I'm pretty sure you will have to go to the blog website to view this, if you're reading this in your email. =)
Mia is doing really well! Everybody is amazed with how much more active she is and it's so exciting to see how much she's progressing!!
Enjoy this video from 2 days ago. She's just playing in her crib. =) Usually when we call to see how she's doing towards the end of the P.M. shift (just before 11pm), either Mia is asleep, or the nurse says that she's wide away, just playing with her toys in her crib. When she's playing, this is what she's doing. =)
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!
Blessed more than we deserve,
Rachael, Robert, Mercedes and Mia
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Happy Thanks Giving!
Hi All,
Rachael is open in oregeon for a family wedding so it's Mercedes, my mom, and myself holding things down for the weekend. It's been pretty chaotic for the last few weeks. LOT's of stuff going on and it never seems like we have any time to slow down.
My new job is going very well, and I'm really happy to finally be out of Sacramento finally! My new co-workers and I are getting along great, everyone does their job and helps each other out as needed. It is unknown how long I will be able to work at San Jose State as an ROTC instructor. I think for sure, I should have two full years but there has been discussion about how to make that longer if necessary. The big issues with staying to long in one spot is it will affect my long term career with the military.
In addition to everything going on, I have started my masters in science degree in Space Studies through online correspondence. I have dragged my feet for some time in getting my masters but in order for me to promote to my next rank it's almost a requirement. So far my studies have been a lot of reading, thankfully it is actually interesting reading for me as it's basically a review of my undergrad degree in Aerospace Engineering. At times I'm a little overwhelmed that I have two years of this to go, but it will be worth it in the end I suppose. At the very least... it will be a big boost to my hirability should I need to get out of the Air Force.
Mercedes is no longer a little toddler but now a full fledged little girl! She keeps Rachael and I very busy with all of her little doings and activities. For the most part she has been very good at dealing with our crazy life. Rachael has been going through pre-school stuff with her and she really loves to do all of the activities. She even likes to do them on Saturday if we let her! Our big goal is to get her reading on her own so that she can be reading books on her own. She has a great imagination and it will be fun to open up all sorts of different worlds to her through books.
Moving on to Mia, she has been doing well lately. She seemed to be having a small cold a few days ago but it looks like she might be over it. The vent weaning has been really slow so far. Each time she starts to make some good progress she ends up with a cold and they have to start all over again. At the current rate, it does not look like she will be getting off of the vent any time soon. There is still question if she will ever be able to get off the vent but that's something only time will be able to tell us. Aside from the vent stuff, her therapy seems to be progressing really well. She has lots of movement in all of her extremities, and she is able to hold her head up fairly well now. Now that she is able to control her head, I have now been working with her to try to get her to be able to hold herself up in a sitting position. So far she is doing pretty well, her core muscles are still pretty weak but there are times that you can feel her trying to prop herself up. She is also pretty much able to roll over now! The tubes from the vent get in the way so she still isn't able to fully transition but I think if she did not have the tubes she would probably be rolling all by herself now.
For anyone that is interested in visiting Mia please let us know! Knowing that Mia has other people visiting with her throughout the day helps us not be so stressed out about not being there as much as we would like. For those that are interested in visiting on a regular basis you could consider being a volunteer at the CRC. They are looking for people that would like to come in and hold baby's on a regular routine because many of the kids at the CRC have parents that are either uninvolved or they live to far away to visit every day. If you or someone you know has extra time on their hands and loves to interact with children then this could be a ministry opportunity. Just talk to Rachael and let her know you are interested and she can explain who you need to talk to at the CRC.
Finally, Rachael has been very busy between Mia, Mercedes and myself. We are enjoying being just a few minutes away from Mia but it is also taking it's toll on us physically, mentally, and emotionally. I think the biggest issue we deal with now is that we can't take time in the evening and relax at home because we feel like we should be with Mia for as much time as possible. By the time we do actually get home from visiting Mia it's usually past eight and we have to get Mercedes in bed. By the time we have time to relax and rest, it's usually past 9 and we have to go to bed to restart everything the next day. Considering this chaos, Rachael and I are looking at taking some time off together in order to recharge ourselves. Over the past two years, we have not taken a vacation and any time that I have taken off was because we were in the process of moving, un-packing, re-packing etc... After two years of this, I have so much vacation time built up that I need to start using it before I start losing it (Air Force only allows you to have 60 days of vacation stored up, beyond that you start losing the days). We are excited to be able to spend some much needed time on a relaxed schedule.
That's all of the updates I have for now. Thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers.
Robert
Rachael is open in oregeon for a family wedding so it's Mercedes, my mom, and myself holding things down for the weekend. It's been pretty chaotic for the last few weeks. LOT's of stuff going on and it never seems like we have any time to slow down.
My new job is going very well, and I'm really happy to finally be out of Sacramento finally! My new co-workers and I are getting along great, everyone does their job and helps each other out as needed. It is unknown how long I will be able to work at San Jose State as an ROTC instructor. I think for sure, I should have two full years but there has been discussion about how to make that longer if necessary. The big issues with staying to long in one spot is it will affect my long term career with the military.
In addition to everything going on, I have started my masters in science degree in Space Studies through online correspondence. I have dragged my feet for some time in getting my masters but in order for me to promote to my next rank it's almost a requirement. So far my studies have been a lot of reading, thankfully it is actually interesting reading for me as it's basically a review of my undergrad degree in Aerospace Engineering. At times I'm a little overwhelmed that I have two years of this to go, but it will be worth it in the end I suppose. At the very least... it will be a big boost to my hirability should I need to get out of the Air Force.
Mercedes is no longer a little toddler but now a full fledged little girl! She keeps Rachael and I very busy with all of her little doings and activities. For the most part she has been very good at dealing with our crazy life. Rachael has been going through pre-school stuff with her and she really loves to do all of the activities. She even likes to do them on Saturday if we let her! Our big goal is to get her reading on her own so that she can be reading books on her own. She has a great imagination and it will be fun to open up all sorts of different worlds to her through books.
Moving on to Mia, she has been doing well lately. She seemed to be having a small cold a few days ago but it looks like she might be over it. The vent weaning has been really slow so far. Each time she starts to make some good progress she ends up with a cold and they have to start all over again. At the current rate, it does not look like she will be getting off of the vent any time soon. There is still question if she will ever be able to get off the vent but that's something only time will be able to tell us. Aside from the vent stuff, her therapy seems to be progressing really well. She has lots of movement in all of her extremities, and she is able to hold her head up fairly well now. Now that she is able to control her head, I have now been working with her to try to get her to be able to hold herself up in a sitting position. So far she is doing pretty well, her core muscles are still pretty weak but there are times that you can feel her trying to prop herself up. She is also pretty much able to roll over now! The tubes from the vent get in the way so she still isn't able to fully transition but I think if she did not have the tubes she would probably be rolling all by herself now.
For anyone that is interested in visiting Mia please let us know! Knowing that Mia has other people visiting with her throughout the day helps us not be so stressed out about not being there as much as we would like. For those that are interested in visiting on a regular basis you could consider being a volunteer at the CRC. They are looking for people that would like to come in and hold baby's on a regular routine because many of the kids at the CRC have parents that are either uninvolved or they live to far away to visit every day. If you or someone you know has extra time on their hands and loves to interact with children then this could be a ministry opportunity. Just talk to Rachael and let her know you are interested and she can explain who you need to talk to at the CRC.
Finally, Rachael has been very busy between Mia, Mercedes and myself. We are enjoying being just a few minutes away from Mia but it is also taking it's toll on us physically, mentally, and emotionally. I think the biggest issue we deal with now is that we can't take time in the evening and relax at home because we feel like we should be with Mia for as much time as possible. By the time we do actually get home from visiting Mia it's usually past eight and we have to get Mercedes in bed. By the time we have time to relax and rest, it's usually past 9 and we have to go to bed to restart everything the next day. Considering this chaos, Rachael and I are looking at taking some time off together in order to recharge ourselves. Over the past two years, we have not taken a vacation and any time that I have taken off was because we were in the process of moving, un-packing, re-packing etc... After two years of this, I have so much vacation time built up that I need to start using it before I start losing it (Air Force only allows you to have 60 days of vacation stored up, beyond that you start losing the days). We are excited to be able to spend some much needed time on a relaxed schedule.
That's all of the updates I have for now. Thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers.
Robert
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Huge sigh of relief!
Having Mercedes' Whooping Test results within 48 hours didn't exactly happen. The people at the lab took longer than the doctor expected, but finally, this morning we found out that swab 1 came back negative for whooping cough (pertussis). I'm not sure what the swab 2 is testing for, but we should get those results Friday or Monday. We're so grateful that it's NOT whooping cough!! Hopefully it was just the common cold, but of course we can't take any chances with Mia's delicate situation.
If it is just a common cold that we had, Mia got hit hard with it. She hasn't been well at all since about Saturday. Yesterday, things got bad enough that Dr. Silva ordered a chest xray to see what was going on. Thankfully, the xray came back perfectly clear! The RT's have been incredible - they've been so on top of things suctioning her to keep her clear and doing vent changes to keep her co2 within range, giving extra breathing treatments to loosen all the junk in her lungs, etc. The nurses have been great, too.
On Monday, they did routine blood work, but yesterday, they did some extra blood work to test for other things to make sure she's okay... Results came back just an hour ago and Mia is positive for bronchitis. We are so grateful it's "only" bronchitis!!! We know it can still lead to other things and we know she can get better or worse, but we're so glad it's not anywhere near pneumonia-like or worse. =)
Mia got her first dose of antibiotics right now, and will get them for the next 7 days. Keep praying for her and the rest of our family. Mercedes still has a nasty sounding cough once in a while, but she's doing well. =)
Homeschooling is going well. I have to make sure Mercedes' attitude stays where it needs to be - gotta break that will, if we're going to get anything productive done!! She's stubborn just like her Mommy and Daddy. (More like her Daddy, though.) ;-)
We haven't seen Mia since Saturday, actually, I did sneak in to see her Monday night after my Bible study, and it was the sweetest thing. She was sleeping (it was almost 10pm) and I stood on the stool and was just admiring her beauty, and said "Hi my baby girl!! I miss you so much!! ......." and she heard my voice, woke up, turned towards me and moved around just a little bit, then got this totally peaceful look like "sigh, Mommy's here!" It was so sweet! =)
I can't to hold her again!
Rachael
If it is just a common cold that we had, Mia got hit hard with it. She hasn't been well at all since about Saturday. Yesterday, things got bad enough that Dr. Silva ordered a chest xray to see what was going on. Thankfully, the xray came back perfectly clear! The RT's have been incredible - they've been so on top of things suctioning her to keep her clear and doing vent changes to keep her co2 within range, giving extra breathing treatments to loosen all the junk in her lungs, etc. The nurses have been great, too.
On Monday, they did routine blood work, but yesterday, they did some extra blood work to test for other things to make sure she's okay... Results came back just an hour ago and Mia is positive for bronchitis. We are so grateful it's "only" bronchitis!!! We know it can still lead to other things and we know she can get better or worse, but we're so glad it's not anywhere near pneumonia-like or worse. =)
Mia got her first dose of antibiotics right now, and will get them for the next 7 days. Keep praying for her and the rest of our family. Mercedes still has a nasty sounding cough once in a while, but she's doing well. =)
Homeschooling is going well. I have to make sure Mercedes' attitude stays where it needs to be - gotta break that will, if we're going to get anything productive done!! She's stubborn just like her Mommy and Daddy. (More like her Daddy, though.) ;-)
We haven't seen Mia since Saturday, actually, I did sneak in to see her Monday night after my Bible study, and it was the sweetest thing. She was sleeping (it was almost 10pm) and I stood on the stool and was just admiring her beauty, and said "Hi my baby girl!! I miss you so much!! ......." and she heard my voice, woke up, turned towards me and moved around just a little bit, then got this totally peaceful look like "sigh, Mommy's here!" It was so sweet! =)
I can't to hold her again!
Rachael
Sunday, October 3, 2010
It's October already?
I can't believe how fast these months have flown by... and how big our girls are getting!! We almost have a 2 year old and 4 year old!! Now that's crazy!!
Mia's 3 hour appointment to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital turned into an outing of almost 6 hours from pick up to drop off, and borderline useless. Out of all the specialists we saw, the one who might have any sort of anything to go on is the Geneticist. He was the first who had the thought of Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia, so we researched it (we meaning Robert) and several months later, suggested to the Neurologist that it may be what Mia has. She agreed that it looked very similar and decided to go ahead and diagnose her with it for the time being.
I mentioned all this to the Geneticist, so he says he'll be emailing Mia's most recent MRI to a group who specializes in only Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia, and they'll be able to see whether or not she has it. If it looks like she does, then they'll do blood work (it can now be found via blood) to confirm. I'm going to be calling the Geneticist team this week to see if they've sent the MRI yet.
The main specialist that should have provided the most help was the Oral Surgeon. She was obviously not thinking clearly. From the last blog I mentioned Mia's mouth being very tight and there not being a whole lot of jaw movement. We showed this doctor Mia's limited jaw movement and she asked if Mia's eating anything by mouth. We told her no, because she can't open her mouth and that she gets everything through the g-tube. Her wonderful professional opinion was that once Mia is less dependent on the g-tube, then we can think about doing something with her mouth. I repeated what she said. Jay (the RT who went with us) repeated what she said. Robert repeated what she said, all making sure we understood her correctly and if that's really what we heard. To all of us, she said, yes. We're thinking, "Are you CRAZY?!" How in the WORLD is Mia supposed to be less dependent on the g-tube if she can't open her mouth to eat?? Yeah, we were less than happy. Oh, another thing this fine doctor said was that she wouldn't do any kind of surgery until Mia is full grown - around 16 or 17 YEARS old.
I came back to CRC and gave this insane recommendation to the Occupational Therapist that works with Mia on oral stimulation and taste tests, etc and she, too, thought it was crazy. But, all it did was push us to do what we can to help Mia. So, the next day (on my birthday!), Mia had some applesauce and LOVED it! She was so calm and content with no fighting of any kind. It was so cute to see!! They put blue dye in it so if Mia aspirated, blue would come out when suctioning the trach. If she actually swallowed it, it should show blue when checking the g-tube. Mia only had 1/2 a teaspoon of applesauce through an eye dropper and it never came out from the trach! It also never ended up all the way to her stomach, so it probably just wasn't enough to go that far, but either way, we were so happy! That was a happy birthday to me!!
Mercedes had her root canals done last Tuesday and I'll tell you what... having your child on your lap while the Anesthesiologist is putting her under? Not enjoyable. He walked us through with how Mercedes was going to act while getting knocked out and she did everything as expected, which is VERY hard on a Mom. =) Another thing that was very hard to see was Mercedes on a pulse/ox monitor. Obviously it's not unusual to see it, since I'm around it everyday, for the past almost 2 years with Mia, but seeing Mercedes on it? I knew she was fine, but knowing that both of my daughters were on it was hard. Mercedes came out of the procedure great, though her bursts of screaming and crying and kicking was about every other minute, then she'd be asleep again. Thankfully that only lasted during the car ride. Once we were home, I gave her her promised surprise and she was very happy to receive her very first Little Einstein's DVD. She watched that on my bed while having a popsicle until she was fully recovered. It took her 3 days to finally look at her new silver-capped molars, then while brushing her teeth and making silly faces in the mirror to see them, she proudly said, "I wuv my new siwver teef!!" And she truly does! She loves putting her fingers in her mouth to stretch her lips to show off her silver teeth! haha
Mercedes and I have been definitely keeping busy. She's now doing AWANA Cubbies at a near-by church along with her cousins and is loving it!! She got her book, vest and bag last Sunday and is so proud of them!
She loves doing her Preschool (meets every Tuesday morning) homework as well, and starting tomorrow, we'll be starting our homeschooling. That's definitely been keeping me very busy - and it hasn't even started yet!! It'll be fun - I'm pretty nervous, but I know once I get started, I'll love it and I'm sure Mercedes won't notice if I make a mistake here or there. She's so ready and willing to learn. It's wonderful. =)
Robert, Mercedes and I have been pretty consistent with waking up and going for a 4 mile walk in the mornings before he goes to work. We've gone for walks in the evenings, but I definitely prefer seeing the sunrise instead of it being totally dark when we come back.
With us being sick for the past few days, we hadn't gone for walks, but we definitely made up for it yesterday! We did an 8 mile walk yesterday morning to Vasona/Oak Meadow parks. It was a really nice walk! I woke up a little stiffer than usual today, but ... haha Mercedes had a great time since this time she was actually able to get out of the stroller and play on the Air Force jet they have there and go down the slides and swing. She's finally figuring out how to swing!! She's doing a great job!
You can keep us in prayer. A family that we're close to just found out that their kids were positive for Whooping Cough. After seeing them, we'd noticed that Mercedes seemed to be getting the sniffles, then it got a little stronger, and now it's a pretty strong and bad cough. As soon as I got the call that her kids are sick, I immediately called Mercedes doctor to see if she could be seen asap. They asked for her last name and when I said Adamis, the gal gasped and said "Oh, is she home now?!?" I told her no, but it's her big sister who's sick, so they got Mercedes an appointment an hour later since they don't want to risk getting Mia sick.
Nasal swabbing was no walk in the park for Mercedes. It took the nurse, myself and my Mom to hold Mercedes down. They got the two swabs they needed and if it comes back positive for Whooping Cough, we'll find out today. Either way, we'll hear from the doctor tomorrow. If it is positive we need to let CRC know right away so they can test Mia and put her in isolation. Mercedes' doctor isn't taking any chances, so she already put Mercedes on the medicine to treat Whooping Cough because she's worried about Mia. I love this doctor! Kimberly Pitts-Davis, for those of you in the SJ area!!
Right now, Mia is pretty sick. They've had to increase her breath rate from 14 to 22 to keep her c02 down, and she's requiring more oxygen to keep her sats up. She's super junky and we're just hoping it's only a cold that Robert and I had earlier this week and nothing more. Jay changed some orders so she's getting an extra breathing treatment to loosen secretions and they're doing it via IPV instead of the regular nebulizer treatments.
Robert is enjoying his new job and his boss and coworkers. We're very grateful that he was able to get this transfer. It's definitely what we all needed. Right now he's working the Salinas Air Show, kind of at the last minute because they needed someone. It kind of worked out anyway, since Mercedes and I are skipping church, Cubbies and 2 extended family functions today since we don't know if she's positive or negative.
Keep us in prayer!
Blessed,
Rachael
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| Dressed to impress!! My little doll... |
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| Riding in style! |
I mentioned all this to the Geneticist, so he says he'll be emailing Mia's most recent MRI to a group who specializes in only Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia, and they'll be able to see whether or not she has it. If it looks like she does, then they'll do blood work (it can now be found via blood) to confirm. I'm going to be calling the Geneticist team this week to see if they've sent the MRI yet.
The main specialist that should have provided the most help was the Oral Surgeon. She was obviously not thinking clearly. From the last blog I mentioned Mia's mouth being very tight and there not being a whole lot of jaw movement. We showed this doctor Mia's limited jaw movement and she asked if Mia's eating anything by mouth. We told her no, because she can't open her mouth and that she gets everything through the g-tube. Her wonderful professional opinion was that once Mia is less dependent on the g-tube, then we can think about doing something with her mouth. I repeated what she said. Jay (the RT who went with us) repeated what she said. Robert repeated what she said, all making sure we understood her correctly and if that's really what we heard. To all of us, she said, yes. We're thinking, "Are you CRAZY?!" How in the WORLD is Mia supposed to be less dependent on the g-tube if she can't open her mouth to eat?? Yeah, we were less than happy. Oh, another thing this fine doctor said was that she wouldn't do any kind of surgery until Mia is full grown - around 16 or 17 YEARS old.
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| Blue lips!! =) |
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| Mommy's birthday |
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| In a few seconds, she'll start screaming and kicking. |
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| She's loving Cubbies! |
She loves doing her Preschool (meets every Tuesday morning) homework as well, and starting tomorrow, we'll be starting our homeschooling. That's definitely been keeping me very busy - and it hasn't even started yet!! It'll be fun - I'm pretty nervous, but I know once I get started, I'll love it and I'm sure Mercedes won't notice if I make a mistake here or there. She's so ready and willing to learn. It's wonderful. =)
Robert, Mercedes and I have been pretty consistent with waking up and going for a 4 mile walk in the mornings before he goes to work. We've gone for walks in the evenings, but I definitely prefer seeing the sunrise instead of it being totally dark when we come back.
With us being sick for the past few days, we hadn't gone for walks, but we definitely made up for it yesterday! We did an 8 mile walk yesterday morning to Vasona/Oak Meadow parks. It was a really nice walk! I woke up a little stiffer than usual today, but ... haha Mercedes had a great time since this time she was actually able to get out of the stroller and play on the Air Force jet they have there and go down the slides and swing. She's finally figuring out how to swing!! She's doing a great job!
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| Oak Meadow Park!! |
Nasal swabbing was no walk in the park for Mercedes. It took the nurse, myself and my Mom to hold Mercedes down. They got the two swabs they needed and if it comes back positive for Whooping Cough, we'll find out today. Either way, we'll hear from the doctor tomorrow. If it is positive we need to let CRC know right away so they can test Mia and put her in isolation. Mercedes' doctor isn't taking any chances, so she already put Mercedes on the medicine to treat Whooping Cough because she's worried about Mia. I love this doctor! Kimberly Pitts-Davis, for those of you in the SJ area!!
Right now, Mia is pretty sick. They've had to increase her breath rate from 14 to 22 to keep her c02 down, and she's requiring more oxygen to keep her sats up. She's super junky and we're just hoping it's only a cold that Robert and I had earlier this week and nothing more. Jay changed some orders so she's getting an extra breathing treatment to loosen secretions and they're doing it via IPV instead of the regular nebulizer treatments.
Robert is enjoying his new job and his boss and coworkers. We're very grateful that he was able to get this transfer. It's definitely what we all needed. Right now he's working the Salinas Air Show, kind of at the last minute because they needed someone. It kind of worked out anyway, since Mercedes and I are skipping church, Cubbies and 2 extended family functions today since we don't know if she's positive or negative.
Keep us in prayer!
Blessed,
Rachael
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| This pic is too cute not to post! She's getting physical therapy with Karen. =) |
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Happy September!
So much has happened since I last updated. Life has been basically chaotic, which is why I hadn't gotten around to updating the blog in such a long time! I'm really realizing that I can't function very well when stressed! =) Go figure!
When Robert left for Maxwell AFB the end of July, I thought I'd be able to relax a bit and finally unpack the tiny apartment that was extremely crowded with all of our stuff from the house, but that didn't happen. The morning after he left, Mercedes, my family and I hurried up to Sacramento to be with my Grandma Tillie, who was back in the hospital. We knew this would be our final days with her, so we wanted to get there as soon as we could. It was such a beautiful time. Grandma was surrounded with so much love and it was really peaceful. You can tell she was so happy to have all of us around - that's why she hung on as long as she did! She didn't want to miss out on the fun! =) She was always the life of the party... what a wonderful woman!!
After 4 heartbreaking, but love-filled days of being in the hospital waiting for Grandma to be with our Lord, I needed to leave. My poor kitty at home was all alone and was quickly running out of food and water. Mercedes was such a wonderful little girl being so quite and patient as we spent all of our time in Grandma's hospital room, but I was missing Mia and knew I needed to get back home. Early the next morning on July 28th, I suddenly woke up the minute Grandma passed away, then instantly, I received the text from my sister, who was there in the hospital with about 11 other family members saying that Grandma went home to be with the Lord. What a joy it was to know she wasn't suffering anymore, yet so incredibly hard to know that I'll never see my precious Grandma here on earth again.
Her funeral was amazing. Not a lie needed to be said to make Grandma sound good - Grandma was the most amazing Godly woman! What a legacy she left us - we miss her so much! Majority of her 21 grandkids and some great grandkids sang a favorite song of hers - What a Day That Will Be
Robert:
Apparently Robert's Field Training went really well in Alabama and Mississippi. He was away just over 5 weeks and I'm sure he was VERY ready to get out of that miserable humidity!! It's nice to have him back home!
He's also finally no longer at Sacramento State University and is now working at the ROTC program at San Jose State University which he graduated from in 2005. This week is his official first week there and already it's so much better. Just knowing that we'll be living together as a family - and only 2 minutes away from Mia - is a huge blessing! It's something we haven't had in about 18 months. It's definitely going to take some getting used to - we've been married, but not living together and making decisions together. Keep us in prayer as we get used to this again!
Rachael:
I've been doing pretty well - thankfully not nearly as stressed out especially this past week because Robert MADE us finally unpack the last of everything, so the house is a home now. =) That's made a huge difference for both of us. (And I'm updating the blog!) We're starting to exercise again, which is wonderful. (He always does, but now we're doing something together!) All this week we've been getting up at 5:30am and going for a 3-4 mile walk. It's nice actually seeing the sunrise for a change! We get Mercedes all bundled up and wrapped in a blanket and she enjoys snoozing in the stroller. =) I have another hernia, which isn't really a hernia. Because my abdomen got so big while pregnant with Mia (people would always ask if I was having triplets), my abdominal wall never went back together. I've been scared to work-out, thinking that something really serious might happen, but I figured, you know what? I need to start somewhere. I can't NOT exercise! So... I'm walking for now. =) Hopefully that will help with the ab wall closing in back to normal as well.
One awesome book I'm reading (actually doing a study with my sister, mom and 2 friends) is called The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel. "Believing in God, but living as if He doesn't exist." Amazing book!
Mercedes:
Mercedes is doing great! She's totally loving pre-school and wants to do school as much as possible!! We're looking into a curriculum that hopefully we will be purchasing in the next week or so to start our homeschooling experience. Her pre-school only meets on Tuesday mornings, but she's loving it and doing her homework! =) You can pray for her - she has had pain in her teeth for several months and is finally getting them worked on in 2 weeks - September 28th. She needs to have 2 baby root canals done. =(
Mia:
Little Miss Mia is blowing everybody away!!! All of her therapists are always amazed at how much she's improving!!! Respiratory wise, not much has changed, but developmentally, WOW! =) Just today her Speech Therapist was doing her 3 month evaluation and Mia went from being in the 0-2 month category to the 8 month!! A few she "scored" in at the 9 and 10 month categories!! That's HUGE! =) When the teacher asks her to touch her eyes, she does!! When she asks Mia to touch her nose, she does it!! =) She's doing great with her Physical Therapy, too! She's so much more active and rolls from side to side and loves to bend so much that she's looking upside-down! I think she wants to start gymnastics! ;-) She's such a sweet baby!!
Pray for Mia - she has her 3 hour appointment up at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (Stanford) with about 7 specialists coming up on September 22nd in the morning. She'll be seeing a neurologist, geneticist, cranial facial surgeon, etc... This is a big deal.
Here is a short 1 minute video of Mia from last night. Like her little ponytail? =) She's getting tummy time and was pretty active, although I didn't catch her at her most active. She's moving so much more and is so much stronger!! Praise God!! Thank you for your continued prayers - please keep praying!
Blessed by God,
Rachael for all of us
When Robert left for Maxwell AFB the end of July, I thought I'd be able to relax a bit and finally unpack the tiny apartment that was extremely crowded with all of our stuff from the house, but that didn't happen. The morning after he left, Mercedes, my family and I hurried up to Sacramento to be with my Grandma Tillie, who was back in the hospital. We knew this would be our final days with her, so we wanted to get there as soon as we could. It was such a beautiful time. Grandma was surrounded with so much love and it was really peaceful. You can tell she was so happy to have all of us around - that's why she hung on as long as she did! She didn't want to miss out on the fun! =) She was always the life of the party... what a wonderful woman!!
After 4 heartbreaking, but love-filled days of being in the hospital waiting for Grandma to be with our Lord, I needed to leave. My poor kitty at home was all alone and was quickly running out of food and water. Mercedes was such a wonderful little girl being so quite and patient as we spent all of our time in Grandma's hospital room, but I was missing Mia and knew I needed to get back home. Early the next morning on July 28th, I suddenly woke up the minute Grandma passed away, then instantly, I received the text from my sister, who was there in the hospital with about 11 other family members saying that Grandma went home to be with the Lord. What a joy it was to know she wasn't suffering anymore, yet so incredibly hard to know that I'll never see my precious Grandma here on earth again.
Her funeral was amazing. Not a lie needed to be said to make Grandma sound good - Grandma was the most amazing Godly woman! What a legacy she left us - we miss her so much! Majority of her 21 grandkids and some great grandkids sang a favorite song of hers - What a Day That Will Be
Robert:
Apparently Robert's Field Training went really well in Alabama and Mississippi. He was away just over 5 weeks and I'm sure he was VERY ready to get out of that miserable humidity!! It's nice to have him back home!
He's also finally no longer at Sacramento State University and is now working at the ROTC program at San Jose State University which he graduated from in 2005. This week is his official first week there and already it's so much better. Just knowing that we'll be living together as a family - and only 2 minutes away from Mia - is a huge blessing! It's something we haven't had in about 18 months. It's definitely going to take some getting used to - we've been married, but not living together and making decisions together. Keep us in prayer as we get used to this again!
Rachael:
I've been doing pretty well - thankfully not nearly as stressed out especially this past week because Robert MADE us finally unpack the last of everything, so the house is a home now. =) That's made a huge difference for both of us. (And I'm updating the blog!) We're starting to exercise again, which is wonderful. (He always does, but now we're doing something together!) All this week we've been getting up at 5:30am and going for a 3-4 mile walk. It's nice actually seeing the sunrise for a change! We get Mercedes all bundled up and wrapped in a blanket and she enjoys snoozing in the stroller. =) I have another hernia, which isn't really a hernia. Because my abdomen got so big while pregnant with Mia (people would always ask if I was having triplets), my abdominal wall never went back together. I've been scared to work-out, thinking that something really serious might happen, but I figured, you know what? I need to start somewhere. I can't NOT exercise! So... I'm walking for now. =) Hopefully that will help with the ab wall closing in back to normal as well.
One awesome book I'm reading (actually doing a study with my sister, mom and 2 friends) is called The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel. "Believing in God, but living as if He doesn't exist." Amazing book!
Mercedes:
Mercedes is doing great! She's totally loving pre-school and wants to do school as much as possible!! We're looking into a curriculum that hopefully we will be purchasing in the next week or so to start our homeschooling experience. Her pre-school only meets on Tuesday mornings, but she's loving it and doing her homework! =) You can pray for her - she has had pain in her teeth for several months and is finally getting them worked on in 2 weeks - September 28th. She needs to have 2 baby root canals done. =(
Mia:
Little Miss Mia is blowing everybody away!!! All of her therapists are always amazed at how much she's improving!!! Respiratory wise, not much has changed, but developmentally, WOW! =) Just today her Speech Therapist was doing her 3 month evaluation and Mia went from being in the 0-2 month category to the 8 month!! A few she "scored" in at the 9 and 10 month categories!! That's HUGE! =) When the teacher asks her to touch her eyes, she does!! When she asks Mia to touch her nose, she does it!! =) She's doing great with her Physical Therapy, too! She's so much more active and rolls from side to side and loves to bend so much that she's looking upside-down! I think she wants to start gymnastics! ;-) She's such a sweet baby!!
Pray for Mia - she has her 3 hour appointment up at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (Stanford) with about 7 specialists coming up on September 22nd in the morning. She'll be seeing a neurologist, geneticist, cranial facial surgeon, etc... This is a big deal.
Here is a short 1 minute video of Mia from last night. Like her little ponytail? =) She's getting tummy time and was pretty active, although I didn't catch her at her most active. She's moving so much more and is so much stronger!! Praise God!! Thank you for your continued prayers - please keep praying!
Blessed by God,
Rachael for all of us
Thursday, July 29, 2010
It's been quite a while since our last blog update and a lot has changed over the past month. Rachael has been super busy but she hopes to give a full update on Mia in the next couple of days or so. Overall Mia has been doing very well. She has started to use her hands a lot more and has even started to grasp things; something she hasn't ever done before. She has been doing some breathing trials called Continues Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) for 15 minutes at a time. This is a significant development because for over a year we thought she didn't even have a respitory drive which would make CPAP impossible. In reality Mia does have a drive but because of her low muscle town her breaths are very shallow causing the machine to not pick up her own breaths. The RTs at the CRC found the key is having the sensitivity set high enough on the machine so that it does detect her breaths. This is a huge answer to prayer because a respiratory drive is something that can be worked with for weaning. Without one it would be impossible to ever wean her off the vent. We still don't know if this means Mia will one day be off of the ventilator but at least it gives us something to work on and hopefully progressing in that direction. Rachael will hopefully fill in more details on how these runs have gone.
As far as our family/work situation we have had a huge answer to prayer! It looks like the Air Force has agreed to move me from AFROTC Det 088 at Sacramento State to AFROTC Det 045 at San Jose State! When I get back from Alabama (more on that later) I will wrap up my responsibilities at Det 088 and move sometime during September. This will be the first time in over a year that I will be with Rachael and the girls for longer then just four days at a time. I have to thank my current boss at Det 088 LtCol Davis for helping me as well as his boss Col Martin at AFROTC Southwest Region for really pushing to make this possible. There is also a MSgt Walker at the Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC) that has been instrumental in making this happen.
Just before I left for Alabama we made the big push to move out of our Sacramento house. Thanks to the help of my cousin Josh, my Uncle Thor, my mom and dad, Rachael's family and others we emptied our house in about 4 days. Rachael and I had thought that we already eliminated a lot of stuff but after this move it is apparent that we still have a LONG ways to go before we will fit comfortably in our one bedroom apartment. Right now our apartment is standing room only, one entire wall consists of storage bins that is over 6 feet tall and probably close to 20 feet long. We also have a lot of stuff up in Chico including all of my woodworking tools I have. Over the next several weeks Rachael hopes to be able to go through all of the stuff and sell/donate/eliminate anything we don't need. What is left will either be used in the apartment or be stored up in Chico for the future.
Just before we moved, Rachael and I were looking at how to furnish our new apartment. After looking at the options at Ikea and other stores we decided that since I have been buying all of the woodworking tools for the past two years that we should just build our own instead. Even though we were short on time we preferred to spend money on wood rather then purchase furniture that we wouldn't really care about. Rachael had several things she wanted made but time only allowed for us to build an entertainment center and a large bookcase. Working with Rachael on these projects has been great; we seem to have finally found a common interest (aside from our girls) that we both enjoy doing together. It is very special for me to have Rachael by my side working together building something we will have for years to come. Rachael may post some pictures later on so you all can see what we have been up to.
Now that our house is empty we have been in the process of trying to get it rented out. We decided this time to use a property management company since we really didn't want to have to worry about things. Yesterday we found out that it looks like we may have 4 girls that are graduate students that want to rent the house and hope to move in by August 6th. Rachael and I are a little concerned about the age factor and that they our students but our property manager does a thorough background check and even spoke with the girls parents. We just hope our house doesn't turn into the next party house... It's an answer to prayer to have it rented but we will continue to keep praying that these renters will respect and care for the place.
Moving on to Mercedes; she is doing very well. Rachael and I have been discussing her starting school this fall. We are going to home school Mercedes and I know Rachael is looking forward to it. Our number one goal this fall is to have Mercedes reading books on her own. It's hard to believe she is already at this age.
Finally, for those of you that don't know I'm at Maxwell AFB located near Montgomery Alabama from July 23rd to August 29th. I will be leading a group of Air Force cadets for close to a month putting them through their field training (boot camp) encampment. I will be responsible for up to 22 cadets and will be working from 3:30 am till at least 10:00 pm every day for the next 30 days. I am excited about it but I know the work will take it's toll on me physically and mentally. I appreciate your prayers in keeping me sustained through this time.
Well, that is all I have for now. I hope that Rachael will be able to post an update in the next couple of days.
Robert
As far as our family/work situation we have had a huge answer to prayer! It looks like the Air Force has agreed to move me from AFROTC Det 088 at Sacramento State to AFROTC Det 045 at San Jose State! When I get back from Alabama (more on that later) I will wrap up my responsibilities at Det 088 and move sometime during September. This will be the first time in over a year that I will be with Rachael and the girls for longer then just four days at a time. I have to thank my current boss at Det 088 LtCol Davis for helping me as well as his boss Col Martin at AFROTC Southwest Region for really pushing to make this possible. There is also a MSgt Walker at the Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC) that has been instrumental in making this happen.
Just before I left for Alabama we made the big push to move out of our Sacramento house. Thanks to the help of my cousin Josh, my Uncle Thor, my mom and dad, Rachael's family and others we emptied our house in about 4 days. Rachael and I had thought that we already eliminated a lot of stuff but after this move it is apparent that we still have a LONG ways to go before we will fit comfortably in our one bedroom apartment. Right now our apartment is standing room only, one entire wall consists of storage bins that is over 6 feet tall and probably close to 20 feet long. We also have a lot of stuff up in Chico including all of my woodworking tools I have. Over the next several weeks Rachael hopes to be able to go through all of the stuff and sell/donate/eliminate anything we don't need. What is left will either be used in the apartment or be stored up in Chico for the future.
Just before we moved, Rachael and I were looking at how to furnish our new apartment. After looking at the options at Ikea and other stores we decided that since I have been buying all of the woodworking tools for the past two years that we should just build our own instead. Even though we were short on time we preferred to spend money on wood rather then purchase furniture that we wouldn't really care about. Rachael had several things she wanted made but time only allowed for us to build an entertainment center and a large bookcase. Working with Rachael on these projects has been great; we seem to have finally found a common interest (aside from our girls) that we both enjoy doing together. It is very special for me to have Rachael by my side working together building something we will have for years to come. Rachael may post some pictures later on so you all can see what we have been up to.
Now that our house is empty we have been in the process of trying to get it rented out. We decided this time to use a property management company since we really didn't want to have to worry about things. Yesterday we found out that it looks like we may have 4 girls that are graduate students that want to rent the house and hope to move in by August 6th. Rachael and I are a little concerned about the age factor and that they our students but our property manager does a thorough background check and even spoke with the girls parents. We just hope our house doesn't turn into the next party house... It's an answer to prayer to have it rented but we will continue to keep praying that these renters will respect and care for the place.
Moving on to Mercedes; she is doing very well. Rachael and I have been discussing her starting school this fall. We are going to home school Mercedes and I know Rachael is looking forward to it. Our number one goal this fall is to have Mercedes reading books on her own. It's hard to believe she is already at this age.
Finally, for those of you that don't know I'm at Maxwell AFB located near Montgomery Alabama from July 23rd to August 29th. I will be leading a group of Air Force cadets for close to a month putting them through their field training (boot camp) encampment. I will be responsible for up to 22 cadets and will be working from 3:30 am till at least 10:00 pm every day for the next 30 days. I am excited about it but I know the work will take it's toll on me physically and mentally. I appreciate your prayers in keeping me sustained through this time.
Well, that is all I have for now. I hope that Rachael will be able to post an update in the next couple of days.
Robert
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
We've moved... mostly!
We moved into the apartment on June 8th, with whatever Mercedes and I absolutely needed. Unloaded everything that belonged to us from my parents' home and the trailer (which was a LOT!)
Every week, Robert and I have been filling our cars and bringing whatever we can down to San Jose, as well as doing more elimination and packing while we're in Sacramento.
We only have a few loads left before we actually have to get a small moving truck for the bigger pieces that won't fit in my car. It's actually been working out great!
The apartment is perfect - it's small, but I'd much rather have small, than too big! Costs a lot more money to fill a big place! =) Mercedes loves her room (she's in the dining room) and after our first night, she proudly told me, "Mommy! I can see the kitchen from my room!!!" Her little space is the best spot in the house!! =)
Mia's been doing really well - her 1st swim day was yesterday! Of course she was sleeping through the first 20 minutes of it. I don't think she was very sure of the water she was sitting in. =) She sure looked cute, though! I've posted some pictures on Facebook, but for here, you'll have to wait a few days (or a month at the rate I'm going!)
She finally has a date for the 3 hour appointment with all the specialists at Stanford. September 22nd. They're seeing if they can pull a few strings to get her in earlier, but for now, that's when it is. It's a super hard appointment to get and it's very unlikely anybody will cancel for Mia to go sooner!
That's about it for now... I need to get Cedes up. She's spending the week with Nana and Pops while Willow and I head up to Sacramento until Sunday getting things done up there.
Pray for my grandma, Tillie. She's almost 94 and has a really bad UTI. She was taken to the ER on June 4th, admitted to the hospital, stayed there for several days, and now is in a senior home/hospital. She seemed to be doing better, but when I saw her on Sunday, she looked like she had a cold. =( She just looked very tired, weak and sick. I didn't want to stay long because I didn't want to chance getting Mia sick, so I only stayed a few minutes. My parents were there earlier that day and my Uncle and his family were there when I was. This is the only illness I ever remember her having - she's always been super healthy and strong. Thankfully, she's in Sacramento, too, so whenever I'd go up there, I'd always visit her anyway. It's so much nicer than only getting to see her once a year when I'd be in town for Christmas when we lived in Las Vegas! So, anyway, keep her in prayer, too. =)
Love to you all,
Rachael
Every week, Robert and I have been filling our cars and bringing whatever we can down to San Jose, as well as doing more elimination and packing while we're in Sacramento.
We only have a few loads left before we actually have to get a small moving truck for the bigger pieces that won't fit in my car. It's actually been working out great!
The apartment is perfect - it's small, but I'd much rather have small, than too big! Costs a lot more money to fill a big place! =) Mercedes loves her room (she's in the dining room) and after our first night, she proudly told me, "Mommy! I can see the kitchen from my room!!!" Her little space is the best spot in the house!! =)
Mia's been doing really well - her 1st swim day was yesterday! Of course she was sleeping through the first 20 minutes of it. I don't think she was very sure of the water she was sitting in. =) She sure looked cute, though! I've posted some pictures on Facebook, but for here, you'll have to wait a few days (or a month at the rate I'm going!)
She finally has a date for the 3 hour appointment with all the specialists at Stanford. September 22nd. They're seeing if they can pull a few strings to get her in earlier, but for now, that's when it is. It's a super hard appointment to get and it's very unlikely anybody will cancel for Mia to go sooner!
That's about it for now... I need to get Cedes up. She's spending the week with Nana and Pops while Willow and I head up to Sacramento until Sunday getting things done up there.
Pray for my grandma, Tillie. She's almost 94 and has a really bad UTI. She was taken to the ER on June 4th, admitted to the hospital, stayed there for several days, and now is in a senior home/hospital. She seemed to be doing better, but when I saw her on Sunday, she looked like she had a cold. =( She just looked very tired, weak and sick. I didn't want to stay long because I didn't want to chance getting Mia sick, so I only stayed a few minutes. My parents were there earlier that day and my Uncle and his family were there when I was. This is the only illness I ever remember her having - she's always been super healthy and strong. Thankfully, she's in Sacramento, too, so whenever I'd go up there, I'd always visit her anyway. It's so much nicer than only getting to see her once a year when I'd be in town for Christmas when we lived in Las Vegas! So, anyway, keep her in prayer, too. =)
Love to you all,
Rachael
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