Everyday Life

We're still in the process of learning how to do life with two kids under two. Thankfully, Grant is a big helper and wants to be involved in bathing Kate, changing diapers etc. He has only smooshed her head once. He is very protective of her and doesn't like when anyone else besides me picks her up. He actually has given me a new name. It is mamababykate. I think he thinks she is an extention of me or something. Kate continues to be a calming presence in the house, really only crying if she is hungry or tired. She does, however, prefer to be held all the time so we are experimenting with various baby carriers that allow us to tend to Grant while making sure Kate is snuggled against a warm body.

Tummy Time

Grandma Ned Comes to Town

Grandma Niedzinski came in from Florida this week to meet Kate and help me. Thank you, Grandma Ned!

personalities

Well, the vote is in... my mom said that Kate is officially the calmest baby she's ever seen. Thank you, God! I don't have much to compare her to, but she's definitely calmer than Mr. Energy Grant Samuel ever was. Grant still wins the award for happiest child ever. So, I'm feeling pretty thankful.

Grant has integrated Kate into his world really well. The first thing he says when he wakes up in the morning is "hug Kate!" So, I bring her in his room and he hugs her. Then he ignores her and asks for his bottle. I'm learning the art of trying to balance two kids in diapers and two kids who need bottles. (Yes, Grant still takes a bottle.) It works okay most of the time until they both need to eat at the same time. Most of the time Grant defers to Kate because he doesn't like to hear her cry. I don't either, so it works out pretty well that way.

A Day at the Lake

A Day to Celebrate

Today Kate went to U of M for an echo and ekg on her heart. Both showed that her heart is perfect! Thank you, God!

Yesterday marked two weeks since Kate's birth. We're still not quite adjusted, but we're getting closer. Kate continues to have her days and nights mixed up. This is helpful during the day for caring for Grant and getting things done, but it makes for a very tired mommy. Yesterday we made the switch from nursing to bottles. After two weeks of struggling with nursing we prayerfully decided that formula is going to be the best option for our family.

Grant continues to be very attentive to his little sister. If she starts to cry while we are playing he'll point to her and say, "mama, pick up kate." Jim is still working from home most days and that helps a lot.

Recent Photos

Life as a family of 4

Wow. Life with two kids is well...busy. Grant is adjusting really well. He doesn't seem to be jealous at all, except when I'm nursing and then he throws balls at Kate's head. We're working on it. :) The transition is much easier having Jim home from work and Grandma and Grandpa Koss just around the corner.

I thought about making a new blog now that our family is expanding, but, I don't think I'm going to. It sounds like too much work for one thing (think sleep deprived). Additionally, I don't think I ever would have started a blog if it hadn't been for Grant's heart surgery. So, Kate, (and any future siblings) please, don't think we don't love you as much as we do Grant. Of course we do. But, Grant is what started this whole thing, so we'll let the blog continue to be named after him. Thanks for understanding, sweetie.

Supernatural Childbirth

We've been home for 48 hours now and everyone is doing great. I wanted to make sure to record the awesome story of my labor and delivery so that I don't ever forget it. It was truly supernatural. God was in it every moment and I give Him all the credit and thanks.

I had been having pretty regular contractions (every 6-30 minutes) since Sunday night (Kate was born on Wednesday morning), but they were not getting stronger or closer together. Around 3:00am on Wednesday I finally noticed a shift in their intensity. Around 3:30am I called the Alternative Birth Center, where I had planned on giving birth. (The birth center provides a place to labor and give birth that has the comforts of home. The rooms have queen sized beds, large hot tubs, rockers, kitchenettes etc. There is no medical equipment hanging around and no epidurals are offered. However, it is attached to Providence Hospital, so if anything were to "go wrong" then we would be only a stone's throw away.) I was very excited to give birth here because I thought it would provide a relaxed atmosphere and allow for a more peaceful birth.

However, when we called the birth center on Wednesday morning they told us they were full and we'd have to head over to regular labor and delivery at the hospital. I didn't even think this was a possibility, so Jim helped me talk through it and we prayed that God's perfect will would be done and that He'd help us adjust to whatever that may be. Within minutes my midwife called me back and told me a room had just opened up. We finished packing our bags, called Grandma Koss to come over and headed out the door.

When we arrived at the hospital I was only dilated to 3. This was actually a good thing (even though I felt kind of discouraged by the slow progress) because I needed to get an antibiotic at least 4 hours before the baby arrived. (I tested positive for GBS. Not a big deal, but an antibiotic was necessary to prevent the baby from getting an infection passed on from me at birth.)

I finished getting the antibiotic around 5:45 am and Jim and I decided to walk the halls. My contractions were about 7 minutes apart. After about an hour of walking I was pretty tired, so we headed back to the room so I could practice the relaxation techniques I learned in my hypnobirthing class. For the next hour or so I sat on the birthing ball while Jim and my doula rubbed my back and prayed for me. At this point my contractions were about 5 minutes apart. They were painful, but not terrible. I felt calm and peaceful. Anytime I started to feel fear the contractions would get more painful, but as Jim prayed and I relaxed they would subside considerably.

The intensity of the contractions picked up at around 9:00am, so I decided to get in the hot tub. The hot tub totally relaxed my body and the pain subsided again. While I was in the tub I went through transition and it was truly not that bad! After being in the tub for 35 minutes I felt like it was time to push. I don't think that the nurse or midwife believed it was really time because I looked so calm and felt so peaceful.

By the time I got out of the tub and made my way to the bed I knew it was time. Two pushes and she was out! This was 4 hours and 5 minutes after the antibiotic was given. Perfect timing. At our request the nurse took her down to the nursery to have her oxygen level checked etc. Within 15 minutes she was returned to us and pronounced healthy. I never thought I'd be able to say it, but this childbirth was an amazing experience!

Welcome Kate!

Kate Alexandra Niedzinski

9:53 a.m.; perfectly healthy; 7 lbs, 12 oz; 21 inches long; beauuuuuutiful. Shannon did an amazing job and we are so incredibly thankful to God for our wonderful, healthy Kate. Thank you for your prayers!

Heading to the hospital...

Shannon is certainly in labor and we're leaving right now for the hospital. Thanks for praying!

39 weeks

I've been having contractions since Sunday night, anywhere from 6-30 minutes apart. It's been one false alarm after another. I'll be sure I'm in labor, wake Jim up, call my parents... and then the contractions slow down. My body is feeling pretty taxed at this point. Last night I was complaining and Jim gently reminded me that 39 weeks is an answer to prayer. It really is. I'm so thankful to be full term and I'm trying to enjoy these last few days.

I took Grant to the doctor yesterday because I thought his wheeze was pretty bad (and he was really grumpy). She assured me that what we are hearing is not fluid in the lungs, but his chest vibrating from post-nasal drip.

The person who I'm praying for to get well now is my doula! For those of you who don't know, a doula is a birth coach. She is there in addition to Jim, the midwife and the nurse. Unlike the midwife and nurse who will be in and out of the room, my doula never leaves my side. She's kind of like my personal cheerleader. (Doula is the Greek word for servant.) She is there to provide massage, coaching for Jim, to bring me water, to communicate with our families and just to provide an extra set of hands. She was there for me with Grant's birth and I cannot imagine having another child without her! She provided great coaching and encouragement as well as practical help.But, unfortunately, she seems to have caught Grant's bug. I told her I'll try to hold this baby in another couple of days so she can get well.

Still cookin'

Well, it looks like my midwife's prediction of this weekend was not so accurate. It is Sunday afternoon and no signs of labor. This is just like what happened with Grant. They put me on bedrest so he wouldn't come early and then he ended up being late! In his case it was a good thing because he was bigger and stronger for his surgery. If it were up to me I'd have this baby today! But, I continue to trust in God's perfect timing and try to enjoy this last week or two with Grant as king of the castle.

His cold finally seems to be gone, but he still has a pretty serious cough. This is causing some wheezing and labored breathing and unfortunately for all of us, keeps him up at night. If he's not significantly better in the next day or two I'll have to take him back to the doctor. I guess it is better to be on the safe side and make sure his lungs are still clear.

And, for those friends and family around the country, here is the picture you requested...

Funny Words

Grant is adding new words to his vocabulary everyday. The other day he he said "I love you" to Jim for the first time as he threw his arms around daddy's neck. Other words are not quite as obvious, but we've figured them out by context. My personal favorite is the way that Grant says his own name. If you ask him his name he'll slap his chest and say, "Geek." The other funny one is when he wants to have a pillow fight with dad he asks him for a "pee-pee fight."

Still sick

Unfortunately, Grant does not seem to be getting better yet. His cough sounds terrible, but we're hopeful that it is still not in his lungs. He seems to have the most trouble in the night because he can't breathe well when laying down. I'm super thankful that Jim is willing to take shifts in the night so that we can switch off sleeping. I guess we may as well get used to getting up with someone in the night. :)

I saw my midwife this week and my body seems to be moving closer to being ready. She predicted this weekend for the baby's arrival! Please pray that Jim and I continue to stay healthy.

Lung check

We took Grant in to Pediatric After Hours clinic this afternoon because he appeared to be wheezing when he climbed the stairs. Thankfully, they said his cough is not in his lungs. He did not mind the visit because they both took his temperature in his ears and checked his ears for infection. The nurse thought we were kidding when we told her that Grant loved things in his ears. He really does. Often we find him waking up from his nap with one pacifier in each ear. :) Interesting fetish.

Coughing Grant

About 36 hours after the doctors said Grant's lungs sounded great he came down with a cough. Last night he was up coughing and crying for most of the night. He is miserable. I know that having a sick kid is exhausting for any parent, but I'm hoping that as time goes on it will be easier for me than it is currently. Instead of just hearing a cough in the night I go on "high-alert," trying to listen to see if it sounds like it is in his lungs. I get super worried and feel guilty for taking him to story time, where I'm sure he caught it. I wonder if we should take him to the hospital or if I should just wait it out.

When he had the stomach flu a couple of months ago I got a taste of what it is like to have a "normal" sick kid. The stomach flu isn't life threatening for him, so it didn't create the worry in me that a cough does. I hope and pray that one day a cough will be in the same category for Grant as the flu. As for right now, please pray for Grant to be healed, for the cough to stay out of his lungs and for everyone around here to get some sleep.

EKG

Things went great today at U of M. They decided not to do a sedated echo or chest x-rays at this point. Grant will get chest x-rays in the early fall and if all continues to go well they will wait to do an echo for another year. They are hoping by then he'll be old enough to sit still and not need the sedation.

They did check his oxygen saturation levels (99%, which is great) and did an EKG. They EKG looked excellent. Grant had to sit very still for his EKG for a significant length of time. Grandma sang and danced for him while I sat with him on the exam table and rubbed his hand. I really didn't know he was capable of sitting still for that long. I was so proud of him.

He didn't really want to sit still while the two doctors examined him. By that time we'd been in a small space for too long. At one point he looked at the cardiologist and said "all done. bye-bye. home." Then he proceeded to walk to the door, opened it and left. I finished the rest of the visit with the doctor while Grant pushed his stroller around the halls of the cardiac wing.

It was so nice to have such a brief visit to the hospital. Grant's cardiologist, Dr.Cotts, said that at this point the statistical chance that something could go wrong with his heart is small. That is why he wants to wait to do the echo when Grant can be awake. As far as the lungs go, we have a few more months until we'll know more.

Dr.Cotts wants to do an echo on baby girl a couple of weeks after she is born just to be sure her heart looks good. I hit 37 weeks this week and am ready to meet her!

Prayer Requests for Thursday

Thursday we'll be at U of M for a series of routine tests for Grant. He's doing great, so we expect a good report, but we'd appreciate being covered in prayer. Here are some specific things to pray for:

1. That Grant's heart would continue to look perfect and that the veins would not be narrowed.
2. That Grant's lungs would be miraculously healed and the x-rays would show it. (This would truly be a miracle and would greatly impact how careful we have to be of germs, especially next winter.)
3. That Grant would react well to the sedation and would wake up easily with no side effects.
4. That our day at U of M would not trigger any painful memories or induce any anxiety in me.

Thank you! It is always so comforting to know people are praying for us.

36 weeks

I went to see my midwife this morning and all is well. I am officially off bedrest! She said she's totally comfortable with the amount of amniotic fluid that I have because I'm so far along. It has been a delight to chase Grant around the last couple of days. He's been super happy and snuggly with me. I'm dilated to one, so the process has begun, but it still looks like I'll have some time to enjoy Grant and get things ready for our baby girl. I'm continuing to get a lot of contractions now that I'm more active, but they don't bring any anxiety because I know it is safe for her to come out now.

Speech Evaluation

Today Grant had a speech evaluation through Beaumont Hospital. His pediatrician recommended speech therapy back in April when he was not really talking. The first appointment we could get for an evaluation was today. It was a good thing that we didn't get in sooner, because Grant's talking has really picked up in the last month. He's just starting to put two words together and names every object he sees. It was music to my ears to hear that he scored above average in both comprehension and expression. This means that we have no therapists to see for the rest of the summer.

Grant's next big appointment is next Thursday in Ann Arbor. They'll do a full workup on his heart and lungs. It will take much of the day and he'll have to be sedated. I'll post with the results when we get them.

A day at the Park

We recently took Grant to the park with our friends, the Korals. They have a son a little younger than Grant. The dads had fun chasing the boys around while the moms laid on a blanket in the sun. What a fun day!

Storytime

One of my favorite parts of the day with Grant is reading books in his room when he wakes up in the morning. He is a great sleeper, usually sleeping from 7:15pm-7:30am. After he gets dressed I sit in the rocker and he brings me books to read to him. There is a farm book that Grandma Niedzinski gave him that he loves to look at because he likes me to count the eggs on the pages. Yesterday he did the counting for the first time. He says, "one, two, free, four," and then he goes back to "free" again. :) Now he wants us to count everything.

He loves the interactive books best, like the ones with flaps and doors that open with pictures behind them. Unfortunately, he sometimes rips the flaps off. Whenever he does I tell him that daddy will fix it when he gets home from work. (Anytime anything breaks, rips or gets stuck under the couch Grant looks at me as says, "dada?" I tell him that yes, daddy will fix it when he gets home.) The other day he was really missing daddy (he has become VERY attached to Jim lately) so he started going through his books, ripping them and asking for dada. I soon caught on that he thought if he kept ripping them daddy would come home and fix them immediately. He was not a happy camper when he learned that not only was daddy not coming home to fix the books, but he had earned himself a "time out".

35 week ultrasound

Today I had an ultrasound to check on the fluid levels. The first time they checked (a couple of months ago)mine was 6, then a week later 11, then 2 weeks later 14. Today the level was at 7.2. Some doctors consider it safe to have a level above 7, but others want a level above 10. So, the ultrasound people are checking with my doctor to see if she feels comfortable with a level around 7. If not, I'll go back for another ultrasound next week. If they find it is low next week they would probably induce me for the safety of the baby. But, hopefully, the level will increase like it did last time. Please pray for this.

They also measured the baby today and found that she was 6.1 pounds. This is big for 35 weeks. So, maybe she's almost ready to make her appearance.

Baa Baa Black Sheep

This weekend uncle Bryan and his fiance, Kristen, came into town. Today uncle Bryan and Uncle Hal were singing and dancing to nursery rhymes with Grant. Grant loved the attention and the silliness that only uncles can provide.

Happy 4th of July

Normal life?

Well, life is as close to normal as it has ever been. I'm still on bedrest (almost 34 weeks!), but in spite of that we are spending a lot of time doing fun stuff, we just have to make sure there is somewhere for me to sit. Last weekend we went to a Niedzinski family party and Grant met most of his 19 cousins for the first time. He loved all the attention and had fun following the big kids around. On Sunday we went to a bbq at a friend's house and sat outside while Grant played in the yard with their kids. Grant even went to church on Sunday and had a blast dancing to the music and running around. In spite of all the interaction with others Grant has stayed super healthy and is learning many social skills that he missed out on staying inside all winter.

Don't get me wrong, I still go through a pack of wet wipes a week, but that is so different than being consumed with medications, feeding struggles and doctor appointments. I am feeling really thankful. Grant has come so far. Everyday now he pulls up my shirt and says to my belly, "hi baby, bye baby." For the first time since Grant has been born I feel like I have something to give again. God's timing is perfect.

Gas Station

Grant is so much fun these days. He is talking a lot and is starting to have an opinion about everything, whether it is what to eat for breakfast or which shoes he wants to wear. One struggle we have everyday and night is getting dressed. I tend to take a more forceful approach and just wrestle him into his clothes, but recently Jim came up with an interesting bribe. Grant's favorite part of the day is when daddy cleans his ears after his bath. So, last night when Grant refused to let Jim put on his pajamas, he said, "If you let daddy put on your pajamas, then I'll clean your ears." Grant got a big smile across his face and yelled out, "OKAY!" He totally cooperated for the rest of the dressing process. Who knew?

Tomorrow I'll be 33 weeks pregnant. I'll probably be on bed rest for another 3. Even though it's far from ideal, we're in somewhat of a groove. Ever afternoon after his nap Grant goes to Grandma and Grandpa's house until dad gets home from work. In the mornings we often go to a friend's house so that Grant can play and I can stay off my feet. The pictures below are from a play date last week with Grant's friend, Jack.

More Water Fun

Grant in a hat

The closet game

Water Baby

Grant has been keeping cool these days by playing with water. He's also very into telling us the temperature of things. So, much of the time he's playing in the water he's also saying, "hot, hot" or "burrrr" if it is too cold.

He's talking a lot more lately. His new favorite word is heavy. I think that he must have picked up something heavy recently and gotten some praise for it because now he walks around trying to pick up chairs, buckets, stools and everything else. If he manages to get it off the ground he'll smile and say, "heaby, heaby."

Animal Sounds

Grant loves to look through his farm book that Grandma Niedzinski made him and make all the animal noises. Here's a peek. He does have a favorite animal noise as you can see.

All things adult

Grant wants to do all things "grown-up" these days. Here's what happened when he got his hands on my friend Laura's blush brush.

Growing and Changing

Grant is adjusting really well to my being on bedrest. The first few days he was throwing tantrums and trying to shove me off the couch. But, now he is learning to play independently and has even stopped asking me to pick him up. This makes me a little bit sad because I am used to being the go-to person but it shows me he is no dummy. He goes to someone who can get the job done. He has learned to climb into the kitchen chairs and pushes a chair over to the sink by himself to get up and wash his hands. (You don't think that just because I'm on bedrest we slack on hand washing, do you?)

His favorite thing these days is to go to the park or really do anything outside. When dad gets home from work they go outside and do what dad refers to as "baby parkour." (This involves climbing walls and jumping off and lots of other things that scare mom.) Grandma and Grandpa Koss bought a sandbox and water table for their cottage and Grant could stay outside all day and play. He doesn't really seem to care that he's soaking wet and it's only 55 degrees. He actually says, "burrrrr" and then laughs.

Grant's eating is getting better. From the beginning feeding has been a challenge for Grant and until recently he needed books/toys/songs to distract him while we shoveled food in as fast as possible. (After 5-10 minutes he always said he was done regardless of how much he has eaten.)But, he's recently discover ketchup and that seems to make mealtime much more enjoyable for him. This morning he dipped his waffles in ketchup. Whatever works!

Another ultrasound

Good news! The ultrasound today showed that my amniotic fluid has almost doubled since Monday. Thank you for praying. They are still monitoring me closely because of the contractions, but now that the fluid is within normal range I'm feeling much better. I have another appointment on Thursday.

Trip to the ER

We had an emergency trip to the ER last night because of some pregnancy complications. I will spare all the male readers the details. It turned out fine and they think that there is more amniotic fluid than there was on Monday. We'll officially know tomorrow because we have another ultrasound. The current concern is that my stomach is measuring smaller than it was last week. (It is measuring at 25 weeks even though I am 28 weeks.) It is not a concern if someone is measuring small all along, but I have been right on target until recently, so it is a bit puzzling. Tomorrow when they measure the fluid levels they will also measure the baby. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime please pray for peace and sleep for me.

Thank you!

Thank you to our parents and friends for all the practical help you've been providing! The food, grocery shopping and caring for Grant is showing us incredible love in the midst of this hard time. Thankfully, if I am laying down I get a lot less contractions. I have another appointment with my midwife on Thursday to check things out.

Daddy has been staying home in the mornings to make Grant breakfast. Here is a shot of Grant helping with the cooking.

Ultrasound Update

I had an ultrasound this morning and got both good and not so good news. Good news- my cervix is within normal range in length. This is an answer to prayer! Bad news- the fluid surrounding the baby is below normal range. I have an OB appointment on Thursday and another ultrasound next Tuesday. Please pray for the fluid level to increase and the baby to stay inside.

Diaper shots

Grant is not really into getting dressed these days. If we start to get dressed and he can hear dad in the next room he yells, "Gada! (dada)" and wants nothing more to do with me or his clothes.

Jim is doing an amazing job taking care of Grant while I rest on the couch. Grant is thrilled to have so much attention.

Pregnancy update

I'm having some preterm labor symptoms. (I'm only 27 weeks.) I'll know more on Monday when they do an ultrasound and some tests. Please pray for this baby to stay inside and finish cookin'. I'm currently on bedrest and would covet your prayers. Thanks!

Coffee Breath

Grant wants to imitate everything that we do. He always wants to eat what we're eating or drink what we're drinking. Typically, when we let him taste a drink (like V8 juice) he makes a face and doesn't want anymore. So, the other day when he wanted a sip of coffee we let him have a taste, thinking for sure he'd reject it. But, we were so wrong. After one sip he literally said, "Ahhh" and then did the sign language for more. So, we gave him a few more sips and each time he had the biggest grin on his face. (We finally cut him off...)

A few minutes later we had to get in the car and go somewhere and I forgot to wipe the ring of dried coffee off of his face. We ran into a friend who looked and Grant and asked what was on his face. It was so embarrassing to have to tell her it was coffee!! I swear, we don't give it to him on a regular basis. :) We had a good laugh. Don't tell his cardiologist.

Mother's Day Gift

Once every other week a preschool teacher from Birmingham Public Schools comes over to do an activity with Grant. (He qualifies for this because of his previous PT and OT services.) This week Ms. Sheryl came over with purple paint and flower cut outs so that Grant could make me a mother's day present. Even though I was supposed to be closing my eyes I managed to get a few shots of him exploring paint for the first time.

Shoe Tower

In addition to walking his dog, Grant is also into making towers out of shoes. It works out really well for me because I can lay in bed and get much needed rest while he destroys the closet. I'm not sure if anyone besides the grandparents will appreciate this video, but what makes me chuckle every time is the fact that Grant claps for himself each time he gets a shoe to balance.

Walking the dog

Grant is really into walking his dog down our street.

A Normal Week

This week was probably the most normal one we've had yet! We had friends over for dinner (and they brought their child!), went to music class and we were outside at the park everyday. It is amazing to see the difference in both Grant and me now that we have more options than, "do you want to play upstairs or in the basement today?" I am waking up looking forward to what the day will bring.

Pulmonary Lymphangiectasia

Today Grant saw the pulmonologist because he's still wheezing. The good news is that the wheezing is not due to fluid in his lungs, but left over mucus from his ear infection.

The pulmonolgist also told us that in about a week Grant can stop his breathing treatment. (The bummer part about this is that he is not sure it ever helped Grant in the first place, even though we've been doing it for a year and a half.) But, we are so happy to not have to torture Grant by holding him down every morning while we force a mask on him. This will mean that Grant is off ALL medications! Yeah God!

The doctor said that we are allowed to start having play dates, going to music class etc! He reiterated to me that he would recommend Grant mostly play in open air environments and stay away from sick kids, but he said this summer is a good time to push Grant. We started today with his first play date of the season. Grant had a blast.

When I asked the doctor about the long term prognosis he said we'd still have to hole up next winter and get shots for RSV. He said that at this point it appears that Grant still has pulmonary lymphangiectasia. (See description below.) He said that we can do tests on Grant's lungs when he's 5 to see if he's outgrown it. I told him that we're praying he'll be 100% healthy by the time his little sister arrives. :)

Pulmonary Lymphangiectasia: (as described on the website littleleakers.com, dedicated to those who suffer from this disease)

Pulmonary Lymphangiectasia is a condition in which there are widespread dilation of the lymphatic channels in the lungs. The cause of Pulmonary Lymphangiectasia is unknown. The signs of PL can sometimes be seen prenatally, but most commonly postnatal. Many infants are stillborn. The newborn infants show respiratory distress.

The typical presenting symptoms include rapid breathing, and recurrent cough or wheeze. An examination of the patient usually reveals the presence of fine crackles throughout the lungs.

Diagnosis of pulmonary lymphangiectasia can be difficult. Although chest x-rays are usually abnormal, the x-rays can reflect fluid in the chest cavity or lung tissue. Chest CT scans can show patchy areas of fluid and over inflation in PL patients.

Most patients who survive through early infancy continue to have respiratory problems (wheeze, recurrent cough, and pneumonia) in the first several years of life. Evidence has shown that symptoms improved in most patients after infancy and were notably better by the age of 6 years old. The only treatment is medical support until patient is no longer in need of support. The evidence suggest that primary pulmonary lymphangiectasia does not have as dismal a prognosis as in most cases and clinical findings improve after the first year of life.

Wheezing

Grant got a pretty bad cold/cough/ear infection and nasty yeast infection last week. He started wheezing on Tuesday, so I took him to the doctor and they said that his lungs sound clear. This is great news, but we'll feel a lot better when he stops wheezing. He seems to be pretty uncomfortable and is having a lot of trouble sleeping. It is so hard to know what hurts because he can't tell us. I am going to try to get him in to the pulmonolgist on Monday to have him check out his lungs again. I want to make sure he is not having trouble breathing.

Please also pray for our friend's baby, Rhyer, who had his second heart surgery last week. The heart part of his surgery went well, but they hit a nerve which paralyzed his lungs so he can't breathe well. He'll have to have another surgery on Monday to correct this. What a long journey.

Spin Cycle

Grant really gets in to doing laundry..

Dancing Grant

This morning Grant and I had our own church service. Here is a video of Grant praising God.

Chest x-rays

We just got back the results of Grant's most recent chest x-rays. Unfortunately, they are unchanged. (ie. still not good)I am both surprised and disappointed by this news. I really thought they were going to tell us that his lungs were healed. He looks so healthy and he weathered his two colds this winter so well. So, as for now we continue with the breathing treatments and continue to be careful of germs.

Originally the doctors thought Grant could leave the house by now to play with other kids because flu season is typically over. (I guess the cold/flu germs are what are most dangerous to his compromised lungs.) However, the doctor told me that she saw one case of the flu this week along with a case of RSV, so she wants Grant to continue to stay away from people until the flu is officially gone for the season. So, we continue to wait. It feels extra hard to wait right now because we are so close, but yet so far.

Thankfully, we've had a few warmer days lately so we've gotten outside to play. Grant doesn't know how to do sign language for "outside", but he knows how to sign "drive the car," so when he wants to go outside he does the sign for "drive" because he knows that the car is outside and if I just open the door he can escape. Last week I opened the door and before I could get my shoes on he was running down the sidewalk toward the park by himself. :)

Boy or Girl?

Today's appointments at U of M could not have gone better. The ultrasound was very detailed and showed every part that was supposed to be there (or not be there, as in our baby girl's case). The purpose of the echo was to rule out some major heart defects, but they warned us in advance that the chance of being able to see the veins was very small.(This was what caused Grant's defect.) In the end they were able to see 3 out of the 4 veins(the 4th is probably there, but they just couldn't find it) and they all had a great connection to the heart and good blood flow. They told us that it would be very rare for something to be wrong with the baby's heart after the great pictures that they got!! We are so relieved and thankful. Thank you for all of your prayers! It was great to know that we had so many people praying for us today.

Puerto Rico

We're back after an amazing time in Puerto Rico. Grant was an angel for grandma and grandpa. Here's a picture Jim took of my 21 week belly. We head to U of M on Wednesday for the echo on the baby's heart and to find out the sex.