I am sending out a set of special prayers to a little one named Sydney.
Her mom just informed us that Sydney has her heart appointment on Thursday & the NEED to have increased heart function.
She has had one baby go through a heart transplant, so I am sending out all the prayers that I can.
If you would like to find out more about Sydney - please feel free to check out her caringbridge blog.
You will need to have an account with them, but that's easy.
http://www.caringbridge.org/sydneyrippy
Monday, February 27, 2012
Good Morning - Good Morning!
Ok, so that does have a little jingle that goes to it & that is what is running through my head this "fine" AM as I am thinking about the smiles this song brings to the kids faces when I sing it to them.
Last week was a busy one in the Casey household. There were many laughs, many little road trips (the kids & I drove around to get out of the house for a while), lots of Thomas adventures, lots of "trips" to the airport (we got a new/used little people airport/landing pad that Liam just loves), and yes since this is the house of toddlers..... the occasional meltdowns.
During the last couple of weeks however, I have joined a few new heart groups and met some great people, found out about some additional information on heart babies that I never knew (things that can be upcoming, ways to deal with things & situations, etc). I also found out that there will be an upcoming 5K which I believe we can do in honor of Aine (Shawn asked about doing something for her & plop - into my lap the answer fell :) So.... as a heads up, once I read through everything I will post further details about it.
FYI:
I have some pictures that I am going to put up, but I'm thinking that it is getting close to the time of replacing the internet service & possibly my trusty old laptop for I can't pull the pictures off of my data source & my internet continues to "blow up" on me. So if updates continue to be spotty - that's why.
Last week was a busy one in the Casey household. There were many laughs, many little road trips (the kids & I drove around to get out of the house for a while), lots of Thomas adventures, lots of "trips" to the airport (we got a new/used little people airport/landing pad that Liam just loves), and yes since this is the house of toddlers..... the occasional meltdowns.
During the last couple of weeks however, I have joined a few new heart groups and met some great people, found out about some additional information on heart babies that I never knew (things that can be upcoming, ways to deal with things & situations, etc). I also found out that there will be an upcoming 5K which I believe we can do in honor of Aine (Shawn asked about doing something for her & plop - into my lap the answer fell :) So.... as a heads up, once I read through everything I will post further details about it.
FYI:
I have some pictures that I am going to put up, but I'm thinking that it is getting close to the time of replacing the internet service & possibly my trusty old laptop for I can't pull the pictures off of my data source & my internet continues to "blow up" on me. So if updates continue to be spotty - that's why.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Contact me Button now added :)
I have finally figured out how to add a contact me button to the left side of the page.
It will not post to the page - it will only go to my email.
It will not post to the page - it will only go to my email.
20 POUNDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah Baby Girl!!!
I can officially say I HAVE A 20 POUNDER!!
It only took 10 months, but she made it! She made the goal of doubling her birth weight, tripling her birth weight, making it onto the growth chart, accepting the challenges of CHD with great strength and continues to make great strides everyday (most of them with at least one big smile).
I'm soo proud of you baby girl! Keep it up!
Thanks for all your prayers, thoughts & good wishes - each & every one of them are graciously accepted.
I can officially say I HAVE A 20 POUNDER!!
It only took 10 months, but she made it! She made the goal of doubling her birth weight, tripling her birth weight, making it onto the growth chart, accepting the challenges of CHD with great strength and continues to make great strides everyday (most of them with at least one big smile).
I'm soo proud of you baby girl! Keep it up!
Thanks for all your prayers, thoughts & good wishes - each & every one of them are graciously accepted.
Happy Valentine's Day!
So,
The title is.... Shall we say, a tad bit late?
Well, I guess better late than never.
I was actually excited for Valentine's Day this year. Shawn and I don't really celebrate, but with everything that has happened in the last year - I thought it would be fun to "talk" with Liam & Aine about Valentines Day, hearts, etc & make a fun craft project out of it.
But... The household had a different idea of how the week would go..
First off - Mommy was soo sick, daddy had to leave work to help with the kiddos,
Second - We have a 2 year old with a Flaring temper
Third - We had a 10 month old that wouldn't crack a smile if you offered her the world.
On the positive side - I think that we can say things in the Casey Household may be taking a turn for the better.
First - Mommy is feeling WAY better - Daddy will be returning full-time to work
Second - The Flaring Temper of the 2 year old is Sleeping (for now)
Third - Aine decided to drop a bunch of fluid over the last 2 days and cracked a smile for us & is Sleeping on 1/16 L of oxygen (holding strong at 95% & 126 HR). This may change throughout the night, but it a GREAT start :)
And the home nurse come in and do a weight check on Baby Aine!
So... on that note - Happy Valentines Day & Happy Heart Day! I hope everyone got to spend the day or evening with those you love, no matter how crazy, odd, or "unforgetable" it was!
The title is.... Shall we say, a tad bit late?
Well, I guess better late than never.
I was actually excited for Valentine's Day this year. Shawn and I don't really celebrate, but with everything that has happened in the last year - I thought it would be fun to "talk" with Liam & Aine about Valentines Day, hearts, etc & make a fun craft project out of it.
But... The household had a different idea of how the week would go..
First off - Mommy was soo sick, daddy had to leave work to help with the kiddos,
Second - We have a 2 year old with a Flaring temper
Third - We had a 10 month old that wouldn't crack a smile if you offered her the world.
On the positive side - I think that we can say things in the Casey Household may be taking a turn for the better.
First - Mommy is feeling WAY better - Daddy will be returning full-time to work
Second - The Flaring Temper of the 2 year old is Sleeping (for now)
Third - Aine decided to drop a bunch of fluid over the last 2 days and cracked a smile for us & is Sleeping on 1/16 L of oxygen (holding strong at 95% & 126 HR). This may change throughout the night, but it a GREAT start :)
And the home nurse come in and do a weight check on Baby Aine!
So... on that note - Happy Valentines Day & Happy Heart Day! I hope everyone got to spend the day or evening with those you love, no matter how crazy, odd, or "unforgetable" it was!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Proud Moment!
There is no way to say just how proud I am.
On Saturday Shawn took Liam to swimming class. I guess he had a subsititute instructor who ended up doing some new things with him which he enjoyed.
They dove down to the bottom to pick up rings, he floated on his back WITHOUT any help! AND....... it was test day so......
That means that this lady swims around, introduces herself to the kiddos that are in the pool and watches what they can do.
Well.... Come to find out - they are going to Advance Liam to the next level!!!
I am soo proud of him.
They said that it is pretty intense & fast moving, so we will have to wait and see how he does with the class, but we still have until the middle of March before the next class starts.
Way to Go Little Man!!!
On Saturday Shawn took Liam to swimming class. I guess he had a subsititute instructor who ended up doing some new things with him which he enjoyed.
They dove down to the bottom to pick up rings, he floated on his back WITHOUT any help! AND....... it was test day so......
That means that this lady swims around, introduces herself to the kiddos that are in the pool and watches what they can do.
Well.... Come to find out - they are going to Advance Liam to the next level!!!
I am soo proud of him.
They said that it is pretty intense & fast moving, so we will have to wait and see how he does with the class, but we still have until the middle of March before the next class starts.
Way to Go Little Man!!!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
G-Tube
Let's just say that I will never forget the day that the doctors came into Aine's room and said that she was not thriving and would need to have a G-tube & nissan placed. They discussed the order of the procedures with us (whether she should have her heart fixed first or the tube placed first.)
I was speechless (which if you know me, you know this is pretty hard to accomplish ;)
Number one - I had NO idea what a G-tube was or what a nissan was. Then they explained it & I was shocked that they would even think about doing something like this to my baby.
Number two - I knew she needed to thrive, so I think I would have agreed to pretty much anything at that point in time. When you have a baby who can't get past 3 Kg (6.6#'s & her birth weight was 6.1#'s) who is vomiting ALL the time, you just want it to STOP!
We told them to go ahead with the procedure when she was ready & have never looked back. Yes there have been the "easy" times, the difficult times, and the extremely difficult times - but we know that somehow it will all work out in the end. We all do what we have to do & this is what we have to do.
Now - the reason that I bring this crazy time up that seems soo long ago to me now is because I was looking for an easier way to clean Aine's feeding tubes and came across a wonderful website that I thougt I would share with everyone.
From what I've read to this point (which isn't a ton) it is wonderfully written & expresses many of the things I have discussed or have a hard time discussing.
I am working on adding a contact me button the blog but have to find a way to do it. If you know how, I would love information.
http://www.feedingtubeawareness.com/for-friends-family.html
I was speechless (which if you know me, you know this is pretty hard to accomplish ;)
Number one - I had NO idea what a G-tube was or what a nissan was. Then they explained it & I was shocked that they would even think about doing something like this to my baby.
Number two - I knew she needed to thrive, so I think I would have agreed to pretty much anything at that point in time. When you have a baby who can't get past 3 Kg (6.6#'s & her birth weight was 6.1#'s) who is vomiting ALL the time, you just want it to STOP!
We told them to go ahead with the procedure when she was ready & have never looked back. Yes there have been the "easy" times, the difficult times, and the extremely difficult times - but we know that somehow it will all work out in the end. We all do what we have to do & this is what we have to do.
Now - the reason that I bring this crazy time up that seems soo long ago to me now is because I was looking for an easier way to clean Aine's feeding tubes and came across a wonderful website that I thougt I would share with everyone.
From what I've read to this point (which isn't a ton) it is wonderfully written & expresses many of the things I have discussed or have a hard time discussing.
I am working on adding a contact me button the blog but have to find a way to do it. If you know how, I would love information.
http://www.feedingtubeawareness.com/for-friends-family.html
Monday, February 6, 2012
10 Months Old!
I can't believe that Aine is 1 - Already 10 months old & 2 - three months out from her surgery.
CONGRATS BABY GIRL!!!
Now for the "suprising" news - she got a cold when she turned 10 months old :(
I will say, she is NOT the best sick baby. She is very whiny & hard to handle when she is sick. Which seems really odd to me - she has been through so much & had soo much pain in her short little life, you would think a little cold would be easy. Nope - it's like the end of the world for this little girl.
That being said - this is the extent of this little blib for I have to get back to her. Here's hoping this one is Quick & she feels better soon..
CONGRATS BABY GIRL!!!
Now for the "suprising" news - she got a cold when she turned 10 months old :(
I will say, she is NOT the best sick baby. She is very whiny & hard to handle when she is sick. Which seems really odd to me - she has been through so much & had soo much pain in her short little life, you would think a little cold would be easy. Nope - it's like the end of the world for this little girl.
That being said - this is the extent of this little blib for I have to get back to her. Here's hoping this one is Quick & she feels better soon..
Thursday, February 2, 2012
A day in the Casey Household
Well,
Lately I've found the common question that I am asked is How do You Do It??
The Answer.... I don't know & I don't how to explain it - so I did a little "experament" today. I took lots of pictures to help explain a typical morning. Enjoy the ride :)-
Today my morning starting at 6:45 with a VERY crabby girl. I'm not sure what got her goat, but something did - so... after 3 diapers (all of which need to be weighed & put into a chart to verify she isn't having fluid retention), one feed, one leg rub down, one outfit removal & lots of kisses later her brother woke up (he woke up about 7:15 & Aine wasn't calmed down yet.... bummer - starts the day out on a negative note for him & usually an easy breakdown day for him :(
To change the attitude of the day I decided pancakes would be a good lifter upper (I forgot to take pictures of the fun pancakes - I color them red, yellow, blue, and green & put honey on them. 6 pancakes later & he was a happy boy!
This however is what I was left with :(
Now... Aine usually takes 45-60 minutes everyday to get ready, but today was bath day. So you can add another 60 minutes to "get ready time".
Pre-bath
Post-bath
Checking the chest & G-tube site. Looks GREAT! Saturday will be 3 months post surgery! (The "Stickies" are used to hold tubes in place)
Post-bath stats - Looking Good (we were quick & efficient with bath time today Yeah Us!)
Strategically placed dressings, lines, and cords (minus the addition of the G-tube, that still needed to be sterilized for the day).
Little Cuddle time before it's Liam's turn to get ready.
Liam Getting dressed - First pair of pants ended up being too big :(
Second pair worked perfect - off & running!
Now, as I walk out of the kid's bedroom - this is what I'm greeted by (I just took one downstairs on Monday)
And this is what the microwave says :(
Which means it's already Lunch time. Man.... where did the morning go??? I still the breakfast dishes to do, at least I got a load of laundry in the washer/dryer.
Getting Baby Aine Ready for her lunch/nap
Now, one might ask how does anyone keep their sanity in this. Get nothing accomplished - not even 10 minutes of playtime with your kids before lunch is due to be served & then naptime? Containers!!! Containers are my sanity :)
I love the fact that I can put a bunch of stuff in one little container & forget about it. For that 10-20 minutes after I get things put away, we have a "normal" house. No medicine, no syringes, no bags, no lines - just the kids & I & hugs & kisses. That is my sanity & salvation.
So, with all that being said, a little dirty laundry aired :), and a little more insight into our lives -
If you ask us how we are and we don't have an answer you now have an idea of why.
If we seem a little pre-occupied when you are talking to us you have an idea why.
If you don't hear from us for a while, we aren't ignoring you and you have an idea why.
If you wonder if you should drop a line to say HI - it is always welcomed. Time gets away from us - VERY quickly.
We are very grateful to have each and everyone of you as a friend and want you to know that we think about you often.
I hope you enjoyed our morning - I'd love to take a nap, but the breakfast dishes are calling my name & Aine is due to have her afternoon snack in an hour so I better get busy.
Great day to all & enjoy this weird winter!
Lately I've found the common question that I am asked is How do You Do It??
The Answer.... I don't know & I don't how to explain it - so I did a little "experament" today. I took lots of pictures to help explain a typical morning. Enjoy the ride :)-
Today my morning starting at 6:45 with a VERY crabby girl. I'm not sure what got her goat, but something did - so... after 3 diapers (all of which need to be weighed & put into a chart to verify she isn't having fluid retention), one feed, one leg rub down, one outfit removal & lots of kisses later her brother woke up (he woke up about 7:15 & Aine wasn't calmed down yet.... bummer - starts the day out on a negative note for him & usually an easy breakdown day for him :(
To change the attitude of the day I decided pancakes would be a good lifter upper (I forgot to take pictures of the fun pancakes - I color them red, yellow, blue, and green & put honey on them. 6 pancakes later & he was a happy boy!
This however is what I was left with :(
Now... Aine usually takes 45-60 minutes everyday to get ready, but today was bath day. So you can add another 60 minutes to "get ready time".
Pre-bath
Post-bath
Checking the chest & G-tube site. Looks GREAT! Saturday will be 3 months post surgery! (The "Stickies" are used to hold tubes in place)
Post-bath stats - Looking Good (we were quick & efficient with bath time today Yeah Us!)
Strategically placed dressings, lines, and cords (minus the addition of the G-tube, that still needed to be sterilized for the day).
Little Cuddle time before it's Liam's turn to get ready.
Liam Getting dressed - First pair of pants ended up being too big :(
Second pair worked perfect - off & running!
Now, as I walk out of the kid's bedroom - this is what I'm greeted by (I just took one downstairs on Monday)
And this is what the microwave says :(
Which means it's already Lunch time. Man.... where did the morning go??? I still the breakfast dishes to do, at least I got a load of laundry in the washer/dryer.
Getting Baby Aine Ready for her lunch/nap
Now, one might ask how does anyone keep their sanity in this. Get nothing accomplished - not even 10 minutes of playtime with your kids before lunch is due to be served & then naptime? Containers!!! Containers are my sanity :)
I love the fact that I can put a bunch of stuff in one little container & forget about it. For that 10-20 minutes after I get things put away, we have a "normal" house. No medicine, no syringes, no bags, no lines - just the kids & I & hugs & kisses. That is my sanity & salvation.
So, with all that being said, a little dirty laundry aired :), and a little more insight into our lives -
If you ask us how we are and we don't have an answer you now have an idea of why.
If we seem a little pre-occupied when you are talking to us you have an idea why.
If you don't hear from us for a while, we aren't ignoring you and you have an idea why.
If you wonder if you should drop a line to say HI - it is always welcomed. Time gets away from us - VERY quickly.
We are very grateful to have each and everyone of you as a friend and want you to know that we think about you often.
I hope you enjoyed our morning - I'd love to take a nap, but the breakfast dishes are calling my name & Aine is due to have her afternoon snack in an hour so I better get busy.
Great day to all & enjoy this weird winter!
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