Update from recent appointments....

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created." James 1:17-18

This Monday and Tuesday we were out and about all day at doctors appointments. On Monday, we saw the Pediatric Pulmonary doctor. This was the first time to meet her; she was very thorough and I was really impressed with her. It's hard when we see a new doctor because I have to reverberate Coy's entire NICU stay. They do have most of the info in their computer system, but I guess it's easier for them to ask! They always seem impressed when I know all the specifics, but trust me, those are things that are permanently etched in my memory!

She listened to Coy's lungs and said they sounded "great." We also hooked him up to the pulse ox and waited for him to fall asleep on room air, he sated 98% most of the time, which was awesome! I told her he's off the oxygen majority of the time and I do frequent spot checks on his sats. She would prefer he stay on the oxygen at all times until he hits the 10lb mark. Her concern was not his saturations, however, being off oxygen, he is burning more calories to breathe and therefore, may not grow as fast. She's the specialist, so I will listen! He really hates the cannula in his nose now, so I have to fight to keep it in. Let's just say most of the time, he pulls it out and there's nothing I can do about it!!

She did order a chest xray, which we had done. The last xray from the hospital was done in February and it was not pretty. So far, I have not heard the results of this, but in this case, no news is good news. We will see her back in 2 months and, hopefully, at that time we can d/c the oxygen all together!

On Tuesday, we saw the Pediatric GI doctor. He was also great! He did not feel that Coy needed any testing at this point, ie Swallow study, Upper GI, etc. He liked his weight gain, and current medications, so we will continue on with everything the same. We see him back in one month.

I also took him to his regular Pediatrician for general check-up and to evaluate his right leg. I noticed sometime last week that his right leg is more stiff than the left. His right foot is turning inwards, while the left one is turning out. He kicks the right leg and majority of the time, it's easily moved, and he has good hip flexion, being I'm overly paranoid about everything, I wanted another opinion to see if this was normal. This alarmed me because a) it can be a sign of CP (cerebral palsy) and b) I didn't want it come time for him to crawl and for some reason he couldn't due to a deformity with his right leg/foot. Our Pediatrician evaluated him and said everything looked okay. I have been exercising his legs and watching they way he is positioned more closely, and I've already noticed it's less stiff and his foot is turning outward more. However, I am also going to call ECI to take another look just in case!

Coy also began tracking objects! I noticed he was more focused on my face and he even smiled at me! It was such a magical moment!

Please continue to pray for Coy's eyes. We see Dr. Hittner again in one week. Although, I am asking God to heal his eyes completely without intervention, I am calm in the fact that God has brought good out of every bad. He's in total control, at all times. If Coy's ROP does return, there is a reason for it, even if it's only to just praise Him!

I had a hard day this week accepting that Coy is going to have more issues than most babies/kids. I want him to have every opportunity in life to thrive, be happy, successful, and healthy. God is reminding me that Coy is perfectly knitted together by Him, and for that, I am so thankful! He is such a blessing!

7 lbs 6.5 oz and 20 inches long

And baby McKenzie Reese is doing amazingly well! She continues to stay strong on the nasal cannula! Please continue to pray for her and her family!

a God of miracles

Just some of my thoughts tonight...and a recount of December 3rd, 2007.

We are so thankful for all of you who continue to lift our family up in prayer. I have felt this guilt lately; like I haven't thanked God enough for the miracle He has given us. I still look at Coy and am just speechless. He's just so beautiful and I just don't feel worthy of this blessing.

Chris and I were forced to make an unbearable decision in the days prior to Coy's birth--wait for my labor to begin and deliver him vaginally (which the doctors informed us he would most likely not survive), or do a emergency C-section if his heart rate dropped due to a prolapsed cord (it was pushed back in twice; they informed us a C-section was risky for me due to infection)...with the help of our families, we agreed that a C-section would be too risky for me, that we would be forced to allow my labor to progress. For the next day, my heart was so unsettled with this decision. The thought of Coy dying inside me, and having him stillborn was just absolutely horrifying. I begged God to not let this happen.

Then came the morning of Monday, December 3rd. The contractions started and they were strong and regular. On exam, my cord was once again prolapsed and Coy's HR was in the 40s. The two doctors looked at each other, then looked at us with sorrow in their eyes; I could barely bring myselft to make eye contact back; they said their condolences and that this was probably "for the best" due to his gestational age and severe prematurity. This was it; the most important decision of our lives was made a few days ago and we had to stand by it. Due to the "profound" risk of losing my life, we were being forced to let him go; we were losing him. It was a nightmare come alive; I kept thinking this could not be happening. The emotions inside me were indescribable. I remembered back to feeling him kick that morning. Now, I was frantically trying to remember what time that was; "Please Coy, kick mommy, please God."

We prayed with our families and began the unimaginable task of mourning the loss of our baby boy. We stayed in the room another 30 minutes before I was wheeled to L&D. In the halls were cheers and smiles, other families full of excitement and joy; I buried my head deep in my pillow. These were sounds I could not tolerate to hear.

Shortly after being moved to L&D, I received an epidural for pain, both the physical and emotional. The doctors and nurses worked quietly, they were sensitive and respectful of our loss. Chris and I were then left alone, to pray and mourn, I just remember asking Jesus to hold Coy tight for me, tell him how much I love him.

Twenty minutes later, the L&D nurse returned and asked a question I will never forget, "Do you want to check for fetal heart tones one last time?" (I was only spot checked while in the hospital) My immediate response was no, Chris said yes. I could not bear to hear silence on the monitor; that would make this nightmare real--that our baby boy was was really gone. After my hesitation, we agreed to check for heart tones "one last time." Then came the greatest sound I've ever heard; his heartbeat at 150 bpm. The decision we made earlier was one we could no longer stand by. As our families waited frantically at the door, we informed our OBGYN we had changed our minds, that we wanted a C-section. Within minutes, I was in surgery and Coy was delivered alive.

I re-lived the events of the day at least 100 times that night. Was I dreaming? Was Coy really alive? Did our God really just perform this amazing miracle? Coy is an absolute joy and I am still trying comprehend his existence. God is still a God of miracles; I am holding one now as he sleeps.

Off topic....I've been tagged....

I have been summoned by Robyn from Nebraska in this blog world game of "tag"...I guess I will play along since I'm so thankful for all her thoughts and prayers!

Here are the rules:

• Link to the person who tagged you
• Post the rules on your blog
• Write six random things about yourself
• Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs
• Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment at their blog
• Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

Six random things about us (in case anyone cares...=)):

1) I am an introvert, I like to observe, think and listen, not really talk. I actually HATE talking on the phone. So if you call me and I don't answer, it's not you, it's me. =)

2) In my 10 years of driving, I have NEVER been pulled over for any reason. I guess it's the (fake) blonde hair, I dunno...

3) I hate cooking...I'm actually terrified of it...I once caught chicken on fire in my apartment kitchen, and I mean, FLAMES and the whole apartment filled with black smoke....so, I refrain myself from it these days, I would hate to burn our new house down...Chris is actually a wonderful cook and he usually does the grocery shopping too...I'm lucky, right? He does the cookin, I do the cleaning...

4) Coy's name was discovered in a Baby Name Book of all places! No special meaning, we just liked it! (and I can't tell you how many people asked us if we named him after a fish! that's Koi, not Coy! and why would I seriously name my son after a fish?)

5) Chris grew up playing baseball, played collegiate baseball at Rice University, won the NCAA National Championship in 2003, and played in the San Diego Padres organization for 2 years before retiring to move back to Houston permanently.

6) Chris and I reconnected at "The Library." We graduated from high school together as friends, but didn't keep in touch through college. We saw each other again randomly in Austin, Texas (I went to THE University of Texas @ Austin) in a BAR called The Library! This is where he told me he was going to date me, but I just thought he was full of it! I guess he was right!

I am tagging:

Kelly, Erin, Stephanie, Tracey, and Julie..

ROP

I feel like every time I am "not worried" about something or I think we're "in the clear" something always throws me off track. There is a chance Coy's ROP is returning. We saw Dr. Hittner yesterday and she informed me (after examining him awhile, I instantly knew something was up) that his "plus disease" has returned. This, according to Dr. Hittner, is usually the first thing to return if the ROP is going to come back. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I just assumed that everything was okay.

Dr. Hittner, of course, is a world renowned pediatric ophthalmologist, and she has recently finished a clinical trial on a new medication to treat ROP. This medication is injected into the eyes and per her words is a "miracle drug." So, the good news, if the ROP does return, surgery will hopefully be avoided using this new "miracle drug." She is still working on approval from the FDA, so they are not able to us it in the hospital yet, however, she can use it in an outpatient setting with our consent. This was a relief for me to hear---if not, we would have to mess with putting him back in the hospital for surgery, which would include reintubation. We will see her again in two weeks. Dr. Hittner must have read my face, because she was very comforting and reassuring. She's known to be "like a general" however, she was optimistic that this new drug will work if needed.

So, please pray for total healing of Coy's eyes. Pray for perfect vision and sight! Thanks to you all for your continued thoughts and prayers!

(oh yeah, he is now 7 lb 3 oz! We have a home scale and I weighed him yesterday!)

7 lbs!

Our little man now weighs 7lbs! He's even grown out of some of his clothes! I was so excited! He's in-between Preemie and Newborn sizes right now. I just love dressing him everyday! We've had a great time just "hanging out" together this past week or so. It's so nice to not have any appointments. We do go back to Dr. Hittner tomorrow for a check-up--please continue to pray for total healing of Coy's eyes.

I was so scared to stay home with Coy after our neighbors house was broken into two days ago. They kicked in the front door and stole the plasma T.V. and some very special jewelery--all while their alarm was going off. The police were dispatched by the alarm company as a "motion alarm" in the house, so they thought it was a pet. They didn't show up for 1 hr 15 minutes! So, the intruders were long gone by then. It's so unfortunate that this has been occurring more often in our area. Apparently, they are targeting homes that no one is home during the day. I was just freaked out to think someone could have been lurking around my house too, and possibly saw me inside! It's sad there are some seriously bad people in this world. I guess you can't be too cautious no matter where you live!

Anyway, here are some recent pics...

"Oh Mom, please take these glasses off me, I'm not a doll..."








And Coy wants to say, "Happy Birthday Aunt Mandy and Uncle Matthew!"....

SCARED!

We had a VERY scary incident hit close to home today....our NEXT DOOR neighbors house was burglarized (kicked the front door in) sometime this morning before noon....very scary for me because I was at home with Coy and I didn't hear anything unusual! I thought our neighborhood was safe! I prayed last night for protection over our home and family as always...I know we had God's grace over us. Thank goodness, our neighbors were not home at the time. So, please pray for continued protection over our home and family! I cannot imagine what I would do if someone kicked in our front door! I mean, Coy is attached to apnea monitor and oxygen, I can't pick him up and run??!

So, Coy is doing great! He has been taking 100cc at every feeding! We bought a home scale and weighed him two days ago--he was 6lb 13 oz! He's also been sleeping better at night!

I am also happy to report that baby McKenzie has been going strong on a nasal cannula! She is such a little fighter! Keep praying for her continued healing!

We are so thankful to you all!