Two Days and Counting!!

I guess I should at least check in once a day to post at this point. Ashley, you crack me up! I was the same way when Max and Addison were on the way--I was definitely a STALKER! I would look every hour for an update...Craig thought I was crazy:)

I have been unbelievably busy trying to prepare for the "Big Day". I am not going to lie, I am still really scared, but I am starting to get really excited. I cannot wait to see him (tubes and all) and get on the roller coaster. I am not excited about the ride, but I feel mentally ready to face it. Thanks in no small part to all you Mommies (and Daddies) that have gone before us--no matter what the outcome. Your strength and encouragement has inspired me and hopefully helped prepare us for the weeks to come.

On a different note, my Mom arrived yesterday and it is so good to have her here. I feel so guilty about having to leave Logan but he loves spending time with his "Grandma Mary". I know we will make it work, but we will just have to take one day at a time. It is hard for a 5 year old to really understand what is going to be going on. He is sooo smart, though, and always seems to amaze me with how much he really does understand. I guess I should give him more credit...

We did celebrate CDH awareness day. We all wore our CDH Awareness T-shirts that we got from Cafe Press, and at 4:00pm we let our balloons go. We did "special balloons" for Addison, Max, Joseph, Corben, Ryann, and Kaden Morrow, and other balloons for all the other CDH Angels. I will post pics when I get a sec to download them. I know the Angel Babies are enjoying those balloons in heaven.

I know all my still pregnant buddies are getting excited and nervous (and probably uncomfortable), but I want to encourage you to stay positive think NOTHING BUT GOOD THOUGHTS! I truly believe that it can make a big difference. We will all make it thru this together....

I will post my FINAL THOUGHTS tomorrow night, and I promise I will post after Kaden arrives--as soon as he is stable--not because I know what it is like waiting for an update, but because I will need your prayers & support :)

Kaden's Isolet Angels

This is what I spent my day on today. I actually thought I was going to go into labor last night. I woke up sick to my stomach and having contractions-but my contractions went away after about 2 hours. I was in an absolute panic @ about 2am thinking I was going to have him early--and I am TOTALLY not prepared! I looked all day on Wednesday for new PJ's and slippers for the hospital, but of course could not find a thing. So, as of last night, I had nothing ready for his arrival. I still needed to make the angels for his isolet and wash his hats and booties--I asked God if we could "please just stick to the plan"--Next Friday was really going to work for me :) So, this morning I went and got the things I needed to make his "guardian angels" (to me that was the most important preparation) Here is Addison's and below is Max's. I also made another one, but I have not yet gotten permission from his Mommy--so I don't want to show it yet. They really turned out cute, and I think will "cheer up" his isolet.






I want to say "thank-you" to Marion and Jason & Ashley and David for all their support and letting me honor their "CDH Angels" in my own small way. I truly believe that they will be with Kaden during his battle.

As for the unimportant "hospital bag", I am on a mission to find jammies and slippers tomorrow...

Kaden will be here on April 3rd!

I have gotten so many phone calls since yesterday--"How did the appointment go? You didn't update the blog..." Sorry, but by the time we got home, I was exhausted and it was 3pm--so I took a nap :)

This has been a difficult couple of weeks for the CDH family, and I am amazed every day how selfless and supportive Marion & Ashley have been with words of encouragement for us and Kaden. With their tragic losses so new, it is reassuring to me that no matter what the outcome, I will find the strength to make it thru it. You two are my Hero's :) And I pray that Angel Addison and Angel Max will whisper in Kaden's ear that it will all be okay...

Here is the update:

We had our "last" ultrasound at UCSF at 10:45am yesterday. Apparently, per Dr. Rand, Kaden looks "fantastic". That is ALWAYS good to hear, but we are still very nervous. They could not get a good look at his lungs because of his position (same as last time) but at this point in the game I am not even concerning myself with any sort of number--it will not change how he will present when he is born. He did say they could see lung tissue, but just couldn't get a measurement. They did check all his other organs, and he said they looked great--his heart and kidneys are always what I worry about the most. They estimate his weight to be 6 lbs. 4 oz., but said they are almost always larger because they estimate their weight based on the circumference of their abdomen, and the majority of the things that are suppose to occupy his abdomen are in his chest. I think he is at least going to be an 8 pounder! The best news of the day was that my fluid levels are still COMPLETELY NORMAL--20.3!! I will take ANY GOOD NEWS these days:)

So, with all that being said, they are going to do my c-section a week from Friday (April 3rd) at 10am--at which time I will be 38 weeks +. I originally really wanted to go to 39 weeks, but after talking with Dr. Rand, they feel that it is better for Kaden to err on the side of caution, and get him out before I develop any problems. So, in about 9 days, we will be new parents and are terrified and excited to meet him, our beautiful son that was created by so much love.

At this point, we are just asking for everyone to continue to pray for Kaden. And those of you that have your "Kaden Candles" from the baby shower, please light them and say a prayer next Friday for God to hold him (and us) thru this journey that lies ahead.

My Mom will be here on Tuesday, and plans to spend a month helping with Logan and Jess (not that she needs much at 17). It is such a relief that we will not have the added stress of worrying about things at home. We will continue to keep everyone posted--and we will have internet at the hospital so I will definitely update the blog and beg for prayers daily :)

Maxton--Another CDH Angel Baby

I am heartbroken to report that Maxton chose wings over feet last night in the arms of his loving parents, David & Ashely. He was such a little warrior, and I know that Ashley and David are so proud of how hard Max fought to stay here with them. Please pray for their family.

36 Weeks and Thinking

Well, I will be 36 weeks in 2 days :) I am feeling pretty good this week--last week was rough--and it showed in my appointment last Friday :( Not that I have much to complain about being THIS pregnant, but my fluid levels were up to 23 and I was having contractions on the NST. I did not sleep well from about Wednesday til Saturday, and for me good sleep is the key. My OB at Kaiser gave me STRICT instructions to "take it easy" (I think he is overly-cautious), but he knows how badly I want to make it to 39 weeks. And I have to say, taking it easy over the weekend ( Mom took Logan and Craig waited on me hand-and-foot) has made all the difference in the world. I feel really good again, and yesterday my fluid level was at 13! I pray to God that this is a "good sign" that Kaden is breathing and swallowing well. You know how we need something positive to cling to.

We go back to UCSF on Tuesday to discuss our birthing plan. Originally, they were going to take him at 37 weeks, but since I am doing well with my levels, BP, etc. I am pretty sure they will let me go until I start to develop some sort of signs of labor. So far, with the exceptions of the "irregular" contraction , which I am sure are just Braxton-Hicks, I feel like I could carry him forever.

Craig seemed to have a little bit of a rough day yesterday. It was his first full day back in the office when he wasn't having to run the range (shooting range, that is) or go to court, or have a training day. He came home, and we had the typical corned beef and cabbage for St. Patty's Day. Mom & Bobby came for dinner. After they left, we were just relaxing on the couch and he started talking about my big-huge-ginormous belly...then he said "you know, I don't think the people in my office realize how serious our situation with Kaden is". It just broke my heart. He has always, always, always (from the first day we got the news) been my ROCK. He has NEVER voiced anything other than "Kaden is going to make it". Don't get me wrong, he knows that Kadens condition is serious, but he KNOWS that it is going to be okay. I have never tried to argue with him the possibilities--I argue with myself enough. I think that yesterday, alot of his co-workers were asking him about Kaden and when they all say "he is going to be alright" I think it got him thinking. I told him that I deal with this daily. Some of our closest friends, I feel, don't understand the severity of Kaden's condition, or the uncertainty of what lies ahead for us. But I think that they are trying to remain positive for us, and for them "ignorance is bliss". I felt bad for Craig, because for me, I am PAINFULLY AWARE how little is known by the general population about CDH. I think people hear the word "hernia" and they automatically think "easy fix". Until we can bring more awareness to the condition, things will probably remain the same.

That is my two-cents for the day. Please continue to keep Kaden in your prayers. Specifically for functioning lung tissue. I am doing my part to bake him as long as possible!

Prayers for Jason, Marion & Angel Addison and an Update

I sit here not even knowing what to write, or say, or think. When I saw yesterday that Addison had lost her CDH battle, I lost it. I am not going to lie--I have the hardest time trying to make sense of it all. I am not questioning God's plan, but just struggling to understand the "why's". My heart truly breaks for Jason & Marion, but I know they know they did absolutely everything they could for their princess, and sacrificed alot to get her the best care possible. To have to go thru this whole ordeal away from their family and friends is a sacrifice in itself. I pray for peace for them in the weeks to come, and hope that they choose to stay in touch with their CDH family. We really care about them.

Please continue to pray for Maxton. He is making baby steps in the right direction, but has had a few "bumps" in the road. Pray specifically for his brain bleed to heal itself, so if he does need ECMO, they will be able to put him on so his body can rest. Ashley and David have been so strong and are so proud of their little man (not so little..)I am inspired every day by the new Mommies and Daddies strengths, and pray that I will be able to be strong as well. At this point, 35 weeks pregnant, I am scared to death and wanting so bad to prolong the inevitable. Normal feelings, I am sure, but still feelings that I cannot ignore.

I do want to say that I am happy that Charlie (aka: Gumdrop) is doing well, and Davis is on his way home :) Baby Oakley is doing great, as well, and aside from feeding issues, will probably be home soon, too. Alina is back home and doing well, and of course Nayeli is doing GREAT!! She was SCREAMING in the background last night when I was talking to Liz. Music to me ears-- :)

As for all of us Mommies that are so close to delivery: Lisa, Sheryl, Stephanie, Marilu, Lindsay, Carissa. We need to stay positive, and just continue to ask for God to hold our hand thru this journey. I am sure we are all feeling the same emotions, but we were "given" these babies for a reason and are here for each other and we will get thru it.

Good Day at UCSF--Got to meet Addison :)

Just got back from my 34 week appointment at UCSF. There have been no changes to Kaden's condition, which to me is good news. They are estimating his weight at.....almost 5 lbs!! I thought Maxton was gonna be a HOSS--Kaden is going to give him a run for his money! Craig & I (and Logan) met Liz (Naylei's mommy) there this morning and we went up to the NICU to meet Marion & Jason and Baby Addison. Marion looked absolutely GREAT, (Jason did, too, but he did not just give birth!) and they were very uplifting. Addison is absolutely PRECIOUS--she is smaller than she looks in the pics on their blog. As you all probably know, she was put on ECMO on Friday night, but is doing well and getting the rest her little body needs. Please continue to keep her in your prayers. There were two other CDH babies in the NICU, too. Dr. Lee said that one of them had the tracheal occlusion done in-utero, and she is doing really well--Amazingly well, actually. He did say he couldn't say it was because of the TO procedure, or just that she would have done well anyway. Repeat after me, "NO CDH BABY IS THE SAME". But it is always good to hear of one doing great.

As for me, I am doing great...If I do say so myself. Dr. Lee said I will probably make it to at least 38 weeks, if not longer. Knock-on-wood...my AFL levels remains low (which I really hope means that Kaden is breathing and swallowing it up!) and my blood pressure, sugar levels (NO GD) and everything else is good. They checked my cervix today and there are no changes--still long and closed. So, continue to pray that he continues to remain content inside mommy and will come out close to 40 weeks with some functioning lung tissue:) Please pray for this boy to do amazing things when he does arrive...