Sickness

This was our first stomach bug since Parker has been here.  It was NOT FUN! I turned our house into something like a hospital ward minus the latex gloves and scrubs...hey that's a thought for next time :)

If you look closely, you can see many things...

- the can of lysol on the table...I did everything but spray Briggs down on his actual body
- lysol wipes
- furniture coverings...made from sheets, towels, blankets, whatever worked
- one sick baby on one couch
- one sleeping baby on the chair
- my bath robe, where Parker is sleeping...I would put it on when I would hold him and take it off to hold Briggs

I can say we successfully made it through the first bug...we were, by the grace of God, and nothing more, able to quarantine the bug to Briggs only. There was lots of hand washing, praying, hand sanitizing, praying and lysol spraying happening at the Poland house, on top of the Lord's protective hand on Parker.  I did eight loads of laundry that first day of sheets, towels, clothes...it was too much fun!

But now that we are on the other side of it...I can say we survived.   Everyone is healthy.  It's been two weeks and I'm just now getting back to my blogging.

Oh well...life goes on if my weekly post doesn't get completed...right?

Just thankful we made it and now have a story to remember. 

Craft Board

I have been trying to figure out a creative way to hang Briggs' artwork...this is what I came up with.

Start with piece of wood, some burlap and a staple gun.  

Whatever size or length you prefer. 

 This was one we had used to hang a curtain. 

Note:  This board was covered with white fabric.  If you use burlap...you might need to have some kind of fabric underneath, or paint the wood, unless you're ok with seeing the board.

Wrap the board long ways first and staple...

Then I folded the ends like a Christmas present and stapled...

Next get some clothes pins.  I spray painted them brown just for the fun of it...

I put them on the end of a box so I could hit both sides easily..worked like a charm.

Hot glue the pins to the board...

Now you have a place to hang all that art your kiddos create.  

Banana Ice Cream

Want a healthy and yummy snack..how about banana ice cream...

Start with frozen bananas. 

I just cut them up fresh ones and freeze them if it looks like they might go bad before we can eat them all. 

Next throw them in a food processor, blender..whatever you have...

It should look like this... about the consistency of a Wendy's frosty.  I added about 2 T of milk to help give it a little liquid when blending.

You can eat it with just plain bananas OR doctor it up and then stick it back in the freezer for a yummy treat later.

I added a spoonful of peanut butter and some chocolate chunks...YUMMO! 


Note:  I didn't have any chocolate chips, but I did have Almond Bark..so I just used my food processor to make some chocolate shavings....just use what you have and get creative.

So there is a really fast, easy, fun treat.  Enjoy!

Answered Prayers

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

Psalm 34:4-5

A friend texted me this verse during our time at the hospital with a message that this is what her and her husband were praying over us.  Such a great verse to represent the following...

Leading up to and during our birth/time at the hospital, there were many specific things we were praying for.  I had to share these on our blog and brag on just how awesome and faithful our God is!

1. To make it full-term and deliver naturally without pitocin.  

We made it to 39 weeks (with 5 on bedrest).  Went into labor on my own, no pitocin and made it without meds...as you can see below.

2.  For my mom to be here for the actual birth.

Mom didn't make it for Briggs' birth because she was at my sister's house helping (she had my nephew exactly one week before Briggs).  She was determined to be here for this one.

 ...right when Parker came out...priceless :)

 

So glad I have these shots with my mom and baby boy.

admiring her new grandson, nothing like it...

3. Amy Campbell (the nurse who helped deliver Briggs) would be our nurse again

I mean besides the fact that I had her schedule for the whole month of December and January in my planner, and had prayed since the day I got pregnant again that we would have her...there was a really big chance it wasn't going to happen.  Did I mention she only works three days a week....BUT....

We went in to L&D at midnight, guess who came on at 7:00 am, Parker arrived at 9:51 am...I mean, what are the chances that would happen?!?!?
 

Justin and I had a little more of a clue this time around on what to expect, but I think it's fair to say we still couldn't have done it this time around without her...she was awesome!

Oh yeah and she actually delivered Parker herself, because Dr. Swindle was dragging her feet (not really...but I like messing with her).
 

4.  Dr. Swindle be there and deliver Parker

Funny story...so, we get there around midnight.  Things are progressing slowly.  I actually had Swindle's schedule for the whole month in my planner too...just so I could prepare myself if I knew she wasn't going to be there.  She told me to get them to call her if I came in and she wasn't there.  The whole time I'm progressing, I keep telling the nurses...Dr. Swindle told me to call her if I come in.  They are all rolling their eyes and "yeah right-ing" me.  I would tell any new nurse we had or anybody that would listen that she wanted to know I'm there...I'm her "special" patient (or so I like to think).  Did I mention that Swindle is the medical director for the whole practice.  I've seen her get after a few people in my time with her...so I think they were all scared, on top of, didn't believe me.  Finally...after a few hours, our nurse comes in and says Dr. Swindle had wrote at the bottom of my chart to call her if I came in and she wasn't the on-call doctor...BOO-YA!  I couldn't stop laughing for awhile and it did confirm that she loves me as much as I love her...at least it made me feel that way :)

Anyway...guess who came on-call at 7am that morning...you guessed it..Dr. Swindle!  They didn't have to call her b/c I didn't progress enough for them to wake her up in the middle of the night...we knew I would make it until she got there at 7.  It was awesome to see her smiling face walk through that door.  She actually didn't "technically" deliver Parker.  Amy had to b/c when it was time to push...she called for the doc, but Parker came so quickly, she didn't make it downstairs to catch him.
She did walk in seconds later and got to do all the fun part...stitch me up, deliver the placenta, and of course pose for this shot...
 

5.  Allison Lewis would be available to photograph the birth.

Another person I was stalking during the tale end of this pregnancy.  I had her schedule in my planner too.  There were certain things she couldn't get out of, which I completely understood but deep down I wanted her there soooo bad.  Because...Justin would be all up in the action, we didn't want him behind the camera, and... I NEEDED him.  My mom was planning on being there, but it all depended on if we had childcare for Briggs...many things had to line up for that to happen.  No offense to my mom, I know she could get the basics, but Allison brought it to a whole other level.

Well except for when she was napping..

Just joking!..our poor friend...and yes we definitely consider her that instead of just the "photographer", came in the middle of the night, when she had just taken a benadryl because she hadn't been sleeping well...weathered through the 10 hours we were there laboring and managed to capture some priceless pics for us...now THAT'S a special person.  We love you dearly for that sacrifice Allison!  Oh and a shout out to her husband who was home with their FIVE children.  He even had to load them ALL up to drive to the hospital so Allison could nurse their youngest.  Sacrifices made from many people for us that night.

But we got this sweet pic to remember add to our memories

6.  Dr. Lytle to be our pediatrician at the hospital

Once we started to realize things weren't going quite as planned with Parker, I started to get stressed that we weren't getting accurate info and needed someone familiar and knowledgeable who we trusted.  We were being passed around to multiple doctors, one who had her reference book she was carrying around and USING on our baby! (didn't make this momma feel too confident in her competency level or our plan).

Let me just start by saying...there are 10+ pediatricians in the group we use.  When you have a baby, you just see whatever one is assigned to your hospital for that day.  When we had Briggs we never saw Dr. Lytle even though he is our primary pediatrician.  Well...this was day two and as I mentioned earlier, we were not comfortable with all the info coming our way.  I had already asked the nurse to find out who was on call this morning for our group.  Justin and I had decided we were going to call Dr. Lytle at his office if it wasn't him or one of the other two docs we felt comfortable with.  The nurse comes in and reports...GUESS who is on call and on his way here now...Dr. Lytle!

I'm telling you, when this man walked in our room...I not only started crying but I gave him a big hug.  I know that's not very professional...but I couldn't help it.  He got us on track, spent a lot of time explaining everything and getting a good plan together.  The Lord was continuing to answer our specific prayers.

7.  Healthy baby.

We definitely got that...just a few bumps in the road.  As stressful and inconvenient as the NICU was for Parker and us, we are so thankful for the doctors and nurses the Lord allowed us to encounter.  They took such good care of our baby and got him better and  up to 110% before they sent him home.  We were very confident that he was going to be fine and was very stable when he left.

8.  Coming home!

for the vision awaits its appointed time: it hastens to the end--it will not lie.  

If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.  

Habakkuk 2:3

A friend sent us this verse during our time in the NICU.  Such a great verse for such an uncertain time, but that the Lord had his hand in from the beginning to the end.  Her encouragement was and I quote...

"I'm praying for Parker's healing and peace during this time of waiting.  I know you're hurting. Lord, be near to the brokenhearted and show yourself powerful in Parker's body and life" 

 

As mentioned before, the NICU experience was very unexpected (he was 39 weeks..not on our radar at all since we made it so far) and was very stressful.  I think what added another layer of complication was having Briggs at home and being so torn between our two babies.  Not to mention the fact I just had a baby, was super sleep deprived and trying to heal.  

But, the Lord was not only faithful to answer all of our specific prayer requests and not only, kind of, but as specifically as we asked.  I mean it was practically a miracle for all of those people to be a part of this birth story in the way that they were. Well, except for Dr. Swindle actually delivering Parker, but I don't think I'll complain about that.  I already told her...if there is a next time, she can just block off her schedule and come hang out in the birth suite with us, so she can make sure she doesn't miss it.  I'm glad he came out with minimal effort. I worked hard for the first ten hours..three pushes and her walking in after...I can live with.

He also surrounded us with precious friends and family who went the extra mile to help us, pray for us, send us sweet text messages, emails, cards, gift cards for gas to help pay for getting back and forth to the hospital, gift cards for food, provided meals, childcare for Briggs, my mom went above and beyond to clean, cook and take care of my family when I couldn't.  We have felt overwhelmed by the outpouring of love we experienced through Parker's birth story.  Thank you to each and every one of you.  Our prayers were abundantly answered and our hearts are so full from this experience.

...that you being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think according to the power at work within us, to him be glory forever and ever.

Ephesians 3: 17-21 

Tips and tricks

Here are a few random things we do around our house to save money, time or stay somewhat organized...

We love lunch meat.  Justin brings a sandwich to work just about every day.  Briggs loves lunch meat.  And on top of that, we are lunch meat snobs.  Everyone only likes the Boars head meat from Publix.  The only problem, it only lasts about 3-4 days before it goes bad.  So my choices are to either make a trip to Publix multiple times a week...OR...

buy it in 3# increments, separate it, and freeze it.  That way I just pull some out when we need it and make less frequent trips to the store.  That works for me!

To make crayons portable, we put them in a travel soap dish...fit perfectly and then you don't have to keep up with the torn and demolished crayon box.

Have you ever wondered what to do with all that tissue paper you have?

I used an accordian file, separated and folding it by color...

now it's all in one spot, I can see what I have, and very accessible.

Have you ever been cooking, the recipe calls for chicken broth and you only need 1/2 cup?  If you keep these cartons of broth like I do and can't use them before they go bad...

I pour the remaining broth in an ice cube tray, freeze it, put in a freezer bag.  That way I have smaller portions to throw in a recipe.  I do this all the time and has worked great for me in my kitchen.

There are a few random tips and tricks from our home to yours.  

Hope this helps somebody out there somewhere.

Our New Normal

We have made some FB posts to say Parker is home, with a few cute little pics. Hope all of you don't feel like I have completely abandoned the blog.  I definitely have not!...just now starting to emerge from the baby fog and get into a routine.

Let me first start off by saying that Parker is doing great.  He is much more alert, jaundice levels are down, eating really good, sleeping pretty good and is adjusting to being the little brother. 

As I said in my previous post, Parker was jaundice and had some breathing issues.  After some light therapy and doing every test under the sun, the doctors finally determined he is good enough to come home.  As we all know, being jaundice is not uncommon for newborns, but Parker had a few extra things complicating his levels and making it a little more stubborn to come down.

Since being home, we have gone back for 3 rechecks at the pediatrician.  Unfortunately his jaundice levels started creeping back up again, so we had to stop breastmilk for awhile b/c he apparently had breastmilk jaundice (there is an enzyme in bm that can make it harder for babies to excrete the bili from their systems, resulting in increasing numbers).  Anyway, now that we stopped that, he looks like a pale little white boy instead of one with a bronzed tan :)  We will take it after all that!  We weren't wanting to have to start lights back at home.  No breathing issues since discharge from the hospital.

A few pics to share our time at the hospital...

Briggs first time to meet Parker

A little close up.  LOVE this pic!

When we went to pick Parker up and bring him home..

Briggs wasn't too sure about that little squirmy guy.

So just to refresh...we have gone from this...

and this...

to this!...

Briggs is learning to love his baby brother.  The first thing he says when he wakes up..."be-be"?  That's his version of "baby".  He loves to sit by us and help with him..holding the bottle, giving him his paci...We are working on being gentle with the baby which is still a work in progress, but we are getting there.  Briggs thinks Parker is soooo funny.  Anytime he burps, coughs, poots, Briggs is dying laughing about it.

And then of course Briggs wants to help carry the baby.  It's so cute how he hooks his arm just like mommy does.  But he still requires some assistance of course.

Here is another pic of him helping me carry the "be-be". 
What a big helper!

It has been pretty chilly outside since we have been home, but we aren't letting that stop us.  We upgraded from our single B.O.B. stroller to the mac-daddy. double.  Can't wait until we hit 6 weeks and I get the all-clear to start jogging, but for now, both the boys enjoy taking walks and getting some fresh air.

We have had many people ask what we need or what they can do.  I know I'm a little late with this, but a friend did set up a meal website.  See the link below.

http://www.takethemameal.com/meals.php?t=CRSF8687

People ask me how it is with two babies.  It has been an interesting start.  Very stressful at first and we have been very blessed to have help here since the week before Christmas (since I was on bedrest and then after the birth so we could get back and forth to the hospital).  Yesterday was our first full day alone and getting into a routine is top priority on this girl's list. 

We are looking forward to what the future holds and enjoying every second of having our little guy home with us...FINALLY!

I will hopefully get back on track with sharing fun things on my blog...and a few updates of our little men.  Thank you again to everyone for checking on us and for all the prayers.  One day soon I'll get a post up that explains how we truly saw the Lord working through this whole pregnancy/birth and how he specifically answered our prayers....stay tuned!

Parker Blake Poland - NICU

As most of you know...we had our newest addition to the family...

Parker Blake Poland

  January 28th at 9:51 am.  

7 pounds 14 ounces, 21 inches 

of pure sweetness.

Click here to see a few highlighted pics from our day.  I'll make a birth post one day, but short version...it was a 10 hour natural (non-medicated) birth that went beautifully.  There are so many cool things that happened that day, I promise to share once things settle down.  

Since then, things have gotten interesting.  As you can see in this pic...Parker is getting a little bottle.  After he was born, his bilirubin levels climbed quickly and we had to take action.  Not a huge deal that he is jaundice except for the fact of how fast and high his numbers climbed.  

So, we had to start supplementing with formula to get him using the bathroom good, since my milk wasn't in yet.  He did good on the bottle and since then has been nursing good.

We started on his second day of life, with a bili-bed.  

The pediatrician felt like this might help his bilirubin numbers go down, but...

they kept climbing so we had to move to a more aggressive approach.  Over the past few days, he went up from just laying on lights to having triple light therapy in the NICU to get his numbers down.

Since our admission to the NICU:

• We have backed down from overhead lights and his sunglasses to the bili-bed (what he started out on).  That makes us feel so much better b/c at least he can look around when he wants.  He was starting to get so ticked with those glasses on.  
• Parker was also having some breathing issues when admitted to the NICU.  He started with retracted breathing which has resolved on it's own.  He is currently having de-saturation (de-sat) episodes when he is eating or sucking on his paci.  That means his oxygen levels drop when he is sucking.  The doctor feels this is just another step of him developing his lungs and breathing.  Although my labor with Parker was 10 hours, when it was time to push, he came out very quickly...like 3 pushes quickly... and was out.  Because of that, some of these breathing issues have developed as a result.
• Overall Parker is doing good.  He has improved since being admitted to the NICU; however he is still there.  The doctor said we will not be able to bring him home until he can go two days with no de-sats.  He currently has multiple episodes a day.

We haven't shared many details to this point because we have been incredibly overwhelmed with everything that has happened so far.  We have begun to get texts and emails checking on Parker and felt it's time to share some info with all of you.

We ask that you please pray for all of us and mostly Parker.  He is doing good and is getting stronger everyday.  At the moment, we are hanging in there. This has been incredibly hard to leave him at the hospital and not at home with us.

We are all dealing with this differently.  Justin of course is so strong.  He comforts me, loves on both our little boys and has been the rock through all this.  Every day when we go see him, I cry as we leave and am completely exhausted, I guess from the emotional and physical toll this kind of thing has on a mommy.  Briggs has been great, but is starting to get a little leery of what exactly is going on...Justin and I try to go visit Parker when Briggs is napping or asleep for the night so we can also spend time with him.

We truly appreciate all of you and have kept things quiet for a reason.  It's completely draining to have your baby in the NICU and his medical status constantly changing.  I mean literally the plan can change a few times a day.  We can barely keep up with the plan sometimes, much less inform everyone.  So at this point we just ask for your prayers.  I know everyone wants to know how Parker and our family are doing. Trust me, we are hanging in there and thankful  his issues are not life-threatening, he just needs some time to work through them.  It kills me/us to leave him there everyday and feel so torn, it's almost unbearable.  We are able to go see him and call anytime of day or night that we want. 

If you call, text or fb to check on Parker, please be patient with us as we respond as we can.  Justin is handling most of the communication with friends and family because I'm just trying to take care of myself and the boys.  I'm very overwhelmed with all of this and I guess with the post-pregnancy hormones... having to answer detailed questions, is very draining and I have to choose where to use my energy best.

We covet your prayers and will update as we can.