Life Is Good: Flashback

Monday, June 1, 2009

Flashback

Thanks for the advice!!!! I'm feeling a lot less stressed about the issue. This too shall pass (hopefully in the potty...sorry just couldn't resist.) :)

Here is a flashback. Of course you know that when I do a flashback it's usually because I didn't take any pictures today or forgot to download the camera before sitting down in the recliner. And I'm not going to get up to download it, so....

Here is a flashback of our life over the last few years, each picture taken around the end of May or beginning of June.

2002
Fun times fishing!

2003
Expecting! (No.1)
This is about 24-25 weeks pregnant. I went into the hospital in preterm labor very shortly after this picture...a week or so.

2004
Brandy had arrived, had open-heart surgery, and all the complications.
Her Story

2005
Remembering

2006
Celebrating Ryan's Great-Grandparent's 60th anniversary. Ryan wasn't here yet, and great-grandpa was nearing the end of his blessed life.

2007
Brought this precious little miracle home finally after 90 days in the NICU. We'd only been home for a couple of weeks.

2008
Preparing to celebrate his one-year-old "should have been" birthday party. Ryan's due date was originally June 4th.

1 comment:

twin power mommy ♥ said...: We did a "Welcome Home" party for the girls.
After reading that Ryan was in the NICU for 90 days, i started to wonder how many days my girls were in the NICU....if i am remembering correctly, i think it was 107 days.

As you know...those 90-100 days are the LONGEST you'll ever go through....although i can't even begin to imagine the pain you felt all through Brandy's short life.

It's good to know God is with us in tough times (as well as good ones).; June 8, 2009 at 7:54 PM

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Brandy Danielle

Brandy is our firstborn, our precious angel baby girl. Her entry into this world wasn't without excitement. At 26 weeks I started preterm labor with contractions 5 minutes apart. With 10 weeks of strict bedrest, most of which were in the hospital, she made it to 36 weeks.
Brandy was diagnosed with "possible/probable" heart defect around 28-30 weeks gestation. After her birth she was whisked away to the NICU for monitoring and after a few days her defect was formally diagnosed and labeled...atrial septal defect and a cleft mitral valve.
Brandy, upon indications of failure to thrive and pulmonary hypertension, underwent her first of 2 open-heart surgeries at 4 months of age. A week after her surgery on the day of her anticipated discharge home Brandy coded for 13 minutes...a stoke.
From that point on Brandy's life was full of doctor's visits, endless crying, pain and suffering. She underwent another heart surgery, fundoplication and g-tube surgery, treatment for infantile spasms, and a mountain of tests and procedures. Her brain damage was extensive.
Upon counseling of our wonderful, most amazing heart surgeon, Dr. Christopher Knott-Craig, and many hours of prayer, we finally called in hospice and called off all of the extensive medical interventions and surgery needs that would prolong her suffering while possibly prolonging her life. Brandy, our precious baby girl...our angel...passed out of our arms and into the arms of her Saviour, Jesus at the tender age of 17 months.

Ryan Andrew

Ryan, our micro-preemie miracle, is a ball of life. After nearly a year of trying to conceive imagine our delight when we finally knew he was on the way. My pregnancy with Ryan was uneventful at first. It seemed perfect and with all of the precautions for preterm labor being taken and monitored we entered this pregnancy with cautious anticipation covered over by a whole love of naive excitement.
At 20 weeks we discovered our "Baby Peanut" was going to be a little boy. We began to make plans and began dreaming about the day we would meet our son.
Almost 2 weeks later everything changed in our lives. It wa a whirlwind of fear and emtions as I began to bleed, was sent for monitoring in L&D and eventually had an appointment with my OB only to find out that it was serious. I had incompetent cervix with hourglassing membranes. The doctor admitted me to the hospital immediately and an emergency cerclage was placed. The statistics were grim, but the hope was to keep our son inside for at least 10 more weeks. We only made it 10 more days.
Early in the evening of February 11, 2007 our son, Ryan, came into this world in emergency fashion at only 23 weeks 5 days gestation. He weighed 1 pound 8 ounces and was 12 ½ inches long. He was so tiny. All I could think of was “oh my goodness is he really that tiny? And is there any way he could actually make it?” I tried to hold on to hope, but in all honesty I had never met anyone with a baby born that early and that small that ever made it.
Ryan did make it! It was a long, hard road, but in the end he spent 90 days in the NICU. He was on a ventilator for 2 months. Finally on one fine glorious day in May we bundled up our 4 pound 4 ounce baby boy and went home...May 11, 2007.
Ryan is now a spunky, lively, strong-willed little boy. His laughter is contagious and his spirit is compelling. He is our miracle. There are no words strong enough to share our delight and joy that God has blessed us with this little boy.

Evan Alexander