2015

Wow, I just realized how long it has been since I posted last on the boys. Our lives continue to be hectic, crazy busy. It seems like most every other week  any more that we are at our amazing children's hospital with Jacob. Next week we are back their for 2 appointment's one with one of his regular clinics and one with one of the new clinic's that we have added to Jacob's medical team. He has so many doctor's their at children's and they are all amazing. Since we are in RSV/Flu season we have to take extra procautions with Jacob because of his lungs. Unfortunately those extra procautions weren't enough last week and he landed in the hospital with the Flu, croup and bronchialites. He was a pretty sick little guy. He also has a new diagnosis that we have known for quiet some time that was very possibly and it is Cerebal palsy.
All of the clinic's that Jacob see's right nww are all on the same page with his diagnosis and we will continue to strive for the best for Jacob no matter what it takes. We have an amazing medical team at Children's. Unfortunately our pediatrician here in our local town sucks and his nurses are rudiciulous and when they say that they will call you back they won't. Jacob has an appt with his tomorrow and I will not be nice to the nurse because when I called yesterday she told me she would call me back and she never called me back. It goes same day same story with the ped's office.
Sorry if I am a debbie downer today I have lost my trust in some people especially in DH's best friend who was in our wedding we had an earlier situation today that just makes me sick to my stomach thinking about it. He had come over earlier this morning to see the boys and I and then while I was gone running a few errands with out the boys my mom was here, the jerk supposedly lost his wallet here and stole some stuff from us. We found the evidence in our bathroom. The cops were called and a report was taken.

medical conditions of our boys

I wanted to write this story for all my fellow SAIF ladies that haven't followed our story. Jacob Alan and Joe Robert were due to be born November 15th 2013, but they arrived 12 weeks early on August 31st, 2013. I had pre-E and HELLP syndrome, along with gestational diabetes, along with pre-term labor that led me to be hospitalized several times. Jacob Alan and Joe Robert being that they were 29 weekers, that spent 3 months in the NICU at Baptist Med Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. We live 3 hours from Little Rock and that became our temporary home. Little Rock is still our temporary home. When ever we travel we have to take a nebulizer with us, inhalers and just one separate bag for medical supplies. We always keep a bag packed in our car for appt's with extra supplies.

 Jacob had 2 brain bleeds and 1 PVL. He has chronic lung disease, has a very mild case of cerebral palsy, has dysphagia to were everything he takes has to be thickened to honey consistency, had 2 bi lateral hydrocele's and bi lateral hernia's, has reflux, he has plagiocephaly, and torticollis. He also get's blocked tear ducts.  Jacob is constantly in and out of the hospital. Jacob keeps both Bobby and I very busy. He has several different specialists ranging from Neurology, pulmonary, ENT, Helmet clinic, urology, eye clinic and so many other clinic's and specialists. Jacob was on a vent for a month, he has home health, he get's monthly RSV shot's from November to March. Jacob also has had 6 blood transfusions and 1 platelet transfusion. Jacob's hospitalizations are anything from bronchiliotis, to flu, to dehydration, to weight loss.


Joe: was on a vent for 3 weeks, he has chronic lung disease, he has reflux, had 10 ear infections before he got his tubes in. Joe see's a few specialists but not as many as Jacob. Joe also get's monthly RSV shot's.

God has truly blessed Bobby and I to be their parent's and I am not saying it has been easy it has been very hard, frustrating and emotionally, stressful, being their parent's. We would do what ever we would have to do to make sure our boys are happy.

updates

So were has the last 2 months go: We have been super duper crazy busy. Our boys turned "1" at the end of August and had a great birthday party. We have had many trips back and forth to LR and are at least home for about 2 weeks before our next trip. On the 22nd both boys will be having PE tubes put in for recurrent ear infections. Joe will be getting his adenoids out and Jacob will be having 2 different scopes done, which he will most likely be kept overnight just to make sure everything looks good since he does have lung issues and had a rough time with his last surgery. Tomorrow I am having shoulder surgery my 2nd one in less than 3 years. Both boys love playing with each other. We have lot's of people ask how we manage dealing with two kids with medical issues we just make it work yes, their are times were we struggle, but we are doing this because our boys depend on us so much. We often make trips to LR and it has become our 2nd home and we have made some amazing friends and so if we have a spare minute while we are their we always make an effort to see them.

Joe: is mister talkative, he is taking 10 steps and is getting in to everything, he has had 9 ear infections, sleeps the majority of the night thru, eat's baby food and drinks milk and is totally off formula.

Jacob: is doing really good, he just started learning how to sit up on his own, he is mister rolly polly, sleeps thru the night, had an ER visit, eat's a tiny bit of baby food, and drinks formula. He is on ear infection #4.
                                                                        Joe Robert

                                                                       Jacob Alan

12 months and updates

As I sit here on this beautiful August night, Jacob is sound asleep in his crib and Joe is sitting beside me drinking his bed time bottle, my rock star hubby is doing some work stuff and watching the St. Louis Cardinal game. I am sitting here also glancing at the Cardinal game and just thinking about how the last year has changed our lives. Our handsome boys in just a few short weeks will be "1" how can that evenly be possibly. Our lives keep us constantly busy. It seems like no days are the same. We have made many trips to LR which has become our second home the last few weeks. We have "1" more trip their for August and then we are done til the 19th of September.

Lets get on the boys and how they are doing:

Joe is doing great, has 4 teeth, crawls everywere and is really pulling himself up on anything and everything. his favorite words are mama and dada. We have been sleep training him and he won't sleep in his crib only his pack and play in the guest bedroom. He is trying to stand un assisted. He has had 5 ear infections. Joe also will be getting speech therapy since he has mild dysphagia.

Jacob: is finally gaining weight. He keeps us plenty busy with many medical appt's. Jacob has had tonsilitis the last 2 weeks and was getting 1 weeks worth of rocphen shots. We did those as a procautionary thing since Jacob has a history of respiratory distress syndrome. He has been in his rock star helmet about 2 months now. He is starting to try and sit up and crawl. He get's PT, OT, Speech therapy since he has really bad dysphagia, and has a developmental therapist.

I still can't believe that almost a year ago I gave birth to our miracles. Bob and I are doing great. It seems like we never slow down. Please continue to say a prayer for all the kids in the NICU's all over as we know it isn't an easy journey and I would be lieing if I said it was easy because it is not. But we are so blessed.

last week of the boys being 8 months

Here's what we did at 8 month's : We had our 1 week inpatient stay at ACH, we got to meet our handsome sweet nephew Logan who hammed it up for me, we got to say "Happy Mother's Day" to mommy and then we got to spend Memorial day weekend with our granny and papa. Life keeps us plenty busy. Jacob also made 2 ER visit's this month one to our local BS hospital for respiratory distress and then one to ACH for Jacob's bi-lateral hydrocele. We also got to stop in to the NICU and see everyone and give some families some encouragement when they needed it the most. We also got to stop in and see mommy's Wonderful OB Dr. Kevin Breniman who mommy has chosen if she does get pregnant again. Jacob also got fitted for a rock star helmet which we get next week, it's camo colored and then my mom is painting Jacob's name on it. Joe also is crawling at full speed, and has 2 teeth and is eating baby food 3 times a day. 

Here is our handsome nephew Logan

Here we are the first week of May!

Some of our amazing NICU team. These people are simply amazing and I truely believe they are the reason why Jacob is here today. They have a very hard job. We Love you all. In this pic is Kristina, Reecie and Dr. Z!

Mommy had to take a pic of us right before we headed to granny's for Memorial Day

This next month we will: get to meet our auntie Jennifer, and cousins, our auntie Jeannie and John, and cousin, go out on the boat, and get to see some more family and play

On Saturday the boys turn "9" months. The next week is plenty busy with many medical appt's starting tomorrow morning with Jacob seeing our ENT doc for his swallowing issues and then seeing our amazing new ped who I have tons of questions for since it still seems as if he is aspirating even with thickened feeds and who we see for his chronic lung disease, on Wednesday we have home health and I have a PT  appt for my shoulder, Thursday my mother in law and I will be heading to LR to meet with Jacob's urologist about his bi-lateral hydrocele which was repaired in February and has come back and so he will most likely be scheduling surgery soon on it and then Friday I have an appt with a foot doctor. 

Update on our week and Jacob

Jacob Alan Davidson

is such a trouble maker. Both boys were in the hospital last week with bronchilios and then both got to go home last Wednesday which was great. But come Friday Jacob wanted to be the trouble maker and decided to give mommy and daddy a few scares and so we took him back to our local crappy ER and they sent us home, come Saturday morning things weren't going well and I was on the phone with our care team by 7:30 or 8:00 and was told to take him back to the ER and so Bob and I did and at that point I asked for the transfer to ACH. That was Saturday and today and most likely for the rest of the week we will be inpatient here at ACH. Jacob is doing okay, he has a TPT tube in which is his feeding tube, he most likely will be going home on a feeding tube not sure yet if it will be a G-tube or TPT tube. Jacob lost 1.4 pounds in 3 days which isn't a good thing. We love our medical team lead by our amazing pulmonologist (Dr. Morris). Jacob will be coming off caffeine tonight and so they are going to be watching him extra carefully the next few days. I can't believe my little miracles will be 8 months old tomorrow. Jacob still has a long way to go. This too shall pass with time. Jacob has chronic lung disease and keeps going in to respiratory distress syndrome. Hug your babies a little tighter today and give them extra kisses.

~7 month update~

Wow, were does time fly Jacob and Joe hit 7 month old on March 31st

Jacob~ weighs in at 13 lbs 9 oz. He has been my trouble maker that past few weeks. 2 weeks ago we saw his urologist who we love and while we were in triage he was running a fever of 100.5 while it's not that concerning to his medical team this momma is always concerned when it comes to Jacob. I called his ped's office and they said to just watch him and so I did and by Tuesday his fever was 101.6 and so I took him in to get checked out and he diagnosed him with bronchilotis and so he gave him antibiotics and steroids. He was a sick little guy. By Thursday the whole family was sick and I had been talking to his pulmonolgist who I love also and so she told me to take him in on Friday and so I did and he was immediately admitted. They tested for RSV and that came back negative and by Saturday things weren't going well and so I requested Jacob be transferred to ACH by ambulance and so he was. It turns out my little fighter who is stronger beyond words had the flu and was so dehydrated. I am so thankful to some amazing friends that gave me strength, encouragement and lent me an ear to vent to while making the decisions for Jacob. Jacob rolled over for the first time yesterday. He is also still on the apnea monitor and will be most likely til June or July.

Joe~ weighs in at about 16 lbs. He loves to be played with and is sitting up by him self and is rolling all over the place. He is also sleeping thru the night. It's nice for him to be off his apnea monitor. He is also holding his own bottle. He loves playing in the bath and loves to splish and splash. 

Bob and I~ are doing well and keeping busy. If all goes well we plan to start IVF # 3 in October or November. We are taking the month of June off from Little Rock trips as we will be plenty busy with our families coming in. The boys will have their big baptism ceremony while our families are here. 

May will be a busy month, as we have birthday's, memorial day with the Davidson's, at least 1 big little rock trip for both boys at ACH, doing my consult for IVF #3, visiting all the aunties in the NICU at Baptist.