Video of Mia being super active on Monday!

I'm so happy she's so active now! =) Enjoy my silly little girl!

There is another video I'm trying to figure out how to get on here, but so far, no luck. =) I'll keep trying!

Rachael

It's been a long time since I updated on the blog!

Hi Everyone (if anyone is still following!),

I've been doing great updating my status on Facebook, because that's usually all the time I have to give a quick update or ask for prayer for Mia, etc. I have it on my calendar to write a blog every Friday, but the reminder goes off on my iPod, and I always forget to make the time to write an update. Hopefully most of you are following my Facebook updates anyway, so you're up to date with info as well as sweet pictures of our lovely daughters who are growing up so fast!

Princess Belle and Princess Ariel

Since my last update, Mia has turned 2 years old on February 4th! She had a perfect birthday party with dear friends from church and so many extended family! It couldn't have been any better! She had a Disney themed party and my cousin even gave Mia a Belle (from Beauty and the Beast) "ball gown", and Mia looked so gorgeous!!

Mia's 2nd birthday

The Cortez Family (minus Mia)

Tea Cups!

Astro Blasters!

Robert with 3 very excited cousins

The following day my entire family (parents, sister, brother and his family, Robert, Mercedes and I) took a trip to Disneyland. It was a surprise for Mercedes and her 3 cousins and they were very surprised! It was their first time and Mercedes (who is shorter than Arianna and Caitlin) was just barely tall enough to go on majority of the big rides! I quickly realized that she is a dare devil!! I had to go on some of the kiddie rides with her and she had to hold MY hand because I was scared! I've never been good with heights. =) Good thing I'm short! ;-) The trip was wonderful and Robert and I thoroughly enjoyed watching Mercedes be a kid and we learned so much about her and her personality. It was so sweet to see! Her favorite rides were The Pirates of the Caribbean and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (which she went on 4 times in a row and still wanted to go back on it!!)

California Adventure

While we were at Disneyland, Mia was doing great and was actually weaned down to the lowest breath rate she had ever been at (and was doing GREAT!) - she was down to 15 breaths per minute. Two days after we returned from the trip, however, she got sick. She had to be maxed out on the doctor's orders of settings for her size and weight. It took her a while to get back down, which she has still not quite gotten back to 15bpm. Her lowest was 19bpm, then she got sick again, then of course, had to get maxed out again (usually 28bpm). Her latest two episodes of high co2 hasn't been due to repiratory issues. Two times ago, she was getting over a cold, then got a UTI on top of that and she was just working too hard, and I'm sure she was in pain from the urinary tract infection. They had to increase her settings to keep her co2 within range. The last time, just about a week and a half ago, her co2 climbed up again in the upper 60's/low 70's, so they had to max her out on her breath rate yet again. We don't know why her co2 increased that time. She didn't appear to be sick, but she was pretty wiped out and quiet. Right now, her breath rate is at 23bpm and they were able to decrease her pressure control setting by 2 the other night because her breaths were TOO large. That's always good!! It's always been hard to wean Mia from the pressure control settings.

Mia has had several UTI's (urinary tract infection) the past 2 years, so that has caused the doctor to keep a closer eye as to WHY she's getting them. He ordered an ultrasound of Mia's bladder and such. It appears that with Mia's overall low muscle tone, she's not emptying her bladder all the way, which is causing some urine to stay in there and cause infection. To try to keep her from getting another UTI, she is on a low dose of antibiotic for 6 months and they are now doing straight caths twice a day to completely empty her bladder. It's crazy how much she holds in there. A few times it's been up to 5 ounces! (A 'straight cath' means they manually place a tiny catheter up into the bladder to empty it.)

The latest bit of news for Mia is that she was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism, so they started her on meds for that. I don't know if she was just starting to feel better at the time, or if it is the medicine, but she is SO alert and active now!! I am so incredibly happy!

My mom went to visit with Mia for a few minutes before coming over to our home to pick up Mercedes ... and I'm so glad she got there when she did!!! Mia has not enjoyed her seat for the last few weeks especially, so I told the physical therapist, Scott, and he's been trying to think of something that will work for her. Mia is so little, and she doesn't have the strongest trunk/midsection to keep herself in midline, so there aren't very many options for an upright seat. Anyway, Mia has a wheelchair!!! My Mom took this video (below) of her (Mia was totally asleep while she was in it, though. haha)

I have a couple other cute videos but I'm still trying to figure out my new phone. =)

Robert, Mercedes and I are doing well. Robert left for Maxwell AFB, AL on April 17th for 5 weeks for Squadron Officer School. He's enjoying it and thankfully, so far, none of the tornados that have been devastating the South have been near Montgomery. The most recent ones were 60 and 70 miles away, which still isn't THAT far away. Keep praying for his safety, but most of all, for all of those who have lost loved ones and their homes, etc.

As always, I'll try to be better about remembering to make time to update this blog. =)

Blessed,
Rachael

New video of Mia from this morning!

Happy January!

We had a wonderful Christmas season with famliy and friends, and a very quiet Christmas day with just our little family with Mia in her room. =) It's exactly what I pictured and desired and I enjoyed it fully!

Some dear friends blessed Mia with a different tool that seems like it'll really help her with her muscle strengthening! It's a Wingbo, and I had never even heard of it before, but we tried it out with Mia today and she loved it! It belonged to a sweetheart named Sierra who recently went home to be with Jesus and is perfectly healed now! Here is a video of Mia trying it out for the first time below:




Keep the kids at CRC in prayer. The cold is going around, and unfortunately, for these kids, that means it could turn into pneumonia or RSV. The facility has been in lockdown mode for about a week now (the kids can't leave their rooms) to try to stop the virus from spreading to other kids. So far Mia is okay. She was one of the first to get a cold, and thankfully, it didn't turn into anything. They tested her for RSV as well as doing a chest xray last Monday, and she came back negative for RSV and her lungs looked great. Praise God!

Completely unrelated, another patient and dear friend of Mercedes and our family was freed from her health problems and went home to be with her Maker on Tuesday. Our hearts are saddened because we miss her and will continue to miss her, but we are so happy that she's not suffering anymore! What a beautiful year old little girl she was! Please keep her extended family in prayer as they plan the funeral and trust God that finances will come together so they can afford the burial.

Blessings to you all,
Rachael

Christmas Newsletter 2010

Merry Christmas!

Praise God, we are doing well! This year has flown by so fast … that's usually the case when you're extremely busy, I suppose. =)

Our time in Sacramento was very short lived. We bought our house in October of last year and just a few short months later, Robert's bosses boss came to visit the Air Force ROTC detachment at Sacramento State and told Robert that he needed to be down in San Jose with Mia, Mercedes and myself. At the time, he was given a 4-day weekend pass to be with us in San Jose. Mercedes and I would also go up for around 5 days a month to live together in our home. It was fun, but different trying to relax, but still needing to unpack and set up the house. The drive to Sacramento was always relaxing and just so pretty in fall/winter/spring. With the green rolling hills, and beautiful clouds, the drive was just what I needed! =) 

Robert: Robert is definitely enjoying working at San Jose State University AFROTC Det 045! Robert actually graduated from SJSU and became a commissioned officer through AFROTC Det 045 5 years ago, so it's pretty neat to be back, but on staff! It was challenging with Robert working in Las Vegas and then Sacramento before getting his assignment to San Jose. That was a long 18 months of not really living together, but we're so grateful to be together again! Robert began working on his Masters in Science of Aerospace Systems at the beginning of November. I'm glad he's enjoying it, otherwise it'd get very difficult for him to come home every night and spend several hours reading the material. We're grateful it's an on-line course – most of the time he studies in Mia's room, so he's able to be with her every evening!

Rachael: My days are very busy with being a wife, a mother to Mercedes and Mia, trying to get our new tiny 600 sq. ft. apartment in order, etc, but I wouldn't change any of it! I am just so extremely blessed that we were able to find a place to live just down the street from where Mia resides!! Just a 2 minute walk! I am also very grateful that my parents are so willing to care for Mercedes so I can visit with Mia by myself at times, or so I can go to the gym, or when Mercedes is sick. When she's sick, she can't go visit Mia, which usually means I have to stay home with her and I can't visit Mia, either. I am very blessed to have my family's support! That's pretty rare for a Military family being stationed so close to family!

Mercedes: She has grown up so much this past year! She started Preschool and is LOVING school! She is thriving in reading and spelling, too! She blows us away!! She is such a joy and is a wonderful big sister! Every time we drive by the Children's Recovery Center, she always yells out “Bye Meesters!! I love you!!” She's made many friends at CRC; patients, siblings of patients, and staff included! The therapists say she's going to be some sort of Therapist when she grows up! =) She loves going to church and is so excited to go to Sunday School and her love for God grows each day. She is also quite the prayer warrior! She prays for Mia to get better so she can live at home with us as often as she thinks about it – which is several times a day!

Mia: What an incredible little girl our Mia is!! I have tears in my eyes just thinking about the miracle she is!! She has improved so much this past year – and is SO big now!! I can't believe she's going to be 2 years old already!! She loves music and will “sing” whenever the Music Therapist starts singing and playing guitar! As soon as the music stops, Mia stops. It's so cute! She is also quite active and rolls from side to side now... very fast! Developmentally, she has also drastically improved! Just in April, she was “scoring” in the 0-4 month range mostly and in November, she's mostly scored in the 9-12 month range!! She is still 100% ventilator dependent, but she is breathing much more on her own than she was a year ago. She is very slowly being weaned from the vent settings and we continue praying for her health and development! 

 

Our daily life is extremely challenging, but there are so many more families with even bigger challenges. We are so blessed to serve the Creator of the universe, Who made of each and every one of us! Remember the reason we celebrate Christmas – the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, was born to die to save us all from our sins so we can spend eternity in Heaven with Him!

Blessed,

The Adamis Family

New Video of Mia!

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

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

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