a fisch story: October 2011

Saturday, October 22, 2011

CAUGHT UP!!!

I finally got all caught up on my blog. If you want to hear the whole story you will have to go back about 17 posts...I'm not exaggerating...it really has been that long since I posted. Hopefully you are still following me and have not given up. ENJOY!!

Faces

Harrison made all these faces in about 30 seconds. I wonder what he thinks about??

Getting into the groove

Harrison has been such a good baby. He fits the cliche...eat, sleep, and poop. He only cries when he is naked. He sleeps great! It is nice that life has slowed down so we can enjoy him.

When he was first born we thought he looked just like Brad. Now that he is home I see Claire in him as well. He definitely belongs to this family. It will be fun to watch him change.

First night home

When Randy got home from work he snatched Harrison right from my arms to hold him. Randy was just as excited as the kids.

After the kids went to bed we gave Harrison a real bath. In the NICU they gave him sort of sponge baths.

I couldn't bend over the tub yet so Randy got to do it. I was jealous. Harrison was not sure at first. But as soon as the warm water came he loved it.

He smelled so good. I forgot how yummy a newborn smelled. Randy and I snuggled him then put him to bed. The NICU had him on a great schedule so he did well that first night. He only woke up every 4 hours. We are spoiled.

Brad meeting his Brother

Brad knew his brother was coming home. He jumped on his bike and raced home from school as fast as he could. He couldn't wait to meet him. Brad had so many questions. He is so excited to be a big brother.

Claire meeting her brother

Claire was so eager to hold him for the first time. She wanted to touch him everywhere. I had to watch her like a hawk. She just wanted to smother him in smooches. It was sweet.

Time to go HOME!!!!

After only 12 days in the hospital Harrison was taking all of his feedings and was off the oxygen. He was ready. I could not believe how fast he progressed. It took Brad 6 weeks to come home from the hospital so we were so pleasantly surprised to have Harrison come home so early.

Taking off all the cords and monitors. He hated having his feet touched. Usually it meant a blood test or a poke to the foot.

Finally free from everything.

I picked out the smallest outfit I had in the closet. We sat and giggled. It looked like he had clown pants on. He still looked so cute.

Before we left all the nurses had to come and snuggle him and say their goodbyes. Harrison had made some good friends in the NICU.

Ready to go all bundled in the car seat.

Food glorious food!!!

The next several days were spent weaning him off the TPN and Lipids in his IV to feedings. They started out VERY slow. He got about a teaspoon at time. Harrison thought it was a cruel joke. He did really good. He was very coordinated at eating. I was thrilled. Once he could tolerate food he was strong enough to finish about half of his feeding. The rest they put down a feeding tube in his nose.

The kids made all kind of cards and pictures for Harrison to hang in his room. Brad had the great idea to put a picture of Claire and him in Harrison's crib so he could see them. It was so thoughtful of Brad.

Randy decided to continue to work and save his time off until Harrison came home. My mom stayed with me and helped at home and took me to the NICU during the day.

I spent about 5-6 hours of the day back and forth in the NICU. After the kids went to bed Randy and I would go up together at night.

Once he was off the IV nutrition they were able to take out the IV. He was well enough to go to the window to see his brother and sister.

They were surprised at how small he was. I think in their minds they thought he was the size of a toddler. It was fun to read their lips through the glass.

Claire was trying to make Harrison smile. We couldn't hear her but she was making us laugh. She is so goofy.

Visitors

Some of Harrison's aunts and uncles came to see him in the hospital. It was nice to see them.

After the hospital visit we went and got ice cream. I was still in major healing phase but I had to go...I needed an out. That may not have been the best idea. Laughing hurt so bad. The Fischer boys always make me laugh. It was a fun yet PAINFUL night.

Leaving the hospital

I came home the Sunday after he was born. It was so hard to leave the hospital without him but it was so good to be home with Brad and Claire. My mom stayed with us. While I was on bed rest she went home on the weekends to be with my dad and regenerate before coming back to Logan. She didn't go home and I was so glad to have her there to help. Randy and I settled in to life at home and life in the NICU. We had no idea how long Harrison was going to be there we just had to wait for him to come around and tell us he was ready.

Claire was really having a hard time with all the change. She didn't understand what was going on. All she knew was that the attention was not on her anymore. He nose was bent. She was an emotional wreck. She would wake up in the middle of the night sobbing. Not the fake dramatic cry but the deep down sad cry. She would wrap her arms around my neck tight and not let go. I think she was worried I was going to leave again. The next day my mom took her our for a girl day. They went shopping for a new outfit and went to lunch. Claire came home much happier. Shopping with grandma was so healing for her. She is a lucky girl.

The NICU

Soon after he was born I told Randy to pick a name for him. Randy decided on Harrison Mathias Fischer. I LOVED it. It was perfect. Mathias is Matthew in German. Matthew is after Randy's brother.

The NICU's first priority was to help him breathe. They started out with a CPAP machine to see if they could open up his lungs with a little pressure and assistance. He did okay but they could see that he was declining and needed more help. He was working so hard to breath. He was getting tired. The decision was quickly made to put him on a ventilator.

He looked so much more comfortable on the ventilator.

Tori came up that night. Thank goodness she had her camera with her. We left to the hospital that morning so fast. We didn't have a chance to bring anything with us. Thank you so much Tori for these pictures you took. They are priceless to me.

Randy's parents came up that morning to be with our kids. They brought the kids to the hospital to see me. They don't allow kids under 14 to go into the NICU and Harrison was too sick to take to the NICU window. The nurse in the NICU taking care of him broke a rule and let the kids come into the back hall and peek into a tall window so they could see their brother. I was so grateful.

We decided that Randy would go home and sleep with the kids and my mom would stay with me in the hospital. My mom was a trooper. That night was hard. I don't think I slept at all. My mom got even less sleep than me. I was in a lot of pain, the Magnesium Sulfate made me feel terrible and an air pocket had settled under my diaphragm from surgery. Every time I took a regular breath my diaphragm would spasm and I couldn't catch my breath it was scary. I tried to breath as shallow as I could. If I dozed off I would take a deeper breath and I would spasm. It was a LONG night. By the next afternoon I was feeling a lot better...thank goodness.

Over the next 48 hours Harrison was on and off the ventilator, and CPAP. They would trial him off and he would fail and need to go back on. Before they ventilated him the second time they let me come down and hold him for just a minute. It was just what I needed. I loved every minute.

After 3 days he was weened off the breathing machines and only needed a little oxygen from a nasal cannula. It was a relief.

The next step was to get him off IV nutrition and start him eating. He was hungry.

The Delivery

We still didn’t know what the sex of the baby was and we had not come to a decision on a name…boy or girl. When the anesthesiologist brought me to the Operating Room all the nurses were so excited. They kept telling me that they loved it when the sex was a surprise. They said it was like Christmas. I on the other hand was shaking like a leaf. I was terrified. Dr. Daines hooked me up to the monitor and my pressure was so high. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the monitor. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t a nurse …ignorance is bliss. They let Randy come into the room while he gave me an epidural. Randy sat in front of me. I was so glad he was there. Once the epidural was in I could feel my pressure drop. I remember looking at the monitor again and seeing 65/22…then I felt myself blacking out. I remember grabbing Randy’s hand so tight. The next thing I remember is losing my hearing. Everything sounded muffled and I couldn’t understand any of the questions people were asking me. Randy said he has never seen a doctor working so fast. He said Dr. Daines pushed several medications into my IV. It seemed to pass quickly and I tried to just focus on Randy sitting next to me. Every noise in the room bothered me. My head was pounding and I was sick to my stomach.

The next thing I knew Randy was beaming looking at me telling me that we had a BOY!!! Everything bothering me at that moment vanished. A tear rolled down my cheek as I looked at my sweet baby boy. I could see him for brief moments while the Pediatrician and nurses crowded around him. They knew that he needed help to breathe. I took a big breath of relief and told Randy it was okay to leave my side and be with our son. The nurse asked what his name was and Randy and I looked at each other. We were not sure. So for the first day of his life he was...

Fischer Boy
5lbs 6 ounces
18 inches
34 weeks

The nurses wrapped him up and brought him to me so I could give him a kiss before they took him to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. I was instantly in love. I felt a deep completeness to my family. I was so glad he was here and safe.

I went to the Recovery Room and Randy followed our baby to the NICU. Dr. Blackett came to recovery and told me they needed to start me on Magnesium Sulfate for 24 hours because they were worried I was going to have a seizure. Magnesium Sulfate has yucky side effects. I was on it when I had Brad so I knew what to expect. I must have forgotten how yucky they really were... it had been a while.

My pregnancy

On August 30^th Dr. Blackett my OB said I needed to go on bed rest AGAIN!!! I had high blood pressure and my urine protein level was high. I know I shouldn’t have been shocked by this news, but deep down I was hoping I was going to make it to term without any problems. I called my mom in a panic knowing I couldn’t do this alone. I still had 12 weeks until my due date and needed a lot of help. She packed up her things and moved into our spare bedroom.

I am not going to lie…this time bed rest was especially hard. I had 2 kids this time both starving for attention I couldn’t give, a husband with a full time job and finishing up graduate school. I had to depend fully on others to help me. I felt guilty watching my mom do all the housework, cooking, laundry, and attending to my kid’s needs. I also felt guilty every time I got up or out of bed worried I was going to jeopardize the pregnancy. My mom was amazing the way she took care of our family without complaint, and dealt with my emotional rollercoasters. Randy was also amazing jumping in where he could and being a great father, and husband. All my wonderful neighbors helped with babysitting Claire as my mom and I visited the Doctor’s office several times a week for ultra sounds, fetal non stress tests, blood work, and Doctor Checkups.

Dr. Blackett changed my C-section from 11-11-11 to 10-25-11. We all crossed our fingers that I would make it that far. The baby looked great the whole time…growing on schedule and a great sounding heart. I on the other hand over the next few weeks progressively got worse. Five weeks into bed rest my protein levels were increasing, I had a terrible headache and my blood pressure was slowly creeping up. I also was having regular contractions. My doctor gave me medication to stop the contractions but told me that we might have to take the baby early if things progressed any further. My headache worsened over the next few days. On 10-06-11 I woke Randy in the night to tell him I needed to go to the hospital. My headache was so severe I could barely concentrate and I was having visual disturbance where I felt like I was having tunnel vision.

When we arrived at the hospital the doctor on call came to see us. He ordered a bunch of repeat tests and told us to prepare mentally to deliver the baby that day. When Dr. Blackett arrived at 8:00am she gave us the same news. We were going to have the baby. I was nervous and scared. Randy was pacing all over the room. We were not quite prepared. We had been down this road before with our son Bradley. We knew the challenge that lay before us. Randy gave me a beautiful blessing that really helped calm my nerves. I knew that even though this was going to be a challenge everything was in the Lord’s hands.

Dad takes the kids camping...ALONE!!!!!

Right before our annual trip to Jackson Hole/Tetons over Labor Day I had to go on bed rest. Randy decided to take the kids with him alone to Jackson. I went to Salt Lake with my mom so she could take care of me while I was on bed rest. The kids had a blast. I would receive texts and phone calls every day of what they were doing. I missed them terribly. I loved hearing their voices over the phone. They went hiking, visited the Bar-J wranglers, saw bears and dad even took them shopping in Jackson hole. I was so proud of Randy...however he did come home and say he would never go camping without me again.

Second Grade

Brad started 2nd grade this year. I can't believe how old big and SMART he is getting. I feel like I just held him in my arms as an infant yesterday. He loves school. He hates missing or being late. He comes home and tells me Mr. Baggaley ROCKS!!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Claire's first day of preschool

Claire started Preschool at Little Rascals. Her teacher's name is Mrs. Jaci. She loves school. She is growing up so fast!!!

Claire's Ballet Class

Look at that GRAND PLIE...What a cute tush!

Claire started ballet this fall. She loves it and makes the cutest ballerina. She comes home trying to say big words like plie, releve, ront de jambe, and tendu. It is darling. It is fun for me to watch. It brings back memories of being a little girl. I loved ballet too. I was tearful the first time I took her.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Uncle Mike's Cabin August 2011

For our Reimann reunion we went to Uncle Mike's Cabin in Monte Cristo. When I was little we went there all the time. It used to be my grandpa Gailey's cabin. I have the best memories from this cabin.