Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
We have great news to share. Over the past few months, Andrew has had several procedures to clear his airway of skin growth (granulomas) by using a laser to graph them out. The first was back at the end of March. We had a follow-up procedure to see how the first surgery went that turned into another surgery when the doctor discovered the airway was still blocked with granulomas. Finally, we had another follow-up procedure a few weeks ago that only lasted twenty minutes where the doctor discovered the airway was clear and there were no further obstructions. The doctor ordered a capped sleep study that Andrew did last week. We went to a sleep institute, and Andrew was loaded up with wires and probes. Needless to say, it was a rough night. Andrew was up a lot and very upset with the equipment he had to wear. If he passed the exam, the doctors where going to clear him to have his trach taken out, but after the rough night we had, we thought we might have to repeat the test. The great news came today. The doctor's office called and said that Andrew did great during the sleep study. We'll be scheduling to have his trach removed very soon. Our two doctors (pulmonolgist and ENT) need to confer on who will do the procedure. We're praising God! Thank you all for your prayers and support during this time, and we look forward to the next chapter in our lives.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Andrew's surgery went very well today. The doctor discovered a granuloma, which is a skin growth that forms around the hole in his throat where the trach is placed. The skin growth had moved into his trachea and was blocking a majority of his airway, so that is why he couldn't breathe naturally. The doctor lasered the growth out, and Andrew is spending the night in the ICU as a precaution. We feel this is the beginning of the end to Andrew having a trach. Praise God.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Well, well. Where have we been? Nine long months have gone by. We've seen a new baby come to our family, a new job for Kevin, and a new minivan. Let's get you caught up.
Charles Mark Peet was born on November 9, 2011. There were no complications. He was 6lbs. 9oz and 19 3/4 inches long. He did spend a few hours in the NICU to be observed by our wonderful staff that cared for the triplets. He had a slight grunting and his heart rate was erratic. It was totally precautionary, but it was great to see the staff. Andrew's primary nurse from his NICU stay "caught" Charley when he was born. It was very special. He is completely different than the triplets. He's growing fast and has lots of baby fat on him. He's also sleeping through the night for about 9-10 hours. Tara's very grateful. He has a wonderful giggle and is an extremely happy baby.
The triplets are doing really well. Adelaide, Mattie and Andrew are jabbering all the time. All of them have attended speech therapy. Andrew's been with a therapist for awhile now, and Adelaide and Mattie have been going for about a month. Adelaide just "tested out" and doesn't have to go back. Miss Mattie will continue once a week until she tests out. They're all normal toddlers: climbing, getting into things, throwing tantrums, playing, running, falling, walking, tripping, etc. Our house seems to be in a constant state of noise and destruction until everyone goes to sleep. Then the fairies (mom and dad) come in and clean and straighten. We haven't been out much with the kids. Until recently, our vehicles couldn't fit our entire family. We now have a minivan that seats 8. No, we're not having any more children. We've also been careful to keep everyone sequestered during cold and flu season because of Andrew's condition.
Andrew still has his trach and feeding button. We were hoping to have the trach taken out last summer, but none of the doctors even mentioned it. We have never been able to cap Andrew's trach to force him to breathe through his mouth and nose. When we cap it, Andrew panics and turns purple. This is a crucial step to train him to breathe on his own and get the trach removed. The doctors feel there is some blockage or something hindering inside his natural trach. Andrew is having a procedure/scope tomorrow where they will put him under and see what is going on inside. We're praying for an answer and solution, so we can move forward. Andrew is doing better on his feeds. He's actually moved along quite well for a kid who has a small tube down the back of his throat at all times. He still takes a bottle of formula, but has been eating stage 3 baby food. He's recently started eating pureed versions of our dinner. He's so brave and willing to try it, but he has trouble with textures and trying to swallow the small chunks. He's still a slow grower, but we're trying our best to put as many calories in him as possible. He's a few pounds lighter than Adelaide.
Kevin spent a year working in sales. He sold home security systems, which is pretty challenging. The whole year was challenging, but God provided everything that we needed. Kevin was working 6 days a week for the home security company. During the fall, Kevin worked a few freelance jobs in video production and was given the opportunity to go to China and India for a video. The timing of the job was just what we needed, and we knew it was a blessing from God. Tara was strained during the time Kevin was gone, but she set her mind to what needed to happen and did a great job of covering while Kevin was working. Our families helped out and came up to help Tara. We've been blessed with amazing family members. While Kevin was overseas, he was contacted by our church to come on staff as the Video Production Manager. We were so excited when the opportunity came up. Kevin accepted the position and has been in his new job since March 1.
Praises
The birth of Charley.
Growth and development.
Kevin's new job.
Our new minivan.
God's provision over the last year.
God's blessing after blessing.
Prayers
Protection for Andrew during the procedure.
An answer to why he can't breathe on his own.
Andrew would learn to chew and swallow (we're waiting on acceptance to a feeding program).
Skill and wisdom for the doctor.
Mattie's speech would improve.
Charles Mark Peet was born on November 9, 2011. There were no complications. He was 6lbs. 9oz and 19 3/4 inches long. He did spend a few hours in the NICU to be observed by our wonderful staff that cared for the triplets. He had a slight grunting and his heart rate was erratic. It was totally precautionary, but it was great to see the staff. Andrew's primary nurse from his NICU stay "caught" Charley when he was born. It was very special. He is completely different than the triplets. He's growing fast and has lots of baby fat on him. He's also sleeping through the night for about 9-10 hours. Tara's very grateful. He has a wonderful giggle and is an extremely happy baby.
The triplets are doing really well. Adelaide, Mattie and Andrew are jabbering all the time. All of them have attended speech therapy. Andrew's been with a therapist for awhile now, and Adelaide and Mattie have been going for about a month. Adelaide just "tested out" and doesn't have to go back. Miss Mattie will continue once a week until she tests out. They're all normal toddlers: climbing, getting into things, throwing tantrums, playing, running, falling, walking, tripping, etc. Our house seems to be in a constant state of noise and destruction until everyone goes to sleep. Then the fairies (mom and dad) come in and clean and straighten. We haven't been out much with the kids. Until recently, our vehicles couldn't fit our entire family. We now have a minivan that seats 8. No, we're not having any more children. We've also been careful to keep everyone sequestered during cold and flu season because of Andrew's condition.
Andrew still has his trach and feeding button. We were hoping to have the trach taken out last summer, but none of the doctors even mentioned it. We have never been able to cap Andrew's trach to force him to breathe through his mouth and nose. When we cap it, Andrew panics and turns purple. This is a crucial step to train him to breathe on his own and get the trach removed. The doctors feel there is some blockage or something hindering inside his natural trach. Andrew is having a procedure/scope tomorrow where they will put him under and see what is going on inside. We're praying for an answer and solution, so we can move forward. Andrew is doing better on his feeds. He's actually moved along quite well for a kid who has a small tube down the back of his throat at all times. He still takes a bottle of formula, but has been eating stage 3 baby food. He's recently started eating pureed versions of our dinner. He's so brave and willing to try it, but he has trouble with textures and trying to swallow the small chunks. He's still a slow grower, but we're trying our best to put as many calories in him as possible. He's a few pounds lighter than Adelaide.
Kevin spent a year working in sales. He sold home security systems, which is pretty challenging. The whole year was challenging, but God provided everything that we needed. Kevin was working 6 days a week for the home security company. During the fall, Kevin worked a few freelance jobs in video production and was given the opportunity to go to China and India for a video. The timing of the job was just what we needed, and we knew it was a blessing from God. Tara was strained during the time Kevin was gone, but she set her mind to what needed to happen and did a great job of covering while Kevin was working. Our families helped out and came up to help Tara. We've been blessed with amazing family members. While Kevin was overseas, he was contacted by our church to come on staff as the Video Production Manager. We were so excited when the opportunity came up. Kevin accepted the position and has been in his new job since March 1.
Praises
The birth of Charley.
Growth and development.
Kevin's new job.
Our new minivan.
God's provision over the last year.
God's blessing after blessing.
Prayers
Protection for Andrew during the procedure.
An answer to why he can't breathe on his own.
Andrew would learn to chew and swallow (we're waiting on acceptance to a feeding program).
Skill and wisdom for the doctor.
Mattie's speech would improve.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Saturday, June 25
It's been almost three months since our last posting. Time is completely flying by in our life. We some times feel we're in "survival" mode. Just doing enough to get through the day. Tara has been very busy with the babies as they are all really active. Kevin has been working at his new job in home security and working lots of hours. Trying to update the blog has been difficult, so some of our news will be delayed.
First, we are expecting again. Surprise! We are expecting baby #4 in November. We go next week to find out the sex. Of course, we would be blessed with anything God give us, but a boy would be great to even out the field (from Kevin).
Adelaide is doing great. She's walking all over and talking more. She gets into everything and seems to be the boss of everyone. She's turning into a great kid with a funny sense of humor.
Mattie is also doing well. She's just now getting her feet under her and doing more walking. She walks very deliberately when she wants to. She's been talking some and loves to help Tara with the piles of laundry we have in the house. She also does a great job of picking up toys.
Andrew has been weaned off the ventilator. Praise God! He does require some oxygen overnight, but hasn't been on the vent since May. We had a great three day stay in the hospital to wean him off, and he responded well. He has been sick lately with a lot of mucus in his stomach, so his oxygen needs have gone up. Recently, we have found small amounts of blood in his trach, but the doctor doesn't seem concerned. He says that it's similar to blood in your sinuses when you're sick. Unfortunately, it looks like he will not be getting the trach out in late summer, and most likely, will have to wait until next spring. The doctor will not want to take it out during cold and flu season. Andrew, like Mattie, has started walking more and more. He's quick as a whip.
Praise
The blessing of baby #4
Andrew being weaned off ventilator.
Mattie and Andrew walking.
All the babies catching up developmentally.
Prayer
Andrew's health. That his cold would go away and that the mucus would lessen.
Andrew's oxygen needs going down.
Andrew would improve on his speaking valve. This is a determining factor in getting the trach out.
Kevin's job would provide what the family needs.
Rest and strength for Tara as she cares for toddlers and carries our #4.
First, we are expecting again. Surprise! We are expecting baby #4 in November. We go next week to find out the sex. Of course, we would be blessed with anything God give us, but a boy would be great to even out the field (from Kevin).
Adelaide is doing great. She's walking all over and talking more. She gets into everything and seems to be the boss of everyone. She's turning into a great kid with a funny sense of humor.
Mattie is also doing well. She's just now getting her feet under her and doing more walking. She walks very deliberately when she wants to. She's been talking some and loves to help Tara with the piles of laundry we have in the house. She also does a great job of picking up toys.
Andrew has been weaned off the ventilator. Praise God! He does require some oxygen overnight, but hasn't been on the vent since May. We had a great three day stay in the hospital to wean him off, and he responded well. He has been sick lately with a lot of mucus in his stomach, so his oxygen needs have gone up. Recently, we have found small amounts of blood in his trach, but the doctor doesn't seem concerned. He says that it's similar to blood in your sinuses when you're sick. Unfortunately, it looks like he will not be getting the trach out in late summer, and most likely, will have to wait until next spring. The doctor will not want to take it out during cold and flu season. Andrew, like Mattie, has started walking more and more. He's quick as a whip.
Praise
The blessing of baby #4
Andrew being weaned off ventilator.
Mattie and Andrew walking.
All the babies catching up developmentally.
Prayer
Andrew's health. That his cold would go away and that the mucus would lessen.
Andrew's oxygen needs going down.
Andrew would improve on his speaking valve. This is a determining factor in getting the trach out.
Kevin's job would provide what the family needs.
Rest and strength for Tara as she cares for toddlers and carries our #4.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Saturday April 9, 2011
It has been almost two months since our last posting. With a new job for Kevin, and the babies becoming more active, it's been very difficult to keep up with the updates. We had a really bad month of March, but everything is better now. To catch you up, Andrew aspirated on March 9th while he was sleeping during a feed. Tara and Kevin had just laid down to go to bed when we heard Andrew's alarms going off. When we went into check, our night nurse and the orientee nurse were over Andrew pumping oxygen into him. He had sat up, burped, and inhaled at the same time. He turned blue and was unresponsive. We called 911, and the nurses worked on Andrew for several minutes. We changed out is trach and by the time the first responders arrived, Andrew's color had returned. We took him to Children's Medical Center, and he spent two days there for observation. He had fluid in his upper right lobe. The antibiotic that they put him on gave him a full body rash after the dose was done. What a surprise. Andrew followed that with a double ear infection. On top of that, all three babies contracted RSV. Luckily, they had been taking shots to lessen the effects of RSV, so none of the babies required a hospital stay. They sounded and looked awful for several days. Also in March, we found a home for our dog, Belle. She now lives in Albuquerque with a 69 year old widower and a chihuahua named Poo-poo. We've heard some wonderful stories about her new life, and we're thankful she's in such a good situation. We are all heartbroken that she's no longer our dog. Adelaide is starting to take her first steps without assistance. She stands for several minutes by herself as well. We have found Adelaide several times sitting in a rocking chair or living room chair unassisted. She had a great checkup at her 15 month appointment. She's very good at repeating words. Her vocabulary is expanding. In addition, Adelaide has choreographed several new dance moves. Mattie has been crawling on hands and knees for several weeks now. She walks along our sofa or uses several rolling toys as support to walk around. Mattie said, "mama, up, up!" the other day. She has the most teeth of any of the babies and has perfected the slap. She's very feisty and gets into slap fights with Adelaide over toys. Andrew is doing very well on his bottle feeds. Finally! He had been struggling since the doctor changed his formula. As we now look back, we believe Andrew's ear infection and RSV really affected his eating. There were times when he would only take 5-10ml of formula and fight us the entire time. Andrew walks assisted and really flies around with the rolling toys. Andrew is up to 17lbs. and will hopefully have a three day stay in the hospital to wean him off his vent at the end of the month. Andrew has excelled at chasing things on the floor. He will chase you around the furniture with a banshee yell. Praise Kevin started a new job in February with ADT Security. We're very thankful that he found a job with good benefits. All the babies made it through RSV. God's protection over Andrew during his aspiration. Andrew's improved feeding. Mobile babies. A wonderful new home for Belle. Fantastic nurses. Prayer Andrew's feeding continues to improve. Andrew's weight gain. Vent clinic visit would lead to a weaning of the vent. Continued protection of the babies. Wisdom in the purchase of a car that will fit our whole family. God's provision through Kevin's job.
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