(Bump) August 4, 2008

A very joyful day for us - we FINALLY brought our Sweet Pea home. I will hardly know what to do when we can bring our second baby home after only a couple days. Here is the email we sent out on this exciting day, one year ago today (and one day before our two year anniversary!):

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Dear family & friends,

We're going HOME today! As soon as I feed Valerie around noon, we will begin the discharge process and be home in time for dinner. They almost kept us here another day, but Ted made a compromise with the doctor. We have to come back in the morning for some lab work, but she is doing great. We're looking forward to being home with her and getting used to being a family of three. Tonight we're going to try to relax and get some rest, but feel free to call us tomorrow. We can't wait for all of you to meet her!

~Ted, Stephanie, & Valerie

***

(Bump) August 2, 2008

Another lull in updates...uneventful days are a REALLY good thing in the NICU. Here is our update from August 2nd:

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8-2-08

Dear family & friends,

It's been a pretty uneventful last few days, which, according to my mom, is a very good thing when your baby is in the NICU. Valerie continues to improve. She is nursing wonderfully and all the nurses seem to love her. She has made Ted and I laugh today as she had a couple of explosive diaper changes. I guess we have much to look forward to when we return home!

Ted was able to go biking this morning, which he said felt a little weird after not biking for so long. I'm glad he was able to get out, because biking always puts him in a good mood. While he went biking, I was going to attempt working on baby announcements, but Valerie decided to only take a two hour break between feedings. We're going to weigh her at the next feeding and we're both certain she's getting bigger each day.

The doctor didn't have much to say this morning, except that Valerie's CRP levels are still high. CRP stands for C-Reactive Protein, which when inflamed tells you she's fighting some kind of infection. The doctor was concerned, because she was also having small fevers the past few days and looked a little pale at times. However, this morning he said she looked much better and her temp has been normal for a while. He's convinced it's just some virus and, since viruses tend to linger longer, that would explain the still high CRP levels. He talked with the other two doctors who agreed she can be finished with her antibiotics after the ten days, which means tomorrow they can take out her IV and get us ready to go home. The doctor still wants to watch her for 24 hours, so at the earliest we'll be able to head home Monday afternoon.

Thank you so much for all your prayers and encouragement. We are so thankful for your support through all of this and looking forward to finally taking our little girl home. I know there are many who would love to visit us when we return home, so feel free to call us after Tuesday. We will try to limit visitors a little so we can get settled at home, but we are anxious to see our friends and family we have missed.

~Ted, Stephanie, & Valerie

***

(Bump) July 31, 2008

Again there was a day missed in our updates, but here is the update from the 31st:

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7-31-08

Dear family & friends,

Valerie is quite the little trooper. Ted and I are enjoying all her little faces and noises, especially as she becomes less groggy and more and more alert. She is feeding on her own now, so she no longer has a feeding tube. She is also in a crib, which allows us to wheel her into one of the family rooms during feeding times or visits. It's been great to have that little bit of independence.

Her phenobarbitol levels (the medication for her seizures) are much lower, so she is much more alert. She even wakes up hungry and lets me know with her insistent crying. Sometimes after a feeding, she is awake for almost an hour. The doctor skipped one of her doses in order to bring the levels down, but now feels her body is adjusting to it well. As she grows, she will naturally wean herself off of it as well. She will need to be on a daily dose of the medication (which will be given through a syringe at home, just like any other liquid medication) for at least three months. We will be following up with the neoneuronatologist in Green Bay as well as the pediatrician who saw her at St. Agnes. At this point, she has not had any seizures since last week Friday, so the medication is doing its job. We're still not sure what caused the seizures, but it's possible it was due to an infection from the placenta during delivery.

As far as the infection goes, she has been treated with antibiotics since we arrived here. They are given through an IV to make the medication the most effective. It is usually given for 7-10 days. Originally, we thought she would be done after 7 days, but the doctor would like to err on the side of caution. She has been getting little fevers here and there, so the doctor wants to make sure the infection (whatever it may be) is completely wiped out. So, we will be here until Sunday or Monday. That was the only bummer for us yesterday, because we were hoping to be home by Friday. However, she is doing amazing and we want her to stay that way. We'd rather err on the side of caution as well, especially with all she has been through.

Also, I know several people have asked how I am doing. I am feeling much better physically as well as emotionally. The first few days were very emotional for me, but I have found so much strength in my God and have an amazing husband and mother who have been so supportive. Physically, I have been very sore and, by the end of the day, absolutely exhausted. I've been taking over the counter pain medications, which both my mom and my husband remind me to take before I'm in too much pain. I've had a lot of back pain, but it's gradually getting better. I've also retained a LOT of water in my feet, so walking has been quite painful at times. Today, my feet are finally beginning to look normal again and walking is becoming even easier. The nurses, my husband, and my mom are constantly reminding me to rest and put my feet up when possible. It's been a long week, but I'm doing so much better. Seeing my daughter grow and become healthier every day has helped distract me from the discomfort and pain.

Ted is also doing really well. He returned to work on Tuesday and my mom has been here with me each day while he's gone. I think it was hard for him to leave on Tuesday. He called twice to check up on us and to make sure I was getting enough rest. When he got back he was so anxious to hold his little girl. It's been wonderful to see him as a father. He absolutely adores his little girl and always tells me as he leaves for work, "Take care of my favorite daughter".

We are both really anxious to get home and begin being a family. We would appreciate your prayers as we wait it out here and for the continued progress of our little one's health. We can't wait to introduce her to all of you. She is a real sweetie and, though we may be slightly biased, she is absolutely beautiful. Thank you again for all your prayers and encouragement. We can't tell you enough how much we appreciate all of your support.

~Ted, Stephanie, & Valerie

***

Celebrating Valerie's 1st Birthday

We had so much fun celebrating our Sweet Pea's first birthday and, as you'll see by the pictures below, she loved the spotlight!

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Friday, July 24th - Trip to the Zoo

On her birthday, we went to the zoo with my parents, brothers, and sisters. Ted works half-days on Friday, so he was able to join us too. Here are some pictures from the zoo and opening up gifts at my parent's house...

Checking out the animals with Daddy, Uncle Dan, Grandma, Aunt Kelly, and Grandpa

My Little Penguin

This picture makes me laugh - I guess walking around in the sun was kind of exhausting and Aunt Kelly was there to lean on ;)

Not all that interested in the lions...they weren't very exciting

Excited to start opening gifts


Opening her favorite gift...


...a race car!


Um, dad, are you going to take it out of the box, already?

***

Saturday, July 25th - Birthday Party

On Saturday, we had several friends and family over for a birthday celebration at our house. We had beautiful weather...until it started to downpour just as we finished eating. Thankfully, it didn't last long and everyone pitched it to move things before the rain came. It was interesting to see how many people we could fit in our little house! Here are pictures from the celebration...

Birthday cake made by Great Grandma Fochs

Decorations

Grandparents relaxing in the shade

All ready for the party

4 generations: Valerie, Great Grandma Fochs, Mom, and Grandpa Fochs


The kids love climbing our pear tree

Sisterly love (Annamary & Hannah) - I just love how cute their mommy styles their hair! I'll have to get lessons from her when Valerie has hair ;)

Our poor pear tree ;)

How many people can fit into our little house?


Great Grandma Valerie and Valerie Marie


Yummy cupcake from her birthday cake


I love this face!


Clapping for her presents


Not happy that she had to set a new toy aside to open another gift


She even likes her cards too!


More fun toys!


Whew, opening gifts and being the center of attention is lots of work!

To see even more photos from Valerie's birthday, go here.

(Bump) July 29, 2008

Somehow we missed updating everyone on the 28th, which probably meant it was an uneventful day. Without further ado, here is the update my mom sent out on our behalf:

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Hello everyone,
Here is the most recent update on Valerie. She is getting more beautiful each day! Feel free to send it to anyone who we missed.
Mary Fochs

7-29-08

Dear family & friends,

First of all, we would like to thank everyone for all your prayers for our little girl. Our faith in our God is what is giving us strength for each day. We have been reminded daily of His provision and protection over us. We had a good, long talk one night about how we are both growing closer as a couple and stronger in our faith. We are learning to rely completely on our God and also on each other. It’s amazing how God can use a trying time in our lives to bring us to our knees before Him and grow us in ways we never imagined.

Last night, Ted and I met with the last of the three neonatologists, Dr. Abe, and this morning, my mom and I met with the first neonatologist we met on arrival, Dr. Kate. Both doctors sounded pretty confident about Valerie’s progress and are working diligently with us to bring her home as soon as possible. Right now, the biggest thing keeping us here is Valerie’s inability to feed on her own yet. She is still pretty groggy from the medication for the seizures, so Dr. Abe decided to hold today’s dose of the medication in order to bring her levels down. Right now she is right near the top of the therapeutic level of the medication (phenobarbitol) – about 35.9. The goal is to get her between 25-30 before we bring her home. Hopefully as the levels come down, she will be much more alert.

As far as feeding goes, Valerie is still receiving breastmilk (and occasional formula supplements) through a feeding tube. I’ve been able to try nursing at each feeding and have been having more success each time. This morning she nursed for about 12 minutes during one feeding and about 15 minutes at another feeding. I continue pumping in order to feed her through the feeding tube, but hope she will soon be able to be fed completely on her own.

We still don’t know for sure the cause of the seizures, but learned today that my placenta showed signs of infection. It is an infection called chorioamnionitis that affects the placental tissue and amniotic fluid. It’s pretty rare, because it only occurs in about 1% of pregnancies. Valerie is already being treated with antibiotics, so they will continue those for another two days or so. We asked if it was a concern for me, but, since I’ve shown no signs of being sick from an infection, it’s nothing to be worried about. Dr. Kate told us this morning it could possibly be the cause of her seizures, but we may not ever know for sure.

Today, Valerie also had an echo cardiogram done, which is a sort of ultrasound of the heart. It’s a routine procedure for any NICU infant who has a heart murmur. Since they notice a little bit of a murmur and I’ve had a history of heart problems, it is just a precautionary thing.

Overall, Valerie continues to make many improvements. We are hoping she may be able to come home as early as Friday, but it all depends on when she is feeding completely on her own. We would appreciate your prayers that she would be more alert in order to nurse completely on her own.

Ted and I are also very thankful for the support of my family through all of this. My mom has been here almost every day – running errands, giving me advice on nursing, and just being an extra person to lean on. She has been wonderful and we’ve both grown closer in our relationship as well. My brothers, sisters, and dad have also been here to visit off and on. They are pretty anxious to be able to love on her more fully. It’s been fun to see how much they care for her too. We’ve also had a few visits from my Grandma & Grandpa Fochs, Aunt Michelle, and cousins, Alyssa and Nicole, who have graciously brought us dinners the last two days. Tomorrow we are hoping to celebrate my sister, Melissa’s birthday with cake and ice cream. We are so thankful to be close to all of them and to have their constant support.

We are looking forward to sharing our little girl with each of you, especially with all her Hanes aunts, uncles, cousin, and grandparents. Thank you so much for all your prayers and encouragement.

~Ted, Stephanie, & Valerie

(Bump) July 27, 2008

As I reread this, I remember all the ups and downs...thinking we'd go home one day and then having our hopes crushed by new plans from the doctors. Still, I am so thankful for the amazing doctors and nurses in the NICU. What a blessing it is to have such wonderful care when we needed it. Here is an email my sister sent out on our behalf:

***

Hi everyone! Here is the most recent update from Ted. Valerie is doing much better and they are both eager to bring her home.

-Melissa


7-27-08

Dear family and friends,

The last couple days have kept Stephanie and I busy. We have been talking to the doctor once a day, and he has kept us up to date with Valerie’s health condition. Here is what we know today:

-EEG tests (test to see the electrical activity in the brain) have been done, and confirm that Valerie has had some seizure activity.

-CT scans on Valerie’s brain do not show any signs of brain damage (e.g. hemorrhaging)

-The doctors do not know why Valerie had seizures, however, with the CT scan and some other testing, they have been able to rule out many potential causes that would cause lasting damage.

-It is very possible that we will never know the root cause of the seizures.

-No infections (either viral or bactieral) have been found yet, but the testing will not be complete to rule out these possibilities until Tuesday.

-No tests have indicated that there will be any long-term damage or developmental problems for Valerie, but we will not really know for certain until she is older.

-Valerie is on some antibiotics until the doctors are sure there are no infections.

-Valerie is on Phenolbarbitol to prevent any more seizures. The drug sedates her, but as her body becomes accustomed to the drug, she will become much more alert.

-IV fluids containing sugars, protein and electrolytes are being given through her umbilical cord. The amount of IV fluids is being gradually reduced, and replaced with milk administered through a tube that is routed through her nose. Stephanie is pumping breastmilk, and they are supplementing Valerie’s nutritional needs with formula.

-Valerie is unable to breastfeed right now, and we think this is due to the phenolbarbitol sedation. We try every feeding, but so far it has not been successful. As she becomes more alert in the next day or so, we hope that she will be able to feed directly.

-The primary reason we cannot take her home is that she is unable to feed normally. The doctors believe that we will be able to bring her home by the end of the week.

-Valerie will likely remain on phenolbarbitol for at least 3 months. At that time, they will do more EEG scans to determine if long-term treatment will be needed.

Stephanie and I are staying at a hospitality house that is right next to the hospital. This has been a huge blessing, since we are able to go see Valerie every 3 hours when we feed her more milk. Every time we come back, we are able to take a short nap for 1-1.5 hours. This gets really hard in the early morning, and we may skip a feeding tonight so that Stephanie especially can get some more rest.

Please continue to pray for us that we would have physical and emotional strength and that we would trust God fully. Thursday night was very difficult emotionally, but God is showing us that He is in control, and Stephanie and I are growing closer together through this.

We look forward to bringing our little drama princess home when we can settle into a more “normal” lifestyle.

Ted & Steph

***

(Bump) July 26, 2008

Reminder: Don't forget to enter Valerie's First Birthday Giveaway; it ends tonight at 9:00 PM CST!

Also, I just realized I didn't clarify that there will be ONE winner of the giveaway who will win TWO prizes. Sorry for not explaining that well enough. Thanks for all the entries - I'm looking forward to finding out who the big winner is!

***

A year ago today, Ted and I were spending a very long day in the NICU with our Sweet Pea. While these were some of the most difficult days of my life, I wouldn't trade them. God worked in our hearts so much and taught us what it means to fully trust in Him. I don't want to forgot this time, because I would not be who I am today without it. The following "Bump" is an email my mom sent out, because I couldn't access my blog.

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July 26, 2008

Hello family,

Some of you may not have heard all the details of Valeries birth and following days. Stephanie is having trouble accessing her blog site while at her new hospital so I will update you a little now on Valerie's 2nd 24 hours of life.

Thur night 7/24, I went home to sleep at my house. Stephanie called me at 11:00PM to tell me that Valerie had 2 seizures and was being flown by helicopter to Theda Clark NICU. I woke up, drove there and spent a very emotionally exhausting night with Stephanie and Ted. The three of us did get some sleep, probably more than we got the previous 36 hours. Dave worked in the AM and spent the afternoon and evening with us at the hospital.

Since the NICU only allows grandparents and parents to visit, the other kids are dying to hold her. Stephanie is dying to hold her too. She has only been able to hold her a hand full of times since birth. She was discharged from the hospital Thur night at 11:00 so that she could travel with Ted to be with Valerie. The doctors ordered a lot of test on Valerie. She has continued to have a couple more small seizures.

Everything else is looking good. She is no longer on Oxygen and is breathing much easier. We are very happy about that. Friday night the doctors told us that her CT scan of her head was normal meaning NO brain lesions, tumors or bleeding in the brain.none of the really bad things!!!!

Her EEG test showed still some seizure activity but the doctors don't seem to think this will be permanent. They think it will be one of those things that we will never really know why. The doctor hopes to have her take seizure medication for about 3- 6 months and then wean her off. Hopefully if all goes well, she will go home the end of next week.
　
Stephanie was doing better Friday night but had a hard night Thursday with not feeling well after birth, worrying about Valerie and her emotions very up and down. Hopefully she slept better last night and Valerie had an uneventful night. I just woke up after getting some sleep at home. I am anxious to talk to Stephanie today to see how her night went but don't want to wake her at this hour if she is sleeping. So this update is really only for up until last night.

We are all hoping that today (Saturday) she will be allowed to breastfeed Valerie again since she has only had one chance to breastfeed her. She has been so faithful at pumping and is starting to reap the rewards Friday night of all her hard work. Valerie is getting all those great benefits of the colostrum now.

Spending these last few days with Stephanie and Ted have been very exhausting but I did not want to be anywhere else. I am so proud of Stephanie and Ted. They have handled all of these events with great dignity and love for each other and for Valerie. As Stephanie has told me time and time again, God is there to give them strength and she is so right. It has been an honor to watch this new family form. They will continue to need everyone's love and prayers for all of them.

I know that it was hard for a lot of people not getting to see Valerie and speak to Stephanie and Ted the past 24 hours. Her siblings especially have wanted to hold their new little niece and see her. Stephanie and Ted did get some much needed rest yesterday. Their days are consisting of eating, resting, pumping milk for Valerie, seeing Valerie, continuing to rest and starting the cycle all over again. Stephanie is recovering from labor and delivery and getting stronger each day. Hopefully they will be ready for visitors before everyone knows it. Thanks to everyone for respecting their need for rest and recovery. I know that Stephanie is anxious to get access to her blog so that she can add photos and her story.
　
Ted has been the most wonderful husband and father. I am so proud to call him my son in law! Stephanie has made me so proud of her also, keeping her strength up and always focusing on what is best for Valerie! What a tough start to parenting but they are handling it so well. They are creating an awesome family with a tremendous amount of love for each other and their God.

In this long letter I have forgotten to tell you enough details about our gift from God.....Valerie. She is beautiful. She has very long delicate fingers and toes, a beautiful nose and eyes that when are awake stare lovingly into her parents eyes. Her head was a little coneheaded after delivery but we all noticed yesterday how much better it is getting. I was so lucky to get to hold her once prior to all these events. I wish I had taken a picture of that though. I was most privledged to help her breastfeed for the first time. The nurses keep telling us how pretty she is and we of course agree. I am sure she is the most beautiful baby in that whole NICU! (not that I am biased though).

The nurses in the NICU have been so wonderful. They constantly acknowledge how important Stephanie and Ted are to Valerie and I think that helps them deal with all of this. The nurses remind Stephanie and Ted often how good it is for Valerie to have them there talking to her and how lucky she is to have Stephanie pumping milk for her. What a gift they have been to us.

Love,
Mary

***

Happy First Birthday, Sweet Pea!

I can hardly believe it was already ONE year ago that we first held our Sweet Pea in our arms and fell in love with our baby girl. I never realized just how much I would LOVE being a mom until I held her in my arms for the first time. Being her mom has been one of the biggest blessings in my life and I am so thankful I can enjoy every moment with her as a stay at home mom. Happy birthday, baby girl - we love you SO much!

Here is a Scrapblog I made to remember this first year with our Sweet Pea:



To view it in a larger screen go here.

There are many emotions going through my mind this week as I remember those first two weeks. I am going to post several of the emails we sent out to family during that time in the next two weeks, but today, please go to our old blog to see the post my husband wrote and the post I wrote on the day she was born.

~Valerie's First Birthday GIVEAWAY~

***Comments are now closed and a winner will be announced Monday AM (7/27). Thanks to all who entered and sent sweet birthday messages to our daughter! ***

Our Sweet Pea is turning on in exactly TWO days...and I can hardly believe it's been ONE year since the day we first laid eyes on our precious baby girl. To celebrate, I have several blog posts/emails set to repost starting on the 24th. They are posts/emails we wrote while our Sweet Pea was in the hospital and they are bittersweet reminders of the Great God we serve and how He healed our baby girl. Also, I am working on a Scrapblog that I will post on Friday of Valerie's first year, so stay tuned for some great posts...and make sure to keep a Kleenex handy when you read them too...

I also have a GREAT giveaway for all my blog readers as a thank you for continuing to read my blog and for loving on our family in the past year. So...without further ado...

To celebrate our Sweet Pea's first birthday, I am giving away TWO prizes:

Custom Made-to-Order Fabric Ball


AND

Custom Made-to-Order Crayon Caddy

I made several of each as party favors for all the little kids coming to celebrate Valerie's birthday on Saturday. I'm excited with how they turned out. Valerie especially loves her fabric ball and has been practicing throwing it back and forth to mommy or daddy already...and screaming with excitement each time she successfully throws it to one of us. She is just too sweet for words!

To enter, simply leave a Happy Birthday message for our Sweet Pea in the comments. I am going to print all these messages out to add to her scrapbook so she can enjoy them all when she is older. (Note: If you are having trouble leaving a comment, try opening up my blog in Firefox instead of Internet Explorer. For some reason, Explorer has some issues with blogger. If you still can't get it to work, email me or send me a Facebook message so I can add your entry to the comment section for you.)

Extra entries: (Please leave a SEPARATE comment for each extra entry.)

1. Post about this giveaway on your blog. Leave the URL for the specific blog post in the comments.

2. Follow me on Twitter AND tweet about this giveaway: "@Mom2Valerie - Win a Crayon Caddy or Fabric Ball to celebrate Valerie's 1st Birthday: www.tjsmhanesfamily.blogspot.com". Leave the permalink for your tweet in the comments.

3. If you don't have a blog, but are my friend on Facebook, leave a status or note message about this giveaway and leave a comment here letting me know about it.

4. Follow my blog publicly OR subscribe to my blog via email. (See the sidebar for either of these options.) Leave a comment letting me know which one you did or already do.

5. Order something from my Etsy shop for THREE extra entries!

The giveaway will be open until Sunday, July 26th at 9:00 pm CST and the winner will be announced by Monday morning, July 27th.

One Year Photo Shoot

One of the high school girl's at our church has recently taken up photography and has already developed quite the talent. I have been so impressed with pictures she's posted on Facebook, so I asked her if she would be willing to do Valerie's one year photos. She was more than willing to and I am SO glad she was.

Go here to view the rest. Christine has two years left of high school and then wants to pursue photography in college after spending a year at a bible college. I can't wait to see how she uses the talents God has blessed her with! Thank you so much, Christine!