Our favorite Cousin was here!

Look at these pictures from our favorite cousin, Cecelia's trip! It was so nice to have her here. Isabella is changing everyday and Cecelia was able to witness that first hand. I hope she will be able to come back soon...and bring Eamon with her!



So Pretty!



Poor Bella...the burps can be so mean to a little tummy!



Cecelia's shirt reads: He hunts, I shop! So cute!!



Look at this amazing blanket my Aunt Celie made for Isabella! It is so perfect because the purple reminds me of Grandmom and the pink is so Bella - it's so sweet to see them incorporated together! Aunt Celie is the best!



Snugglin' the cousin....



Bella's shirt reads: This is my little black dress" :)



Big time loving during a (frequent) diaper change



If Isabella doesn't want to hear what you have to say.... talk to the hand....

A gift from Grandpa!

So, I went to visit my Grandpa today and I quickly learned that he doesn't actually work at his office...he just goes around and talks about me and my brother! It was like I had my own fan club! Plus, he was nice enough to warn everyone not to get too close to me because I'm too little to fight off yucky germs now. We visited about 100 people and went to lunch. I was a little bored of the conversation between Mom, Grandpa and Cousin Cecelia ~ so I just slept through lunch. It was a lovely day and Grandpa even brought me presents that he and Grandma Sharon had picked out. Very Cool!


Oh My! You're a big fellow aren't you?



Grandpa Ron bought ME this Pooh Bear? WOW!



Oh ~ AJ says Grandpa Ron bought this Pooh Bear for US.....



"Pooh?" said Piglet
"Yes" said Pooh
"Nothing," said Piglet...
"I just wanted to be sure of you"



Good thing he's big enough to share!

Please sign the Preemie Petition

November is when the March of Dimes will focus the nation’s attention on the impact premature birth has on babies and families, and on the opportunities for prevention.
Today more than 1,400 babies in the U.S. will be born prematurely. Many will be too small and too sick to go home.

Instead, they face weeks or even months in the intensive care unit. (NICU). These babies face an increased risk of serious medical complication, and death; however, most eventually will go home.
The March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign
Prematurity is the leading killer of America's newborns. Those who survive often have lifelong health problems, including cerebral palsy, mental retardation, chronic lung disease, blindness and hearing loss.

Prematurity has been escalating steadily and alarmingly over the past two decades. In 2005, more than 525,000 infants were born prematurely, the highest number ever reported for the U.S. In 2005, the United States as a society paid at least $26.2 billion in economic costs associated with preterm birth (medical and educational expenses, loss in productivity).

Preterm delivery can happen to any pregnant woman. In about four out of every 10 cases, the causes are unknown.
The March of Dimes has taken on this devastating problem—to find out what causes it and how it can be stopped.

Please log on to this website and show your support!

http://www.marchofdimes.com/padpetition/

SO PROUD OF AJ!!

Yesterday was report conference day and we headed over to the 4th grade hallway to see AJ's progress so far this year. He said he was a little nervous, which made me a little nervous too. When the teacher opened with " Oh, AJ's just the best" I knew we were in the clear. His report card has all A's! YAY AJ - such a great job! Here are the teacher's comments:

AJ is an extremely intelligent and dependable young man. He really has some excellent background knowledge and shared his experiences freely. He is a great class leader and very well liked by his peers. I know he will make a terrific big brother. Thanks for your support and congratulations


So, straight A's means AJ gets to pick where we go for dinner and ice cream. He picked Dairy Queen and we all enjoyed yummy blizzard treats!.


We are so proud of AJ keeping it all together! GREAT JOB TATE!

Hey! Look at me ~ I'm starting to hold my head up!


It is so exhausting picking my brother up from school!


Do you smell that? What is that? Oh, is it me? Oh my... I need a bath.




OK ~ bad idea! I am not enjoying this nearly as much as Mommy said I would.


AAhhh... now this is much better. I'm all clean, in nice warm jammies and snuggling my Daddy.



My Mommy says I'm the most beautiful girl in the whole world!

Our Famous Babies

Aren't they sweet? :)

Welcome Home Sweet Isabella!

As I sit and write this, I can finally exhale. After the pre-term labor scare at 25 weeks, the 5+ week early delivery and the 17 endless days and nights in the NICU... I am writing with my sweet baby girl sleeping in the bassinet next to me. She's home. She made it. She has had so many things to learn in her time at the hospital. She is breathing on her own, eating well, stabalizing her body temperature, remembering to keep her heart beating...she is a healty preemie! Sitting in the NICU this morning waiting for her to be discharged I had a realization. While I sat in this chair and watched her, prayed for her and worried about her...she was getting stronger. Everyday she was a little stronger and able to accomplish a little more. I realized this morining as I silently sat and watched, my baby learned to breathe.

All of these years, so many prayers all wrapped up in a pink blanket right by my side. It sure does seem like all is right with the world from where I sit.

AJ is so excited to FINALLY be a big brother. He visited Isabella at the hospital after school today.

I craved the pot roast at Cracker Barrel while I was pregnant. So, AJ bought Isabella a teddy bear from Cracker Barrel! He keeps her company when we are not there.







She loves to sleep with her hands behind her head! She is so cute!



Big Kisses from Mommy!

Isabella's Diagnosis

Here is some information I found that will explain Isabella's stay in the NICU.

Apnea
What is it?
Although it's perfectly normal for everyone to experience occasional pauses in breathing, newborns who don't take at least one breath in 20 seconds or more have a condition called apnea.

During an apnea spell:

the baby stops breathing
the heart rate may decrease
the skin may turn pale, purplish, or blue from lack of oxygen

What causes it?
Apnea is usually caused by immaturity in the area of the brain that controls the drive to breathe (the brain doesn't "remember" to take a breath), although illness can also be responsible. Almost all babies born at 30 weeks or less will experience apnea, but apnea spells become less frequent with age.

How is it diagnosed?
To accurately diagnose apnea, doctors monitor a baby's breathing rate in the NICU and may order a polysomnogram, which involves attaching the baby to several monitors and observing the infant for about 8 to 12 hours. The pneumogram provides information about the baby's heart rate, breathing, and oxygen saturation in the blood.

How is it treated?
In the NICU, all premature babies are monitored for apnea spells. The first line of treatment for apnea is simply stimulating the baby to help him or her remember to breathe. This can mean rubbing the infant's back or tapping the feet. However, when apnea occurs frequently, the infant may require medication (most commonly caffeine or theophylline) and/or a special nasal device that blows a steady stream of air into the airways to keep them open.

How long will my baby be in the NICU?
Babies remain in the unit until they've been apnea-free for 24 to 48 hours. Some may go home with an apnea monitor and on caffeine so parents can continue to watch for the condition. Many babies outgrow apnea by the time they're 10 weeks past their original due date. **Our Dr. says seven days**

Bradycardia
What is it?
This is an abnormal slowing of the heart rate.

What causes it?
Bradycardia often arises from other problems like low oxygen levels in the blood or apnea.

How is it diagnosed?
Taking the baby's pulse and monitoring in the NICU will confirm a diagnosis of bradycardia.

How is it treated?
Bradycardia is treated by dealing with the underlying cause, such as apnea. In some rare cases, a heart defect may be responsible for the slower heart rate. For the appropriate care, babies with a heart defect need to see a pediatric cardiologist (a doctor who specializes in treating heart problems in children).

How long will my baby be in the NICU?
Usually, the length of the stay is determined by the condition causing the bradycardia, not the bradycardia itself.

Jaundice
What is it?
Jaundice is a high level of bilirubin in the blood (bilirubin is a byproduct of the natural breakdown of blood cells, and the liver usually "recycles" it back into the body). Although mild jaundice is fairly common in full-term babies, it's much more common in premature babies.

What causes it?
Jaundice occurs when a baby has increased blood cell breakdown and the liver can't handle the extra bilirubin, which builds up, giving the skin and the whites of the eyes a yellowish color. Babies with jaundice are sometimes more sleepy than usual and, in severe cases, may be lethargic.

How is it diagnosed?
Although the yellow skin is a fairly good indicator, a diagnosis is made with a blood test to measure the bilirubin level.

How is it treated?
Extremely high levels of bilirubin can cause brain damage, so infants are monitored for jaundice and treated quickly, before bilirubin reaches dangerous levels. Standard treatment includes providing adequate fluids and light therapy, in which the baby spends time under a special blue-colored light. Some cases may also require a blood transfusion.

How long will my baby be in the NICU?
Babies with this condition stay in the NICU until their bilirubin level drops, usually in about 2 to 3 days.



Positive Coombs'

Indirect Coombs' (A.K.A. Antibody Screen)


ABO incompatibility occurs by the same general mechanism. Type O mothers are most commonly impacted, since they carry both anti-A and anti-B antibodies. If the infant is type A, type B, or type AB, risk for incompatibility exists. This is frequently referred to as a "set-up". If mixing of maternal and fetal blood occurs during pregnancy or the birth process, these antibodies can also attack the baby's rbcs and cause hemolysis. In general, this reaction is less serious than Rh incompatibility (which can be fatal if severe and untreated), and usually only results in jaundice and mild anemia.

An important thing to remember is that the presence of a positive coombs' test in the lab does not necessarily result in hyperbilirubinemia in the infant. The risk of needing phototherapy is certainly greater, but there are many factors impacting bilirubin levels, and assessment of all of these elements is critical to making an appropriate decision about treatment.


Kind of a lot of Medical information, hopefully it will explain things better than I can. :)

Isabella is now in the NICU at Manatee Memorial

Sweet little Bella.



The ambulance came and picked her up from Sarasota Memorial on 10/7/08. She was 5 days old and taking her first car ride in an ambulance. All three of us met her up at the hospital at 11:00 pm. She slept the entire ride (hopefully she will always enjoy the car) and when they pulled her out of the incubator, it was the first time we had seen her without tuber and wires attached to her. She looked so tiny in the paramedics arms! The nurse that was there, Ruth was an absolute God send. Her daughter was born with her stomach, liver and intestines on the outside of her body and she had to spend the first year of her life in the NICU. To have someone stand there and say "I know exactly what your going through" and mean it...priceless.




I was not thrilled about her going to MMH, Sarasota has the best NICU in our area, but this way I am able to see her more often. Sarasota Memorial is about a 45 minute drive and it takes about 10 to get to Manatee Memorial. Plus, they allow siblings to visit as well. At SMH AJ was only allowed to see her 15 minutes twice a week. The staff seem to be nice and most of the girls seem to really love Bella, so I stopped freaking out about it and was able to focus on what is really important - her health.

Nana visiting Bella

Her weight is back up to 4lbs 14 oz. She dropped some, but is now back where she started. Yesterday her Billy level was 9.4, this morning her Billy level was 10.4 ~ she has been off the light since yesterday morning, so it is normal to have a little regression. She had a Brady yesterday morning about 4:30 and was unable to revive herself from it. The nurse cam over and woke her up, which reminded her to do what she is supposed to do. The Dr. has been giving her caffeine for about a week to help stop the Bradys, and tomorrow the caffeine will stop. She has to be off caffeine and not have one single episode for 7 days before they will consider sending her home. We are hoping and praying this will happen, but my gut instinct says she won't be ready. It's all up to her ~ we'll see how she does.

Cool enough for crooked pinkies!

So pray for our girl, that she will come home healthy and quickly.

The delivery story.

All I said was I wanted her to be born in October so she could have an opal for a birthstone. Well, I should have been more specific. My water broke at three in the morning on October 2nd. I didn't know it broke until I woke up and even then I wasn't sure - it was way too early. I thought "it HAS to be something else". So, I woke up and made breakfast for Ant and AJ and fed the dogs. I did the dishes and got AJ ready for school. Once AJ and I got into the car to get him to school and I started to feel kind of icky. Just an all over kind of not feeling well. It is a 20 minute round trip to drop AJ off at school and by the time I got back home I was having contractions every 6 minutes. Then I started to think I might possibly be in labor and I should probably go to the hospital. So I took a quick shower and called the Dr. "Get here NOW" my nurse told me. I called Anthony who was working up the road and told him the Dr. wants me to go the hospital ASAP and I was in too much pain to drive. Anthony was home within 10 minutes and by the time he got here I was in so much pain I could not stand up straight. Luckily, I am way too organized and already had a hospital bag packed, one for me and one for the baby. So, we were off. It is about a 45 minute ride to the hospital ~ however it took at least ten hours in my opinion! We finally got there and Anthony dropped me off so I didn't have to walk too far. A very nice lady went and got me a wheelchair and wheeled me back to labor and delivery triage. At this point I knew I had lost too much fluid for her to still be OK. Plus, my stomach was as hard as a rock ~ something was definitely wrong... and where was my husband? It turns out, he had such a difficult time finding a parking spot, and drove around so long, he had to leave and get gas then come back to the hospital! Poor thing! How stressful that must have been for him.
Anyway, in triage they tested the fluid and it was in fact amniotic fluid. My contractions were 3 minutes apart.They called my Dr and it turns out he was already in OR room 1. There was no time to wait so they set up OR 2 for me. In 24 minutes we went from triage to the OR. While they were prepping me for surgery they said the were afraid the placenta was pulling away rom the uterus and there was not enough time for an epidural - I was going to have to go under general anesthesia. Because of that Anthony was not going to be able to come in the OR with me. So, we were both going to miss the birth of our daughter. :( The other bad news was ~ there were no beds available in the NICU so if Bella came out and had any issues, they were going to have to fly her to St. Petersburg. I went into surgery knowing when I woke up I would not be able to see my baby for at least three days. After I realized that ~ I started to panic. I went under completely freaked out. During delivery they discovered that the placenta had in fact pulled away from the uterus and we were both at serious risk.
By the time I came out of the recovery room - they had made room for Isabella in the NICU! She was on a different floor, but she was in the same hospital! I was so relieved!
She was relatively healthy considering she was born at 34 weeks and 5 days. At that point we didn't know what we were up against for her health wise, but she was here and she was alive and she is BEAUTIFUL!

Sweet Isabella Marie Cali
Born 10~2~08 at 11:21 am
4 pounds and 14 ounces
18 inches long

A miracle.
An absolute miracle.