Home at last. Landon here, that's right we are back in Killen Alabama with our little boy. Crystal has recovered from her kidney stones and Parker has graduated from the N.I.C.U. at Baptist Hospital. It is great to be home with our little miracle. Parker is in good health and eating on schedule. He goes to his first at home doctor's appointment tomorrow. I want to thank the wonderful staff at Baptist Hospital's N.I.C.U. in Nashville Tennessee for your truly personal, professional and dedicated care of Parker's health. He would not be here if it were not for each of you and the pride and love you bring with you each day to your occupations. You gave us courage and honest direction through the many trying times. We will never forget you. Thanks to all of our family and friends for the prayers, love, thoughts and gifts. We love you all. Please look up Crystal's Facebook page to continue following us. She has a lot more updated pictures posted there.

Hello everybody, Landon here, Parker has made it to four pounds. This is a big achievement for him which means he will be moving to an open crib tonight as long as he can maintain his temperature on his own. He no longer has any oxygen or respiratory help of any kind. He is now taking all of his feedings from a bottle and has breast fed twice. He is really looking good. We are so proud of him. The doctors and nurses say he should be going home within a week if all goes well. We are excited to be taking him home and nervous at the same time. Crystal has had a rough couple of weeks with kidney stones. She has been back and forth to the doctors over the past three weeks and after passing one stone on her own she had to have surgery to remove the second one. She is still recovering from that and will go back to the doctor to have a stent removed from her ureter that was inserted during surgery this week. So hopefully by the middle to the end of next week both of them will be fixed and ready to go home. Thank you all for your continued prayers, thoughts and concerns. We should be seeing you all soon.

Hi Guys,
What a wonderful few days we have had. Parker is doing very well, other than the dilated ventricles, he doesn't have anything going on right now, and we will have another head ultrasound on Tuesday to keep a check on that. On Thursday, his picc line stopped working and so they had to take it out and start another iv in his head to finish his antibiotics. They gave his last dose of antibiotics this morning and then took that iv out. So now he is free of any iv's, and not getting any more medicine except for the caffeine and vitamins that all preemies get. He has also gotten his weight to 1540 grams, that is 3lb 61/2oz, and after 1500grams, they can regulate their own temperature so he got to have his skin temp probe removed. That also means he can start wearing clothes!! He looks so precious in his little clothes! Kathy came up on Thursday evening to stay a couple of nights with me. Yesterday we went to the Baby Depot and just went crazy buying stuff for him. We had so much fun. Also in the past week he has started drinking out of a bottle some. They start him out on just one a day, the gradually go from there, he is taking 2 at the moment and doing great, so tomorrow they may try 3. He now wakes up on his own every 21/2-3 hours hungry and wants to suck. He has the urge, but just doesn't have the strength yet to suck a bottle every time. It really wears him out, when I'm giving him a bottle, he gets down to about 10cc of milk and he starts getting this glazed over look in his eyes, then falls asleep shortly thereafter. It just makes him exhausted. But feeding him is the most rewarding feeling ever. He just stared up at me with those big eyes and my heart just melts. I love him more than I can even describe. He is a lot more alert and loves to be talked to. After I feed him, I just sit and talk to him for a while, then we snuggle up together. He's so precious. Well that is about all that is new with us. Please keep on praying that things continue to go as they are. We definitely still need lots of prayers. I will update again soon. Thanks everyone.
Crystal

Hi Everyone,
Crystal here, sorry we haven't updated the blog in what seems like forever, I know, but things have been very busy as usual for us here. I'm trying to remember all that has happened since I last updated, Parker is still on antibiotics, he will finish those up this coming Saturday, October 10 and will get his picc line out, after that he will be iv free. On last Tuesday we got somewhat bad news about a head ultrasound, apparently due to the infection, there was some swelling of the brain, this has caused the ventricles in the brain to have an increased amount of spinal fluid. This problem they hope will clear up on its on, today we had another ultrasound, and it was about the same, maybe a small amount more. The good thing about this is is that skull of babies is not fused together yet like ours, so they have room for swelling. The Dr. said even though this is a problem, they can however correct it if it doesn't correct itself. If it gets a significant amount worse then he would have to have a shunt, but that is not the case at this point. So we will just wait and see about next weeks ultrasound. Other than that last week was pretty quiet, Parker looks so much better and is gaining weight. He had been swelling all of his body some, but that seems to be getting better also. He is back up on his feedings and doing great. On Thursday of last week Landon went back to work, it was hard at first thinking about having to be here by myself. But once it happened I actually enjoyed the alone time. So Thursday was the first day since July that I had been alone. I did just fine with it. He worked Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. On Saturday night, Parker took his first bottle feeding. He had started getting fussy and pulling out his feeding tube and pushing his food up when they tried to feed him through the tube. They thought that since he had been sucking his paci so well we might could start to bottle feed. He did great. Since that time he has taken 3 more and done just fine. On Saturday night I left the nicu around midnight and went back to the apt, I talked to Landon for a little while and then went to bed around 2am. Around 4am I woke up with the most horrible pain in my back, I stayed in the bed very restless for about 45 min until finally I called Landon, after taking my blood pressure and seeing that it was very high, and after I started feeling very dizzy, Landon talked me into going to the ER. After several hours in the ER and a cat scan later, they came and told me I had a 4mm kidney stone. I'm still hoping to pass it, it hasn't happened yet. I am not in pain anymore though so that's a good thing. Landon drove on back up here Sunday morning after working off and he picked me up from the ER and took me back to the apt. We were both sleepy from being up all night and so we went to sleep and believe it or not we both slept for 16 hours straight, I guess not sleeping and being stressed had finally caught up with us. Today we went back to the nicu and fed Parker another bottle, and while that was going on, he got a visit from the Tennessee Titans, they came and had a visit with Parker and we got our picture made with them, it was very sweet. We are back in the nicu now, I am updating while waiting for time to feed him again. We are going to try bottle number 4. Then we are gonna go get some sleep b/c we are exhausted. Parker is doing extremely well to have been as sick as he was. I hate to even say that, b/c it seems every time that he does well, something happens. So just keep praying. Tonight Parker weighed 1500 grams, that is 3lb 5oz. He is so precious, he is getting chubby little cheeks. Please keep us in your prayers, maybe we will be home before too long. I sure hope so. Thanks everyone for all you continue to do for us, it is much appreciated.
Goodnight!

Hi, Crystal here, today has been a good day. Parker looks so much better, they increased his breast milk to 10cc every 3 hours, and so far he is tolerating his feedings. They also turned his vapotherm down to 4 liters, this is the machine they put him on after they removed the ventilator, it just provides continual airflow in case he needs it. He has been very awake and alert today, he just looks around like he's curious about what in the world has been done to him this week :) The only problem we had today is that he is still somewhat puffy from too much fluid. They gave him some lasix, which is to help him pee some of that off hopefully. He is still having some crying spells every so often, but seems to get happy again pretty quick. Dr. Papp seemed very positive so that made us feel better. He will continue on antibiotics for the next 2 weeks, the second blood culture and spinal fluid culture still has not shown any growth so that is good, that means that they are pretty sure the infection is gone, but he will remain on the antibiotics just to be sure there isn't some bacteria hiding somewhere in his body. I tell you, this week has been so so horrible, it is so wonderful to finally be hearing some good news. This week I have definately questioned my sanity. I told Landon that I felt crazy, like I just wanted to start screaming, and crash into another car like Kathy Bates in Fried Green Tomatoes.....and I meant it :) I am feeling much more sane now, but I really had about all I could stand. It is so hard seeing this little person you love so much go through all this horrible stuff. But yesterday when we got to go back and see him after they took the vent out, he looked like my sweet baby again, just laying there looking around, it was wonderful. Landon is probably going back to work on Thursday, granted Parker is still doing ok. So pray that I can make it without him, I rely on him soooo much. But also pray that Parker continues to do well, b/c we really need him to go back to work. Well we are about to go back for the 8pm visiting so I will go now, but I will update as things change. Thanks to everyone for all you have done, please keep praying for us.

They took Parker off of the vent today. He looks so much better today. His color is much better and his swelling is down. He is resting good and when he is awake he seems more responsive to touch, sound and sight like he did before he got this infection. There has been no seizure activity for several days now. The skin breakdown on his neck is healing. The are slowly increasing his feedings. He is also gaining weight. Tonight he weighed in at 2lbs 15oz. He will continue to get antibiotics for a few more weeks. We want to thank all of you for your prayers and support. It's great to know we have so many friends and family willing to step up during times like these. This boy is going to make it and each of you are playing a bigger part than you may think. Landon R.

Today Parker is doing a little better, he is not so touchy today. Over the past few days he had started to have some fluid retention, he looked very puffy from the excess fluid. Today that looked a lot better. We had another small problem to occur, yesterday he started to get some skin breakdown under his chin, we aren't really sure why but it is being treated. He has still been dropping his heart rate, but they started him back on some medicine that is like an iv form of caffeine, so maybe that will help that. Today when we would talk to him, he didn't cry, that's a good thing b/c that's what he has been doing. There is technically no sound coming out b/c he is still on the ventilator but he still cries, you can tell. His weight has increased, but we aren't sure if it's because he's really gained or because of the excess fluid. They have started him back on breast milk but only a very small amount right now. Just enough to get his gut working again. They finally figured out what the infection specifically was, it's called streptococcus bovis, this doesn't mean much since they are already treating him with the right antibiotic for this infection. They tried another spinal tap today and were successful, so we will wait and see if that culture shows anymore infection. Hopefully it wont. The Dr. talked about possibly trying to take him off the ventilator tomorrow, we will see. This week has been very emotionally draining, sorry I havn't written on here more, but we are just so exhausted. Parker also had another head ultrasound, and it showed no change, so that is a good thing, the small bleeds are still small and haven't gotten any bigger. He looks better to me, that's a relief, but I'm scared to say anything positive b/c everytime I do, something happens. Just everyone please keep on praying for our sweet baby, he still needs lots and lots of them, and so do we. Thanks everyone for all you have done, it is greatly appreciated. Have a good night.

Not many changes today, Parker is still about the same. He did have a few more seizures today, and one was really bad where he dropped his heart rate and his oxygen saturation. He has been very very irritable and touchy today. Landon and I had to take turns just sitting there touching him, b/c every time we let go he would start crying and get all upset again. I would keep my hands on him until my arms started falling asleep and then Landon would take over until his fell asleep and so on and so on. He's in an incubator so we only have these small portal holes to put our hand in so it's difficult when you have your arm in there for an extended period of time. It's strange how he seems to know we are his parents, and how he wants us constantly touching him or he gets upset. It's so nice to able to do something for him though. It's hard for any mother I'm sure, but it's especially hard for me, b/c number one...I'm a nurse, and number two...I'm a control freak(yes I'll admit it), and I have absolutely no control over anything in this situation. I just have this overwhelming feeling to just "fix" him or "make it better", but I can't. And it's just so hard watching all of this and not being able to do anything about it. It's like being in a straight jacket!! But all I can do it pray, and boy have I been doing a lot of that. Parker also looked a little pale today, I presume he will probably need some more blood in the next day or so. Tomorrow they will be doing another head ultrasound and also a test called an EEG, it measures electrical activity in the brain, so they will know for sure if these "spells" he is having are seizures. Kathy(my mother in law) came back up here tonight, she is going to stay with us for a while. She just feels more worried and anxious at home so she decided just to come on back and stay. Landon will be soon going back to work so that is good b/c I'm not going to be able to ride out this storm by myself I'm afraid. She also helps to take care of things that we can't because we are in the nicu all day and half the night. We left the nicu early tonight. Rachel his primary nurse had him all comfortable and lights out when we got there, she wanted us to whisper and just let him rest, so we very much agreed and just left him be b/c he had had such a rough day, so we peeked in on him briefly, told him we loved him and came on back to just let him rest. He needs lots of rest right now so he can fight this stuff. They also found out for sure what infection it is, it is called Alpha Streptococcus, which doesn't mean much, they will continue to do what they are doing. Please keep on praying, we need lots and lots of it. Thanks everyone for all the emails, calls, texts, messages on facebook etc. I'm so sorry that I can't respond all the time. There are so many people contacting us and we so very much appreciate it, but I just can't physically respond to everyone. I do however read all of it, and it really does give us hope and encouragement and helps so much. So keep it coming, I just don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. But we do appreciate all everyone is doing. Well that is pretty much our day today. I'll update as I know more and have some time. Goodnight.

Hey Guys,

Oh gosh, where do I begin?? On Saturday this week, Landon and I woke up that morning and called the nicu to check on Parker like we do every morning before we get there. April, one of our favorite nurses on day shift had him that morning. She said oh he's doing wonderful, gave me a few more details and I ended the conversation telling her I would see her later on in the day because we had some friends coming to visit. Our friends Kane and Heather came to visit us right after that, we sat at the apartment and talked with them for a while, showed them some pictures of Parker and after a few hours they left on their way back home. After they left I called back to the nicu to ask April how much breast milk he had, and did I need to bring more. Also to tell her we would be there when they opened back up. Parker had still been having some trouble pooping and she said he was dropping his heart rate a lot and she thought he might just be bearing down to poop so she would give him a laxative and see if that helped. At this point she wasn't worried, so neither was I. At 1:30p.m. when they opened back up we were there waiting, we rang the door bell and told them we were the parents of Parker Daniel, we got a delayed response, and the lady that answered just told us to hang on a second. We had never been told that before and I knew immediately that something was wrong. About 3 minutes later(however it seemed like an eternity) she came to the door and asked us to wait in the chapel. I just went to pieces crying and asking her what was wrong with our baby, both Landon and I honestly thought they were going to come and tell us he had died. It was awful. She didn't know and just kept repeating over and over that she understood and that she would sent someone to talk to us, well I didn't want her to keep telling me that I wanted her to physically go right then and get someone to come and tell me why we were to wait in the chapel, so I told her to GO RIGHT NOW! to get someone to come talk to us. She went and soon Dr. Graham came to talk with us. At this point he wasn't just real concerned but said that in that last hour Parker had started to drop his heart rate and his oxygen saturation and his color was looking somewhat pale, so they were going to draw some blood and go from there. He then went off to see about Parker. April his nurse then came in there and gave me a big hug and apologized for asking the secretary to put us in the chapel, she said I know it scared you. It had just all happened so fast and she knew we were on our way and hadn't had time to call us, and so that's the only place she had to tell us to go at the time. We sat in that chapel forever, and then Dr. Graham came back and said he might have to put him back on the ventilator if he didn't stop dropping his heart rate, he said it appears to be either a viral infection or a bacterial infection and we don't really know yet. He left back out and said when they got through working with him we could go see him. During this time, Parker's little sweet neighbor Piper, well her mom Marnie, came and sat with us the whole time we were waiting and worrying, it was so nice to have someone who absolutely knows what we are going through being there for support. After about another hour the nurse came and told us we could come back to see him. When we walked back there to him, I just about started to vomit, literally, he looked so very bad, he was just laying there limp in Dr. Rojas' hands, he appeared to be asleep but the color of his skin was so white, gray and pale, I could see all the veins in his body, and he looked dead. Dr. Rojas told me I could touch him, so I briefly put my hands on his head and body, and told him how much I loved him and encouraged him to keep fighting. While all this was going on there were about 10 people in his room rushing all around and Dr. Rojas explained that they were putting him back on the ventilator to breathe for him, and that they were also going to put in a picc line(a heavy duty iv, that goes into the vein up close to the heart)b/c he was not circulating blood well and they couldn't get an iv. After this little bit of info, he said he is a very sick little boy, he was having to constantly prod at Parker by this time just to stimulate him to keep breathing and to keep his heart rate up. Then they made us step back out. We went back to the chapel and Landon thank God was still holding up very well b/c I just lost it. Due to my nursing background, one look at that poor little thing and I knew he was not well at all. Piper's mom came back in the chapel and sat and talked to us, it was great she did, b/c it helped to sort of take our mind off what was going on just a few rooms away. This time we sat in the chapel for about 2 hours, finally they came back and told us that we could come back again. We went back and there was our sweet baby, looking almost like the day he arrived. Back on the ventilator, and iv in his leg, the picc line in his arm, and he was just lifeless, and pale. It was horrible, we talked to him and talked to him, just telling him over and over how much we loved him and telling him to just keep fighting. The Dr. explained that he was in septic(infection in the bloodstream)shock and that it was very serious, and they were starting him on antibiotics. They also drew a blood culture that will hopefully let us know what kind infection we are dealing with so they can treat it properly. They think it's a bacteria called Group B Step, but are not for sure. After all of this happened, he was not profusing very good, this means his circulation was bad b/c when the body is stressed, it sends blood to the brain, and heart first b/c they are most important, so most of the rest of his body wasn't getting as much blood flow as it needed and his skin was all purple and white, he just looked so pitiful. Also apparently when you have an infection and you start on antibiotics as they start to break down the infection, they create toxins and for preemies being loaded with toxins in your body its bad. So the Dr. said the main thing was keeping him alive during this critical time that his body is trying to get rid of these toxins. Parker then had a spinal tap, and that has come back that he also has bacterial meningitis, this is infection in the fluid surrounding the brain, and in the spinal cord. Also the lining of the brain gets inflamed. So due to the meningitis, he then started having seizures. Yesterday he had a seizure about every 5 minutes for a while, they ordered a medicine to calm him down, and one for the seizures and it got somewhat better. They didn't completely stop until around 8:30 last night. Well today has been a better day, his color is better. When all of this began his white blood cell count, which is what fights off infection was only 1400, and he is suppose to have 10,000. Today they had went up to over 10,000. He is oxygenating better and hasn't been dropping his heart rate. The thing now is to just let these antibiotics run their course and get rid of all this mess. I'm scared to even say he's doing better today b/c every time we think he is doing good, something horrible happens. It's just so hard. When they tell you it is a roller coaster ride, it's really not just something they tell you, it is so so so true. On Saturday, I was just an emotional wreck and good for nothing and Landon held up and held it together. Yesterday, I was better and Landon had a really hard day. Today we are both doing a lot better, so I guess it's good we are taking turns. Seeing him laying there so pale and limp just tore me up, but yesterday those seizures really were getting the best of Landon, he would just stand at his bedside and hold his hands and his head and body during all of them and they were just tearing him up. It's been a really hard few days, Landon's mother and dad have been here with us, and my mom came and spent one night and it helped having them here but we need all your continued prayers and encouragement. Parker is doing better but is by no means out of the woods. All we can do is pray and think positive and have faith that he is going to get better and he is going to eventually come home with us. We love him so much and he just has to!!

Another big setback, we had a really rough day yesterday and last night, Parker has some sort of infection, they don't know what kind yet, but he is a very sick little baby. This is by far the worst setback so far. He is back on the ventilator. I don't know what else to except pray, please continue to pray for Parker, and for Landon and I too. We are having a really hard time right now.
Thanks Everyone

Hello All,

Another great day yesterday, Parker gained another ounce, he now weighs 2lb 5oz. He also moved into a new isollette last night too. It's a step in the right direction. This bed is similiar to the other one, only it does not have humidity. When we got there Lisa was getting him ready to move, he got a soap bath and then we helped her move him, this meant that we got to hold him, and I finally broke down and let Landon hold him too :) We took some pictures, and they are precious! His hair is getting to be so blonde. During all of the moving and stuff, I figured he would fuss, but he was just so layed back, and tolerated it so well. He was wide awake and looking all around. It was the most precious. I just kissed all over him!! Now that he is in the new bed, they have to get him out every night and weigh him in a big boy scale so we will get to hold him and kiss him every night hopefully, I can't wait! I asked Landon after we got him all settled, what he thought about holding him. And he said "I loved it, I miss him" it was so sweet. Once you get to start holding him, when you have to put him back you just miss him so much. Well we are about to head out to the nicu, hope we have another great day. Thanks everyone for the thoughts and prayers!

Hey Guys,
Crystal here, we have some good news, the blood cultures have officially been resulted and they showed no growth, which also means no infection. We have had several good days. They have started Parker back on feedings and all his iv's our out! He has also been turned down on 5 liters of air flow and he is back and forth between room-air and 2 or 3% of oxygen so that is great. Our only problem these past few days is his little tummy is still kinda swollen and he has had some trouble pooping, they gave him a little glycerin enema and now we are having some poop, not as much as we would like but we'll take what we can get. Parker also got a "Grammy Award" this is an award that they give to their babies when they reach 1000 grams of weight!! So YAY Parker!! He got that on Saturday. On Tuesday after we visited him and found him to still be having a great day, we decided to go home for the night and then get some errands done on Wednesday. We had to fix a dishwasher for our renter and I had to go get my license renewed. They had been expired since July, but I've been here and haven't been able to get back home. Landon will be going back to work on September 25th, I am going to miss him soooo very much, but we want to save some of his leave for when we get to bring Parker home. I am going to try to stay by myself here, but will probably end of getting scared at night and calling my mother in law :) I'm a big old baby when it comes to the night time. Yesterday when we got back from home, we walked into the NICU to find Parker eyes wide open looking around and stretching and poking his butt up in the air over and over, it was so funny. He looked like he felt very good. The nurse laughed when he stuck his butt in the air and she said that was the well baby sign. So I hope so much he is feeling better and getting better. We just need him to stay well and grow grow grow. I have another appt today with my blood doctor to get my blood work done to make sure my blood isn't too thin. I have been feeling kind of dizzy headed last night and today so we will see. Thanks everyone for all the prayers and concerns, we will keep you updated.

Landon here. Parker is still hanging in there although the past few days have been filled with a few set backs. Wednesday morning we were awakened by a call from the on shift neonatologist who informs us that Parker's condition had changed. The doctor said that they were having to increase his respiratory support settings because he is having more and more trouble breathing on his on. We got up and dressed asap and headed down to the NICU. At the unit the doctors told us that it seems he had lost the reserve air that we all retain in our lungs. Maybe we are asking too much of him to soon the doctor said and he just needs a little more help for a longer period of time to keep his lungs expanded. He also needed a blood transfusion, see red blood cells carry oxygen to all parts of the body, and preemie babies can not make their own, so they thought maybe this trouble breathing was due to the need for more red blood cells, so they started his first blood transfusion and said he would get another one 20 hours later. The day went on and he seemed to be getting worse at times. Wednesday night we left with him peacefully asleep and the monitors indicated that he was possibly starting to head back in the right direction. Thursday morning came with again another call from the on shift neonatologist. This time the news was much more troubling. The doctor indicated that Parker was showing signs that he has a severe intestinal tract infection and that his feeding were being stopped. She told us that in the early morning hours he started requiring more oxygen, and his stomach was swelled up. They did an abdominal x-ray which showed air in his tummy. This is apparently a sign of this infection they call NEC. She informed us that this was very serious, and instructed us not to look it up on the internet b/c it would "scare us to death". Well of course that's the first thing Crystal did, and the results were not good. We both were extremely upset and had a big cry and then rushed to the unit. It seemed like our baby was just getting worse and worse and we were so scared. They had started IVs on him and hooked up a vacuuming device to his feeding tube because he had a lot of gas that needed to be removed from his stomach. Blood work and cultures had been ordered as well as a antibiotics. His other blood transfusion was also started. His respiratory equipment was also turned up to assist him even more. We did get some encouraging news while we were there however, some of the blood work came back and as of then did not indicate that Parker's body was fighting an infection. So that was good news that maybe it was not this NEC. It seems like we are starting over again. He was resting good Thursday night when we left. Friday we awoke with no calls from the NICU. When we arrived they said he had a good night. The doctor told us that from the indications they have so fare it looks like he may not have the intestinal infection although it can not be ruled out until the cultures are back in a couple more days. He had a different opinion on the situation and felt that the whole stomach problem wasn't as dire as we were led to believe the morning before. He thinks the swelling of his stomach may be due to irritation from the blood transfusion or just gas. He said that his intestines may not be able to digest as much milk as they had been trying to give him so they will hopefully start him back on feeds tomorrow with smaller portions at this time. Tonight we left with his belly back to normal size and his monitors indicating progress. Continue to pray for Parker and us, and as soon as we know more we will let everyone know.

Hey Guys,

It's been a few days since I have updated, Friday was a seemingly uneventful day with Parker, but remember we like them :) However it was not uneventful with me and Landon. I had 2 appts with my doctors on Friday. The first was with my OBGYN and after that appt we went to get into the car to go to the second one and the car would not crank. Well those of you who know Landon know that he has this fascination or obsession as I like to call it with huge old cars, preferably Cadiallacs. Well we were in his hideous 95 Cadillac Sedan Deville and as we were trying to leave the parking lot the junker of a car somehow thought we were trying to steal it and the anti-theft system activated and would not let us start it. Well after trying to start it over and over we ended up having to call Landon's mom to come drive to Nashville and bring his tools, and the extra keys to try to fix it. Well in the meantime we had to walk from that doctor's office to my other doctor's office, then back to our apartment. It was not fun. Well Kathy finally got there and Landon fixed the car and all was well. Landon talked me into agreeing to going home on Saturday for one night and sleeping in our own bed, I reluctantly agreed. The nurses thought it would be good for us to just have a change of scenery, and we both are missing our bed, our dogs, and our house so very much. So we decided for Kathy to just spend the night and we would ride back home with her and then drive my car back to Nashville so I would have my car up here in case of car trouble again, also b/c Landon will be going back to work before too long and I will need my car anyway. On Saturday morning we got up and went to the nicu and they had turned Parker's liters down again, it was on 2 now. Well the Dr. had told us she wasn't going to do that again until like Monday since turning it to 3 was a rough day. Obviously she changed her mind. Well he did not do well on that at all. He started requiring more oxygen and then more and more. And then when I had just about decided that I was not going anywhere, especially 2 hours away back home, the Dr. decided that he just simply wasn't ready to be turned down more yet, and she turned him back up to 3. Once we seen that he was stable and doing well again, we started home. When we got to the house, we thought our dogs were going to die of excitement, I'm sure they were starting to think we were dead. They just ran and barked and jumped. It was a good reunion! It was also so nice to just be home. We left right out and went to a family cook-out at my Aunt and Uncles house and had a really good time spending time with them. Then we left there and went to our friends Jeff and Nicole's house to see them a while. It was good to see everyone. Then we got home about midnight, and had the best night of sleep we had had in forever. I didn't realize how much I missed my own bed....it was wonderful! Sunday morning, I called to check on my boy, and they assured me he was great, and to stop worrying. After that we were off to eat lunch at Landon's Mama Lucy's house, we had a huge lunch with all kinds of good veggies from the garden and a ham. It was soooo good. Then his other grandmother wanted to see us too, so we went to her house. She had crocheted us a blue baby blanket and got Parker an outfit, it was so sweet. Crocheted blankets are so sentimental, b/c Parker will get to enjoy that for a very long time. After we left from there we drove back to Nashville. I could not wait to see my baby. The day we left I just cried I was so nervous about leaving him. But going home was very good for the both of us. And I know he is in the very best of hands. Tonight when we went back to visit, they told us that he now weights 2lbs!!!! So we have hit a milestone, we are halfway there!!!! YAY! Parker!! We are so very thankful that he is doing good. God is good. Thanks everyone for the prayers, and please keep them coming, we still have a long way to go before going home.
Goodnight!!

Hey Guys,
Yesterday was a stressful and somewhat rough day for Parker, but also a good one. B/c he is doing so well they decided to turn the liters per minute of air they are giving him down from 4 to 3, so after doing that they told us they might have to go up on his oxygen and that that was completely normal. Well right after they did that, he started having some problems, he started dropping his heart rate, he would most of the time bring it back up, but sometimes we would have to touch him or rub him to stimulate him to remind him to breathe. The nurses say this is do to less air they are giving him so they are asking him to do more than he is use to. So therefore it will be a little while for him to get use to it. His oxygen sat was also getting lower and they had to turn it up some. We sat by his bed all day yesterday and we didn't get back till real late, We are very very exhausted. But this morning he is doing much much better. He didn't drop his heart rate any last night and he is on less oxygen than when we left, I suppose he is starting to get a little use to the change, he made me such a nervous wreck yesterday, I hope he continues to do well throughout the day. I guess this is the roller coaster they kept telling us about. He is still tolerating his milk very well and has even gained more weight, he now weighs 1lb 12oz. So we are thankful for that. Other than yesterday, he has been doing great. So keep up the praying for him. And Landon and I. We really need and appreciate it. I will update soon.
Bye Bye!

Hey Guys,

Still good news here in Nashville, Parker is doing so good. He has gained 20 more grams, he's still 1lb. 10 oz. but he's at the higher end of that. He is tolerating his feeding better and digesting them more. Yesterday Landon and I learned infant massage, and Landon gave Parker his first one. He seemed to really enjoy it. I got to hold him again yesterday, it's so wonderful, but those 20 minutes seem to go by so fast and before I know it the nurse peeks in and says, OK it's time to put him back. But I know they are doing what is best for him, I could just hold him all day and never want to put him back :) After the morning visiting Landon and I went to Centennial Park, it's right next door to our apt. It is so beautiful, I really still didn't feel up to walking that much, but Landon insisted, he's about to go crazy in this apartment. About 5 times a day, he will say, so is this what people in apartments do? I just couldn't live in an apartment, I'd go crazy lol. It's so funny, I've lived in several apartments before so it's nothing new to me. So we walked all around the park, there is a huge pond in the middle of it and people were fishing, riding bikes, walking, running, taking pictures, you name it. They had this flower garden we went to and it smelled so good and was so pretty. By this time I had forgotten how I didn't want to walk and was really enjoying being outside, and just spending some time with Landon. After the park, we went to Nashville's version of the Parthenon and took a tour. It was very interesting. After that we went back for the afternoon visiting in the nicu and I got to hold then. When we left there we had big plans to come to the apt and cook dinner, but instead opted for pizza and just picked it up, I have not cooked in over a month, and it's so strange, b/c I'm use to cooking every night. I actually miss it. After that Landon and the nurse I spoke with talked me into instead of going back at 8pm for visiting to just stay in tonight and rest. I did not want to but did agree to it. It was hard and a handful of times last night started to just go to the nicu and peek on him a min. But I called and Rachel assured me she was taking good care of him and for me to go to sleep. So we watched tv and then went on to bed. It was nice to get some rest even if I did miss him like crazy. Well this morning I have another appt with the Dr. then we will be back at the nicu. I spoke with the nurse this morning and things were going very well. We are so thankful for all this progress he is making. We just can't wait to take him home. I will update again soon. Thanks to everyone who continues to pray, keep it up!! We need it still.
Bye Everyone!

I'm behind on the blogging, but the past 2 days have been wonderful. Yesterday we went late, around 11pm while it was quiet so we could kangaroo. It as amazing, I love holding that sweet baby. Today he had a wonderful day, we got to help April give him a soap bath, he hated it as usual :) But we loved every minute of it. They gave Landon some information on infant massage, they like for the moms to do the holding and the dad's to do infant massage, it's all about baby and parent bonding. So tomorrow Landon will be giving little Parker his first infant massage, it's suppose to help with all kinds of things. We are about to leave to go back to the nicu now and I might get to hold him again. He digested all of his food today, so maybe his digestive system is getting use to all the changes. Everyone keep praying, we just can't wait to take that little boy home. He still has a long way to go, but he is doing great. Thanks everyone for all of your support, it is much needed and appreciated. Goodnight!

Nothing really new today, but that is a good thing, Parker gained a little weight, only 20 grams, but that's something! He is still having a little trouble digesting his food, but it is getting better. As far as everything else going on he is doing really well so far. We had a real good, and very much appreciated visit from Anthony Potts today, he is the pastor at First Baptist Church St. Joseph, TN, Landon and I had started going there some. It's a great place, and having Anthony there today really meant alot to us. We visited some, and then he prayed with us at Parker's bedside. We got to hold him again tonight, well I say we, but that really means me :) It was actually Landon's turn, but when she asked if we wanted to hold him apparently I had a sad look on my face b/c I knew it was his turn, so Landon told me to go ahead and hold him. Having that sweet boy in my arms is the best feeling in the whole world. He just looks up at you so sweet. And he's just so fragile, and innocent, and he is completely reliant on others for care. It's just so amazing that he is "ours" and that in a couple of months we get to actually take him home and keep him, I just get butterflies thinking about it. I just can't wait....Well sorry the blogs have been short here lately, but not much to say, but no news is good news!! Thanks everyone for the continued prayers, don't stop now!!!
Goodnight
Crystal

Hey Guys,
Just a real quick update this morning, I didn't update last night b/c after I took a shower, I was so sleepy I couldn't hold my eyes open, I asked Landon to do it, but he said he wasn't a "blogger", so as you see I am doing it this morning :) Anyway, Parker had another good day yesterday, the only problem he had was he wasn't digesting his breast milk very well yesterday. The nurses think this is the result of so many changes to his milk yesterday. They added that fortifier which is basically calories to it, then yesterday they increased the amount per feeding and added a multi-vitamin, they also put caffeine in it once a day to keep his heart rate up, so he had quite a bit left over in his tummy yesterday after each feeding, but this morning when I called that had gotten a little better. So keep praying for good digestion of his milk. That breast milk is medicine to him and he needs it sooooo much. Other than that, they say he is doing great, just needs to grow. Thanks for all they prayers, and I will update more tonight. Oh yeah, he got his first "soap" bath yesterday too. And he got so mad, he started crying out, it was the first time we got to hear an actual good cry from him, while it still sounds so tiny almost like a little kitten, it was wonderful to hear it.

Holding my sweet boy!

Hey Everyone,
Today has been absolutely wonderful, we walked into the nicu this morning to our baby on room air...no oxygen!! He had kind of a busy morning, they did another head ultrasound and we should know the results of that sometime tomorrow. We stayed most of the morning until they closed for lunch at 12:30. April his nurse told us to be back at 1:30 ready to do kangaroo care(this is a way of holding a baby this small and has many benefits, I'll explain at the end)anyway, needless to say we were there with bells on! Holding that sweet angel was the most wonderful experience of my entire life, I just cried and cried and cried. They put him down inside my shirt, he just fit right in there, he's so tiny. While holding him, he would make these sweet little noises that sounded like squeeks, his oxygen went up and his heart rate too, he didn't have any dips in his heart rate, so maybe he was enjoying it as much as I was. They put a little crocheted hat on him to keep his head warm, and we just sat there rocking and snuggling for 20 min. The best 20 minutes of my life!! I never knew I could love someone so much. It's like this feeling of infinite love, and then every time I see him, I just love him more. We get to do kangaroo care once a day for 20 minutes as long as he is stable. If all goes well tomorrow then maybe Landon will get to hold him. Secretly I think he was a little jealous during all of mine and Parker's snuggle time :) He kept getting in our faces while we were trying to love lol, but it was so precious! Landon is going to be the best daddy. He just wants to help do everything, he's so good. Tonight when we went back, they had weighed him and he is now 1pound 10ounces, they started adding fortifier to his breast milk, it's just extra calories. The Dr. said he was doing so good, and now we just needed to "pork" him up, so she added that today. I have an appt with my hematologist in the morning again, maybe we will make this one without any excitement or er trips. Well we are off to bed, Goodnight Everyone!!

Here is some info on kangaroo care:

The Benefits of Kangaroo Care

Kangaroo Care has been studied in depth since 1983 when neonatologists Edgar Rey and Hector Martinez first implemented it in Bogota, Columbia. Kangaroo Care consists of placing a diaper clad premature baby in an upright position on a parent's bare chest - tummy to tummy, in between the breasts. The baby's head is turned so that the ear is above the parent's heart. Due to lack of power and reliable equipment, Kangaroo Care was found to be an inexpensive and very beneficial experience to babies in Bogota. The mortality rate fell from 70 % to 30 %.

Most studies have proven that Kangaroo Care has a major, positive impact on babies and their parents; some studies have proven there is no change; but no study has proven that Kangaroo Care has hurt either parent or baby. In this article, my goal is to inform parents, nurses, and doctors on the benefits of Kangaroo Care. I have selected one study or article in each group that best sums up all the studies done to date. If anyone wants a complete copy of all Kangaroo Care research, please feel free to E-mail me at krisanne@ris.net.

Sleep Time/Colic

Researchers have come a long way in determining the major cause of colic. The common conclusion in 1999 is that colic is caused by a baby's (whether premature or full term) inability to transition from one sleep state to another - like from an alert state into a sleep state and back again. The gas associated from colic is caused by the excess of crying during these transitions. Kangaroo Care performed in a quiet, low light environment with ANY baby has been proven to reduce crying and help the baby learn to transition from one sleep state to another. A study done by Patricia Messmer, et al (Pediatric Nursing,23 (4): 408-414) in 1997 found a significant increase in sleep time for the neonates during Kangaroo Care. I want to impress upon all that Kangaroo Care works just as well with full term infants as it does with premature infants.

Apnea, Brady, O2 Saturation, Respiration and Heart Rate

The newest studies that are being done in Sweden and other countries concentrate on full term babies in respiratory distress. They take these babies, who would normally be put on respirators, and place them on the mom's chest immediately after birth in the Kangaroo Care position. Babies stayed on mom until the respiratory distress was gone - within 48 hours for most babies. Oxygen hoods and canulas were used if needed. In preterm babies, the effects of Kangaroo Care on these functions is just as dramatic. In 1998, Susan Ludington (Acta Paediatrica,87 (6): 711-713 ) found a four-fold decrease in apnea during Kangaroo Care and mechanically ventilated babies were able to tolerate transfer and position changes without increased oxygen requirements. In 1997, GM Cleary, et al (J. American Osteopathic Assoc., 97 (8): 457-460) concluded there was no increase in bradycardia episodes during Kangaroo Care. In 1998, Gay Gale and Kathleen Vandenburg (Neonatal Network, 17 (5): 1-3) concluded that the heart rate was more regular for Kangarooed infants. All-in-all, the baby fared much better when placed in Kangaroo Care. With my own ventilated preemie (1 pound 12 ounces at birth) I noticed a 50% reduction in oxygen requirements, no apneas or bradys, more stable heart rate, and more spontaneous respiration when I held her skin-to-skin.

Body Tempature and Lactation

I believe this is truly the most amazing benefit of Kangaroo Care. In 1990, Susan Ludington (Heart and Lung, 19 (5): 445-451) concluded that mothers showed thermal synchrony with their babies. A recent study placed babies in Kangaroo Care position on the mother's chest and temperatures were taken periodically of both the mother's chest and the baby. The study concluded that when the baby got cold, the mother's body temperature would increase to 'warm' the baby up. The reverse was also true. Given a suggestion of "Your baby looks warm to me" by a nurse, the mother's chest temperature would decrease within minutes to compensate. Extra blankets and monitoring of baby's temperature might be needed when Dad or others practice Kangaroo Care, but in 1997, Karl Bauer, et al (Journal of Pediatrics, 130 (2): 240-244) concluded that one hour of skin-to-skin contact (Kangaroo Care) was no cold stress to preterm infants.

In 1998, Papi A Gomez, et al (An Esp Pediatr 1998 Jun;48 (6): 631-633 - Spanish) found infants in Kangaroo Care for > 50 minutes were 8 times more likely to breast feed spontaneously. Kangaroo Care allows for easy access to the breast, and the skin-to-skin contact increases milk let-down. A receiving blanket, strategically placed to catch extra milk is extremely helpful - especially if the baby is unable to breast feed.

Weight Gain/ Shorter Hospital Stay

Holly Richardson (Why Does it Work? International Midwife Winter. 1997.) concluded that more rapid weight gain was observed in Kangarooed infants. The NICU is a busy, noisy place. Kangaroo Care allows the baby to fall into a deep sleep, there by conserving their energy for far more important things. Left alone on a warming table, a baby cries more and sleeps less.

This increased weight gain also leads to shorter hospital stays. N Charpak, et al (Pediatrics, vol. 100 #4: Oct 1997, pg 682-689) showed a shorter hospital stay in the Kangaroo Care group; primarily in infants -/<1800 grams. Kangarooed infants can have as much as a 50% shorter hospital stay than babies who aren't Kangarooed. This in turn means less expense for the hospitals and/or parents.

Conclusion

In 1998, Gay Gale and Kathleen Vandenburg (Neonatal Network, 12 (6): 49-57) found an increased intimacy and attachment between baby and parent. Kangaroo Care was found to help a parent feel connected. Eye contact led to an experience of "knowing" infant.

I wish that every doctor and nurse in this country could experience Kangaroo Care themselves. As a Mom who was able to Kangaroo her little 1 1/2 pound miracle for two hours every day, I have few words to describe my experience so that others can truly understand. You can liken it to a full term delivery where the baby is immediately placed on mom's chest, kicking and screaming, then quieting to look into mom and dad's face with wonder. Holding that tiny body next to mine, feeling her little hand clutch my collar bone, feeling her drift off to sleep in my arms.... truly the most amazing experience of my life. I hope that soon, VERY soon, all parents of premature infants will be able to experience the same.

Trip to the ER

Today has been another eventful, but wonderful day. We started off today with an appointment with my hematologist. We got and made our morning phone call to the nicu to check on how Parker did throughout the night. They said he had a real good night, so we started getting ready for the appt. I put on my pants and walked to the bathroom to pull my hair up, about a second later I started feeling something very hot in my pants...I was standing in front of the mirror and I just pulled the top of my pants down a little and there was blood everywhere, not only was it everywhere but I could see it still steadily trickling out from my incision. So needless to say we didn't make our appt instead we ended up in the emergency room this morning. Apparently when putting on my pants I pulled something and tore my incision open some. It was just a tiny tear but with me being on blood thinner it gave the impression of a huge tear and about scared me to death. All I could think is "No No No I do not have time for this, I have a baby in the nicu!!" But the er doc said it was ok once the bleeding stopped and he sent us on our way and told me I have been doing too much and I needed to take it easy. Easy for him to say is what I thought. Anyway, I have tried to rest more today, only I was having withdrawls b/c it was 2pm before I got to finally see my sweet boy today. Landon's mother, dad, and grandmother Dean came to visit today and we had a good visit with them. But as far as Parker is concerned he had another great day, they have turned his high flow nasal cannula down from 5 liters to 4 liters, and his oxygen when we left tonight was down to 24% (and remember we breathe 21% room air) so that's not much. Tonight was so sweet with him, we didn't have any visitors tonight so Landon and I got a little alone time with him, he was resting so peacefully and every so often he would open his eyes, I had my hand on his head in what they call a containment hold(we have certain ways we can touch him so not to stimulate him too much b/c preemies just can't handle it yet) and I would just talk to him real soft and he was just looking at me so precious and he would just smile. It made my heart just melt. I could just sit and look at him all day and all night. He is just so beautiful. Anyway, just a quick update tonight. I am absolutely exhausted tonight. But I am so very thankful for the progress Parker has made. God is good! I have a sweet baby that is doing well, and the most wonderful husband anyone could ask for, he takes care of me! Please continue to keep us in your prayers. And thank you to all have been praying we appreciate it so much.
Goodnight
Crystal :)

Parker is 1 week old today!!!!

Off the vent!!

Thank you everyone for all of the prayers and prayers, I would not be on here giving you good news like I have without all of those wonderful prayers everyone is sending up for our sweet boy. Today, they did some more blood gases and told us they were great so they were gonna take him off the vent around 1:30. This is the most scared I have been since we have been here, I have just cried all day. He just seems so tiny to be breathing on his own. And my biggest fear, was they take him off and he doesn't breathe, ugh, it's so hard. I know I'm a nurse but when it has came to this little guy I have caught a big case of stupid. It's like I don't know anything anymore, I just panic about everything, maybe it will get better. Since they have taken him off he has been doing great, at this last visit he was on 27% oxygen(we breathe 21% so this isn't much)and is on 5 liters per minute on what they call a high flow nasal cannula, it basically pushes air into his nose, and he can choose to breathe it in or not, so the breathing now is strictly up to him. He is doing great so far, the nurses say that in these preemies that their nervous system is not yet developed so sometimes they "forget" to breathe and their heart rate drops some, when this happens we or the nurse has to touch him or poke him a little bit to stimulate him and remind him to breathe, then all is well again, so we have been doing that today. They say this will keep getting better with time, until he doesn't do it anymore. Before I left tonight I left him strict instructions to breathe breathe breathe and to NOT forget :) I told him if he never listens to another things I tell him to do, it's especially important that he do this. Maybe he will listen! I have an appointment in the morning with my hematologist then we will go back to the nicu. Please continue to pray for our sweet baby. And we appreciate all our friends and family that are giving us so much love and encouragement. Goodnight Everyone!!

Oh and tomorrow is a milestone, Parker will be 1 week old!!!

Hey Guys,
With a relieved and thankful heart I write my blog tonight b/c we have had yet another wonderful day full of good results and news. On Parker's ventilator settings his rate(which is how many breaths the machine gives him per minute) was 25 yesterday, they turned it down to 20, where it has been all day, then at 6 tonight, his blood gases looked so good, the decreased it to 15, so now the plan is when the rate gets down to 10 and he is tolerating it okay, and his blood gases still look good then they will take him off the ventilator. This is great news and I want him to be breathing on his own, but when they told me this I got so sick to my stomach, EVERYTHING makes me so nervous, I have been around children my whole life and taken care of a million of them and I have never been such a nervous goat....But now that it's my child I'm a wreck lol :) Oh well I guess I better get used to it, considering when your child is born is when the worrying starts and it never stops so I'm told. Anyway, he had a few periods today where his heart rate dropped, but it would come right back up. They assured us this is normal, they call them "spells" and say it's b/c a preemie's nervous system isn't yet fully developed and it will eventually stop. Keep the prayers coming nonstop please. We still need them. I will update again tomorrow.
Thanks everyone!

Oh yeah, I forgot....Landon changed his first diaper ever today!! It was sweet!

Good evening all,

Today has been an incredibly long, but yet another wonderful day. We got up this morning and were told we would be discharged so we started getting ready for that, we got all packed up and they came and took out my staples(that hurt), my mom is here for a few day, and my aunt susie is here today too. We loaded everything into the car.....well i supervised of course :) and then by the time we got all done with that the NICU was closed. They closed from 12:30-1:30 during the day, so by that time I had not gotten to see my sweet boy and was having with drawls, anyway we decided to come on to the apartment and unload stuff and then by the time we got done the NICU would be back open and we would go see Parker. On our way to the apt, we got a phone call from our friends Jason and Shae Walton and their children Eli and Brooke, they had been in Chattanooga this week for some training for Jason's job and they decided to come see us on their way home. They also brought us lunch and it was so good, and we appreciated it to because we were hungry :) We had a good little visit at our apt, the all headed for the NICU, Landon and I went on back and Jason and Shae ran an errand, when we met back up with them they had bought us this stuffed "aubie" tiger for Parker, and had given us a notebook to write our thoughts down in, in that notebook they also wrote Parker a sweet little note, they are good friends. Landon and I walked into the unit with a nice surprise today, since we have been there they have had these little glasses covering Parker's face, and with his face taped and tubes, we really haven't gotten to see what he looks like much, well today when we walked in the nurses were at his isolette and they said "oh we are glad yall are here, we are changing some tape and have his glasses off and he's awake so come see him" Well I walked over to the isolette and that sweet baby was laying there eyes open looking right at us, when I saw his sweet face looking at me, I didn't think it was possible to love him anymore, but I fell in love even more, of course I started to cry like a baby and talk to him and he just laid there looking at us....I told our friends today, everytime I go in there he probably says to himself "There's that lady again that cries all the time" :) But it was the most precious sweetest face I have ever seen in my life.....Indescribable! We had been calling that morning to check on him and they had told us that they had taken him off of the "jet" vent, so we were anxious to know about his blood work that indicates how well he is breathing. The nurses told us that he was doing very well, and his blood work looked great. They still had the jet vent sitting beside his bed in case he had to go back on it. They said if his next blood work looked that good they would be moving it back where it belongs. They also said he had 2 more bowel movement this morning and had eaten 1/2 cc of breast milk. Well we stayed sitting there with him until time to close again and as we were leaving they checked his blood work again....it was also wonderful, so they moved the jet out of Parker's room and back where it goes!!! YAY!! I took a picture as she was wheeling that thing away, Although a wonderful life-saving machine, I was glad to see it go! They also checked to see if he had digested the 3cc of breast milk they had given 3 hours prior, and they didn't get a drop back, so he is eating and digesting too!!! We were so happy we couldn't stand it. Also I got to change my first diaper today, they really encourage the parents to participate in the care of the preemies, so we jumped right in, I changed a poopy diaper, and Landon checked him temperature, it was so nice to be able to do something for him. After that we headed out b/c they also close from 6pm-8pm. We left and headed to Wal-Mart, the nurses wanted us to bring in a few things for him, they wanted us to bring in some receiving blankets, that we had kept with us a few days, so they could put them in his isolette with him and it would have our scent on them. They wanted us to bring a digital recorder with each of our voices reading him stories, so that when they are closed or at night when we are not there, he thinks we are b/c he can hear our voices, and they wanted a stuffed animal, that they wrap in seran wrap and keep for him to get attached to, so we went to get those things and had a real good time not only spending some time together, but getting to pick out some stuff for our baby. We went back to the NICU after that and had some more visitors. My aunt and uncle Todd and Lynn Grigsby came to visit, Landon and I each took turns taking them back to see Parker, and really enjoyed getting to see them. Lynn has already decided that she is Parker's favorite, and she claims he told her he wanted her to hold him :) Anyway, we all left, they went back home and after stopping at Krispy Kreme(b/c Landon says he couldn't resist the HOT sign) we are at the apartment and are now going to bed....It has been a wonderful day again today. Please continue to pray for our sweet baby, I can never thank all of you enough for all the prayers, but am convinced that is what is getting him through, so please keep them coming. Have a good night everyone!

Good Evening Everyone!
Crystal here.....
Praise the Lord!!! Today has been a wonderful day, We woke up this morning, got a good report from my doctor, he said my incision looked great, I was doing great, no more high blood pressure, and so he would probably discharge me tomorrow. We will be going back to the Hospitality House Apartment. We went to the NICU and got great reports from the nurses and doctors, Parker's blood work had looked so good all night and they had turned the settings down on both ventilators. Throughout the whole day he has done wonderful, they have even turned his oxygen lower and lower until finally this afternoon he wasn't on any at all, so now he is just breathing room air, and holding his own, he's still on the vent, but just not any oxygen. His carbon dioxide levels are still down. He had some high blood sugar last night too, and now that is all normal. They had stopped feeding him for the time being b/c he wasn't digesting it, well this afternoon he also had his first bowel movement too! (Never thought I would get so excited to see poop) :) But I was exstatic....Then this evening before we left them to do their shift change, he pooped again, and so his intestines are starting to work, so maybe now they can try to start to reintroduce food again. They told us that if his blood work continued to keep doing well through out the night and he is still doing this well, then they were going to take him off of that special "jet" ventilator in the morning. He will still be on the regular one, but that is a step in the right direction.....While he is doing so good we are going to try and get some good rest tonight, and hopefully get settled back into the apartment tomorrow....Thank you all so much for your continued prayers....They are obviously working.....GOD IS IN CONTROL!!!!!!
We love you all!
Goodnight

Welcoming our sweet boy to the world!

Hey Guys

Whew what a happy, sad, scared, and hectic few days it has been for us. Monday August 17, 2009 we woke up that morning b/c we had a doctor's appointment with the Maternal Fetal Medicine team at 8:30. Upon arriving we had an ultrasound and was then placed in a consultation room to speak with the Dr. Dr. Collins came in and went over the results of the ultrasound, after looking over the ultrasound it appeared that the blood flow to the umbilical cord and the placenta had become more compromised since our last ultrasound and visit with our regular ob dr. It also showed that the baby had not grown anymore and was somewhat still small for his gestational age. Dr. Collins recommended that it was time to go be admitted back to the hospital to hopefully continue with bed rest and try to keep the baby in the womb as long as possible. He thought this to be a good idea so there would be continuous monitoring of the baby. So Landon and I left the office and our way to the apartment to get packed up stopped by taco bell and grabbed some lunch. I decided that I didn't know when I would some good food again so I wanted some taco bell. We went back to then apartment and got all packed up and went to the hospital. Once at the hospital we went through all the admission stuff and got settled in our room. They came in and hooked me up to the monitor so watch the baby for 20 min or so. While hooked to the monitor, Parker was not showing much movement or what they call variability(which is where there is rises and falls of the heart rate, they want to see that for a baby still in the womb). At this point Dr. Kang came into the room, she is another one of the Maternal Fetal Medicine Team, and she said that due to the ultrasound we had just had, and the lack of activity she was seeing on the monitor that she felt it absolutely necessary to deliver our baby right then. She said she thought we had gotten as much time out of the pregnancy as we could and at that point he would be better off being born early, than staying inside. Now comes two more problems, I was still on a blood thinner that takes 12-24 hours to get out of my system, so that poses a bleeding risk with delivery. Also they want you to have had an empty stomach for about 8 hours before surgery and mine was full of nachos, tacos, and a bean burrito! So at that point all that stuff didn't matter b/c the baby needed to be born so they told me I would have to have what they call General Anesthesia which is where you are completely put to sleep and temporarily put on a ventilator that breaths for you. So as the medical staff quickly started to fill the room I became very upset and started crying uncontrollably. They started IV's, Putting in catheters, asking all kinds of questions, and giving medicine while we were waiting on Dr. Bellardo, my normal ob to get there to deliver. He arrived and again restated everything that Dr. Kang had talked to us about and we continued getting prepared for the C-section. Once that was all done, I had about a half a second to speak to Landon and tell him I love him and say goodbye, they wheeled me away to the operating room. Once inside the or, I became so nervous I couldn't hardly stand myself, there were so many people in there and they were all stirring around like crazy b/c of the emergent situation. There were several people talking to me at once telling me step by step what they were doing, and I couldn't listen to them all at once, and not to mention I was strapped to a table, and had an oxygen mask being held to my face by a Dr. I felt so closed up, nervous, cold, I just told them to all stop talking to me and just do what they had to do, but that I could not stand all of them telling me every little detail, so with that said, about 5 min later I drifted off to sleep. The next memory I had was waking up in recovery with people saying "Mrs. Daniel, wake up, the C-section is over, I need you to open your eyes." I opened my eyes and had the most severe burning and pain over my abdomen. Remember most c-section patients have an epidural that numbs them so even when they wake up they are not in pain, but I couldn't have that b/c of the blood thinner so I was in a lot of pain! Landon said he was trying to tell me about Parker and I just wanted to be left alone, I have no memory of this part at all, only the pain. He told me that they had him in the NICU and that he got to see him temporarily but they made him leave so that they could work on him. He told me he weighed 1 pound 8 ounces and was 13 1/2 inches long. He said "Crystal, he's so beautiful, and he has hair everywhere" Landon being bald was very excited about Park having hair lol. Anyway as I continued to wake up I continued to hurt badly, and was starting to realize the reality. And the reality was I had a son, and not only that but he was extremely small and extremely premature, my stomach was just in a huge knot. I was in recovery for around 3 hours. They came and asked me if on my way to my room did I want to go to the NICU and see my baby. I said of course I did and so off we went. When I arrived at the side of his little incubator I was very surprised, he looked a lot better than I expected him to, he had been put on the ventilator but I could see enough to notice he had Landon's nose, and hands and feet, and Landon was right.....He was beautiful, I just started crying again, I couldn't believe how much I love him, or how scared I felt at that moment for him. I only got to stay there about 5 minutes and then was wheeled off to my room. We had called our families earlier on when we found out what would be going on so they all had arrived by this point. My mom and step dad, Landon's mom, Aunt Brenda, and cousin Shana, Hope and Katie, Nick and Emily, and My Dad, stepmom, and brother were all here. I couldn't get up, so Landon took everyone back one at a time and let them see him. I was told I had to wait until the next morning b/c I had to stay in bed. Nick and Emily got us some bubble gum cigars to give out, a stuffed monkey and balloon and a hanging bow with a precious moments angel that prays aloud to hang on the door. Hope filled out all of Parkers info on it and her and Emily hung it on my door. That made me feel good to look at those things, it was about the only normal birth thing that had happened. Some hours later, everyone went home or to a hotel and Landon and I tried to get some sleep. Of course there was not much sleeping b/c I was in pain and Landon was back and forth in the NICU seeing Parker. My nurse must have felt sorry for me b/c she came in and asked if I felt like getting up, she said if I did she would get a wheelchair and let me go to the NICU and see my baby. I was so very anxious to see him, I did not feel like getting up at all, but when she asked that, I got my butt up out of that bed and got in that wheelchair and off we went. Once I got there I got to get a better look at him. We just sat in chairs beside his incubator for a long while. He was so precious. The Dr. explained how his lungs were very immature and what the plan was to get him better. After this we went to our room and went to sleep.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009
We woke up early and there were all kinds people coming in, so much paperwork to fill out, We still family here that had spent the night they all stayed till around lunch time, Parker was still doing about the same at this point. His oxygen that they were giving him, the level was kind of low, which is good but throughout the day they had to continue turning it up to meet his breathing needs. While all this was going on, we also had the lady from birth certificates calling requesting her paperwork be done, we had the lactation specialists coming in giving me a log that I have to fill out every 3 hours when I use the breast pump, and she also taught me how to use the breast pump and stressed on the importance of breast milk for a preemie, they say it medicine for them and their development and immune systems. We had of course my nurse in and out all day, and social worker coming to talk to us about filling out insurance information and paperwork that had to be done for babies under 2 pounds. We went back and forth to the NICU all day and spoke with the Dr's and nurses. They talked to us in great length about the life there in the NICU, they explained how the next 2-3 months would be a roller coaster full of highs and lows. They said a baby of his size will be doing good one minute and having trouble the next, and so they tried to prepare us for the long journey that lay ahead, basically they stand over him all day adjusting and changing things until something works that helps his breathing. It was a very hectic day. Two more of Landon's aunts came to visit and him, them, and his mom left and went to lunch, so I had about an hour to unwind and have some alone time. I had big plans for a nap but nothing of the sort happened b/c the phone rang the whole time. They took me off of my morphine and changed me to pain meds by mouth, I was glad b/c the morphine didn't seem to be working very well. They also took my catheter out which was a huge relief. By the time the evening got here Parker's oxygen had been turned up quite a bit b/c he was requiring more and more. That was discouraging. By around 10 or 11 that night, the Dr. explained to us that he had gotten a pretty bit more sicker and some of his numbers were not looking so good. But she assured us that this was normal for a 27 weeker and they were gonna keep doing what they could. Around 1am Landon went to go check on him and he seemed to be responding to this medicine that they put into his lungs and they had backed off of some of the oxygen so we were a little relieved and called it a night.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

I was awoke this morning by the nurse who needed to give some meds, and do several things. As soon as I opened my eyes I felt it....Horrible Pain! I thought to myself, that someone must have some in my room in the night and beat me. Today has been my worst pain day, it took me about 15 minutes to get out of the bed. Anyway we got up and ate our breakfast, I pumped some breast milk and we left to take it to the nursery, All the milk I pump they keep in the refrigerator or freezer and put it into his tube that goes to his tummy, until he gets big enough to breast feed the real way. Anyway we walked into not good news at all. Apparently after 1 am he took a turn for the worst and had become very sick. They told us they were giving him his 3rd and final dose of the medicine for his lungs, they only give 3 doses and only within the first 48 hours. When we breathe in we breathe in oxygen and when we breathe out we breathe out carbon dioxide, well Parker is breathing in O2 just fine but when he breathes out he not getting rid of the carbon dioxide and it is making him very sick b/c he has extremely too much. They watched him throughout the morning, and we were in there most of that time. The NICU closes for 1 hour from 12:30 to 1:30 during the day so we went back to our room. At 1:30 were getting ready to go back when the phone rang and it was Parker's nurse Roma. Now they had told us that unless was something very serious they would not call us, that they would just communicate when they would see us in there, so when she said this is Roma, Parker's nurse, my heart sank.....She said he had gotten sicker from earlier and they had drawn more blood and his carbon dioxide was worse than before. She said for us to not come to the NICU to visit but to stay in my room and wait for her phone call, she said they were going to put him on a different kind of ventilator call the "jet" vent and it would make him breath faster and more often in hopes that it would make him get rid of some of that co2. She said it may take an hour and we will call you back when we know more. I hung up and began to cry telling Landon our baby had gotten sicker and filling him in on what she had said, he walked over to my bed put his arms around me and we sat there and cried together. It's only been 2 days and having this sick, premature, tiny but precious child makes us feel completely helpless and vulnerable. So now all we could do was wait and pray, and we did a lot of both. Apparently the normal co2 level is 35-45 and this morning Parker's was 90, at the time of the call it was 78 but starting to go back up so it was serious. All that kept running through my mind was "well what if this other ventilator doesn't get it down? then what? They said he was getting tired from working so hard to breathe and that this vent would do more of the work and help him to rest. Finally after waiting over an hour, I got tired of waiting and called the NICU and asked what was going on, she said for us to come on back. So rushed down there, scrubbed in, and started talking to the Dr. they had just gotten him on the "jet" vent, they had also sedated him some b/c he was kicking his legs and flailing his arms and that just uses too much energy that he needs for breathing so they want him to rest as much as possible. She said they would have to just wait and see how this would work for him but that he was very sick. After sitting there with him for a long time, and watching them work on him, they got some more blood work that showed the co2 was coming down some. They put him on a new monitor that shows his co2 level in real time so they don't have to draw blood every time to know what it is. Throughout the evening it has continued to go down and I just called back to check on him and the level of co2 is now 41, and he is doing better. Another potential problem though is they did an ultrasound of the brain today, which they do on all preemies quite often, to check for bleeds, the results showed up Parker had 2 small bleeds in the brain, however, we are told that most preemies do have these and their bodied usually reabsorb the blood and they heal themself, the Dr. said she was not at all concerned about this and will do a repeat brain ultrasound again in 2-3 days, so we will see what it shows. So basically guys the past few days have been exactly what they told us from the moment we walked in the door, a roller coaster, his health has been up and down since we got here and will probably continue to do that. We are exhausted and worried, but God has a plan. Please continue to pray for our sweet boy and us. We need it desperately. I know I haven't written in a while so this blog is so very long, but I had so many people wanting to know all of what was going on so here it is, I will try to start updating more and keeping you all better informed. My best friend Emily will also be updating when I can't b/c the fact is sometimes we are just too busy and my baby needs me at his bedside so I can not type what our days has been like, so she is gonna be helping me out with this, as will Landon, he will be updating some too. Anyway I'm calling it a night b/c I'm so tired. We will talk to yall again soon. Goodnight!
Oh yeah I forgot to mention earlier but he has gained 1 ounce he is 1pound 9 ounces, but they have stopped feeding him through his feeding tube b/c he wasn't digesting it, they think b/c of the stress of the breathing situation, so he is getting his nutrition through an iv right now but once the breathing problem is resolved they will again begin working on the digestion problem.
Goodnight!

Update on Baby Parker

This is Emily and I just talked to Crystal and she asked me to give everyone a little update....

If you don't already know, Crystal and Landon welcomed their sweet baby boy Landon Parker Daniel into the world on August 17, 2009. He weighed 1 lb and 8 oz. He was 13 1/2 inches long. He was put on a ventilator right after he was delivered and he still needs that assistance.
As for today, Parker had an episode with his breathing. For all of you nurses....he was retaining a lot of C02. They swapped him over to another type of ventilator that is helping him to breathe better. After they placed him on the new ventilator, his C02 came down enough to make the neonatologist happy. They are checking his levels every hour and making adjustments accordingly. They also did a brain scan to check for bleeds on his brain which are very common in premature babies. Little Parker has two small bleeds, but they are of no concern at this point. The doctor said that they are very small and that they should be reabsorbed by his body. They will repeat the scans in a couple of days. The doctors are predicting that he will stay in the NICU for 2-3 months. He can go home when he reaches 4 pounds. She told me to tell everyone thanks for the prayers and to keep them coming. Hopefully she will be able to get on here soon and give a better update. As for her.....she said that today is the worst day as far as her pain goes. I know that she is not worried about herself as much as she is about that precious little boy, but keep her in your thoughts and prayers too. And don't forget about Daddy Landon!!

Hi Everyone!

Well today I had another Dr. appt and ultrasound, the baby has grown he now weighs 1 pound 10 ounces, they said that my amniotic fluid was a little low but he wasn't very concerned about it though, it is still in the normal range just lower than it was. They have referred me to a group of physicians called the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Group, I will start to see them on Monday and then my Ob on Thursday every week, I will have an ultrasound on both days, these drs are based out of the hospital and are more specialized in problems like I have. Landon got here late last night, I am so glad he is here. We got moved into our apartment yesterday too, It is sooooo wonderful, it's beautiful and lots more room and more private. We are just so thankful for this place, they have definitely exceeded our expectations. Well that's about it nothing too exciting happening around here and that is definitely a good thing :) I am starting to get homesick I really miss my dogs, and my home, and mostly my close friends and family, and especially my little nephew Dawson Cole Thigpen, I'm missing him a whole bunches, and I guess I miss him momma a little too ;) JK EM I miss you a bunch too......Well I think I'm gonna call it a night.
Goodnight Everyone

Hello Everyone!

Ok we just now got back to the hospitality house, my doctor let me go home, when I got to the hospital they sent me to labor and delivery, the dr wanted me to have some more blood drawn and another urine specimen taken to check the protein in my urine again. So lucky me, he wanted the most accurate way possible, so I got the pleasure of getting a nice catheter :) Anyway, the blood work came back good still and the urine came back with only a trace of protein and the baby looked good on the monitor so he felt like it was ok to send me back to the Hospitality House, it's a lot of stress going back and forth but I am so glad that I have this wonderful medical staff that is overly cautious instead of not cautious enough.....I have had kind of a rough day, I've been in some what of a bad mood, not really mad at anyone or anything I just have felt kind of aggravated and emotional.....Every now and then I start to think of things like all these girls who smoke and drink and don't even want children who end up pregnant and have worry free pregnancies, they deliver their healthy babies and then aren't even good mothers once they are here, and it ticks me off......After miscarrying and then losing our precious Ella-Grace and now so scared that history is going to repeat itself with this baby it's just hard and I don't ask for much, just a normal healthy pregnancy! UGH It's just aggravating......However, I am thankful for a good family, an exceptional husband that I love with all my heart, and a baby that as of right now is thriving right along and doing well. I guess I am just feeling sorry for myself today, I tend to start doing that when Landon has been gone for several days, I miss him so much. When he is here he makes me stronger. Another good news we got today was that they have an apartment ready for us here at the Hospitality House so we will be moving across the street, it has its own kitchen and bathroom etc. they reserve those for pts who will be here a long time, and tonight when we got back from the hospital they told us they had one ready, so praise God for that!! Well I am about to do some more resting, and as of right now in the exact words of my Dr. "We are still winning the battle" Please continue to pray, it is working so far!! I appreciate all of you who care enough to keep up with how we are doing here, and send me words of encouragement, it really helps more than you know. I will update again soon...
Goodnight....

August 9, 2009
Sunday

Hey Everyone....

WE ARE 26 TODAY!!!! ANOTHER WEEK DOWN!!!
I have had a very good day, Landon and I slept late today b/c we stayed up nearly all night, till around 3am, we are night owls. So we slept until 12 today. We got up and ate some lunch, then I got a shower and blow dried my hair and even put on a little make-up. I have a wonderful visit from some family today, Mammaw, Lynn, Donna, and Tessa came up and stayed several hours with me, we laughed and visited and had a very good time. And my blood pressure stayed down the whole time. They must be good medicine! It was so nice to see some people and feel like I was a part of the real world again. However my day has been kinda sad this evening b/c my precious husband had to go back home, while I am thankful that my mother in law is here, I already miss him sooo much. He has to work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and will be coming back up on Wednesday night. Then he will be off for 8 days!! So I am very excited about that. Now it's 9pm and me and Kathy are watching tv and lounging around. So anyway that's pretty much what happened today. I have been feeling the baby move alot today and it makes me feel so good to know that he's in there and that he feels good enough to be squirming around all day.....I just already love him so much, and haven't even met him yet. When I think about him, I just want to do whatever I can to protect him and help him grow as much as possible. I just get butterflies when I think about the day I get to see his precious face. Hopefully that won't be for 2 more months :) Anyway guys, I'm gonna go do some reading. I hope you are having a good day as well.....
Goodnight!

August 8, 2009
Saturday

Hey Guys,
Sorry I haven't written in a few days, Landon has been here and I haven't even been on the computer much, just because his time here is limited and I just want to spend every second with him that I can. Things are still progressing along, Landon made me breakfast this morning, eggs, sausage, and waffles, it was soooo good! On Thursday I had a Dr. appt. we had another ultrasound that we were told looked good. We also had some more blood drawn and they called yesterday and said my uric acid level had went down some more since being released from the hospital, so that is great news. I go back on Monday for another ultrasound and another appt. The Dr. also increased my blood pressure meds some b/c I had started having the problem again of every time I sat up my pressure would go back up and when I layed back down on my left side it would dramatically go down. So hoping that maybe this change in my medication dosage will continue to do the trick..it's already working, b/c yesterday I got lucky enough to get out for a few minutes and ride to the grocery store with Landon. It's strange how you take for granted just being able to take a ride down the street, until I can't do anything except lay in the bed! My body has begun to get sore and I feel real sluggish, I have been sleeping more and I can't figure out why except b/c there is nothing else to do. You know how you feel when you get too much rest, well I feel like that times 10. But things are looking good and that's the main thing. We are really blessed to have these Dr's and a facility like Baptist Hospital available to us. And I can not praise this Hospitality House enough, it's about as close to being at home as they can provide, the staff even cooked us dinner every night, it's so nice and we are so thankful to these people b/c I don't know what we would do if we couldn't be so close to the hospital. My mother in law will be back tomorrow and she will be here until Wednesday afternoon, then Landon will be back here for a week, I can not wait, I am already starting to get sad at the thought of him leaving on Sunday, he just makes me feel so much calmer and like it's all gonna be OK. I really do have the most wonderful husband, I can't think of anything he could do to treat me better. He is a wonderful man, and I am so very very lucky! Well guys I'm gonna stop rambling and get back to my busy life of left side laying but I will try to write some more tomorrow. Thanks to all who are thinking about me, and please keep those prayers coming :)

Tuesday August 4, 2009

Hello Everyone.....
It's around 1:30p.m. I am currently resting and playing on the computer, this morning I got a much needed chance to get outside briefly, I needed several things to be settled in so I had no other choice but to go to Walmart, the Dr told me it was OK but for no longer than 30 min then back to bed, so I rode in the motorized wheelchair the whole time, b/c he said if I went I definitely could not walk the whole time, so wheelchair it was, and that was an experience all in itself, I had never been in one before except racing with Lori through walmart once at 2am but that was long ago, anyway i kept running into stuff and knocking stuff over and down, and everyone was looking at me like what are doing riding in a wheelchair as young as you are, i kept seeing this little precious old people who looked like they needed to be in it, this one little sweet man had a cane and had it in his buggy just strolling along and i felt so stupid :) but oh well, no one knows me here in Nashville anyway right?? But finally I started to master the driving and then it was time to get back, so I came back took a shower and now I have crawled back into the bed for some more rest. I haven't done anything since Wednesday and just going to walmart made me feel as though I had run a marathon.....My mother is here staying with me today, and my mother in law returns in the morning to relieve her, then Thursday afternoon Landon will be back for 3 days, I am really missing him so much, this whole situation just seems so much easier and like i can handle it better when he is here with me, he's takes the best care of me :) So I am very anxious for him to come back........The baby has been moving around like crazy today, which is unusual because usually he is a night baby, but it makes me feel so good to feel him and know he's still hanging in there. I go back to the Dr on Thursday for another ultrasound, I will start going every Monday and Thursday if not more from here on out. Well I'm getting off of this computer and gonna take a nap, Talk to y'all soon!!

Ahhhhh a sigh of relief, I am now out of the hospital, I am not home though.....I am staying in an apt at the hospitality house it's is basically like a hotel room but more like home, the Dr. wants me to stay here and I can not go back to Killen until after the baby is here and healthy.....but whatever I have to do I will :) This place is very nice and it's cheap, b/c being out of pocket for 3 months could get very expensive, so we are very lucky and thankful to have a place like this to go to. I got the results of my other 24 hour urine test today and the protein in my urine had decreased by about 100 mg so that is wonderful, also I had an in depth ultrasound today too and it showed nothing abnormal and besides the little squirt having the hiccups he was perfect......So now its strict bed rest and just trying to keep this little boy in my tummy for as long as we can until he is due......When we left from the hospital on our way to the hospitality house we had to go to the pharmacy and get some prescriptions and had to wait forever! And I didn't realize it but just being in the bed since Wednesday had made me so weak, I am pooped just from getting my meds and getting settled in here at the Hospitality House, so for the rest of the night it's rest rest and rest. This place we are staying is very close to the hospital it's only .55 miles so we could walk if we needed to, it's that close. Well anyway everyone, I am pooped and need a shower so I am heading to take one and crawl in the bed. Thanks again to all of you for my comments on facebook and for all the thoughts and prayers. I will update soon!
Crystal

Crystal's Hospital Blog

We also are at a milestone today, I start my 25 week today, every single day the baby stays inside the womb is a blessing and contributes to his well being so much, but another week along is even better, so today we are 25 weeks WOO-HOO!

August 2, 2009

I got to sleep late this morning, they did come in and draw blood at 5:30am but I got to go right back to sleep and slept until 9:30am, My mother in law got here around that time, she is coming to relieve Landon, he has to work the next 4 night shifts so I told him to go on home, b/c we really need to save his sick leave being as we do not know the future and might need it later, so he is gone now and will work tonight. I miss him already, I have a wonderful mother in law who is tending to my every need but it's just not the same as having my husband here...but anyway such is life and I will be fine......the Dr's all came in this morning they say everything is still looking good, my lab work is still doing what they want it to, I started another 24 hour urine test this morning at 5:30 also, so it will end in the morning and by lunch we should have the results of that, they said if they urine results look good and the ultrasound looks good in the morning I might get discharged from the hospital, but not to home, only to the an apt here that I will stay in still on very strict bed rest until baby time, or until something changes, so that is my status as of this moment, and it's good news so we are thankful........I will type some more as soon as I know anything new, thanks everyone for continuing to pray, we need all of the prayer we can get!
Crystal :)