Tripp and I had a date night on Friday. I love spending time with my boy! We went to a Mother/Son dance with Megan, Leighton, Leah, and Drew.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
an unexpected stay
I'm sitting here in the quiet so I thought I would take advantage of it and go ahead and blog about Bear. I really do think that I have some people that read this that would like to know how the last 12 days have gone. It will probably be really long, so either bare with me, or stop reading now. Your choice! :-)
Jenn's induction began on December 8th at 5 in the morning. Well the actual induction didn't start until about 7, but she had to be at the hospital at 5. From there, we just began a REALLY long day of waiting. She progressed very slowly. She averaged dilating 1 cm about every 3 hours. She planned on going natural without any pain medicine, but the process was so slow that she ended up getting an epidural at about 3:30. When they checked her at 8:30, she was about a 5 1/2. Well, when they checked her at 11:30, she was fully dilated and ready to push. Trey and I started jumping up and down! She started pushing at 12 and Bear came into the world at 12:20. Jenn was a rock star. She never made a sound. It was the most amazing thing to be in the delivery room and NOT be the one delivering!! :-) Definitely something I will never forget.
When we got back up to the hospital about 8-9 hours later after getting some sleep, we learned that Bear's blood sugar had been really low since birth. So, they took him to the NICU to get some IV nourishment. When Trey and Jenn went to visit him in the NICU for the first time, they were hit with some really hard news. Not only was Bear's blood sugar low and he had a rash on his body, the doctors were worried about him having fluid on his brain, a heart condition, Down Syndrome, and potentially not having an ear drum. Talk about a blow. We spent all day Thursday crying and praying. Lots of tears were shed. Lots of "Why God?"'s were asked. It was a really hard day. Seeing him laying in a NICU bed hooked up to monitors was difficult, but he was so calm and peaceful. We learned at the end of the day that he does not have any openings into his ears. So, we don't know if his inner and middle ear formed correctly. We'll know that after he sees an ENT.
Friday began with some really good news. His brain scan came back clear, so we knew he didn't have any fluid on his brain. The rash had begun to go away. They were still watching his sugar level. His heart was still not showing the doctors what they needed to see, so they needed to continue monitoring that. Right before I left to come home, the nurse practitioner came into the NICU and told us that he doesn't have Down Syndrome. Talk about a roller coaster ride! We went from being faced with countless scary hurdles to having some of the biggest ones taken away within 24 hours.
Over the weekend, he continued to do well. His blood sugar was fine and we thought he might get to come home on Sunday night. However, they decided to keep him one more night to let the cardiologist see him again on Monday morning. Well, on Monday morning, Bear's sodium levels began to drop and they weren't real sure why. Plus, the cardiologist STILL wasn't 100% pleased with what he/she was seeing. So, they had to monitor his sodium levels for about 48 hours.
Finally, on Thursday, the cardiologist gave him the "all clear" on his heart and told Trey and Jenn that he was good to go. His sodium levels came back up and everything was good! So, Trey and Jenn loaded that precious baby up and took him home! Yes, Trey, Jenn, and Bear still have a road to walk with his ears. However, we are praying and trusting that it will be something that can be corrected with surgery. When we went to the hospital on December 8th, we didn't know that we were signing Bear up for a 7 day NICU stay. However, we saw God answer some mighty prayers during that time. Trey and Jennifer were a testimony of faith the entire time. Although I know they were scared, they were amazing. Both of them.
He is so incredibly precious and tiny! I know he is going to grow so fast, but for now I just love snuggling him whenever possible. Plus, I jokingly call myself the "Auntarazzi" instead of Paparazzi! I keep my camera in his face! His name means "Victor Over Troubled Lands"....and hasn't he already proven how victorious he is going to be!
I can't wait to see the unbelievable work God is going to do through this little one's life! I have a feeling it's going to be pretty incredible!
Jenn's induction began on December 8th at 5 in the morning. Well the actual induction didn't start until about 7, but she had to be at the hospital at 5. From there, we just began a REALLY long day of waiting. She progressed very slowly. She averaged dilating 1 cm about every 3 hours. She planned on going natural without any pain medicine, but the process was so slow that she ended up getting an epidural at about 3:30. When they checked her at 8:30, she was about a 5 1/2. Well, when they checked her at 11:30, she was fully dilated and ready to push. Trey and I started jumping up and down! She started pushing at 12 and Bear came into the world at 12:20. Jenn was a rock star. She never made a sound. It was the most amazing thing to be in the delivery room and NOT be the one delivering!! :-) Definitely something I will never forget.
When we got back up to the hospital about 8-9 hours later after getting some sleep, we learned that Bear's blood sugar had been really low since birth. So, they took him to the NICU to get some IV nourishment. When Trey and Jenn went to visit him in the NICU for the first time, they were hit with some really hard news. Not only was Bear's blood sugar low and he had a rash on his body, the doctors were worried about him having fluid on his brain, a heart condition, Down Syndrome, and potentially not having an ear drum. Talk about a blow. We spent all day Thursday crying and praying. Lots of tears were shed. Lots of "Why God?"'s were asked. It was a really hard day. Seeing him laying in a NICU bed hooked up to monitors was difficult, but he was so calm and peaceful. We learned at the end of the day that he does not have any openings into his ears. So, we don't know if his inner and middle ear formed correctly. We'll know that after he sees an ENT.
Friday began with some really good news. His brain scan came back clear, so we knew he didn't have any fluid on his brain. The rash had begun to go away. They were still watching his sugar level. His heart was still not showing the doctors what they needed to see, so they needed to continue monitoring that. Right before I left to come home, the nurse practitioner came into the NICU and told us that he doesn't have Down Syndrome. Talk about a roller coaster ride! We went from being faced with countless scary hurdles to having some of the biggest ones taken away within 24 hours.
Over the weekend, he continued to do well. His blood sugar was fine and we thought he might get to come home on Sunday night. However, they decided to keep him one more night to let the cardiologist see him again on Monday morning. Well, on Monday morning, Bear's sodium levels began to drop and they weren't real sure why. Plus, the cardiologist STILL wasn't 100% pleased with what he/she was seeing. So, they had to monitor his sodium levels for about 48 hours.
Finally, on Thursday, the cardiologist gave him the "all clear" on his heart and told Trey and Jenn that he was good to go. His sodium levels came back up and everything was good! So, Trey and Jenn loaded that precious baby up and took him home! Yes, Trey, Jenn, and Bear still have a road to walk with his ears. However, we are praying and trusting that it will be something that can be corrected with surgery. When we went to the hospital on December 8th, we didn't know that we were signing Bear up for a 7 day NICU stay. However, we saw God answer some mighty prayers during that time. Trey and Jennifer were a testimony of faith the entire time. Although I know they were scared, they were amazing. Both of them.
He is so incredibly precious and tiny! I know he is going to grow so fast, but for now I just love snuggling him whenever possible. Plus, I jokingly call myself the "Auntarazzi" instead of Paparazzi! I keep my camera in his face! His name means "Victor Over Troubled Lands"....and hasn't he already proven how victorious he is going to be!
losing it
I have so much to blog about, it's not even funny. However, I can't seem to find the time. I will this week, though, promise. I'm debating blogging about the whole process Bear has gone through. I know I need to, it's a major part of the story God has laid out for him, so I will. At some point. But, for the sake of not wanting to forget the date, I need to post that my son has his first loose tooth. I absolutely cannot believe it. Who knows when he will actually lose it. But, with the way he can't stop wiggling it, I have a feeling it will be sooner than later. I guess it's fitting that it's the very first tooth he got when he was four months old. Now, at four years old, it looks like he will lose it. I'm waiting on time to slow down. However, it doesn't seem to be listening.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
a precious Christmas gift
He's here. Barington Stephen Sheneman aka "Bear" arrived on December 9 at 12:20 am. He weighed 7 lb 3 oz and was 19.5 inches long. It's been a long few days with several complications and a NICU stay, but that's for another post. For now, feast your eyes on this little guy!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
the final touches
The tree wouldn't be nearly as beautiful without the help of our two little elves. I think this is the first year they've actually helped us decorate it!
a sunday at the farm
Christmas traditions are so fun. One of my favorite "new" traditions is going to the farm and picking out a tree. Last year, we went a little crazy and got a HUGE tree. This year, Joey said that the goal was to pick out a tree that was just a little taller than him! Last year, we picked out a pre-cut tree, but this year, Joey cut ours. It was a great Sunday afternoon spent together as a family.
a thanksgiving story
A Thanksgiving story told in pictures.
There was lots of cooking...
There was "baby cooking"....
Quality time spent with a sick little girl....
Enough food to feed a small army....
Great conversations....
A lunch of mostly popsicles for the little ones....
Lots of Tom's stories....
And plenty of relaxing late into the afternoon....
The newlyweds on their first Thanksgiving as husband and wife!
There was lots of cooking...
Next year....we'll have an "almost one year old" to chase around!!!!
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