Colt Update 12-12-11

Hopefully I can get through this post without our computer crashing. It barely wants to turn on these days. Anyway, Colt is doing pretty well. He is still in the NICU where he was moved back when he got the NEC infection. He got over that very fast and was back to drinking his bottles after he finished 7 days of antibiotics. Since then, he has been upgraded to a crib, so no more plastic bed thingy. But, I am ultra paranoid one of the nurses will leave a side down and he will roll out. I know, I know, they are nurses and know what they are doing and i'm sure that would never happen. What can I say, I'm a paranoid mama. And, even though he is only four weeks old, he can roll over! When they weighed him last night he was still 5 pounds 5 ounces. His weight fluctuated some- when he was on IV fluids and milk at the same time he of course gained right much fast, then once off the IV he lost a little and is now back up to what he was. Hopefully he will continue to gain. He has done great to go 4 weeks without needing his surgery. The doctors wanted to wait until he started showing signs of heart failure before they performed it. Of course they did not want to do the surgery if he didn't need it yet. Unfortunately he is now showing signs of heart failure. It's bad because no one wants to see their child that way, but it is also good because that means it's time for surgery, and that means we can see a light at the end of the tunnel to when we will go home. His breathing has been labored for about 3 weeks, and he has been on medicine to help with the fluid in his lungs to help this out. He is now receiving this six times per day, which is the maximum. Since last Wednesday his oxygen saturation levels have been low, so last night they had to put him on oxygen. He looks so pitiful with the nasal tube, but doesn't seem to really bother him. He just pulls it out when it annoys him just like he did with his feeding tube, haha. He is still eating well, which is good, because tiring out during feedings is also a sign of heart failure. The cardiologist told us today they plan to do the surgery early next week, maybe Monday or Tuesday. Hopefully we will know a definite date by Wednesday or Thursday. I gave him a bath for the first time last night, and needless to say he did not like it!

We still cannot believe how blessed we are to have such a precious little boy. Our days are pretty exhausting going back and forth to the hospital, but we wouldn't trade it for anything. We are just so thankful to be able to stay so close to him here at the Ronald McDonald House. When we see other people that have been here for months, and even years it really puts things in perspective. I was scared to death that Colt would be tiny, and somehow God blessed us with a plump almost 5 pounder 7 weeks early. I thank Him everyday, especially when we see babies everyday in the NICU that were 2 and 3 pounds at birth, and whose parents are unable to visit everyday, because they either live far away or eventually had to return to work. I can relate because Drew is out on unpaid leave while we are here. Thankfully we had some money saved because we knew he would be out for a while, but didn't know it would be this long. Somehow we will make it work. I really don't want to be here alone if he has to go back to work before Colt is able to come home. I try not to think about it, and give it to God and trust that everything will work out. The days and weeks ahead will be much harder than the previous weeks. Please continue to pray for us. I pray God will continue to give us the strength and courage to get through it.

Andrew at 5 weeks, aka Colt's twin :)

33 Week Miracle

Colt Warner Moss was born 11-14-11 at 1:22 am. He was 4lbs, 15 oz and 17.75 inches long. He was a pretty hefty little sucker to be born at 33 weeks, to which his Daddy and I are very thankful. I also thank his Daddy for all those chocolate chip cookies he fixed me every night :) We were in Henderson for our last baby shower and were staying Sunday night because we had some things to do there on Monday. By the way, we NEVER stay in Henderson on Sunday nights. My water broke around 7pm, but we didn't go to the hospital until 10pm. I had no idea my water had actually broken, it was a slow leak and I hadn't had any pain whatsoever. Once we got to the hospital I learned that it had indeed broken and I was already 2.5 cm. We explained Colt's heart condition to the doctor and nurses and they pretty much were just as scared as we were because they were not capable of dealing with a baby being born at 33 weeks and with a heart condition. They tried to have me life flighted either to Duke or Pitt, but my labor was progressing extremely fast no matter what they did to try to stall it. I was petrified. I obviously didn't plan on having him come so early, much less in a hospital where no one was familiar with his condition. Once they realized there was no time to move me anywhere, they were able to have a NICU team flown in from Duke to be there for his birth. By 1am I was already at 8cm and since he was still breech they had to do an emergency C-Section. Thankfully the NICU team's helicopter landed just as they wheeled me into the OR. After he was born and cleaned up they brought him over just long enough for me to kiss him and then whisked him away to Duke. Drew was able to go to Duke to be with him but I had to wait to be transferred. I didn't get there until Monday night at 7:30. It was the longest day of my life.

The days that followed have been a blur. I wish I had the time to blog sooner, so that I could remember what has happened each day. I will try to sum it up as best as I can. Since we live so far away from Duke, we are able to stay at the Ronald McDonald house here in Durham. We can't say how much of a blessing it is to be able to stay here, so close to him. Colt stayed in the ICU until Wednesday night. He was then moved into the Transitional Care Nursery. Still an ICU but sort of like a step down unit. All of his doctors and nurses have been amazed at how well he is doing. They can't believe he was born at 33 weeks and with a heart defect. On Wednesday of this week he was moved out of the TCN and into his own room! Drew and I were scared to death. We were afraid something would happen because he wouldn't be monitored as closely as when he was in the NICU/TCN. But, we were able to stay with him in the room. So finally we were able to be with him 24/7. We were able to take over as his parents, and the nurses were just there for support and of course to monitor him. This morning when changing his diaper we noticed blood in his poop so we pointed it out to his nurse. After an X-Ray they determined he has a mild case of NEC or Necrotizing Enterocolitis. This means there is not enough blood flow to his gut/bowels. The doctor said it was not uncommon in preemies and babies with his heart condition. So, we had to stop his feedings and he will have to get fluids and nourishment via an IV to let his bowels rest. He also has to take antibiotics for 7 days. The cardiologist had actually scheduled his first surgery for Tuesday, but since this has happened he has to finish his antibiotics before surgery, so we aren't sure when it will be now. He was also transferred back into the NICU just to be monitored more closely.

We usually try to visit him twice a day. We go in the morning and again late afternoon or either dinner time. We of course would like to be there all the time, but we know he needs to rest as much as possible, and so do we. We still get up every 3-4 hours for me to pump. We now live by the pump. Everything we do revolves around what time I have to pump again, haha. I'm sure a lot of you out there can relate, but I wouldn't change it for anything. Once he has his surgery if all goes well, we can expect to be here another 3-4 weeks afterwards for him to recover. My goal was for us to be home by Christmas, but with this delay in surgery it may be closer to New Years.

We miss our doggies very much. My mom has the two small ones and our great neighbors have been taking care of our lab. Hopefully they know we haven't abandoned them. We managed to go home last Sunday and get as much stuff as we thought we may need. Even though nothing went as planned with his birth, we feel it was all in God's plan. Being here in Durham has put us so close to our family. Someone has been able to visit us each day, which would have been much harder for them if we would have been in Greenville. We have been very happy with all of his doctors and nurses, and the care he has received. Because he was doing so well in the beginning, we did have the option to be transferred back to Greenville, but decided against it. Like I said, we feel it happened the way it did for a reason. We want to thank everyone for all the prayers, texts, calls, emails, cards and gifts. We can't tell you how much it all means to us. We have received so many, please do not think less of us if we have not responded to some of them yet. It is hard to believe our little miracle baby is already 11 days old. He still has a very hard and long road ahead. Please continue to pray for him and us, as we will need it more and more in the days and weeks to come.

A lot of people have asked for an address for us here. If any of you would like it, you can use:

Andrew and Kristen Moss
c/o RMH of Durham
506 Alexander Ave
Durham NC 27705

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."- Jeremiah 29:11

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight."-Proverbs 3:5-6

31 weeks

Not much going on this week! Still feeling good, thank goodness! Still having heartburn and backaches, but other than that I feel like a champ. Drew sure has been helping out a lot. He waits on me and rarely complains, haha. He is also a pro at making me chocolate chip cookies every night around 10pm. Yes, every night. If for some reason he gets out of that, I will just eat a few mini peanut butter cups :) I have to say other than when I was craving pumpkin stuff, I haven't had any other cravings, just a really big sweet tooth. I have gotten two of the crib bumpers made. I know, I said I was hoping to finish last weekend, but oh well. Half way there is better than where I was this time last week! I did manage to get some Christmas shopping done though. Not sure how much wrapping I will be able to do this year. So, a lot of presents may be put in bags! I can't believe how time is flying by. Less than 8 weeks to go! Here are a few pictures from the past couple of weeks.

30 Weeks

Well, the past two weeks sure have been something to say the least. As you know from my last post, I was having a terrible week. Unfortunately it didn't get better. That Thursday at work, I started having pains that were more intense, but I didn't think much about them. They continued throughout the night, and by Friday morning at work they seemed to be coming very often and I decided to time them. Sure enough, they were coming about every 5 minutes. I went to the doctor and they hooked me up to the monitor to try and see if they were indeed contractions. They didn't show up on the 1950 machine they were using, not to mention the nurses kept adjusting the straps so I don't know how it could have gotten an accurate reading. So, they gave me a steroid shot and sent me home. The pains kept coming and were getting worse, so finally at about 8pm Drew made me call the doctor back. He said for me to come to the hospital. So, once there and strapped to the 2011 monitor, they showed up immediately. They were about 4-5 minutes apart. They pumped me with lots of medicine and finally sometime Saturday morning they stopped. I still had to stay until Sunday just to make sure they didn't start again. Thankfully they have not returned, and I feel like everything is back to normal now! Sadly we were supposed to have our first baby shower on Sunday, but were obviously unable to make it. I was so disappointed, as I had been looking forward to it for weeks. A big thank you to everyone that had planned for it and I'm so sorry I couldn't make it!!

I have finally started making some headway with the crib bumpers. All the material is cut out, I've made the piping, just have to sew it all together and put the stuffing in. I'm hoping to finish them by this weekend.

This past Saturday I had my Greenville shower with my friends here. It was so nice and we got a lot of really nice gifts. Thanks Judy, Lauren and Kim for making it so special for me.

Since the little rascal didn't want us to see his whole face at the last 4d ultrasound, they scheduled a repeat for today. Well, he is still breech in the same exact position, so we still couldn't see much. We did get a few more pictures but he was still being evasive! He must want to keep his looks a surprise! He measured approximately 3 pounds 6 oz, which is average. My Dad and step-mom Lynn were able to come and go with us this time, since they couldn't make it last time. And since they were coming, they also brought our gifts from the first shower that had to be cancelled. So last night we had a mini shower opening the gifts! Thanks to everyone, we had a great time and made sure to take pictures.

Well, time sure is flying by! He will be here before we know it! Hopefully I will find the time to get everything finished and put away before that time comes. I can't wait to meet our precious little boy.

PS- I will add more pictures as soon as I can get them uploaded.

Golf Ball Sized Hell

So, you know how I said we were going to Henderson last weekend, and I was hoping it would be relaxing? Not so much. We took our time on Saturday getting some things done around the house, and didn't get there until around 4 or so. We took Drew's Grandma out to dinner at Cracker Barrel (my favorite by the way). We had such a great time visiting with her and I think she really enjoyed it too. All day I had noticed my stomach was really tight and at dinner I couldn't eat all my food, which is very unusual for me haha. We then went to my Dad's and visited with him, my step mom, brother and sister. I still couldn't figure out why my stomach was so tight feeling. Then, in the middle of the night I woke up to very painful stomach cramps. I couldn't get comfortable at all. Somehow I managed to go back to sleep, but when I woke up Sunday morning they were still there. The only thing that eased the pain was taking a warm bath. But the pain was there all day long. I later figured out I was having Braxton Hicks contractions, and boy they were not fun. By Sunday night my stomach was so sore I could barely move. I even called the doctor because I was worried something was wrong, but he said it was normal.

On Monday we had a regular OB appointment at 8am. I was so glad because I was still in pain and wanted to make sure everything was ok. It was. We then had the 4d Ultrasound that afternoon at 1. My mom, sister, Drew's mom, dad and step mom were all there. Unfortunately Colt did not cooperate very well, and we couldn't see him very good. Since the last appointment he has turned and is breech and had his feet in front of his face as well as the umbilical cord. We were so disappointed! But, we are lucky enough to be able to try again in 2 weeks, so maybe he will have moved by then. I can't believe it is already time to start going every two weeks! His growth still looks good, he measured approximately 2 pounds 10 ounces. But, back to the pain. When we had our first ultrasound at 6 weeks, I was told I had two fibroids, but they wouldn't cause any problems during the pregnancy. Boy were they wrong! During the 4D I asked the ultrasound tech to tell me what part of Colt this huge protruding thing under my belly button was. Well, of course it was not Colt at all but one my fibroids! She even showed us on the screen. It was huge! Even bigger than a golf ball. It has been growing all along with Colt. It was the reason my stomach was so sore, I guess the Braxton Hicks must have agitated it. Oh, I also forgot to mention Colt was pressed up against it. Since then, I have still been having frequent pains coming from the fibroid. Not sure how this will be for the rest of my pregnancy. I did ask to make sure it didn't have any negative effects on Colt, and it doesn't. Just me. So I am ok with that.

Today we had our cardiologist appointment. I guess you could say it went as well as could be expected. Dr. Steed confirmed what he saw the first time about his heart, but he is happy with his progression so far. Nothing has gotten any worse, or better. But we are very lucky that he has the defect he has, and not anything worse. Dr. Steed is very optimistic that everything will be just fine with his surgeries. We left very encouraged. We were also told he would be born here, and have his surgeries here! We were very happy to hear this news. We go back again in 6 weeks and then will be able to schedule his birth which now could be anywhere between 38 and 40 weeks depending on the surgeons schedule. His first surgery will be a few days after he is born. So, we are glad he will not be taken away immediately, and we can have a few days of normalcy with him. Drew's step mom Karen went with us to this appointment. She has offered to completely change her life, and temporarily move here to take care of Colt for us. When we found out about his heart, we knew he wouldn't be able to go to daycare for a while. We didn't know what we were going to do. We figured one of us would have to quit our job to be able to stay home with him. This would have been a huge financial burden. I don't know how we would have made it. We will never be able to express how appreciative and grateful we are that she has offered to do this for us. I don't know of many people that would be willing to give up their life and move to a new town like she has. We also have to thank Drew's dad, Steve, for being willing to give her up during the week :) Of course, our entire family has been extremely supportive during this whole time. We wouldn't have been able to get through the hard times without each and every one of them. They have all been there for us and helped us in their own special way. We are truly blessed.

27 weeks

Not much going on this week. Just thought I would write a little blurb. Last weekend we had another home football game. Tailgating was fun, we were able to walk around and visit with a lot of our friends. The game wasn't so much fun, but there's always next time I guess.

Today I'm 27 weeks and 4 days to be exact. Hard to believe we only have a little over 11 weeks until the big day arrives! Colt is getting bigger and I can't feel him move as much as I could before. He is still moving, don't get me wrong. If I don't feel him for a while, I take the liberty of shaking my belly until he does. I'm sure he reallllly loves it when I do that :) This week he is about 2 pounds, 14.5 inches long. I watched this video on babycenter.com that is a 3-D interpretation of a baby 28 weeks and on. It said how they could feel around and grab the umbilical cord. So, now all I can think about is Colt in there tugging on it and hoping he doesn't pull it out of wherever it is supposed to be. I've still had heartburn, but the leg cramps have subsided for the most part. I haven't gotten much sleep this week though, so I have been pretty exhausted during the day. Some of this is due to me not being able to get comfortable, but I think the majority is my eldest son JJ's constant licking and scratching. He has allergies and they flare up bad in the spring and fall. I don't think they have ever been this bad though. I used to take him to the vet to get shots and they would really help, but they said if I kept it up it could lead to kidney damage and other side effects. So, needless to say I stopped taking him and just have to deal with all the licking and scratching. He does have a cone that he wears that helps some, but it's still pretty bad. I went to Petsmart this week and bought some very expensive dog food that supposedly helps skin issues. Will let you know how this pans out.

We really want to go on a "Baby Moon" before Colt arrives. We are running out of time though. We also don't have many weekends to pick from that we don't already have plans. We either have football games, showers or weddings to attend. I think we are going to try and squeeze in a trip over Thanksgiving. It is pretty sad we don't have any time to relax really. But the good news is December is open and we are keeping it that way! Now if we can just figure out where we can go that isn't too far away or too expensive. Hopefully we will figure something out soon, or we will be Baby Mooning in the back yard!

We are going back home to the big town of Henderson this weekend. I have a bridal shower to attend on Sunday, and we are going to try to make it to my brother's baseball game on Saturday. We are looking forward to a somewhat relaxing weekend. I also took off half a day from work tomorrow to get some rest, and hopefully work on the crib bumpers some. But the big day is on Monday!! I have a regular OB appointment Monday morning for my glucose test, then that afternoon we go back for the 4-D ultrasound. We are sooo excited to see baby Colt. I sure hope he cooperates and gives us some good pictures :) And, like I mentioned before we go back to the cardiologist on Wednesday, so we are very anxious about that appointment. It will be the first time since 18 weeks when we found out about his heart. So, curious to see how he has developed over the last 10 weeks. Until then enjoy the new pictures. I spared you all from another pajama picture this week :)

Our Little Boxer

Hey Everyone! I want to start this post off with some words of encouragement that were on our church bulletin yesterday that I felt really spoke to me.

"Life can be a very mean and difficult road, and it can bring you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, no one is going to hit as hard as life can. But it isn't how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It's about how much you can take and not stay down for the count; it's about getting back up."

We have had a busy two weeks yet again. At our 24 week appointment we were able to see Colt, and he was very busy as usual! We learned that his growth is normal, in the 49th percentile, and I'm measuring three days ahead. We were very happy to get good news! The ultrasound tech was also able to see his left ventricular outflow tract, which she couldn't see before. While this does not mean his condition has improved, it is a good sign that she could see something she couldn't before, and it is definitely not a bad thing. The Doctor also confirmed I will be induced at 39 weeks which is Christmas Day. I asked if there was any way we could do it earlier, and he said absolutely not, haha. So, instead of Christmas Day it will more than likely be the day after, Boxing Day! We think this is a good sign, since we know Colt is a fighter anyway :)We also had our breastfeeding and baby care class that night. Drew of course really enjoyed both! He was able to change and swaddle a baby (doll) for the first time!

I have been feeling pretty good, except for some heartburn and leg cramps at night. I must say though, I have had a pretty easy pregnancy thus far. I used to be able to see Colt poking his butt up in the mornings, but now as he is getting bigger I can see what appears to be his whole body stretched out. This week being 26 weeks, he is about 1.75 pounds and about 14 inches long!

Two weekends ago Drew's Dad and step-mom came and took us to dinner and spent the night with us. We had a great time and were so glad they came. The next night we headed to Smithfield to spend the night with my sister, where Drew was able to change and swaddle our three month old neice for more practice! I was so proud, he did such a great job with changing his first ever real diaper. He actually changed two, and got lucky with one pee-pee and one poopy. He now thinks he is a pro. We will see about that! On Sunday on the way back home, we stopped off in Rocky Mount to see my little brother Channie play baseball. We sure know how to make the most out of a weekend!

The next week flew by and on Saturday we had our second home football game. The weather was kinda yucky, but we made the most of it and had a good time. Sunday I finally got around to making the crib skirt. Drew helped me measure and cut the material, and I even got him to do a little sewing. Now we just have to get the bumper guards done. We are looking forward to more football this weekend. We have a night game, and we always love those!

We can't wait for our next appointment which is in two weeks. I will have the glucose test and it will be our 4D ultrasound. If everyone shows up we will have about 76 people in the room to see our popular child, haha. We are so looking forward to our family being there. We also see the cardiologist again that same week, so we are very anxious about that appointment. I can't believe we only have 13 weeks left! That also means only 13 weeks til Christmas everyone!!!