Wow! I can’t believe that it has been two months since the last update! We have certainly been busy these last two months! Here’s a little recap:
Having 3 kids has certainly kept us on our toes, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! Katelyn is such a sweet baby and now that we have her reflux under control she is so much happier! She does require a lot of attention, but I blame that on everyone who loves to hold her and love on her when we go anywhere. She is now 3 months old—where in the world does the time go? The boys love her, even though Bryce won’t tell you so! Ethan loves to lay down on the floor with her and Bryce will do anything that makes her smile. Could life be any sweeter?
Bryce is Bryce and keeps us well entertained! He is just like his father and is so unpredictable when it comes to what he will say. One night he asked me if cows were ticklish. Really? Where did that come from?! He is so grown up and will be a whopping 10 years old next month. I totally deny that I am old enough to have a 10 year old, but Bryce won’t let me forget! He is doing really well in school and is in Cub Scouts. Like any other 10 year old, video games are his top priority!
Weylin and I are keeping sane with everything, or at least trying to! I won’t lie…it has been a challenge to keep everything in line at our house. I went back to work about 2 months ago after being off for 12 weeks. It was a hard adjustment, especially leaving Katelyn so young. I do have to say that I am so blessed to have the job I do! When I went back to work, I was able to change positions and start in the NICU at our local hospital. I LOVE my job and there is no looking back to working with adults! Weylin has done a fantastic job at keeping up with the kids and managing things while I work, and while he works full time! I couldn’t ask for a better husband! He is still working for the State of Michigan and has managed to again keep his job when there are so many budget cuts. We have been incredibly blessed!!
And now for Ethan…I don’t even know where to start! After Ethan’s birthday in January, things were pretty uneventful. He even went to school by himself for the first time and did wonderful. We still have nursing care somehow, so we are just going with it and expect it to be cut anytime now. In February, Ethan went for an EGD with his GI doctor at U of M. During this procedure, the doctor did a botox treatment on Ethan’s pylorus to see if that would improve the rate at which his stomach empties. Before this treatment his stomach emptied too slowly to be able to have a plain old g-tube, requiring the g-j tube. He was having a great winter, up until the middle of February hit and it has been pretty much downhill since then healthwise. He was again in the hospital 2 weeks in a row—once at U of M when his feeding tube fell out, and then the following week at Sparrow for a stomach bug. At U of M, Weylin convinced the doctors to do another gastric emptying study with just a g-tube in and Ethan passed with flying colors. His stomach emptied at a normal rate, so he got to come home with a g-tube and bypass the OR this time!!! He has done great with this so far—knock on wood! It was after this visit that Ethan came down with a stomach bug. He lost 3 pounds in a week and has gained some of it back. However, now he has a respiratory bug that has really affected his breathing. So far he has managed to stay out of the hospital and we are so thankful we have a pediatrician that trusts us to treat him at home and is very knowledgeable with reactive airways! This has been going on since Monday and Ethan is still fighting it. We hope it will ease up soon!
Remember that March is CDH Awareness month! Wear your turquoise this month in honor of all the CDH angels that are here on earth and in heaven!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
4 YEARS OLD!!!
Dear Ethan,
Happy Birthday! Today you are 4 years old! When I think about the day you were born and where you are today, it brings tears to my eyes! You started out your life with a 50% chance that you wouldn't even survive. Yet, here you are today having fought a hard fight and surpassing our expectations for what progress you have made in all aspects of your life. You started out not even breathing on your own and ended up needing the help of a trach and ventilator for the first couple years of your life. Today you are trach and vent free and are growing and thriving breathing on your very own! I have to admit, I didn't think this day would come so quickly, though it seemed to take forever at times.
I often questioned why you and our family had to endure all the challenges that we were faced with when you were diagnosed with the congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Sometimes it is hard to trust our Heavenly Father, and I am still trying to learn how to do that like I need to. What I do know is that because of you and our lengthy stay in Ann Arbor, we have been blessed with meeting so many spectacular people that have become lifelong friends. Many of them are also families with kids that have similar medical problems as yours, and we cannot forget the NICU nurses that took care of you and our family day in and day out for the first 7 months of your life. Through all we have endured, you have taught me to see life in such a different way. The little trivial things in life really don't matter that much any more! You have also taught all of us that even though you are a small person, you have so much control and we just need to follow where you lead us. You seem to have written an unpublished book about your life and the normalcy that you will not be following!
You are growing so fast and have the sweetest personality! I love watching you with your brother and sister! If Katelyn is crying you always start to look concerned and sometimes try to calm her. You love laying on the floor next to Katelyn and talking to her. It never gets old to watch. You also love picking on Bryce, but he doesn't share that same love! You just want to be like him and follow him everywhere. You get so excited when Bryce comes home from school that you always run to the door and try to open it before I can!
You are one funny boy too! Your vocabulary and ability to talk more clearly is just growing by leaps and bounds. You like to enforce being polite. If someone lets out a burp, you are always so quick to tell them "What do you say?" You even do it to Katelyn, but have a hard time understanding why she won't say "Excuse me." Some of your favorite phrases include:
"Don't know." (With a shrug of your shoulders)
"Bryce silly or naughty? Pick one."
(sigh) "Fiiine."
"What so funny?" (after anyone laughs)
Your dad and I love you so much! We know that Bryce and Katelyn do too, though Bryce is a big tough boy and wouldn't readily admit it! You are a great addition to our family and we are so blessed to have you as a part of our family! You are loved by all of your extended family too and your strong will and courage do not go unnoticed by anyone! Happy birthday! Here is to many more birthdays and sweet celebrations of your life!
Love,
Mom
Happy Birthday! Today you are 4 years old! When I think about the day you were born and where you are today, it brings tears to my eyes! You started out your life with a 50% chance that you wouldn't even survive. Yet, here you are today having fought a hard fight and surpassing our expectations for what progress you have made in all aspects of your life. You started out not even breathing on your own and ended up needing the help of a trach and ventilator for the first couple years of your life. Today you are trach and vent free and are growing and thriving breathing on your very own! I have to admit, I didn't think this day would come so quickly, though it seemed to take forever at times.
I often questioned why you and our family had to endure all the challenges that we were faced with when you were diagnosed with the congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Sometimes it is hard to trust our Heavenly Father, and I am still trying to learn how to do that like I need to. What I do know is that because of you and our lengthy stay in Ann Arbor, we have been blessed with meeting so many spectacular people that have become lifelong friends. Many of them are also families with kids that have similar medical problems as yours, and we cannot forget the NICU nurses that took care of you and our family day in and day out for the first 7 months of your life. Through all we have endured, you have taught me to see life in such a different way. The little trivial things in life really don't matter that much any more! You have also taught all of us that even though you are a small person, you have so much control and we just need to follow where you lead us. You seem to have written an unpublished book about your life and the normalcy that you will not be following!
You are growing so fast and have the sweetest personality! I love watching you with your brother and sister! If Katelyn is crying you always start to look concerned and sometimes try to calm her. You love laying on the floor next to Katelyn and talking to her. It never gets old to watch. You also love picking on Bryce, but he doesn't share that same love! You just want to be like him and follow him everywhere. You get so excited when Bryce comes home from school that you always run to the door and try to open it before I can!
You are one funny boy too! Your vocabulary and ability to talk more clearly is just growing by leaps and bounds. You like to enforce being polite. If someone lets out a burp, you are always so quick to tell them "What do you say?" You even do it to Katelyn, but have a hard time understanding why she won't say "Excuse me." Some of your favorite phrases include:
"Don't know." (With a shrug of your shoulders)
"Bryce silly or naughty? Pick one."
(sigh) "Fiiine."
"What so funny?" (after anyone laughs)
Your dad and I love you so much! We know that Bryce and Katelyn do too, though Bryce is a big tough boy and wouldn't readily admit it! You are a great addition to our family and we are so blessed to have you as a part of our family! You are loved by all of your extended family too and your strong will and courage do not go unnoticed by anyone! Happy birthday! Here is to many more birthdays and sweet celebrations of your life!
Love,
Mom
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