2 Months old

Well our Koishi is 2 months old. Gestational age is 35 weeks. At this stage in ones pregnancy you are ready for the baby to just come already. Well we are feeling the same, we really would like him to come home already. The medical staff at McKay are awesome, really they are. We just are weary of not having him home with us.

High lights of the last two months.

• June 20th- Koishi joins us.
• July 4th- He has to have heart surgery to close his PDA valve.
• July in addition to recovery from heart surgery he had pneumonia and croup. Had to stay on Vent longer then wanted because of the croup to help keep his airway open.
• July 11th- met Great Grandpa and Grandma Hales, and Great Uncle Brad through the window in Pod 1.
• July 12th- met Nana Carter. Taken of the vent and he is much happier. He is now on vapotherm. (Stages of oxygen assistance= vent (pipe down throat), vapotherm (heated and humidified in nose), wall (humidified slightly, last stage before no assistance)
• July 16th- 30 weeks gestation. 2lbs 10oz and has outgrown all of his hats that were made for him. He is now in Pod 2.

• July 20th- 1 month old, first bath! PIC line is removed and he can wear clothes and have real baths.

• July 21st- Met Grandpa and Grandma Phillips
  
• July 23rd- Aoitonbo has a mastitis infection. Koishi meets his Auntie Nan and Granny Nielson. Pappy Nielson was home sick.
• July 24th- Koishi's food and pooping volumes increase.
• July 30th-Met "Uncle" Ronnie and "Aunt" Rebecca
  
• July 31st- 32 weeks and off of vapotherm.
• August 1st- Refluxing more, back on vapotherm. Heart beat is unstable while his oxygen level is high. Nurses say limited holding because he is overstimulated.
• August 2nd- first Eye exam determined that his retinas aren't fully developed and will have to have another visit next week. Stress from the exam really caused his heart to freak out.
  
• August 4th- In Pod 3. EKG and Eco ordered because his heart isn't beating at a stable rhythm. Nurses kept saying it was a brady. Nurse Practitioner finally noticed and didn't like what she saw. Akahige and Aoitonbo had been saying that something was off for over a week. Glad to see some tests being run finally.
• August 5th- limited holding (still claiming heart issue is over stimulation and bradycardia.) Tests show nothing to be worried over.
• August 6th- Aoitonbo has a meltdown on one of the nurses and she is allowed to resume holding. Heart beat is considered his new normal. He stabilizes more while being held, so snuggles for the win.
  
• August 7th- Nurse informed us that he had a HUGE blowout today. Covered his crib and scared her half to death. Still laughing!!
• August 8th- Stabilized his body temperature enough to be moved into an open crib!!! He also met the weight requirements of 1800 grams. He is getting so big! Becoming really interested in putting things in his mouth. Tried to stuff his whole fist in many times throughout the day. More tests for a Dr from Primary Children's to double check his heart.
• August 9th- Eye exam retina's are fully developed but have some scaring from being over exposed to oxygen. Another exam next week.
• August 10th- Officially doubled in weight! Can really notice around his chin, cheeks, toes, and thighs. SQUEAL!!!!
• August 11th- Doing great at regulating his own temp, maybe a bit on the warm side.
• August 12th- Akahige's office throws Koishi his first baby shower. Lots of cute clothes, a burp rag, blanket, and generous gifts of $$ to help pay for his big ticket items.
  
• August 13th- Koishi is really sick. Running the full spectrum of tests. So far the only area showing an increase in white blood cells is his urine. Has air in his intestines and can be dangerous. Nurse Practitioner is mentioning life threatening conditions and the high possibility of him going to Primary Children's Hospital. He is on antibiotics, iv nutrition, and back in an incubator.
  
• August 14th- Had to have a PIC line placed today. Nothing new growing in the cultures. Drs still watching his intestines.
• August 16th- Eye exam, left eye is clear right eye needs to be looked at again in 2 weeks.

• August 17th- starting to show small signs of feeling better. Moving a bit more and squeaking. He is also showing signs of hunger, trying to nom anything that gets close to his mouth. Anything but his pacifier...

• August 20th- off of his antibiotic and starting to eat more. He keeps his eyes open longer. He is officially 2 months old today. His heart rhythm has smoothed out a little more since he started getting better. Second baby shower at old 6th ward, very generous friends gave Koishi more clothing, blankets, bedding, changing pad, a booster chair, toys, bath supplies, and $$ to go towards big ticket items.
  
• August 21st- Trying non-nutritive breast feeding once more. He becomes tired easily. He is swollen and was given a water pill to help decrease the water in his body. He is also on a diuretic to help stabilize fluid levels.
  
• August 22nd- He had his PIC line removed, received his 2 month immunizations, and felt good enough to prank his night nurse. He pulled out his feeding line in the middle of a feed and sprayed milk all over his incubator. Nurse said she hasn't seen that big of a mess in years. This meant a bath and crib change. So he is in an open crib again. Here is hoping that it lasts longer!
• August 23rd- Nurse practitioner said that we can start trying nutritive breast feeding. *fingers crossed* that he is interested. His bones are looking thin so he has extras going into his food to help them be stronger.
  

(Will update more as we go, and as I remember everything from this crazy ride called life.)

Micro Preemie Part 2

(little late but uploading this now to give you an idea of first week in Preemie parenting)

Mile Stones

To help others understand the difference of a full term baby and a micro preemie. This is what I know and what I have been told. This is not an official medical stand. The info for full term is pulled from this site http://www.whattoexpect.com.

1st week
Normal = By the end of this week, your little bundle of joy is a bigger bundle and is probably peeing and pooping like a pro. Those survival reflexes you've heard about are getting put to good use these days: Your baby is rooting, sucking like there's no tomorrow, grasping your finger, blinking, startling whenever there's a loud noise, crying, and even assuming the fencing pose. Your baby can focus on objects that are eight to 14 inches away now — just the right distance to see you during a feeding.
Our Micro = He may come off the ventilator but don't expect it to last. He has Strep B so he will be on antibiotics for the next 10 days. He may not tolerate feedings and will be heavily supplemented with IV's. His eyes are fused but he may open them by the end of the week. His heart has an extra valve that needs to close so he will be heavily medicated and fasting from feedings. This medication may not work and he could be looking at heart surgery. We can visit him any time except 2:30 to 4. We may not be able to hold him every time or even touch him. If we are sick or have allergies we can't see him at all until we feel better. He is a little petri dish and can pick up any bug that we wouldn't even know we have. We have to scrub for 3 minutes before even entering the NICU and if we get to hold him we have to wear a gown. All things brought in have to be cleaned and electronics (camera's & cell phones) have to be cleaned by special wipes at every visit. We have to use hand sanitizer every time we want to put our hands into his incubator. He will be asleep all the time and he needs to sleep as much as possible. His nervous system is not developed and easily overstimulated. You can't stroke his body without causing his system to freak out. So when you touch him it has to be constant and firm, cupping his head and feet to keep him contained.

Micro Preemie Part 1

I am not an expert on micro preemies. I wouldn't even know where to begin. But this post is to let others know what we have learned in the last 3 weeks. And in the weeks to come.

June 19th 10:30 PM= I was in sad shape. I was bleeding, never a good sign when you are pregnant. We went to the hospital and I was admitted. Monitored throughout the evening and into the next morning.

June 20th AM= Dr's decided I had a combination of placenta abruption and incompetent cervix. (We knew the IC was always a possibility. The Dr's had been watching for signs that it would fail this whole pregnancy and there was never any indication that it would. The possibility of the IC from our last pregnancy 7 years ago also gave us realistic expectations that we could have a NICU baby. We have been constantly asked if we are excited after trying for 7 years for this pregnancy and our response has always been get us to the end of June and we will be. This was the safe zone where his chances of survival would be increased greatly.) Had ultrasound and baby was breach and not close to birth canal.

June 20th Noon= Bed-rest was mentioned and Akahige made the trip home to get things to keep me entertained for a few weeks or months, whatever the case would be, because I wasn't leaving the hospital until the baby came. While he was away, they decided to put me on extreme bed-rest. I had a catheter put in, my bed was tilted so the head was lower then the feet, and I was put on my side.

June 20th 2:30 PM= Akahige returned just as my water broke. 10 minutes after my water broke I was prepped for emergency c-section. I had time for a blessing and then was wheeled into surgery. Akahige was awesome and stayed with me the whole time.

June 20th 3:05 PM= Our son was born, 26weeks and 2 days gestation. Weighing in at 1lb15oz and 14 in. long. He is rushed off to be taken care of and I remained on the table for another 20 minutes as they replaced my innards and stapled me up.



June 2oth 4ish= I was wheeled into recovery where I sat for another 30 to 40 minutes. There we decided on his name and Akahige went to check up on him. As they wheeled me to my room, they took me to NICU where I could see my son for the first time. (It was over an hour after his birth when I got to see him, but I did not get to hold him, or touch him.) I stayed in my room for another 2 hours as they monitored me and my epidural pain. Later that evening I was able to visit him via wheelchair and hold him little hand through the incubator, falling in love with his cuteness.



June 21st= I actually got to hold him, wrapped in a pile of blankets. By this time he was off of the ventilator and put on regular oxygen. He had his IV's going through his stomach and into his artery. His eyes where still fused causing him to make the cutest scrunchy faces.



Rest of the week was a blur of figuring out pumping and sleeping while visiting him as much as possible. I was in the hospital until Friday, June 24th. Akahige was a trooper and stayed each night with me sleeping on the most uncomfortable, squeaky chair. He would go home once a day to shower and I would try to nap in that time. By the end of the week I had skin time with my baby and it helped his vitals stabilize a lot.

The baby is a WHAT??

So for those who don't text or facebook here is the baby's gender.

BOY

Didn't see that one coming. Boys seem to be one of the things my family is specializing in. We can do boys and with our yard a boy will be in heaven.

How do we feel about that. Fine. Nothing changes the fact that we are happy to soon meet this little one. Yes we are a little bummed cause we were hoping for a girl. However we would not trade him in, despite what some messed up people might think. Grrr... so don't preach to me about how blessed we are, or that we are going to be great parents of a boy, or whatever other crap you may come up with. I hear it enough from work associates. We are grateful he stopped being shy. We are happy to be pregnant and really hope for a healthy baby come September. He did however decide to move the u-cord to be in front of his face so we couldn't get a good shot of his face. Some things have to be surprises in this process after all.

Does this change how we were going to do the room, not really. Just means my dolls stay in storage. Yes I have started on quilts and blankets. I almost have one done and trying to figure out how to do our Kendo/Iaido blanket. I did a Kendo one a few months back but this one has to have Iaido too since that is Akahige's thing. I can also start hitting the antique stores for little kids tidbits. First things first though is getting the room done. The room will be green and white with either stripe or argyle patterning. Accents will be mostly brown and a little blue.

Now to start brainstorming names... We are open to suggestions, we like older, more original, with spelling that makes sense. And no to the Bible names that is my sisters thing. The only one we have claims on is Joseph.

Oh and an update on me. The BP meds are increased, not because my blood pressure has. It has been t he same for 2 months now and they would really like to try and get it lower. They have cleared me from IC high risk status on the pregnancy. So I get to go back to having appointments once a month until July's 30 week mark. I still am having really bad sciatica and some other painful symptoms that cause sitting for more then 20 minutes in certain chairs to kill me. Also gives me a lot of pain during sleep.

So here is to the next 4 months.

New High Score

This is one of Akahige's favorite sayings so to put it to good use today I will give you a baby update. I am officially past the half way mark. This is big for us since our last pregnancy ended at 18 weeks. I have until the end of the month and if everything stays good then I am cleared for monthly appointments until 30 weeks.
Yesterday was my 20 week appointment. The baby, to be known as Akachan from now on, is measuring slightly larger then normal but that is to be expected with us as its parents. It is also continuing with its stubborn streak. If this continues we will have a surprise. We have our big ultrasound on the 31st. We will see if this streak holds true.
I am starting to feel like a blimp moving around and my work has become a little more difficult. I am experiencing some major sciatica. The Dr suggested a support band and it seems to help relieve some of the pain. Many people ask why I don't just getg massages and to be honest because they hurt. I haven't been able to take a muscle relaxer for months and it will be a years before I can take them again. This being said with all the hormones and things relaxing I experience some intense spasms. In the last 5 months I have only had one massage that hasn't increased the spams. This is not normal at all. This is just me being special as always. I still try massages in hopes that it will change from week to week. So far it is a no go. Below is my belly to date. I have put on 6 pounds which is more then wanted but hopefully the max that I will see. My blood pressure is still running high even with the meds.



We have the upstairs bedrooms framed and waiting drywall. We are in need of a easy place to store the things in those rooms so the drywall can be hung. This may be a few months down the road.

The yard is coming together. The trees all seem to be showing signs of life, which means they lasted the winter. My bulbs have mostly come up. There are a few that were duds and it helped me narrow down the catalogs in which to purchase from. Brecks is a winner on everything that I planted last fall. The deer seem to think so as well after they ate half of my tulips. We are looking at doing a small veg garden and getting a couple more trees in this spring. Though time is running out. We also hope to run a drip system to the far corner to feed these new endeavors.



Our first cleanup weekend went great. We manages to almost clear out the larger of the three thickets. Though it was the easiest to access, which means the easiest for hoodlum children to start fire too. We also managed to do the pre prep on the area for the garden and trees. Now just have to find a few hundred bucks to buy trees with. Normally we would wait but our neighbor planted some cottonwoods on the property line and we want to hide their horribleness asap.

The fun times of our lives.

Track day adventure

Last Saturday, I took part in the Utah Sport Bike Association’s Sport Touring Advanced Rider Training (ST-ART) at Miller Motorsports Park (West Course). It was a paradigm-changing experience. I have been a licensed motorcycle rider for around 15 years, and I thought I had learned a lot about riding. That turns out to only be partially true.

The class had only 5 students. It was probably due to the lingering cold, damp weather, but that meant that we would have a chance to get more individual coaching from the three instructors. They spent a little time becoming acquainted with us, our riding background, and goals. We learned the proper etiquette for entering and exiting the track and discussed the basic techniques for riding around corners. We were scheduled to ride for 20 minutes each hour, taking turns with 2 other groups who were associated with a different, more racing-oriented organization.

Our first time out on the track was a slow parade lap (speed limit: 45) to familiarize us with the layout. Then we followed the instructors at a gradually increasing pace, working on the techniques we had discussed. After our 20 minutes were up (in about 4 laps), we returned to the garage and discussed the session. This became the pattern as we continued to go out for 20 minutes at a time at 20 to the hour until lunch time.

It became apparent that I was a bit faster than some, so one of the instructors pulled me and another student aside, giving the rest of the group some space. He told me to “ride your own pace” and followed me onto the track. I felt like I was really moving and getting a flow going. Until turn 7. They call it “Demon”. The track goes just a little uphill and then down, just enough to slightly obscure the road surface from view. At the slightly higher pace, it was unexpected and a bit frightening to have the pavement disappear, even momentarily, while I was looking for my line. I stayed safe, but I admit that I panicked a little bit. On the next lap, the instructor took the lead. It helped me get back some confidence by following his lines around the track. Then, he had me lead again, and I was a bit more steady and comfortable. During the coaching session after that, the instructor told me that I was too stiff at the controls. This advice is not unfamiliar to me since I have similar tension problems in my martial art training as well.

After lunch, they told us that we would now be allowed to pass each other on the front straight. That would allow us to practice at a pace that we found to be personally comfortable. I received some very good feedback about my body positioning after the 5^th session of the day.

In the last two sessions, my confidence really came up. The body positioning really helped me with the tension problem. I relaxed. I was loose (comparatively, I’m still no pro). Without making speed my goal, without trying to go fast, I was lapping far more quickly than when I started. I was riding through the turns at speeds that would have frightened me on my first lap. I was leaning over farther than ever. I also conquered the Demon. I found a way to enter the corner with confidence and ride through steadily (at a noticeably higher speed than when I panicked earlier). I lost count, but I think I had 8 or 9 laps in the final 20-minute session. It felt fantastic to have such harmony with the motorcycle. I can hardly wait to go do it again.

And lest you think that I have become cocky and prideful… The riders in the other two groups, the racing-oriented riders; I’m still not ready to share the track with them. I’ll be humbly returning to the novice class to continue to hone my meager skills.

Crazy May Days

We are gearing up for the warmer weather but need some help.
Weather permitting this May 7th, May 21st, and May 28th we are inviting everyone over to help us on a few projects. Food will be present and fun hopefully had by all.
The two major tasks we need you for are:
1-Clearing weeds and the thickets, then burning the gathered stuff in a controlled way. (Joseph says bonfire-we will see)
Items needed- gloves, rakes, chainsaw, shovel, weed whacker, and
handsaw
2-Gathering more cobbles. Kim estimates we need at least 6 more wheel barrows to fill the remaining areas properly. (Creating little shifting in rocks so people don't fall or twist ankles)
Items needed- gloves, buckets, hand shovels, and wheelbarrows

By accomplishing these two tasks this year we are hoping to be able to reduce noxious weeds from spreading. Reduce likely hood of brush fires. have a new home for a vegetable garden, and plant some nice flowers, shrubs, and fruit trees on the lower property.

True Joseph could do a lot of this with Kim helping a little. But we would like to have vegetables growing before October sets in.

We set aside that many Saturdays in May to give us time to work with the crazy Utah weather. We are not expecting help on all of those days. But in order to plan food needs Kim needs to have an idea on how many will plan on being present.

Thanks everyone for continually helping us with our massive projects.

FAQ part 2

I have been informed that I missed a few questions. So here goes round two:

Q: How far along are you?
A: Well, because you will be reading this at different stages in my pregnancy, I can't really give a solid answer. Instead, in the upper right corner you will now see a ticker that will tell you exactly what week I am in.

Q: How are you feeling?
A: CRANKY, extremely irritable, sore, tired, and most of all, I just want to be left alone. I have not been nearly as sick this time, meaning that I have only lost my cookies 3 times instead of not being able to keep anything down. I am extremely sore all over because I have had to stop taking the medication that helped me with the muscle spasms.

Q:How will this effect your work?
A: Well right now I am working 4 clients 5 days a week. This is a full time load for an LMT. I am trying to work down to 3 clients 5 days a week, but that is hard since I have had a full load for months. I need to do this for the integrity of my work and for the safety of the baby. I can't carry loads like I used to with out causing pain.

Q:Have you had any cravings?
A: BBQ sauce, anything that is spicy, vinegar, and sweet for the win. Dairy and meat are out; unless consumed in minimal amounts these makes me sick. (Sorry, no pickles and ice cream here.) Fresh melon and cucumbers have also been a favorite. Grandma H's cottage cheese dip has been yummy. Potato chips, fries, and fresh bread are divine. Pinapple BBQ hamburgers, Subway Italian BMT's and Arby's regular roast beef sandwiches have been on my fast food list. (mostly comes down to vinegar flavors I suppose)

Q: Have you put on any weight?
A:This is actually a big concern for all parties involved. I have been losing weight over the last 9 months. I was down 15 lbs from my peak. I have been using SparkPeople to count calorie consumption and calorie expenditure. My doctor wants me to try and pull through these 9 months with no weight gain. I also think this is best for me and the baby. Thankfully, Spark has a sister site that tells me how many calories to take in during the pregnancy to be safe for baby and still accomplish this goal. It also gives me great exercises to help strengthen parts of me for this adventure.

Q: May I touch your belly?
A: Unless you are the one who helped put this kid in me or the one who will help take this kid out of me, you may NOT touch my belly! In fact, I would feel a lot more at ease if you didn't touch me at all. Yes, this means no hugs, by anyone! Sorry, but refer to the previous question. I am extremely cranky and do not want to be touched. We get that you are excited for us, but seriously, give me some space.

Q: Why haven't you accepted our offers to help?
A: Well, thankfully, if this is the case, it means that Akahige and I are doing well enough on our own. If you don't realize we are independent by now, then you need to go back and reread all of the previous posts on this blog. Know that this is not a reflection of our feelings or relationship with you. It is just how we do things.
Please don't become offended if we don't call on you for help. If you do become offended, then please get over it before contacting us. :-P

Q: Why do you refer to yourselves by funky nicknames?
A: For privacy. Still trying to come up with a new one for baby.

On a side note. My flowers are really looking nice! Especially since all of the horrible weeds are gone. There will be pictures to follow.

Let me know if you have any other questions either via these comments or Facebook.

Answering FAQ

Close up of the baby's face

So for those on Facebook and any others that we had to call or text: yes, we are having a baby, yes for real, not April Fools. And to avoid a thousand calls with a thousand questions that just frustrate the snot out of Aoi Tonbo, we are posting answers to the more frequently asked questions on our blog.

Baby FAQ

Q. Are you excited?
A. hmmm... we are cautiously optimistic

Q. What is your due date?
A. Probably September 24, 2011

Q. What is the baby's gender?
A. I don't know. Do you?

Q. Will you be finding out?
A. Yes, at some point it will become obvious.

Q. How long have you known?
A. We found out the weekend of our birthdays.

Q. Why didn't you tell anyone?
A. We did, yesterday, on Facebook.

Q. Why didn't you tell me sooner?
A. We wanted to avoid prying questions, because they cause Aoi Tonbo stress.

Q. Why is stress bad for Aoi Tonbo?
A. Stress may be a factor in her medical condition.

Q. What is her condition?
A. Her cervix dilates prematurely and without warning, causing premature labor and loss of baby.

Q. Isn't there something the doctors can do for that?
A. Yes it is called a cerclage. She is currently on twice monthly visits to observe the situation. So far everything looks fine.

Q. What about bed rest?
A. Don't know yet. We will inform you as soon as we know.

Q. Where will baby sleep?
A. Probably anywhere if it manages to sleep at all.

Q. Is this why you are finishing the attic and not the basement?
A. No.

Q. What can I do to help?
A. Don't cause Aoi Tonbo stress! Please keep phone calls and questions to a minimum. Don't ask for important decisions to be made. Let Aoi Tonbo be. Service is welcome if these guidelines are applied. Things like collecting cobbles, weeding gardens, mowing the yard, etc will always be welcome.


Because of the masses of our families and friends, we will be updating mostly via Facebook and this blog. No one is receiving special treatment. Those we have to call are actually the last to find anything out. We are sorry if this is slightly inconvenient for you, however this reduces Aoi Tonbo's stress levels greatly.

If you have any other questions please ask via comments or facebook.

No longer missing

(these are some of the early bloomers that we are hoping to see in out gardens soon)


Lets be honest, life is crazy. We knew that buying a house would be big; we would be spending a lot of free time now working on said house. We knew that building a house would be bigger. We knew that the yard would take some work, no matter the lot size. And truthfully we love it. We love everything about it. Everything except the never ending cleaning. I can spend a good few hours cleaning and not ten minutes later there will be a mess that I didn't create. It is starting to wear both of us thin, however it is the crap we are having to deal with for now.
All of our hard work this last summer (the reason I didn't post much) is starting to show. We will have nice thick and deeply rooted grass in the front. The sod in the back is taking nicely. The bulbs I planted are starting to poke their little greens up. If it wasn't slushing at this moment I would take pictures to show the blogger world. I was able to open my windows for two days this week and enjoy the fresh air and the smell of spring. Even with snow still on the ground it felt great!
On top of all of this house craziness my work has been abnormally insane. It usually slows drastically come January until May. People want to ski and there are small vacations to take with their children. May is when training begins hardcore for the cyclist and the runners are really gearing up for the big local races. So things pick up in the summer and last until September when kids go back to school and parents are trying to get back into the grove of life. So the fact that I have been booked for 3 weeks out since Christmas has been a huge blessing and just a little exhausting.
The reason I am now able to update this blog is because I have a week off to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Akahige and I have been married for 9 years come Monday. It was been a ride full of adventure, which is exactly what I signed up for. Looks like this year will be no exception. To start it off Akahige turned 31 and I turned 30.
Next Wednesday we will be hosting a Japanese student for a week while they explore Utah and get to learn American culture. *fingers crossed for nice spring weather and blooming flowers* He will be attending some schools here with his group and then on Saturday and Sunday he gets free time with us. We have some ideas for Saturday that we will run past him once he arrives. On Sunday we are hoping to take him for a drive up to the valley and then to a family gathering on my side. Poor kid wont know what hit him. We requested dutch oven cooking and I am going to bring a strawberry cake from Cold Stone.
This summer we will be using our tractor to move dirt from up the hill to down the hill, hopefully creating a flat ground for fruit trees and clover fields to be planted come autumn. We are both anxious to get this under way.
It also looks like we may be finishing the attic bedrooms instead of more work on the basement. There are many factors leading to the decision and things could change once more but that is where we are leaning currently.
I hope that this March find everyone in good health and enjoying the spurts of green that are starting to show. I know we are. And expect more house building posts to come.