Long day, everyone's OK.

Scarlett will be going wireless soon, probably tonight.  All the probes and wires will be out.  If she starts nursing tomorrow, which will be her first try, that will get us one step closer to a discharge from CHOP.  We are all so exhausted and ready to be home.

OK! Scarlett had a great night!

Her nurse updated Mama throughout the night as Daddy and his brother were sprawled out on the couch and air mattress (thanks for making it up to see us all Jer!).  At least some rest was had by all.  Scarlett's O2 stat is around 85, and she was eating mother's milk even FASTER than the nurse had anticipated, which means she will run out by 0930 this morning.  Good thing we are getting there at about 0800!!  I don't plan to lug my computer around now since we have been kicked out of the SDU (Mom is no longer a patient), but we will update this when possible.  Thanks so much to everyone for continued prayers and support.  Thanks specially to Brian & Courte, and Chris & Liz who have opened up their homes to mommy, daddy, and their parents!!!!!!!  Their hospitality has been an overwhelming and truly reviving refreshment.  We know we are blessed.  -A

Hard to describe how long today was.

First off, Scarlett is doing wonderfully right now.  We just got an update from her CICU nurse half an hour ago.  We had some real scares earlier today, but the doctors revived her from too much sedation and worked with her O2 stats by upping her oxygen and letting us feed her!  I held her up while mama held the bottle.  There's much more to tell about today, but let if suffice to say that I felt like a real man.  I supported my two babies and I did it well.  I'm proud of myself.  And I'd like to add that Mama is doing such a wonderful job of taking care of her little one.  Finally, thanks to Brian and Courte for making the end of the long day a wonderful dinner and some great fellowship.  -A

Scarlett still asleep, doing pretty well.

She seems to be pretty calm, still asleep from the pain meds and whatnot.  I watched the surgical team remove her chest tube, they were very quick.  Her pacemaker wires, rectal probe, and catheter are also out.  These are all good things.  Her O2 stats are hovering around 83, which is a bit lower than I would personally like, but the doctors don't seem to mind right now.  -A

Scarlett is still asleep, but the ventilator is OUT.

Scarlett post-op

We finally got to go see out precious Scarlett!  It was very hard to see our sweet little girl connected to so many tubes, but the Dr.'s all say she is doing very well.  She still has a breathing tube in her nose, a chest tube to remove extra fluid from around her heart, two tubes in her belly button, one attached to an artery and one attached to a vein, to measure her blood pressure, and a catheter so they can measure how much urine she passes.  We could not be more proud of our daughter and her strength, and are thanking God for every second!

Still haven't seen Scarlett yet...

We're supposed to get to see her in about half an hour.  An adjacent patient apparently had an extended procedure right in the CICU next to Scarlett's bed.  Our nurse reported that Scarlett is "very much asleep" due to the pain meds she is currently on and the anesthesia from the surgery.  The breathing tube is still in after all.  We're definitely ready to see our baby.

Surgery COMPLETE. Scarlett is back in the CICU. We can't see her for 45 minutes. IT WENT WELL!

Dr. said that bypass was required to be safe, but otherwise the surgery went perfectly.  Scarlett is due to be off her breathing tube anytime, and we'll get to see her soon.  Thank you God.

Scarlett is on bypass, but doing "OK." This makes the surgery longer and more complex. It also makes recovery more complex and potentially longer.

Surgeon came by, surgery is on now. Will likely be 2 hours to completion.

Waiting for surgery, Scarlett in "pre-op."

Held Scarlett.  Kissed Scarlett.  Prayed over Scarlett.  Held and kissed Scarlett some more.  Waiting for Scarlett's surgeon to stop by and see us before the procedure......

Scarlett undergoes OHS 29 July at 2 days of age.

This post is from Dad.  I just wanted to update everyone and to let them all know that now is the time for more prayer.  Scarlett is due in the OR around pre-lunch mid-morning time.  Mom and Dad are really happy with her surgeon and are expecting the best.  Scarlett- when you read this some day: Mommy and Daddy love you more than you can ever know.

What a NIGHT.

We got to hold our precious little child last night.  It was pretty indescribable.  She's been undergoing ultrasounds and echos already, we should hear more about "the plan" today, which I will post on here when possible.  Grampi/Grammy have been such a blessing, and arrived early this morning to take care of both mommy and daddy.  So everyone has been fed, actually Scarlett may start on breast milk/colostrum today, and we are getting ready to get mommy out of her hospital bed to walk over to the CICU wing for some quality time with Scarlett.  Until this afternoon.  -A.

Last Post of Night- Here's What Happened. We're all exhausted.

So the Dr. came in to our room and was "concerned about Scarlett's reaction to contractions."  Shortly after that Scarlett's HR dropped dramatically low again.  At that point the Dr. said: 'C-section time' and it was pretty quick from start to finish, or at least seems like it was now.  I was able to hold Vickie's hand and I saw Scarlett's birth.  She's SO beautiful.  Vickie hasn't seen much of Scarlett yet but by 3am we should be able to go over to her wing (CICU) and see her.  Being in a different wing than our baby definitely won't be easy.  We have to live in the SDU until they boot us (discharge Mom as a patient), then we will only be able to visit Scarlett in the CICU until her surgery, recovery, and discharge from CHOP.  It's a long road ahead, but we're ready.  We love our baby and are VERY proud parents.  Oh, and it looks like Scarlett has red hair!

Scarlett has arrived!!!!!!!

My access to internet is limited.  But both mom and baby Scarlett, born 27 July 2011 @ 2142, are doing well.  Mom is recuperating from the surgery, and so is Scarlett.  Scarlett is breathing on her own and is overall looking really good!  Scarlett's nurse in the CICU (Cardiac Intensive Care Unit) is awesome.  She's in good hands.  What a day.

Change of plans- C-section is on RIGHT NOW

Mom relaxing...dad's parents are here.

The epidural is in, the waiting game is back on.  Dad's Dad is going to say a prayer with us now.

Mom still good...getting her epidural now. (EOM)

Well, we were watching 'A Few Good Men'....

And then Scarlett's Heart Rate dropped into the 80s.  Boy was that a quick rush of nurses and doctors into the room.  I didn't even have time to breathe.  In fact I'm not sure I'm doing so now.  Baby's HR is back up, Mom is on O2 and relaxing for the moment.  Please don't flood us with phone calls right now, I'll update this as much as possible.  Both mom and Scarlett are looking really good right now.  -A

SCARLETT IS ON THE WAY!!!!

     Today at 1:00 PM I started having contractions about 5 minutes apart.  At 3:00 PM we called the midwife and asked her what we should do.  She recommended that we start heading to the hospital so that they could at least check everything out.  We arrived at the hospital around 3:30 and got everything checked out.  The contractions were still coming about every five minutes and they said I was 2-3 cm dilated and about 80% effaced.  Since then I have been admitted to the hospital and an IV was put in to keep me hydrated.  Since the IV was placed the contractions started to slow down, so they have recently started a small dose of oxytocin to start contractions more frequently.  That's all for now, we will try and keep everyone updated as we progress, but may not post anything until after little Scarlett is here!  

26 July 2011

    
     Today our friend Brian came up to visit us and tour Philadelphia.  We had a great time touring Philadelphia near Independence Square.  First we started on South St. to try the last of the "Best of Philly" cheese steaks at Jim's.  Jim's was very good and definitely one of the best in Philly.  After lunch we headed toward Independence Square.  We were going to try and tour Independence Hall, but unfortunately we were too late to get some tickets.  Instead we sat in the little park in Independence Square for a while and just took in the view.  After sitting there for a while we decided to head on down the street to see the Liberty Bell.  We hopped in a long line and waited to get into the building where the Liberty Bell is housed.  Once we were done taking all of our touristy pictures around the Liberty Bell we went on down the street to where we took a walking tour through the U.S. Mint building.  I liked walking through the mint and seeing how all the coins are made.  While walking through the building you get to see the whole process of coins being made.  From the sheets of metal that they start out as right down to the coins that we use daily.  It was especially neat to see all the coins in their bins sparkling getting ready to be distributed throughout the U.S.  By the end of our tour it was getting late so we headed back and got some dinner.  Now after a long day of walking it's time to snuggle up and watch some TV! 

25 July 2011

We started our day by visiting the Wildlife Refuge.  We walked around for a while and saw an eagle.  Then on the way home we stopped at DQ for some ice cream.  Then we got back to the condo and took quick showers so that we could go and meet some new friends Chris and Liz for dinner.  We went to meet Chris and Liz and we went to a really good new Thai restaurant on South Street in Philly.  It was delicious!  After dinner we went back to their place to hang out.  We had a great time THANK YOU Chris and Liz for your generosity!!!    

Mail to our Philadelphia address

Hi everyone, just wanted to send out a quick note.  I was informed today that someone tried to send us some mail to the condo in Philadelphia and it was sent back to them.  If you have also sent something to the address please check with us, we want to make sure that nothing gets lost in the mail. 

Thanks

Aaron and Vickie 

24 July 2011

This morning I woke up and was having contractions.  Aaron and I decided to stay home and make sure it didn't turn into anything.  While the contractions have lasted all day and were about 10 minutes apart they did not hurt/ increase in intensity or come closer together.  I called the nurse and she said to stay put unless they became more intense or more frequent, so basically we just lounged all day and counted the minutes going by.

23 July 2011

     Today Aaron and I joined our host family, Bob and Sue, at a cookout their son was having at his house.  We had a good time meeting their family and friends.  Lots of good people, good food, and good times to be had in the pool. 

22 July +

Just wanted to add that we had a wonderful dinner with our host family this evening.  It was really nice to just relax and have great fellowship.

21 and 22 July 2011

     Yesterday Aaron and I met with Brian.  Brian is a wonderful guy who is opening his home so that Aaron's parents have a place to stay while they are in town for Scarlett's delivery and surgery.  We are so thankful and grateful to him for being such a compassionate person in our time of need.  Thank you Brian!!!!  Today we have not done much of anything.  We relaxed and Aaron played some golf on Play Station. 

20 July 2011

    
     Today was our last OB appointment at CHOP.  Next time we walk into that hospital we will be having our baby!!!!  While meeting with the midwife today she said we were about 1cm dilated and that my cervix has thinned to about half of what it was.  Since there is sign of progression, if Scarlett has not arrived by Thursday the 28th, they are going to induce labor!  We will have to arrive at CHOP at 5:30PM to get admitted and then they will start administering a drug to make my cervix soften and thin out.  I will then sleep through the night and in the morning they will start the pitocin to start contractions if necessary.  We are very excited that we will be meeting our precious baby girl very soon!!!     

19 July 2011

     Today was a hot and humid day, so naturally Aaron and I thought it would be a good idea to go to the Philadelphia Zoo.  We packed some water and a lunch and set off for the zoo.  Due to the weather a lot of the animals, of course most of the cats (one of our favorite exhibits), were not out.  They also did not have any elephants, which are my favorite!  We did get to see a lot of other animals though.  We walked around looking at the animals for a while and then had our lunch while we watched the Bald Eagles.  We then finished the loop and couldn't take much more of the heat so it was time to get back to the condo.  Tomorrow we will have our weekly visit with CHOP and will hopefully get an idea of when our beautiful Scarlett will join us!!!

18 July 2011

Aaron and I spent a nice afternoon out today at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge.  This time we took a set of good binoculars that our host family generously let us borrow!  We walked around the whole lake and got to see one of the eagles perched in a tree.  Unfortunately we didn't get to see any of them flying around today, but we plan to head back again to try and get sight of the eagles in action! 

17 July 2011

Nothing too exciting happened today.  When I woke up I started laundry, which desperately needed to be done!  While laundry was running I made some eggs and bacon for breakfast for Aaron, David, and myself.  Once we had breakfast and the laundry was out of the dryer we decided to head to a little park that has a nice big field so that Aaron and David could throw the aeroby (sp?).  While they did that I walked the path around the field a little bit.  Then we played on the playground. (did some swinging on the swings and the guys did the monkey bars)  With the guys dripping with sweat we headed for home.  Upon arriving at the condos a basketball challenge was made.  Aaron and David went straight to the court and I went to fill up a jug of water.  During a very competitive game David went up to block one of Aaron's shots, but came down on his foot wrong, straining his ankle.  Needless to say the game was over and David's ankle was already swelling. We all went in and David iced and elevated his injured ankle.  After a while of resting it was time for lunch and for David to depart.  We went to Applebee's for some lunch and then David set off for home.  Aaron and I went back to the condo and relaxed for the rest of the evening. 

16 July 2011

     Today was a pretty good Saturday.  We got up and around by noon and decided to do some quick grocery shopping for the week.  When we got home we went out to the basketball court and I watched Aaron shoot some hoops while we waited for his brother, David to arrive.  Once David got here he and Aaron played some basketball one on one.  After a couple games we all went inside so that the guys could shower and get ready to head into town.  We decided that we would go and try some Philly Cheese steaks and heard that Pat's or Geno's were the best in town.  They are conveniently located across the street from each other so we didn't have to decide which one we wanted to try until we arrived.  Upon arrival we decided we would try Geno's because the signage was so much more flamboyant.  We each got a cheese steak and sat down to eat.  We all agreed that Geno's was very good, but Aaron and David thought that they could eat more so we decided that we would head to Pat's and Aaron and David would split one of Pat's Cheese steaks to decide who they thought was Philadelphia's best.  After they finished their cheese steak from Pat's they both agreed that they liked Geno's best.
     With full stomachs we then thought that we would take a walk through Love Park.  We of course had to drive there first.  Love Park is "conveniently" located somewhere in the middle of town, so finding a parking spot was less that pleasant!  After circling the block a couple times we finally found a spot that we could park and walk a block or so to the park.  The park contains the LOVE statue with the LO stacked on top of the VE.  Upon arrival we saw that part of the park was closed off due to a play being put on in the middle of the park.  We walked around the area roped off for the play and found a big pool like fountain.  We sat for a while with our feet hanging into the water.  After resting for a while we took some pictures in front of the "LOVE Statue" and then decided to walk around a little more to see what we could see.  We hadn't walked too far when we saw some skateboarders doing some tricks in a sitting area outside one of the buildings in town.  We watched them for a couple of minutes and then headed back to the car.  We then headed back to the house for the night.  

Not such a great day.

Not much to say about today, except that we were really feeling the pain, pressure, and anticipation.  Maybe tomorrow will be better...

Oh: I did buy a new basketball today.  It is black with orange flair.  I made several shots on a local hoop, although several times my ball fell into the weeds which may be poison ivy.  If i get poison ivy just as I'm recovering from the previous infection, I'll be a little more than upset.

Catch us on Faceb**k or Skype!

14 July 2011

     Today I started out the day by going to get my bangs trimmed.  It was a nice little trip into town with Sue, our host for the next month.  On the way home we decided to stop by JoAnne Fabric and she had me pick out some fabric so that she could make something for Scarlett.  I'm not sure exactly what it will be yet, but I'm looking forward to the surprise. 
     After I returned home Aaron was ready to get out of the house.  We decided to go back to John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge to see if we could catch sight of the Bald Eagles that have a nest there.  Luckily today the weather was gorgeous!  Not too humid and in the mid 80's.  Once we got there we first went to the nature center to borrow some binoculars.  With our binoculars in hand we then proceeded to hike the trail to where the eagles nest was.  We found the spot that the ranger told us is where the eagles could be seen.  Within a couple minutes one of the adult eagles came out of the trees and swooped down to catch something out of the water.  We watched for a while as the eagle soared around the island of trees that it's nest is nestled in.  We sat there for quite some time and during our time there we saw one adult and one of the two baby eagles fly around their little island.  Unfortunately they were still a little far to get a good look.  The longer we sat there the redder I got and the hungrier we got, so we decided to leave the wildlife refuge for the day and go get some dinner.  We decided to eat out at Outback Steakhouse.  We both got our fill and then headed back to the house to relax and watch our favorite shows, Burn Notice and Suits.    

13 July 2011 Continued

As Aaron mentioned we were at CHOP today.  First on the agenda was an anatomy scan.  It was fairly quick and the doctors were very happy with Scarlett's growth since the last visit.  Scarlett is still small for her age, (she will be 37 weeks gestation tomorrow and weighs in a little over 5lbs)  but the doctors are fine with her size due to her heart condition.  Unfortunately Scarlett was hiding her face so they couldn't get any 3D pictures!  :o(  After the anatomy scan we quickly met with the OB team and then it was off to the echo.  Again the echo was pretty quick this time, only about 20-30 minutes for the whole process, but our echocardiographer got all the pictures that were necessary for the cardiologist to see that Scarlett's heart looks the same. No new news!!!  Last on the agenda was a stop at the lab.  Again as Aaron mentioned this was the longest most painful part of the trip due to the craziness that ensued in the waiting room!  We sat for about 45 minutes and then it was finally our turn!  We will visit the hospital next Wednesday to see the OB team again.  At that point they will check me, and if everything looks favorable they may start the induction process a little earlier than we had anticipated.  We shall see....... 

13 July 2011

Well I was woken up by a very loud alarm clock today, which did NOT make me happy.  I drove to the CHOP appointment feeling drugged, beaten, and run over by a truck, not necessarily in that order.  Vickie almost had to drag me out of bed.  The trip itself wasn't so bad, 10 miles of town traffic and constant traffic lights isn't necessarily fun either.  When  I pulled past the guard who looks official and makes sure you say 'Yeah, I've got an appointment' (duh, I have a pregnant lady in the passenger seat), I said: "Yup, I've got an appointment."  We then found a nice parking spot; I of course pulled up too far and bumped the license plate into the concrete wall of the parking garage, though I don't think it did any damage.  Fun times.

Then I dozed during the anatomy scan and the fetal echo.  Reports on each were positive, no new news.  The Doctors confirmed that we would not need another fetal echo; the next echo will take place after the baby is born.  Supposedly next week we will get to meet the surgeon who will operate on Scarlett.

Definitely the most painful part of today has been waiting for Vickie to get her blood drawn on the 3rd floor.  It's packed with families, crying babies, and crazy little kids.  I can't wait to get out of here and drive in city traffic!  Yep, that just happened.  I said "I can't wait to get out of here and drive in city traffic."

12 July 2011

Well, we are still waiting for our little blessing...it seems to be unimaginably hard to do so.  We're now 2 hours from home, constantly whining about how much we miss our babies, er puppies..er....dogs.  This morning we got around by 10 or 11 and finally decided to take a drive through the suburbs and end up at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge.

Boy, was it hot out.  The car claimed it was 99, the weather said about 95.  It was definitely warm and humid.  We hiked out onto the refuge, between something like a river, and something that I'd call an open marshland.  The river seemed to be heavily polluted.  The marshland area had a boardwalk running through the middle of it with a bald guy sitting out in the sun reading a book.  I was worried his head might get sunburned.  The boardwalk also sported posters of waterfowl.  The posters included pictures, dimensions, and average weight.  The Bald Eagle was definitely on the list, piquing my (Daddy's) interest to the max.

We walked back the way we came down the boardwalk and continued until we reached a double-level "observation tower" which was really nothing but two concrete slabs thrown on top of one another.  There was also an opportune port-a-potty nearby.  We sat there for a bit watching the main wildlife that was available: some kind of white crane.  I talked to Neil for a bit as well.

At this point we were feeling a bit dehydrated, had run out of water, and were ready to go back, so we did.  On our way back across the boardwalk, we saw some deer several hundred yards away picking at some greens near the foot of the marshland.

When we got to the visitor center, I immediately noticed the stuffed amateur eagle perched on a peg attached to the ceiling.  I proceeded to ask the staff about eagles on the refuge.  To my delight, there was a nest only a couple hundred yards further down the very path we had taken!  We instantly decided that we will indeed visit John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge one day again soon.

On the way back to the condo, I tried to bypass the Dairy Queen that was "on the way," but Vickie wasn't having any of that.  So when we stopped for DQ, I walked down to CVS to get a louffa.  Let's just say that highway robbery for a louffa is north of $2, and I ended up paying north of $2..........

Then, after a 20 minute drive through 8 miles of Philly area suburbs, we were back.  And ready to wait to see what tomorrow will bring.  We know it will bring a trip to CHOP early in the morning, so that should be fun!  We'll need to carefully plan the navigation between here and there.....

Relocating

     Yesterday Aaron and I made our journey to Philadelphia.  I am 36 weeks pregnant and will start seeing the OB team at CHOP weekly.  After an eventful drive up (an accident on 95 prompted us to try a detour which was interesting to say the least) we arrived at our host family's house.  We were very blessed to be placed in a program where people host out part of their homes for people in our situation.  We have settled into our bedroom and are looking forward to touring the city of Philadelphia.     

February 17th 2011

     During my pregnancy I was working as a nanny for a family that I had been with for years.  It just so happens that the mother of the children I watch, Thu, is a radiologist.  One day we were having a conversation about how I couldn't wait to find out if we were having a little boy or girl.  She offered to do a quick ultrasound to see if we could tell.  I of course took her up on her offer!
     We set up a time on Thursday February 17th to go and get the ultrasound done.  The 17th would be the first day of my 16th week of being pregnant and we all knew that she may or may not be able to tell because it may be too early.  The plan was to have Aaron come and meet me at work around 8 AM.  We would then go with the kids and their father, Ruy to the hospital to get my ultrasound.  I remember that day VERY well!  It was the first day I had ever been late to work because I was stuck in traffic.  There was a horrible car accident on my way to work and I had been stopped about 5 cars behind the wreck itself.  While I waited I said a little prayer for the injured and their families.  That's when a medivac helicopter came and landed on the highway, loaded up the injured person, and flew off.  I had never seen anything like it, but still nothing could keep me from thinking about our baby and the excitement that in about an hour we would know if we were having a boy or girl!
     Finally we were in the ultrasound room.  Aaron and I watched as the tech scrolled the ultrasound transducer across my abdomen.  As she went she pointed out the baby's arms, legs, head and so forth.  After a moment of looking she told us she would be right back.  She wanted the other tech to "confirm what gender the baby was" before they told us.  Aaron and I thought nothing of that and waited just a second for another tech to come in and take a quick look.  She then told us that our baby was a little girl!  Unfortunately she continued looking as if to determine something else.  Then both techs said they would be right back.  The next person to enter the room was Thu.  We could tell that something was wrong at that moment.  Her face said it all.  She took the transducer and started scanning across my abdomen definitely looking for something specific.  She then looked to Aaron and me and said that there was something wrong with the baby's heart.  Usually there would be four chambers and they could only detect three in our baby.  Of course the first thing in my mind was IT'S EARLY!!!!  I asked her if there was any way that their findings were just because we decided to do the ultrasound so early?  Could the fourth chamber develop if we gave the baby more time?!?!?!  The answer was no.
     After that we started our whirl wind of seeing doctors, each one confirming what Thu had seen.  We ended up at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).  We decided to see them because they were rated #2 in the country for dealing with Congenital Heart Diseases.  After our first echo they determined that Scarlett had Double Inlet Left Ventricle.  This meant that her right ventricle was very under developed, almost nonexistent and upon delivery she would not be able to pump blood to her lungs to get oxygen.  The doctors then discussed with us the treatment plan for Scarlett.  This included three surgeries by the time she is three years old.  One right after birth, one around four months old, and the last would take place some time between two and three years.  The waiting game began...
      

The Beginning

     Scarlett's story begins back in October of 2010.  Aaron and I had decided it was time for us to start our family.  We were prepared to wait for months before we actually got the good news.  However as it turns out we wouldn't have to wait too long.  We were home for Thanksgiving and my mother, sisters and I had decided we were going to go out for some Black Friday deals.  I knew that if I were pregnant it should show up around now on a test.  I decided that that morning would be a good morning to take THE test.  As it turns out the test came up inconclusive.  While there was a positive line, it was very light.  This of course sent my mind whirring ALL day!!!  I googled what that might mean and a lot of things I found said it was probably a negative result.  Still my mind would not slow down with thoughts of I MIGHT BE PREGNANT!!!!!!  Anyway I decided to try and put it out of my head until we got home and I could take another test.  Once Aaron and I were home I took another pregnancy test, and of course as we all know now, IT WAS POSITIVE!!!  Aaron and I were ecstatic!
     During the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas we had our first ultrasound which showed our little baby.  We decided an ultrasound picture for each of the Grandparents would be a great Christmas present and way to share our news with our families.  Everyone was excited!    

Thank You!!!

Before we get started with anything it seems most appropriate that Aaron and I thank everyone for all of the prayers and support that you all have showered us with through this time.  There is no way we could ever express fully how much it means to us to know that we have a loving support system behind us!