IV...

Late Tuesday night they removed Isaiah's IV!!! Praise the Lord! He gained 2 oz since his weigh-in Monday night. They said we should expect him to loose some weight at tomorrow night's weigh-in because they removed the IV & the IV board which had added weight that really wasn't his. We bottle fed him - he took about half of it & they fed him the rest through his tube. He was wide awake looking around & smiling - but wasn't interested in the bottle. They said we will try again with a bottle in the morning. He is doing really well. The pictures with the blue light are for a "Bili" blanket he has to lay on. They use that for Jaundice. But his levels were just a little high & his Dr. will recheck in the morning & he should be able to get off of that too.

More News for Tuesday...

They think Isaiah will be off of his IV at the end of the day! If he continues to eat well.

I have to stay in the hospital again. They drew some more labs again today & decided that I have Preeclampsia or hypertension. My blood pressure is up & my head has been hurting & my vision has been kinda strained. That makes them concerned because of my AVM (bad blood vessel) in my brain. When it bled last year I had my seizure & they don't want that obvioiusly. So they are going to start me on Magnesium Sulfate - which makes you feel really blah. For 12 hours...maybe 24 I will be on bedrest & I can't eat or drink. However - I did talk the nurse into letting me go via wheelechair to see Isaiah for his 9:30 PM feeding. A few tears & puckered lip went a long way....I gotta see my little man. I am so excited that my little man might come off of his IV but now I have to go back on one. He is doing great. Thank you all for your prayers & support. I will keep adding pictures.

With love,
Linds

Tuesday's News - Isaiah's 4th day

WOW! Being a mom is so awesome! I was hoping to be discharged yesterday - however, they were concerned about my blood pressure being high so they kept me for one more day. They ran some lab work last night & I still haven't heard anything from the doctor yet & probably won't until she closes her office tonight & makes rounds. But we are still looking to see if we can get that sleep room here at the hospital to stay with our little guy.

Isaiah is doing very well. His heart murmor is gone, and his resting heart beat has come down to normal!!! He is eating out of a bottle every other feeding & a tube on the other. This keeps him from getting too worn out. It takes a lot of work to eat out of a bottle. I watched his bath again last night. When they weighed him he had gained 2 oz. since the night before. He is still the same length as of Sunday (which is when they measure them). He hasn't had anymore breathing problems, either. Praise the Lord for little blessings & little miracles! Enjoy the pictures. Sorry it has taken me so long. That high blood pressure made my eyes & head hurt so bad...but I am feeling better.

His first bath:

MamMaw (Josh's Mom):

I love you daddy:

Update...

Isaiah is doing very well -- just some respiratory distress every once in a while. Mostly when in a deep sleep - he starts breathing short shallow breaths. He has a heart murmur, but they said that is normal & the little hole should close up. He will probably start feeding tomorrow with a tube. Right now all of his nutrients are coming in through an IV. We were able to see his first bath tonight. I will probably be discharged tomorrow. I am doing well...very tired & still a little sore. They have rooms here that are free of charge for parents with babies in the NICU. But they only have so many & it depends on how many parents there are & how far away they live. If you live further away then you are higher priority. The same goes with how critical your baby is. But we won't find out if we are able to stay until we discharge tomorrow.

Friday & Saturday's events...

He is 6 1/2 weeks early...but he is doing well. I started contracrtions Fri morning around 1:30 or so...Called in to Dr. Kings answering service & they said I should go to Labor & Delivery. At 2:45 we arrived at OMHS. Once there we found out I was already dilated 3 cm & 50% thinned. They started me on Magnesium to try to stop the contractions & gave me a shot of steroids to help develop his lungs. The contractions wern't stopping they decided to send me to St. Mary's (Evansville, IN). By the time the ambulance arrived they checked me again & I was already 6 cm. Then they put me in the ambulance & we drove so fast with the sirens & lights going. Josh left ahead of us & we arrived about the same time. The Doctor at St. Mary's decided that I was too far along in the delivery to stop it. So they stopped the Magnesium. I stayed at 6 cm until about 4:00am Sat morning, which is about 21 hours. They had put me on Pitocin around 3:15 am Sat. morning and Isaiah's heart rate would start dropping about 3/4's of the way through each contraction & then it would come right back up - but the Dr didn't like that variation. So they took me off the Pitocin at 4 am & decided to just let it go naturally. So then the contractions became very consistant & stronger with each one. I think they were 2 min apart & more intense for each one. There were 6. On the 4th there was some pressure, on the 5th there was more & on the 6th my sister asked if it was ok for her to tell the nurse. So they did & they came in & said "No wonder you are feeling pressure ...there is some hair right there". They only wanted light pushing (couldin't push hard because of my Arteriovenious Malformation in my brain which caused my seizure & they didn't want it to bleed again). So they used forceps to help. One solid contraction & one push & he was out. But he was on oxygen for about 2 hours & then he started breathing on his own. They are going to feed him for the first time though a tube Sunday. He is doing really well - they just need him to eat like a full term baby. Once he is eatingon his own & gaining weight we will be able to take him home. I will prob be releaseed on Monday. I am doing well, too. Had a few stitches from a small tear but I am doing well. Thank you all for your prayers & we will keep you updated.

Isaiah is HERE!!!!

Isaiah Beacon Stone is here! He was born at 4:25 am on Saturday (11/15) morning. He weighed 4 lbs & 3.5 oz & measured 18 inches. I am doing great. A little bit sore & exhausted but doing great. The umbilical cord was wrapped around his little neck & they cut it very quickly. They had to use forceps during the delivery so he has a few lines & bruises on his face, but they should go away in a few days. He was on oxygen at first - but he has been breathing just fine on his own since about 9 am this morning. Here are some pictures of our little man! Praise the Lord all is well! I will write the whole story out in the morning (too tired right now) - so come back & check-in for updates too!!!

Pure Exhaustion...

I wake up tired - really tired. I didn't sleep well last night & this morning I woke up so tired I didn't know if I had slept any at all. I feel like I am running a really high fever - achy all over. But I am not running a fever at all. My back is the worst. Probably just the colder weather. It is almost as if everything is starting to "fall apart". Thanks for listening to me complain! =o)

Laminin - very interesting!

The Surprise Party

Sheila's (Josh's mother) Surprise Party went great. We had a great time. And she was thoroughly surprised!

Baby Shower...

We had a baby shower this past Saturday at the church for Isaiah! We had lots of fun & Isaiah received all kinds of gifts! I can't for the little guy to get here so he can use them all. Here are a few pics. Now you all get to see my "belly"!

Burr...

The Farmers' Almanac is predicting a wet & colder than "normal" winter this year. Here is part of an arcticle they posted on their web site.
Could this winter's weather add to economic woes?

As homeowners across the country pray for a mild winter to offset rising energy costs, the world-famous Farmers’ Almanac is warning us to prepare for the worst. “Numb’s the word!” is how the 192-year-old publication is predicting the upcoming winter season. For 2008–2009, the Farmers’ Almanac is forecasting a “numbing” winter, with below-average temperatures for at least two-thirds of the country. Only the Far West and Southeast will see near-normal temperatures. Few, if any, locations will enjoy many above-normal temperature days this upcoming season.

Snow? Precipitation-wise, most of the South, as well as the Midwest, should experience above-normal conditions, while the rest of the nation will average close to normal. With below-normal winter temperatures and an above-normal precipitation forecast, the Great Lakes and Midwest will see above-normal snowfalls, especially during January and February.

Third Trimester

Today makes 7 months & the beginning of my third trimester. I am going to have to wrangle my friend Joanne into taking some pictures of me very soon. =o) My little ticker tells me I have 84 days to go. That seems like such a long time...but in reality it is already towards the middle of October & when you think of it in months - it seems like it is going to be here tomorrow! Yikes. I am starting to feel anxious & excited at the same time.

A picture of me...

I hardly ever like any pictures of me...however - I love this picture. So I thought I would share it.