We called for our morning update and heard the words we couldn't wait for...
"The orders are written for Adam's discharge today" TODAY!
Ryan and I will go once Tyler and Jake are down for naps and we will get to do the car seat test, watch a CPR video, and do whatever else they tell us to so we can bring our baby boy HOME.
It will finally feel like we have a family of five. We are so excited! Let the craziness begin.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Quick Update
Since our last round of pictures Adam is...
Done with the bili lights.
wearing clothes
wrapped up
free of IVs
no more feeding line
(trying to) eating all his feedings regularly
up to 60+ cc per feeding
holding his own body temperature
working really hard to learn to eat without getting tired so that he can come home...maybe even TODAY?!
He lost one ounce while we were visiting last night so he might have one more full day there- but he is doing great with his growth and strength and we just have to get the little boy eating and gaining weight. We are so close!
Thanks again for the continued prayers and love. We know the prayers have helped a ton. The nurses and Docs who come back after their days off have all been so surprised to see little Adam doing so well so soon. We truly are blessed :)
Done with the bili lights.
wearing clothes
wrapped up
free of IVs
no more feeding line
(trying to) eating all his feedings regularly
up to 60+ cc per feeding
holding his own body temperature
working really hard to learn to eat without getting tired so that he can come home...maybe even TODAY?!
He lost one ounce while we were visiting last night so he might have one more full day there- but he is doing great with his growth and strength and we just have to get the little boy eating and gaining weight. We are so close!
Thanks again for the continued prayers and love. We know the prayers have helped a ton. The nurses and Docs who come back after their days off have all been so surprised to see little Adam doing so well so soon. We truly are blessed :)
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Adam Richard Crooks
We are so excited to announce the birth of our third son, Adam Richard. He was born on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 8:50am weighing 6 lb. 8 oz. 19 inches long.
Life hasn't been the same since and we have far too much to catch up on but I'll give it a shot.
Adam was born three weeks early due to internal complications on my part and finding out that my amniotic fluid was critically low. We found out about the fluids at our appointment for an amniocentesis on Wednesday morning. The fetal lung maturity came back as "transitional" so normally we wouldn't have had our little guy, but with the added complication of low fluids we had to have him. We got these results about 7:30pm from my Dr. who was calling from the hospital and asked us to move up the surgery from 5:30pm to 7:30 am. That sent us in to overdrive because we had nothing ready. We had to get the boys ready to be watched, our bags packed, house cleaned, etc. etc.
Wednesday came all too soon and we left the house at 5:45 am to get to the hospital by 6:15am for an 8:30am surgery (it got pushed back about 8pm the night before...just one more change). Everybody was running late, the doc, the assist for surgery, the anesthesiologist...we were anxiously awaiting the start of surgery and we finally started at 8:45am baby Adam was out and crying by 8:50 (unexpectedly quick because my insides were so messed up they had to get him out due to crazy bleeding). We were thrilled to hear his strong cries and his apgars were 8 and 9. They brought my sweet little boy up so I could give him a kiss and see his cute little face. I heard some interesting conversation between my doctors about how messed up I was inside and they told me how luck I was that I hadn't gone into labor. Anyhow, It took about 30 minutes to put me together and Ryan was off with Adam to the nursery for observation.
The next part went fairly normal, I got to recovery, Ryan stayed with our sweet boy being watched for signs of any problems, and I got to close my eyes and try to overcome the crazy amounts of drugs they must have given me. I was OUT.
We got back to my room around 10:30 and Ryan was there with Adam shortly after. I got to hold my baby and try to feed him but he wouldn't eat. This went on trying every 30 minutes for about two more hours and I had a call in to the lactation consultant. She showed up about 45 minutes later and Adam still wouldn't eat and I knew something wasn't right. Cee Cee was an angel and saw signs that something wasn't right with our sweet boy. She stayed calm in our room, asked to take him to the nursery for a quick test. She calmly left the room and, as we learned later, RAN him down the hall to the nursery then on to the NICU. I knew something was really wrong when they came back in and said daddy needed to come with them now.
I was calm for a little while but I was stuck in my bed still, couldn't feel my legs, couldn't move, still completely hooked up to IVs and whatnot. I made a call to the nursery who said they couldn't update me because Adam had been moved the NICU and nobody could talk to me right now. Those were some of the worst minutes of my life. Ryan finally came back sometime and said the doctors were coming by to tell me what was going on.
Everything from then on is such a blur. Hours and days are completely irrelevant I just remember living update to update. The doctors came in and told us Adam was breathing way too fast and not getting enough oxygen. He had a bunch of blood work, x-rays, and labs done. Adam's lungs weren't quite open yet and he had pulmonary hypertension which was causing the blood to bypass the lungs as if he were still in utero. He also had a heart murmur that they were concerned about.
Over the next few hours x-rays, EKGs, blood gas tests, nasal cannula, and talk of hypertension all became very familiar.
I was allowed to get out of my bed after only 7 hours and some- I could move enough to get to a wheel chair and go be with my baby. Ryan was such a strength and going through this all was so surreal I was wondering (and still am) when it will hit me that my baby is in the NICU.
I want to get down the basics of the next few days so here's the brief version
Thursday afternoon Adam got his first round of surfactant to help develop and open the lungs. He got a second dose early Friday morning. He had IVs and a nasal cannula for most of Thursday.
Friday Adam got a blood transfusion due to low blood pressure and low hematocrit. The blood transfusion caused Adam to puff up with fluids so he had to get another drug to help him eliminate some of the fluids. He is gaining and losing ounces quickly with all the changes. By Friday afternoon Adam was intubated to give him good oxygen flow to his lungs which is the main treatment for pulmonary hypertension. Chest x-rays started to show signs of pneumonia already. I think it was Friday that Adam got his umbilical lines (IVs in the stump of the umbilical cord so they don't have to poke him as much and can directly administer medications)
Saturday chest x-rays go back and forth between cleared up and collapsed still. His respirator levels get adjusted every few hours, blood gas tests every few hours, still no food just IV fluids.
Sunday more of the hurry up and wait. Trying to open up his lungs by laying him on different sides. Pulmonary hypertension is officially cleared up- yeah!
Monday, our last day in the hospital. We got official word that we are treating for pneumonia and that Adam will be at least 10 days for the full course of antibiotics. Adam is getting stronger and got to start getting my milk today- finally! First two feeds go okay but then he struggles a bit. They administer glycerin to help get his intestines moving. He does good with about every other feeding.
Tuesday, Ryan and I get to visit at nap time and after the boys are in bed. Adam is starting to feel better and have more energy which is good- but he keeps trying to pull out tubes and lines so he has to be sedated every few hours.
Wednesday, more visiting at nap time and we learn that Adam's oxygen levels are so good that he got his breathing tube out around 9am. Later that day Adam got his UAC out so we were two steps closer to holding him. That night while we were visiting he got out his UVC and I got to hold him around 9pm! What an amazing feeling that was! I finally felt like his mom again just a little bit. I was on such a high that night I hardly slept.
Thursday we visit, he is getting more and more at his feeds, doing better each time. Adam is maintaining his oxygen levels on just a nasal cannula and only 2 Liters of oxygen instead of 3. Ryan got to hold him at our noon visit and he took his mom to visit and hold him before she headed home.
I am leaving out so much but this mom has to go sleep while I can.
We appreciate all the love, support, and prayers more than you know. We have been blessed with excellent nurses who make us feel at ease leaving our little boy in very capable and loving hands. We are excited about all the progress Adam has made but we know he still has a ways to go before he is home with our family.
Please keep praying for our little Adam. We know that it is the prayers of so many that have helped keep him on a steady course towards coming home.
Life hasn't been the same since and we have far too much to catch up on but I'll give it a shot.
Adam was born three weeks early due to internal complications on my part and finding out that my amniotic fluid was critically low. We found out about the fluids at our appointment for an amniocentesis on Wednesday morning. The fetal lung maturity came back as "transitional" so normally we wouldn't have had our little guy, but with the added complication of low fluids we had to have him. We got these results about 7:30pm from my Dr. who was calling from the hospital and asked us to move up the surgery from 5:30pm to 7:30 am. That sent us in to overdrive because we had nothing ready. We had to get the boys ready to be watched, our bags packed, house cleaned, etc. etc.
Wednesday came all too soon and we left the house at 5:45 am to get to the hospital by 6:15am for an 8:30am surgery (it got pushed back about 8pm the night before...just one more change). Everybody was running late, the doc, the assist for surgery, the anesthesiologist...we were anxiously awaiting the start of surgery and we finally started at 8:45am baby Adam was out and crying by 8:50 (unexpectedly quick because my insides were so messed up they had to get him out due to crazy bleeding). We were thrilled to hear his strong cries and his apgars were 8 and 9. They brought my sweet little boy up so I could give him a kiss and see his cute little face. I heard some interesting conversation between my doctors about how messed up I was inside and they told me how luck I was that I hadn't gone into labor. Anyhow, It took about 30 minutes to put me together and Ryan was off with Adam to the nursery for observation.
The next part went fairly normal, I got to recovery, Ryan stayed with our sweet boy being watched for signs of any problems, and I got to close my eyes and try to overcome the crazy amounts of drugs they must have given me. I was OUT.
We got back to my room around 10:30 and Ryan was there with Adam shortly after. I got to hold my baby and try to feed him but he wouldn't eat. This went on trying every 30 minutes for about two more hours and I had a call in to the lactation consultant. She showed up about 45 minutes later and Adam still wouldn't eat and I knew something wasn't right. Cee Cee was an angel and saw signs that something wasn't right with our sweet boy. She stayed calm in our room, asked to take him to the nursery for a quick test. She calmly left the room and, as we learned later, RAN him down the hall to the nursery then on to the NICU. I knew something was really wrong when they came back in and said daddy needed to come with them now.
I was calm for a little while but I was stuck in my bed still, couldn't feel my legs, couldn't move, still completely hooked up to IVs and whatnot. I made a call to the nursery who said they couldn't update me because Adam had been moved the NICU and nobody could talk to me right now. Those were some of the worst minutes of my life. Ryan finally came back sometime and said the doctors were coming by to tell me what was going on.
Everything from then on is such a blur. Hours and days are completely irrelevant I just remember living update to update. The doctors came in and told us Adam was breathing way too fast and not getting enough oxygen. He had a bunch of blood work, x-rays, and labs done. Adam's lungs weren't quite open yet and he had pulmonary hypertension which was causing the blood to bypass the lungs as if he were still in utero. He also had a heart murmur that they were concerned about.
Over the next few hours x-rays, EKGs, blood gas tests, nasal cannula, and talk of hypertension all became very familiar.
I was allowed to get out of my bed after only 7 hours and some- I could move enough to get to a wheel chair and go be with my baby. Ryan was such a strength and going through this all was so surreal I was wondering (and still am) when it will hit me that my baby is in the NICU.
I want to get down the basics of the next few days so here's the brief version
Thursday afternoon Adam got his first round of surfactant to help develop and open the lungs. He got a second dose early Friday morning. He had IVs and a nasal cannula for most of Thursday.
Friday Adam got a blood transfusion due to low blood pressure and low hematocrit. The blood transfusion caused Adam to puff up with fluids so he had to get another drug to help him eliminate some of the fluids. He is gaining and losing ounces quickly with all the changes. By Friday afternoon Adam was intubated to give him good oxygen flow to his lungs which is the main treatment for pulmonary hypertension. Chest x-rays started to show signs of pneumonia already. I think it was Friday that Adam got his umbilical lines (IVs in the stump of the umbilical cord so they don't have to poke him as much and can directly administer medications)
Saturday chest x-rays go back and forth between cleared up and collapsed still. His respirator levels get adjusted every few hours, blood gas tests every few hours, still no food just IV fluids.
Sunday more of the hurry up and wait. Trying to open up his lungs by laying him on different sides. Pulmonary hypertension is officially cleared up- yeah!
Monday, our last day in the hospital. We got official word that we are treating for pneumonia and that Adam will be at least 10 days for the full course of antibiotics. Adam is getting stronger and got to start getting my milk today- finally! First two feeds go okay but then he struggles a bit. They administer glycerin to help get his intestines moving. He does good with about every other feeding.
Tuesday, Ryan and I get to visit at nap time and after the boys are in bed. Adam is starting to feel better and have more energy which is good- but he keeps trying to pull out tubes and lines so he has to be sedated every few hours.
Wednesday, more visiting at nap time and we learn that Adam's oxygen levels are so good that he got his breathing tube out around 9am. Later that day Adam got his UAC out so we were two steps closer to holding him. That night while we were visiting he got out his UVC and I got to hold him around 9pm! What an amazing feeling that was! I finally felt like his mom again just a little bit. I was on such a high that night I hardly slept.
Thursday we visit, he is getting more and more at his feeds, doing better each time. Adam is maintaining his oxygen levels on just a nasal cannula and only 2 Liters of oxygen instead of 3. Ryan got to hold him at our noon visit and he took his mom to visit and hold him before she headed home.
I am leaving out so much but this mom has to go sleep while I can.
We appreciate all the love, support, and prayers more than you know. We have been blessed with excellent nurses who make us feel at ease leaving our little boy in very capable and loving hands. We are excited about all the progress Adam has made but we know he still has a ways to go before he is home with our family.
Please keep praying for our little Adam. We know that it is the prayers of so many that have helped keep him on a steady course towards coming home.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Eight days
Yup...that's it. Eight days! I had every intention of uploading pictures and updating the blog...but then we all got sick, really, really sick.
I have had a super-easy pregnancy so far adn then these past two weeks happened. I think Tyler and Jake got sick first, back in CA, then they never really got better totally. Then Ty got an ear infection and we got round one of antibiotics. Next, The kids were sick-ish on Sunday about three weeks ago. The next day Ryan and I started getting sick and by this past Tuesday ( a week ago) Ryan got sick super fast at work and was blacking out and burning up.
Last Tuesday ended up with two, sick, sad, grumpy, little boys in bed and Ryan at the ER with a 104 fever that wouldn't come down. We had lots of wonderful, generous, caring people make it possible to give Ryan a blessing and get him to the ER while I put the boys to sleep and then a wonderful lady from my ward came to sit with my sleeping boys so I could go check on my hubby in the ER.
Turned out to be some crazy virus and the only thing we could do was have Ryan come home, sleep, and stick to a simple diet of liquids. And that is what he did- poor guy came home and slept for days. The poor boys weren't getting better either so that made trip #2 to the doc on Friday for Tyler b/c he had finished his first round of meds and still had an ear infection. We got round #2 and hopefully he is done with ear aches and crazy illness.
Now I am sick with whatever we all had and I have been coughing enough to at least bruise a rib if not crack it- and it's killing me! We are all trying hard to get better so we can bring a sweet new baby boy home to this house in just over a week.
We have been lysol-ing our house every chance that we get and we are trying so hard to get disinfected and healthy! So, we will probably be absent until baby comes so I can focus on my last few days as a mom of just two- but look forward to happy, healthy, pictures of our new family of 5 next week!
I have had a super-easy pregnancy so far adn then these past two weeks happened. I think Tyler and Jake got sick first, back in CA, then they never really got better totally. Then Ty got an ear infection and we got round one of antibiotics. Next, The kids were sick-ish on Sunday about three weeks ago. The next day Ryan and I started getting sick and by this past Tuesday ( a week ago) Ryan got sick super fast at work and was blacking out and burning up.
Last Tuesday ended up with two, sick, sad, grumpy, little boys in bed and Ryan at the ER with a 104 fever that wouldn't come down. We had lots of wonderful, generous, caring people make it possible to give Ryan a blessing and get him to the ER while I put the boys to sleep and then a wonderful lady from my ward came to sit with my sleeping boys so I could go check on my hubby in the ER.
Turned out to be some crazy virus and the only thing we could do was have Ryan come home, sleep, and stick to a simple diet of liquids. And that is what he did- poor guy came home and slept for days. The poor boys weren't getting better either so that made trip #2 to the doc on Friday for Tyler b/c he had finished his first round of meds and still had an ear infection. We got round #2 and hopefully he is done with ear aches and crazy illness.
Now I am sick with whatever we all had and I have been coughing enough to at least bruise a rib if not crack it- and it's killing me! We are all trying hard to get better so we can bring a sweet new baby boy home to this house in just over a week.
We have been lysol-ing our house every chance that we get and we are trying so hard to get disinfected and healthy! So, we will probably be absent until baby comes so I can focus on my last few days as a mom of just two- but look forward to happy, healthy, pictures of our new family of 5 next week!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
What in the world have we been up to???
Well, I'm pretty sure my blog is still stuck in November sometime but we are alive and well. Here is an update on the Crooks family.
I am three weeks away from having baby boy #3. That is really crazy to say. We are excited and nervous all at once. My pregnancy has been a piece of cake so far and now we're just getting geared up for a scheduled amnio and having this little guy 3 weeks early. Oh the joys of the practical parts of pregnancy like dealing with insurance (and what it doesn't cover?!)
Ryan is working hard at CarMax but is going through his own health struggle involving specialists, blood work, being uncomfortable, not sleeping, and just feeling crummy. We are especially grateful for a job that is so understanding at this time in our lives. Things really do happen for a reason and although there is enough on our plate right now, it is good to know that at the very least the Lord is watching out for us when and where he can and now it is just up to us to learn what we can from the situation and endure. Even with all the craziness, Ryan has been a doll and made it so I could go to a bunch of Relief Society activities lately. In doing so, he has earned himself a new job- bedtime master. When I put the boys down it takes at least 30 minutes between reading, singing, rocking, checking and double checking on them. Ryan has them both asleep and in their bed for the night within 5 minutes- he is amazing! Just another way we're being watched out for because we all know that our roles are about to get changed and turned upside-down with the addition of this new little guy. Thank goodness for amazing dads!
Tyler is growing up more every day. He tells great stories, shares what he learns at preschool, and is excited to give soccer a try in March. He is a very caring little boy who keeps asking about his new baby brother, reminds us to ask for special blessings in our prayers for baby brother, daddy, and anyone else who he knows is in need. (There were two times we saw an accident during the day and that night he asked me to remember to bless those people to be okay) He is still testing limits and learning to tell the truth even when mommy doesn't see everything he does. Tyler loves to play the Wii and PBS kids (when he earns it) and he is doing so much better at staying in his bed...at least for the first part of the night. He always ends up in my bed at some point because he says he "misses me". Not sure how or why he misses me so much, but I love and hate it all at once.
Jacob has probably changed the most. He is learning every minute of every day. He is Tyler's shadow and copies absolutely everything Tyler does. Jacob loves to run in circles around the dining table or on the carpet. He's got some great dance moves whenever he hears music, and he too is blessed with a sweet heart (and a strong will). Tyler was sick this week and Jake kept getting him cups and snacks from the kitchen and tried to force them on Tyler (while Ty was sleeping on the couch). Jake is the first to ask if you're "okay" if he hears you say "ouch" or sees someone get hurt. Jacob stayed in nursery all by himself for the first time this past Sunday since I was released from my calling as a nursery leader. He did great! He gives great hugs to babies (which we will need to temper a bit with a newborn) and he is the first to say sorry. Jacob also can be a little tempest when he doesn't get what he wants. He throws a mean fit but he is finally beginning to truly understand if you stop, look him in the eye, and explain his options. He usually makes a good choice and realizes that fit is just going to end up in time-out by himself.
We had a great experience travelling to California AS A FAMILY (which never happens) in early January. The boys were sick with a fever for the first few days but they were good by Wednesday and, thanks to a dear family friend, we got to spend the day at Disneyland. The boys lasted from 10-6 and it was the most wonderful day we have had as a family in a long time. Tyler was sweet to mom and dad (rarity) and once Jake figured out what Disneyland is all about he loved it and even took a nap in the stroller for us. Tyler went on Matterhorn, Space mountain, and Big Thunder with daddy. It was AWESOME!
Those are the basics, and now I'll work on being by the computer and the camera at the same time to add some sweet pics in the mix.
I am three weeks away from having baby boy #3. That is really crazy to say. We are excited and nervous all at once. My pregnancy has been a piece of cake so far and now we're just getting geared up for a scheduled amnio and having this little guy 3 weeks early. Oh the joys of the practical parts of pregnancy like dealing with insurance (and what it doesn't cover?!)
Ryan is working hard at CarMax but is going through his own health struggle involving specialists, blood work, being uncomfortable, not sleeping, and just feeling crummy. We are especially grateful for a job that is so understanding at this time in our lives. Things really do happen for a reason and although there is enough on our plate right now, it is good to know that at the very least the Lord is watching out for us when and where he can and now it is just up to us to learn what we can from the situation and endure. Even with all the craziness, Ryan has been a doll and made it so I could go to a bunch of Relief Society activities lately. In doing so, he has earned himself a new job- bedtime master. When I put the boys down it takes at least 30 minutes between reading, singing, rocking, checking and double checking on them. Ryan has them both asleep and in their bed for the night within 5 minutes- he is amazing! Just another way we're being watched out for because we all know that our roles are about to get changed and turned upside-down with the addition of this new little guy. Thank goodness for amazing dads!
Tyler is growing up more every day. He tells great stories, shares what he learns at preschool, and is excited to give soccer a try in March. He is a very caring little boy who keeps asking about his new baby brother, reminds us to ask for special blessings in our prayers for baby brother, daddy, and anyone else who he knows is in need. (There were two times we saw an accident during the day and that night he asked me to remember to bless those people to be okay) He is still testing limits and learning to tell the truth even when mommy doesn't see everything he does. Tyler loves to play the Wii and PBS kids (when he earns it) and he is doing so much better at staying in his bed...at least for the first part of the night. He always ends up in my bed at some point because he says he "misses me". Not sure how or why he misses me so much, but I love and hate it all at once.
Jacob has probably changed the most. He is learning every minute of every day. He is Tyler's shadow and copies absolutely everything Tyler does. Jacob loves to run in circles around the dining table or on the carpet. He's got some great dance moves whenever he hears music, and he too is blessed with a sweet heart (and a strong will). Tyler was sick this week and Jake kept getting him cups and snacks from the kitchen and tried to force them on Tyler (while Ty was sleeping on the couch). Jake is the first to ask if you're "okay" if he hears you say "ouch" or sees someone get hurt. Jacob stayed in nursery all by himself for the first time this past Sunday since I was released from my calling as a nursery leader. He did great! He gives great hugs to babies (which we will need to temper a bit with a newborn) and he is the first to say sorry. Jacob also can be a little tempest when he doesn't get what he wants. He throws a mean fit but he is finally beginning to truly understand if you stop, look him in the eye, and explain his options. He usually makes a good choice and realizes that fit is just going to end up in time-out by himself.
We had a great experience travelling to California AS A FAMILY (which never happens) in early January. The boys were sick with a fever for the first few days but they were good by Wednesday and, thanks to a dear family friend, we got to spend the day at Disneyland. The boys lasted from 10-6 and it was the most wonderful day we have had as a family in a long time. Tyler was sweet to mom and dad (rarity) and once Jake figured out what Disneyland is all about he loved it and even took a nap in the stroller for us. Tyler went on Matterhorn, Space mountain, and Big Thunder with daddy. It was AWESOME!
Those are the basics, and now I'll work on being by the computer and the camera at the same time to add some sweet pics in the mix.
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