The progress continues

It is hard to believe it's only been eleven days since Kelson made his grand entrance. As I looked back on the pictures from the last week and a half, I was in awe of the progress he has made. We were originally told that the tubes in his chest and abdomen would remain in place for several weeks. Imagine our surprise when we learned that the abdominal tube was removed last night, and they are hoping to remove the left chest tube tomorrow! They also increased his feedings again to 3 mL per hour. He continues to amaze all of the staff here. All of the nurses are in love with him and fighting over who gets to take care of him. He is becoming quite the little stud muffin. Today I made another trip back home to get a few more things, and help guide the moving crew. After having our house on the market for over a year and a half, we had finally accepted an offer on March 15, and close on it May 15. Our goal was to be moved into a new house before we had Kelson, but obviously that didnt happen. Luckily, we are blessed with great friends. The Rademaker, and Todd families are coordinating our move for us. This weekend is packing, and next weekend is the move. Most everything will remain in storage until we close on our new house, so we will be "homeless" for about two weeks. However, after living out of a suitcase for the last week and a half, I'm pretty sure we can handle a few more. As Krista and I settle in for the night, we can't help but question how anyone could get through a situation like this without Faith, Family and Friends. These are truly the three most important things in life.

A special visitor

Kelson had another strong day. The biggest news is that he is off both blood pressure medications, and had his umbilical line taken out. They also increased his feedings to 2 mL per hour. In addition to the feeding tube, he is still on the vent, and is getting nutritional supplements through his central line. He still has 3 fluid drainage tubes, one from each lung, and one from his abdomen. The fluid output is decreasing, but still draining.
Slowly, he is having more and more things taken away, and is definitely holding his own. Kelson had a very special visitor today. My sister Kyla came from Ohio, along with her daughter Maddi, and friend Lisa. For those of you that don't know, Kyla's husband Ron suffered a cardiac arrest on April 2. He was airlifted to Columbus, OH where he remained in extremely critical condition over 5 days. Ron has been on a slow steady road to recovery, and will be released from inpatient therapy tomorrow. Kyla had been trying to coordinate a time to visit, but obviously, has had plenty of her own family medical drama to juggle. It was great to see Kyla. She has been a great support, having just dealt with a trying situation. While Ron was critical, Kyla had been given a necklace by a woman in the waiting room that said "Believe". The necklace had not left her neck since that day. When she left, she took the necklace off and gave it to Krista, passing on the Belief that our family would indeed have another miracle. Even though it was a brief visit, we are glad Kelson was able to meet his Aunt Kyla. Lori and Lizzie, family friends, also came to peek in on Kelson. I know that Lizzie will have him out on the dancefloor as soon as he can walk. We ended the day at Buffalo Wild Wings, where we happened to see my Aunt Jeanie and Uncle Steve. After dinner we went back to tuck Kelson in, and are spending another night in Mahomet. In addition to all the Facebook and blog posts, we are starting to receive several cards and notes in the mail. We continue to be overwhelmed by the support, and hope we can return the favor to each one of you someday!

Food!

Another great day for Kelson. He gets stronger by the minute. They had been slowly weaning him off his Nitric Oxide, and today they took him off completely. That means there is one less machine hooked up. He is still on the oscillator vent, but on a very low setting. They hope to move to a regular ventilator soon. His blood pressure medication has been lowered again, and he seems to be doing fine. As you may have guessed from the post title, they started feeding Kelson today. The are "priming" his digestive system by giving him a slow continuous flow through the feeding tube. He currently is getting 1 mL per hour, so less than an ounce a day. We are able to get some hands on time 2-3 times a day while the nurses are working on him. Krista and I had a pretty low key day, with just a few visitors. We even got to take a brief nap this afternoon. We love visitors, but it was nice to have a relaxing day. Tonight, Krista went out to eat with her parents and Claire. I was able to sneak away for a couple hours to hang out with a friend, Ryan Rademaker. It was really nice to get out of the hospital, and have some adult time! We finally checked out of the guest house, since Kelson seems to be more stable. We are staying with Kristas Aunt and Uncle in Mahomet tonight, so we are about 20 minutes from the hospital. It will be hard not being able to see him as soon as we wake up, but we trust he is in good hands! We are looking forward to seeing the progress Kelson has made overnight. Thanks again to everyone who is expressing their love and support.

One week old!

Kelson continues to beat the odds, as he is now one week old! When we tucked him in last night, all of his bloodwork and stats were in a good range. I am thrilled to report that 24 hours later they have remained the same. The medical staff has found the correct balance of medications, so we are breathing a sigh of relief for now. His sodium was slightly elevated this morning, so they had to lower the hood on his isolate, and increase the humidity. Luckily, this is a minor issue. They also started giving him water through a feeding tube, to help hydrate him, and see how his stomach handles having something in it. He seems to be handling the water well, and we are hopeful to start on milk soon. We also had a good report from his EKG, and it appears the blood clot is resolved. They are still classifying Kelson as "Critically Stable", but he seems to be getting stronger by the moment. After some careful thinking, we decided it was time for Claire to meet her little brother. The visiting age is 3+, but they bent the rule a bit for us (she will be 3 in June). Krista and I have been preparing her by showing her pictures, and honestly answering her questions. When she arrived at the hospital, Krista took her to the gift shop to buy him a one-week birthday present. She picked out a blue Teddy bear. We asked the nurses to cover Kelson with a blanket, so all Claire would see was his face. Krista and I took Claire back to his isolate. She was definitely excited to see him, and wasn't scared at all. Marge, Kirk, and my parents all came back to pose for some pictures, and tell him Happy Birthday. I'm really glad we decided to let Claire see him. We want to set an example of always being honest with our children, and not sheltering them from the truth. We celebrated the birthday in style, compliments of Paul Leahey. Paul brought lunch from Biaggis for the entire family, and had a cake made, celebrating the joyous occasion. After lunch, Krista had her one-week follow up appointment with Dr. Austman in Gibson City. Her mom and Claire went with her, while I stayed back with Kelson. Krista was also able to stop by Gibson Hospital, to thank the nurses who helped deliver Kelson. While she was out, I had a surprise visit from Jennifer Ewing. Jennifer is on the National Junior Angus Board, and brought us a food basket from the entire NJAA board. It continues to amaze me how many people all over the country have been pouring out their love and support. At 3 PM, I was able to assist the nurse with the diaper change, and get a little hands on time. Krista and I also assisted with bath time tonight at 8:30. I washed his hair, and Krista changed the diaper and cleaned his mouth. We certainly enjoy and look forward to these little moments. I am looking forward to gettimg a solid night of rest, and we are praying for another strong day tomorrow. Happy one-week birthday Kelson Ray!! We look forward to many more celebrations!!

Waiting...

Today was kind of a blur, and it often times feels like we are living the same day over and over again. When we arrived at the hospital, Kelsons blood pressure was extremely low, and his blood numbers were pretty bad again. When we finally talked to the doctor he told us this was likely due to the blood thinner they were giving him to dissolve the clot, and due to the fact that he had been so heavily sedated. Luckily he did not seem too concerned, and was optimistic things would level back out. We were going to have to check out of the guest house, because they have a limit on the number of consecutive nights you can spend there. However, due to Kelsons critical condition, the nurse made a phone call and Demanded we stay another night, so we are across the street again tonight. Luckily, we have several friends and family who live 15-20 min from the hospital who have invited us to stay there, but we are spoiled being within walking distance. Finally, after being here 6 days, I made a quick trip back home. I was able to return some phone calls, check on the animals, and do a few other odd jobs. I also converted my car from a mobile office, to a mobile clothes closet, since we don't know where we are staying on a night to night basis. I was able to pick Claire up from the babysitters, and bring her down with me. It was nice to spend some time in the car with her talking, and singing goofy songs. Just as we were pulling into the parking garage at Carle, the tornado sirens were going off. I grabbed Claire out of the car, and we headed to the building. As we got inside, they were advising everyone to go to the basement. After hanging out in the basement for a while, we were given the all clear. I went upstairs, and walked back to see Kelson. However they were in the middle of changing his chest tubes, and putting in a central line, so I was told I would have to wait to see him. When Krista and I finally got to to back in, we saw one of the most heartbreaking things ever...Kelson was crying. With the tube down his throat, he can't make noise, but it was obvious in his face that he was in pain. Krista and I were able to console him, and let him know mommy and daddy were near. He has just enough room in his mouth that we are able to hold a small pacifier up to his lips. He can't really suck on it, but enjoys having it in his mouth. Kelson seems to be able hold his body temperature, so they have raised the hood on his isolate, which will allow us more access to rub on him and give him kisses. Before we tucked him in tonight, all of his stats were acceptable, and many of them were very good. He appeared to be resting peacefully. We were also able to put his prayer cap on his head. Kelson continues to be blessed with many visitors, and today's list included Mike and Ria Voelker, Kristas Uncle Roger and Aunt Carol, my cousins Will and Kelly Gerber, Darcy N, and Jan V. Earlier today I was on the phone with a friend, expressing my frustrations, and saying that my patience was running thin. Shortly after that conversation, I heard a song on the radio by John Waller called "While I'm Waiting". It really helped put things in perspective for me, and I'm including the lyrics on the blog. These words will be my prayer in the days to come. We are looking forward to a great day tomorrow. Please continue to pray for Kelsons healing, and for everyone involved, pray for their patience. We will wait as long as we have to in order to bring Kelson home. I'm waiting I'm waiting on You, Lord And I am hopeful I'm waiting on You, Lord Though it is painful But patiently, I will wait I will move ahead, bold and confident Takeing every step in obedience While I'm waiting I will serve You While I'm waiting I will worship While I'm waiting I will not faint I'll be running the race Even while I wait I'm waiting I'm waiting on You, Lord And I am peaceful I'm waiting on You, Lord Though it's not easy But faithfully, I will wait Yes, I will wait I will serve You while I'm waiting I will worship while I'm waiting I will serve You while I'm waiting I will worship while I'm waiting I will serve you while I'm waiting I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

The rollercoaster continues

The emotions definitely ran high today. We got up early again to see Kelson before the shift change, and were informed that it had been a rough night. Kelson had been trying to breathe over the ventilator, and was in distress. His blood pH was the worst it had been. They had him heavily sedated to keep him from fighting the vent, and had to replace his breathing tube. Needless to say, this was not a good way to start the day. Luckily, the doctor was able to calm us down. Apparently the old breathing tube had been clogged, and they were hoping the new, clean tube would help. He also started him on a new blood pressure medication, and was even talking about starting him on a feeding tube later this week, so he could start getting breast milk. The doctor seemed pretty confident in his new plan of action. It was also decided to keep Kelson sedated today, to let him rest and continue to focus his energy on healing. After receiving this positive news, we decided we could eat breakfast, shower, and get ready for the day. Our new nurse invited us to assist again while they had the isolate open. Krista and I were both able to "hold" Kelson for the first time today. Since there are so many tubes and wires, we obviously couldn't hold him up to our chest like a normal infant. We were able to place one hand under his neck, and one on his bottom, and hold him up while they changed his bedding. It was a big milestone for us, and we were able to pose for some pictures to preserve the memories. Kelsons blood levels had all returned to normal, and remained that way for the majority of the day...the new treatment appeared to be helping!! Our friend Marla brought us yummy lunch from Panera Bread today, and we had a surprise visit from Kristas friend Blair. My Aunt Janet and Uncle Russ also stopped by. Sharon Monroe also came. She brought some more prayer caps, and was able to pray over Kelson. We went to the cafeteria for an early supper, because we were going to get to hold Kelson again at 6 PM. When we went in at 6, I noticed they had started Kelson on another medication. I asked the nurse about it, and she informed us that he had a blood clot, but the doctor would discuss the details with us. Like any paranoid parent, I started pacing, and preparing myself for the bad news we were about to hear. It felt like we waited forever for the doctor to show up. Thankfully, the doctor was not too concerned about the clot, and felt like the medication he was on would be able to dissolve it. He then proceeded to tell us that they found the clot by accident while doing the EKG. He said they were lucky to have caught it, and that someone upstairs must be watching out over him! After the series of events we have been through this week, it is pretty obvious that God has some pretty special plans for Kelson. Tomorrow, we will have another EKG to check on the clot, and hope to get more hands on time at noon. I am planning on going home tomorrow to repack clothes, and play with the dog, Rally. Claire spent all day and night (Monday) with her babysitter and I will pick her up tomorrow. We will go back to the hospital, and then she will spend a night or two with Kristas parents. We have to check out of the guest house tomorrow morning, and depending on Kelsons stability, we will either stay at the hospital, or with some family that live nearby. We are praying that tomorrow brings us a little less stress, and that Kelson will continue to gain strength! We appreciate all the kind words of support and encouragement.

Another Crazy Day

Gos blessed us with another day with Kelson, and many more family and friends. We survived our first night in the guest house, and got up early to go see the little guy. You can imagine our shock when we heard his weight was 3 lbs 9 oz!! He had lost over two pounds overnight. Normally this would be a bad thing, but in our case, it means he has been able to loose more fluid and swelling, which is good. His arms are like little toothpicks, and his skin is getting very wrinkly. We came back to the guest house for a quick breakfast and shower, then back to the hospital. The doctor wanted to rotate Kelson head to toe in bed, because the vent causes his head to go to one side and can be hard on his neck. Due to his critical condition, the nurses decided it would be easier to move the equipment to the other side of the bed. They had to take him off the vent, and use a neopuff while they moved the equipment. This took a team of about 6 people to get done efficiently. Apparently he tolerated it all quite well. The visitors were rolling in again today. Nicole Reitz brought almost an entire grocery store worth of food for us, so we won't be going hungry any time soon. I also had my "little sister" Katie Prudek drive down from Chicago. About 11:30 we had our first big scare. Kelsons heart rate was dropping, and the nurses could not figure out why. They paged the doctor, and Krista came to get me in the waiting room. As we were scrubbing in, both the doctor and the respiratory therapist went running past. We rushed to the bedside. The doctor was able to insert a catheter into his breathing tube, and his heart rate began to rise. He explained to us that he basically had a "booger" lodged in his breathing tube, but they were able to remove it. Thankfully it wasn't any more serious. My parents brought Claire down again after church. They had quite the story to tell. During the children's message at church, Pastor Liz was talking about the Good Shepherd. She was giving examples of shepherds in our lives, like mommys and daddy's, when Claire piped up and said "The Docotrs are like shepherds taking care of Baby Kelson". I still get chills thinking about it. She is absolutely right. Kelsons medical team is watching over him, being Gods healing hand. We got to spend some more hands on time again today. Krista was able to wash Kelsons hair, and I changed my first dirty diaper. We also were visited by Sarah Viall, the Poppe family and Jr. And Joellen Gehring. It was great to have so many visitors, but we were pretty worn out by the end of the day. We spent some more time with Kelson before the shift change at 7 pm (visiting is closed from 7-7:45). Krista and I decided to leave and go to Perkins for dinner. We came back to the hospital to tuck Kelson in, and got to visit with a doctor. Unfortunately, we did not make much metabolic progress today. His blood is still acidic, and glucose levels are still high. Hopefully he will have another good night of draining fluid, so his body can start to regulate itself. We continue to get messages from friends, and people we have never even met, who are all following Kelsons story. We appreciate all of the well wishes...they help keep us strong, and give us courage and hope. We can never say thank you enough.