He got a basket of bday goodies including 4 books (Goodnight Moon ABC's, Oscar the Grouch, Baby Einstein and Handy Manny), a new pair of Skidders, a new Rock-n Car and a Sing a ma jig!
Over all it was a great 1st birthday! WE MADE IT!!
Well, Eli has celebrated his 1st birthday... He said it's was his best yet! (We didn't tell him that it was his only one...) We started the day at Mommy and Me (Amanda's Place), then went to lunch with the seniors at church, then the doctor's for shots (not a good bday present but necessary!), dinner at Olive Garden (Eli's favorite!) and back home for presents! Eli weighs 19 lbs 11 oz and is 28 inches long! He gained 17 lbs in a year! He rocks!!
He got a basket of bday goodies including 4 books (Goodnight Moon ABC's, Oscar the Grouch, Baby Einstein and Handy Manny), a new pair of Skidders, a new Rock-n Car and a Sing a ma jig! Over all it was a great 1st birthday! WE MADE IT!!
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So we had Eli's first birthday party! It was so fun! Many friends and family were able to come and celebrate with us. We had everyone bring a donation for the NICU rather than a present. We ended up with over 80 blankets, onesies and outfits for the NICU, 3 books and $65 in donations! We are so greatful to our family and friends for helping us give back to the place that gave us so much! Here are the pics! Eli had a great time eating his cake... Or playing in it... Or a little of both!
Today is Fight for Preemies day. Today we stand up and fight so that babies don't have to.
This year I thought I would blog about preeclampsia and the days leading up to Eli's birth at 29 weeks. November 9- I was admitted to the hospital for the first time for observation and a 24 hour urine protein test. This round at the hospital was pretty uneventful. They released me on November 11 telling me that I had mild toximia and to take it easy. November 17 (exactly 1 year ago today!)- I was readmitted to the hospital because even though I had been on BP meds for a week my BP's were still really high. They admitted me for more observations and another 24 hour urine protein test. November 18- Nothing really happening. I had to get my first round of steroid shots in the butt. It HURT! :o( Everyday that I am in the hospital I have an ultrasound and get to see (the then sex unknown) Eli. November 19- This was the day that things turned around. The DR (not my regular OB, she was on vacation!) came in and said that my protein count had gone up significantly and basically told us that I wasn't leaving the hospital till the baby was born. I was in shock because I had expected to be released that day. Rick and I were really upset and had a lot of questions that no one really knew the answers to. Luckily the woman who was the receptionist on the floor was my mom's neighbor and she came in to talk to us and answer some of our questions. I had to get my second round of steroid shots this day. This one hurt even worse than the first time!! That was the night when I told Rick, "I think we need to pick out names sooner rather than later!" We picked Eli James for a boy (James after Rick, my grandpa and his grandpa) and Ella Hope for a girl (Hope after his grandma and in honor of Aunt Karen). November 20- This was another kind of quiet day in the hospital. And a bunch of people came to visit! :o) Aunt Judi and Christie stoped by but we only got to visit for a minute because I was at yet another ultrasound. Ginger brought all the women that had gone to Women of Faith that day to see me at dinner time. It was so nice to see people! But that night my BP's spiked. They sent me down to L&D because we didn't know what was going to happen. Mom and Dad came and sat with us for a couple of hours after WOF was over. It was very scary. I ended up sleeping in a "closet" (it felt like it! It didn't even have a bathroom!) that night. They started another 24 hour urine protein check. Luckily my BP's went down enough that the next morning they sent me back up to the Maternity ward. November 21- This day was spent sleeping for the most part trying to catch up on some sleep that didn't happen the night before. :o) We talked alot about what was going to happen. But had no idea.... November 22- This was the best day in the hospital yet! In the morning after church Aunt Brenda, Gram, Mom, Dad, Del and Bethy all came to visit. The DR said I could go off the floor and we were able to go outside for the first time in a week. We sat in the little courtyard they have and talked for an hour. It was so plesant! That evening some of the Youth came to visit after youth! It was so wonderful to see them and talk. It was a time I will never forget because they came all the way over there to see me and visit. They even brought a duck toy for the baby. He still has it. November 23- This was the day our lives would change forever. We just didn't know it when the day started. Rick had spent the night at home and gone to work that morning. My OB (Dr Velarde) had finally gotten back from vacation and was going to come and see me. When she came in she sat down on the couch and explained that things were not looking good and we were going to do an emergency c-section that day. I was in shock. I couldn't understand. I felt fine. Dr Velarde told me that my last urine protein had come back over 8000 and that the cut off for severe preeclampsia is 5000. I managed to stay calm till she left and then freaked out. I called Rick and told him to come, then my mom. She called my dad and my sisters. I texted Ginger and told her what was going on. She texted me back with a Bible verse that said, "Romans 8:28". I kept saying that to myself as I paced back and forth around the room waiting for everyone to get there. Finally Rick walked in and I burst into tears. I couldn't believe this was happening... Soon everyone was there and they took me down to L&D to prep. Rick's mom, step-dad, sister and dad all got there after work. They gave me a new IV port and started me on magnisium sulfate. It is a HORRID drug! I was so hot that I was sweating and Rick said it was about 66 degrees in the room! :o/ After they started that people would come in and out of the room and talk and tell me different things. The anesthesiologist came in to talk about the spinal, a nurse friend (Donna) was on call that day and said she would go into the OR with us to take pics, Nancy and Ms Turni came, Pastor Don and Linda came. But by far one of the most calming moments in a evening of terror was when Dr Velarde came in and said let's pray. It was so wonderful that God placed her in my life to be my OB and that she came back from vacation just in time to deliver me! Dr Velarde told Rick that if my BP's went over a certain number to let her know. Right before they rolled me back my BP's skyrocketed and Rick told Dr Velarde, she said, "It's time to go" and they rolled me back to the OR. As you can see by reading about the days and moments before Eli entered the world, I had no real physical symptoms that would say pre-eclampsia. I had no headaches, no vomiting, no seizures, nothing but swelling which is very normal during pregnancy! I did have high BP's and protein in my urine but those are things that I would have never known had my OB not been paying attention. I feel so blessed to be here today because more than 74,000 women loose their lives to preeclampsia each year. More than 150,000 babies will loose their lives because of preeclampsia this year also. Why don't people know these numbers? Why don't people talk about these mom's and babies? I don't know, but I will not be letting these mom's and babies go unnoticed or not recognized. Today we honor our amazing preemie babies... Here are just a few that we know and love: Eli (29 weeker) Toby (26 weeker) Travis (33 weeker) Eliana (34 weeker) Abby (29 weeker) Sydney (32 weeker) Matthew (34 weeker) Timothy (36 weeker) Today we remember... Charles a 26 weeker born in January 2010 who gained his angel wings in October 2010. We know so many success stories, but we are also touched by the angel baby stories that we hear. Please say a prayer for all the babies in the NICU right now, all the babies who are born prematurely everyday, all the angel baby mama's and dad's, and all the preemie baby's who are blessed to be healthy.... One year ago today ( I will be saying that alot in the next few blogs! lol) I was admitted to the hospital for the first time. I was released 2 days later and told I had mild toximia. That is just another word for preeclampsia. Please take a look at the Preeclampsia Foundation website:
http://www.preeclampsia.org/ You never know when it might change someone's life!! Today is the first day of Prematurity Awareness Month. Last year I had no idea what would be happening 22 days from now. This year, we will stand together to raise awareness and fight premature birth. Right now we will fight, so babies don't have to.
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