Friday, March 20, 2009

Going Home.....Again....

It seems as though Carter is ready to go home!! While we are a bit nervous to take him home, it will be great to have the family home again. I miss my babies.

Today they did an echo cardiogram on Carter, and his heart did have some minor abnormalities. He has a small hole between the upper chambers of his heart, which is totally normal for an infant his age. He also has a tiny amount of fluid in the sac around the heart, but it is not enough to worry about. There is a little thickening of the muscle in the left atrium and left ventricle, and the left ventricle is a little enlarged. All of these things, however, are not contributing to his recent situation. However, he will have another echo in a year. The cardiologist, overall, has a low index of worry and therefore so do I.

Last night I watched the movie Role Models, and laughed a LOT. I needed it. Tonight I hope to catch up on Grey's Anatomy. I haven't seen the last few episodes, and I want to see how this Izzy drama is going.....

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

What the poop?

Yeah, so one thing about motherhood that I never expected: Conversations about poop. I can't tell you how many of them I have a day! Furthermore, I can't believe how many of them are funny. I am growing to love poop stories. Ahhh....motherhood!

So, I am still here in Omaha with Carter. Kevin went back to Sioux City today...someone has to work to pay the bills.

Carter continues to have episodes of slowed (or stopped) breathing. Today he went 24 seconds without breathing, and once again it scared the poop out of me. I am supposed to wait 10 seconds before stimulating him (patting him, moving him, etc to get him to breath again) to see if he self corrects. He didn't, which means it is going to be more time here in the hospital. We are no longer in the ICU, but his condition is still pretty serious. I don't sleep much, but when I do it is filled with dreams of monitors and alarms. The doctors have decided to hold off on doing more tests until after Carter is over influenza. They do think something else might be at hand, other than the reflux. I just wish we knew what was going on with my little boy.

Even though Carter's health has it's terrifying moments, you wouldn't know it between episodes! He is adorable, and loves to smile at the nurses! He isn't fussy at all, which is amazing considering all the doctors, med students, and others coming in to see him all the time.

Yesterday was my original due date for the babies. I can't believe that they should just be being born now. Thank goodness they didn't make it that long. I would have been galactic! Lily is still the smallest at 7 pounds some ounces, but Seth now takes the lead at 8 pounds 11 ounces. Holy cow!

Well, I better try to get some rest before the 2am feeding comes along...

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Carter Update

Still Auntie Sarah reporting...

The doctor in Omaha has seen Carter and says that the crazy heartrate stuff is directly related to the Influenza. His nasal passages are swollen, so he isn't getting all the oxygen that he needs, so then the heart slows down. They have him on a little bit of oxygen to help him out. So far so good! The doctor does not feel that he is critical, so though they are keeping him in the PICU for now, they plan on moving him into a regular room soon. So overall, good news!

On the homefront... over the course of the day, all the babies have run low temps. We have been giving them a bit of Tylenol and some Pedialyte. Needless to say, we are all a little freaked that they may "pull a Carter." We are keeping a close eye on them and doing our best while mom and dad are away. Grandma Deb and Great Aunt Christy are on their way to help with the overnight shift with the babies. Grandpa Rick and myself are headed back to Algona when they get here. There are 3 little girls there who think they need their mommy too.

Please continue praying for Carter and the rest of the Malm Family!

Thank you,
Sarah

Prayers Needed for Carter

Auntie Sarah reporting.

Last night Carter started having a little trouble. At his 1am feeding, he refused his bottle, then his heart monitor began to go off. Jessica and Kevin did the stuff they knew to do, which involves stimulating him and shaking him a bit. Just when the monitor got quiet, it would start up again. They were not able to keep his heart beating regularly, so they called 911. The abulance took him to St. Lukes in Sioux City. They hooked him up to more "stuff" and ran some tests. He tested positive for Influenza A. They think it may be related to the instability of his heart rate. They do know that it is not being caused by acid reflux as it had been in the past. The doctors decided that he needed to go to the Children's Hospital in Omaha. They were going to take him by helicopter, but there was fog in OMaha, so the hosipital in Omaha sent an abulance instead. The crew from Omaha arrived about 8:45am. They decided to give him a little oxygen and when they did this, his heart rate did stablize a little. Before that, if he would relax or fall asleep, his heart rate would drop and they would need to shake him to get it back on track.

Kevin and Jessica and Grandma Deb followed the ambulance to Omaha, while Grandpa Rick and I went to the house to help with the rest of the crew.

Please pray for little Carter (I say little, but he weighed in at 8lb 9oz this morning!) and Jessica and Kevin. We need safe travel for them all as well a quick recovery. Life is better when they are all at home!

Stay tuned, we will keep you all posted.

Sarah

Monday, March 2, 2009
















These are pictures of Carter, Lily, Cousin Emily and Logan, Cousins Ally and Jenny with Seth, one day's worth of bottles.
You know, I don't even really have much to say at the moment, but I just wanted to share some new pictures. :)
Uncle Rod has been working hard to get some assistance for our babies, and so he and Uncle Brian put together a website dedicated to our family. Check it out....it looks way cooler than my blog. www.siouxcityfabfour.org
I am in need of help during the daytime, so if you know of anyone who could come and help me feed the babies at 7:00 am, 11:00 am, or 3:00 pm, please share their name and info with me. Meal time is always a handful...or FOUR!
I want to give a shout out to those who have helped out with the babies and stayed overnights:
Mom, Mary, John, Aunt Denise, Aunt Paula, Aunt Marilyn, Uncle Brian, Uncle Mark, Grandpa La Fleur, Aunt Julie, Cousins Jenny, Michael, and Emily, Aunt Terese, Cousins Danielle and Dane. You are our special angels...
Unfortunately, Grey's Anatomy has not been making it into our schedule lately. I need to catch up severely, but most of my free time is spent washing bottles, doing laundry, or sleeping! I hope they get that Izzy thing taken care of.....