It's go time!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, so things get a little more crazy. The shake test that was done yesterday gave us negative results on lung maturity so they sent the fluid off to another hospital for LS and PG testing. The shake test is apparently pretty crude and was developed in the 1950's. The LS and PG test are way more scientific and we needed an LS number above 2.0, preferably 2.5.

The numbers came back today and it was at 3.0 which means those lungs are definitely mature in both girls!

We are in shock right now and on top of the world. The plan is now back on for delivery tomorrow morning at 8:00 CST!!

We will update the blog as soon as we can tomorrow to let everyone know how Kamryn, Brooke, and Stef are doing. We could sure use your thoughts and prayers today and tomorrow and appreciate all of your continued support.

Stephanie is just freaking out with excitement and sends her love!

Shawn

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Unexpected change in plans......

First, I have to say welcome back to Dr. Zaretsky who has been on vacation. He is our MFM doctor and will deliver Brooke and Kamryn along with Dr. Trylovich. It's such a relief to have him back in town and ready to go when these girls are ready to enter the world!

We have tried so hard to not plan anything or expect things to happen a certain way because those plans will likely fall apart. We did though plan on delivering this Wednesday......... Dr. Z called Stef this morning to check in, confirm our Wednesday delivery plan, and ask about the amnio procedure to check for lung maturity. A few weeks ago Stef and I decided we weren't going to do the amnio test and just go get the girls at 37 weeks. After talking with Stef this morning, my mind started racing and I couldn't help but think the test wouldn't be a bad idea after all. I called Dr. Z and Dr. Savani, who have been my voice of reason throughout this process and trust them beyond words, to get their take on the issue. After learning a thing or two about the test, there was no doubt we needed to go down this path to be sure.

The test is just like a regular amnio procedure except they test the fluid by adding a chemical, shaking it, and watching for a reaction. If there is no reaction, it indicates the lungs aren't mature. This has nothing to do with the CDH condition, but rather if the lungs (in both girls) have had enough time in utero to form and participate effectively in oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange once born.

We decided to go ahead and do the procedure at 1:00 today and then waited, what seemed like an eternity, for the results. Around 5:00 one of the doctors came in to tell us the result of the test was negative indicating the lungs are not mature yet. It felt like the world had just collapsed around us. Honestly, there is a selfish side to all of this. You just want to get on with the show, you want to hold your child, you want to know how this story will end, and you just want one thing to go as planned or expected. You quickly realize though that this is about the girls and if we would have delivered on Wed, Brooke would have probably worked through everything, but Kamryn would have been in a more distressed situation. Kamryn has 25% of the lung volume that Brooke has. We are asking so much of that 25% to begin with and asking that little bit of lung tissue to support her life without even being mature would have been an awfully big mountain to climb.

Tonight we are disappointed that we won't see our little girls when we expected to, but we once again understand that they are charting the course, not us. We are also so thankful to our doctors for leading us in the right direction and making the right decision.

We will find out tomorrow the results of the extended tests that will give us actual numbers relating to lung maturity and a better idea of how long we need to wait. Right now we anticipate it being 1 more week (but we aren't planning anything yet :) )

On a happy note, I am quite confident that you all will at least get to hear more stories about Stef's very interesting life in the hospital!

Take care everyone,

Shawn

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Just have to laugh....

To say Stef's visit in the hospital has been eventful so far would be an understatement. Everyday offers a new and exciting experience that has brought us a lot of laughter which is good for us right now. I can't help but share.....

You all know about the A/C issues the first two days. They determined that a number of parts needed to be replaced so they asked if Stef wanted to go wait down in the lobby while the repairs were being done. Stef thought this would be a good break from the room so she went down to the lounge and fell asleep on the couch. A nice social worker woke her up asking if she was there for the group therapy session that is being conducted in the lounge. Group therapy? The social worker asked for her name and tried to find her on the list. Once Stef was able to convince her that she was definitely not on the roster, she received an invitation to join the therapy session. Stef passed and told her she would go back down to her room.

As Stef got closer to her room, she noticed a Sheriff sitting outside her door. This was a little odd, but before she could inquire if she was being arrested for something, the nurses asked where she was going. She explained what had just happened and the nurses decided group therapy wasn't going to happen in the lounge after all and took Stef back down there. As you can imagine, the social worker wasn't happy to be kicked out of the lounge, but Stef was able to get some sleep.

After the A/C was repaired, she went back down to her room and there was the Sheriff still sitting outside her door. As she made it to her room, she didn't get arrested. Big relief! Stef was able to deduce that a pregnant prisoner is next door to her. At least I know Stef has protection up there if needed.

Unfortunately, the protection isn't as responsive as we would like....... Yesterday, Stef was visited by a Chaplain from the hospital. She asked Stef if there was anything she could do for her. She just wanted to make it clear that she wanted someone there there on Wed to pray for the twins after delivery. Nothing seemed out of the norm when she had a knock on her door this morning and there stood a pastor. Stef invited him in and talked a bit before giving him her name, the twins names and he even prayed with her. She was very happy to hear that he would be praying for the girls. About that time there was another knock on the door and there stood the police. He asked the "pastor" to come to the door and asked for hospital identification, which the "pastor" didn't have. Uh oh. The officer then checked out his drivers license to make sure he didn't have any warrents for his arrest. Oh boy...is this really happening? After he learned he was clear of warrants, he gave him a warning and asked him to leave. We don't know exactly who this man was or if he is actually a pastor. Stef talked to the police officer afterwards. She asked him if he was legit, and the officer said, he's probably legit, just going about things the wrong way. I think the man had good intentions, just maybe an over achiever??? Is this crazy or what?

We have had our share of entertainment the last couple of days and all is good. We have been incredibly impressed with how many doctors and nurses have come to check on things and answer all of our questions. We feel more and more everyday that we have made the right decision about where to deliver. The medical staff is incredible and so caring about our situation. We also get a steady stream of entertainment at no charge! We are still planning on Wed for delivery.

Also, the NICU team came to visit Stef today, and offered to give Hollie a tour today. This gave her a huge sense of relief, as she knows this will help Hollie understand what Kamryn will look like the first time she sees her. Hollie's planning on being here between 2 or 3, and Stef's going to go down with her to hold her hand for the tour.

Hollie's last night of camp is tonight. She's having a lot of fun, and is learning a lot.

Stef also wanted me to let you all know that some parts of the blogs are blocked due to the hospital firewall. She's able to read the blogs, but she can't post responses. She wants everyone to know that she's still praying hard for everyone, and reads about the progress and fights that all these babies are still enduring every day.

Thanks again for all of the support from everyone!

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Hosptial Room, Sweet Hospital Room......

Well, I've been here about a day and a half, and everything has been just fine. The doctors and nurses taking care of me have been nothing short of AMAZING. I feel very loved and taken care of. This is what we wanted. The only complaint I have is the darn A/C. It keeps breaking and I'm getting to that miserable stage. The engineers keep coming in, scratching their head, flipping switches, opening and closing panels, scratching their head, leaving, and then that's it. The room cools down for about an hour, and then starts to get hot again. So, the nurse that I have tonight is going to talk to him and see what the deal is. I just want to rest comfortably before I have the babies! That's why I'm here. Other than that, I'm a happy camper.

Tonight, Dr. Savani came in and visited with me for a little while. He's just the sweetest doctor. Very caring and compassionate. Shawn is SO disappointed that he missed talking to him. Anyway, I told him that Shawn and I both feel like we are in the best place possible for this delivery. We are very content with the decision we made of delivering here, and now it's a waiting game for us. I expressed to him that we are praying for the best. He told me that it all comes down to Kamryn, the fight that she has in her and of course, God's will. I couldn't agree with him more.

We also were visited by Dr. McCurnin in neonatology, as well as, Dr. Wyckoff, who is head of resuscitation. We hear that Dr. Wyckoff is known all over the world for her expertise. They both assured us that we are in good hands. Everyone that we have talked to have reassured us that all doctor's, nurses, and specialists know that we are here, and they are just waiting for the babies to make their debut.

Hollie's first day of camp last night was fun. I talked to her today and I asked her what she did. Her response was, "We just had fun". She did tell me that she learned how to milk a cow. This should be really interesting when she sees me nursing Brooke... LOL! She was so tired today that she took a nap for over 2 hours. Bless her heart, she's just going through so much. I can only imagine how tired she is. I can't wait to see her smiling face tomorrow.

Well, that's all for now. I'm going to go over to the a/c unit and scratch my head, open a panel, scratch my head again, and then get back into bed. That seems to give me an hour or so of cool air :). If that doesn't work, I'm going to just kick the darn thing.

Love,
Stephanie

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9 Days and Counting!

Well, it's 4:30am and guess who's up!!! I'm sure some of this insomnia is due to anxiety of going to the hospital later this morning. But, this is pretty typical of me to be up around now. I usually go back and forth between the bed and recliner, trying to find a comfortable position. Finally after about 2 hours, my body will just give up the fight and let me fall back to sleep sooner or later. But, this morning, I think I'm up for good.

I'm ready to get admitted into the hospital for my own peace of mind. Although, I'm not ready to leave my familly. Last night, Shawn had to take his truck in to get a tire replaced. Hollie and I drove over there to pick him up so we could all go out to dinner. I think it hit Hollie on the way over there that Mommy was going to the hospital, and was going to be gone for a while. She kept telling me how much she was going to miss me. It was so incredibly hard to hold back those tears. I think I did give her good news though. She thought that I was going to stay in the hospital the whole time Kamryn was going to be there. I reassured her that as soon as I have the babies and I'm well enough to go home, then we would be bringing Brooke home, and then we would start our visits to the hospital to see Kamryn. That eased her mind for about oh, a minute. And then she started worrying about Kamryn. She asked who would be taking care of Kamryn, if Shawn and I were going to be at home in the middle of the night. I told her the nurses. She asked who would feed her and change her diapers and I told her the nurses do all of that for us. Can you imagine being 7 1/2 years old trying to understand this whole CDH thing??? It must be so hard for her. Bless her heart. However, Shawn and I reminded her of all the fun things she'll get to do while I'm in the hospital. She has her evening Brownie camp all next week. It's a camp that takes place Monday through Friday, and lasts from 7pm to 10pm. I gave her a disposable camera for her to take pictures. I can't wait to post those on the blog. She's so excited about it. And she'll also get to see her friends to go swimming, etc. I pray that the time travels fast for her.

Today she was telling me how excited she is about HER babies coming. This is the 3rd or 4th time I've heard her refer to them as HER babies. It's so cute to hear. I just can't believe that they are going to be here in 9 days or less. I'm so ready!!!

Well, that's all for now. Please continue to pray for babies Jaime, Avery and Carter. Baby James is going to make his debut into this tough world tomorrow. All of their blogs are on the right hand side for you to follow. Our thoughts and prayers are with each and every one of those families.

Love to you all!

Stephanie

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35 Weeks

Well, Tuesday was another big day for both Shawn and myself. We had an MFM appointment, and the babies are still growing like they are singletons. Kamryn is just over 5 pounds and Brooke is just over 6. I'm feeling good. I contract a lot in the mornings and evenings. But, during the day, not that often. Dr. Zaretsky checked my cervix though, and it's still long and closed. Thank the Lord. We are planning on me going to the hospital on Monday, the 8th, and then just wait it out from there. Hopefully, I can wait until the 17th, when I'm 37 weeks and Dr. Z is back in town from his much needed vacation... I'm looking forward to going to the hospital, just for my peace of mind of being there in case I go into labor. But, I start to cry when I realize that I'm going to be away from Hollie for what could be 2 weeks. I told Shawn yesterday that I'm going to leave the house on Monday the mother of 1 and then come home in 2 weeks the mother of 3. I still worry about Hollie, but I have given most of that worry to God. Worrying and stressing about a specific plan for her, once I'm in the hospital is literally wearing me out, and I just can't do that any more. I have promised myself to just take things day by day. I have to relax and take it easy from here on out. I started a list of things to do, and have started working on them. Shawn keeps asking me if I've packed my bag, and I think I have one or two night gowns packed and that's it. I'm definitely going to be working on that today. That's about it for me...

When I say that Tuesday was a big day for Shawn too, well, it was. He had his appointment with his urologist, the doctor that diagnosded his testicular cancer back in 2007. Although, the cancer infarcted (stopped growing on its own without chemo or radiation), Shawn has been ordered to have MRI's, chest x-rays, and tumor marker blood work every three months for the last 2 years. He
went in for his follow up on Tuesday, and his doctor said that
everything is still clear, and the cancer hasn't returned. He was
hoping to go in and have the doctor say, "okay, that's it, I don't
need to see you any more". Unfortunately, he still needs to see Shawn
two more times within the next year. Then, after that, it will be
once a year for two more years. Once he's done with those
appointments, then he'll be cleared. I should mention, that all of
those appointments will include more MRI's. These aren't just regular
MRI's. They are MRI's with contrast, which is a liquid that flows
through his body via IV and is quite uncomfortable for him not to
mention 1.5 hours in the "tube". These appointments are pretty scary
for him, b/c they not only bring back memories of him being diagnosed,
but it also reminds him about his dad. His dad was diagnosed with
Pancreatic cancer just one month before Shawn was diagnosed with
Testicular cancer. It can't feel good to go in there, even if it is
only 2 times a year. As you all know by now, Shawn is a fighter. He
has his sense of humor which has gotten him through these two cancer situations, among other things. Just to give you an idea of that humor... He and Hollie did Indian Princesses last year, and they had to come up with indian names to be in their
tribe. Well, Hollie's name was "Dancing Butterfuly". Shawn's name???
"Lonely Walnut". I'll just leave it at that...

We ordered some custom made bracelets to hand out to friends and
family when they come in and visit the babies in the hospital. We'll
take pictures of them tonight and put them on the blog. But, they are
turquoise, and say "Kamryn Hope - CDH". And then, they have bows on
either side. They turned out really cute, and I'm pretty happy with
them. I didn't custom order children's sizes, so Hollie put hers on
her ankle, and it looks really cute.

That's it for us this week. I'm sure we'll post more either this
weekend, or Monday evening.

Take care,
Stephanie

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Getting close!

We are 2 days shy of 35 weeks. We are so close! I can’t believe it. Last Wednesday at Dr. Trylovich’s office, my belly was measuring 42 weeks. So, I’m sure it’s closer to 43 now. It’s so big, that yesterday, two strangers asked me if I was expecting twins, instead of asking how much longer I had (assuming I was pregnant with one). So, I obviously look bigger than usual.

I have come to dread the evenings, because I know I won’t be going to sleep at the same time as Shawn (I really miss that), and I also know that when I fall asleep, I won’t stay asleep, due to using the restroom frequently, and just flat out being uncomfortable. Last night, I was in the recliner and I got up to use the restroom, and my pelvis hurt so bad, that I literally shrieked from the pain. It was loud enough to wake up Shawn, and he had to help me to the bathroom, b/c it was so hard to walk. You don’t realize how your body parts are all connected to each other, until you’re pregnant… LOL

I’m also having contractions on a regular basis, but even though they are still uncomfortable, they aren’t painful enough to knock the breath out of me. So, I get to sit and wait until they get closer together, and are more painful, or next Monday when I go into the hospital. Which ever happens first.

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, Hollie’s daily foot massages have come to a complete stop. I even asked her to rub them the other day and she refused. Darn it, I really thought that was going to play out the way she promised too… LOL!

Okay, enough of my complaining. It’s the last week of school. I’m so incredibly excited for Hollie. She can’t wait til Thursday (last day of school). We promised her that we would take her out to dinner and a movie to celebrate her going into the 2nd grade. She’s having a hard time deciding between Subway and Chick Fil A for dinner. Shawn and I are pleased with her choices… LOL! The week I go into the hospital, she starts one of her Summer Brownie camps. I’m truly disappointed that I won’t be able to hear about her camp right when she gets home from the first day, but I know I’ll see her the next day for her to tell me all about it. My cousin Courtney drove in from Fort Worth on Friday to help me finish getting all of her camp gear together. By the end of the visit, I was dragging. Thank you Courtney, so much, for driving all that way and helping me out. I had such a wonderful time, and can’t wait for more visits. You are an amazing woman, and I’m praying for you as well!!!

Okay, one last thing to tell, and then I’ll close… Last Wednesday, we went to see Dr. Trylovich. We knew the visit was going to be pretty routine. We had the sono, and as you already know, the babies are measuring beautifully, etc. So, we were led back into the exam room, and the nurse told me to undress from the waist down, as Dr. T would be checking my cervix for dilation. Well, before I go any further, you all have to know that Shawn’s sense of humor is what gets me and many others through difficult, painful times. I’m pretty cranky all the time now, b/c of the discomfort. So, his gift of timing was and always is priceless. He’s just so much fun to be around… Okay, so on to the rest of my story… For some strange reason, I was sitting in a chair with a sheet wrapped around my waist, and Shawn was sitting on the exam table. Well, I saw the light bulb go off above his head as soon as he had the idea… He hopped off the table, and was looking through all the drawers for another sheet, found one, and got back on the table. He put the sheet over his lap to make it look like he was ready for the exam when Dr. T. walked in. I told him it didn’t look real enough, so he rolled up his pant legs to his knees. So all you could see were his hairy legs, socks and shoes under the sheet, to make it look like he had undressed from the waist down. It was priceless. So, as soon as Dr. T walked in, she started laughing hysterically. The first thing out of her mouth was, “please tell me you have pants on under that sheet”. And the first thing Shawn said was, “Can we just hurry up and get this over with?” It was so funny. We laughed and laughed. The funny thing about it is, we always said we wanted to do that with all of the fertility appointments we had. You know, you just have to have find the humor in the difficult things we are given each day. And if you can't find it, create it yourself.

I’m going to go ahead and pack my bag for the hospital today, just in case something happens this week before I’m admitted next Monday. I doubt it will, but you just never know. There are a few other odds and ends that need to be taken care of before I go in, so I better get busy.

We are also continually praying for Baby Jaime, Avery and Carter. Baby James Reeve is almost here, and we ask for your prayers for him too, as well as Baby Jackson Beal.

Love,
Stephanie

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