November's Update

Overall, this month was great! We had a few events, but nothing to cause alarm, for now. No news is good news.

Jaeden did not get sick this month. Thank God!!!! His sleeping pattern is much better for mommy's health these days. He has been going to sleep by 11 pm and waking up at around 8 or 9 am.

To be continued.........I have to put Jaeden to sleep!

Happy Election Day!!!

What a historical day?? This is definitely it! History in the making and we are all SUPER EXCITED to be a part of it all.

Today, as a family, we all went to vote! Soooooo EXCITING!!!!! The process was so quick. We were in and out. There were no issues at all. The machines worked and there weren't any lines. Of course we live in a small town and there are numerous poll locations.

Now we just wait and see, who wins this election. I can tell you one thing.....This family is pulling for Barack/Biden....ALL THE WAY!!!

(Resting up before I go to vote!!!)

(Coming out the booth with Daddy, We dit it!!!!)

(Just Chillin', Waiting to see what happens now)

(I did my part, Did you do yours??)

(We helped make history, now we're going home to wait for the results!)

That Synagis Shot!

Damn!!!! These preemies go through so much. Sheesh!!!

Jaeden's appointment for his Synagis shot was today. The needle goes in deep and they inject the medicine SLOWLY!!! Jaeden doesn't need to be able to speak to let me know that the shot hurt. If it feels anything like the steroid shot I got when I was pregnant with him.....Hmmph! I know that things is painful. Just the thought. He cried a little but for the most part, what can I say, he IS a trooper. He fell asleep, instantly, afterwards. He had to stay in the doctor's office for 15 minutes after the shot to make sure he did not have a reaction to the shot. He did well. There is some redness and puffiness around the injection site. But thank God, nothing else. He definitely caught up on some sleep but is very cranky when awake. He fidgets a lot while he is asleep, but he is sleep, nonetheless. We've been giving him Tylenol every 4 hours and will continue to do so for a 24 hour period.

To think we have to do this again on December 1. Jae has to get this shot for the remainder of this RSV season. This shot today was one in a series of six. One down, five more to go. April cannot get here soon enough.

Just a reminder, his MRI is this coming Friday, please keep us in your prayers.

The pictures above are when we left to go to the doctor's office and these two below are afterwards. Notice how he holds his thigh. That's where his boo-boo is. :-(

More photos

Please Pray for My Baby

It's been about 5 weeks since my last entry. I won't make excuses. I will just give an update.

Jaeden is over 14 lbs. He is doing well at the present time. Things were not so well at the beginning of October. He caught a cold (the culprit is still unknown but we have a couple people of interest..lol) and it landed him in the hospital. Several tests were done to see if he had RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus), which is a common virus that causes mild cold-like symptoms in infants and children. Due to the fact he is a premature baby he is at a higher risk of coming in contact with it. He, however, tested negative so that was a great blessing. Before he was taken to the hospital he was given nebulizer treatments in the doctor's office that helped a lot with the congestion. They sent home a nebulizer so that I could give him treatments every four hours. He was getting better at the first follow-up visit but at the second follow-up visit he took a turn for the worse. Jaeden had to be admitted in the hospital because treatments had to be given every two hours and he was given a steroid to help his lungs. Once he started to improve, the treatments were given every three hours then every four. By Sunday he was doing much better and his pediatrician felt comfortable with sending him back home to us. We still had to give him nebulizer treatments every four hours. He is still on treatments now, but they are only twice a day. Tomorrow Jae is scheduled to get a shot called Synagis which is to prevent him from getting a serious case of RSV. This will give him the necessary virus-fighters that are specifically targeted against RSV. So my lil man will get an injection in his thigh tomorrow. We pray he does not experience too many, if any, of the possible side effect which include slight fever, itching at the site of the injection, vomitting or diarrhea.

This month we paid a couple visits to the hematologist to have the hemangiomas evaluated. The doctor advised that they were not anything to be of too much concern to have them removed. It is best to leave them alone at this point and give them time to resolve themselves. He was referred to radiology to get an ultrasound of his abdomen to see if there were possible hemangiomas on his internal organs. It was concluded that he indeed does have a mass on his liver. I was told that the mass can be one of two things. It can be a hemangioma which was more likely or it can be a hepatoblastoma which is less likely. Blood work was done to determine his AFP (Alpha-Fetoprotein) level. If his levels are normal then an ultrasound would be done every 1-2 months to monitor the mass. If his levels are abnormal this can mean certain types of cancer may be present. The next step would be to have an MRI done and then possibly a biopsy. The day after the blood test was done, I received a phone call informing that his AFP levels are slightly elevated. Right now, we have the MRI scheduled for November 7th. Please keep Jaeden in prayer. We are NOT claiming anything at this time. Our family has claimed VICTORY in all this. Jaeden is a soldier and he has not come this far for nothing. I believe that God's plan is way bigger than all of us put together.

That is our update for October. I pray that everyone will be well and be blessed. I will update you on the outcome of the Synagis shot that he will get tomorrow. I will definitely keep everyone posted on the MRI.

Surrrrpriiiiise!!!!

Oh Happy Day!!! Oh Happy Day!! What a day Saturday was.

Saturday, Jaeden attended his own baby shower...lol It was simply marvelous. All of our loved ones were there. Everyone showed us unbelievable amounts of love. Family is great. Everyone that needed to be there WAS there. Some couldn't make it and we missed them. Some chose not to come and we don't care. lol The day was beautiful and we were surprised. All I can say is I love my friends and family from the bottom of my heart. There are no words that can begin to express the amount of gratitude I have in my heart.

This has been such a challenging year but every struggle and every trial has proved itself to be worth it. We have a beautiful, happy, sweet baby who makes tremendous progress everyday. Everytime he wakes up to feed or to coo and look around is a miracle. We are so appreciative for each moment. We could never begin to convey our heartfelt and most genuine gratitude for everyone's support, well wishes, prayers, love and caring thoughts. Through the grace of God, the magnificent support system and love of such great family and friends is what helped us to stay afloat, kept us encouraged and able to get us moment to moment. I thank everyone. I thank those who have proved to be more family than family itself. I love you all.

Saturday was amazing, it made me feel something that is beyond what I can put into words. All I can say is THANK YOU to everyone!!!!

Catch up Update

It's been quite a while since our last post. Yes I know. Well, we are back and hopefully more consistently, this go around. ;-)

Little Jaeden, or should I say Big Jaeden made three months and had his visit with the pediatrician on Saturday, September 6. and he weighed in at 9 lbs 1 oz. That was then but he has to be over 10 lbs now. I am quite sure of it. He is our little porker. I LOVE IT!!!!! He has the cutest cheeks and he is so juicy. He is healthy and doing extraordinarily well. We were referred to a specialist for his hemangiomas. I have to take him next week Wednesday so stay tuned. Next week Tuesday is his Early Intervention appointment so stay tuned for that as well.

Today was his appointment with the eye doctor. His eyes are fully developed and very healthy. Thank God! Who is better than him? Hmmph!

First Play Date

Today Jaeden had his very first play date. Kingston came over today to visit him, however, Jaeden didn't seem to want to entertain much. Sorry, Kingston! We will make it up to you. Jaeden slept the whole time that Kingston was here. It was still great to have the company. Kingston and Jaeden are two big boys and they look great. God Bless them both.

Today we did miss Annie. We will catch her the next time. She didn't have time for us. She went to the beach for the holiday weekend. We hope she had fun. She was with us today in spirit. :-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JAEDEN! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JAEDEN!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOO

JAEDEN KAI GIBBS....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

What do you mean, you may ask? Isn't his birthday June 6th? Well, today is Master Gibbs', original expected due date. Today is the day he would have been born had he not been so anxious to enter the world and be with his family. ;-)

We're happy and extremely grateful that he is here, regardless of what his birthday is.

Million Dollar Question

WHAT IS THAT ON HIS HEAD AND HIS ARM?????

It is a strawberry birthmark. The technical term for it is Hemangioma . It is a benign self-involuting tumor of cells that line blood vessels. They are connected to the circulatory system and filled with blood. The appearance depends on location. If they are on the surface of the skin they look like a ripe strawberry, if they are just under the skin they present as a bluish swelling. In most cases, hemangiomas will disappear over time. The cause is uknown. They appear early in life, usually the first few weeks. It started off really small. I thought it was a tiny bruise because of the IV and the constant switching from one side to another. Later on, we noticed it kept getting bigger and bigger and that is when I asked the nurse what it was. She told us what they were and informed us that they enlarge during the first year of life (thus causing worry) but stop enlarging by the end of the first year and start involuting. It should disappear by the time he is two years old.

Considering all the other obstacles we had to come, the birthmark seemed to be the least thing to be concerned about. Jaeden has a great pediatrician who is keeping an eye on the marks and will refer us to a hematologist when he reaches 4 or 5 months. Treatment is discouraged because they usually go away on it's own. As long as it does not interfere with his sight, or the use of his arm and the ability to bend it, there is really nothing to worry about. Once he is seen by the specialist, the condition can be better assessed. For now, it is just cosmetic but it does not interfere with my baby being cute or sweet or the love of our lives. Overall he is healthy and a true blessing.

Update

Things are good. My days and nights consists of changing poopie diapers, feedings every three to four hours. Getting no sleep at night. Just Friday night Master Gibbs decided it would be a great idea to stay up until 4 am. This was very different than what I am used to, but he seemed to pull it together on Saturday night. I was sooooo tired on Saturday, I swear I had to have been sleep walking. I still don't know how I made it through. I took a nap that lasted a long time, since he slept during the day, but I made sure I went to sleep as soon as he did at night. I didn't know what would be in store for me that night, but he did well. Way better than a 4 am bedtime, that's for sure.

Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure. How can you not love his little face. ;-)

Enjoy!!!

Chunky chunky

Today was Jaeden's third doctor's visit and he is doing very well. He is getting better and as the Doctor said...."He is Terrific!!!" He is weighing a whopping 6 lbs. 9 oz. What a chunky boy we have on our hands. His next appointment is in two weeks instead of the weekly visits. Jaeden continues to sleep well. The longest stretch we had at night was 4 hours and let me just tell you that was a real treat.

Friday, we have an appointment with the opthamologist and we hope all is well.

Here We Are!!!

Looking for us??? Word on the street is that you are missing us. I know, it's been two weeks since our last update and I'm sorry but Jaeden and I have just been having that much fun. LOL. Having him home is such joy and a lot of work at the same time. I think it was quite dilisional of me to believe that I could update the blog everyday. That is unrealistic but I will try my best to update it atleast on a weekly basis.

Sooooo, let's see.....what can we tell you about our past two weeks? He has adjusted quite well. We have gone to a few doctor's visits and the reports have been GREAT!!!! Each visit is further confirmation that Lil Man is just a true Miracle. The last visit to the pediatrician we found out that Jaeden weighed 6 lbs. He gained 9 oz. in a week and still gaining. Jaeden is a solid little boy. He eats every three hours and has been drinking 3 oz each feeding. He wakes up to eat and goes right to sleep. Daddy NEVER hears him in the middle of the night but we forgive him since he has to wake up so early in the morning to make the donuts and put the stripes on the candy canes. LOL (Muah....Love you Daddy! We appreciate you much!!)

Jaeden has had several home visits and everyone has fallen in love with him. This past Sunday, Jaeden had his first outing to visit family. He met his Nana who came to NY from Down South. It was amazing. I am very happy for the both of them. Great Grandmothers are SUPER special.

Everyone is doing great and we are having fun.

We Made It!!!

Jaeden has been home for 24 hours!!! Yay!!!

Jaeden passed his pneumogram and was able to come home without a monitor. He did very well on the ride home from the city and I must say his first night was wonderful. He is very peaceful and hardly fusses. He coos a lot and makes little noises but he does not cry. He may have cried once but that has been about it.

I think the nurses at the NICU are going to miss their "little Gibblet." But they were happy to see he has done so well and did all that he needed to do to get himself home. I thank all the doctors and nurses immensely. They were simply marvelous and if it were not for them and their impeccable bedside manner, I really don't know how I could have made it. But they are heaven sent angels, every last one of them and I thank God for them. God Bless you all!!!! Much love and many hugs!!!! We will keep you posted on his health and we will send many pictures.

Thank you to all friends and family and strangers for your well wishes and all your prayers and visits. We appreciate everything and it has and still does mean the world to us. More than we could ever begin to express in words. Thank you!!!!!

The blog will continue and pictures will still be posted.

Thanks again to everyone. Thanks to the Good Lord!!!!

Well I have to get back to changing diapers. God Bless you all! Good night for now!!!