It's Going Well...

Anniston is doing well. She has gained some more weight. She now weighs 3lbs 2ozs, which is almost a lb more than when she was her smallest. She is breathing well and eating 35cc of food every 3 hours. It is so good to see her make progress from day to day. I really think she is going to be a strong girl, which means I am in trouble in about 12 years (and even before then). I just hope she continues to move forward each and every day!

Can't Believe I Forgot This...

In my mile long blog yesterday, I forgot to mention that Anniston weighs 3 lbs. We were so excited! She weighed 2 lbs 9 ozs when she was born. Like all babies, she lost down to 2 lbs 3 ozs. The doctors are doing a good job of getting some weight on her.

The nurse told us today that the doctor had written orders for only close family members to visit her until Oct. 1. Again, this was kind of hard because we want those we love to be able to see her. Of course we understand that this is the best thing; however, that doesn't make this stuff any easier to swallow.

I went back to work today. It felt good to get back into some sort of routine. It is funny because after you have been gone for 3 weeks, you know that you have a million things to do but have no idea where to start! It will take a little time to catch up for sure. My schedule will be crazy while she is in the hospital. I will have to shift things around and adjust to take care of all that needs to happen.

Brayden is also feeling lots better today. Joni and him were able to get back into a more normal routine. We are trying to establish some sort of routine for everyone's sanity!

A Hard Day

Joni and I were so ready to go back to church to see many of the people that we love and care about. It was awesome to see everyone. Although it was strange because I have not walked through those doors in 24 days. I especially wanted to see the students. I have missed them so much!!! That part of the day was really awesome!

I came home and ate lunch. Then I took a nap in my bed. It was the first time that I have been in my bed since Aug. 16. That part of the day was incredible!

Now for the hard part. The nurse at the hospital called and said that the doctor wanted us to wear a covering for our clothes, gloves, and a mask when we visited Anniston. They wanted to be extra cautious because of Brayden's illness. When we visited Anniston, I asked about how many days they wanted us to go without touching her. They told us that they wanted us to wait 21 days. Yes, 21. October 1. That is a very long time to go without touching her. It is going to be very hard for us. We haven't touched her much since she has been born. Joni has only held her twice. I have only held her once. This was pretty heartbreaking since we have only touched her a minimal amount.

One thing that annoyed me is that the nurse is saying to us, as Joni is crying, that "you have to think about what is best for the baby. Everytime you want to hold her, just think about how much better it is for her. Think about the benefits for her. You don't want to expose her to anything." Of course we don't want to expose her to anything. That is why we called you to warn you of the illness. That is why we didn't touch her all day yesterday. That doesn't make it any easier when you say we can't touch her for 3 weeks. Some people should think before they speak. I am sure she was trying to help and I am sure she didn't intend to harm anyone. However, sometimes it is better to deliver the news and leave the person to deal with it. Sorry, just a short rant. You can tell that this annoyed me.

This made today a hard day! It will also make for some hard days ahead!!

A Long Weekend!

Wow...this weekend has been crazy! It began with our drive back to Memphis on Friday. When we got home, we went to visit Anniston and meet the staff at the hospital. We did that and then drove to Brighton to unload the mound of stuff in our car. My parents were here for the weekend also. We got them and were ready to walk out the door to go to the hospital when Brayden started throwing up. I felt really sorry for him because you could tell that he did not feel well at all. Joni stayed home while I took my parents to see Brayden for the first time. They were so excited to see her and overwhelmed at how small she was. For those of you that know my mom, can you believe she cried? LOL! Of course she did! It was pretty late when we finally crashed in the bed.

Saturday seemed just as crazy. We went to the hospital early, so that we could come back that afternoon and rest. Brayden still wasn't feeling very well. We decided that we should take him to the doctor. Our doctor was closed for the weekend so we went to the Urgent Care place. After spending 3 hours there, we discovered that he has Fifth Disease. It is a virus that begins with fever and nausea and is followed by a rash that can last for about 3 weeks. The doctor at first thought that he might have Kawasaki Disease, whatever the heck that is. We finally got out of the doctor and went home to relax with my parents and joni's mom.

My goal was to sit down and watch the Clemson game. However, I missed the first half due to the doctor's visit and some errands. I finally sat down and watched the 2nd half. I wish I hadn't done so. How do you lose a game to an unranked team when you advance the ball to the 2 yard line on the first play of overtime and not win the game? I don't understand. It certainly didn't make me very happy. JR and Devin brought over some BBQ Nachos that she made. My anger seemed to go away!

We went back to see Anniston again that night and got home about 10:00. We were all exhausted from the long day. It was so sad to watch Brayden because he would wake up from a nap and have all kinds of energy. All the sudden, he would crash and be miserable. He took 6 naps in one day.

A very funny thing happened to close out the day: Joni saw a mouse in our guest bedroom. She freaked out!!! She ran into the living room and stood in the corner. My parents were really confused at this point. My parents and I went in to look for the mouse but could not find it anywhere. It is still on the loose!! He/she just better know that I am charging rent! I laughed at Joni but I am not too sure what I would have done in that situation. I guess I have to figure out how to get rid of the darn thing.

We're Back

This is going to be a pretty short post because I am exhausted tonight. By the way, WE'RE BAAAAACK!! It was so nice to drive up and walk into our own house. God really helped us to have a great day!

Anniston did really well with the transport today. She was resting well when we went up to the hospital. Keep praying!

Every good parent needs to get these for their kids...

This are hilarious....www.armorofgodpjs.com. I can't wait to get some for Brayden and Anniston.

What in the world are people are thinking?

99.9% Sure

We just got back from the hospital, where we were discussing Anniston's transfer. The doctor at Baptist Women's approved the transfer, so we are hopefully (fingers crossed) driving back tomorrow. They want us to call before we leave to make sure that there is room. Please pray for us as we travel to Memphis and especially for Anniston, as this will be a long trip for her!

Joni's mom is going to be able to stay with us until next Wednesday, which will be a tremendous help. My parents are coming into town this weekend also. They have not seen Anniston yet and I can't wait to see the look on my mom's face. I am so excited that they are finally going to get to see her. My dad just started a new job, so they will only be able to stay a couple of days.

Joni and I would like to ask everyone to help us out by not visiting us on Friday. This is going to be a very tiring day for Anniston and us. This will also be my parents first opportunity to see her and spend some time with her. We hate to ask you to do this, but it is going to be a crazy day! Trust me, we really want to see each and every one of you but we are just asking for a little time to get settled.

We are not sure what the visitation procedures at the hospital will be. If you would like to visit with us and Anniston, we will be at the hospital from 10-12 on Saturday morning.

Anniston is having another good day. They are increasing her feeds twice today. They went up to 22cc earlier and are going to increase to 24cc this afternoon. She continues to get stronger and stronger as the days go by.

2 days and counting??

Could it be that the end is in sight? Our doctor told us that he will once again call Baptist East tomorrow to make sure that the transfer is still on. Everything looks good on the Hattiesburg end of things.

Anniston is doing well. She had a good day. They turned off her lipids, which provide nourishment for babies during their early days. That means when they stop giving her antibiotics, she can have her IV removed. They also increased her feedings again today. She is such a fighter!!!

Another sign that we have been here too long: I had to get a haircut today!

A Good Day!

Anniston had a good day! She rested well and the doctor's went up on her feedings again today (18cc every 3hrs). The doctor helped me to understand how much food that was for her little body. He said they are really trying to get lots of calories in her to fatten her up. Basically, that is like eating 7 meals a day and consuming 7500 calories a day. WOW! I think that is how much I was consuming 6 months ago...lol. 7500 calories = 25 Lean Cuisines. Isn't that crazy??

I will ask you again to pray that we get to come back on Friday. We really are more than ready!!

Somewhat Frustrated

We got up this morning and began to pack up to leave tomorrow to head back to Memphis. We were pretty excited about getting back there. WHen we got to the hospital, we received some discouraging news. It seems that Baptist East changed their minds about how long they wanted us to wait to be transferred after an RSV exposure. They originally told us 10 days (today would be day 10). Today they told the doctor they wanted to wait 2 weeks. That means our transfer has been delayed AGAIN! As of right now, we are scheduled to go on Friday. Please pray that this happens before we all have to be admitted to the mental health hospital in Hattiesburg!

We are somewhat frustrated but very glad that there is nothing wrong with Anniston. She is having a pretty good day today! I am sitting in the waiting room watching the Miami/FSU game because I only have 2 channels! I was supposed to go to the game but Anniston decided to interrupt those plans. I think she needs a spanking!!!

Enough Said!!

I read this today:

James 1:2Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. 3For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.

A Long Day!

Today was a pretty difficult day for Anniston. You know to expect these but it is still not much fun. Especially after so many consecutive good days.

They did discover that there was more infection in the pic line. So they had to remove it and put an IV in her hand. They will not replace the line before our transfer to Memphis, if they replace it at all. Different doctors believe different things about the pic lines. Some do not use them because they do get infected easily. Others swear by them. We'll have to see!

They also had to do a spinal tap today to test for spinal meningitis. I am sure that this was really painful. Just imagine a big needle being stuck in your spine. OUCH!

They also had to put her back on the CPAP. They told us when they took her off that this could happen. It is not uncommon at all, especially with all of the procedures that she had done today. She seemed to be resting a lot better tonight and breathing at a more normal rate. We were a little disappointed but at least we had an idea that this might happen.

At this point, it still looks like everything is still on go for us to leave on Tuesday. We will see Anniston off here at about 7 or 8. We will then drive to Memphis. We cannot wait!!

You Gotta Love It!

Saturday kicked off my favorite time of the year. There are lots of things that I love in life. Without a doubt one of my favorite things is football season. All football is awesome, but there is nothing like college football. Especially Clemson Tiger football! The Tigers have some potential, but will probably break my heart like they do every season.

Today was an interesting football experience. I usually spend most Saturdays during football season in close proximity to my TV. I knew there might not be much football on our TV, which only gets 2 channels. In fact, we had to go get an antenna to get those 2 to work. After I discovered that my options were the US Open of Tennis (which was replays due to a rain delay) and the real estate (sorry Dan, it didn't appeal to me) channel. I decided to flip through the channels hoping Jesus would hear my cry for some football. I passed one channel and joy filled my soul. I saw about 3 seconds of football before the TV went to a blue screen. I played with the antenna long enough to at least be able to see what was going on. I couldn't tell what teams were playing or what the score was. It didn't really matter. I could see and hear football. At that point, all was well in Hattiesburg for the day!!

The View From Behind

Brayden & Anniston

We took Brayden in to see Anniston for the first time on Friday night. He had a runny nose during the early part of the week. Everytime we go to the hospital, he says "baby" because he saw babies in the nursery the first day he was here. Therefore, he had no idea what was going on when he saw her. He just looked at her and said "baby" over and over again. He paid attention to her for a few minutes. Then, he became consumed with the baby behind us because she was crying. It is probably a good thing that she was in an incubator. Otherwise, he would have probably tried to eat her face. It was still a great memory! The first time both of our kids were together.

Say Goodbye to the CPAP

This morning we got a huge surprise. Lynn, Anniston's nurse, called to let us know that they took her off the CPAP. Anniston has been really uncomfortable with it for the past few days because it has to be so tight to hold it into your nose. She has even figured out ways to wiggle out of it. (I know what you're thinking...she is smart like her daddy.) The doctor and nurses decided to give it a shot. Worst case senario, they have to put the CPAP back in. She did really well with just the regular oxygen tube. We are so excited because you can see how beautiful she is and she is a lot more comfortable. If she gets tired from having to do all of the breathing on her own, they will have to put the CPAP back in. Pray that she can keep it out. This is another step forward!

At this point, there is still no infection. There will still be a couple of more days of testing. Please pray that she does not have an infection. If she does, they have to remove her pic line.

When we got to the hospital tonight, they asked Joni if she wanted to do "kangaroo care" with Anniston. I was confused because I don't even own a kangaroo. LOL! They prefer the mothers wear a button-up shirt so that the baby can be held against the mother's skin. Joni had on a tank top so they had to put Anniston under her shirt. So, Joni held her for about 30 mins with Anniston's head sticking out of Joni's shirt. They told me that fathers could also do kangaroo care. I cannot imagine sitting in a chair allowing 2 nurses stick a baby up my shirt. It would seem to me that this would be pretty scary for Anniston, the nurses, and myself!

Yes, It has been 2 weeks!

Today, Anniston is 2 weeks old. If you would have told me this story 2 1/2 weeks ago, I would have had you admitted to an insane asylum. The past couple of weeks have been so awesome in so many ways!! It is really hard to fathom that I have a 2 week old daughter. I am so excited! Pretty much the answer to any question she ever asks me is going to be "yes". She already has me wrapped around her finger!!

She is doing really well today. They increased her feedings again. She is up to 10cc every 3 hours. They also reduced the number of breaths per minute they were giving her. Yesterday they moved it from 10 to 5. Everything looks good. Please continue to pray that the infection goes away. Also, please pray that our transfer goes through on Tuesday.

Today was a somewhat sad day because David had to leave. Brenda took him to Memphis, so that he could fly back to Greenville. He could only get one week off work. Brenda is going to stay with us for another week. I know that it was extremely difficult for David to leave. They, along with my parents, have spent a lot of time with Brayden. He also felt bad because he was having to leave with her still in the hospital in Hattiesburg.

I am so grateful that David and Brenda have been here with us. It has been a blessing to have some family around. We were also grateful that they could help us with Brayden all week. My mom is planning to come at some point, she has had to take care of some things in Greenville. Our family has been so helpful!

Todd and Joni in New Orleans

Bill Gates, Jr???

New Orleans, pt. 2

Yesterday, Joni, Brayden and I headed to New Orleans with Joni's parents. This was the 2nd trip for Joni and I, but we wanted to take David and Brenda to see the condition of the city. It is so awful to see the conditions that those people have to live in. It is sad because the poorest people seem to be suffering the most. It was a good reminder that no matter how bad you think things are going for you, there is always people who are in a worse situation. It certainly helps to keep things in perspective!