All Aboard!

 The boys are really into trains lately.  Ty's newest play hobby is to take all of the baskets that hold toys, dump the toys in a heap, and then fill 3-4 baskets with books.  He leaves a few "carports" (that's the word for a train car) empty for he and Andrew to ride in.  The last few days he leaves the first one empty and nothing is allowed in it, because "That's where the smoke comes out."

 We took advantage of the warmer weather and went 4-wheeling a few weeks ago.  It's still chilly when you have the breeze from riding, so we were all decked out in winter gear to stay warm.  Papa Steve came with us.

The boys didn't care so much for the ride, but mostly enjoyed when we stopped and they got to throw rocks down the hill. 

Things have settled down nicely here.  Andrew got off oxygen on the 9th.  He had a dilation on the 11th, that went fine.  We are back to wait and see for what will happen next.  He also had his central line removed.  We are now back to just the G-tube, and we're so used to that it's really nothing. 
I had a prenatal check-up that day as well, and things are still looking good.
We spent the weekend with my family.  Ryan and I made it to the temple and out to dinner on Saturday.  Plus enjoyed a shopping trip at the mall.  The rest of the time we just visited.  I really enjoyed hanging out with my family.

Cold and Flu Season

We started the potty training business once again.  Andrew has caught on to at least letting me know every time he goes, even if it is still in his underwear or diaper.  He wanted to wear his boots.  We just did a couple days before we got totally sidetracked, but he is still telling me when he goes in his diaper.  When we do get back to it, I think he'll catch on pretty easily.

Last week Tyler started getting a cold, but it got pretty intense.  He ran a fever of 102-103 for a couple days.  Then Friday, while we were doing Dr appts, Andrew started with the cough.  And I started getting it.  Ty was having a really hard time breathing Friday night, and I was worried because his muscles around his ribs started sucking in (retracting).  He made it through the worst before too long, and was doing much better the next morning.  He just has a minor cough left now.

Andrew was getting worse, and by Sunday night I didn't feel like he could handle breathing on his own anymore.  He was breathing really fast and retracting, but worse than I'd seen him do ever before.  So, I tried every drug and natural remedy I could think of, or the home health nurse could tell me.  Finally I knew we needed to go to the ER. 

Of, course by time I got there the extra half an hour in the cool air had helped his lungs, so the Dr gave me an anti-biotic for the fluid he could hear in Andrew's lungs and sent us home.

 We made it through the next morning with walks outside, a car ride, and a steamy bathroom, but by afternoon nothing was working and I took him back to the ER at Castleview.  This time his oxygen level was at 87 when they checked, so he was immediately put on oxygen.  Then a chest x-ray, and viral culture were done.  His lungs had lots of fluid and he tested positive for RSV.  And they admitted him.
He was in the hospital 2 nights on oxygen, but was doing fine otherwise.  The pediatrician caring for Drew was very nervous about his medical history causing complications, but Dr. Barnhart was not too worried about that side.  On Wednesday they discharged him. 
He is still on a little oxygen here at home, but he's playing, eating, and very happy unless I'm suctioning his nose.  He also has double ear infections, because of all the mucous in his head, but they aren't bothering him enough that I would know if they hadn't been checking his ears in the hospital.  He'll probably be on oxygen a few more days and then be fine.
Ryan held out the longest, but even he is sick now.  On the upside he can take better drugs than a pregnant lady, but it's still a tough virus.

Ty has been soaking up extra mom time by just sitting in my lap for long periods of time.  It's really hard on him to be left behind.  This time wasn't as bad, because the hospital is only 30 mins from our house, we were all able to be together at the hospital each night.  Ty spent the days at the Brower's.  He really enjoys being there, but he is also a kid who thrives on a routine and being home.  It always takes us a couple days to re-settle after a hospital stay.

Ty has gotten really good at dressing himself now, and is very opinionated about what he wears.  Sometimes he changes his clothes 4 times a day.  I am always amused at the outfits he puts together.  This was today's choice. 

Ty is also starting to recognize letters and is so good at puzzles.  I'm amazed as I watch how he's learning and seeing him discover and create.  He's starting into the imagination creating.  The other day he was walking around with his hands cupped in front of him, as if he were carrying something.  He never would tell me what it was though. 

I love my little boys so much.  They are so cute and so amazing.  I am also so grateful for my wonderful husband.  We are so very blessed.

And It's a Boy!

That's right!  I couldn't stand the anticipation any longer and rescheduled my ultra-sound for this week.  I was soooo sure we were having a girl.  I was totally wrong.  I think Ryan is even a bit surprised.  We will soon have 3 busy little boys.  No barbies here.  We're all about dirt, trucks, and trains. 
The other good news is that he is developing completely normally.  His size is right on target measuring 19 weeks, which is exactly what I am today. 
He was very cute during the ultra-sound and kept putting his fingers in his mouth and wiggling around.  Either I just don't remember the other pregnancies that well, or this kid is very active.  I feel him moving almost anytime I'm holding still long enough to pay attention.  I know Andrew used to have a nice routine of sleeping in the afternoon, even in-utero.  This little guy is busy morning, noon, and night.  So far he's small enough I only notice when I'm holding still.  I'm aware that it will soon be that he will remind me of his presence more easily.  It's all good though.

We had a family outing today for Andrew's follow-up appointments and my ultra-sound.  Ryan was able to take the day off work, so I was really looking forward to the time together and going to see my family for the weekend.  Unfortunately, Ty started with the flu (coughing, sneezing, fever kind of flu) on Wednesday.  He's handled it pretty well.  He's laid around much more than usual for him, but he's been in descent spirits.  His fever had broke last night, but started up again this afternoon.  Then I started with congestion last night.  So far Andrew is just coughing some, but it's hard to tell if it's sickness starting or not because he's had a chronic cough since surgery. 
Anyway, although we were not at our best we did go out and brave the storm for our appointments.
Drew's esophagram went like usual, with him crying though it and saying, "I DONE!  I DONE!"  Things look pretty good, although there is a little narrowing.  We weren't surprised, because he's getting food stuck more frequently as the days go by.  It's still not nearly as bad as it used to be though. 
The surgeon said he'd like to wait a few more weeks for the esophagus to heal before we dilate, so the esophagus is less likely to tear.  So that's scheduled for Mar 11, along with having his central line removed.  We got to OK to switch his GJ back to a regular G tube anytime we want.  I was not sure if it was ok to do at home, but it is.  There's not a real plus to switching, as the GJ still is working fine, but the G tube is a little bit smaller and fits better.  We'll see if I get the drive to do that soon or not.
Because of the sickies, we decided not to visit my family this weekend and just came home.  Hopefully Ty and I will feel better tomorrow, and Andrew and Ryan can stay healthy.  We're excited for our new little boy on the way.

It's Snowing!

Tyler's had a big week of firsts. Sunday he went to Primary for the first time. With all Andrew's hospital time and the colds the boys have had, the only other week we've all gone to church and stayed the whole time was for Stake Conference.
Ty was pretty nervous at first, and Ryan stayed with him through most of sharing time. But after that he was ok. When he came out of his class he was beaming and sooo excited about all the fun things they had done. His teachers are the Johnson's in our ward. Tyler's class is pretty big. Last week they had 9 Sunbeams attend! He's excited to go again tomorrow.
Ty also went to the dentist this week. He did not cooperate to show them his teeth, so there was some crying involved. The dentist said Ty's teeth look good. No cavities. And they measured the gap from the tooth he is missing, so we can monitor if the other teeth are moving into that space.

We had our second big snow storm here this morning. We missed the first one while Andrew was in the hospital, so the boys were really excited about all the snow. It was really fun that Ryan was home for it too. We all went over to the school, where they have a little hill, and went sledding and made snow men. The boys still wanted to be outside when we got home, and so did Ryan.
Ryan made a plow to go on our 4-wheeler and got it all hooked up finally, so he plowed our driveway twice and also did the neighbors. Andrew rode along with him, while Ty and I shoveled and ate snow.

Andrew was sick again for most of this week. He was pretty uncomfortable for several days. I think it was one of the flu viruses that's been going around down here. He is back to himself this morning again.

He has another esophagram and check-up with the surgeon next Friday, Feb 25.

It's really nice to just be home and happy and playing as a family.

17 Weeks!

I went for a prenatal check-up today and the baby is doing great!

The baby was being modest and didn't give a good view for determining gender, but I saw her (cuz I'm saying it's a girl, for now) playing with her feet. It was sooo cute!

So far the pregnancy is going great. We'll have our ultrasound on Mar 11.

Happy Little Boys

Well after a few more rough days in the hospital and a CT scan, the decision was made to place an esophageal stent to cover the hole in Andrew's esophagus. They also needed to place a 2nd chest tube to drain a pocket of fluid that the first chest tube hadn't been draining. And while they were at it, we asked if they would place a central line so that Andrew wouldn't have to keep being poked for IV's and blood tests.
The procedures were done on Jan 11, and went well. Although it was painful to have another chest tube, Andrew actually started doing better. He didn't need oxygen, and was less lethargic and "sick" seeming. The stent worked, and after a few days his chest tubes stopped draining fluid. The first one came out the night of the 13th (because it was starting to move too much) and the second one came out the next day.
Andrew still needed IV anti-biotics, but was able to come home because we had the central line in place. He was discharged on the 15th.
He was still not allowed to eat and was very weak. He could hardly even stand on his own and could not walk. He started better bit by bit. He was allowed to start drinking fluids (although he never really was interested in them). After another esophagram (Jan 21) that showed no leaking around the stent he was allowed to eat again.
We were home for his birthday, but waited until he could eat before we celebrated it.

Andrew had been coughing and wheezing since we'd been in the hospital, but it seemed to get worse around Jan 24. He was also getting in more pain. The doctors thought he might have croup, so they put him on oral steroids for 3 days. He did much better until that drug was done, and then got even worse. Finally on the 28th we were going to visit my family in Ogden for the weekend. I called the surgeon and asked if he wanted to see him while we were passing through Salt Lake. I'd been keeping in touch with him through the week and he was very anxious by that point to see Andrew.

As soon as he saw and heard him breathing he felt that he needed to do endoscopy and get a good look at the stent. We'd had several x-rays that had looked ok, but something was still off. Because it was already 4:30 on a Friday, they admitted Andrew to the hospital for the night and did the scope the next morning.

They found that the stent in Andrew's esophagus had pressed into his trachea and was taking up a good portion of his airway, so they removed the stent. It had been in not quite 3 weeks by that time, and the goal had been 6. Andrew had an esophagram to check if his esophagus still had a hole. It was inconclusive, but if there was a hole it was very tiny. They monitored him for another day, and then let him go home again on the 30th. He wasn't allowed to eat until Thurs, when he passed his next esophagram.

He had to be on J feeds 20 hours a day during that week he couldn't eat, but did pretty well. He learned how to pull his feeding pump behind him when he walked. He would ask for food, and as the days went by got more and more insistent on having some. Finally Friday he came across half a banana that Tyler had left on the table. He was soooo proud of himself, and pleased that he'd finally got some food.

So now we have a happy Andrew again. He is off all the anti-biotics and pain meds, and eating almost constantly. He does get food stuck from time to time, but mostly because he's eating so fast that he's not chewing before he swallows.

We are so pleased that he's doing so well, and to be home 'normal' again.

From here we just see how things go. We do not have another appointment scheduled, and hope that the only follow-up Andrew will need will be to have the central line removed and someday his g-tube removed. It is so nice to just relax again.

Hospital life

Well, Andrew is doing ok overall. His pain is pretty well managed, and he's in good spirits most of the time.
His esophagus has been slow healing though. His chest tube is still draining a significant amount, and so we knew there was a leak in his esophagus. We finally did an esophagram this morning that confirmed that as well.
The latest plan is to hang tight with pain meds and antibiotics and do another esophagram in a week. It will hopefully be healed by then, but if not we will wait another week and try again.

Ryan and Tyler are staying in Ferron with Ryan's parents now, so that Ryan can go to work.

So far I'm doing ok. The nurses often comment on my knowledge and use of all the hospital pumps, monitors, and procedures. I help myself when I can, instead of waiting for a staff member to do something I am capable of and won't be risky to Andrew.
It's hard to leave Andrew alone to do even little things like eat, but I'm getting better at it, and he's getting more tolerant of it. It's hard to be walking down the hall, hear him crying, and not turn back for him. I know he is in good hands here though.

I am confident that this is part of the Lord's plan and that this is what needs to happen for Andrew's esophagus to heal optimally.
Thank you again for your prayers, phone calls, visits, and support.