3lb PARTY!!

So I have lots of updating since my last post, I will try and be brief ;-)

My thoughts & Feelings

Love is any of a number of emotions related to a sense of strong affection and attachment.

The love I hold for my children is unlike any other. Holding them tight, looking into their eyes, kissing their sweet faces, seeing them smile…unlike anything else. More love then one can ever imagine is loving your child.

Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one’s life. Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.

I am filled with Hope…Hope for my children to sleep under the same roof with mommy and daddy watching over them. Hope for their future, health and becoming all they can. Hope for good days and hope for getting over the ones that aren’t so good.


Asher Dale: Growing with strength & wisdom

Since our last post things have gotten increasingly better, we had taken 3 very large steps backwards but have regained those 3 steps in the last 2 weeks. Asher still amazes all of us every day…

Day 33 & 34 ~ I was finally able to hold Asher again right after my last post, he was doing so much better so our nurse Rima (another favorite to add to my list ;-)) decided that I needed to hold him and that Asher too needed his mommy to hold him, I couldn’t have agreed more. The nurses and doctors have somewhat of an understanding that at times they don’t ask permission for things but for forgiveness afterwards. So that is what the plan was and we even got caught, luckily Dr E was ok with it. It was so amazing to get to hold him again; I had missed it so much. Asher tolerated the holding very well and it was hard to put him back to bed. During the hold we started working more on his sucking and swallowing, I used a syringe of breast milk and dropped it into his mouth while he sucked on a pacifier. It is very reassuring that he is getting the sucking motion down.

Day 35 & 36~ Saturday the 16th was my first day not at the hospital; luckily the few days before my first day away were very positive. It made it so much easier to head home and get ready for Saige’s birthday party. We managed to hopefully convince the nurses we are not totally nuts by only calling 4 or so times a day. Having a nurse we love and trust really made a difference though too. But the best news came on Sunday; Asher finally was over 3lbs!! OH YEA!! It was a day of lots of celebrating, our sweet girl was turning 2 and our sweet boy was finally over 3lbs. Mommy and Daddy could not have been happier. This milestone we had been hoping and praying for had finally come and we were with our parents to celebrate. I cried over birthday breakfast, tears of joy and biscuits and gravy!

Day 37~ Asher is finally up to full feeds…no more IV’s and as helpful as you have been Mr IV I am SOOO happy to see you go. Asher has also been doing so well on his CPAP that they decided to give the nasal canula another try. The ability to go off his CPAP is very important; it is showing us that his lungs are getting strong enough to breathe on their own. Getting off the canula is also one step closer to getting to nurse and bottle feed him. The plan is to let alternate between both the canula and CPAP but more letting Asher decide when he needs to be switched back to the CPAP. Such a big boy!

Day 39~ Asher has been doing so great on his nasal canula only having minor apnea (pause in breathing) and bradycardia (drop in heart rate). So well that Nicki (another favorite nurse) suggested we give him a bath…his FIRST BATH!! It might seem a bit odd, but for those who have had the joy of giving your newborn their first bath, you know that this is very exciting. I was so scared that the nurses would give him his first bath without me BUT no they made it very special. He was not overly excited at first but as soon as he relaxed a bit he really enjoyed it. After his bath I dressed him in his “JJ’s”, we had a mini photo shoot for his sissy. Saige loves her “JJ’s” (jammies) and was too excited to see Asher in his. Our day was amazing and just what I needed to go back to work the following day. I knew the day would be hard but knowing that things were going well made the thought of heading back a few days a week that much bearable. Like many other times when I am feeling like we are finally turning the corner and feeling confident that we are making such progress, we experience a setback. Soon after I was on the road headed back to Sandpoint, Asher decided to start having many more of his apnea and bradycardia spells. He was having so many that they put him back on his CPAP. Andy got the call luckily and for me hearing things from him is always better than having the doctor call me. I know this was not a huge step back but none the less we were taking one back.

I made it through my second day away from Asher, it was hard but in my heart I know that this is what I need to do so that when he comes home I can spend time with him. While preparing to go back to work I had been consumed with the thought that my sweet boy would not be held and loved on while I was away. But with some extra help we were able to get permission for my mom to come up to see Asher while we were away, she is even able to hold him. Knowing that he still has someone loving him while I am away makes the day so much better. I know my mom enjoyed her alone time with her sweet grandson and sweet Asher was a good boy and kept his “spells” to a minimum!

Too be continued…. (it is 2:00 am and well I guess I should get some sleep)