Oh what a week!

This week has been challenging to say the least! Wish it kinda went better but it's ok.

Michelle is doing GREAT!!! Her speech 10 times better! She is talking so much better you can tell there is a complete difference in her. I love it. Thank you modern medicine and wonderful surgeons who have saved her life. I will tell you that last Friday was enough to put me in the crazy house. It was just so scary to see her just lay there and sleep and not be able to wake up.

For some reason when we hit the OR passage way doors though she just woke up and was like huh? where are we???.

After a few days of pain management and she is back off to school. And is back to driving me insane! She hasn't drivin me this crazy in MONTHS! I love it.

Shawn and Shawn Jr had a birthday this last week. We will be celebrating it further tomorrow. I cannot believe that Shawn Jr is 4 already! Kinda sad. He's still cute though. He weighs a whoping 35 1/2 pounds.

My poor James has double perforated(sp?) eardrums, strep throat and a nasty cold to go with it. Thank you again for modern medicine! He is on high dose antibiotics.

And Abigail... Well if these darn teeth don't just poke through all the way than IDK what were going to do! Bless her heart! She just cries and cries throughout the day. We give her tylenol and orajel and it helps just not as much as we would like. Plus she isn't nursing all that hot. It's just because she doesn't feel good.

Well stay tuned for pics from tomorrow!

Well this just plain stinks!

So yesterday after being home for less than 12 hours we were back on our way to Children's. Michelle was sitting in her high chair getting ready for dinner when she started punching herself in the head screaming it hurts followed by a nasty episode of retching which continued until she got some zofran from the hospital.

Then they didn't even make us wait in the ER she was directly admitted and we went to MED/SURG and got her all ready for a new CT scan. Well her ventricals had swelled way past where they were Monday and Wednsdays scans. Words from the Dr.s mouth "I have never seen Michelle's ventricals become this large." Turns out her shunt wasn't even in her ventrical. So there is this shunt sitting in her brain that doesn't even work. Ya not to thrilled about that one..

So they decide that she cannot wait until later today for surgery so at 1:30 this morning she is on her way to the OR to place a new shunt on the left side and she had to have the WHOLE placement which means he had to make an incision in her abdomen too. She should be home tomorrow hopefully.

Shunt revision #4 surgery #14

Wow was this week a rollercoaster! So as I said in Monday's post we had a VERY watchful eye. Yesterday Michelle, me, my mom, James. Shawn Jr, and Abigail and later on her daddy all made our way to Children's yesterday only to be told that she would be having a revision at 8 pm last night.

Fourturnetly we caught the malfunction in time because her increase was in a ventrical that

never increased before. It has always been her 4th ventrical to increase in size well this time it was her 3rd. So when Dr. Levy (a fantastic neurosurgeon let me tell you) came out to tell us it was a success (40 minutes after they took her back) he also shared that when he took the proximal catheter out it was stuck and when he pulled a little harder it released. So he has come to the conclusion that the coroid (sp?) plexus had blocked the tip of the shunt and that when he got it to come loose it fell out of the shunt. So good news is her shunt is working and she is home!

Bless her heart she is so tired. It was a late night and the only way I could get her to sleep was to sleep in her bed with her. She just kept on saying "mommy" in the sweetest little voice that I could not resist!

The pictures of her all happy are from her hanging out with her buddies! She was so happy to have her brothers and sister come and visit her! Shortly after that visit she started getting very sleepy and was asleep until the trauma/transport team came in to get her IV.

Under a watchful eye...

Is what Michelle is right now. We spent over 5 hours in the ER last night for possible shunt malfunction. She was discharged only after I yanked and pulled on the DR. to not admit her to just let her sleep there. It was better for her to come home and sleep in her own bed and let me the one who is going to notice something before ANYONE else to watch her.

So again she is asleep. IDK if it is from sheer exhaustion or because she can't help but be sleepy. Im praying as hard as I can that it is because she was awake all night long that that is why she is sleepy today. She is not interested in eating, drinking, playing, she is weak, has a headache.. Everything they said she would have when she got older. Only problem is if there is increase fluid it is minimal. However her last malfunction was with these same symptoms.... :(

I promise to keep everyone updated as much as possible.

Our friday night...

Was spent making smore's with the family! It was such an awesome night! Everyone was outside just enjoying the beautful California night! Gotta love them!

My 5th mothers day....

Will be this Sunday. As I am sitting here thinking about each one of my babies. What it was like the day I brought them home. It's as clear as yesterday.

James:

He had on this really adorable onsie. It was blazzing hot the day he came home. Arizona is notorious for 110 degree days in April. My mother in law was there and so was Shawn's twin brother Shane. We visited for a while and then they all left and then it was time to introduce Tank our dog to James. Wow! That was the funniest thing I have ever seen. Tank just about tore down the baby gate trying to get to James. He was crying and needed changing!

Shawn Jr:

Of course it had to rain... What else does it do in Washington other than rain? SNOW! LOL! Well anyway it was a rainy day in May and colder than the dickens. He too also wore a onsie home but was well burried under his blankie with the heater cranked all the way up. James was so interested in what was in the carseat. He just couldn't wait for daddy and I to get through the doors. He did so great. Didn't really cry.

Michelle:

It was so crazy the day she came home. It got postponed from that morning because her Neurosurgeon was not answering his pages and we needed him to come and take out the stitches from Michelle's shunt placement. So 9 hours later she is making her rounds through the NICU saying goodbye (too bad it was a short visit home) and then off we go through Seattle/Tacoma rush hour traffic back to the Peninsula! We introduced her to Shawn Jr. (he was too young to go into the NICU) and she just kinda settled into the chaois that had errupted between the boys and my grandma.

Abigail:

I have to say that was a hard first day home. The kids just kept fighting. She just kept crying. I was a mess. The dog would not leave me alone. He was like what do you have there... Like I was supposed to give him a bone that didn't exist. Once everyone went to bed things got better. I got a shower and then just slept. I was exhausted.

I have to say in the last 5 years I have gone through more trials that most mothers never even get the chance to imagine. My greatest fear to this day is still SIDS. James is 5 and I still go in his room at night to make sure he is still breathing. I disinfect EVERYTHING like it has the Plague on it. Shawn thinks im insane for it. I have learned that every child is different. Although they can resemble their parents in many ways. I have learned that my husband is the greatest thing to ever happen to me other than my babies. I never thought that I would have the life I have. I never thought I would be blessed the way that I am.

Happy mothers day to all the "old" and "new" mothers out there.

4 months old!

Our sweet Abigail Marie is 4 months old! Can you believe it? I can't! In the last 4 months she has learned to blow raspberries! Bring her hands to her mouth to chew! Pull my hair! Bring her blankey to her face when she wants to snuggle something when she is in her swing.

Oh and one more thing....

Cut her first tooth! That's right she has her first tooth! April 28th she cut it! A day before she turned 4 months! Im so proud of her! She is so funny.. She gives you this big 'ol grin when she knows she is going to get her way. She hates being on her tummy. Honestly tummy time is a waste all she does is scream the whole time and just plants her face into the ground.

She has "night colic". She cries at the same time every night until Shawn or I give her a bath. She fights bedtime. Definetely a momma's girl. No one can calm her down like mommy. She is such a beautiful baby! She has this "glow" about her that can just melt your heart! Makes me wanna have like 5 more! lol!