Happy Birthday Ryan!

This is one of my all-time favorite pics of my husband.  Can’t believe he has put up with me for 11 years!  Happy Birthday honey!!  Hope you have a great birthday!

10 Life Lessons From The NICU

Another good article that I thought I’d share. 

http://neonataltherapists.com/10-life-lessons-from-the-nicu.php

Oh, I am feeling much better on an antibiotic and steroid.  So, I’ll get back to writing my own posts with pictures shortly. 

Dealing With The Invisible Disabilities of Preemie Babies

A must read article. . .couldn’t have said it better myself. 

http://www.lovethatmax.com/2012/03/dealing-with-invisible-disabilities-of.html

Flu

Well, I'm going on day 7 of being sick and feeling worse than ever. I still have a temp, sore throat, headache, cough, fatigue, body aches, etc. I slept from 1-5 today and then called it a day at 7 pm. I just woke up at 11 pm and tried to force myself to eat. I've lost almost 5 lbs since Monday. I think it's influenza. I've had the flu one other time in my adult life and that was during college. The odd thing is that Olivia and I both got our flu shots this year. I miss my daughter as I didn't even get to help put her to bed tonight. And she keeps asking when I'm going to feel better. So, I don't know if I go to the doctor or not. Can they even do anything for the flu after I've had it for a week? I just want to feel better. Ugghh. I hope all of you are staying well.

Olivia's School Pics

Awww. . .how cute is she?  She isn't smiling her usual big smile, but sometimes when she oversmiles, she shuts her eyes and you can't see them.  Here you can see her pretty eyes. :)  What a sweet girl!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

So, I’m kinda proud to be a Wichitan this week.  First, Cabela’s opened today (okay, so I don’t really care about that, but a lot of people do.)  Not only is Kansas University in the NCAA tournament, but so is Kansas State University (my husband’s alma mater) and Wichita State University (my alma mater.)  So, if you need some teams to root for. LOL!  And, the biggest news of the week. . .tomorrow our very first free-standing Chick-Fil-A restaurant will open.  It’s about time!  And, no. . .I’m not one of those 100 people camping out for 24 hours to receive free Chick-Fil-A for a year.  I’ve actually been sick in bed for the past 2 days with a sore throat,  headache, body aches and temp.  Yuck!  I think I’m on the mend.  But, it’s been awhile since I’ve woken up in the middle of the night with a 101 temp.  I rarely even get fevers anymore.  This must have been the same stuff that Olivia had a few days ago, but she handled it much better than me.  She’s such a trooper. 

Here we are being silly last week. . .

Monday, March 12, 2012

What an absolutely gorgeous day today!  I’m not much of an outdoorsy kind of girl, but on days like today I most certainly am.  I gave Olivia her choice of what to do outside and she wanted to head to the park and play in the sand. . .so, that’s what we did.  We had such a good time.

She’s not really asleep in this picture.  She wanted to lay down and pretend to be asleep and have me take her picture.  Haha!  So here she is pretending to be asleep. 

We are in the process of repainting our house.  We’ve finally picked a color (that’s quite a challenge.)  It should be painted within the next few weeks.  I’ll be sure to post the before and after pictures.

Body By Vi

This past week, I started the Body By Vi Challenge.  They are basically shakes that you drink every day to help with either weight loss, blood sugar control,  better nutrition, more protein, more energy, etc.  For weight loss, you replace 2 meals a day with the shakes.  To maintain weight, you just replace 1 meal a day.  I started it to gain better control of my blood sugar and to add more protein to my diet.  The best part is that the shakes taste like cake mix and there are over a hundred (mostly sugar free) recipes to try.  My favorites include:

Butterfinger (Tastes like a butterfinger blizzard, but is safe for diabetics!!)

8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 2 Tbsp. sugar free butterscotch pudding mix, 1 Tbsp. reduced-fat peanut butter & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Apple Pie

8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 3 Tbsp. unsweetened apple sauce, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Here is a list of 100 recipes!  The possibilities are endless and my Magic Bullet is finally being put to good use. 

http://www.livingsmartgirl.com/2011/08/100-body-by-vi-shake-recipes/

These, of course, won’t work for everyone, but they are exactly what I was looking for.  I can even drink one along with a not so diabetic friendly meal and the added protein keeps my blood sugar from spiking.  I have the least expensive package (Body By Vi Balance Kit) that includes 1 shake per day for about $50 per month.  That comes out to less than $2 per shake which is less than the cost of a meal.  And, if I get three people to sign up under me, I get the shakes completely free.  (And if you join and get three people under you. . .yours are free as well.) 

http://jodiglunt.bodybyvi.com/

If you want any additional info, please email me at jsail63@hotmail.com.  I will help and encourage you in any way that I can. 

Olivia’s Birth Story

I am writing Olivia’s birth story to be featured on the Wall of Hope in the NICU where she was born.  I wrote it a few years ago, so I just had to go in and change a few things.  For those who are new to this blog, I thought I would repost.  It’s also a great reminder for me to remember how far she has come and what a miracle she is.

After being sent home from the hospital on August 21st, 2007 with premature labor symptoms, I was told to stay on bed rest at home until my next doctor's appointment on September 5th.  I was almost a week into it and my symptoms kept getting worse. On August 27, 2007, my husband had jury duty. He was going to try to reschedule it, but how do you do that when you know that twins are arriving? Luckily, he wasn't chosen and he was sent home around lunchtime. Because he had the afternoon off that day, we decided to go back to the hospital. I didn't want him to take any more time off work to take me to the hospital. I remember getting ready and doing my hair before we went. I called my mom on the way there because she was a little upset that I didn't call her the week before.

Once we arrived and got settled in, my cramping had worsened and I was told that I was having contractions. My mom soon showed up and I thought it was a little silly for her to be there. After they examined me, I was dilated 2.5 to 3 cm and they told me that this was my new home away from home. They had mentioned starting me on magnesium sulfate in hopes to stop the contractions. I was told to remain as calm and relaxed as possible. Soon afterwards, my dad and brother made it up to the hospital. I really wasn't expecting them to come, but having my family there was one of God's great blessings.

A high-risk doctor came in shortly to examine me again and I kindly asked my parents and brother to wait in the waiting room. It was then that I learned that I was over 6 cm dilated and 80% effaced. There was no time for magnesium sulfate or anything else. . . .we were told labor could not be stopped.

Now, when I first became pregnant after three years of fertility treatments, I was carrying three babies. I remember searching the internet for everything that came in threes. I came across a website, which is now http://www.chasingbabies.com/ and I learned about Cole, Paige and Kaylee who were born at 24 weeks. This is one of the reasons why we chose Paige for Olivia's middle name. I remember watching a video about the first three months of their life and bawling uncontrollably. Kaylee, sadly, did not make it. No baby or family should ever have to go through all of that. It was my first real encounter with what micro-preemies experience and the first time I realized that some babies don't pull through. When I was told that labor was imminent. . .I knew that I was only 23 weeks, 1 day. In my mind, I kept saying, "Cole and Paige were born at 24 weeks. . .they were born at 24 weeks." I knew that every day mattered, but at least I had some gauge as to what was considered viable and what was not. Many places don't consider a baby viable until 24 weeks, but will resuscitate before that if the parents wish. We had prayed for these babies for so long and we already loved them with all of our hearts. They had to be okay.

Immediately following my second examination, my water broke. The room was immediately filled with doctors and nurses and RTs. . .and two little incubators. My contractions got very intense after my water broke. Ryan completely fell apart and I went into some sort of shock. I remember Ryan asking them if I was okay and I wanted to respond, but what would I say? I was far from okay. This was the worst day of my life.

After my water broke, my contractions got really bad and I didn't have so much as a Tylenol. It was then that the doctor rambled off all the things that could go wrong with my babies. They had a 30% chance of survival and a 90% chance of a major disability. I didn't want to hear it. I didn't care. . .I loved my babies with all of my heart. I would handle whatever God would bless me with. . .I just wanted my babies. They kept asking us what we wanted to do for them. We just shouted, "Everything!! Do everything! We want what's best for the babies!" I don't know how many times we shouted that. There was nothing to think about or consider. We wanted our babies to have every chance possible. Another blessing was that I was at the hospital so that they could have immediate care. Had I been anywhere else. . . they wouldn't have had a chance.

I remember when they started telling me to push. What? I hadn't gotten that far in my pregnancy book. . .I mean, I had just passed the halfway point. So, I pushed like they do in the movies. Three pushes later. . .Olivia Paige was born.

She was born on August 27, 2007 at 6:18 pm. She weighed 1 lb 1.5 oz and was 11.5 inches long. She was bruised and battered, her skin was almost transparent and her eyes were still fused shut. They didn't wrap her in a blanket and hand her over to her anxiously awaiting mommy. We didn't even get to hear our baby cry. At 23 weeks, her lungs were not that developed. There were no first pictures together, no video of our smiling faces. I didn't feel like the mother of a precious baby girl. . .I felt like a mother who had just lost her child. I caught a glimpse of her out of my eye before they rushed her away. Ryan said, "She's moving and she's beautiful." I kept those words with me.

I had to keep myself composed because I had another baby to deliver. Logan was breech, but they were going to try to turn him and deliver him as well. With Olivia no longer in the womb, Logan must have relished the additional leg room because he turned sideways. They said they would have to do an emergency c-section. And, just like that. . .they rushed me out of the room and Ryan was left in there all by himself. Yet, another reason that I'm thankful that my family was there. Of course, my parents and brother had only stepped out of the room for a quick examination and were probably discussing my long hospital stay ahead. I would have gladly replaced my babies' hospital stay with my own. My family had to watch the alarms go off, the incubators and doctors rushing into my room. My parents didn't even know if something was wrong with me and they thought they were losing their grandchildren. I passed them on the way to the operating room. Again, I just stared at them. I couldn't reassure them and tell them that I was okay, because I wasn't. Ryan wasn't okay. Olivia wasn't okay and neither was Logan. This wasn't supposed to happen. . .they weren't due until Christmas and here we were in the heat of the summer. I wasn't expecting to go full term with twins, but I thought maybe Thanksgiving or, worst case scenario, it might be as early as Halloween.

I remember getting to the operating room and they placed a mask over me after another bad contraction. They told me that would be the last one I felt. . .and that's all I remember.

When I woke up, I was in a room surrounded by most of our family along with our pastor. I wasn't quite coherent, but I needed to know how my babies were doing. I guess I just kept muttering, "My babies. . .my babies. . .my babies." I would stop as Ryan would explain it to me and then I'd just continue muttering. . "my babies. . .my babies."

Logan William was born by emergency c-section on August 27, 2007 at 6:28 pm, just 10 minutes after his big sister. He weighed 1 lb 1.75 oz and was 11.5 inches long. He, too, was bruised pretty badly, but his skin seemed to be a little more developed than Olivia's. I was unable to see him until later that night/early morning when they wheeled me into the NICU. I remember seeing Logan, but I don't remember seeing Olivia. I was still pretty drugged up.

Many people came to see me in the hospital before I went home three days later. I think it was hard for people. . .they didn't quite know whether to congratulate us or tell us that they were sorry. I didn't quite know what I wanted to hear. It was very difficult to leave the hospital without my babies. I would still pat my stomach and then remember that they weren't there, but they weren't in my arms either.

Olivia was in the NICU for 105 days before we were able to take her home. Her NICU journey went about as smooth as it could possibly go for a 23 weeker. She was on the ventilator for 2 months, she had ROP but it never progressed to the point of needing surgery. She had over a dozen blood transfusions, but escaped without any brain bleeds or NEC. It was truly a miracle.

I don't know why it helps me to tell this story. The more times I tell it, the more my anger lessens. The anger starts to turn into gratitude. I gradually stop wondering "what if" or "if only." I'm grateful for the things that went right. I'm grateful that I was able to spend 1 month and 1 day with my beautiful boy, although I'll never stop missing him. I'm so grateful for Olivia. . .I can't even begin to describe what she means to me. Telling this story reminds me of how far she's come and what an amazing little girl she is. Olivia got us through our darkest days. Somedays, I feel that I have had so much taken away from me. . . a full term pregnancy, a joyous birth, a son that I'll never know. But, one thing that will always remain is a heart full of thankfulness for the joys that I do have. That can never be taken away.

One Year

Two Years

Three Years

Four Years

Four and a Half Years

Today, Olivia is 4 ½ years old and is a healthy and happy preschooler. She had strabismus surgery at 1 year of age and will probably need another in the near future. Her skin is still badly scarred because it was so underdeveloped at birth. Amazingly, she doesn’t have single scar on her beautiful face. She had surgery last year because of a keloid cyst that developed on her neck because of her central line. She is very small for her age at only 28.5 lbs. She has been 100% orally fed since she came home from the hospital, although it has always been a struggle to get her to eat. She is developmentally delayed and currently receives OT and PT services. I recently learned that she has retained many of her infant/primitive reflexes and we are trying to integrate those by doing specific exercises. We are still dealing with quite a bit of anxiety in certain situations along with some sensory processing disorders. Olivia, however, has never spent another night in the hospital, she doesn’t have asthma or any breathing difficulties. She is full of energy and always on the go with a smile that lights up any room. Olivia loves her Squinkies, Little Pet Shop, Thomas trains, and stuffed animals. After a miscarriage last year, Olivia remains our only child on earth. Her twin brother, Logan, will forever look down on her from heaven. He knows how much she went through and, like everyone who knows her, will forever be proud of the amazing person that is our precious Olivia Paige.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

I just had to share a site that I recently discovered.  They have a decent assortment of online children’s books for free.   They don’t have much for children over age 7, however, it’s perfect for us.  The more books you read online, the more books are donated across the world.  You can pick a campaign that you wish to read for and help bring books to children in communities that need them. 

http://www.wegivebooks.org/

Speaking of books. . .LOL.  I got The Hunger Games trilogy for Christmas and finally got around to reading the first book.  I finished it a few nights ago and last night I started the next book.  I got thirty pages into it. . .THIRTY. . .and I realized I was reading the wrong book.   I was reading the third and not the second.  I was a bit confused, but I thought maybe they jumped ahead and then would go back and explain what happened.  As I got more into it, I realized that was not the case.  Wow, I felt foolish.  So, I will start on the correct book tonight.  Sheesh. . .

Monday, March 5, 2012

Friday, March 2, 2012

So, I’m a little ashamed that I just now got around to doing this since my daughter thrives on routine.  But, I made these little laminated cards that we have started using to plan our day.  Each morning, I go over them with Olivia so that she’ll know what her day is going to be like.  I usually do just the morning and then after lunch, we go over the afternoon.  It’s amazing how much more receptive she is to things when she sees that it is coming up next.  And she gets so excited to see the PLAY card. 

I think I’ll probably add some magnets to the back and display them on the refrigerator.  Right now, we are just setting them out on the floor. 

Anyway, we had 70 degree weather here yesterday so after I picked her up from preschool, we headed to the park.  It was fairly busy there and Olivia doesn’t like to be around crowds.  I was mortified when she exclaimed very loudly that she “didn’t like these kids!!”  And here I thought we had worked pretty hard on manners.  She usually doesn’t like to play with kids that she doesn’t know.  In fact, while most of the parents are watching from the sidelines, Olivia always wants me playing right there with her.  I don’t mind, but I wish she was a little more open to playing with other kids.  Olivia did have a ball making mountains in the sand with her cousin, Izzy.  Thank goodness she has Izzy and a few other good friends that she enjoys playing with.

 

Say Cheese

My little cheeser. . .

always wanting to take a picture instead of having her picture taken.

But, here she is practicing a pose.

Cutie Patootie

Waiting at school for her teacher to come out and get her.  Yes, she begged to take her camera in the car and I let her because that is the only way I could fix her hair.

Tuesday, February 29, 2012

I’ve enjoyed watching Olivia’s photography skills develop.  She can now purposely take pictures of things that are interesting to her.  She ran all around the house tonight taking pictures and these are the most interesting ones that I found on her camera.

Her kitty piano

Autumn. . .who looks about as excited to get her picture taken as I do.

A box of girl scout cookies. . .Ryan’s favorites.  Mine are the peanut butter sandwiches.  Yum!

My Vera Bradley purse.  I got it for my birthday and really like it.

Tobey

One of the cats’ toys.

Her bouncing zebra.  She still loves that thing.

My favorite picture.  She took a picture of the picture collage in the hallway.

James, her favorite train.

Her cheese puffs.  Man, she loves these things (Smart Puffs) but you can only find them at Target.  So, I have to make special trips to Target just to get them.  They are definitely her favorite food at the moment.

Kelsey

My dear old Hilga.  She’s my plant that I bought the weekend that I moved into my first apartment in February 2001.  I’ve amazingly managed to keep her alive for over 10 years. 

Here’s the dryer full of jeans that need to be folded and put away.

And, I managed to steal her camera away to get a picture of the girl behind the photos.  Here she is practicing her smile for Picture Day tomorrow at school.  Hmm. . we’ll see how it goes.  LOL.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Olivia was so proud of her tower that she did all by herself.  Little did she know that Tobey was coming to knock it over. LOL.  Glad that I snapped the picture when I did.  This was her tallest tower ever!  I’m so proud of all that she is doing and seeing her imagination bloom.  Last night she wanted to keep a look out for sharks (seems random. . .LOL. . .but she saw it on Caillou) A toilet paper roll seemed the obvious choice, but the toilet paper roll wasn’t empty.  So, I walked in to an entire roll of toilet paper unraveled on the floor.  I couldn’t get mad, though, when I saw her delight in her new telescope.  Of course, there was an empty paper towel roll on the counter, but. . .I love her questions about things she hears about in books or on TV.  She was confused about how Curious George has neighbors above him and we don’t.  I had to explain about apartments versus houses.  She is convinced that she wants to live in an apartment.  She asks questions about attics and cellars vs basements and what a foyer is.  I delight in her questions and way of thinking.  I can’t wait to find out what she’ll ask next.

Guess Who Is 4 1/2?

Zoo Day

We attempted to go to Botanica today, but were disappointed to learn that it was closed.  We couldn’t be inside on such a beautiful day, so we headed to the zoo.  We were glad that Grandma and Grandpa Glunt were able to join us. 

Olivia loved the petting zoo.

We have to find the peacocks every time we go.  It is Olivia’s very favorite animal. 

What gorgeous weather for February!  It was just what we needed!

Ribbon In The Sky

Tonight as I was cleaning up dinner, Olivia found a roll of ribbon. She started running around the house with it (or as Olivia said. . .she was tying up the house.)  Tobey quickly joined in and chased the string of ribbon around.  He gave it an honest effort, but tired out pretty quickly.  To be fair, it’s hard to keep up with Olivia.  Kelsey then discovered the awesome red ribbon flying across the house and joined in.  Olivia and Kelsey had a blast and ran around for nearly an hour!!  Olivia showed no signs of tiring, but poor Kelsey was panting and breathing heavily when I finally called it quits.  You know, sometimes I question the decision of getting a third cat (even as sweet as Kelsey is.)  But, Olivia absolutely adores Kelsey and reminds me every day that Kelsey is her baby kitty. 

 

Olivia even shares her elephant with Kelsey.

But anyway. . .who knew a ribbon could provide hours of endless fun for kids and cats?  They should all sleep soundly tonight!

Moro Reflex

We had Olivia’s parent teacher conference tonight and she got glowing reviews.  I was thrilled to learn that she was participating so well in class.  She has come so very far.  The main thing that we discussed is that her physical therapist noticed that Olivia has retained many of her infant/primitive reflexes.  These are normally inhibited in infancy.  The first one that we are addressing is the Moro reflex, or the infant startle reflex that is usually integrated by 6 months of age.  Olivia is now 4 1/2 years of age.  Symptoms of a retained Moro reflex can mimic ADHD and autism and include poor coordination, sensitivity to light, sound, movement, touch, trouble with transitions, hyperactivity, etc.  It makes sense given how atypical her early development was.  It answers many of the questions that I have searched for in trying to better understand my daughter.  I’m thrilled to have another piece of the puzzle!!  We start doing exercises with her every day and she will also continue them at school.  I stumbled across a website that addresses primitive reflexes.  Unfortunately, there are no rhythmic movement instructors in our state. 

http://www.rhythmicmovement.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11&Itemid=18

Here is another website that addresses integrating the Moro reflex.

http://penny-arcos.hubpages.com/hub/Integrate-the-Moro-Reflex-to-Stop-ADHD-Behavior

After this reflex is (hopefully) integrated, we move on to at least 4 more reflexes with exercises that get more complex.  Please continue praying for Olivia’s development and that she will be open to these exercises.  Like any parent, I want to see Olivia grow and learn and thrive.  I don’t want anything to stand in her way!  She is amazing. . .that girl. . .my sweet Olivia Paige.