Friday, October 31, 2008
2 Weeks Old
We've been busy this week with doctor's appts....some for Grant and some for me. Grant is now a huge 5 lbs. 1 oz. after being weighed at the pediatrician's office. We were thrilled to see that all these feedings do equal quite a bit of weight gain. For those of you counting (like me) that's 11 oz. in 1 week!!!
I got a decent report from my doctor as well. The BP is still high but the meds are doing their job and keeping it out of the dangerous range. He took some blood to check my liver function and I don't have those results back yet but we're expecting that to be okay. As I chatted with my doctor it became more and more apparent that my appt. on Oct. 16th was definitely a divine one. Dr. Cowen said I would have been one sick cookie that night and it was fortunate that events unfolded in the hospital and not while I was at home. It made for a much quicker delivery and therefore less damage from the HELLP syndrome. What a miraculous God we serve! He had it all under control.
I try to remember to be grateful for the way things turned out but some days are hard. These days we've had appts. have totally worn me out. Literally I only have energy to feed Grant, sleep, and make it on one short outing that requires minimal walking and then I'm done in for the rest of the day. So discouraging sometimes. But my mom and Jason are great and keep reminding me that it will get better and I'm not always going to feel this way!
In more pleasant news, Grant turned 2 weeks yesterday. Time is definitely flying by. Here are a few pictures we took last night.
My parents "storked" us. We came home to a huge stork in our yard after Grant was born. So cute!
I got a decent report from my doctor as well. The BP is still high but the meds are doing their job and keeping it out of the dangerous range. He took some blood to check my liver function and I don't have those results back yet but we're expecting that to be okay. As I chatted with my doctor it became more and more apparent that my appt. on Oct. 16th was definitely a divine one. Dr. Cowen said I would have been one sick cookie that night and it was fortunate that events unfolded in the hospital and not while I was at home. It made for a much quicker delivery and therefore less damage from the HELLP syndrome. What a miraculous God we serve! He had it all under control.
I try to remember to be grateful for the way things turned out but some days are hard. These days we've had appts. have totally worn me out. Literally I only have energy to feed Grant, sleep, and make it on one short outing that requires minimal walking and then I'm done in for the rest of the day. So discouraging sometimes. But my mom and Jason are great and keep reminding me that it will get better and I'm not always going to feel this way!
In more pleasant news, Grant turned 2 weeks yesterday. Time is definitely flying by. Here are a few pictures we took last night.
My parents "storked" us. We came home to a huge stork in our yard after Grant was born. So cute!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Visitors and Firsts
Since we've been home we've started to have a few visitors. We laugh that we have to "schedule" visits so as not to overload me on any one day, but it's been so nice to have people meet Grant and bring in a little of the "real world." I've kind of felt like I'm in the twilight zone or something. I haven't left the house and all I seem able to do is feed the little guy and try to rest and get some sleep!
My sweet friend Jill and her little cutie, Emory, came for a short visit last Friday. They brought Grant a stuffed dog that looks like Dakota!
Grant's Aunt Jessie and Uncle Craig came over to watch the UT game on Saturday.
Aunt Jenn and Justin and Shannon have also been by to visit but mommy apparently slept through those visits. So sorry guys! Come back again when I'm awake! :) And of course my sweet boss, Renee, had to get her hands on Mr. Grant.
And my friend, Kelli, who is the speech therapist at Baylor Grapevine where we delivered was our very first visitor. She ran into mom in the hallway and said, "Oh no. What happened? Why are you here?" It's not usually a good thing to run into people you know when you work at a hospital! :) Sadly, we didn't get any pictures of Kelli in her cute scrubs! Come and see us now that we're home Kelli!
We have also been spoiled with meals, flowers, gifts.....oh my gosh. You all have been so good to us.
And Aunt Jessie's mom (AKA Great Aunt Gail) sent the most beautiful baby wreath of dried blue and white hydrangeas. I've never seen one like it and it is darling! We have it hanging in Grant's room. Such a sweet gift, Great Aunt Gail!
Grant also had his first sponge bath last week. We heated up the bathroom to like 105 degrees so he wouldn't get cold. So mom, Jason and I were sweating it out but Grant seemed just fine. He's such a little squirmy monkey. It makes us laugh.
We have lots of doctors appts this week for me and Grant so we'll be venturing out of the house finally! I stuck my nose out yesterday and couldn't believe it's actually gotten pretty cool since the last time I was out! Hooray for fall! Now I just need to talk Jason into getting me some pumpkins. And does anyone know where one can find a tiny Halloween costume for a little guy who now weighs a whopping 4 lbs. 13 oz.?! That weight is my claim to fame right now by the way. He's up 7 oz. since he left the hospital and believe me, it's been a lot of work to get him there! :)
My sweet friend Jill and her little cutie, Emory, came for a short visit last Friday. They brought Grant a stuffed dog that looks like Dakota!
Grant's Aunt Jessie and Uncle Craig came over to watch the UT game on Saturday.
Aunt Jenn and Justin and Shannon have also been by to visit but mommy apparently slept through those visits. So sorry guys! Come back again when I'm awake! :) And of course my sweet boss, Renee, had to get her hands on Mr. Grant.
And my friend, Kelli, who is the speech therapist at Baylor Grapevine where we delivered was our very first visitor. She ran into mom in the hallway and said, "Oh no. What happened? Why are you here?" It's not usually a good thing to run into people you know when you work at a hospital! :) Sadly, we didn't get any pictures of Kelli in her cute scrubs! Come and see us now that we're home Kelli!
We have also been spoiled with meals, flowers, gifts.....oh my gosh. You all have been so good to us.
And Aunt Jessie's mom (AKA Great Aunt Gail) sent the most beautiful baby wreath of dried blue and white hydrangeas. I've never seen one like it and it is darling! We have it hanging in Grant's room. Such a sweet gift, Great Aunt Gail!
Grant also had his first sponge bath last week. We heated up the bathroom to like 105 degrees so he wouldn't get cold. So mom, Jason and I were sweating it out but Grant seemed just fine. He's such a little squirmy monkey. It makes us laugh.
We have lots of doctors appts this week for me and Grant so we'll be venturing out of the house finally! I stuck my nose out yesterday and couldn't believe it's actually gotten pretty cool since the last time I was out! Hooray for fall! Now I just need to talk Jason into getting me some pumpkins. And does anyone know where one can find a tiny Halloween costume for a little guy who now weighs a whopping 4 lbs. 13 oz.?! That weight is my claim to fame right now by the way. He's up 7 oz. since he left the hospital and believe me, it's been a lot of work to get him there! :)
Monday, October 27, 2008
Reinforcements
Jason's parents (AKA Nana and Grandpa) flew in from Connecticut on Saurday to help out and give my parents a break. My poor mom hadn't been home since I was put in the hospital so it was nice to have some reinforcements come in for a few days. We watched a little UT football with my brother and sister-in-law, grabbed naps where we could, and fed the little guy often! :)
I have been feeling okay. Yesterday was not a good day with my blood pressure back up in the "danger zone." I had to take one of my emergency BP meds to bring it down and I definitely didn't feel too good. But today is a better day. One step forward, two steps back as the saying goes. Praying for patience and an extra measure of strength daily.
Enjoy some pics from the weekend!
I have been feeling okay. Yesterday was not a good day with my blood pressure back up in the "danger zone." I had to take one of my emergency BP meds to bring it down and I definitely didn't feel too good. But today is a better day. One step forward, two steps back as the saying goes. Praying for patience and an extra measure of strength daily.
Enjoy some pics from the weekend!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
What Happened To Me?
The title of this post is in honor of what I kept asking my doctor the day after delivery. The events that started on Grant's birthday seemed to spiral quickly out of control. I will try as best I can to explain what happened because I know you all think this is crazy. We do!
I went for a routine doctor's visit at 36 weeks on October 16th. If you remember, we were going to do an ultrasound to find out if Grant had turned from transverse to head down. I had called my mom that afternoon to see if she wanted to come with me as Jason couldn't make it, and see her grandson on the ultrasound (God was already working out the details for Grant's delivery). So mom met me at the OB's office and we were just chatting as the nurse took my blood pressure which was elevated. She called for the doctor who again took my BP. It was continuing to rise from 188/116 (WAY too high) and I was also spilling protein in my urine both of which are classic signs of preeclampsia. Dr. Cowen was very calm but informed me that he'd be taking me upstairs to Labor and Delivery and it was possible that today would be Grant's birthday. He said they'd take my BP again and draw some blood and then decide how to proceed.
Well that caused a flurry as I'm calling Jason and trying to stay calm. We were 36 weeks pregnant and I was mostly concerned with what an early delivery meant for Grant. Would his lungs be finished developing? Would he have feeding issues? Dr. Cowen assured me Grant would survive but he may not be able to go home with us as a stay in the NICU may be needed.
I went upstairs, got admitted, put on a gown and suddenly things went very badly. I had terrible abdominal pain and nausea, my BP continued to rise....I have never felt so bad in my whole life. In that moment, Dr. Cowen (although I did not know this until later) realized that I had crossed over from preeclampsia to a much more life threatening illness called HELLP Syndrome. He told me we had to do a C-section immediately and man did that send the staff into a frenzy! Jason and my dad arrived and Jason had to quickly "suit-up". Thankfully (again, God providing for Grant's delivery) I had the camera, battery charged I might add, in my purse that day. Thank GOD!! Within minutes we were in the OR and Grant was out in less than 4 minutes. Perfectly healthy with a second apgar score of a 9! He was in the NICU for observation for 7 hours but then released to the newborn nursery as they couldn't find a thing wrong with him. Praise God!
I, however, was headed downhill fast as is the case with HELLP syndrome. Here is an explanation of the disease for anyone interested:
"There is gradual but marked onset of headaches (30%), blurred vision, malaise (90%), nausea/vomiting (30%), "band pain" around the upper abdomen (65%) and paresthesia (tingling in the extremities). Edema may occur but its absence does not exclude HELLP syndrome. Arterial hypertension is a diagnostic requirement, but may be mild. Rupture of the liver capsule and a resultant hematoma may occur. If the patient gets a seizure or coma, the condition has progressed into full-blown eclampsia. Disseminated intravascular coagulation is also seen in about 20% of all women with HELLP syndrome,[2] and in 84% when HELLP is complicated by acute renal failure.
Patients who present symptoms of HELLP can be misdiagnosed in the early stages, increasing the risk of liver failure and morbidity.[4] Rarely, post caesarean patient may present in shock condition mimicking either pulmonary embolism or reactionary hemorrhage.
The platelet count has been found to be moderately predictive of severity: under 50 million/L is class I (severe), between 50 and 100 is class II (moderately severe) and >100 is class III (mild)." I believe I was a class I (severe) hence the blood transfusion on Sunday night.
"The only effective treatment is delivery of the baby. Several medications have been investigated for the treatment of HELLP syndrome, but evidence is conflicting as to whether magnesium sulfate decreases the risk of seizures and progress to eclampsia. Its incidence is reported as 0.2-0.6% of all pregnancies, and 10-20% of women with comorbid preeclampsia. HELLP usually begins during the third trimester, and usually in Caucasian women over the age of 25. (Padden, 1999) Rarely cases have been reported as early as 23 weeks gestation. The outcome for mothers with HELLP syndrome is generally good. With treatment, maternal mortality is about 1 percent. However complications have been observed, including abruptio placentae (detachment of the placenta which put Grant at risk if delivery didn't happen soon), acute renal failure, subcapsular liver hematoma, and retinal detachment."
Pretty scary stuff. I had liver and kidney failure and of course my red blood cells had been so severely destroyed by the disease that doctors were concerned about adequate oxygen getting to my brain and other organs. It made the decision to have a transfusion an easy one. The risks were too great not to do it.
So basically that's what happened to me. It seems complicated and I'd never heard of HELLP syndrome although I had heard of pre-eclampsia. It takes about 3 months to fully recover from the damage caused by HELLP syndrome but the good news is, I should make a full recovery with no lasting effects. I hope this VERY LONG post helps explain a little of why we had such a crazy delivery and why we weren't allowed visitors during our week long vacation at the hospital. :)
We are doing well at home. I am on a lot of medication but am still able to breastfeed which I am so thankful for. Jason has been AMAZING! So protective and supportive. I am blown away by him and how he has handled all of this and it makes me love him even more if that's possible. God truly does use all things for His glory and this difficult time has certainly brought us closer as husband and wife and now mom and dad. My parents have also been amazing.....mom only left the hospital to shower! She stayed every night and helped with feedings since I was so weak. And dad came every morning before work and then stayed hours at night after his long work days. How blessed am I? It makes me cry to think about all the blessings showered on us during this trying time. We so appreciate the prayers and support from all of our friends and family. It is your prayer covering us that led to such a good outcome. Thank you.
I promise to post more pictures soon so you can see our little guy! We're kinda crazy about him! :)
Love,
Lindsay
I went for a routine doctor's visit at 36 weeks on October 16th. If you remember, we were going to do an ultrasound to find out if Grant had turned from transverse to head down. I had called my mom that afternoon to see if she wanted to come with me as Jason couldn't make it, and see her grandson on the ultrasound (God was already working out the details for Grant's delivery). So mom met me at the OB's office and we were just chatting as the nurse took my blood pressure which was elevated. She called for the doctor who again took my BP. It was continuing to rise from 188/116 (WAY too high) and I was also spilling protein in my urine both of which are classic signs of preeclampsia. Dr. Cowen was very calm but informed me that he'd be taking me upstairs to Labor and Delivery and it was possible that today would be Grant's birthday. He said they'd take my BP again and draw some blood and then decide how to proceed.
Well that caused a flurry as I'm calling Jason and trying to stay calm. We were 36 weeks pregnant and I was mostly concerned with what an early delivery meant for Grant. Would his lungs be finished developing? Would he have feeding issues? Dr. Cowen assured me Grant would survive but he may not be able to go home with us as a stay in the NICU may be needed.
I went upstairs, got admitted, put on a gown and suddenly things went very badly. I had terrible abdominal pain and nausea, my BP continued to rise....I have never felt so bad in my whole life. In that moment, Dr. Cowen (although I did not know this until later) realized that I had crossed over from preeclampsia to a much more life threatening illness called HELLP Syndrome. He told me we had to do a C-section immediately and man did that send the staff into a frenzy! Jason and my dad arrived and Jason had to quickly "suit-up". Thankfully (again, God providing for Grant's delivery) I had the camera, battery charged I might add, in my purse that day. Thank GOD!! Within minutes we were in the OR and Grant was out in less than 4 minutes. Perfectly healthy with a second apgar score of a 9! He was in the NICU for observation for 7 hours but then released to the newborn nursery as they couldn't find a thing wrong with him. Praise God!
I, however, was headed downhill fast as is the case with HELLP syndrome. Here is an explanation of the disease for anyone interested:
"There is gradual but marked onset of headaches (30%), blurred vision, malaise (90%), nausea/vomiting (30%), "band pain" around the upper abdomen (65%) and paresthesia (tingling in the extremities). Edema may occur but its absence does not exclude HELLP syndrome. Arterial hypertension is a diagnostic requirement, but may be mild. Rupture of the liver capsule and a resultant hematoma may occur. If the patient gets a seizure or coma, the condition has progressed into full-blown eclampsia. Disseminated intravascular coagulation is also seen in about 20% of all women with HELLP syndrome,[2] and in 84% when HELLP is complicated by acute renal failure.
Patients who present symptoms of HELLP can be misdiagnosed in the early stages, increasing the risk of liver failure and morbidity.[4] Rarely, post caesarean patient may present in shock condition mimicking either pulmonary embolism or reactionary hemorrhage.
The platelet count has been found to be moderately predictive of severity: under 50 million/L is class I (severe), between 50 and 100 is class II (moderately severe) and >100 is class III (mild)." I believe I was a class I (severe) hence the blood transfusion on Sunday night.
"The only effective treatment is delivery of the baby. Several medications have been investigated for the treatment of HELLP syndrome, but evidence is conflicting as to whether magnesium sulfate decreases the risk of seizures and progress to eclampsia. Its incidence is reported as 0.2-0.6% of all pregnancies, and 10-20% of women with comorbid preeclampsia. HELLP usually begins during the third trimester, and usually in Caucasian women over the age of 25. (Padden, 1999) Rarely cases have been reported as early as 23 weeks gestation. The outcome for mothers with HELLP syndrome is generally good. With treatment, maternal mortality is about 1 percent. However complications have been observed, including abruptio placentae (detachment of the placenta which put Grant at risk if delivery didn't happen soon), acute renal failure, subcapsular liver hematoma, and retinal detachment."
Pretty scary stuff. I had liver and kidney failure and of course my red blood cells had been so severely destroyed by the disease that doctors were concerned about adequate oxygen getting to my brain and other organs. It made the decision to have a transfusion an easy one. The risks were too great not to do it.
So basically that's what happened to me. It seems complicated and I'd never heard of HELLP syndrome although I had heard of pre-eclampsia. It takes about 3 months to fully recover from the damage caused by HELLP syndrome but the good news is, I should make a full recovery with no lasting effects. I hope this VERY LONG post helps explain a little of why we had such a crazy delivery and why we weren't allowed visitors during our week long vacation at the hospital. :)
We are doing well at home. I am on a lot of medication but am still able to breastfeed which I am so thankful for. Jason has been AMAZING! So protective and supportive. I am blown away by him and how he has handled all of this and it makes me love him even more if that's possible. God truly does use all things for His glory and this difficult time has certainly brought us closer as husband and wife and now mom and dad. My parents have also been amazing.....mom only left the hospital to shower! She stayed every night and helped with feedings since I was so weak. And dad came every morning before work and then stayed hours at night after his long work days. How blessed am I? It makes me cry to think about all the blessings showered on us during this trying time. We so appreciate the prayers and support from all of our friends and family. It is your prayer covering us that led to such a good outcome. Thank you.
I promise to post more pictures soon so you can see our little guy! We're kinda crazy about him! :)
Love,
Lindsay
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Home Sweet Home
WE ARE HOME! I am wiped out but am ecstatically happy to be home in my own bed with no doctors, nurses, IVs, catheters, needle sticks, etc. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine a week long hospital stay when I went in for my drs. appt. last Thursday. I will write more later and give all the gory details of these recent events but am just too tired now. Love you all and so appreciate your prayers!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Update on Linds
Guest blog author Emily Kenton here. I've just heard from Lindsay and she asked me to pass along some information to all of you:
She got the blood transfusion last night but they ended up not letting her go home today as hoped because her blood pressure is still dangerously high. While her labwork has shown improvement, they need for her blood pressure to stabilize before she'll be able to go home.
The little monkey, AKA Grant, is doing fabulously and has actually been discharged although he'll remain in the hospital with his mama.
Linds is disappointed that she hasn't felt up to receiving visitors or making phone calls, but she and Jason want you to know how much they appreciate all the calls and messages they've gotten. They also greatly appreciate your prayers and ask for continued prayer through two specific requests: that Lindsay's blood pressure will go down and stay stable, and that they will be able to remain positive in the face of continued challenges.
Hopefully, we'll hear good news of a hospital discharge soon!
She got the blood transfusion last night but they ended up not letting her go home today as hoped because her blood pressure is still dangerously high. While her labwork has shown improvement, they need for her blood pressure to stabilize before she'll be able to go home.
The little monkey, AKA Grant, is doing fabulously and has actually been discharged although he'll remain in the hospital with his mama.
Linds is disappointed that she hasn't felt up to receiving visitors or making phone calls, but she and Jason want you to know how much they appreciate all the calls and messages they've gotten. They also greatly appreciate your prayers and ask for continued prayer through two specific requests: that Lindsay's blood pressure will go down and stay stable, and that they will be able to remain positive in the face of continued challenges.
Hopefully, we'll hear good news of a hospital discharge soon!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Life Just Got Spicier
From Jason:
I'm convinced the wireless connection at our hospital is just there to tease the patients and their families. I guess people get bored in hospitals and just need to be messed with so they wont play games and break the hospital equipment. Lindsay tried to post a message from the hospital this afternoon. Actually she tried to post a few messages to tell everyone she's doing ok. One minute the internet connection would work fine but by the time she wrote the message and went to publish it- no connection, message lost. She took the first attempt in stride. After three days of little sleep + painkillers, there wasn't enough energy or patience for a third try. At least she took her frustration out on the hospital equipment and not my computer.
Despite the wireless, Lindsay is in better spirits today. We are coming to grips with the fact that Lindsay's recovery will take some time. She's still very weak but has been able to move around the room a little bit today. The doctors are still not comfortable with her blood levels and told us she needs a blood transfusion to get her count up. Lindsay's getting a few packs tonight and we're told that this should help in her recovery. So hopefully the transfusion will give her a better blood test reading in the morning and maybe they will let us go home - where we can't be teased with bad wireless.
Grant is chowing down and packing on the ounces. He's been wearing a funny looking mask all afternoon on the billy bed - he has a mild case of jaundice but the doctor is taking him away from the bright lights at midnight. We're very happy with how well Grant is doing. He seems to have a lot more energy today as he's been squirming around and keeping his eyes open more often.
We have been well cared for since our surprise hospital visit on Thursday. Lindsay's parents, Lynn & Jean, have been a fantastic help. Jean has spent several nights at the hospital so I could go home and get some sleep. Without them, I would not be thinking straight.
Lastly, I need to send an updated link for pictures. I added more pictures last night to the gallery page and that changed the address from yesterday's post. If you go to our main gallery page, you can navigate and see the new pictures.
http://gallery.me.com/thesafrans
Jason
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Proud Parents of Grant Robert Safran!
From Grant's Dad:
I'm so happy to tell all of you that as of Thursday evening, Lindsay and I are new parents! Grant Robert Safran came Thursday evening at 7:02pm. Grant was delivered at Baylor Grapevine and weighed in at 4lbs 9oz.
To say we were surprised is the understatement. Of course, Lindsay is the planner of this family and had her bags packed - even a month before Grant's due date (was November 14th). As Lindsay mentioned in her last post, she began to feel some nausea in the past week, similar to morning sickness symptoms during her first trimester. We are both new to this, thought it was normal hormone changes. It turns out that she was developing early signs of preeclampsia (pregnancy-induced hypertension) yet she never revealed any of the external signs of swelling. It wasn't until the OB took her blood pressure Thursday afternoon - during a routine exam - that we knew Lindsay was so sick.
I received the phone call from Lindsay at 4pm on Thursday and rushed to the hospital. Of course, I made my commute twice as long by trying to take the back roads and avoid traffic... Our OB, after running further blood tests, believed the greater risk for mom and baby was to let Linds keep going with her pregnancy. So they wasted no time in getting Lindsay prepped and into the OR for a caesarean; Grant came into the world later Thursday evening. The c-section delivery was fast and the doctors did a great job.
Grant was released from the NICU Friday morning. We need to keep feeding him as his weight is the doctors concern for him. But the doctors have been impressed with his results for a pre-term baby. While biased, I think he's perfect!
Lindsay has had a difficult past two days still fighting the preeclampsia. She was given magnesium to help prevent some of the side effects from developing. However, the magnesium has it's own side effects and Lindsay had not been able to sleep very well. We continue to monitor Lindsay's blood work and hopefully will see signs of progress.
Thanks to many for e-mails, texts, and prayers. I'm asking that Lindsay not have any visitors for a few more days. She wants to see everybody but I know the best thing for her right now is sleep to get her blood levels back to where they should be. I'll keep you posted on her progress.
Pictures! I have them posted on our gallery. The link is below.
http://gallery.me.com/thesafrans#100086
Thanks again,
Grant's Dad
I'm so happy to tell all of you that as of Thursday evening, Lindsay and I are new parents! Grant Robert Safran came Thursday evening at 7:02pm. Grant was delivered at Baylor Grapevine and weighed in at 4lbs 9oz.
To say we were surprised is the understatement. Of course, Lindsay is the planner of this family and had her bags packed - even a month before Grant's due date (was November 14th). As Lindsay mentioned in her last post, she began to feel some nausea in the past week, similar to morning sickness symptoms during her first trimester. We are both new to this, thought it was normal hormone changes. It turns out that she was developing early signs of preeclampsia (pregnancy-induced hypertension) yet she never revealed any of the external signs of swelling. It wasn't until the OB took her blood pressure Thursday afternoon - during a routine exam - that we knew Lindsay was so sick.
I received the phone call from Lindsay at 4pm on Thursday and rushed to the hospital. Of course, I made my commute twice as long by trying to take the back roads and avoid traffic... Our OB, after running further blood tests, believed the greater risk for mom and baby was to let Linds keep going with her pregnancy. So they wasted no time in getting Lindsay prepped and into the OR for a caesarean; Grant came into the world later Thursday evening. The c-section delivery was fast and the doctors did a great job.
Grant was released from the NICU Friday morning. We need to keep feeding him as his weight is the doctors concern for him. But the doctors have been impressed with his results for a pre-term baby. While biased, I think he's perfect!
Lindsay has had a difficult past two days still fighting the preeclampsia. She was given magnesium to help prevent some of the side effects from developing. However, the magnesium has it's own side effects and Lindsay had not been able to sleep very well. We continue to monitor Lindsay's blood work and hopefully will see signs of progress.
Thanks to many for e-mails, texts, and prayers. I'm asking that Lindsay not have any visitors for a few more days. She wants to see everybody but I know the best thing for her right now is sleep to get her blood levels back to where they should be. I'll keep you posted on her progress.
Pictures! I have them posted on our gallery. The link is below.
http://gallery.me.com/thesafrans#100086
Thanks again,
Grant's Dad
Monday, October 13, 2008
8 Months and Morning Sickness???!!
So I've been in denial but I think I'm going to have to face reality: my morning sickness has returned. I guess this is one last 'hoorah' before Grant comes. After battling it for 19 weeks at the beginning (whoever said it's just the first trimester that you get sick is TOTALLY WRONG!), I am back to square one. I tried to blame the fair food, and then perhaps a stomach bug, and then maybe just a lot of stress over some recent situations, but no, today I am coming to grips with the fact that this is a return of the dreaded morning sickness. And in my case, it has nothing to do with morning or any other time of day. It just comes in waves whenever it wants. Lovely.
Did anyone else experience this in the last month? I've read that it happens due to hormone changes that occur during the end of pregnancy but I wasn't aware of it until it started happening to me. Just curious. At least this time I KNOW it will end before 19 more weeks because Grant is due ONE MONTH from tomorrow. Although I've also read you can have morning sickness postpartum due to hormones, but we're not going to go there now. Positive thoughts. :)
Did anyone else experience this in the last month? I've read that it happens due to hormone changes that occur during the end of pregnancy but I wasn't aware of it until it started happening to me. Just curious. At least this time I KNOW it will end before 19 more weeks because Grant is due ONE MONTH from tomorrow. Although I've also read you can have morning sickness postpartum due to hormones, but we're not going to go there now. Positive thoughts. :)
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Busy Weekend
We have had another whirlwind weekend here in Texas! Jason and I spent the better part of Saturday at the hospital for our Prepared Child Birth class. I just have one question......are you ever really prepared for this?! We actually had a fairly good time and learned a few things despite my skepticism about the whole thing. As most of you have heard me say, "Don't they have doctors and nurses that tell you what to do when you need to do something? Why do we need to go to a class ALL DAY on a SATURDAY?" But I think we're glad we went. :)
Now I know most of you are probably chiding me for making my husband sit through a child birth class on Texas v. OU weekend. No worries, my friends. We recorded the game and through the wonders of DVR and threatening people NOT to tell us the score, we were able to watch the whole game in about an hour and feel all the excitement as if we'd been watching it in real time. Hook 'Em Horns!
After watching the game we headed over to our friends, the Crownover's, house for a dinner party celebrating their 30th birthdays! Yes, Jill and Jeff are 2 days apart and have been celebrating 10 years of birthdays together! It was such a lovely party and we had a great time catching up with some old Baylor friends. Thanks for treating us to such a fantastic party on YOUR birthdays, guys!
And the culmination of our busy weekend ended on a very high note with Jason's hockey team winning the Championship tonight! Go Red Wings!!! My whole family turned out for the game so Jason had quite the cheering section and many protesting "boo's" when he had to spend 2 minutes in the penalty box! Such an unfair call! It was a very feisty game with the winning goal scored in the last 10 seconds of the 3rd period!!
Can you tell my brother, Craig, was all over this! Sports enthusiast extraordinaire! I am also thinking that there may be many an early morning at the ice rink once Grant is able to propel himself in an upright position. I see ice hockey in my future for years to come!
Now I know most of you are probably chiding me for making my husband sit through a child birth class on Texas v. OU weekend. No worries, my friends. We recorded the game and through the wonders of DVR and threatening people NOT to tell us the score, we were able to watch the whole game in about an hour and feel all the excitement as if we'd been watching it in real time. Hook 'Em Horns!
After watching the game we headed over to our friends, the Crownover's, house for a dinner party celebrating their 30th birthdays! Yes, Jill and Jeff are 2 days apart and have been celebrating 10 years of birthdays together! It was such a lovely party and we had a great time catching up with some old Baylor friends. Thanks for treating us to such a fantastic party on YOUR birthdays, guys!
And the culmination of our busy weekend ended on a very high note with Jason's hockey team winning the Championship tonight! Go Red Wings!!! My whole family turned out for the game so Jason had quite the cheering section and many protesting "boo's" when he had to spend 2 minutes in the penalty box! Such an unfair call! It was a very feisty game with the winning goal scored in the last 10 seconds of the 3rd period!!
Can you tell my brother, Craig, was all over this! Sports enthusiast extraordinaire! I am also thinking that there may be many an early morning at the ice rink once Grant is able to propel himself in an upright position. I see ice hockey in my future for years to come!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Grant LOVES Renee's Lasagna
My sweet friend and boss had a dinner party/shower for me and Grant and made her YUMMY lasagna! I was so glad that Grant seems to like it as much as his mommy does! Renee's mom made Grant a Chicago Cubs cake and even made sure to get a picture of it and send it to Grant's daddy. Everyone was so thoughtful and we just loved all the fun gifts! But mostly it was just so fun to get together with everyone outside the hospital and chat. Steph, LOVED seeing you and so glad you were able to come! Thank you for such a lovely evening, Renee. Everything was just perfect!
And Grant's Gigi has made it to every single shower and has helped me so much in getting the nursery ready for Grant's arrival. In fact, she came over today several hours before we went to Renee's house and helped me organize things. She even took home a HUGE basket full of new clothes, blankets, burp cloths, etc. to wash for Grant. What a HUGE help! She is going to be the BEST Gigi! Thanks, mom!
And Grant's Gigi has made it to every single shower and has helped me so much in getting the nursery ready for Grant's arrival. In fact, she came over today several hours before we went to Renee's house and helped me organize things. She even took home a HUGE basket full of new clothes, blankets, burp cloths, etc. to wash for Grant. What a HUGE help! She is going to be the BEST Gigi! Thanks, mom!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Our State Fair is a Great State Fair.....
This past Tuesday was fair day for me, mom, and my sister-in-law, Jessie. On my day off on Tuesday we all headed to the Texas State Fair for some good junk food and entertainment! We rode the skyway over the midway and checked out all of the animals. We saw all the crafts and canned goods that had won ribbons including a quilt made by a friend of a friend's mom. Her quilt won THIRD place and was beautiful! Grant and I chowed down on some fried chicken, cinnamon roll, salt water taffy, and fresh squeezed lemonade. This is the first year I haven't had a corny dog (the ONLY place I EVER eat one) but Grant just wasn't in the mood. Guess we'll have to go back next year and eat two to make up for it! :) We saw the bird show though the birds were having a hard time flying down from the top of the big ferris wheel due to all the wind! And we saw the most AMAZINGLY HUGE and BEAUTIFULLY carved pumpkins!! So fun!!
I think all that good fair food got to me though as the next day I was NOT feeling well.....even had to call in sick to work.....so sorry Renee!! But, it was all worth it! Thanks for a great day at the fair girls!!
I think all that good fair food got to me though as the next day I was NOT feeling well.....even had to call in sick to work.....so sorry Renee!! But, it was all worth it! Thanks for a great day at the fair girls!!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
The Rain Continues
We LOVE baby showers! And we were showered again today by our sweet friends at church who had a luncheon/baby shower for us! Good food, good fellowship, and good times! Thank you all so much!! We were so impressed at all you men and your knowledge of all things baby. The girls v. boys pictionary game was a close one....but of course we women came out on top. We kind of have an unfair advantage when it comes to baby stuff. :)
Our resident professional baker made her beautiful cup cakes in THREE different flavors (I'm pretty sure I tried a bite of each one!) and our newest mommy in the group somehow found the time to make a darling diaper cake with the cutest monkey on top! And we loved the prayer requests for Grant attached to the cute cookie cutters for everyone to take home as favors. Such a fun idea! The brisket was delicious, Lisa....what a labor of love.....and so many other thoughtful details. We love you all and are so blessed by your support, friendships, and prayers. Thank you for celebrating little Grant!
Somehow we did not get a picture of Grant's daddy today but he was there! I guess I was too busy eating and talking to do a very good job taking pictures. :(
Our resident professional baker made her beautiful cup cakes in THREE different flavors (I'm pretty sure I tried a bite of each one!) and our newest mommy in the group somehow found the time to make a darling diaper cake with the cutest monkey on top! And we loved the prayer requests for Grant attached to the cute cookie cutters for everyone to take home as favors. Such a fun idea! The brisket was delicious, Lisa....what a labor of love.....and so many other thoughtful details. We love you all and are so blessed by your support, friendships, and prayers. Thank you for celebrating little Grant!
Somehow we did not get a picture of Grant's daddy today but he was there! I guess I was too busy eating and talking to do a very good job taking pictures. :(
Saturday, October 4, 2008
We Love You, Grampa!
Sending prayers up tonight for Jason's Grampa in Connecticut. Jason's dad found him outside this morning on the ground conscious but disoriented and called 9-1-1. After some tests were run at the hospital they've determined he had a heart attack although, Praise God, we think it was relatively minor. He is resting comfortably in the cardiac care unit tonight. Praying for quick healing and sound guidance on maintaining Grampa's health after today's scary events. We love you!
October Showers Bring November Babies
We were blessed by my sweet cousin, sister-in-law, and two Baylor roommates today as they hosted a WONDERFULLY fun shower for us this afternoon. It was so fun to have so many friends (many of whom went to Baylor with me) together to catch up and shower Grant with some good lovin'! :) My very thoughtful sister-in-law brought a whole table (literally....brought a table) full of cute little boy scrapbook materials and had everyone make a page for Grant to put in a scrapbook she had made especially for him. So darling! She is going to be a FABULOUS aunt!!! We love you, Aunt Jessie!
I loved seeing a few other pregnant bellies in the crowd too....although they are much smaller than my ever enlarging belly at this point! And Jenn's house was so beautiful with yummy goodies made by all the hostesses. Such a nice party! Grant is a very lucky little boy. Thank you all for loving on us today! We did miss our Maryland hostess, though, and mentioned you often, Em! LOVED all the diapers!!! :)
I loved seeing a few other pregnant bellies in the crowd too....although they are much smaller than my ever enlarging belly at this point! And Jenn's house was so beautiful with yummy goodies made by all the hostesses. Such a nice party! Grant is a very lucky little boy. Thank you all for loving on us today! We did miss our Maryland hostess, though, and mentioned you often, Em! LOVED all the diapers!!! :)
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