A quiet day

It was a nice feeling to wake up in our own bed this morning. Claire, however woke up on the floor next to her bed, with her head underneath it. We are not exactly sure why, but it was funny to see. We took Claire to Miss Marys house for a few days. Mary and Cierra have watched Claire since she was 8 weeks old, and this will be her last week with them. I'm sure they will have some fun-filled days.

It was a quiet day all around for us. Kelson had a good resting day, without much new to report. We are reminded that in the NICU, no news is good news. Krista and I got caught up on some phone calls, and took a walk to Einstein Bros Bagels for lunch. We spent the majority of the afternoon sitting by Kelson, reading and doing puzzles. They increased his feedings to 5 mL per hour, and decreased the IV nutrition.

This evening, Kelson met his Great-Grandma Builta, and we all went out for dinner at Cracker Barrel. Krista and I went back to tuck Kelson in, and are staying in Mahomet again tonight.

This is the earliest we have gotten to bed in two weeks, so we are anticipating a long, peaceful night!

A night at home

Kelson had a pretty eventful night last night. They decided to remove his left chest tube, and during this process he started spitting up for the first time. This caused them to temporarily stop his feedings. The Doctor thinks this was just due to him being agitated, and they restarted his feedings today at 4 mL per hour. He seems to be tolerating them well. I just spoke to a nurse, and she said his weight was up to 4 lb 12 oz. Kelson rested for the majority of the day, and got to meet Great Grandma Ficklin, and Super Great Aunt Sue. My parents brought Claire down this morning, and she was not acting herself. She was quiet, and extremely clingy. We decided to go for a walk and take her for lunch, to spend some special time with us. However she continued to act the same way, and even had a meltdown in the restaurant. This is very unusual behavior for her, but given the recent events, not unexpected. It was at this point Krista and I decided we needed to spend tonight at home. Several nurses encouraged and supported our decision, so at 7 PM, we tucked Kelson in, and came home. Even though it is hard to be an hour away, it is the best thing for Claire. We are welcome to call the NICU at at time to get updates. Claire was Very excited to see all of her animals, and to sleep in her own bed. Tomorrow we will take her to the babysitter like normal, and she will have a sleepover there. We hope to get to the hospital around 8 AM. The next step for Kelson is getting the right chest tube out, and then they will try to switch him to a traditional ventilator. We spent some time today visiting with the flight nurse who saved Kelsons life. It was nice to get to know her a little better. She has been in the NICU for 7 years, and a flight nurse for 4. She said that this is by far the most amazing case she has seen. Kelson is definitely making at impact on people, and inspires me every day!

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