No News is Good News

I have taken the last couple of days off from writing in my blog...No news means good news!!!

Parker is doing excellent so Lance and I decided to take the girls on a camp out this weekend. We camped at my Grandparents farm in Indiana. Saturday the whole family spent the day together. We spent our time hiking, fishing, boating and talking. The day was absolutely beautiful. Lance, the girls and I spent the night in a tent Saturday night. The girls did great. It was a little chilly, but everyone slept soundly. Sunday Lance and the girls got up and started fishing right away. Laney was so excited she caught a large catfish.

We really enjoyed the weekend. It was nice to be around family and get away from the crazy routine. On the way home we stopped by the NICU for a quick visit. Parker is doing so well and is awake more often which makes it a lot more fun to visit him. He is so beautiful and is looking more and more like a healthy baby. He was 2 lbs 14 oz. He will be off of his antibiotics on Wednesday...Yeah!!!! Today they also decided to put him on a multivitamin. They said that is normal practice for a baby that has been on antibiotics for that long.

I was able to hold Parker this morning. It is a pleasure to hold him now that he has a little more substance to him. It is still very different from holding a normal sized baby. He doesn't move or make a noise and when he does he sounds like a dog's toy that squeaks. His head is now about the size of a tennis ball. Tonight when I called before bed...he was wide awake. He had just been given a bath. Parker is now 2 lbs 15 oz. Grow baby Grow!!!!

Parker is doing very well!

Parker has had an excellent couple of days. I am really enjoying the fact that I have been able to hold him more often. It is hard remembering not to rock him or talk too loudly to him (over stimulates). I have been reading a book to him called, "Winners never Cheat". It is about Jon Huntsman's business success. He talks about values, ethics, honesty, and generosity in the business world. I think I am boring my little man, but it is never too soon to teach a child values, morals and ethics.

Parker is now 2 lbs. 11 oz. It is amazing how much every little ounce changes his appearance. He already looks so big to me compared to a month ago. They are now giving him 19ml of fortified breast milk at every feeding, which is every 3 hours. Today was day 15 of the two antibiotics he was placed on for his infection. He has responded very well to the treatment so they believe he should only be on them until day 21 as previously planned.

Today was a good day. My brother came at lunch time for a quick visit. Parker was wide awake the whole time, which Jared loved to see. The last/only time Jared has seen Parker was the day he was born, so he definitely looks a lot different now.

The afternoon and evening was spent with the girls outside. The girls played while I worked on sanding a bookcase. I am refinishing a bedroom set for the girls. The last two pieces are a bookcase and a dresser. I will be glad to see all of the pieces done and in the same room. This set was my Grandmothers furniture when she was a young girl. I have thoroughly enjoyed working on the furniture, but will be very happy to be finished with this "little" project.

Lance the Great!!!

Hopefully, I don't embarrass my husband too much. For those of you who do not know Lance, know this...he is a wonderful father and husband. He loves his kids so much. I know he felt like he was missing out today with sending Laney off to Kindergarten. He left her a note on her dresser that I read to her this morning. I think the letter from Daddy made her day. I know the note he left me, made mine. (He followed through and even made all of us dinner.)

I can not even imagine going through all of this without him. He was wonderful while I was on bed rest for the 10 weeks. He kept the house clean, the girls fed, and the routine was pristine. He did not miss a beat. Mr. Mom to say the least. I have always said that he is the best husband. He really is. I love being married to my best friend. We are on the same page...same goals...same priorities. I learn how to be a better parent by watching him interact with the girls. I know he will be the same way with Parker. I am looking forward to watching our family grow.

Lance - If you are reading this... I love you!

Laney's first day of Kindergarten

Parker is doing great. He is now 2 lbs 9 oz. The nurse tonight said he is kind of boring, because nothing is going on. He is not ringing off. He is tolerating his feeds and he is just being a good little boy. We like it when the nurses having nothing to tell us. All of the testing that has been done the last couple of days have come back normal...yeah!!!

Today was Laney's first day of Kindergarten. She said, "It was so awesome!" She said she had a good day, but some boy pulled on her shirt and yelled at her on the playground. I asked what she did about it and she said she cried and told her teacher. She can be so sensitive, but she is growing up before my eyes. I have noticed a huge difference in her since I have been home.

Samantha had a good morning at Grandma's house. When Grandma gave me the report, I think she spent most of her day eating. She must be going through a growth spurt. The afternoon was spent outside with some of our neighbors. The girls had a good time and before we knew it...it was almost 7:00. We spent the evening getting ready for tomorrow: dinner, paper work, baths, packing Laney's lunch...finally bed time. Another day down.

Routine Change

(above) Laney and Samantha did an excellent job with their chalk drawings today. They were so proud. You can not tell from the above picture, but the whole driveway is covered with their art.

The girls and I visited Parker at lunch time today. He looked really good...nice and pink. The afternoon was spent cleaning out my car, drawing with chalk and flying kites. (Thanks Christine for the sidewalk chalk!!! The girls had a blast!!!) It was a beautiful day and the girls and I had a lot of fun. We spent the evening at Laney's Kindergarten Orientation. I can't believe my little girl is going to Kindergarten. Starting tomorrow our routine is going to change a bit. I am not sure when I will be able to visit with Parker now that Samantha is home with me and Laney needs to be dropped off at 9:00am and picked back up at 3:30pm. We will see how things go this week.

Parker will be four weeks old tomorrow. Weighing in at 2 lbs 8 oz. I can't believe he is already a month old. The last four weeks have been a blur. It really doesn't feel like it has been that long. He is doing really well. Today they did a repeat LP (Lumbar Puncture) to test to see if the infection is still in his spinal fluid and if he is responding correctly to the antibiotics. They assume the test will come back with no issues based on how well he is doing just by looking at him. They should have the results by tomorrow morning.

He has had NO apnea spills tonight. Yeah!!! It's nice to know your kid is breathing!!!! I called at midnight and got a very good report from Parker's nurse. She had just fed him 17cc of fortified breast milk. They started fortifying the breast milk again a couple of days ago, because he went several days without gaining any weight. Hopefully now he will start packing on the pounds/ounces.

After Laney's Kindergarten Orientation, Grandma Laney and our family went out for dinner. The whole time I was a bit distracted by the family with the baby sitting behind us. He looked like he was only a couple of weeks old. I just had to ask how old he was...he was three weeks old. I think I realized at that moment that this whole situation hasn't really hit me yet. This month has been a blur and I am very nervous for Parker's homecoming.

It feels so strange to have a baby and then not bring the baby home with you. Honestly, I feel very distant. I don't want to use the word unattached, because I am already in love with my little guy. The bond is just so different from what I experienced with the girls. Which I am sure is somewhat "normal". Maybe it is because I am not that much of a baby person to begin with. Or maybe it is because he is already a month old and I can count on two hands how many times I have been able to hold him and kiss him. Okay...now I'm crying...I think I need some major cuddle time with Parker over the next two months.

Church/Parker/Bender Birthday Party

Today we went to church...the topic "Being Thankful for Every Situation" and "You are Never Alone". I really appreciated The Hoopers candidness in talking about these two topics. Obviously both of these topics really pertain to our current situation. For those of you that don't know we do not have a minister that talks on Sundays. Instead each member gets the opportunity to talk on Sunday on an assigned topic. What a wonderful way to learn about the Savior by getting the chance to teach. I also appreciated the prayers that were said on our family's behalf. It is nice to know that so many people have Parker in their thoughts and prayers.

After church we were able to see Parker. He is doing so well today. He looked fantastic. We met up with Christine, so she could see the girls and Parker. Lance's Mom came to the hospital also and helped us by taking the girls home. Lance and I had a very nice visit with Christine while I was holding Parker. He did not have one apnea episode the whole time I was holding him. He is doing so well.

After the wonderful visit with Parker we went to The Bender's to celebrate Emily, Eddie and Sarah's birthdays. The girls had a great time hanging out with their cousins. Happy Birthday Kids!!! (Lance's sister Tricia's kids)

Lance and I are very thankful for our situation. We feel very blessed by the support everyone has shown us. We are really thankful for our jobs that provide us with excellent health insurance. Someone gave me an estimate of $100,000 a week for a baby in the NICU. Well if that is the case we are up to $400,000. WOW! That would stink!!!

Thank you EVA!! We love you!!

All pictures below are from the photo session on Friday. Eva Taylor Photography

The bracelet I am wearing is my "push present" from Lance. I got the bracelet from Tiffany's and had Parker's name and NICU number engraved on it.

Thank you Eva for doing such a beautiful job photographing Parker. I know all of the restraints made this a bit of a challenge (understatement), but the pictures turned out amazing. You are truly talented. I must admit I got a little choked up viewing all of the photos this evening. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Above is an absolutely beautiful picture of Parker wearing Lance's wedding band as a bracelet.

The quilt on Parker's incubator was a gift from The Carter's (Phototype). I appreciate great talent and this quilt is gorgeous. I plan to hang it in Parker's nursery when he comes home.

Parker's nurse Stephanie taking Parker's vital signs and getting Parker situated more cosy in his bed. They rotate the babies like rotisserie chickens. Every time they check on them they turn them. Side to side, front to back.

Parker was an excellent model. He did very well. We will definitely have to ask Eva to come back and take more pictures when Parker graduates from the incubator to a big boy crib.

Saturday - A Day for Play

Another good day. Today they were able to remove Parker's nasal cannula. He is on his own now, which always makes me a little nervous. He is now up to 15cc of breast milk at each feeding. Hopefully he will now start packing on the weight. He is 2 lbs 7 oz and will continue on his gent./antibiotics for a 21 day period.

We spent the afternoon at my Aunt Barb's house and then onto the Phototype Picnic. Thanks Olberdings for a wonderful time. We appreciate every one's support and prayers coming our way from our friends at Phototype.

At the picnic the girls had a blast with all of the fun games to play. We had a hard time getting them to leave. After the picnic we went to visit Parker. He looked beautiful, so Lance was able to hold him, while I took the girls to Skyline for dinner. When the girls and I got back from dinner, Lance's Mom and Dad were also visiting with Parker. They were nice enough to take the girls home while Lance and I had a quite moment to spend with Parker.

TGIF - 30 weeks

I would have been 30 weeks pregnant today. Parker will be coming home in 10 more weeks. He is still doing really well. Today was a good day. Eva came to take some pictures of Parker. When she got to the hospital we asked his nurse if she would open up his incubator. (I had already asked his Doctor if it was okay and she said it wouldn't be a problem based on the fact that he has been doing so well.) We had the lid off for maybe a minute when another nurse flipped out and started yelling at us for having it open. It was really strange how she reacted. Oh well. I know she was acting in what she thought was in Parker's best interest.

Parker is adorable and did really well even when the flash went off. I know we were able to get some good pictures. It is so hard to take pictures, because of all of the restraints and lack of lighting. We will have to take some more when he is graduated to a crib and is out of the incubator.

The girls, my niece (Sarah) and I had a great time this evening. We went to the park and when we got there realized it was Family Night at the Park (FREE). They had clowns, a band, a bounce house, stunt dogs, car show and food and drinks. The first thing the girls wanted to do is get their faces painted. Laney and Sarah both got butterflies. Then it was Samantha's turn. The clown asked her if she also wanted a butterfly. She said, "No". Then the clown asked if she wanted a rainbow. She said, "No". Then the clown finally asked what she wanted. Guess what Samantha said. She said she wanted a Deer. So the clown painted a deer with a bulls eye on her cheek. She cracks me up!

Parker Sleeping Soundly

The last couple of days Parker has been an angel for his nurses. He hasn't been ringing off at all and he is slowly gaining weight. He is now up to 2 lbs 6 oz. They finally took that ugly IV out of the top of his head which I am sure he appreciates. His head ultrasound came back and they said it looked beautiful with no issues. They will do another one on Monday.

I decided not to hold him today because he looked so peaceful and comfortable in his bed and I knew I could only stay for a couple of hours. I had to be home by 2:00 to take care of some business. (Maternity leave paperwork that I should have completed before Parker was born, but because he was so early I hadn't filled it out yet.)

All the action is not at the hospital. Yesterday was a big day for Parker's sister, Laney. She had her Kindergarten orientation. She said she had the best day ever. She is so ready to start school next week and Lance and I are excited for her. Tomorrow is Laney and Samantha's last day at Kids 1st Academy. Kids 1st has been wonderful to our family and we will miss all of the girls' teachers. Samantha and Parker will go back to Kids 1st when I return to work.

My Boys!!!!

Today was another good day. Parker is doing very well. They have increased his feeds to 4cc. He is now up to 2lbs 5oz. As you can see his IV is still sticking out of his head. When Lance and I had a chance to hold him today I made sure he was wearing a cap so he wasn't able to grab at it. He is known for pulling at his cords and wires. I would be sick of them too.

It is always a good day when we are able to hold our son. In fact that is an indicator of how he is doing. If we are able to hold him that means he is being a good little boy. Another indicator of his behavior is if his Nurse has more than one baby. They can have up to four babies at a time. On the days he has not been doing well, his Nurse is responsible for him and maybe one other baby. When Parker is behaving, his Nurse is usually watching two other babies at the same time.

Looking Good for a Monday Morning

I got to the hospital around 10:30am this morning. Parker looked really good. His color looked much better today than the past couple of days. They hadn't done rounds yet so I waited and waited. Eventually I had to pump at 11:45 and sure enough I ended up missing rounds. I guess I really didn't miss much. They were going to turn down the cannula and increase his feeds a little. Crystal also said they have not heard his heart murmur the last couple of days which is wonderful.

Mom-Mom (Lance's Grandmother) and Jonnie Lynn (Lance's Aunt) visited for about 15 minutes. They came at a good time. He was moving around a lot and opening his eyes. Lance got to the hospital around 12:30 so we could have lunch together. After lunch I was able to hold Parker until 3:00. I love holding him. It is like holding a beanie baby on your chest.

Parker's Nose

I was pretty annoyed at the beginning of the weekend by some of Parker's Nurses. Parker's regular Nurses know that he has a difficult time with this nose getting irritated. The swelling in his nose causes complications with his breathing. When I was visiting with Parker, his Nurse decided she wanted to place his feeding tube back in. When I started to watch what she was doing, I knew she was aiming for his nose. I explained that I would prefer her to place it in his mouth because he has had issues with his nose. She completely disregarded me and said she was going to try placing it in his nose first. Parker cried so hard and she eventually realized it was not going in and ultimately had to place it in his mouth anyways. She wasn't the first Nurse to do this. I made sure I spoke with the Doctor the next day and luckily for Parker he was with one of his regular Nurses, so I was able to explain what happened. Nurse Neeka and the Parker's Doctor both said it would be a good idea to put a little sign on the side of his bed. If the Nurses would have read his chart they would have known better, but now there is no way to miss this. Thanks Neeka!!

These are the photos Samantha took while visiting the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on Sunday. This was the only way to keep her quiet while visiting with Parker. Samantha actually did a very good job.

Doing okay today

After sacrament meeting (church), Lance and I took the girls to see Parker. It is definitely not as peaceful a visit with the girls with us. They did pretty well, when it was time to go they let us know it. We stayed for about an hour. I think Lance and I would have loved to stay longer, but wasn't going to be possible with the girls.

On the way to the Hospital we were able to swing by and pick up my new bracelet. What do you call it? Oh yeah "Push Present: A gift after giving birth" We purchased a bracelet from Tiffany's a couple of days after Parker was born with Parker's name and NICU ID number engraved on it. It will be nice to have something sentimental to help us remember all of this... as if we would forget.

Parker is doing great today. He is still at 21% oxygen. He is now 2lbs 3oz and is on 1ml of breast milk. They will talk about increasing feeds during morning rounds. They will probably check his blood again later this week. He received 14.4 ml of blood yesterday over a four hour period. The IV is actually through a vain on the top of his head. When we visited today, he kept grabbing at it. I thought for sure he would yank it out like he did with the intubation tube earlier this week. When we called tonight at 11:00pm he was behaving and leaving the IV alone. The night nurse said that he was really active and has not had a sleep apnea spell yet tonight. All this week he has been on caffeine to help him with the apnea. It really seems to help him.

Update for Friday and Saturday

We got to the hospital this morning around 11:30 with the girls in tow. The plan was for Lance to hang out with Parker while the girls and I went to a cousins (Taryn) baby shower. It was kind of strange being at a baby shower of someone who was actually due a week before me. She looked absolutely beautiful and very small for expecting twins.

Parker is doing okay. Today he received his first blood transfusion. They are hoping he perks up and doesn't have as many sleep apnea spells. Lance got to hold him for a little while today. This was his third time holding Parker.

Parker doing much better

Parker was doing much better today. I held him for about 45 minutes. It was Heaven. He is still responding beautifully to the antibiotics. He is on only two drugs that are specific to the E coli bacteria in his blood and spinal fluid. They have also resumed his feeds. They started him with 1cc like they did when he was first born to see how well his little body will handle it. The head ultrasound that was performed yesterday showed no issues. They will be doing a repeat ultrasound on Monday just in case.

Update on the Girls -

Last night when I got home from "Girl's Night Out" I noticed that Charlie The Rat's cage was empty. So tonight we had to tell the girls that their pet died. It was horrible. As soon as the words came out of Lance's mouth, Samantha ran into the living room to look at Charlie's empty cage. She cried so hard. So we ended up having a quite night in as a family.

Up and Down; Twist and Turn

My intention is not to make anyone cry or get upset when reading my blog. I also do not want to offend anyone by my bluntness. If I do, I am sorry. We knew that there were going to be lots of bumps and potholes in the road during Parker's NICU journey.

You know you think you are prepared for the ups and downs and twists and turns, but you don't expect the ride to be so drastic. Every day/hour Parker's status can change from one extreme to another.

Parker is doing well again today. He is responding beautifully to the antibiotics. He is back to his normal self. He is still just on the nasal cannula and doing well with it. When we had the consult today at 11:00 with Vivek he was very optimistic for a full recovery from the meningitis. We caught it early enough that it may not cause any long term damage. To put things in perspective, Parker is still doing very well for a 26 weeker. The fact that he went the first 10 days without any major issues is remarkable. Now we need to just get this infection under control and move on. The next four weeks are still critical for Parker. They are concerned about something called Necrotizing Enterocditis. Right now he shows no signs so I am not going to give you any more details at this time.

Today they are going to proceed with another head ultrasound as a precautionary measure to ensure there is no swelling. The bacteria came back as E coli, so they are tweaking his treatment from three antibiotics down to two. E. coli is the name of a bacterium that lives in our digestive tracts. This is an issue with Parker, because he does not have an adequate immune system to regulate his own bacteria.

Seeing Parker today was definitely reassuring. He looked so much better. He was opening his eyes and moving around. I could tell he was feeling much better.

Last night

Last night at 11:00pm Parker decided to yank out his ventilator tube. It was taped to his face, but he didn't seem to care. He said enough is enough. He kept gaging on it yesterday when Lance and I visited him during lunch. They decided to put him on a nasal cannula with room air and haven't as of yet put him back on the ventilator. This morning he has had a lot of spells of apnea so I am sure after rounds they will intabate him again. Who knows what the next couple of hours will bring.

Lance and I will be meeting Lance's good friend that is the head of the NICU at University Hospital at Parker's bedside at 11:00 today. Hopefully, he will be able to provide us more insight on Parker and his ability to recover from the meningitis. I will update the blog again later today, when I know more.

Bad News Today

Past performance is a good indicator of future performance...NOT...in a NICU!!!!!

Last night Parker did well on his vent. Today when Lance and I got to the hospital, he looked so much more peaceful than yesterday. Several of the results came back today. Unfortunately, the results brought a lot of bad news. Parker's blood culture did grow bacteria. They will not know what type of bacteria until tomorrow, but they are treating for the next three weeks with a very heavy duty antibiotic. They took a spinal tap today and also found that a bacteria in his spinal fluid. Bacterial meningitis. His white blood count is now up to 32 today, so he is trying his best to fight off the bacteria. They will be doing blood cultures everyday until they come back negative and will be doing another head ultrasound towards the end of his therapy.

Bacterial meningitis is very serious and may result in brain damage or death. They caught it very early so that is the silver lining. The chest x-rays determined that he also has Ileus. The Doctor's refer to this as a resting gut. This is definitely another cause for concern, but at this time he has other serious issues that they are dealing with first.

Right now we are taking one day at a time. Lance and I are hanging in there and I think we have both surrendered ourselves to the ups and downs, twists and turns of the roller coaster we are currently on. This is something that is completely out of our control. We appreciate every ones prayers and support. We know that Heavenly Father has a plan for us and feel very blessed to have so many people supporting us through this difficult time. Love- Lindsey

A long day

Starting at 7:30am this morning, Parker had a lot of spells of apnea where he would stop breathing. He was very tired and his white blood count was elevated from 9 to 22. They put him back on antibiotics to get ahead of any infection he may have. When I saw him this morning around 10:30am his color looked terrible. He looked like a sick baby. They also put him back on the ventilator and another tube that is sucking all of the junk from his stomach.

They ran several tests throughout the day, including chest x-rays, C-Reactive Protein and blood cultures to determine if there is bacteria in his blood. They have also stopped his feeds until they determine what is going on. I spent the morning with Parker, then went to lunch with my Aunt Barb, then got my hair cut. While I was getting my hair cut, I received three calls from Parker's Doctor. I decided to go back to the hospital and was there until 6:30pm. It was a very long day. His blood gas level was reading much better at 6:00pm, so Lance and I felt comfortable leaving at 6:30.

Thank you for another good day!!!!

It is so nice to visit Parker on Sundays after church. The NICU is always so quite. Today, Lance and I both were able to hold him. He looked so cute in his little preemie sleeper. You could probably fit two of him in it. Crystal (Parker's #1 Nurse) returned today from her vacation. I am sure he was happy to see her.

Parker had another fantastic day. He is still breathing on his own with no assistance. He only has a feeding tube through his mouth. It is so nice to see his face. He is looking more and more like a baby. The first couple of days he was so red and his skin was transparent. His skin feels "normal" now. I am surprised at how comfortable I feel with him. For not being much of a baby person, I am already in love with him. There is just something about babies of this size that just makes them that much more adorable.

I am so thankful for another good day. Heavenly Father is definitely hearing all of our prayers. The power of prayer is a wonderful thing. I am thankful for Crystal and the work that she does and all of the other angels at Good Sam. Even though I miss him when I am not with him, I know he is in the best place possible at this time. What a blessing it is for him to be born during these times. I know this experience would be a whole lot different without modern medicine and technology.

Morning Rounds

Parker has had an excellent couple of days. This morning Parker was able to breathe again through his nose so they removed the ventilator. So, right now he is not on the CPAP or a ventilator. He is breathing on his own with no assistance. His feeding tube now goes through his nose. They will be increasing his feeds again this evening to 16. Oh and as of last night he is above his birth weight. He is now 2 lbs 3 oz. Keep it up little man!!!!

The results of his brain scan (head ultrasound) came back this morning and the Doctors were thrilled to report that everything looked normal. Head ultrasound scans are an integral part of the care of sick newborn infants. They preform the ultrasound when the babies are 10 days old. The main use of ultrasound scanning in the NICU is to image the preterm brain for evidence of Germinal Matrix - Intraventricular Haemorrhage (GM-IVH). This is what most people call bleeding on the brain. This occurs in up to 20% of infants with gestation <32 weeks at birth. I was so thankful that everything came back normal. We have made it ten days without any major issues, which is a very big deal.

Parker had lots of visitors today. I was at his bedside from 9:00am-12:30pm. Sandy, Paul and Mom-Mom (Lance's parents and grandmother) came to visit around 11:00am. Then my Mother, Grandmother and the girls stopped in a little after noon. Parker can only have four visitors at one time, so when my Mother got to the hospital, Lance's family was ready to leave so it worked out okay.

This was the first time some of our Great Grandparents have had a chance to see Parker. Parker was a very good boy while everyone was visiting. He was opening his eyes and waving to everyone. Maybe next weekend my Grandpa Baur and Grandma Laney will be able to make the trip down to see him.

I asked his nurse today who is able to hold him. I was worried about stranger volunteers holding him at this time. She said that on this side of the NICU (the smaller babies) only the parents are able to Kangaroo hold. When Parker graduates to a big boy crib (which is the size of a small dresser drawer) then the Grandparents can also hold. No one else is able to hold until Parker graduates completely from the NICU. Sorry family, but it will be a couple of months before anyone else is able to hold him. Samantha and Laney can't wait to hold and love on their little brother.

We are doing well. We are starting to get in more of a routine. Lance and I like when one of us can make it to the hospital for rounds in the morning. This is the best way to get the most up to date information and ask any questions we have of the Doctors. I feel fantastic. I honestly do not feel like I had a baby ten days ago. I have a ton of energy. People keep telling me how great I look, but everyone has to remember that he was only 2lbs 1 oz, so it is not like I had time to gain that much weight with this pregnancy. I think all of my weight gain went to my behind anyways. I am not yet in my skinny jeans, but I am getting there. :)

Brain Scan

Today - I would have been 28 weeks along.

Parker will be having his brain scan sometime this evening. This is to check if there is any bleeding on the brain. This is a routine check that is done when babies are 10 days old. They said the test will take about 5 minutes. We will hopefully get the results tomorrow evening.

The last couple of days, Parker has done exceptionally well. Tomorrow they will check to see if he still needs to be on the ventilator or if he can go back on the CPAP. They are also considering removing his pic line. They are increasing his feeds to 16 tonight at midnight.

I have been placed on steroids to help clear up my poison ivy. As soon as it goes away, I will be able to hold him again. I am sad that I wasn't able to see him today. I have called the nurse several times and she says he has been good for her. Lance was able to stop in at lunch time to say Hi. I know he loves all of the visits from his Daddy.

Parker's Nurse getting ready to hand Parker to me to hold for the first time. Look at pictures below. Parker is wearing Lance's wedding ring as a bracelet.

10:00pm - I just checked in the Parker's Nurse and she said he is doing great tonight and weight is up to 2 lbs and 3 oz. He is eating so well.

Background Pregnancy

On April 1, 2009 - I had my first ultrasound. They determined I was 9 weeks and 5 days. Parker was one inch long at that time. April 23rd - I had to have another ultrasound because I had some spotting and they were not able to find a heartbeat. Baby looked fine. May 3rd - We made our first trip to the ER. An Ultrasound was done and they said I had placenta previa. I was released and told to take it easy. May 10th - The bleeding increased greatly. Another trip to the ER. Baby looked great, but the bleeding was cause for concern. May 15th - My regular Dr. appointment was moved up because of bleeding. The ultrasound found that there was no placenta previa. At this time they could not determine what was causing the bleeding. May 26th - Another increase in bleeding. Dr. said stay in bed and come into the office asap in the morning. May 27th - Dr. appointment and yet another trip to the emergency room. A furn test was done and determined that my water was in fact leaking. I stayed over night in the hospital and was released the next day. The baby looked great and my fluid level was perfect. I was to be on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. June 12 - I had a level three ultrasound done and they discovered that the leak had sealed up and the placenta had an extra lobe. If you look this up on the Internet it is pretty interesting. It is also called a twin placenta.

July 20th at 10:00pm - We made our last trip to the ER. The bleeding had increased and I was having contractions every 30 minutes. The nursing staff was great. This was a long week for me. I was on all kinds of meds to stop the contractions and received steroid shots to help Parker's lung development. The first couple of days I lost a lot of blood and ended up fainting with my nurse standing right there. I hit my head on the wall and had a huge knot on my forehead, a cut on my eyebrow and a bruise on my cheek. I had a blood transfusion the next day. July 21st - Another ultrasound was taken and it was determined that he was 2 lbs 1 oz.

July 28th - Parker could not wait any longer. I labored for 2 1/2 hours and they could not stop the labor. When they finally checked, I was 10cm and ready to go. They quickly did an ultrasound after Parker's heart rate dropped. They rushed me into an OR, but I was able to deliver Parker vaginally. There were a ton of Doctors in the room. A whole team for Parker and another whole team for me. Lance walked in right as Parker was entering the room. They quickly handed him off to the NICU doctors to get him stabilized. All things considered, the delivery went extremely well. It is truly amazing that he made it as long as he did.

Parker was born at 12:01 am on July 28th. He weighed 2 pounds 1 oz. and was 13 inches long.

Good Boy

Parker had an excellent night. He did not ring off once. This morning when I was sitting with him he kept staring at me. I talked to him for over an hour until Lance got there. When Lance walked into his cubical Parker looked right at him. It is so nice to see him feeling better. I was so happy to hear he was a good boy last night. I am sad I can not touch or hold him at this time. I have poison ivy all over me. I get it every year for some reason. Ugh!

Good Night Parker

I just got off the phone with the NICU. Parker is doing really well this evening. They are going to increase his feed at midnight to 13cc. His monitors have not gone off since 7:00pm which is huge for our little guy. The nurse said he has been on his best behavior since her shift started. Good boy Parker!

Church Bulletins

We are happy to announce Lance and Lindsey Ringhand had their baby boy, Parker Alexander Maximus Ringhand. He was born on July 28th at 26 weeks weighing just over 2 pounds. Parker will be staying at the Good Samaritan Hospital NICU for the next several weeks to try to bulk up. Please remember Parker and the Ringhand family in your prayers.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Please keep Parker Alexander Maximus Ringhand in your prayers. Parker is the great grandson of Howard and Ellie Baur who was born prematurely and weighing just over 2 lbs. As you may be aware, breathing issues are common in preemies and he is having breathing problems now. He's at Good Samaritan Hospital, so please keep him and his whole family in prayer. -- Pastor Joe Hadley

Another Day

I met Lance at Good Sam this morning so we could be there for rounds since Parker had a tough evening. I had just missed rounds, but all of the information was still fresh in Lance's mind so he ran through all of the details with me as soon as I got to the NICU.

Parker will remain on the ventilator until Friday. They will check to see if he still needs to be on it at that time. For the next three days he will be on a nose spray to hopefully clear up his congestion. If his nose gets cleared up they will put him back on the CPAP.

The ventilator is just giving him 20 breaths per minute of room air. They have taken Parker off the TPA supplement. They have found that he is getting plenty of nutrition through the fortified breast milk. Since the results of the ECO were better than they expected they are hoping that the valve closes on its own. They will continue to monitor over the next couple of weeks. At 5:00pm, his Bilirubin (when bilirubin levels are high, a condition called jaundice occurs) is well below his light level so they do not plain on checking again unless he looks like he needs it. Overall, Parker looked much more comfortable today.

My Little Man

On Friday, July 28th I finally got to hold my son for the first time. Thanks Tricia for being the photographer for this special occasion.

I was so worried I would cry the whole time. Having Tricia there with me helped tremendously. I think I talked her ear off. She took 60 photos and stayed with me for three hours. This was something that I was really nervous about and it was so nice to have a friend there with me. I also have to thank Cindy for driving me. I have such a wonderful support group. Love you guys!!

I really did not realize how small Parker was until the nurse handed him to me. He weighs about the same as our pet rat Charlie. I enjoyed holding him for the three hours. Lance was finally able to hold him for the first time on Sunday after church. Parker did so well with Lance. He did not stop breathing the whole time Lance was holding him.

Parker Alexander Maximus Ringhand

One of my friends suggested I start a blog to communicate how we are doing. Thank you Sara! It was an excellent idea and the best way to communicate Parker’s ever changing status. Today, Parker’s weight was back up to 2 pounds even. He was doing well on 10cc of breast milk, but when they started fortifying the milk he had some trouble digesting it. So they are putting him back on plain breast milk.

During rounds this morning they detected a heart murmur, so at 6:00pm tonight Parker had to have an ECO performed by Doctor’s from Children’s Hospital. Tonight at 11:00pm we spoke to his nurse and she said that the murmur wasn’t bad enough to intervene yet. He will have to have a repeat ECO in a week to ensure that the valve is developing and closing properly. This is a common issue with preemies.

Parker’s doctors also felt that he was trying way too hard to breathe on his own, so as of this evening he is now on a ventilator. They tried to keep him off the ventilator, but the CPAP was not working, because his nose was too stuffed up. The room air was not getting to his lungs. When I saw him this morning he looked very tired and worn out. He stopped breathing about every 15 minutes. They have prescribed Afrin for the next three days to help clear up his nose.

Today was frustrating and emotional. Lance called the NICU this morning and his nurse said he was doing great. When I got there an hour later he was having trouble breathing. Yesterday, when I was at the NICU, I watched as the Doctors intubated another little guy a couple of cubicles down from Parker. Today when I got to the NICU, the little guy’s cubical was empty. I lost it. I could not stop crying. I was supposed to wait for Lance to get there, but I had to leave. I sat in the parking lot for 30 min. before my husband tracked me down. I have to keep telling myself that overall Parker is doing really well for how little he is. I know he is going to have good days and bad days with bumps in the road. Parker is a week old today. I miss him when I am not with him, but when I am with him it is hard to watch all of the intervention that is needed to keep him breathing.

Lance and I are so grateful for the prayers everyone is sending our way. We do not feel alone in our current situation. I know that Heavenly Father is watching out for Parker and our family. With Love - Lindsey