Our Family

Samuel turns 1

2010-05-05T22:12:00.006-04:00

Happy Birthday Sammy!!!

The past year has gone by so fast, and we've obviously been busy!

Sam has four teeth, loves to eat and is walking like a pro (minus the two times he fell and bumped his head tonight, just in time for birthday pictures!).

Sam has brought such an incredible amount of joy to our lives! We are so excited to continue to watch you grow!

Merry Christmas 2009!

2009-12-16T20:40:00.008-05:00

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21

Merry Christmas and Blessings from the Andrew Emmitt family!

With the addition of Samuel Andrew Emmitt in May, it has been a wonderful year!

Thank you to all that have supported us with your prayers. We celebrated Daniel’s second birthday at the end of October! He had a sedated Echo in September. The Cardiologist told us that his heart looked amazing. We go back in February for a check up and another Echo, but he is not on any medications and leads the life of a healthy two year old! PTL

Daniel is a smart, smart boy! He can tell you his last name. He walks around the house singing his ABCs (seriously - alllll the time!). He counts to 11. He loves Curious George, Caillou and Elmo. Finally likes us to read books to him. Isn’t a horribly picky eater, but definitely loves the sweets. The one real funny thing he does is refer to himself in third person. He hardly ever says “Me or I” – just “Daniel.” “Daniel hungry” or “Daniel watch George.” It is kind of cute and funny (hopefully he grows out of it!)

Samuel – also known as Sam and Sammy and “beef cake!” Seven months old already – it went by so fast (okay, I can say that now because he is FINALLY sleeping through the night)! The Christmas card doesn’t do Sam justice. He is a smiley, happy and BIG baby boy (we took about 15 different pictures and that was the only one that Daniel was smiling in!). In the past two weeks he has cut his first two teeth, is sitting up on his own and YES, sleeping through the night! Not quite crawling, but rolls all over the floor. Sam is our eater. He has never balked at any baby food, he will eat it all! He weighs more at seven months than Daniel weighed at one year. It was a tough few months at first, but now we are so glad that they are so close in age. Sam lights up every time Daniel walks into the room and Daniel loves having someone to play with.

In September, Andy and I celebrated our six year anniversary. In December, thanks to the graciousness of the best two sets of grandparents in the world, we were able to take our first vacation in four years. We went to Riviera Maya, Mexico for a week and it was wonderful! The boys didn’t even miss us!

Air-Tite Insulation will soon celebrate its five year anniversary! Andy is working hard every day to keep it running, even in this economy. We are all very proud of what he has accomplished! Andy is still serving as a member of the Kent County Republican Executive Committee, 3rd Congressional District Republican Committee Treasurer and the Michigan Republican State Committee. He is also back volunteering when he can as an assistant wrestling coach for Byron Center High School.

I am in my eighth year of service working for Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land. This past summer she announced that she was endorsing Mike Bouchard for governor, and would be running as his Lt. Governor! We were all very excited, because they make a great team and are exactly what Michigan needs at the Capitol! I continue to work as her Director of Constituent Relations and am currently planning her 2010 Thank You Tour of all 140+ branch offices. I have also served the past year on the Search Team for a new Senior Pastor at First Reformed Church of Byron Center. In August I became a member of the South Kent Rotary Club and truly enjoy this great group! I also have the honor of being recently chosen to receive a 2010 Fellowship to the Michigan Political Leadership Program out of MSU. It will be a busy, but fun, year!

We ask that you remember our military brothers this holiday season. Steven is currently stationed in Afghanistan and most likely won’t be home until next April. Josh is stationed in Hawaii and is working on Ranger School. Lisa is working on her RN and Doug became a Navy Reserve Officer this year. Sarah and Steve are expecting their first child in May 2010. Nathan is growing like a weed and is in the 7th grade. Mom & Dad Kilgore (Gammy & Papa) doing well, although Gammy has a very sore elbow from carrying Sammy around for a week!

Mom & Dad Emmitt (Nama and Bopa) are also doing well. Nama recently recovering from double foot surgery! Tim and Molly are expecting their third child in April. Shelby and Nate are working their way out of Flint – hopefully soon!! Kate and Todd are planning a September 11, 2010 wedding and doing great in their new home in Kalamazoo.

Thanks again for your prayers and support.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

God Bless in 2010

The Emmitts

TWO!

2009-10-29T21:57:00.005-04:00

Two years ago today I was lying in a hospital bed. I was having easy contractions, wondering when we were going to meet our baby and praying that God would heal our child’s heart. The posts are still here! Take a trip to the past if you have time. Then thank God again :D

The boys are doing really well. We’ve had a couple colds, but we are thankful that the flu has not hit us yet. I’ve been really torn about the flu shots – anyone that wants to offer advice, please do!!

We are celebrating Daniel’s birthday with tacos and an Elmo cake – provided by Nama! Can’t wait to take a bunch of pictures.

Daniel talks in full sentences. He is a little chatterbox! He counts – sometimes to 10! He likes to call all letters A, B and F. He has even been helping Gammy with the barn chores!

They almost seem like they could be twins. If we sit Sam in the Bumbo chair, Daniel will bring him toys to play with. If Sam is crying, Daniel runs to him and says, “Its ok Sammy!"

We did our second annual fall photo shoot last week. Daniel doesn’t like to smile for pictures anymore. He wants the camera! Sometimes he manages to take some pretty cute pictures!

We have Daniel's two year check up in two weeks. We will make sure to update again soon.

Sam is 5 Months

2009-10-11T21:18:00.004-04:00

And started eating solid foods - rice cereal.

As expected, the boy loved it!

He is also rolling over!

For the past three weeks, Sam has not been sleeping well at night. For those of you who know me, know that I am crazy when it comes to their sleep schedules. Yet, now Sammy's lack of night time sleep is driving me crazy! We haven't had more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep in weeks - we were getting more when he was first born! I can't imagine it is a growth spurt, because he is huge! Hopefully we can move past this soon.

Daniel is a chatterbox, but we love it. It is so much better being able to communicate with him. He discovered that he can open doors - even the fridge... He doesn't really enjoy the cold weather and having to stay inside so much. He spends a lot of time watching his friend, Curious George. This afternoon he counted to 10! He now tells us when he is "stinky" too! Hard to believe he is almost 2 years old!

Busy Mommy!

2009-09-28T20:43:00.003-04:00

Sam is almost 5 months old, but here is his 4 month picture! At his 4 month check up he was 16 lbs 3 oz (75th percentile) and 26 1/2 inches long (90th percentile!) He is wearing 9 month pjs!

Sam LOVES Daniel. He lights up whenever he comes into the room. When Sam is crying, Daniel says, "Its okay Sammy!" They are going to be playing together in no time. Makes us glad that they are so close in age!

Two weeks ago Sam was Baptized - it was a GREAT day!!!
He wore an outfit that his 20-year-old Uncle Steven wore the day he was Baptized!

Sam slept through the whole service. Grandpa stood behind us as our Elder representative. It was awesome to have him and so many family members and friends there!

Last weekend we went to Mackinac Island for the Republican Conference. Daniel stayed home with Aunt Sarah and Uncle Steve. Sam came with us - he was the youngest volunteer there and did a GREAT job!! This picture is in front of Mission Point.
Here we are on the porch of the Grand Hotel.
Daniel had a sedated Echo last month. It was a nerve-wracking experience, but had GREAT results! Daniel had to have an IV put into his hand - not fun. I was crying before it even started. Here we are looking at the little plastic cover they put over it.
After about 20 minutes of the Echo, the cardiologist finally said that his heart looked great! He told us that he could enjoy a "normal" childhood and he didn't think that Daniel would need another surgery!! We will go back next Spring for another check up, but he shouldn't have to be sedated again (thank goodness!) It was an answer to prayers!!

Work and life keeps us nice and busy. We love our boys - as you do too! We update our Facebook accounts as regularly as possible - so check us out there for more pictures :D

Picture Time

2009-08-31T21:43:00.003-04:00

A few favorites!

The cutest two boys ever!

I have lost count!?

2009-08-12T21:05:00.005-04:00

Wow – it IS totally different with the second child!

I have no idea how many weeks old he is – I think he’s at 14??

I do know that he is 3 months old!

Sam is getting so cute! Everyone I say that to says that he has always been cute – but I think he’s making that transition from “infant” to cute and cuddly “baby.” Okay, he’s probably pushing 15 lbs – that might have something to do with it!

This picture really shows how long he has gotten - wearing all 6 month clothes!

We had a fun weekend in Holly last month. Daniel loves the mulberry bush.

He also loves bubbles!

We went on vacation to Silver Lake again this year. Andy found us a great deal on a camper to rent. We say that when the boys are both potty trained we are going to go back to camping in a tent – we’ll see!!!

We were actually grateful to have a nice big camper that week. The first morning we were there, Daniel woke up and threw up alllllllllll over. Then he had the runs the whole rest of the week, including gas pains that were so bad they made him cry and grab at his stomach every few minutes. Other than that and the cold weather, :D we had a great time.

It was cold, but we still hiked our way over to the beach a few times. Daniel had so much fun playing with Uncle Nate in the sand.

Sam was amazing! Of course, before we left I was so stressed out about where he was going to sleep and if he would be okay sleeping in the same area as Daniel. We ended up putting him on the bench of the table and he slept wonderfully! Even on the beach he did great!

When we got home however, he went through his 3 month growth spurt and was up 3 – 4 times in the night… We’ve been back down to just once for the past two nights – hoping that continues!
Daniel is a parrot. He is mimicking everything we say and talks in complete sentences half the time. And he is finally eating!! He’s been really picky since Christmas, but seems to finally be willing to try new things and eat (or drink) veggies. He loves V8.

We’re still working on the potty. He sits on it multiple times a day, but doesn’t go but once in a great while. At least he’s used to it and feels comfortable on it. We don’t think it will be too much longer before he really understands and wants to use it.

Daniel has to have an Echo done at the hospital on September 9th. Due to his age, they require that he be sedated. Due to this, he has to have a complete health and wellness check at the ped. prior to the Echo. Please keep him in your prayers – pray that his Echo show that his heart is working and growing perfectly. We appreciate it!

10 Weeks!

2009-07-15T22:04:00.004-04:00

Sam had his two month check up this morning.

We knew he was getting really big, but didn’t know HOW BIG!!

13 lbs 3 oz (75th percentile) and 24 ¾ inches long (92nd percentile)!

It’s amazing how different two kids can grow when they start off in the same place!

We finally found a pacifier that Sam seems to like - thank goodness!

We’re big into building “forts” around here now. Here is the boys’ first one!

We walked in the Grandville Parade on the 4th of July and both boys loved it.

Sam got to chill with his best buddy Colin.

Daniel continues to love to sit on the potty – here is one of his “successful” times :D

8 weeks!

2009-07-02T19:46:00.005-04:00

Its amazing how “busy” I feel. I think that being tired compounds that feeling, because I actually have a ton of help with the boys. Almost every day, someone is around to help when I need it. Whether it be Andy taking Daniel or Sam with him in the morning to get his crews going on the job, or Aunt Kate spending the day with us. We even have a friend named Stephanie coming over two mornings a week to play with Daniel. And yet, I am too “busy” to update the blog!

Sam is a big boy compared to his brother. All of the 0 – 3 month clothing has been taken out of his drawers and I moved all of the 3 months and 3 – 6 month stuff in. He has his two month appointment on the 15^th. I’ll post his stats after that!

He is really starting to smile and coo. And no matter how hard I try, he is not interested in a plastic pacifier… Daniel sleeps with at least 5 of them in his bed and Sam wants nothing to do with them!

Daniel still calls him “Baby”, just refuses to call him Sam. He smiles every time he wakes up and sees Sam in the next room. Daniel has started mimicking a lot of what we say – we have to

start being careful :S He says “Thank You” (sounds like “tank em”) and we’re working on “I love you.” He also enjoys sitting on the potty and brushing his teeth at the same time… yeah, he just likes the baby toothpaste and for some reason he likes sitting on the potty – not sure! He’s only gone #1 two times, but it’s a start. Last week I spent $70 on diapers and another $13 on wipes – sheez!!

Last weekend was cousin Kathy’s wedding. HI MARY :D The whole Family was in town – including Uncle Steven. Steven turns 20 in the next week and a week later will be deployed to Afghanistan… we will miss him greatly and would appreciate prayers for his safety!

Nama and Bopa were in town to babysit while we went to the wedding. They came with a big gift for Daniel – a sand box!!! He loves it!!

Sam is currently drifting off to sleep at 7:30 pm. This is usually his longest stretch of sleep. Normally he will wake up around 1:00 am. If I didn’t have things to do (like update the blog ;) I would go to bed right now too! We’re working on his “schedule” and hoping that it is at least manageable by next Tuesday – that’s when I go back to work. I’m not going to type about going back because I’ll just get sad. I’m grateful to have a job, just sad to be leaving my boys.

Sam is One Month Old

2009-06-09T12:34:00.003-04:00

I took Sam to the doctor this morning for his one month check up. He was 10 lbs 5 oz and 23 inches long! Daniel wasn't that big until he was two and a half months old!

We've had some issues with Sam spitting up a lot, but the doctor just thinks that he over eats at times. We've also been very gassy - both of us - so I need to watch my diet :D

The first three weeks we were home, he was only getting up once during the night to eat - it was great! Over the past week & a half, Sam decided that once a night was not enough and is up at least twice.Everyone always asks me what Daniel thinks of his little brother. I think Daniel likes him - when he's not in my arms. He still just calls Sam "Baby," but sometimes calls him "Cute Baby."

Recently I've felt like I haven't been giving Sam the attention that he deserves. I feed him and cuddle with him occasionally. But most of the time that he's awake he ends up in the baby seat. When he cries, we try to pacify him and get him to sleep. I'm sure that most second time parents can relate. Maybe this is what they all meant when they told us it would be tough at first! Hopefully, we will be able to split our time more evenly in the future.

Almost Four Weeks Old!

2009-06-01T15:10:00.003-04:00

Life seems to be becoming "manageable" again :)

Being able to pick up Daniel again has made a huge difference (to me) in our home. My recovery continues to go pretty well. I still have some pain, but am getting better every day.Daniel is still getting used to the new baby at home. He calls his little brother "baby" and likes to climb up on the furniture to get a better look at him.

Sam's Granny gave him his first real tubby a couple weeks ago. He seemed to really enjoy the warm water! He was reallllly dirty! Since then, he has taken a bath with his Daddy and Daniel, as well as a couple of showers!

Andy and I got some much needed exercise yesterday and walked the couple miles to my parent's house. This picture truly shows his Daddy skills. He has done so much for us and around the house. We couldn't have gotten through these past weeks without him!!

Two Weeks Old

2009-05-20T13:08:00.003-04:00

It is hard to believe that Sam is already two weeks old!

He is a wonderful baby.

Sam has blessed his Mommy and Daddy with sleep!! For the past week he has only gotten up once a night to feed - between 2 - 3 am. It has been amazing, and I'm sure another reason why my recovery is going well. We pray that this sleeping pattern stays in place!

We took both boys into the doctor last week for check ups. Sam was 7 lbs 15 oz - which meant he had gained 8 oz over the weekend.

Daniel was just over 23 lbs, still in the 10th percentile. But his head was 50 cm - 99th percentile!! He is so smart :D

I had to take Sam in yesterday for another weight check. He was 8 lbs 9 oz! We figure at this rate, he is going to be wearing Daniel's clothes before Daniel grows out of them!

We spent last weekend at Nama and Bopa's house and had a wonderful time with all our aunts and uncles and cousins!
It is Daddy's birthday this Friday - Happy Birthday Daddy, xoxox from your two boys!!

Our Family of Four!

2009-05-13T10:25:00.002-04:00

I started writing this entry last week while I sat in my hospital bed and finally finished it today – as Sam turns one week old. I never knew it would grow to be this long. But I wrote it not only for you, but for me. I don’t have all of these memories written down from Daniel’s birth. So, on this computer screen lies just about as much of the complete story as I can remember – ALL the details!

You have been warned!

I hope you “enjoy” reading about the birth of Samuel Andrew Emmitt!

Tuesday, May 5^th at my regular OB appointment (39 weeks and 3 days), he checked my progress and told me that I was 2 cm, stretchable to 3 cm and 70% effaced. He stripped my membranes and sent me home with an appointment for 1:30 pm on May 6^th.

Andy and I were very excited!! We ran some errands and then took Daniel to Andy’s church league softball game. I wasn’t really having any contractions, was just kind of crampy. I decided to get on the elliptical (since it was Biggest Loser night and I did that throughout my whole pregnancy) and got in 20 minutes – which was 10 minutes shorter than I usually did, but I had already walked a mile that morning with Daniel J. I stretched for a while (again something I did the whole pregnancy) and we decided to go to bed. We did use one more labor inducing technique, but I am not going to share those details J. Sam is going to be so embarrassed when he reads this some day! We went to sleep kind of sad, since we were sure that something should have been happening. I wasn’t even crampy any more when I closed my eyes at 11:30 pm.

I woke up with severe pains at 12:30 am. I went to the bathroom and had 4 BMs in 30 minutes, and was really cramping up. I decided to take a shower. Once I was out of the shower, the pains finally started to come and go – weren’t just constant anymore. I knew they were “real” contractions, something I never felt with Daniel.

We decided it was time to call the doctor – around 1:30 am. He had told me that he wanted me to call if I was having contractions 10 minutes apart – didn’t want me to be in painful labor, because he wanted to monitor my previous c-section scar. Well, the contractions were now about 3 – 4 minutes apart and getting more painful. I still wasn’t positive that it was active labor because between contractions I felt fine. I didn’t even let Andy take the bags into the hospital with us. I didn’t want to be embarrassed walking out of the hospital with them if it was false labor.

We arrived at Triage and they hooked me up to the monitors. Once I was lying down on my back, the contractions started coming a lot harder and faster. There was a scare with the baby’s heart rate and the room was filled with nurses and another doctor. They made me get up on all fours on the bed to move the baby’s position and tried to put in an IV in my arm while I was in that position (didn’t work…) but the baby’s heart rate went back to normal. They kept me on my side from that point forward.

I was soon moved to a labor room and I asked “are we here to stay?” Yes! I was 4cm and 80% effaced and it was time to see my OB. He came in and said he was going to break my water so that he could put in internal monitors for my contraction sizes and the baby’s heart rate – to keep a closer eye on them.

As a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) patient, the biggest risk is uterine rupture. The chance of it happening is around 1%, but if it does, it could be fatal to baby and/or mom. I knew the risks, but I also knew the risks with a repeat c-section and had my heart set on the VBAC. That’s why I exercised this whole pregnancy and switched doctors and hospitals.

My OB recommended me getting an epidural, in case of the need to do an emergency c-section. While pregnant, I really want to try going all natural, since I partially blamed my first c-section on the fact that my epidural was horrible and I couldn’t feel anything when it came time to push.

I caved as soon as it was offered once my water was broke. Give me the epi! I warned the anesthesiologist that the last time it took 4 pokes and it was never set right. He laughed it off, and went to work. It took him two tries. I even told him at one point that I could hear water in my head (I was so scared). I ended up with what they call a “heavy block” and was completely numb from the top of my tummy down. I didn’t complain this time, because at least I couldn’t feel the contractions. But they ended up turning it off almost immediately. Weird thing was, even though it was turned off, the feeling to my legs did not return. The feeling didn’t come back until they removed it completely.

Things were moving very fast though. I think it was around 5:30 am that the epi doctor came back and decided to try one more time. I don’t really remember how I felt after he placed it. I remember him saying “I’ll be back in two hours to check on you.” At that point, Andy decided to go to the car and get the bags. The hospital is currently under construction and he got lost on the way back up! He was gone for about a half hour. In that time, my OB came back to check on me and said I was at 9 cm!! I was so excited and mentally preparing myself to push. Even the nurse was explaining the process to me!

The OB stayed close by though and said that he noticed the baby’s heart rate was going down briefly after every contraction. Then he looked down into my catheter bag and saw blood… He asked where Andy was… He watched one more contraction on the monitor and said we have to do a c-section. I started crying, Andy walked in the room. He asked if I could try pushing and the doctor said “absolutely not.” I cried harder. He started to explain all the reasons why the heart rate could be going down and why there was blood. I just kept crying. I cried the whole way to the operating room. I cried the whole time they prepped me. They finally gave me the gas mask to calm me down. Instead of “calming down,” I saw the black and white pinwheel from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which turned all white and my last thought was that I had died.

SO when I came to – still very loopy – the first thing I said to Andy was, “I thought I was dead!” He laughed at me and then next thing I did was start to freak out about coming to! I was under general anesthetic for Daniel’s c-section, so I never felt anything. Coming to and starting to “feel” things during a c-section is scary!! I was worried that I was going to start feeling pain, along with feeling the medical instruments lying on top of me. The anesthesiologist promised me that I wouldn’t.

It was at 7:46 am that I heard the OB say, “It’s a boy! And he is TALL!” They briefly held him over the curtain and then brought him to the warmer. Andy ran over there and said, “Beth look!” I turned my head and said, “Oh my goodness, he looks like Daniel!” And that was my first thought – he looked just like his brother! It seemed to take a long time for them to put me back together. I was still really loopy and started to feel nauseous. One of the docs told me I would feel a little sick when they put my uterus back in me. That freaked me out, I never knew they took it out! Andy took a ton of pictures over the blue curtain – I won’t even look at them!!

We did not find out the gender previous to baby’s birth, but I was convinced it was a girl. During one of my ultrasounds, I could have sworn the tech said “and there’s HER femur.” I was wrong! Andy turned to me and asked me what his name was. In my loopy haze I said, “Samuel Andrew!” It was the only name we had ever considered for a boy.

We finally ended up in recovery. I was there for about two hours. My incision was really sore, even with the pain meds. After what seemed like forever, they finally gave me morphine to help me feel better. They had been pumping IV fluids in me since I arrived at the hospital, and kept me on them for another 24 hours. I was nervous about swelling like I did last time, but it never ended up to be that bad.

The Emmitt grandparents had arrived right after Samuel was born and the Kilgore grandparents soon after them. He was 7 lbs 11 oz and 21 ½ inches long! He has a 14 cm head circumference and really long feet. And as he grew minutes older, he started to look more and more like Andy! Gone is that instant reaction that he looks like Daniel. He is definitely an Emmitt and his Daddy’s little mini man.

Of course, we spent a lot of time comparing the two boys. Daniel had dark black hair, dark brown eyes and was covered in brown fuzzy body hair the day he was born. Sam has lighter colored hair, blue-gray eyes and his eye lashes, eye brows and fuzz are blond. And just as he was inside my belly – he is a mover! He doesn’t like to be still and you have to hold him with two hands at all times. His favorite position is being all bunched up on your shoulder. Sam has incredibly long nail beds and his feet are the longest baby feet you will ever see!

The rest of Wednesday was busy with family coming to visit, including big brother Daniel. I was very well medicated, so the pain wasn’t bad. Both Andy and I were exhausted though – we hadn’t slept in 24 hours. Oh – so do you want to know what the first meal they brought to me, just 5 hours following my c-section???? BAKED COD FISH and green beans?!?! It stunk up the whole room. I spent the next few days eating some pretty gross food, but mainly focused on fruits to get the old “system’ working. And it did – with the help of gas pills and softeners – by Friday things were moving!

Samuel began nursing like a champ. It has been a wonderful experience – much better than having to pump in my milk! My milk actually came in Thursday night. I was told that I was lucky, because most c-section moms don’t get their milk until they go home. I don’t think it is luck – it is God!

Thursday morning began at 5:30 am. Why they send in the guy to draw blood at that hour, I do not understand. Three more pokes in my arm and he finally found some! A half hour later a doctor came in to look at my incision. He did a nice job of ripping off chunks of skin while removing the bandage. I also had my catheter removed and started taking short trips out of bed and around the room. Thursday morning, Daniel and Nama and Bopa came back to visit. As did Shana and Sam’s future Best Friend, Colin! Great Aunt Darla also came by. Thursday afternoon we didn’t have any visitors, and I got to spend some great one on one time with my new little boy. Thursday night Great Grandma came to visit. We also got a great night of sleep, since we had Sam go to the nursery between feedings.

Friday was really nice and quiet as well. I finally had the IV taken out of my hand and was able to take a shower – pure heaven! A suggestion to anyone facing a c-section in the future – ask for a chair for the shower. I sat in there for 20 minutes. It was wonderful! Aunt Sarah visited and I tried walking the halls a few times. I was feeling a lot better already. Friday night Granny and Papa’s friends, Mark & Rose came by, as did Aunt Lisa and Doug. That night we kept Sam in our room and got a few hours of sleep.

Sam had a little bit of jaundice, but his levels started going down the day we came home. He had lost those few ounces that all newborns lose, but was back up to 7 lbs 7 oz the day we left.

We were finally discharged on Saturday afternoon, following Sam’s circumcision – ouch! I also had my 22 staples removed. My recovery is going very well. This being my second section, I worked with the nurses and doctors to make sure that all of those horrible things that happened in my first “recovery” did not happen again. I am currently praying that I will not have any issues with infection and would appreciate similar prayers! The thing that bugs me the worst right now are all the areas where the doctors ripped off my skin when they pulled my bandage off!

One thing I highly recommend to all pregnant women is EXERCISE!! I was a couch potato during my first pregnancy and sure that had a lot to do with my recovery. This time I was determined to stay “in shape” – ha J I did a yoga/Pilates class once a week from 14 weeks pregnant all the way to 38 weeks. I also did 3 – 5 days a week of either the elliptical or walking. I just feel so much better this time and believe that all the exercise definitely helped. However, I got on the scale when we got home and was the EXACT SAME weight I was on Tuesday at the doctor’s office!! What the heck? They took almost an 8 lb baby out of me?! I was told it was from all the fluids I was given. I started having the “night sweats” though, and am hoping it will shed soon! I do still have quite the postpartum belly though!! And am very glad that it isn’t quite swim suit season!! I’m still pretty sore, but only taking a couple Ibuprofen a day.

Daniel spent the weekend at Nama and Bopa’s house and had tons of fun with his cousins! When Aunt Kate dropped him off on Sunday, we couldn’t believe how big he was. He is climbing on any piece of furniture he can get up on! He and I are having a tough time with the fact that I can’t pick him up. I cried last night when Andy was putting him to bed, because he was reaching out for me L

Even though he hasn’t been home more than 24 hours with us, it has been a challenge. Sam seems so easy, but Daniel overwhelms me. It was like we left him last Wednesday morning and he was still our baby and just a little boy. Now he’s so big and getting in to so much trouble! Andy looked at me tonight and said, “is he two yet?!” I’m not sure if he is acting out against the changes at home or if he was just easier to deal with when it was just him and I could actually pick him up.

Our first night home was tough, but night two went great. I’m sure we’ll have a lot of both types in the months to come. Andy is a wonderful Dad and has changed 99% of the diapers – now of two boys!

It is nothing like it was with Daniel though – there is no set three hour schedule. There are no tubes or oxygen tanks in the house. It is so much more relaxed and fun. We love both of our boys and would go through it all again to have them, but praise God for all we have been blessed with!

Thank you all very much for your support and prayers!

God’s presence has been evident in this pregnancy since conception. Sam was brought into our lives at the exact time we needed a second child. It wasn’t our timing, that is for sure.

God was also with us during the delivery. Two days after he was born, my OB came by to check on me. He asked me if I had heard him talking during the c-section. As I have previously said, I was really loopy. He told me that my previous scar was tearing from the inside out and that Sam’s head was covered in blood from my uterus. If he had allowed me to get to 10 cm and push, it could have been fatal for one or both of us.

Again – He knows the plans He has for us!!

One more week

2009-05-02T23:08:00.002-04:00

Still here.

I started having Braxton Hicks contractions really early on in this pregnancy and the baby was measuring "ahead" at the two ultrasounds I had. I just thought for sure it was going to be an early birth. Well, the baby has 6 more days to prove me right :)

It has been an emotional week, where my hormones seem to be rocking and rolling all over the place. Obviously much different than with Daniel, but I just feel so ready to be done being pregnant. We are very anxious to meet this little one!

I've been walking like crazy and we've had our share of spicy foods this week. But it looks like its once again going to be God's timing and not ours.

We will post in the next week, one way or another!

Two More Weeks

2009-04-24T10:56:00.007-04:00

The Emmitt Family enjoyed a beautiful Easter Sunday at church. Daddy and Daniel had matching outfits. They both looked so cute in their ties!! :)

And what kid doesn't want a chocolate bunny on his dinner plate, next to his ham? Thanks Great Grandpa!

Granny gave Daniel his Easter basket, complete with Elmo cup - as Elmo is Daniel's FAVORITE character right now. If you get a chance, ask Granny how many Easter baskets she's made for her own kids over the years ;) I guess that's what Grandmas are for!

We FINALLY finished the basement living room!! Just a year & a half after we started it, it has carpet and is a great space for Daniel to play. Andy added a note on the concrete with our initials and the date that the carpet was put down.

Uncle Steven is now home on leave from the army. He just graduated from Airborne - he jumps out of airplanes!! I've seen the pictures and video and its crazy! We are very proud of him! He reports to Fort Bragg on May 12th, so he'll be home for Baby 2's birth.

Baby 2 is due two weeks from tomorrow. I had been having so many contractions a few weeks ago that I was sure this baby was going to come early. As is the case for most pregnant women near the end of their term, I'm "ready." My doctor has mentioned that he does not want me to go past 40 weeks, or else he will want to schedule a repeat c-section. Since Daniel's birth, I have been hoping and praying that the birth of our second child would be able to be "natural." I would appreciate prayers for a safe and healthy "natural" birth, one that does not result in a c-section. We know that the most important thing is a healthy baby and healthy momma and praise God that the two of us have been healthy thus far!

Thank you and enjoy this beautiful weekend!

5 more weeks!

2009-04-05T22:17:00.004-04:00

I know I look big, but I was feeling brave and decided to post a belly picture! And yes, there is only one baby in there!

35 weeks pregnant as of this past weekend. We had an ultrasound last week and the baby looked great! It was measuring 5 lbs 14 oz - which is about 5 oz bigger than Daniel was measuring at this stage.
Speaking of our boy, he is now 17 months and doing great. All of the sudden, his teeth have come in. He is even working on a couple of molars! We go back to the cardiologist next week, so we will make sure to post another update soon!

The Shroll Family

2009-03-10T12:21:00.001-04:00

Our very good friends, Jason & Shana Shroll welcomed their first son, Colin Jay, to the world yesterday.

Praise God!

Here is the link to their blog: http://shrollpatrol.blogspot.com/

Winter Thaw

2009-02-15T21:48:00.005-05:00

We enjoyed the great thaw we had last week!

Daniel played outside for the first time as the weather started to warm up. Even got to use the sled Aunt Sarah got him for Christmas.

Daniel and Laura watched Daddy plow the snow from the driveway.

Last Sunday and Tuesday we went for walks! Too bad it didn’t last long, but it gave us another reason to be excited for Spring!

My Christmas cactus and orchard decided that now was a good time to go bloomin’ crazy! Don’t think I have a green thumb – these are the only two plants I’ve ever been able to keep alive. The cactus is 5 ½ years old and the orchard is 3 years old!

Andy helped me with a little project for work last weekend… :D
Andy was Larry - on the left below

Daniel is so much fun. He spent the entire day on Saturday with Daddy at the conference wrestling tournament! He was so worn out from the weekend that he took a nap in Daddy’s arms today – it was so precious!

Andy and I went out for a great dinner last night – following a day of pampering, made for a very nice Valentines Day!

Third trimester! I am 28 weeks now and still feeling good – just big!

I turned 29 today and couldn’t be more grateful to God for all He has blessed my life with. It was one of the best birthday weekend’s I’ve ever had.

February Already!

2009-02-03T21:08:00.003-05:00

And we are very excited!

Next week I will start my third trimester. The pregnancy has gone very well - love those happy hormones!

I had an Echo done last week on Baby 2's heart and was told it looked great. Baby 2 on the other hand, is BIG - measuring a couple weeks early. Might be because I'm eating too many sweets - I'll be tested for gestational diabetes next week (all pregnant woman have to be tested). Hopefully its just a big baby :)

Daniel seems to get older and more mature every day. He screams Momma and Daddy now. Also "bottle" (any drink) and "cookie!"

He finally had two more teeth break through - one of his snaggle-teeth and the front tooth next to it - looks kind of funny :)

Today he started to CLIMB - yikes! He was climbing up on his plastic "fort" and then falling off it with a THUD! I started to jump up to run to him, thinking he would cry, but he was a tough little boy and tried climbing up it again. I'll try to catch a picture of him in the act soon.

We've moved to a big boy car seat - he is so cute in this picture!

We all had the stomach flu over Christmas and Daniel has had one cold after another, but he takes it like a champ and doesn't let it slow him down.

Thanks for checking in with us :)

Baby 2's Heart looks PERFECT!

2008-12-23T20:53:00.002-05:00

We had an ultrasound today at my old high risk doctor’s office. They showed us all of the different parts of the heart where Daniel had defects and they all looked perfect so far!

We go back in at the end of January to have an Echo done of the baby’s heart and will be watched throughout the rest of the pregnancy. The doctor said that things could “evolve” but the chances are very low.

The baby was approximately 15 oz and we were told that it was measuring a bit large – funny to us since Daniel’s weight has been low. It was crazy busy too – bouncing all around inside!

It was a very happy moment for us and a great early Christmas present!!! We wanted to share the good news with you all.

We had some professional pictures of Daniel taken recently. Even though he was sleepy and crabby that night, they turned out really cute! A few of them can be seen here: http://imagesofessencephotography.blogspot.com/2008/12/miracle-man.html

God Bless – Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-11T22:23:00.002-05:00

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men’”!

(Luke 2: 1-14).

Merry Christmas from the Emmitt family –

Andy, Beth, Daniel and Baby 2!

This Christmas ends a year that has brought us even closer to God and each other. We have been blessed by support, prayers and even through music. As in 2007, this past year had its bumps in the road – but God has helped us and shown us the detours.

Daniel has grown from a beautiful baby to a handsome little boy. Last month his cardiologist told us that he didn’t see any real changes in his condition in the past 6 months and thought he was doing very well. We go back in April for his next check up.

Just two & a half teeth so far (one is currently poking through), and he has just become brave enough to take those first steps! We’re not pushing him though – he will be our big boy before we know it!

Speaking of big boy – Daniel will be a big brother sometime in May 2009. Baby Emmitt #2 is what we are calling an “unexpected blessing,” and we couldn’t be happier. We don’t plan on finding out the gender of this baby – the surprise is just too much fun! We have an ultrasound scheduled for December 23^rd with the high risk doctor I saw with Daniel. We are praying for a 100% healthy baby! This baby has been a beautiful reminder of the verse we have had on this site from day one – God has a plan!

Andy’s company – Air-Tite Insulation – has also been blessed this past year. His hard work and dedication and lots of prayers have lead to steady jobs in this tough economy. Now is the perfect time to add insulation to your attic and save on your energy bills – just give Andy a call! : )

2008 saw me to my sixth year working for Terri Lynn Land. It has gone by so quickly! Two more years with this term, but we should soon see the direction in which God is calling her. I am blessed with an amazing group of co-workers that I am proud to call my friends!

We thank you all so much for your continued support and prayers!

Merry Christmas!

He's 13 months and I'm 17 Weeks

2008-12-02T13:57:00.005-05:00

The Emmitt family is doing well!

Daniel’s birthday was great – he didn’t quite understand the cake and all he could do to it the first time, so we celebrated twice :D

He had his Cardiologist appointment a few weeks ago. The doctor told me that he looks great and from the EKG results, he didn’t think that there had been much of a change in the past six months. He could still hear his heart murmur, but didn’t think it was necessary to do an ECHO. We will go back in April for another check up.

The Pediatrician appointment was much the same.
Weight: 19 lbs 14 oz
Height: 29 ½ inches
Head: Huge! (90th percentile)
The doctor ordered another round of RSV shots for Daniel this winter. Downside, he will have to get a shot every month. Upside, he will be more protected from contracting RSV. Overall, he thought that Daniel was doing really well! We go back in February for his 15 month shots.

Daniel is just starting to get brave enough to take some steps on his own – I believe that 7 or 8 steps are the record so far. He can do it, he just needs a little more courage!

Food… oh, my once wonderful eater that would eat anything we feed him is now being picky. We’ll keep pushing the veggies, but its tough not to laugh when he just opens his mouth and lets them fall out. Laura is going to get fat! I can’t imagine feeding a toddler without a dog below!!

Baby Emmitt #2 seems to be doing great so far. The ultrasound pictures in the post below were taken when I was 11 weeks 6 days. I had the first trimester quad screen done to test for Downs and the Trisomies - tests I had done via amino after Daniel’s heart condition was discovered. This time I just had to have some blood squeezed out of my finger and the ultrasound done. The test results were negative – things looking good so far!

I had morning sickness for about a month, but am now in my 4th month and feeling really good. I’ve really “popped” and almost look pregnant and not just fat :D

I’ve had a lot of personal struggles with the issue of giving birth this time around. I’ve done a lot of research on VBACs and feel that if this baby is 100% healthy, that is the route I will take. This requires me finding a new OB and new hospital, which I will do after our big ultrasound.

I’ve been seeing the OB I had at the beginning of my pregnancy with Daniel and will see her one more time tomorrow. We will then schedule my big ultrasound with the high risk doctor I saw in Grand Rapids during the second half of my pregnancy with Daniel.

I will update the blog with any news. Please continue to pray for us and baby 2!

Being Fruitful and Multiplying!

2008-11-10T20:51:00.004-05:00

Here comes number two!

Daniel will welcome a brother or sister (sorry, but we like to be surprised!) in the beginning of May, 2009.

These ultrasound pictures are from a few weeks ago, when the baby was just 12 weeks old. Technology (and God!) is amazing.

The babies will be about 18 months apart! Anyone that wants to babysit next summer is more than welcome :D

ONE YEAR OLD!

2008-10-29T10:41:00.015-04:00

Praise be to God!

Daniel is one year old today!

It has been one amazing year.

We were blessed with the charge to take care of this beautiful little boy.

We thank God for every day with Daniel.
Next week we have a cardiologist appointment - his first in 6 months!

We pray that Daniel's heart is functioning perfectly!

Watch our boy grow!

Thank you so much to all of you who have followed our blog

and prayed for our family!

God has a plan!

11 Months

2008-10-01T21:14:00.003-04:00

Getting in to trouble is easy for Daniel.

He can scoot in and out of any room.

He’ll play with his toys for about 3 minutes, and then it’s off to the dog bowl!

He is even crawling on his hands and knees.

He is such a good boy.

It is tough to believe he’ll be one in less than a month!

Soldier Steven

2008-09-20T23:09:00.005-04:00

We had the privilege of driving to Fort Knox, KY and watching Daniel’s Uncle Steven graduate from Army Basic Training. We are so proud of him!

We arrived Wednesday night and stayed at the military campground in a nice cabin. Granny, Jed, Aunt Sarah, Aunt Lisa and Uncle Nate were also with us.

Thursday morning we went on to the base and walked into a gymnasium to see 218 of the most brave guys in the United States. After brief “instructions” on what the soldiers were and weren’t allowed to do, we were able to see Steven for the first time since July 8th.

He was allowed to leave the base for the day, but had to be back by 9:30 pm. We went to lunch and then went back to the campground for the rest of the day. It was great family time.

We took him back to the base early (so he’d have enough time to change!) and got to spend a few more minutes with him. They allowed the families to stay around and watch the formations of the platoons – hearing them chant the Soldiers’ Creed brought tears to my eyes. These guys look so young (most are 18 years old) and they have dedicated their lives to protecting our freedom.

Friday morning we went back to the base and sat in the stands as the soldiers did a ceremonial graduation. Just 15 minutes after it ended, Steven had to get on a bus and travel to Maryland for the next 17 weeks of training. We’re hoping that he’ll get some good leave time around the holidays!

It is impossible to describe how proud we are of him!!!

Update!

2008-09-03T20:44:00.005-04:00

Yes, we have been busy. But that is no excuse for not giving you all an update!

At his 9 ½ month check up, he was 18 lbs 6 oz – finally up into the 12th percentile.

His head size grew to the 94th percentile!

The doctor said, “He sure is growing big brains!”

Daniel is crawling everywhere, sitting up from his stomach and pulling himself up to stand.

The day I caught him standing in his crib was awesome!

Except now he’ll only play with his toys for about 20 seconds before he is off going after a cord in the wall or the dog dish.

He grew up so fast this past month!

We vacationed in a camper – not allowed to say went “camping”

2008-08-12T11:26:00.004-04:00

Thanks to a good friend of the family, we were able to rent a camper for our vacation at Silver Lake! It was actually the camper that my parents owned in the 1990s, and I spent many weeks each summer touring the U.S. in with the family. It brought back a lot of memories!

For the past five years, Andy and I have gone camping in a tent. The camper was such an upgrade that Andy said we were no longer “camping!”

It was perfect for Daniel. It had two bunk beds that we were able to gate off and he slept safely. Three of the seven nights he woke up at 4 am… but other than that, he did great!

We spent the mornings at the camp site and the afternoons at the dunes. Daniel loved the sand!

While we were on vacation his first tooth broke through his gums! He didn’t complain or cry at all. It’s a sharp little thing though.

It was a great opportunity for some quality “Mommy and Daniel time”!

9 Months!

2008-07-30T22:17:00.003-04:00

I know that it has been a long time since I have posted new pictures – we have been very busy!

Daniel is doing great! He loves to eat, is still sleeping well and his favorite thing to do is stand!

He still doesn’t crawl – just rolls all over the place. He loves to pull himself up to the standing position.

We have a pediatrician appointment in two weeks – I’ll post with the updated stats!

Steven is doing “well” at boot camp – he has written a large number of both comical and insightful letters home (he has written so much it surprises us – but a happy surprise!)

Daniel met his Uncle Josh for the first time two weeks ago! Josh is home on leave from Iraq – he has to go back next week. Please remember our troops in your prayers!

The NASS Conference was amazing! I am exhausted, but incredibly proud of what we accomplished!

Thank you for checking in to see what we are up to! God bless.

Uncle Steven is off to the Army

2008-07-10T22:39:00.003-04:00

Uncle Steven left on Monday to start basic training and start this
next chapter in his life, in the Army.

We miss him already.

Please remember to pray for him.

When we get his mailing address I will do a new post – you can email me if you would like it.

Daniel is doing great! We had a wonderful 4th of July.

Eight Months Old...

2008-06-30T21:41:00.006-04:00

…and this is what he thinks of my signs!

No longer can I set the little piece of paper in front of him – he can reach for it!

Eight months – it’s tough to believe. He has now lived more of his life off from the oxygen tube than he was on it. At that first, and second, cardiologist appointments when he told us that it was going to be months (as in plural) before he was off oxygen, it seemed like a very long time.

Now he is this normal, happy, healthy looking little boy (okay, there have been three occasions in the grocery store where women have said, “what a beautiful little girl!” He just has such gorgeous eyes :D )

We praise God for his health!

Speaking of healthy – we ended up taking him to the pediatrician last Friday. He had a nasty cough and they decided it was good for us to come in and get checked out. He ended up getting a breathing treatment, and seems to be slowly getting over it.

As for the healthy side of things – he was 16lbs 11oz! He gained two pounds since last month. Formula has helped. He is on his way to finally being my “Chunky Monkey.”

He is rolling everywhere, sitting up forever, still loves the outside and can’t get enough of the pool. He isn’t spitting out food at every meal anymore, but loves to stick out his tongue whenever he has the chance!

Oh Brother!

2008-06-23T20:48:00.004-04:00

Here we go… Daniel is starting to misbehave!

The first few times that he decided to spit a mouthful of food out all over himself, the table, and us it was funny… we shouldn’t have laughed!!

Tonight he got more all over than he got into his tummy.

We had a fun photo shoot outside last week, during one of these beautiful days.

I’m also working on getting more “tech savvy” with the website :D

So Much Change, So Fast!

2008-06-13T11:14:00.004-04:00

Since turning 7 months old, he has started to mimic sounds – like “Momma and Dada” and even says “ahah” for Laura! Its not always the most clear noises, but I think he’s trying to talk :D

About a week and a half ago, Daniel discovered the joy of rolling! He loves to move around now, and doesn’t mind tummy time – since he knows how to roll to his back.

He is also sitting up for very long stretches of time.

He is also almost completely weaned from nursing… I’m thinking that this morning was probably the last time. It is sad for me, but he LOVES his bottle and is getting more food this way. We took it slow, over the past two weeks, and I know the end is very near. I made my goal of 6 months+ even with that horrible first month and a half. It was a wonderful time that we were able to bond and I highly recommend it to future Moms!

Daniel also loves to be outside! I take him outside as much as possible – for walks, or just to sit in the grass or on the front step. When we went in the pool a few days ago I slathered him up in sunscreen, but he’s still getting tan (not red) from the short times that we are outside. People keep saying that he has my complexion.

Daniel’s Uncle Steven graduated from High School last week. He leaves for boot camp on July 8th. Please remember him in your prayers!

We have a number of friends that are expecting babies this summer and later this year. Please remember to pray for pregnant women, healthy babies and all of those that are trying to conceive.

God Bless!

7 Months Old!

2008-05-30T09:49:00.005-04:00

And he is growing up so fast!

Daniel started to “wave” this week!

We had a great Memorial Day weekend. Lots of time outside!

He went swimming for the first time!

We had dinner on the deck with Granny, Jed, Aunt Lisa and Uncle Nathan this week.

He is eating three meals of solids a day.

And check this out!!!!!

First words?! :D Yes, I cried happy tears!

Sorry about the bad camera work – when Daniel sees the camera he wants to grab it.

I was trying to be sneaky!

Happy Birthday Daddy

2008-05-22T13:53:00.006-04:00

Guess how much I love you?!

We've been through a lot already, but I will always be your little boy.

Thank you for taking such good care of me and Mommy.

We both love you very much.

XXOO,

Daniel

Scooter!

2008-05-20T19:41:00.007-04:00

He’s moving all around the floor – on his back! I don’t have a picture yet – I’ll try to get one soon. He is sitting up on his own for a few seconds at a time and very good at rolling from his tummy to his back.

Last Wednesday we saw the pediatrician. His stats: 14 lbs 13 oz (between the 5th – 10th percentile) 26 ½ inches long (50th) and his head was 46 cm… (90th!!). He’s going to be so smart :D

His weight concerned the doctor. He encouraged me to change his feeding routine and push more solids. Since the green beans fiasco, Daniel has had carrots (loves!), sweet peas (doesn’t really like), squash, sweet potatoes and peaches. We’re going to try prunes tomorrow – yum!

If you’ve been following this blog from the beginning, you know that we had Daniel Baptized the night before his surgery. This past Sunday we had a “public Baptism” of Daniel at our church.

We had amazing support from our family and friends! Grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles and great aunts and uncles, cousins and more!

Andy was able to address the congregation and thank them for all their prayers.

It was Nama’s birthday on Sunday too – we had a full (but fun) house! Cousin Maddie even helped feed Daniel dinner.
Yesterday I went to a lunch for work. It was a “hat party.” Shana and I got creative with our hats. Thanks to her influencing the judges… I won the prize for most creative hat! Of course, I owe all the credit to Daniel. I had decorated the hat with pictures of him!

We are so cute...

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T22:35:00.004-04:00

No surprise, this is my best Mother’s Day ever! Daniel is such a blessing! After two years of infertility, tests and treatments, God gave us charge of this little person.

First, an update on Josh – his unit has moved!! They are out of imminent danger and are getting some much needed rest. He has been on the phone all weekend and sounds so much better. Thank you so much for your prayers.

Last week Tuesday, I took Daniel to vote with me. There were three ladies working in the precinct and I was the only voter there at the time. None of them said a word to me about Daniel – didn’t even acknowledge him. An hour later, Andy took him to the same precinct and all three women gushed over him! So a lesson to all us women – gush over the baby when it’s with Mommy too! :D

It was a very busy, but very fun weekend! Andy ran the Riverbank Run (15.5 miles!) on Saturday. Daniel and I went out to support him.

That night we drove to Lansing for a party for Jessie. She graduated from law school! We met so many people that said that they had been watching this blog and praying for us. It was great! However, Daniel is at this point where he cries when he goes into the arms of people he doesn’t know. I don’t want him to be that way – I want everyone to be able to enjoy holding him and hugging him!

Today was great, except Daniel woke up at 6:02 am… I like 7:00 am. But, it gave me a couple more hours before church to play with my baby and get pampered by my hubby!

Prayer Request

2008-05-07T09:34:00.004-04:00

My brother Josh was able to call the family last night for the first time in three weeks. He hadn't showered in two weeks. No, he is not a college slob, he is a hero.

Josh is stationed in Iraq - in Sadr City. He is on the front line - it doesn't get any closer than where he is.

He has seen violence and death - way too much of both. His good friend and work-out partner received a very serious head wound recently. Josh ran beside the stretcher, helping to hold in his friend's brains. I'm sorry, I know that is gruesome - but he is only 20 years old...

You can read stories about the war - about the politics, violence and death, but you don't really know the human side of the story until you talk to a soldier. Josh says that his biggest fear is that he might never come home.

Please pray that God's angels surround our military men and women. Please pray for an end to the fighting. Please pray that Josh is able to finish out this tour of duty, come home safely and never, ever have to go back there...

(He is the one on the right)

Mr. Cool Dude is 6 Months Old Today!

2008-04-30T20:24:00.006-04:00

Six months and one day ago I had just arrived at the hospital – having contractions about seven minutes apart and so incredibly scared.

The past six months have been an amazing journey with Daniel – one that I pray continues for at least 60 more years :D

There is nothing that can prepare you for the kind of love you feel towards your first child. At the end of the day I am exhausted and ready to just relax. But as soon as I put him to bed I miss him.

No teeth, he isn’t sitting up by himself, he isn’t crawling and really does not like to be on his tummy still! But he is smiling! And he can play “peek-a-boo” very well!

Since today was his six month birthday, we let him try a new baby food – green beans. No, I didn’t make them myself. I purchased them in a little container from the store. We’ll see over the next month or so if I decide to try to make his food myself…

When he started on the rice cereal he loved it – and still does. He can’t wait to eat it.

The green beans weren’t as big of a hit…

Thank you all for your support and prayers over the past months – we appreciate every one of you!

Good Health

2008-04-22T20:48:00.003-04:00

Good health is not something to be taken for granted. All winter I was obsessed with washing my hands. I was determined not to get sick. The weather gets nice and I let my guard down and end up with the flu! I had a fever of more than 102 for four days! The most amazing thing happened though, or I guess I should say didn’t happen – Daniel did not get sick! I nursed him through my whole sickness, but he stayed healthy.

We had an appointment with the cardiologist today. Daniel was 14 lbs 6oz and 25 ½ inches long. He had an ECHO done of his heart and he squirmed through the whole thing. The doctor said that he still had high blood pressure in his lungs and some issues with a couple of valves, but overall Daniel is doing really well! We don’t have to go back to the cardiologist until after Daniel’s first birthday!

We made a friend while in the waiting room. His name was Joshua and he was 4 years old. Andy showed him Daniel’s scar and Joshua had one to match. His mom told us that they found out when Joshua was 3 years old that he had a heart murmur. Joshua had coarctation of the aorta – just like Daniel. Andy asked Joshua what his favorite sport was and he said, without hesitating, that had to ask Jesus when he gets to heaven (it was so cute!).

It was Aunt Sarah’s birthday today. We went out to Chili’s last night for dinner. It was a bit too late for Daniel. He is currently fighting sleep as I type this – letting him “cry it out” gets tougher as he learns how to scream! Yes, the cutest baby ever does cry and scream – right now he is doing both very well!

New Trick

2008-04-11T11:25:00.004-04:00

How many of you can get your big toe in your mouth? I know it is a rite of passage for kids – when they can finally suck on their toes – but it is so stinking cute! I caught him in the act this morning, after I change a dirty diaper that had exploded all the way up his tummy – ewwwwwww.

He has been grabbing at his toes for a few weeks. Still hasn’t rolled over though. He is sleeping pretty well now too. Rice cereal is going very well – he gets most of it in his mouth!

This week he started that new cry – the “if I make this noise, someone will come and get me” cry. We’ve actually let him cry it out, and that seems to work pretty well. It is just tough not to run in there when you hear every little noise!

I took some pictures of his chest yesterday – I don’t have very many of them. As you can see, his scar is looking pretty good! However, his sternum healed a little funny – it sticks out at the bottom. This creates a sort of dent in his chest – makes him look like he has big pectoral muscles! The bottom half of his scar is almost invisible. The worst parts are at the top, near his chin and the place where his chest tube was. All this said, he is still SO CUTE!

5 Months Old

2008-04-02T21:30:00.004-04:00

So much to tell you all!
Daniel is 5 months old as of last Sunday.

We decided that 5 months was the right time to start rice cereal. He has been grabbing at my spoon or fork while sitting on my lap during my meals. He loved it. Every night we have been giving him a little more. I think he likes to chew on the spoon as much as he likes the food.

He had a great weekend with Grandma Emmitt, and she took Hermione the kitty home to live with her! We decided it was time to try and find new homes for the kitty and Dolley – time to just have one doggie (Laura) at the house. We are still working on finding the right home for Dolley.

Daniel got a new hat this weekend and got to play video games for a few minutes with Daddy.

Daniel got all dressed up for the Tigers opening day and they went and lost – booo! :D He and Aunt Sarah had fun being goofy for the camera.

We are so grateful that Granny is able to watch Daniel when I am at work. We are very busy in our office, working on the National Association of Secretaries of State summer conference, which we will be hosting in Grand Rapids this July. You can visit our website for the conference: http://nass2008.blogspot.com/

You probably noticed that the site looks a bit different. I have been playing around with the layout and added a counter at the bottom. I knew a lot of people liked to check out the site, but I didn’t realize there were this many viewers!

I also opened up the comment section, so anyone can leave a comment now. Please let us know if you have any prayer requests!

Support our Troops

2008-03-28T09:50:00.005-04:00

Daniel's Uncle Josh has been in Iraq since before Christmas. He has been in the Army for almost two years. The last time he was home I was about 6 months pregnant with Daniel, so the two haven't been able to meet. But Granny and Aunt Sarah have sent Uncle Josh a lot of pictures. Granny got creative the other day and took these pictures.

By the time Uncle Josh gets his first leave in September, Daniel will almost be one year old!

Tonight, Daniel's Uncle Steven will be recognized at the Griffin's game and will repeat his oath to the Army. Steven leaves for boot camp in July.

We are so proud of our soldiers!

They also need our prayers. Please pray for Josh's safety and for his fiance Katie. Please also pray for Steven - that we will all remember to cherish the next few months.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T20:01:00.003-04:00

Daniel spent his first Sunday morning in the church nursery without Mommy!

He is also completely off from his medicine and sleeping in his own room! It was a big week!

Here he is playing in his baby gym for the second time (Daddy put him in the first time when I wasn't home... :)

He is sucking on his lower lip all the time! Still no teeth.

Thank you again for all of your prayers!

He has Risen - the Lord has Risen Indeed!

Hope you all had a blessed Easter!

Canula Free!

2008-03-13T21:51:00.005-04:00

Four months and one day since we brought him home, Daniel’s cardiologist said he was doing well enough to be taken off the extra oxygen completely – Praise be to God!

I had to hold back the tears in the doctor’s office! Thankfully, this time he didn't scream during the EKG. And the doctor just kept saying "He looks so good!"

He seems to be sleeping a lot better now that he doesn't have that tube in his nose any more. He was suffering from a lot of bloody noses. We both had a cold in late February, but it wasn't too bad.

Our little boy is now four & half months old. His head size and height are in the 75th percentile, but his weight is still in the 10th at 12 lbs 14oz. He’s our tall, skinny boy with a huge noggin :D!

He is growing up so fast. We are thankful for every day!!

Here he is with his cousins. Time is flying by!

We are loving the "warmer" weather - he's already been on three walks!

Hope you are all doing great as well. Blessings to all of his prayer warriors!

Great month!

2008-02-22T16:18:00.000-05:00

February has been a great month!

Daniel was able to experience life without a nasal canula in February

I had my first birthday as a Mom in February (we celebrated on both sides of the state!)

Daniel got to spend a lot of time with his Aunts this month

Daniel's motor skills are increasing every day! Last Saturday, Andy's Mom and I watched him pull out his pacifier and put it back in! He's very close to doing it again, this time on purpose :D

And Dolley finally got her first haircut since before Daniel was born :)!!!

Sorry Dolley!!

Introducing...

2008-02-12T20:59:00.000-05:00

...the "wireless" Daniel!

Even though he screamed through almost the entire visit, Daniel's cardiologist told us that he could be without the extra oxygen while he is awake - as long as he doesn't seem to struggle for air. So for a trial period lasting one month, Daniel will only have the extra oxygen on while he is sleeping!

Can you believe that he is even more cute!?

We were told that his heart looked good, but Daniel still has pulmonary hypertension - a condition that causes his blood pressure in the vessels in his lungs to be elevated. The doctor couldn't explain the exact reason why this is happening, since it could be caused by a number of things (including his surgery). He said that he wasn't worried about it now though, because Daniel looks so good! We'll keep praying that this condition goes away.

He is so much fun now. This is my favorite age so far. He is "talking" a ton and playing!

Thank you all so much for your continued prayers and support. Blessings to you all!

Busted!

2008-02-04T11:37:00.000-05:00

Guess who discovered his thumb?

So far he prefers the right one.

Last week he celebrated his three month birthday – thank you Jessie for the birthday message :D He also figured out how to use his hands – he is now grabbing and holding! It is amazing to watch these new transitions.

We had a busy week and weekend. Andy manned a both for Ait-Tite Insulation at the GR Home Show all weekend and I got to dress up like a dummy. I was Larry and Shana’s husband Jason was Vince. (I’m the one in the car). Oh, the things I do for my job ;)

We go to see the cardiologist on the 12th. Please pray that Daniel’s heart and lungs are strong enough to finally be free of the extra oxygen! Thank you!

Best Pictures

2008-01-28T15:08:00.001-05:00

These are a couple of my new favorites!

Taken by Auntie Sarah :D

1.28.2008

Sleep?

2008-01-25T10:28:00.000-05:00

If I were a baby…

… I’d sleep all the time! But nooooo, Daniel likes to be up and talking!! We had one really great week of sleep. He would go to bed between 8 – 10ish and only get up once to feed and sleep in until 7:30 or 8:00. Starting Monday night he has been back to waking up more often. And now he is fighting his daytime naps as well. I started reading a baby sleep book last week and tried putting him to bed earlier at night – at 7 pm – and this is what happens…maybe I need to stop reading :D

We also tried the bottle at night thing and that was a big failure. Daniel was so confused by Andy feeding him and the bottle that he would wake up completely and not be able to go back to sleep once he was done eating. So, I’m back to nursing him when he wakes up at night.

He just seems like he’s so grown up already! His temperament and his actions seem like he’s trying to be a “big boy.” He is also putting everything in his mouth and drooling. I keep wondering if we will be seeing a tooth come in soon.

I just thought that I would give you all this quick 12 WEEK update – yes, he is 12 weeks already! Just three more weeks until our next cardiologist appointment. Please pray that his heart and lungs are strong enough to finally get off from the oxygen!

Last Saturday was “sweatpants day with Dad.” Daniel and Andy have also been working on Daniel’s rolling over technique.

Andy’s parents drove all the way over here on Sunday to spend a few hours with their grandson – who can blame them :D

10 Weeks Old

2008-01-11T14:34:00.000-05:00

Thursday was our first doctor’s appointment in three weeks – that was the longest we have gone without seeing a doctor. Everything checked out okay! Daniel was 10 lbs 5 oz – he is now 10 weeks old – and was 23 ½ inches long. His weight is considered to be in the 10th percentile and his length in the 50th, so he is going to be our tall and skinny boy.

He also received his 2 month shots. Two nurses stood over him and said, “One, two three,” and each poked him and then had one more poke. I just hate to watch him be in pain! He has to have yet another shot next Tuesday for his RSV medication (it is a drug that helps build up his immunity towards RSV and he has to receive it every month). We got home and gave him a little Tylenol and today he seems to be doing just fine.

His doctor told us that he is very strong. He can really hold his head up, both while being held and while on his tummy. And boy, is he smiling!! His smiles are so awesome!

He started sticking his fingers in his mouth a couple weeks ago and still can’t hold a pacifier with his lips.

I started back at work last Wednesday, and while the separation did make me incredibly sad, it has been really nice to be back to work. We are currently working on the plans for a national convention we will be hosting this July and it is very exciting! Daniel really enjoys his time at Granny’s house as well!

While being back to work has been great, I have had a tough time with getting enough sleep. I can’t take Daniel’s afternoon nap with him any more! This first week was pretty rough as he is still waking up every 2 – 3 hours at night to eat. We are going to try splitting up the night starting this weekend (sorry Andy, no more full nights of sleep! : )

The Best Christmas Ever!

2007-12-29T21:45:00.000-05:00

It truly was the best Christmas that Andy and I have had since we’ve been married. For the past two years we’ve hoped and dreamed and prayed for a baby. When we first found out that I was pregnant we called Andy’s Mom and broke the news to her by saying, “Is it okay if we bring a baby to your house for Christmas this year?” Of course she said “YES!” It was so exciting to spend this holiday with our little man.

Christmas Eve we opened all of our gifts at home. Daniel sat there with, just a happy little guy. On Christmas morning we got to Grandpa and Grandma Kilgore’s at 7:00 am! Daniel slept through all of the gifts. We drove to Holly that afternoon and Daniel happily sat in Grandpa Emmitt’s lap through the whole gift opening. He was such a good baby!

An update on the hypothyroidism tests – his thyroid hormone level is “normal,” though the th3, which regulates the hormone level is high. So, he will be continually monitored over the next few months.

We have recently had a tough time keeping him from becoming congested. He is extremely sensitive to dry air. We have to have humidifiers going in whatever rooms he is in, otherwise his nose gets stuffed up and he has a lot of trouble breathing. One of the causes is the oxygen in his nose. We continue to pray that it is doing its job and helping his heart regulate his blood pressure. Hopefully only two more months with the tube up the nose.

Daniel seems to be getting so big! We haven’t been to the doctor in over a week and a half (which is a long time for us!), so we don’t know what he currently weighs, but he seems to be getting a lot bigger. He has outgrown his newborn clothes and he is wearing 0 – 3 month clothes! He is actually really long – almost too long for the 3 month clothes.

Nursing has gotten better. He is still hungry every 3 hours or so, but some nights he sleeps 4 hours at a time. We are going to start trying to get him to go to bed before us (he is sleeping in a pack ‘n play next to our bed). Our first real attempt was tonight and it took an hour for him to fall asleep. We are giving him a pacifier, but he hasn’t been able to keep it in his mouth by himself yet.

I go back to work next Wednesday, and I am really going to miss him. Please pray for this transition.

I recently received an email from a woman named Paula. Paula is pregnant with twins in March and one of her babies has been diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart. She has asked for our prayers. Please add her to your prayer list!

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We praise God for sending us His Son to save us from our sins and thank Him for blessing us with our son.

Going bald?

2007-12-18T17:14:00.000-05:00

Say it isn’t so! Daniel is losing his beautiful dark hair – right on top! Just on Saturday we looked down and saw that he was getting really thin on top – yikes! We are praying it is just normal infant hair loss, as it is also a symptom of hypothyroidism (we haven’t gotten the results of the last blood test yet. )

This afternoon a nurse came and gave Daniel his first RSV shot. Thursday we have to go the pediatrician for another weight check and to have some more blood drawn.

Monday was another big day – a trip to the cardiologist. Daniel was 9 lbs 4 oz! We knew that he was getting “taller” because he has actually outgrown a couple outfits. The weight gain was very reassuring to me, since a week ago I made the decision to change his diet. I have been exclusively nursing and only pumping once a day, if that. I wasn’t getting enough to feed him with the pump, but nursing has been successful so far.

Daniel’s cardiologist told us that his heart looks great! The part of the aorta that was repaired is wide open and the patches look good as well. He is going to drop one of his medicines, but will stay on the lasix for now. Daniel still has blood pressure issues with his lungs and the doctor felt that he needs to stay on the oxygen for another two months. Our next appointment is February 12, so I hope that for my birthday he is doing good enough to be taken off the oxygen!

On a developmental note – Daniel can hold his head up for a long time by himself. He also likes to “stand” and bounce on our laps. As I type this he is sitting in my lap : ) He seems to be growing up so quickly!

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and will be sure to post pictures of our celebration!

God Bless you all!

Six Weeks Old

2007-12-12T18:48:00.000-05:00

Six weeks old today – time is flying by. I get up in the morning and the next thing I know it is time to go to bed! I’ve been trying for a week to get my Christmas cards done – I guess I have two weeks left!

We have had a busy schedule. Daniel usually has at least one doctor’s appointment a week. Last week Thursday he was 8 lbs 5 oz – still a little guy, but growing.

We received notice from the state that Daniel has tested positive for congenital hypothyroidism – twice. He was tested both times during our stay at U of M. His local pediatrician reordered the test and we are still waiting on the results. Congenital hypothyroidism if untreated can cause mental retardation. If he is found to have this syndrome he will most likely have to take medication for the rest of his life – but it will have been caught early enough that he shouldn’t be affected by it. There is a possibility that he tested positive for this at U of M due to his blood transfusions during surgery. Please pray that he does not test positive for it this time.

Daniel also spent his first weekend at Nama & Papa Emmitt’s house. The mini van was packed to the gills, but we made it and had a great time!

He attended his first church service last weekend – the children’s Christmas program. It was nice being able to show him off to so many of the people that have been praying for him for all these months.

Last night he went out to dinner for the first time – to Kobe Steakhouse for Granny & Jed (they picked these names!) Kilgore’s 31st anniversary.

This afternoon I threw the travel oxygen tank over my shoulder and took Little Bear for a walk down the sidewalk. It was such a beautiful day.

One of the big differences we are noticing in Daniel is that he needs to be stimulated more and more. Last month all he needed was to be held and feed. Now he is not content with just laying in our arms. He wants to stretch out and look at things.

I have such a tough time getting anything done because I don’t like to put him down. I really have to work at getting out of the house at least once a day, otherwise I get cabin fever. I will be going back to work after the holidays, but I am blessed with the ability to work from home a couple days a week. Andy and my Mom will be watching Daniel on the days that I am not home.
Daniel has his next cardiologist appointment on the 17th. We are praying that he is able to go off his medications – two diuretics that he has to have once a day – and we pray he is able to be taken off the oxygen (he will be ready to get that thing out of his nose too - he is constantly pulling at it!). We will make sure to update you all next week with the results from the appointment!

One month old and gaining weight!

2007-11-30T11:49:00.000-05:00

That’s right, Daniel is now 7 lbs 11 oz – he is finally gaining weight! Last week he started this growth spurt – demanding more and more food at each feeding. He even wakes up on his own at night to eat. We don’t need an alarm clock any more, he wakes up during his scheduled eating times. The only issue with this growth spurt is me producing enough to keep him happy. I’m nursing for two/three of the scheduled feedings a day, but that means I actually nurse him 6 – 9 times to keep him full during those periods.

He finally had his little boy surgery Monday – right in the pediatrician’s office. It was nearly as traumatic for me as his heart surgery. I felt so bad for him! It looks so painful, but Andy tells me that he won’t remember the pain. I just have to handle the diaper changes and seeing that ouchie right now! It is actually healing really well – I’m sure he’ll appreciate this post when he is a teenager : )

We had a busy, but fun holiday weekend. The whole Emmitt family came over last Friday and brought us a Christmas tree! Shelby brought all of her camera equipment and set up a studio in the basement. She took professional pictures of each family. Daniel slept the entire day, even though his cousins were having a lot of LOUD fun all around him.

Laura and Dolley are now home. They are doing pretty well with Daniel. Laura is very protective of him, though she seems pretty sad to be home (I think she had a lot of fun at Doggie Camp). Dolley doesn’t leave my side – just like before. The only annoyance is their barking (anyone looking for a Christmas gift for us could invest in a pair of shock collars! Just kidding… kinda).

Being home for Thanksgiving again reminded us that we were so blessed at how fast Daniel recovered. This holiday season please remember the kids and families that are still recovering at the hospital – the families that won’t be able to be home for the holidays. Please say an extra special prayer for them.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T20:34:00.001-05:00

We have so much to be thankful for!

We spent the afternoon at my parent’s house, Daniel spent the afternoon sleeping. He was fussy this morning and we found out why 5 minutes before we left the house – he had an upset tummy. He is doing really well though. Andy has increased the amount he bottle feeds and I am nursing two or three times a day. We are even getting “used to” sleeping in two hour shifts.

Here is a picture of four generations – Great Grandma Gaunt, Grandma Kilgore, Me and Daniel

A tradition was continued yesterday – Daniel received his first tub bath from his Grandma, just like I received my first bath from the grandma pictured above. He didn’t like it at first, but loved it after he realized the water was warm. His little cheeks were so red from the tape that holds on his oxygen.

And now for the big news of the week…

I am now a Minivan Mom. Andy convinced me to give up my little red sports car and join the soccer moms. It honestly works a lot better for carting around a car seat and oxygen tanks. And to give Andy credit, it is a nice (used) minivan. I’m sure I’ll be the favorite for our work carpool from now on!

We can’t say it enough – thank you all for your support and prayers! We are so thankful for all God has blessed us with.

Happy Thanksgiving!

One Week Home

2007-11-17T15:50:00.000-05:00

We have been home a week now and are starting to settle in to our routine.

Grandma Emmitt spend two nights and two days with us and helped a ton!

We had an appointment with the pediatrician and cardiologist this week. Daniel’s feeding tube is out now, hopefully for good! He is taking his bottle well and the pediatrician has given me the green light to nurse Daniel for half of the feedings.

The cardiologist thought that his heart looked pretty good, but wanted to keep Daniel on oxygen for at least another month. So, we got one tube out of his nose this week. Going to the cardiologist brought me back to reality – the reality that Daniel will always have heart disease. The problems he was born with have been repaired, but there will always be the possibility of further complications. I pray that I won’t be that overprotection Mom, the one always worried about every little move. But, for now, it is tough for me to take my eyes off from him.

He started smiling this week. I know most people say that when babies smile they are just passing gas – but on Daniel it looks like he is really thinking some happy thought. I think he might have at least one dimple too!

Here are some more pictures for your enjoyment!

If you want to know what time it is...

2007-11-12T19:59:00.000-05:00

Three days home and we are sleepy! Daniel is on a feeding schedule. He has to have a bottle every 3 hours – 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, 9:00, 12:00 and so on. He gets “Mommy food,” but I have to add formula to the milk to add calories. Andy has done such a great job with the feedings that we haven’t had to use the feeding tube since we’ve been home!

Last Friday, when Daniel was discharged, we were unable to have his “little boy surgery” done – we probably wouldn’t have gotten home until midnight if we would have waited for it to be done. We did dress him up in the cutest outfit and he of course puked all over himself right as we were getting in the car. We were SO glad to be heading home that it didn’t matter.

We have appointments with a pediatrician on Thursday and his cardiologist on Friday. We’re hoping that the feeding tube will be able to come out. The oxygen is an interesting thing. We have a huge green tank in the middle of the living room and 75 feet of plastic tubing. We have no idea how long he’ll have to be on the oxygen or the feeding schedule.

We are sleepy and the days just seem to fly by. Daniel is amazing though! He is becoming more alert every day. He is currently laying in Andy’s lap and just staring up at him. When we were in the hospital all he did was sleep, so we are seeing changes in him already!

The best thing for us all is being home. I am feeling so much better. We are starting to get into a routine, thanks in part to the feeding schedule. We truly appreciate all of the cards and gifts that greeted us when we got home. I have a ton of emails and will try to respond to them as soon as possible - just know that we appreciate all of the well wishes!

We have been so overwhelmed by the generosity of our family and friends. We don’t know how we are going to thank you all. Please know that we are praying for you as well.

Blessings!

Watch out Byron Center

2007-11-09T09:40:00.000-05:00

I know that you all visit here to see the latest pictures and I apologize that there aren't any new ones. We have them, but I don't have a chance this morning to upload them.

However, our news is just as important - we're coming home tonight!

We have a long day ahead of us. Daniel has to have his "little boy surgery" yet today and be monitored for that. I also have to pass the NG tube test - which requires pushing a tubing up his nose and down into his stomach :( He hates it, but it is how he has to be fed right now.

He is also coming home on Oxygen, so those tubes are up his nose as well and we get to carry around an O2 tank with us wherever we go.

I'm nervous, even though everyone tells me that they wouldn't be sending him home 7 days after open heart surgery if he wasn't ready for us to take care of him. Please pray for our transition from the hospital to home, I would truly appreciate it!

Some of you have offered to help and cook meals for us, and if there is one thing I've learned from having this horrible emergency c-section it is that I can't turn down help! If you would like to help us out with a meal, please email my sister Sarah at srburg422@yahoo.com and she will schedule a weeknight that will work. Thank you all in advance!!

Andy is currently racing around our room at the Ronald McDonald House cleaning and packing and I can still barely move, but we're looking very forward to bringing our son home.

God Bless you all and thank you so much for saying prayers for Daniel!

Daniel is One Week Old

2007-11-07T00:06:00.000-05:00

As I sit here to type, Daniel is turning exactly one week old. It is incredible to think that it has only been one week…

… and the big news is – the Surgeon told us he will most likely be able to come home THIS WEEKEND!!!!

Yes, that’s right Daniel’s prayer team – THIS WEEKEND!!

I was literally floored. I didn’t know what to do – I’ve cried WAY too much this past week (a lot of happy tears!), but this news was even beyond that.

We spent about 9 hours at the hospital today – things have changed so much. He is in a room that we can be in 24/7 and we aren’t limited to 2 people at one time and we don’t have to leave 4 times a day for the scheduled closed times.

It is quite like home, except he is still attached to monitors, has the pacemaker wires in yet and has a 14 year old GIRL roommate :) I’m still not exactly sure how he got paired up with her.

Tonight the nurses taught us how to prepare a bottle (of “Mommy food”). We learned how to give him his medicine and feed him through the NG tube in his nose in case he has to have it when he comes home (it depends on how well he feeds).

His Emmitt grandparents and Kilgore grandma got to hold him, feed him and take turns changing diapers. I changed one myself and he even got to wear his own clothes!

Tomorrow he will have an ECHO to see how all the fixed parts of his heart are working. Please pray for these results to come back positively.

We also ask you to say a special prayer for all of the other kids that are dealing with medical issues. Daniel has had a great recovery, but not all kids have it that way. There are even a number of children at U of M waiting organ transplants. They need your prayers as well.

Blessings to you all and goodnight!

Daniel's Big Day!

2007-11-05T21:12:00.000-05:00

We got to the hospital at 10:30 am on Sunday morning and found out that Daniel had a great night and morning! He had had his chest tube removed (it had been draining the extra blood and fluid from his chest) and had his catheter removed and they removed the dressing that was covering up his incision. But the biggest news of all was that he was successfully removed from the ventilator! Praise God again!

As of today (Monday) he has an oxygen tube in his nostrils, just aiding him as yesterday was such a big day, and an NG tube in his nose. The nurse tried to feed him a bottle this morning, but he didn’t want anything to do with it she said, so hence the feeding tube.

They had talked about moving him to another area today and out of intensive care, but they decided to keep him there one more day. I was totally fine with that! He had such a big day yesterday and he needed some rest today!

Also last night, Momma, Daddy, Uncle Nate (Andy’s brother) and Aunt Lisa all got to hold him!

We went back this morning and Andy and I both got to hold him again – I held him for over an hour! We both talk to him constantly. I like to tell him about how much Jesus loves him and how many people are praying for him. I try to sing to him, but I am having a tough time remembering songs.

When we go up to see him at night time we bring a book and take turns reading to him. He is still a bit groggy from all of the drugs he has been on, but is opening his eyes more. Yesterday he looked right at me for the first time – it was a great feeling!!

I have had a couple of “episodes” these past two days. Mainly due to the fact that when I’m up at the hospital with him I forget to take my pain meds. My blood pressure was checked again last night and it was 172/112, so I am now on blood pressure medication.

I placed myself on bed rest tonight, thinking that I needed to rest a bit more. Andy went up to read Daniel his bed time story and ended up being able to help give him his first bath! While I am seriously jealous, I know that Andy deserves this opportunity too. He is already such a great Dad!

We have had a number of people ask us about coming to visit. We totally understand why you all want to come – who wouldn’t want to see how awesome our little boy is! However, with him being moved to another area, possibly tomorrow, and my needing just a little more rest, we just ask that you give us a couple more days. We should be able to start making visit plans with people on Thursday and over the weekend. Just let us know when you would like to come out and we will try and make it work.

We can’t say it enough – THANK YOU all for your prayers and support. Not a day goes by that we are not amazed by the sheer number of people that tell us that we are in their prayers. We truly appreciate it!

Please continue to pray for Daniel’s recovery and praise God with us as he is healing so well!

Thank you all,

Andy, Beth & Daniel

THANK YOU - with our WHOLE HEARTS!

2007-11-03T14:36:00.000-04:00

God is so good…

Earlier this week as I laid in the hospital bed, I thought about this blog and how I would update it as soon as we had internet access again. I planned on going day by day, explaining our journey to date.

Well, it is 3:00 pm on Saturday and while I want to take the time to tell you every twist and turn of this amazing week, I really want to go see my beautiful son…

So, if there was one thing I would want you all to know, it would be this – God has a plan for our little man’s life. God is watching over him every second of every day, and He is answering our prayers. Daniel’s heart IS being healed.

Here goes the rest of the story...

Daniel’s surgery was performed by an amazing surgeon, we just didn’t think it would have to happen so quickly. As most of you know, Daniel was delivered via emergency c-section at 11:48 pm on Tuesday. I tried to deliver him, but his heart rate was not handling the contractions. At the end, they couldn’t even find his heart beat. I looked up at the doctors and yelled, “Knock me out! Get him out!” It was the most scary moment of my life to date.

I came out of general anesthesia sometime early Wednesday morning and heard Andy say, “Beth, we have a son.” The first thing I asked was, “Is he alive?” I was so scared that because I couldn’t push him out that he hadn’t made it. But, miracle number 1 = God blessed us with a live baby boy.

I still couldn’t open my eyes, but I overheard someone ask Andy if we had named him and Andy said yes. For two seconds I was furious! I couldn’t believe Andy named him when I was unconscious! Andy said, “His name is Daniel Steven,” and I was instantly relieved and happy with my husband’s choice – it was the name I said I wanted for a boy from day one.

Not a minute later though, my brain started to pound – and I mean pound. It was banging on my forehead, demanding out of my skull. I started to yell, “Make it stop!” The nurse took my blood pressure, it was in the 170’s (which is not good). The nurse and doctor started to discuss what could be done. They gave me something to help with the headache, but I needed blood tests for my blood pressure. Minutes later they started a Magnesium Sulfate drip that invaded my body and ruined the first 24 hours of my life as a new Mom.

For 24 hours I was unable to eat, drink anything – even water, or see my son. The drugs made my skin burn. I had to have constant cold compresses held to my face. I wouldn’t wish that drug on anyone. But, by 11:30 pm on Wednesday, my blood pressure was back down into the 130s and they thought I was now safe from possibly having seizures.

At 1:00 am on Thursday morning, Andy wheeled me down the hall to the NICU to see my beautiful son for the first time. Thursday was the best day of my life to date. I got to sit right next to him and he held my finger in his little hand. I was literally falling over, asleep and the nurse had to help me let go so I could go to bed.

I was back next to his incubator at lunch time and the nurses let me hold him! He had to stay on the bed pad so that they could attach all of his cords and wires to something to keep them all straight. Andy came in the room shortly there after and we were just sitting there, admiring him when the surgeon came in the NICU.

She told us the best, yet most scary news. With two ECHOs, they had ruled out the Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and only had to repair the Coarctation of the Aorta, the VSD and another small hole in his Atrium. BUT, the surgery was scheduled for Friday at noon – less than 24 hours from where we were at that moment. I had JUST gotten to hold him, how was it fair that I would have to turn him over to the surgeons in just 24 hours?!

We spent the afternoon calling friends and family letting them know the news. We also called Pastor Bruce and asked him to come and baptize Daniel before the surgery. Pastor Bruce got in his car and was at the hospital by 9:00 pm that night. We held the baptism in the NICU with Andy’s brother Tim, his wife Molly and their daughter Maya as the witnesses. It was a beautiful moment.

From 10:00 pm to almost midnight that night, Andy and I were able to hold him once again – this time with just a blanket between him and us. Andy was even able to read him a book. Here was yet another miracle – Andy holding his son for the first time.

We went back to see him multiple times Friday morning. I have to tell you though that we had our wonderful families surrounding us all week long. Our parents were there with us from the start of delivery and supported us all the way through the surgery. Our siblings were also with us in some capacity every step of the way. We have been blessed with amazing families.

The doctors came in to get Daniel around 12:45 pm on Friday. I could barely stand. I was in so much pain – physically and emotionally. I had only gotten 36 hours with him. We sat in our hospital room in the dark for an hour by ourselves before we got our first update from the surgery – they had just gotten in to his chest and were starting the procedure.

I could have told anyone that update myself. I knew the moment they opened him – I could feel it in my own heart. My heart ached.

I still couldn’t breath much easier, even after we got the second update that the coarctation had been fixed. I wanted to get that final word – see the surgeon – see my son.

The surgeon came in around 4:30 pm and told us that it had all gone great. His heart, about the size of a golf ball, was repaired and we could see him in an hour. God is so good!

We took all of the family that had congregated around us up to see him in his new area in the PCTU. Andy and I went in first. And even though there were many, many more tubes coming in and out of him, I felt a sense of peace. The things that were hurting him before surgery were fixed. He is on the road to recovery.

THANK YOU all for your OVERWHELMING support – before and since he was born! Thank you for all of the beautiful flowers and words of encouragement. We thank you most of all for your prayers!! Please keep them coming Daniel's way as he recovers!

I will never be able to thank you all for all you have done for us. We pray for you all to be blessed as you have been a blessing to us. Daniel is an amazing example of God’s grace and miracles. We can not wait for all of you to meet him!

I also have to tell you all that the people here at U of M – the nurses especially – are the most amazing people you will ever meet. They took such great care of me and are taking wonderful care of our son.

I was told last night by yet another one of Daniel’s great nurses that today was a day that I should rest. I haven’t been able to take very good care of myself, since this all happened so fast. Andy has done EVERYTHING he can do to help me and has been my rock. But yet my body needs a lot of healing.

We went and visited Daniel this morning and his nurse told us he is doing great and that he would be “seeing” his first U of M football game today. She was going to have it on the TV in the “pod” he is recovering in. She told us to get some rest as well. So, I had my staples removed (not bad at all – I was expecting a lot worse!) and we moved from the hospital over to the Ronald McDonald House.

I’ve spent the past hour sitting here in the dining room area typing and it is time to go up to our little room with the two twin beds to pump! This place is a blessing as well – we are just a 5 minute walk from the hospital.

We are going to go back up and see Daniel in a couple hours. He is still coming out of anesthesia and is on quite a bit of pain relief, but did flutter his eyes a couple times this morning.

We were told that he might be able to be taken off the ventilator tomorrow – please pray that his heart and lungs are able to handle breathing on his own – this is a HUGE step in his recovery!

Email is probably the best way to get a hold of me right now – beth@terrilynnland.com. I have access to that email on my cell phone at all times. I will try to update this as much as possible – we are currently having some internet issues here at RMH as well.

I say a special thank you to my sister Sarah and friend and co-worker Shana for sending out the email updates for us while we were in the hospital.

We love you all so much and once again, say THANK YOU with our WHOLE HEARTS!!

Andy, Beth and Daniel

HERE WE GO!

2007-10-28T20:26:00.000-04:00

OKAY - Here we go! We got the call tonight to tell us that we should be all set for the scheduled induction tomorrow night at U of M. We are supposed to get there at 7 pm and start the process.

We are going to leave Byron Center sometime after lunch and head to Holly to drop off the dogs at "Doggie Camp" (aka Papa & Nama Emmitt's house) and hang out there until we get the "for sure" call between 4:00 and 6:00 pm telling us to COME ON DOWN!

We are excited and yet very scared.

Thank you for all your continued support and prayers! We have a number of places and ways we are trying to keep everyone updated. We have an email update list, Beth is on Facebook and just started this blog. Once the baby arrives, we will see what works best for us.

THANK YOU again!

Beth & Andy

Bringing you up to speed

2007-10-26T10:50:00.000-04:00

October 29, 2007 we are scheduled to go to Ann Arbor in the evening and have Beth’s labor induced.

As many of you know, we had a series of appointments at U of M on September 27th. Another ECHO was done (ultrasound of the baby’s heart) when we first arrived. The cardiologist, Dr. Gomez-Fifer, told us that the Coarctation of the Aorta was a definite problem that would have to be repaired with surgery and that the VSD (hole between the ventricles) would also need to be fixed. We were told the same thing at our first appointment a month ago. Both fixes are considered major heart surgery with the possibility of more surgeries needed later in life. However, there is a 98% success rate for these surgeries.

The one unknown condition from the first appointment was whether or not our baby did indeed have a condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome – a very serious condition in which the heart is rebuilt through a series of three surgeries in the first two years of life. The cardiologist told us that it was still too soon to know.

We met with Dr. Hirsch later in the morning. She will be the surgeon operating on our baby. She agreed with Dr. Gomez-Fifer that our baby’s condition seems too borderline to determine whether it needs the HLHS surgeries. She told us that after the baby is born it will have an ECHO within the first 6-12 hours. After the ECHO is preformed, a team of cardiologists and surgeons will go over the results and make the decision.

We also met with an OB, a genetic counselor, a social worker and got a tour of the high-risk labor and delivery area. We also had a full ultrasound done – they estimate that the baby is currently 5lbs 9oz!

We asked the surgeon if there was anything we should be doing between now and the birth to prepare ourselves and our home for our baby. Her two suggestions were that Beth gets as much rest as possible and that she makes as big of a baby as possible – she recommended pizza, pasta and milkshakes (for those of you that know Beth, she will be substituting the milkshakes with chocolate cake!). She said that bigger babies seem to handle surgery better.

We continue to ask for your prayers. They are what have gotten us through these past couple of months, and the only way we will make it through the upcoming months. We pray every day for miracles, for our baby’s heart to be healed. We pray that we are able to bring a healthy baby home with us by Thanksgiving. Please join us in these prayers.

We thank you again for your prayers and support and wanted to let you know that we pray for all of you every day as well. You have all been a blessing and we truly appreciate you all.