June 17, 2011

Today has been a great day! Aaron was stable overnight, and he made many progressions throughout the day! The doctor told us last night that he would like to remove one of Aaron's chest tubes today, so we were a bit surprised when he decided to remove two because of Aaron's progress. He removed two, and the follow-up x-ray was good.

Aaron's bilirubin count did go up overnight from 15 to 15.9, so the nurse added a third phototherapy lamp; he now has a large and a small lamp on him, and he also lies on a third lamp. I was able to change a couple of diapers, and we had a teensy bit of poop...this is good as it will help his bilirubin count to go down. The count should also start going down due to his bruising starting to fade.

Throughout the day Aaron continued to have great urine output, and the respiratory therapist was able to gradually decrease his nitric oxides. I was able to speak with his doctor late this afternoon, and I was very encouraged to hear of his plan for the next week. It is his goal that by next Friday Aaron is off of the oscillator and perhaps even beginning to wean off of the ventilator. He also plans to wean him off of two medications that he is currently taking. We were thrilled to hear such positivity in his voice because this is the same doctor who initially was quite concerned Aaron wouldn't make it. He actually told me today that he was afraid of that the first couple of days. He apparently had yet to see what God was capable of!

We did have a minor setback tonight. Aaron's second follow-up x-ray showed that an air pocket had reformed. The nurse and respiratory therapist turned him which enabled some of the air to escape, but another x-ray showed that he would need another chest tube. He got through the procedure just fine, and the air began to flow immediately. In fact, the nurse practitioner pulled 8ml of air right away. When I left him, he was prepared to have a restful night.

Without

Today I was able to come home from the hospital...without my beautiful son, Aaron Joseph. I have so very many mixed emotions right now. The past several days have had me in a whirlwind. I have mentioned many times that I kind of feel like I am on the outside watching someone else's life take place. But this is very much my own life, and here I am...sitting in bed typing...without.

I know that it is important for me to be home to rest overnight. I realize that I just went through major surgery and that I must recover. But I also realize my son is lying in the hospital...without his mommy. His daddy stays with him, and Mommy will be back in the morning, but until then, Aaron is...without.

I am so thankful that I have God to rely on through this process. He has truly been my only sustenance in this time, and I am grateful that He is faithful. So there is God...He is with me.

And He is with Aaron. He has been faithful to heal Aaron's body. Aaron has already come through many barriers that we weren't sure he would pass. Aaron is not without God!

And we are not without friends and loving support! I have been humbled by the many people who have stepped up to pray us through this trying time. God is so faithful in providing us with this family of sorts. Thank you for all you have done.

So perhaps in many ways we are more "with" than "without." We have God, you, and each other.

Aaron's Belly

This is Aaron on Wednesday at about 5am. You can see that his belly is extremely swollen and discolored.

Here he is later in the day on Wednesday. His belly has definitely lost some fluid, but you can still see some of the discoloration.

This is from tonight. You can definitely see that the swelling has diminished. What is not quite so evident on this picture but is obvious in person is that the discoloration is completely gone! Praise God!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Today has been a good day. Aaron continues to have good urine output, and his swelling has gone down tremendously. Two nights ago, his nurse was going to do his footprints for us, but there were no wrinkles in his feet due to the swelling. This afternoon I was amazed as I gazed at him; his feet looked quite normal, wrinkles and all. I was also amazed to look at his abdomen. There is a picture from a couple of days ago where his tummy looks swollen and shiny; today his tummy looks great. I will post comparison pictures in a little bit.

Aaron has remained stable today. He went from his blood pressure being on the high side last night to being on the low side today. This is due to a combination of factors: he is on the oscillator which causes his lungs to stay inflated, which presses on his heart, making it work harder. They are working with different medications to keep it under control.

Aaron has had a three chest tubes over the past couple of days in order to drain the fluids and air pockets out of his lungs. None of the tubes are currently draining anything, so they have clamped two of them with plans to take them out tomorrow. This is great news! His daily tests have also looked good: the chest x-ray, the ECHO, and his blood gases. They have decreased his nitrates some more, which is also good news.

Please, please, please continue prayers. The prayers of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16b) Aaron's lungs still need strength. Pray that the chest tubes are taken out tomorrow and that he remains stable and without infection. Pray that his blood pressure remains stable. Pray that they can start reducing the oxygen more. Pray for complete and total healing! This baby boy can be a tremendous testimony of God's power!

On the Mommy side of things: I got to change Aaron's diaper today...what a thrill!!!! The nurse noticed some dry spots on him as well, and I rubbed Aquaphor on them. I was also able to take his temperature last night. The little things that new moms take for granted (or dread) are my moments of pure pleasure right now!

Thank you for praying for my little bundle of joy. Please continue. As your prayers go up, God's healing pours down!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Today was a good day. Aaron had good urine output overnight, so they took out his catheter this morning. He has continued peeing, and this is an excellent sign toward getting his fluids down. To put this in perspective, on Monday during a 12-hour period, he had 25 ml of urine. On Tuesday during a 12-hour period, he had 69 ml of urine, and today in a 12-hour period he had 207 ml of urine. This is great progress.

Aaron did receive more blood today because some of his counts were back down; this was expected. When I went to visit him this afternoon, I was able to spend about an hour completely alone with him. I read him a book that my sister and her husband had bought for him. When I saw him this evening, he was a bit uncomfortable, so I was able to contain him, which is as close to holding him as I can get right now. I placed one hand on his head and with the other hand I held his arms close to his chest. This was very calming for him...and me.

He was given a chest and an abdominal x-ray tonight. The chest x-ray has been done daily to monitor his lungs. The doctor said that it wasn't looking perfect, but it also wasn't bad enough to warrant inserting another chest tube. The reason for the abdominal x-ray was his swollen, discolored belly. Following the x-ray, however, the doctor said that it appeared that the swelling and discoloration was due mainly to delivery and was unrelated to any current problems. The doctor told me that she was expecting a quiet night from Aaron, and that is my prayer.

I continue to trust God, and I ask tha you will join me in praying for Aaron Joseph. He is a precious little guy, and I want to see him grow to be that mountain of strength!

Praising God for Each Step

Aaron had such great urine output overnight that they removed his catheter out at 5am this morning! David spent the night in his room, so he was able to catch this picture when they were turning him this morning. His eyes have been covered because of the lamp he is under, and this is the first time we have seen those beautiful things! They had to cover them right back up, so I missed it, but thank God for cameras!

Aaron Joseph

Aaron means "mountain of strength."

Joseph means "Jehovah increases."

Amen!

Today's News

Today has been a rough day for me as I battle my emotions. I know that my sweet little baby boy has many battles ahead of him. I know that each moment is a gift from God! I have had moments of joy today, and I have had moments of grief. But right now my baby continues to fight. Thank you to all who are fighting with him through prayer! That is precisely what we need! I am overwhelmed by the love I have experienced from friends over the past couple of days. There are literally thousands, and perhaps tens of thousands, of people praying for Aaron around the world.

These are lyrics from a hymn titled "Be Still, My Soul": "Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side. Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain. Leave to thy God to order or provide; in every change He faithful will remain. Be still my soul, thy best, thy heavenly friend through thorny ways leads to a joyful end." I hang onto this and to the Word of God to get us through this time of turmoil.

Today has been a good day. As of this morning, though he had urine output last night, the doctors were looking for more, so they added two medications to increase the output. They also added a medication to help his heart development as an ECHO showed that his ventricles weren't contracting as well as they should. They inserted a third tube into his chest for draining his fluids; this helped his lung to reinflate perperly, and he has had lots of drainage from that tube. Last night they were weaning him from his nitric oxides; they had gone from 20 to 9; they had to increase back to 20, however, because he was not continuing to adjust well to it. He is still receiving 50% of his oxygen from a ventilator, and he is on the oscillator still. He has had good urine output tonight, though they are continuing to look for more.

Our Aaron is extremely sick, and we are certainly not out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination. I am taking each moment delicately because I am aware that we could lose him. We rejoice in each improvement. We trust God in all of this; He is truly in control of Aaron's life. As you pray, right now a major need is for Aaron's kidneys to work properly so that he is urinating. He needs to get rid of the excess fluids in his body. His lungs need to begin to operate better so that they can wean him from the ventilator.

Please pray for my baby. Please pray for us. This is most certainly the hardest thing David and I have ever faced. I am sure it is the hardest thing my parents and sister have faced as well. I don't want to lose my baby boy; I love him with everything that I am and all I have. One of the most difficult things is feeling so helpless. The nurse tonight did allow David to take Aaron's temperature, and she encouraged us to rub ointment on his skin if he has any dry patches. She is really trying to help us be involved.

Sweet Baby Aaron, Mommy loves you! So does Daddy! And we are praying and believing for a miracle in your little body. We know God is in control! Rest in Him, and keep fighting this battle!

Aaron Update

This beautiful boy continues to amaze me. Aaron has been through a lot in his first 24 hours of life. They have had him stabilized since Monday early afternoon. They did three blood transfusions, and his blood work after that was perfect. He did have a high bilirubin count, so they put him under the lamp to prevent jaundice; that is why his eyes are covered. He still has a long way to go; he continues to be in a paralyzed state (through medication), and he remains on the ventilator. Last night, the doctor was concerned that his kidneys weren't working because he had no urine output. After about 25 minutes on dopamine, Aaron was producing urine. I am praying for continued improvement. It is so difficult to have a baby and be unable to hold him, feed him, and interact with him. I am looking forward to all of those milestones to come!

All in God's Timing

It is somewhat ironic that I just a few days ago posted that we were expecting the arrival of our second son on August 11. He surprised us by showing up just yesterday morning, June 13, 2o11.

I found out last week at my regular doctor's appointment that I had failed my one-hour glucose tolerance test. I went in on Saturday morning for the three-hour test. This baby has always been a mover, and so adding a high concentration of sugar to that, he was having a party in my belly Saturday afternoon. Later that evening, I didn't feel him moving which was odd because that is typically his active time. I thought perhaps he was just calmer because of the all the sugar and activity earlier...this was his crash.

The next morning, I still wasn't feeling him move, and I told David that I was concerned. We went to church, had lunch, then came home...still no movement. I drank a tall glass of ice cold water and lay on my left side for a half hour. After I felt no movement, I called my doctor. He told me to immediately report to the emergency room. Once I was escorted to labor and delivery triage, the nurse hooked me up to a fetal heart monitor, and we heard his heart beating right away...major sign of relief. They had me drink tons of ice water, some milk, and I ate peanut butter toast. Still no movement. My doctor told them to screen with an ultrasound. During this, they are basically looking for five things: my fluid levels, the baby's heartbeat, the baby's lungs, small fetal movement, and large fetal movement. Each portion is a pass/fail, receiving either a 0 or a 2. During the first screen, the baby scored a 4 (fluids, heart); second screen, baby scored a 6 (same as before plus small movement); third screen, a 4 again...the doctor was very concerned and called for an emergency c-section. At 31 weeks pregnant, I was scared!

Aaron Joseph Bunts was born at 4:32 am on June 13, 2011, weighing 4 lbs, 11 oz. The problem was immediate: he was not breathing, nor was his heart beating. Toledo Hospital had sent a team from their NICU (neo-natal intensive care unit) to take care of him immediately upon delivery. Thank God they were able to get his heart beating and to get him breathing. I couldn't see him, couldn't hear him...nothing!

Very shortly after his birth, I was told he was very sick. He has a virus which was causing major concerns, and this was probably why he had stopped moving in utero. The outlook was extremely dismal. Honestly, I was prepared to lose my baby. My OB told me that he was very sick, and the neo-natologist told us that it was very possible that he would die. Not what I wanted to hear, but at least the truth.

I saw him for about five minutes before he was taken to Toledo's NICU. He was bundled up in his incubator on a ventilator among other things. When he arrived at the NICU, the doctor called me to say they were there. His infection was being treated with antibiotics, and he would remain on the ventilator. His liver was enlarged, and he was extremely bruised, due to low blood platelets. He was being given blood transfusions. He also had some swelling around his soft spot, and they were going to do an ultrasound to see if he had bleeding. Again, the tone was very concerned.

We got another call a few hours later. Aaron was being put on a different ventilator, and they were going to place him in a paralytic state to keep him still. At this point, the doctor was extremely concerned, and he said that someone needed to be there with the baby; David was on his way. Here is our beautiful Aaron Joseph...please pray for him!

Our Summer Visitor

I have a goal of enjoying this summer to the fullest with Isaac because by the end of the summer, he will no longer be an only child. He is so excited about his baby brother, and I know he will be a wonderful example for him to follow. I also know, however, that he has a huge adjustment ahead of him. We will welcome our new baby this August!!!

Madison's Birthday Party

Isaac is not always the most photogenic child:)

But he usually smiles when he takes a picture with Mommy
What a handsome boy!

Our First Trip to Disney

For Christmas, my parents blessed our entire family with a trip to Disney. We stayed at a beautiful resort with an amazing pool. We also had a six-day pass to the parks; we hit all of them once, then repeated Epcot and Magic Kingdom. This was an AMAZING trip that we hope to make again in the near future!

Our little (but growing) family at Epcot

Carson, Isaac, and Christian with Papa and Mimi
One of the best things we did outside of the parks was the Pirate Adventure...this was a two-hour excursion which the boys thoroughly enjoyed!

Isaac, Christian, Carson, and Chloe with two of their favorite characters at Hollywood Studios!

Isaac and Mommy at Pizza Planet:)

To Be Like Daddy

Isaac so wants to be like his daddy; this was taken in the kitchen as we were getting ready to leave for Detroit...to prepare for the trip of a lifetime (at least up to now).

The Prince Turns Four

I can't believe my precious baby is four years old! He is the greatest joy in my life, and I am thrilled to call him my own!

For his birthday dinner, he wanted sausage and pancakes, so that's what we ate. Also, he chose an oreo icecream cake...mmmm!

He got another GeoTrax train...he loves it!

The birthday boy

Christmas

Isaac at his preschool's Christmas program...I am always amazed at how quiet he is in places like this; he is SO LOUD at home!

Just a couple of days before Christmas, Isaac and Madison exchanged their gifts.

I am thankful that Christmas day began on such a happy note...

...because less than an hour after arriving at Papa and Mimi's, Isaac dislocated his arm while wrestling with his cousins. We spent the evening in the ER, and we missed all of the opening of gifts...we just couldn't make the other seven grandkids wait on us!

Candied Apples

I LOVE Fallen Timbers Kids' Club...a free activity each month for my son and I to enjoy together! In November, Isaac got to decorate his own apron, which he is wearing, and make a candied apple. Yum!!!!

Fallen Timbers Fall Festival

Give me free fun fall festivities, and I am SO there!

Isaac and his best bud Madison...yes, the gorilla did become Spiderman...we were going for originality!
Pony rides

Spiderman hands

He was pretending to swim in the pond

Some Special Ladies

My wonderful friend Michelle and me:)

My beautiful sister Amber and me:)

MacQueen's Apple Butter Festival

I LOVE fall! It is the most beautiful time of the year, the air is crisp, and our fall festivities are in full swing! MacQueen's Apple Butter Festival is one of the most anticipated events in our area. This year, it rained on Saturday, so Sunday was PACKED! But it was also perfect! And the apple cider was yummy!