One of my favorite poems!

Week 36

We had some great news today! We had our 36 week ultrasound and ...drum roll please....Isaiah weighs 4 pounds 9 ounces!!!!! He has gained almost a full pound in 2 weeks! 

I also saw something that I haven't seen before in any ultrasounds yet, I saw some actual LUNGS!!!! That is right, I saw some lungs. Now, it is still just tissue, but up until now they have just been black blotches on the monitor. But now there are actual lung images. And he is practicing using them! YEAH SON...KEEP FIGHTING!

We will be leaving for San Fran in 8 days and going into the hospital for the birth in 14 days. 

Our living arrangements have been made. Well partially. We will be staying in a hotel until we can get into the Ronald McDonald house. We have enough for about 3 weeks stay! So hopefully we will be able to get into the house right away. All the benefits, loans we have taken out, and our Aunts hotel points, has made this possible! 

We have a million thanks to say to everyone that has sent us information and lent a helping hand with setting all of this up! 

Joseph and I are so thankful for all of the prayers, support, and comforting words that have been sent our way these last few months. It has meant the world to us knowing that there are so many amazing people out there praying for our little guy. He isn't even here yet but he has so many fans. 

We are doing everything we can to stay positive and keep our visions clear and our hopes high! But it hasn't been easy these last few days. We have to remember to keep our faith in God and know that he will guide us on this journey. I pray every day that we are able to stand strong and give our strength to our son so that he wins this battle! After all, he has already given me the strength I never knew I had. 

Week 34

We had our last visit to UCSF on 12-19-11 before our big move. The results were AMAZING! Isaiah now weighs 3 pounds and 12 ounces. This is at 34 weeks. Per the growth chart he is only 1 pound 3 ounces  down. Our little guy sure is a fighter!

We were also told that he is and has been practicing his breathing even though his lungs aren't developing. This gives us such hope. We were told that babies with CDH have difficulty breathing when they are born because they don't practice their breathing in the womb, this is of course along with the development of their lungs or lack there of. Babies with CDH also have issues with their eating after they are born. The Dr.'s keep saying that Isaiah is doing wonderful when it comes to his eating. They are always measuring the amniotic fluid and it always measures normal. Just means that Isaiah is doing what his mommy and daddy tell him to and that is to gain weight and gain strength!

We were given a move date, which is the 19th of January and they plan to birth Isaiah into this world on the 26th of January. Permitting everything goes good from now until then that is! I personally got a huge rush of anxiety knowing the exact date that our son will be here. But we are excited to meet him.

After exhausting every option, we have came to the decision that we will be staying in hotels until we are able to get into the Ronald McDonald house. We can't even be put on the list until our little guy arrives. So it looks as though we will be calling the wonderful world of hotels our "home" for a couple of months. But as long as we are close to UCSF in the event that we are called for an emergency, I am A Ok with whatever and wherever we will be laying our head. It is a long road ahead of us, but we will do whatever it is that we have to for our little guy!

I came across these great website that has more details about CDH and what is waiting for us:
http://www.chw.org/display/PPF/DocID/34373/Nav/1/router.asp

This is a great site that goes over what Isaiah will have to under go when he is released from the hospital:
http://www.breathofhopeinc.com/bringing-home-a-cdh-baby.html

32 weeks and counting

WOW…32 weeks pregnant already! I feel like time has flown by and now we are 53 days away from our due date and I am praying for time to stand still. I am not exactly sure what emotion fits right now…I am experiencing them all. Mainly I am anxious to meet our little guy, but I am also scared and nervous for what is waiting for him

However, Joseph and I started taking Hypnobirthing classes so it has taught me how to channel my emotions and turn them into positive thoughts. Please check out this website for further details. http://hypnosisbenefits.com/hypnobabies.html  This class is amazing! I recommend it to any expecting mom!

I have got to see and hear Isaiah 2 times since our last visit to San Fran. We had our baby shower in San Diego November 26^th. He was 2 pounds 11 ounces then and showing off on the big screen. Then I had another ultrasound with my Dr here in Reno on the 5^th of December. Isaiah weighed 2 pounds and 14 ounces which is 31 weeks gestation. As you can see by the chart, he is considerably small from what he is supposed to be:

27 weeks	14.41 inches	1.93 pound
28 weeks	14.80 inches	2.22 pounds
29 weeks	15.2 inches	2.54 pounds
30 weeks	15.71 inches	2.91 pounds
31 weeks	16.18 inches	3.31 pounds
32 weeks	16.69 inches	3.75 pounds
33 weeks	17.20 inches	4.23 pounds
34 weeks	17.72 inches	4.73 pounds
35 weeks	18.19 inches	5.25 pounds
36 weeks	18.66 inches	5.78 pounds
37 weeks	19.13 inches	6.30 pounds
38 weeks	19.61 inches	6.80 pounds
39 weeks	19.96 inches	7.25 pounds
40 weeks	20.16 inches	7.63 pounds
41 weeks	20.35 inches	7.93 pounds
42 weeks	20.28 inches	8.12 pounds

But his heart is still extremely strong and the Dr’s have no other concerns at the moment.

Our last follow up visit to San Francisco is the 19^th of December. We will be setting a date then to move there. They want us to move there around Jan 9^th-13^th but we will set a definite date on the 19^th. This is extremely nerve racking for us since we aren’t sure what the military has planned. We have recently been told that we will not get housing allowance for San Francisco. So we are supposed to live in San Francisco on 1 income and only receiving housing allowance that is $916 a month. We have searched thousands of places in the San Francisco area and the cheapest thing we have found is $1600 a month.

We have been told that we could stay at the Ronald McDonald house. However, we aren’t even able to be put on the list to stay there until after Isaiah is born. So we would have to live in San Fran for about 3 weeks or so in hotels and even then we aren’t guaranteed a room there.

So at the moment we are playing the waiting game. I just hope the military tells us soon where we will be living because this isn’t something that we need to have added to our plates right now.

We are doing everything we can to stay positive and live our lives as normal as possible. But to be honest, it is getting harder and harder. I pray that God gives us the strength to handle everything that is being handed to us and that something comes through financially. Please continue to pray for our baby Isaiah’s strength, growth and will to fight!

We love you all and thank you for your continued support and prayers. Joseph and I couldn’t get through this without you all and are blessed to have you all in our lives!

Isaiah on the big screen! (a 30 minute 4-d video from the baby shower ultrasound)

28 week follow up

Had a follow up at UCSF on Monday the 14th. We had the usual ultrasound followed by the doctor consult. 

Isaiah is growing!!! YEAH...he is now weighing in a little over 2 pounds and is now in the 20th percentile. We didn't really go into any details about what organs are or are not in his chest cavity. However, his heart is still ticking strong and the placenta is still giving  him the nutrients he needs. 

They talked to us about making the transition to live in San Francisco. We will be moving there around the 37th or 38th week. Which lands us in the middle of January. He said we would for sure be delivering within 7 days of the 2nd of February, which is my due date. We went to the Ronald McDonald house downtown San Fran and was able to take a tour. It is a nice place but we will continue to look for a place across the bridge. The parking was horrible and we want a place that we can have family and friends stay while visiting.

We are doing everything we can to stay positive and not get drawn up in the details of what remains ahead of us. We will do whatever it takes to make sure Isaiah has what he needs and to be where his chance of survival is greater!

We are living one day at a time and dreaming of his future!

Please keep the prayers going...God is hearing them!

Letter to Isaiah from mommy

To my son Isaiah,

There are so many things that I want to say to you right now. But I will start with these few things. I first off want you to know that when I first found out that I was pregnant with you, I have never felt so complete in my life. I was beyond happy and couldn’t wait to tell your daddy all about our little miracle. You truly are our little miracle since the doctors told us we couldn’t have children. But then there you were our miracle!

I know you are probably scared right now being in this big room with other crying babies, tubes connected to you all over the place, and several different faces that you keep seeing. But everything that is happening to you is to make you feel better and to help you grow and be a big healthy boy. I promise you that me and daddy will never stop fighting for you and will be by your side every step of the way.

There are so many people that have prayed for you to get healthy and that love you even before you blessed us with your presence. They are all still praying and can’t wait to meet you! There are so many things in this world that your daddy and I want to show you. We will NEVER give up on you no matter what!

I know you will fight as long and as hard as you can but I want you to know that if you feel you can’t fight anymore, it is ok to go with Jesus. But your daddy and I will keep fighting until you tell us its time. It will be so hard to say goodbye to you and you will leave a void that will never be replaced. But we all pray that you stay strong and fight this battle with us. We love you so much Isaiah and I promise you that I will be the best mommy that I know how to be and will always be here for you!

I love you my precious son. Your daddy and I can’t wait to bring you home!

Update at 26 weeks - November 2 at 10:36pm

I had a 26 week ultrasound today here in Reno!

Isaiah is 1.7 pounds and is now in the 13.9th percentile. YEAH...he is growing!

Currenlty his stomach is below his diaphragm (liver and intestines still up) but it is allowing his lungs to grow a little. I was actually able to see the lungs in the ultrasound. The Dr. told me to not hold to much hope on this because with CDH babies, the organs will go in and out throughout the pregnancy. But I say, "hey if an organ is out for a few days, that is a few more days the lungs have to develop without being restricted"

They took some measurements of the amniotic fluid, which they are measuring good. This means that he is drinking the fluid. It sounded weird to me at first but she said that there tends to be alot more fluid surrounding babies with CDH. So it is a really good sign that he is getting the nutrients he needs, he is just on the smaller side! 

He is kicking alot more now and I don't mind at all. I say kick away little man...get strong. 

So today was a wonderful day! 

I thank God every day and continue to pray that our little Isaiah will keep fighting and keep growing! I pray for strength for not only Isaiah but for us as well. 

No matter how big or small our battles may be, with God on our side, we can overcome anything! I will remain positive and keep faith in God and know that no matter what we do, Isaiah's destiny is in his hands! 

Please keep up the prayers! God is hearing them!