

OMG.

Thanks kid, you broke my heart.

Then he went "mommommommommom...." and she said that he was signing love. I can't wait to see him, I miss him SO much. The whole time I was talking to her he was saying mom. She said that he stood in front of her mirror signing I love Mommy.

The social worker said that they are going to be able to feed Casey while he is here, so we don't have to worry about that. And that's good cause he eats a lot and gets expensive. They bring extra food on every tray and we have the fridge full right now. They also said that anytime either of us want anything to let them know, cause they have a small kitchen type room here and can get us sandwiches and stuff. They also gave us a parking pass that is so much cheaper.

I haven't been able to talk to my mom today cause she doesn't have a home phone anymore and just has a prepaid phone that doesn't have any time on it I hate that...I miss talking to her.



I got really emotional talking to the nurse earlier, just cause I miss Eli so much but I know that this is what needs to be done if his sister is going to have a chance. I hope he somehow understands that he isn't being punished...it's just so hard to explain it to a kid that...just doesn't understand. I'm so glad now that he is so close with my parents and family. I can't remember now, but whoever asked about him staying with Jon...NO THANKS. I'll never get to see him. He is fine with mom and my aunt and I would never be able to see him if he stayed with Jon. I talked to his step mom Courtney though, and told her what was going on, and she said if for some reason there wasn't someone to watch him, let them know and she would take him. She's been really helpful, really. She said that she was wondering if there was something wrong with me Tuesday, she said I looked like I didn't feel good (at the preschool meeting).

I still need to tell you all about the preschool meeting, but my computer is getting hot and I don't want it to shut off in the middle of me writing it...so I'm cutting it off now...
Thanks for reading...if you made it this far.

I would just ask that you continue to keep RaeLynne and myself in your prayers. We love you guys!

If you have had a preemie

I am just trying to wrap my head around the fact that soon......very soon......our baby girl is going to be born, more than likely, way too early. I am 23 weeks this week...and I was just wondering something.

If you have had a preemie (or know someone who has)
When (what week) did you deliver?
How did the delivery go?
What happened afterwards?
Did baby have any complications?
How much did he/she weigh?
Length?
Once you went into labor...how long were you stabilized before you actually gave birth?
How fast did delivery progress?
Anything else I need to know or prepare for?

I do not want to go into this blindfolded. And since I have plenty of time I would just like to get prepared. I'm so sad that I don't get to get her room ready...I don't get to get all the little things done that I wanted...things just ain't going to be normal. I feel so helpless and useless here.

Please keep baby Rae in your prayers. We definately need them!!

Our incredible last few days

Hello from my new home for the next 6-10 weeks! First, thank you all SO much for the prayers for us. I am so scared right now, it's unbelievable.

Ok, so, thanks Laura for updating!! I FINALLY have my computer here and the internet just finally got fixed. So, I should be able to keep you all up to date now.

So, here's what happened...and it may be WAY long, sorry. I have a lot of time on my hands now

Tuesday morning I went for my regular OB checkup. They were doing a cervix length check, just because of my history of preterm labor. My cervix, that should have been at least 3 cm, was 1.9cm. It had began to funnel, meaning it was getting prepared to open. So, my dr. called OSU and told them that he wanted them to evaluate me by next week, and they said NO, I had to be there in the morning. So, I had an appt scheduled for 9 am the next morning. Needless to say, our baby girl had ENTIRELY different plans. I took Eli to his preschool transisition meeting, and an hour later, I began having very strong, painful contractions. I called my dr. and the nurse told me to get to the Labor and Delivery immediately. It was almost time for Eli to go to Jon's...so I got his stuff thrown together and took him with us. My aunt picked him up as we got to the hospital and kept him until it was time for him to get picked up by Jon.

So anyways, they took me up to labor and delivery...and they checked my cervix again and measured her, my cervix length was 1.5cm and I was 1 cm dialated and she was 1 lb 3 oz. They gave her a 3% chance of survival at this point. They told me that it was very possible that I would have my tiny, baby girl by the end of the night and prepare myself and family to lose her. They began me on a strong med to slow down the contractions that were at that point closer than 5 minutes apart. They gave me the first dose of the steroid injection, started me on antibiotics. They told me that she would probably not make it at this point and asked me what I wanted to do. They said that they could keep me there, let me deliver, and hope she would be ok...or they could transfer me to OSU and give her a better shot. They asked me about signing a DNR...which NO I couldn't do...I told them that I would like to do all we could TO KEEP HER IN, but if that failed, we wanted to give her the best shot. 2 hours later, I was in the ambulance on my way to OSU. When I got here at about 11 or so, they checked me again and I was 2 cm dialated and my cervix was now 1.2cm. At 3 am, the dr checked me once more, and I only had 9 mm of cervix left, and I was still 2 cm. By 5 am, the contractions pretty much stopped.

The next day, they moved me to the maternity floor and I had to take 10 doses of the contraction meds. They gave me the second steroid shot at 8 pm and her chance of survival in the next 24 hours went up to approximately 50%. They said had she been born the first night, her lungs would not have been able to expand on their own. Now they should at least be able to.

So, here's the plan...I'm here til delivery!! I'm so freaking scared. I know that I am in the very best place for this but I have another baby back home ya know? I can't very well afford to transport to see me regularly and I am so afraid that he's gonna freak out. I don't want him to think that any of this is his fault and he's being punished not being allowed to see his mommy. They told me (my dr called me) that they decided that they want me here for at least 6-10 weeks. I had kinda figured that from the beginning, but now it's real.

Ugh. This sucks.

Casey's boss made him take 2 days off that we couldn't really afford. He's only gonna be able to come up when he is off on the weekends, cause there is no way that I can afford $50 a trip for him to come up. They did give us an extended stay pass for the garage so that our parking is only $2 a day instead of $15.

Again, thank you go much for all your prayers. Little RaeLynne still needs them, she is NOT ready to come out just yet. It was so weird going for over 24 hours without feeling her move (the meds do that) but she has been moving a little today...

I would LOVE to go at least another 5 weeks. That would be great even though 10 or more would be ideal for her.

Just keep our little girl in your prayers...love ya guys!!

I knew it wouldn't take long

So I totally feel like I have let you all (and myself) down again. I REALLY wanted to blog, blog, blog...like everyday, and then.....LIFE happened.

I'm always sick, I'm always miserable. The last thing I want to do is bring other people down.

So, I'm going to try harder. I'm going to try to get on here at least a few times a week; and make this blog thing work. Starting today.

Local Disabled Advocates Join Boycott of Film|Eyewitness News Everywhere - ABC24 - CW30 - Memphis TV

Local Disabled Advocates Join Boycott of Film|Eyewitness News Everywhere - ABC24 - CW30 - Memphis TV

Sick of being SICK.

Well. Yet another appt that made me cry! The baby is FINE...but I was VERY sick when I went, and didn't even realize it! I didn't feel well, I knew that...but I didn't realize that I was severely dehydrated and had hyperemisis again. I had it with Elijah and was in the hospital for a LONG time. But I got lucky yesterday, and was only admitted for about 8 hours. It was a long day though, and I was glad to get to go home.

The baby is growing RIGHT ON TIME, and it looked like it was waving and doing jumping jacks. She had a great pic of it's face in 4D, but it turned it's back when she went to capture it. Maybe next time. It's heartrate was 189, and it was jumping all over the place. It was 3.63 cm CRL.

But the clot is getting bigger. :( I was hoping that it would have went away but that is not the case. All I can do is pray that it gets better.

Approaching 10 weeks!!! :)

I am so happy to say that I will be 10 weeks in just a few short days. I am thrilled that this baby is listening to Mommy already!! I pray for him/her every night...and I can only hope I can make it at least another 25 weeks!! This baby is a miracle, and I thoroughly believe that.

I want to thank every one that has prayed for me, the baby...us. I know it was all of you that have kept this baby alive! I have an appt in about a week, and I was sure 2 or 3 weeks ago I was going to lose this angel. Now I am not so sure.

Again, thanks. And keep the prayers coming!!

Waiting On Jonah!

As I write this my sister in law is preparing to deliver baby Jonah Micah. She had went to the hospital last night, but they sent her home cause she wasn't progressing fast enough! So, please send her a little prayer that baby Jonah gets here soon (he's due on Monday) cause she is in a lot of pain! I can't wait to see baby Jonah! He is going to be beautiful!

First time in his new POOL!!

His favorite aunt Patty got him a new pool last weekend. Today was his first day in it. It was a little bit cool, so he wasn't sure at first. He warmed up to it after a few minutes, and then he cried when he had to get out for therapy. His dad-dad got in with him since he wasn't thrilled at first.

He tried to slap up the water like a cat! It was cute, but there were little bugs in the water and I just couldn't stand letting him do it!

All in all, he had a great day. Then we had to go to therapy :( He did well there too, then I had to take him to Jon. BLAH! I hate Tuesdays!!

New pics of July

Yes, he's playing with dolls. I'm trying to get him used to baby's before his brother/sister is born. He was trying to feed her her bottle!
2 year anniversary of his OHS. July 11, 2006
And a belly button one, just because it's cute!
He decided to do things for himself and drink out of the BIG sprite bottle. I think more got ON him than IN his mouth!

On our way to our family reunion on July 4. He was KNAWING on this...until he realized how hot it was!! This is his new summer toy! He hasn't got to get in it yet cause the water is too cold. I think I'm going to put some hot water in it and speed the process up!!
No, he's not a gangster!! He's only 2!!
If he WAS a gangster, he'd be the cutest one ever!!
That smile melts me everytime!

My exciting...bloody...week

Ugh. Wow. What a week!! I have never seen so much blood in my life. TMI, sorry!! Here is a copy of my update from Downsyn:


Hey guys, Sorry for not updating, I have been at my moms and not had computer access. I was staying with her so that I could have help with Eli while Casey was working. As for the test results from the dr they were basically the same as they were before. The clot is 5cm x 3cm, the same size as the amniotic sac. I didn't have any blood work done at OSU. My dr said for me to let him know if the bleeding got worse, and it did on Friday. Now, things have slowed down; bleeding wise. The pain is still pretty bad, but is getting better. I have been trying to not take the pain meds, because contrary to what the dr says I don't know how Percocet can be safe for a baby. I went to the ER again on Friday. I was bleeding SOO bad, it was awful, and it was embarrassing. I waited to go until I had bled thru 3 pads in an hour. The nurse made me sit in the room in just a gown and I bled all over the bed. I had asked her if I could stay dressed until the dr came in and she was very rude and said that it was inconvienent for him to have to wait on me to undress. So I sit there and bled all over. I had an ultrasound and had to have the bed pads changed twice while the test was being done. The baby's heart rate was 175. It was scary cause the tech couldn't tell me what was going on and I couldn't see the screen. Then the dr came in and did a pelvic exam and checked my cervix, everything was the same there...still open slightly. He said the hematoma was about the same, and sent me home diagnosed as a threatened miscarriage (again). My bloodwork (quant levels) from the ER was good, up from 90,000 to 156,000 or so. I have to call my dr. again tomorrow and see what is going on. I have an appt on Wednesday, and I feel much better. The bleeding is down to spotting. The cramping is almost gone, but I still have some sharp pains every now and then. My dr said that that could just be my uterus stretching. SOOO...now I am trying to stay as still as possible, and I am hoping that it goes away soon. I will be going home tonight and Eli will be staying with my mom. As of now, things are stable, so I'm hoping that I can make it to my appt on Wednesday. I am going to call my dr. in the morning to see if he got the report from the ER on Friday.

PLEASE PRAY FOR BABY AND I

Some of you may have heard by now that I am having some severe complications. The baby's health, as well as mine I'm afraid, is beginning to be put into jeopardy. I have what is called a sub chorionic clot. If you look at the new ultrasounds I put up, you can see it clearly. It is the dark area to the right of the uterus/baby. I am being faced with possible long term hospitalization or AND THIS IS NOT WHAT I WANT, BUT MAY HAVE TO DO TO SAVE MY OWN LIFE, termination. I do not want to do this, and I want to be very clear about that. But if it comes down to me bleeding to death, or ending this poor baby's life, I may not have any other choice. I want everyone to know that this is the LAST THING I want. And it will be a very very last resort, and only after every other one has been exhausted. I hope and pray that this doesn't have to happen, which is why I am asking every one to please join with me and pray for the baby, and myself. I am scared beyond belief.I also wanted to add, that if you look at last week's ultrasound, this clot was VERY small. It has grown to larger than my uterus in less than a week. This is a very serious situation, and I really hope you understand that.I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS. I WILL UPDATE AS SOON AS I KNOW SOMETHING.<3,Elisha and Casey (and baby)

Cochlear Implant Information

Ugh. Where do I start on this?? I'm sure you know, Elijah is deaf. We found out at just over a year old. So, we did the 6 months of hearing aids, to no avail. So now, he is a Cochlear Implant candidate. It took a long long time to convince his dad that that was the best thing for him. Finally, he called the social worker, and gave his consent! So his surgery is scheduled for August 22, 2008. I am so so so nervous. But Dr. Kang, his surgeon...is a wonderful dr. He is the best of the best. We are SOOO lucky to get him for the surgery. He even scheduled it for a Friday (even though he isn't in the OR on Friday) so that Eli could come home with me, instead of going home with Jon right after the operation. I am MUCH more comfortable that way. I am still scared $h!tless...but I think he'll be ok. We are doing the right ear, and hopefully he'll be able to gain some speech. I will definately be keeping this updated with the progress...

It all started...

June 10, 2008. What a weird day this was. I had a funny feeling all day long; just didn't feel "right." So even though I wasn't due for AF for another few days...I just had a gut feeling. Ran down to walmart, and picked up the following... Yes, that is a BFP. THREE days before I was expecting AF. And I have NEVER seen a test go + go quickly. OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP. HEHE. So, here I was, at 11pm, dh at work...all alone...I tried to act as normal as possible when he called on his break, but inside I just wanted to tell him. But I didn't. I kept it a secret for almost a whole day. This was the week before Father's Day, and I just wanted to wait until then so that I could suprise him. But I couldnt wait! At 6 pm the next day...I handed him 3 + tests. He was like, "You're joking right??" OH No...I'm not!! I took another one, just to make my point clear! I called my dr. and the next day the started doing the Quad Screening (Hormone test). My numbers were great. 162, 406, 3606...Then two weeks later...

Due on February 17, 2009....16 days after Eli's 3rd birthday!
I think this is the cutest blob I have ever seen!!
The very next week, on Sunday, I started bleeding. Not just a spotting bleeding. But a full blown, "You better get to the ER or you are going to bleed to death," bleed. When they did some tests, they told me terrible news. My cervix was already dialating, and I would probably lose the baby within a few days. BUT this little "blob" had a different idea!! I went to my OB/GYN on Tuesday, July 1, and saw this...(so much changed in just 6 days!!)
This right here is what you call a miracle. 6 1/2 weeks along!!

Our run in with GRASS

Yes, this is a frantic cry. More like him begging and pleading. And take a wild guess what it's all over?? This was his VERY first time...ever...(yes he's 2 1/2) touching GRASS. He HATED it. I didn't realize what his problem was, until he touched the grass, and then signed NO!! Even though it WAS funny, there is no way you can laugh at this face.

My little angel, Elijah Thomas, praying...I think it was him praying to get off the grass!!! He is the sweetest thing in the world...I love him SOOO much!! I can't imagine sharing my love with anyone else...but guess I better get used to that, huh? This was taken about 2 weeks after our first (failed) encounter with those of the grass kind.

Pregnancy Ticker

Just starting out...

Well. Here I am. Finally gave in to the world of blogging. I had NO intention of starting a blog when I turned on the computer yesterday...but by the end of the night I was setting one up. Now that I have started, I can't stop!!! There is so much going on in our lives that I could easily update everyday. Will I? I don't know. But there is no excuse if I don't. So let's get started, shall we??