Saturday, November 27, 2010

Standing So Big

He says, "I know I'm cool."

So BIG!



I couldn't help but post these pictures.  Dylan is standing so strong now and I am so proud I had to share.  We no longer need the leg braces because he can now keep his legs straight by himself.  The greatest thing is that he wants to stand up, where before he showed very little interest.  In these pictures I am just helping him balance, he is holding up his own weight.  And they told us he may never stand up - Dylan likes to prove doctors wrong.


Dylan is enjoying his Wingbo these days.  He has really learned how to swing it and I hope that it will help to strengthen his back and upper body to help him with crawling. 


Friday, November 26, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving

This year was a bit different for us as we didn't take our annual camping trip to Dumont Dunes.  Obviously we have been a little bit busy and just couldn't fit it in and the last thing I wanted to do was take a newborn out to the desert.  So we stayed at home and ate a very delicious Thanksgiving feast thanks to my mom.  We are so thankful that our family was complete and together this Thanksgiving.  We have a lot to be thankful for.  Luke and Dylan are both doing great.  Luke has been home now 3 days and besides keeping me up all night to breastfeed is as cute as can be and we are all so very grateful to have him home.  Dylan had a follow up appointment with the Pediatrician this last Monday just to check on him following his seizure and hospital stay.  He weighed in at 16lbs!  I was so excited because I thought for sure he must have lost some weight when he was in the hospital because he barely ate for 3 days.  She thought that he looked great and because the seizure was febrile did not order another EEG at this time and did not start anti-seizure medication.  We will just keep an eye on things and if he shows any seizure activity we will just go from there. 

Dylan with Grandma and Great-Grandma

Our family all together at last!

Big Sister, Big Brother and Little Brother


Dylan was giving Luke kisses.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Baby Luke, the NICU, and a Seizure


So much to say, however I am so tired I am not sure how in depth or detailed this post will get.  Lets start from the beginning:
On November 2nd we welcomed Luke Eliot Fisher into this world - 6lbs 7oz and 18.5" long.  He was a little bit early, I wasn't due until December 3rd but came out crying and healthy.  During labor I spiked a fever and was given antibiotics.  Blood cultures were drawn on me and came back negative and my doctor felt that I probably just had a typical virus.  When Luke was born he had a rash on his forehead and chest and when the Pediatrician came to see him the next day she wanted to have some blood drawn on him because of my fever.  So the nurse took him over to the NICU to have the blood drawn and then came back to tell me that she asked the Neonatologist to take a look at the rash and he was being admitted to the NICU!  I went right over to talk with them and find out what was going on and the doc told me that she wanted to get blood cultures and was concerned about the rash, however she did say it looked like a typical newborn rash but she wanted to be sure.  That then turned into the nightmare that we have been dealing with for the past 2.5 weeks.  I ended up being discharged from the hospital without our baby.  It was very upsetting and emotional for me.  It brought back all of the sad and horrible memories of Dylan being in the NICU and I honestly could not believe that it was happening. 
To make a long story short, poor Luke has been subjected to multiple blood draws, IV starts, NG tube feedings(which were completely unnecessary if you ask my opinion!), a lumbar puncture to test spinal fluid and being separated from his loving family.  All of the test results have shown that he also just had a virus, which explained the rash (that had completely disappeared by day 3), that he most likely caught from me during labor.  However, the Neonatologists are being extremely conservative and are insisting that he get treated with IV antibiotics for 14 days just in case he possibly had a bacterial infection (even though all the cultures and tests were negative for bacteria mind you).  It has been very frustrating and upsetting.  We all know that antibiotics don't cure VIRUSES they resolve on their OWN!!! So we have been trying to just wait patiently but it has been very very hard.  We miss our baby and want him home so badly.  My days have been very hectic and almost a blur between driving back and forth to the hospital to breastfeed and trying to take care of Hailey and Dylan and things at home.  I can't wait until the 23rd (this coming Tuesday) - the course of antibiotics will be completed and baby Luke will be all ours!

Now as if my life weren't hectic and stressful enough, on Wednesday of this week I was in the NICU with Luke and my sister was watching Dylan and Hailey.  Dylan had been fine when I dropped him off 2 hours before and I had put him down for a nap before I left.  When my sister went in to check on him she saw that he was waking up and when she picked him up she noticed that he felt very hot and feverish and he was whining.  So she took off his clothes and got some cool washcloths to put on him and he started to have a seizure.  She said it lasted about a minute and his whole body was shaking and he was foaming at the mouth.  She called 911 and called me, luckily I was around the corner and I pulled up just as the ambulance was getting there.  He was taken to the ER and his temp was 103.1.  They determined that he had a UTI and admitted him for the night for IV antibiotics and monitoring.  The only good thing is that they brought Dylan to the same hospital that Luke is at.  So Wednesday night was spent going back and forth between the NICU and pediatrics and making sure both of my precious boys had lots of love.  Dylan was discharged the next day (yesterday) and has been very cranky and tired but still acting like his normal self.  It was a very traumatic experience for him and me.  Our poor little pickle.  I hate to say this but, why did this have to happen?  What did we do to deserve this?  I have always known that he could have a seizure and honestly everyday I think "is this going to be the day?"  It is so scary and I have been dealing with so much lately I feel like I am on the verge of a breakdown.  I can only hope that things will start looking up from here, I can't possibly handle anything else. 

Our pickle man not feeling very well.

Ready to go home!