Thursday, February 25, 2010
Update
Siena is still very congested but does not seem to be getting worse so that is good. She enjoyed her evening with Shayne last night while me & the boys were at Disney on Ice. She continues to be smiley through her crud so that is a good sign. Last time we had NO smiles for almost a week. She is eating & drinking well.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Same Thing
Looks like Siena has the same thing, RSV induced bronchiolitis. (it was not confirmed via swab, but probably same thing). Same drill, just have to let the virus run it's course and hopefully Siena can fight it off a little better than last time. She is still eating & drinking well and only had a low grade fever last night so that is all good. She is responding well & perking up well after a dose of Motrin and actually has some energy and smiles when she is not coughing. Still early but hopefully she gets better & not worse.
Sick Again:-(
Siena is sick again. Not to the extent that she was last time, but she she is working her way in that direction. All smiles today with what just seemed like a mild cold, with a fever and awful cough appearing around 7 tonight . She responded well to Motrin and was all smiles at bedtime. Her breathing rate is climbing above where it should be though and we do not want to wait till it gets to 93/minute before she gets medical assistance. Right now we are watching her very closely and I imagine a Dr visit is in our future tomorrow. Praying that I am wrong, but realistic at the same time. Please pray for little miss.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Valentine's Day!
Since my last few posts have been all text, I will skip a lot of text and just show Siena's last few days in pictures.
Siena worn out after our long day in the ER on Tuesday.
We did not have the camera on Thursday, the day she was admitted, but this is her on Friday. She was still not feeling very well, but was able to get a little sleep and be somewhat comfortable.
Though still very limp, she was at least showing a little bit of energy, just a little.
For her to be playing with dad was a huge improvement.
And to see a smile was very exciting!
Her moments of energy were very short, then she was pooped out again.
The tape on her face is what was holding the oxygen tubes up to her nose. She was on oxygen Thursday, then came off of it Friday afternoon.
Saturday we finally got some BIG smiles.
It didn't take her long to start getting into trouble. After she started feeling better it took about 3 seconds for her to try to unplug her oxygen sensor monitor.
She was happy to be back home!
Siena checking out her valentine from Annie
She loves her valentine from Grandma & Grandpa Pooh. I love that I told her to hold it up and she really did. She was smiling when I took the picture... for some reason you can't tell though... really.
I passed onto her my heart pillow that I received as a Christmas gift from my Aunt Bev probably 20 years ago. I was saving it for my little girl. I thought this would be a good day to officially make it hers.
And the photo op I couldn't stop thinking about at the hospital... her destroying her brothers' trains with a big, mischievous grin. Love it!
Quick story...at one point this morning Braydon told Siena to stop getting into his train and she actually stopped. Bray told me, "Wow, they really fixed her up at the hospital. I told her no and she actually stopped. They must have given her Listen to your brother when he tells you no medicine". It was very cute. Bray told me that he is really glad that she is home, but when she was gone they didn't have to worry about her messing up their trains, but he is glad that she is home.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone. Thank you so much for the prayers & kind words. It means the world to us all. Thank you also to Grandma & Grandpa Pooh for dropping everything and watching the boys for us. It was a big relief to know that they were well cared for.
Siena worn out after our long day in the ER on Tuesday.
We did not have the camera on Thursday, the day she was admitted, but this is her on Friday. She was still not feeling very well, but was able to get a little sleep and be somewhat comfortable.
Though still very limp, she was at least showing a little bit of energy, just a little.
For her to be playing with dad was a huge improvement.
And to see a smile was very exciting!
Her moments of energy were very short, then she was pooped out again.
The tape on her face is what was holding the oxygen tubes up to her nose. She was on oxygen Thursday, then came off of it Friday afternoon.
Saturday we finally got some BIG smiles.
It didn't take her long to start getting into trouble. After she started feeling better it took about 3 seconds for her to try to unplug her oxygen sensor monitor.
She was happy to be back home!
Siena checking out her valentine from Annie
She loves her valentine from Grandma & Grandpa Pooh. I love that I told her to hold it up and she really did. She was smiling when I took the picture... for some reason you can't tell though... really.
I passed onto her my heart pillow that I received as a Christmas gift from my Aunt Bev probably 20 years ago. I was saving it for my little girl. I thought this would be a good day to officially make it hers.
And the photo op I couldn't stop thinking about at the hospital... her destroying her brothers' trains with a big, mischievous grin. Love it!
Quick story...at one point this morning Braydon told Siena to stop getting into his train and she actually stopped. Bray told me, "Wow, they really fixed her up at the hospital. I told her no and she actually stopped. They must have given her Listen to your brother when he tells you no medicine". It was very cute. Bray told me that he is really glad that she is home, but when she was gone they didn't have to worry about her messing up their trains, but he is glad that she is home.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone. Thank you so much for the prayers & kind words. It means the world to us all. Thank you also to Grandma & Grandpa Pooh for dropping everything and watching the boys for us. It was a big relief to know that they were well cared for.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Siena Update
As much as I would like to take credit for yesterday's blog post, that was Shayne who updated yesterday. This is mom and I will give a brief update on where we are at now. My apologies for this jumbled up description of what is going on. I am trying to keep Little Miss from pulling off any cords while I write this.
Siena is at Children's Hospital where she was admitted by our Dr's office through their direct care. This basically means as I understand it that Children's HAD to admit Siena based on what our Dr's office had observed and once here, all orders need to be discussed & approved by them.
This all started out when we went to Siena's 12 month appt on Tuesday. We went in and I really just thought Siena had a really bad cold that had wiped her out. After our Dr's examamination she was concerned and we were sent to Children's ER via ambulance to receive a chest x-ray and to be evaluated and treated. We went via ambulance because of the bad road conditions and doomsday forecast. After being checked out we were sent home with the diagnosis of RSV induced bronchiolitis. We were told to follow-up with our Dr office in 2 days or on Wed if we were concerned. Our original Dr that saw her on Tuesday was going to be out of town on Thursday and Friday and really Siena was still still pretty listless and miserabe and breathing incredibly fast so we went back on Wednesday to our Dr. The Dr was happy that her fever from the day before was gone but still concerned about the breathing. She was really surprised that Children's didn't admit her..... apparently they see tons of bronchiolitis cases this time of the year. Our Dr did a swab to confirm that Siena has RSV. She wanted to be sure that RSV was what she had. Our Dr went over all of the things we could do with her to help her feel better.... nose suction, humidifier, etc. She told us to come back Thursday if her temp came back and had another Dr check her out so she would be able to have a baseline if we were back in the office while she was out of town.
Yesterday her temp was back up and Siena was still miserable, listless, coughing & breathing extremely fast. We went to our Drs office where they then sent us to Children's as a direct admit...... so they had to take us and here we are. We spent sometime in the triage unit, then up the 3rd floor, an now we are on the 5th floor which is the respiratory floor. Siena has an IV where she is receiving fluids. Yesterday they put her on oxygen. She can not have food or drinks while her breathing is about 45 or 50 breaths/minute. When we came in they were at 93, while on oxygen they had dropped down to the high 30s at one point (I think I heard 28-40 are normal for her age). Now she is off oxygen and they are in the 50s & 60s.
Yesterday she only slept for a minute at a time in between all the poking & prodding. Once she settled down last night she actually rested semi comfortably and today she slept for quite awhile. She has moments of alertness like she wants to get up and play and then about 2 seconds later she plops hr head back down. Right now she is actually sitting up, looking at the balloons that Kroger delivered to her (they brought valentine balloons for all the kids). It is fantastic to see her sitting up and somewhat aware of her surroundings. The nurse just came in and Siena was pointing at her and trying to take off her mask. A very good sign.
Shayne is at the house with the boys & my parents right now but when he returns he will be very excited to see the progress she has made. She isn't back to her old self yet, but she seems to be on the mend. Last night she was close to getting admitted into the ICU so the Dr said that they will not be too quick to release her but they also don't want to keep her longer than they need to for fear of her catching something else while she is here. She definitely needs to be able to take a bottle so right now we are just waiting for her breathing to slow down enough for that. We will be here at least till tomorrow.
Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. I will try to keep this updated as best I can. The phone reception in the hospital is very spotty so I may or may not be getting calls at any given time.
Siena is at Children's Hospital where she was admitted by our Dr's office through their direct care. This basically means as I understand it that Children's HAD to admit Siena based on what our Dr's office had observed and once here, all orders need to be discussed & approved by them.
This all started out when we went to Siena's 12 month appt on Tuesday. We went in and I really just thought Siena had a really bad cold that had wiped her out. After our Dr's examamination she was concerned and we were sent to Children's ER via ambulance to receive a chest x-ray and to be evaluated and treated. We went via ambulance because of the bad road conditions and doomsday forecast. After being checked out we were sent home with the diagnosis of RSV induced bronchiolitis. We were told to follow-up with our Dr office in 2 days or on Wed if we were concerned. Our original Dr that saw her on Tuesday was going to be out of town on Thursday and Friday and really Siena was still still pretty listless and miserabe and breathing incredibly fast so we went back on Wednesday to our Dr. The Dr was happy that her fever from the day before was gone but still concerned about the breathing. She was really surprised that Children's didn't admit her..... apparently they see tons of bronchiolitis cases this time of the year. Our Dr did a swab to confirm that Siena has RSV. She wanted to be sure that RSV was what she had. Our Dr went over all of the things we could do with her to help her feel better.... nose suction, humidifier, etc. She told us to come back Thursday if her temp came back and had another Dr check her out so she would be able to have a baseline if we were back in the office while she was out of town.
Yesterday her temp was back up and Siena was still miserable, listless, coughing & breathing extremely fast. We went to our Drs office where they then sent us to Children's as a direct admit...... so they had to take us and here we are. We spent sometime in the triage unit, then up the 3rd floor, an now we are on the 5th floor which is the respiratory floor. Siena has an IV where she is receiving fluids. Yesterday they put her on oxygen. She can not have food or drinks while her breathing is about 45 or 50 breaths/minute. When we came in they were at 93, while on oxygen they had dropped down to the high 30s at one point (I think I heard 28-40 are normal for her age). Now she is off oxygen and they are in the 50s & 60s.
Yesterday she only slept for a minute at a time in between all the poking & prodding. Once she settled down last night she actually rested semi comfortably and today she slept for quite awhile. She has moments of alertness like she wants to get up and play and then about 2 seconds later she plops hr head back down. Right now she is actually sitting up, looking at the balloons that Kroger delivered to her (they brought valentine balloons for all the kids). It is fantastic to see her sitting up and somewhat aware of her surroundings. The nurse just came in and Siena was pointing at her and trying to take off her mask. A very good sign.
Shayne is at the house with the boys & my parents right now but when he returns he will be very excited to see the progress she has made. She isn't back to her old self yet, but she seems to be on the mend. Last night she was close to getting admitted into the ICU so the Dr said that they will not be too quick to release her but they also don't want to keep her longer than they need to for fear of her catching something else while she is here. She definitely needs to be able to take a bottle so right now we are just waiting for her breathing to slow down enough for that. We will be here at least till tomorrow.
Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. I will try to keep this updated as best I can. The phone reception in the hospital is very spotty so I may or may not be getting calls at any given time.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Oh, where have all the smiles gone . . .
Siena is sick. More sick than the two boys have ever been. Siena is a girl who loves to smile and make everyone else around her smile. I haven't seen my beautiful little girl smile since Sunday. Not even Braydon can make her smile and he is our go-to guy when she needs cheering up. He can always get a smile, but not now.
She sleeps, she eats, she cries. If we put her down on the floor to change her, she doesn't move when we finish. She eats a little from the bottle - just a couple ounces at a time - and then cries herself to sleep. Her breathing is labored and sounds more like panting. Her body and limbs just droop and hang in my arms. She wakes up and in fits of coughing and tears of pain every so often and there is nothing we can do to comfort her. Her cries are more like moans, groans, and wales. We rub her back, we hold her, we sing to her, but she is inconsolable. She has a constant fever that is kept under wraps with alternating rounds of Tylenol and Ibuprofen every few hours. My poor little girl.
After spending the majority of the day at Children's Hospital yesterday and another visit to the pediatricians with more swabs today - we have ruled out pneumonia and are pretty sure that it is bronchiolitis. We should get confirmation tomorrow.
Not that this is about us, but this girl knows how to pull-not tug- but really pull our heart strings. She's been doing it before day one. I have a shirt that says: "Dad, the toughest job you'll ever love." That couldn't ring more true than right now.
These last few days have been sleepless and have brought about many of the same feelings as I had felt when Siena was in the NICU. Feelings that I thought I had left far behind. Ugh! I can't wait until she is safe, healthy, and happy again.
Those feelings got me thinking . . .
. . . parenting is most fulfilling in the smiles of our children . . .
Sheeezz-we just celebrated her first birthday and everything seemed like smooth sailing. It serves as a reminder . . . rough waters are unpredictable and never too far off. The blessing and curse of parenthood is that for the rest of our lives many of our greatest sorrows, heart aches, and fulfillment will be rooted in their struggles, health, and happiness. Our children will grow up to be adults, but they will always be our children. I get it; parenting is tough but does it ever get easier?
She sleeps, she eats, she cries. If we put her down on the floor to change her, she doesn't move when we finish. She eats a little from the bottle - just a couple ounces at a time - and then cries herself to sleep. Her breathing is labored and sounds more like panting. Her body and limbs just droop and hang in my arms. She wakes up and in fits of coughing and tears of pain every so often and there is nothing we can do to comfort her. Her cries are more like moans, groans, and wales. We rub her back, we hold her, we sing to her, but she is inconsolable. She has a constant fever that is kept under wraps with alternating rounds of Tylenol and Ibuprofen every few hours. My poor little girl.
After spending the majority of the day at Children's Hospital yesterday and another visit to the pediatricians with more swabs today - we have ruled out pneumonia and are pretty sure that it is bronchiolitis. We should get confirmation tomorrow.
Not that this is about us, but this girl knows how to pull-not tug- but really pull our heart strings. She's been doing it before day one. I have a shirt that says: "Dad, the toughest job you'll ever love." That couldn't ring more true than right now.
These last few days have been sleepless and have brought about many of the same feelings as I had felt when Siena was in the NICU. Feelings that I thought I had left far behind. Ugh! I can't wait until she is safe, healthy, and happy again.
Those feelings got me thinking . . .
. . . parenting is most fulfilling in the smiles of our children . . .
Sheeezz-we just celebrated her first birthday and everything seemed like smooth sailing. It serves as a reminder . . . rough waters are unpredictable and never too far off. The blessing and curse of parenthood is that for the rest of our lives many of our greatest sorrows, heart aches, and fulfillment will be rooted in their struggles, health, and happiness. Our children will grow up to be adults, but they will always be our children. I get it; parenting is tough but does it ever get easier?
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Another Big Day
Siena had green beans & bananas today! Not pureed, but just cut up. She handled them both like a champ. Now we will keep trying the sippy cup. If you told me last week that she would be eating green beans I would not have believed it.
Siena exploring the Thanksgiving feast. The green bean can was about as big as her.
Siena & Uncle Terry (2nd cousin actually, I think) at Thanksgiving
Grandma Pooh with the only granddaughter
Uncle Turkey, I mean Uncle Matt
The boys are big into their Geo train set right now. Siena loves to destroy the set once they have it all put up. I keep trying to get a shot of her standing up, tearing it all down like King Kong or Godzilla or whoever that is that walks among the skyscrapers, wreaking havoc. That is what she reminds me of, and that is what it sounds like with her brothers both throwing fits upon seeing the destruction. Love it!
Siena exploring the Thanksgiving feast. The green bean can was about as big as her.
Siena & Uncle Terry (2nd cousin actually, I think) at Thanksgiving
Grandma Pooh with the only granddaughter
Uncle Turkey, I mean Uncle Matt
The boys are big into their Geo train set right now. Siena loves to destroy the set once they have it all put up. I keep trying to get a shot of her standing up, tearing it all down like King Kong or Godzilla or whoever that is that walks among the skyscrapers, wreaking havoc. That is what she reminds me of, and that is what it sounds like with her brothers both throwing fits upon seeing the destruction. Love it!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Milestone! Cheerio time!
We have reached a very big milestone at our house. Miss Siena is now eating Cheerios! Last week we met with the occupational therapists with a concern about her eating habits. She was choking or gagging on everything (puffs & baby food is all we have given her so far because of this). After observing her and letting her play in her food (what a mess!) they gave me some suggestions on how we could get her to improve in the eating department. Turns out that she had issues when food was at one particular spot in the back/ middle of her tongue. She just couldn't manipulate her tongue the right way and the only way to get it off of her tongue was to gag. They mentioned that the sensory system is often underdeveloped in preemies and that with practice she should figure it out soon. They had me give her bigger items that she could maneuver a little easier than the puffs that she choked on often. This was hard for me of course since she was having trouble on what should have come easy for her, but through thickening up her food considerably and placing the puffs on the sides of her mouth where she actually had to chew them she has seemed to figure it out. I gave her broken up Cheerios this weekend and then yesterday I gave her whole Cheerios. Today I gave her several at a time and she had no problems at all! It is like she figured out that she is being watched now so she decided to get her act together.
This of course opens up a whole new world for her.... snacks at the zoo, Cosi, church...... the possibilities are endless. How far she has come..... how lucky and blessed we are!
The following pictures are from December.
Our big girl at dinner time
Fancy angle
I am pretty sure Bray was making her laugh in this one.
No binky for Siena but this is how we sometimes find her. We know it has been a long day when she doesn't make it through her bottle.
Uncle Mike was fast enough to catch her for a picture
Not happy.
Grandma Pooh with Zachary & Siena. Can you tell they are 5 months apart?
Notice how disturbed both Siena & Santa look. From the previous photo, they obviously have a rough history.
Sara working on getting a smile out of Siena
All bundled up to see the zoo lights with Grandma & Grandpa Pooh. The lights were the best ever!
Rumor has it that I have Thanksgiving pictures & of course birthday pictures that have not been added yet. Stay tuned.
This of course opens up a whole new world for her.... snacks at the zoo, Cosi, church...... the possibilities are endless. How far she has come..... how lucky and blessed we are!
The following pictures are from December.
Our big girl at dinner time
Fancy angle
I am pretty sure Bray was making her laugh in this one.
No binky for Siena but this is how we sometimes find her. We know it has been a long day when she doesn't make it through her bottle.
Uncle Mike was fast enough to catch her for a picture
Not happy.
Grandma Pooh with Zachary & Siena. Can you tell they are 5 months apart?
Notice how disturbed both Siena & Santa look. From the previous photo, they obviously have a rough history.
Sara working on getting a smile out of Siena
All bundled up to see the zoo lights with Grandma & Grandpa Pooh. The lights were the best ever!
Rumor has it that I have Thanksgiving pictures & of course birthday pictures that have not been added yet. Stay tuned.
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