March for Babies 2010

Hi everyone! I know it's been a long time since I last posted, but I wanted to encourage everyone to join Laurie's Team for the March of Dimes "March for Babies". After the last year and a half this organization has become very close our hearts...without previous research by the MOD babies born at 23 weeks gestation like Laurie would not survive! This is the reason we have joined with the March of Dime as the 2010 Wiregrass Ambassador Family to bring awareness and attention to premature babies. We would love for as many of you who can to join us on April 17, 2010 at Landmark Park in Dothan for the Wiregrass March for Babies. You can join our team by going to marchforbabies.org/LaurieAnneK or contacting me directly.

Now let me update you all on Laurie's progress. She is now 21 months old and is reaching all the developmental milestones of a "normal" toddler! She is getting into EVERTHING! She is walking, running, and climbing. Her vision and hearing both seem to be great! We will go back to Birmingham for the Newborn Follow-Up clinic again in April and her hearing will be tested again at that time. She will see a pediatric opthamologist again in June. Although she loves to eat, she still weighs only 20 lbs.--probably because she is always moving!!! She doesn't care much for T.V., but will stop briefly if "Mickey Mouse Club House" is on! She loves clapping to music and playing "chase" with her big brother, Cole. She also "jabbers" all the time, although we don't always understand what she is saying. But, somehow she gets what she wants!!! We continue to be thankful each day for our tiny miracle!

Thanks to all of you who continue to remember Laurie in your prayers! Hope to see you all on April 17th as we march for premature babies and celebrate Laurie's survival!

Love,
Todd, Leah, Cole, and Laurie

June 23, 2009

June 23, 2009
July 3, 2008

Todd, Leah, Cole, and Laurie Killingsworth

would like to show our appreciation for your prayers,

support and generosity in helping us

"Grow a Miracle"

Join us as we praise God and

celebrate Laurie's first year!

June 28, 2009

2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Hillcrest Baptist Church Fellowship Hall

Enterprise, Alabama

More Pictures 6/3/09

Easter 2009

Laurie playing with Daddy!

March for Babies 2009!

June 3, 2009

Laurie's March of Dimes Team

Enjoying Disney!

Hello to anyone out there who is still checking in on Laurie! I apologize for not updating in so long—I’m still not sure where April and May went? Things are finally getting into a new normal for the four of us now that we are able to get out with Laurie! So, let me catch everyone up on our family happenings for the last two months.

April began with Laurie’s big “coming out” party for Easter weekend! On Good Friday the four of us traveled to Atlanta for my cousins wedding and then for a fun day with family at the Georgia Aquarium on Saturday. We were also blessed to take Laurie to church for the first time on Easter Sunday! I can not explain how much it meant for all four of us to be in church together! Later that afternoon, Todd’s family enjoyed seeing Laurie at “the big pond” for the annual Easter egg hunt. It was a wonderful weekend for us to finally be able to get out as a family and to share our little miracle with our extended family who has been anxiously waiting to see her in person!

On April 18, 2009 Todd and I celebrated our 11th aniversery by taking Laurie off the oxygen!!! She has been doing really well until this last week when she began having more frequent de-sat spells (I’ll explain more later). On April 25, 2009 approximately 30 family and friends joined Laurie’s team for the March for Babies. Thanks to all of you who walked with us and/or made donations to this great cause on Laurie’s behalf. Her team raised over $700 for the March of Dimes!!! We were not sure what to expect going in, as this was our first time walking, but we were so impressed by the large crowds and all teams who were there walking in honor or memory of a precious baby! This will definitely become a family tradition for us! I can’t forget to mention that Cole also played soccer at the Y this spring and we were even able to get Laurie out for a few games!

In May we made another trip to Birmingham for the Newborn Follow Up clinic and saw several different specialists there. We were blessed with good news in that Laurie appears to be right on track developmentally. The audiologist will continue to monitor Laurie’s high frequency hearing over the next few months. We also had another very special day on Mother’s Day when we were finally able to have Laurie’s baby dedication. Again, much of our extended family was there to help celebrate and it was apparent that Laurie has come so far largely due to the love and prayers of our church and extended family! Although Todd and I realized in the first few moments of Laurie’s life that we must turn her over to God’s plan, we were so thankful that we could publicly dedicate her to Him and praise Him for all that He has done already done in her life. What a special day it was!!!

Later in May, Laurie and I went with Todd to the Alabama Athletic Trainers state meeting in Destin. It was so nice to get away for a few days and Todd received a much deserved honor—Athletic Trainer of Year! I have been amazed by how he has continued to perform his job so well with all we have been going through this year—he truly has a calling! I am so proud of him!!

Last spring Todd and I had promised Cole a trip to Disney World, but with Mr. Rex’s health declining and my pregnancy complications we were not able to make the trip. So, since he has been such a trooper this year we were finally able to take him in May. He was so surprised and although it rained the whole time, we had a ball!!! Yes, can you believe I finally got brave enough to leave Laurie for a few days?

As May came to an end, it was time for me to begin thinking about next year’s plan. In August I will be going back to work and moving to the new Kindergarten school. Although, I will miss my friends at Harrand Creek terribly, I am looking forward to a new beginning in a new building. But along with changing schools, comes the inevitable chore of packing up my classroom. So, I spent last week packing up my classroom and also realizing how much I have missed teaching this year—yet I would not trade this time with Laurie for anything in the world! Well, Laurie must have known my plans and decided she wasn’t thrilled with the idea. So, she let us know that she could still get my attention!

On Tuesday night when I put her to bed and “plugged” her into the pulse oximeter, I noticed her sats were very low and sure enough she had 4 de-sat spells throughout the night. After several days with low sats, a trip to the pediatrician, blood work and chest x-rays, the pulmonologist decided that we should put Laurie back on the oxygen for a few days. So, she is currently on oxygen and we are trying to wean her off again. Laurie did not protest about the nasal canula as much as I thought she would, but it is much more difficult than previously because she is more active now. She is almost crawling and we have spent all week unwrapping the cords from around her little body! I’m so scared that she will choke herself on her own oxygen cord!!! Although we are still having a little trouble with the breathing, she continues to grow and weighed 15 lbs. 1oz. at the doctor’s office last Thursday.

I’ll never forget when Laurie was moved from an isolette to an open crib and I could just walk in to pick her up rather than touching her through the porthole, I thought this is just like a “real” baby. I had that same realization of a “real” baby many months later at home while walking around my kitchen with Laurie on my hip as I unloaded the dishwasher and not being limited in the number of steps I could take by an oxygen cord or pulse ox monitor cord. We were just beginning to enjoy the freedom of having a “real” baby, but we are now seeing that although Laurie is a “real” baby, she will always be a special baby who has special needs for a little while longer!

We have so much to be thankful for the last two months and have celebrated lots of “baby steps”!! Please continue to pray that Laurie will come off the oxygen for good! Thanks for continuing to remember Laurie and our family!

Love,
Todd, Leah, Cole and Laurie

April 1, 2009

Laurie enjoying her cereal!

Cole loved his present Brayden!

Hello everyone! Laurie celebrated her nine month birthday on March 28th and Cole turned six yesterday! Needless to say, we have been “birthdaying” for several days!! We have also been in somewhat of a holding pattern for the month of March with ear infections slowing Laurie down a bit:

A week after finishing the antibiotics for ear infections and starting to wean off the oxygen again, Laurie had yet another ear infection. Unfortunately, this meant that we had to start another round of antibiotics and had to stop the weaning process. Last week we finished the second antibiotic and began aggressively weaning her oxygen again. On Monday, Laurie had her 9 month check-up and her ears and lungs were clear!!! She continues to grow and weighed in at 13 lbs. 4oz. We have now worked up to being off the oxygen for 6-8 hours a day, which is a good thing because Laurie constantly pulls the nasal canula out! We also saw Dr. Thompson, the retinologist, earlier in March and got a great report! We were able to hold Laurie for him to get a good look at her left eye and the blood vessels are beginning to grow in normally!!! We do not have to see him again until November!!! However, Dr. Thompson does want Laurie to have a pediatric ophthalmologist to follow her vision. We will see Dr. Suggs in July.

Next Monday we will go back to Birmingham for a follow-up ABR (hopefully Laurie’s ears will stay clear, so that we can get an accurate reading) and pulmonologist appointment. We should know more about when Laurie will be completely off the oxygen after that appointment. Thanks again for your continued love, support, and prayers! We realize that God has blessed us with amazing friends and family who have helped us through this long process.

After such a life-changing event, we would now like to do our part in helping prevent other babies and families from being affected by risks associated with prematurity. Our family is forming a March for Babies Family Team to help the March of Dimes work towards the day when all babies are born healthy. We would love for you to join us!

We are forming a team in honor of Laurie, who was born 17 weeks too soon. Although it has been a long nine months for our family, God has answered so many prayers and blessed us through this experience! Yet, ours is not the only story of frightening, touch-and-go days in the neonatal intensive care. Premature birth touches half a million babies and their families each year. Babies born too soon are more likely to die or have disabilities. Birth defects pose another serious threat—taking the lives of many babies and cause lifelong disabilities for thousands more. So it’s important for us to help the March of Dimes help moms have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies.

Won’t you join our Family Team at this wonderful event? Our walk is April 25, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. at the Troy University Campus in Dothan, AL. If you would like to walk with us, please call me at 334-347-0265 by April 9, 2009 for further details and so we can order t-shirts. If you can’t join us and would like to sponsor our team with your donation, just log on to our personal web page, www.marchforbabies.org/teams/678403 or send me a check payable to March of Dimes. Thanks in advance for your help!

Love to all!

Todd, Leah, Cole, and Laurie

March 3, 2009

Laurie's 1st Valentine's Day!!

Laurie loves playing on her mat and is learning to reach for her toys!

March 1, 2009--Cole and Laurie enjoy watching their 1st snowfall!!!

Hello everyone! We celebrated Laurie's 8 month birthday this past Saturday!!! She continues to progress, but we have had to slow down the weaning of her oxygen. She did well coming off the diuretics, but when we went for the audiologist appointment on February 11, 2009 we learned that she had fluid in both ears. This caused some discrepancies with the ABR readings, so we will be retest later this month. A few days after the appointment Laurie began having trouble sleeping, eating, coughing, and having more frequent de-sat spells. We were afraid this was due to the weaning of her diuretics. The pulmonologist started Laurie on a steroid and said to hold off on weaning her oxygen for two weeks. After several fussy, irritable days, we saw her pediatrician and discovered the fluid in her ears had developed into ear infections. So we also started on an antibiotic. During this time Laurie also had her monthly synagis shot and blood work. She weighed 11 lbs. 15 oz. on February 23, 2009.

This week we have completed all medications and have begun the weaning process again. Laurie is doing well with 30 minute intervals off the oxygen. We will steadily increase the time periods later this week. We will also see Dr. Thompson, the retinologist, on Thursday this week. Please pray that we are able to hold Laurie for the examination (without sedation) and that normal blood vessels have completed developing in her left eye.

Thankfully, our doctor appointments are slowing down. Later this month, we have her regular synagis shot appointment, second ABR appointment in Birmingham, and her 9 month check-up. Thanks for continuing to check in and pray for Laurie! Hope you enjoy the new pictures!

Love,

Todd, Leah, Cole, and Laurie

February 5, 2009

Laurie loves her spinning light that Miss Susie with AIDB brought!

She also likes sitting up in her "Bumbo" chair!

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I last posted--I hear many of you are anxious for an update. January was a month filled with doctor appointments and we received encouraging reports at most of them.

On January 12, 2009 we saw a pediatric cardiologist from Birmingham in the Dothan office. This was just to check Laurie's heart to make sure there was no damage from her extended time on oxygen. All reports returned normal.

On January 26, 2009 we returned to Birmingham to see the pulmonologist. We are currently working on a plan to wean Laurie off the oxygen. The first step (we are currently doing) is to slowly wean her from her medications. Then we will attempt taking her off the oxygen for short periods of time and steadily increasing the time, until she only has oxygen during naps and night time sleeping. We should be able to get to this point by the end of March or the first of April. We also saw a nutritionist while in Birmingham and have started feeding Laurie cereal. She currently weighs 10 lbs. 12 oz.!

We also saw an audiologist, retinologist, and had several routine visits to the pediatrician's office in January. We will be doing further testing on Laurie's high frequency hearing with an audiologist in Birmingham next week. This is the area of the preliminary screening that she did not pass. The retinologist reports that there is still an area of Laurie's left eye where no blood vessels have developed. We will see him again in a few weeks to continue monitoring this area. At this time the right eye continues to develop normally. Please pray for normal blood vessels to begin growing in Laurie's left eye. At her pediatrician visits Laurie received her monthly synagis shot and flu shots. Dr. Brown is pleased with her overall development. She is rolling over from her tummy to her back, reaching for toys, and smiling when her big brother makes funny faces for her!!! Cole is so good with Laurie and loves entertaining her!!!

Hope you enjoy the latest pictures! Thanks for your continued love, support, and prayers!

Love,

Todd, Leah, Cole, and Laurie

January 10, 2008

Cole enjoyed opening his and Laurie's presents!!

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! We had a very special Christmas at home with Laurie. It's hard to believe that she was discharged three months ago today --she has made so much progress since then! Todd and Cole returned to work and school this week, while Laurie and I spent the week at doctor appointments. Here is a quick update!

On Tuesday, we saw Laurie's pediatrician in Dothan for her 6 month check-up. She weighed

9 lbs. 8 oz. and was 22 inches long (she is now double her birth length)! Laurie also had her 6 month shots and a flu shot. Dr. Brown is happy with her growth and development.

On Wednesday, we went to Birmingham for a follow-up appointment with Dr. Feist, the ophthalmologist. Laurie's right eye is developing normally, but there is still an area of her left eye where no blood vessels have grown. Dr. Feist does not believe that the left eye needs further treatment at this time, but wants to continue watching the area. He felt comfortable referring Laurie to a retinologist in Dothan to continue monitoring this area in her left eye in order to help limit trips to Birmingham. However, we will probably go back to Dr. Feist if treatment is needed later. We will see Dr. Thompson in Dothan in three weeks. After her eye appointment, we took Laurie back to the RNICU and CCN units at UAB to visit her nurses, therapists, and doctors. It was wonderful to see everyone who took such great care of Laurie during her first months of life! Todd and I will always be thankful for those who cared for and loved Laurie while she was hospitalized. That evening we also saw my friend, Amy Sims, who was also at UAB while we were there and another one of Laurie's night shift nurses. We enjoyed the time we able to catch-up with friends!

Then on Thursday, we took Laurie to the Newborn Follow-Up Clinic. This is a clinic for babies who had extremely low birth weights and other high-risk conditions. We saw a team, consisting of a developmental pediatrician, developmental therapist, nutritionist, and audiologist, who specialize in the care of premature babies. The pediatrician was very happy with Laurie's growth and was able to answer questions about developmental milestones and feeding. The therapist did lots of physical tests and gave us several activities/exercises to do with Laurie to help with rolling over, head and trunk control, and her ability to bear weight on her arms. The nutritionist discussed when to begin cereal and other options for helping Laurie continue to gain weight daily. Finally, the audiologist repeated the hearing screening and Laurie passed for the first time!!! The screening did show there is a loss at high frequency levels in both ears. We will do further testing to determine the degree and further options. Overall, we were very pleased with Laurie's development and it appears that she on target for her "adjusted age" of almost three months. We will go back to this clinic in May. Although the trip was long and very busy, we got good reports and enjoyed seeing all our Birmingham friends!!!

Next week, we see the cardiologist, go for her monthly synagis shot, and have an appointment with Early Intervention. Please continue to pray for Laurie's growth and for all four of us as we continue to make adjustments at home! Also, please continue to remember Josh and Amy Sims as they continue to cope with the loss of their baby, Gabe, who passed away December 26, 2008.

Hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Todd, Leah, Cole, and Laurie

December 23, 2008

Well, I can't believe that weeks have passed since I last posted--time passes much faster now that I am back home. December has been a slow month of doctor appointments for Laurie. However, we will make up for it in January with six appointments already scheduled and three of those being in Birmingham!

On December 5, 2008, Todd and I took Laurie back to Dr. Feist, the ophthalmologist. We got a good report that Laurie's vessels are continuing to grow and no further treatment was needed at the time. We will see him again on January 7, 2009 to see how her eye development is progressing. I also met with the ladies from Early Intervention this month to write Laurie's family plan. We established several goals for Laurie, such as focusing on and tracking objects, grasping and holding objects, etc... They will be coming once a month to work with Laurie. Today Laurie and I went to Dothan to the pediatrician's office for a weigh in. This was a another "first" for the two of us as we made the trip by ourselves! It was an uneventful trip--the kind we like! In the past, someone has always gone with us to "watch" the monitor, but Laurie has been having so few de-sat spells that I decided we could make the trip on our own! Laurie usually does well riding and has only had one "bad spell" in car since bringing her home from the hospital and over the last few months I have become much more comfortable getting her in and out with all her wires! Laurie weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz. today! We were hoping that she would have gained more, but every ounce helps!

Laurie's unique personality has really been "coming out" over the last month. She is smiling, cooing, and loves "looking" at the Christmas tree lights--I believe that she can SEE them! Although Laurie has made lots of progress, we will still be keeping her home for Christmas. Like at Thanksgiving, Todd and I will take Cole to grandparents' houses and the other will stay home with Laurie. This small sacrifice for Laurie's health is worth making because we finally have TWO stockings hanging on the mantel this year! We are truly blessed! Thanks for your continued prayers and for continuing to check-in on Laurie!

Merry Christmas!

Todd, Leah, Cole, and Laurie

November 29, 2008

Just some of the Crowe cousins!
Our little turkey--weighing 7lbs. 10 oz.!!!

Hi! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Although our Thanksgiving was very different from previous years with Todd taking Cole on Thursday to his grandmother's and me taking Cole on Friday to Aunt Laura's, we realize that we have so much to be thankful for this year! The last few months have been life changing! I have said many times that we had the closest to an "ideal" situation in a horrible circumstance that could be imagined. I witnessed many parents in similar situations who did not have same the love and support that we were so blessed with--I don't know how they made it day to day! We can never say thank you enough, but please know that this year, especially, we are counting our blessings!

We are thankful for our newest addition, Laurie, who is truly a miracle.

We are thankful for our son, Cole, who is curious, determined, and loving.

We are thankful for our parents who continue to give selflessly.

We are thankful for our siblings and their spouses, Kevin, Tammy, Emily, Gray, Laura, Ben, Katie and Jamie who continue to our rocks of support.

We are thankful for our nieces and nephews, Sarah, Addie, Emma, Lydia, Delcy, Jack, Taylor, Brooke, Dana, Jared, Haley, and Peyton who have shared their parents' time, their homes, and their toys with Cole over the last several months.

We are thankful for our grandmothers and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins who have given so generously their time, money, and love.

We are thankful for our friends, new and old, who have opened their hearts and homes to us.

We are thankful for our church family who has offered prayer, after prayer, after prayer.

We are thankful for the many other churches who adopted and ministered to us.

We are thankful for the dedicated doctors, specialists, and nurses who have and continue to care for Laurie.

We are thankful for the countless friends, acquaintances, and strangers who have posted with words of encouragement.

And finally, we are thankful to the Great Physician who still heals, answers prayers, and loves unconditionally!!!

We are truly blessed beyond measure!

Love,

Todd, Leah, Cole, and Laurie

November 22, 2008 6:45 p.m.

Hi everyone! I apologize for not posting in such a long time!! I keep hearing from family members who see you "out and about" that I need to post! I can't believe that Laurie and I have been home for over a month now! A month at home sure goes by faster than a month sitting at a sick child's bedside in the hospital!!! After being home for awhile, I am finally beginning to get pieces of "normalcy" back! I have enjoyed being able to visit Cole's classroom and have lunch with him, meet his teacher for a conference, spend an afternoon shopping with my sisters, and attending church! Isn't strange how we take for granted such seemingly insignificant things
in our lives!?!

Anyway, for what you all have been waiting for...an update on Laurie! We continue to make weekly trips to her pediatrician, Dr. Brown. Last Monday, 11/17/08, we were only suppose to go for a weigh in, but ended up seeing Dr. Brown because Laurie had only gained 2 ounces in a week (she weighed 7 lbs. 5 oz. and was 19 1/2 inches long). We decided to take her off the HMF, human milk fortifier, since it upsets her tummy and just try increasing the amount of milk at each feeding. This has definitely helped her tummy trouble and we will see on Monday (11/24/08) if she has gained her weekly weight goal (she should be gaining 1/2 to 1 ounce daily). We also saw Dr. Fiest on Friday, 11/14/08, for a follow up to her last Avastin injection. After a long day trip to Birmingham, we left his office not knowing much more about her vision than before. I explained my frustrations to Dr. Brown and he referred us to a retinologist in Dothan for a consult (We are thankful for a pediatrician who is so helpful and attentive to every aspect of Laurie's health!). Dr. Thompson has treated older patients with macular degeneration with Avastin and is familiar with this treatment option in preemies. He examined Laurie's eyes and was very pleased with how she has responded to the treatments. He also provided me with valuable information and further questions to ask Dr. Fiest when we see him again on December 5, 2008. On Wednesday, two ladies with Early Intervention did a home visit and testing. Due to Laurie's vision and hearing concerns, the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind is the agency that will be handling her case. They will be back later in December to go over her Individualized Family Service Plan with Laurie's specific resources, supports, services and goals. Hopefully, they will be able to provide us with practical, everyday activities that we can do with Laurie to help her overall development!

This week we only have a routine check-up with Dr. Brown! Please continue to pray for Laurie's weight gain, lung development, vision, and hearing. Also, please pray for Chris and Amanda Martin who had preemie twins at UAB last weekend. Sadly, they lost one of their boys last night. I can't imagine the heartache they have tonight! Also, remember my dear friend Amy Sims, who after five months is still at UAB with Gabe. They still have a very long road ahead!

I will post Thanksgiving pictures later this week!

Love to all!
Todd, Leah, Cole, and Laurie

November 6, 2008

Good afternoon! Laurie and I are enjoying a quiet day at home! I wanted to update everyone on her appointments from earlier this week. We saw Dr. Fiest, the ophthalmologist, Monday morning and the blood vessels in her right eye are growing normally. However, the left eye is not doing as well, so he did do another injection of Avastin in that eye. We will see him again on November 14, 2008. We left straight from that appointment and went to Children's Hospital for her BPD appointment. After having chest x-rays, lab work, and meeting with a nutritionist, respiratory therapists, and several nurses we finally saw Dr. Lorenzo, the pulmonologist (this is a different doctor than we were expecting, but we really liked him). He talked with us at length about Laurie's medications, oxygen support, feedings, and development and then made several changes. He increased her oxygen level to .25 liters (rather than .1) in hopes of keeping her oxygen saturation 93% or greater. If you remember we had been keeping her sats 85%-95%, but Dr. Lorenzo stated that at this point we could be doing damage to her heart with keeping her sats in the 80's. His office is also scheduling an appointment for us with cardiology just as a precaution. The Children's cardiologist group sends doctors to Dothan monthly, so hopefully we will be able to see the cardiologist there (we saw a cardiologist in Dothan several times with Cole when he was a baby with Kawasaki disease). He kept all Laurie's medicines the same, except for discontinuing the sodium. We will see Dr. Brown on Monday and do blood work to check her electrolytes again. Dr. Lorenzo also wants to increase to 2 packets of human milk fortifier (HMF) per feeding in order to increase her calorie intake and hopefully start putting on more weight. The faster she grows, the faster her lungs will begin healing (and get her off the oxygen)! They also are making a referral for Early Intervention, so we should be hearing from that soon. This will be another resource for helping us stay on top of Laurie's overall development.

On Tuesday, Laurie had her second Synagis shot and then we saw Dr. Gannon, the ENT, to check Laurie's hearing. Laurie did not pass the hearing screening in either ear again, but Dr. Gannon believes this could be due to her very small ear canals. He will see her again in four months and then refer us to Birmingham for an ABR if she does not pass at that time. We are continuing to learn the virtue of patience! Dr. Lorenzo reminded us that we must treat this process as a marathon, rather than a sprint! We continue to ask for your prayers for Laurie's overall development and health. We are also so grateful for how far God has brought her and for your continued support!

Love to all!
Todd, Leah, Cole, and Laurie

November 1, 2008

Todd's Alabama football player and my Auburn cheerleader!

Laurie was tired out after our Halloween photo shoot!

Well, as you can see from the pictures we have had another busy week! Laurie turned 4 months old on Tuesday and we celebrated with a trip to see Dr. Brown. He was happy with her progress this week. Her congestion is much better and she is back on a 3 hour feeding schedule. She continues to gain ounces, weighing 6 lbs. 11 oz. on Tuesday!!! She is also having very few de-sat spells and is going for short periods of time with no oxygen! Another hearing screening was done with Laurie still not passing in her right ear, so we will see an ENT this coming Tuesday (11/4/08) for further testing.

On Thursday night Todd stayed home with Laurie and I was able to take Cole to the Fall Festival at his school. He had so much fun and I enjoyed getting to see many of you! It was so nice to get out of the house again (without going to a doctor's office)! Friday night, Cole suited up again for trick-or-treating with cousin, Jack and again today for the Fall Festival at Mrs. Judy's church. Needless to say, we have enough candy to last until Christmas!

Mother, Mrs. Judy, Laurie and I will go back to Birmingham on Monday for follow-up appointments with Dr. Fiest, the ophthalmologist, and the pulmonologist, Dr. Lyrene. Dr. Fiest will be checking to see if Laurie needs further treatment for her ROP (either another injection of Avastin or laser surgery). This will be our first time seeing Dr. Lyrene at the BPD (bronchopulmonlary dysplasia) clinic. We will be seeing him once a month for now, so that he can monitor Laurie's oxygen settings, medications, and treatments for BPD. Laurie will also have another chest x-ray to see how her lungs are progressing. On Tuesday, we will have two other appointments in Dothan. Laurie will have her monthly Synagis shot and will also see the ENT for her hearing. Please continue to pray for Laurie's lung development, vision, and hearing! Also, please pray for our travel safety to appointments this coming week! We are so thankful for your continued support!

Love,

Todd, Leah, Cole, and Laurie

October 26, 2008

Good afternoon everyone! I'm sorry it has been so long since I last posted. Finding time to post is much harder now that I am at home (I sure am missing the second shift nurses about now!)

Last week was very busy, so I will try to catch you up. Laurie was discharged from Flowers Hospital in Dothan last Sunday afternoon. She was having fewer de-sats and heart rate drops after having the blood transfusion and IV antibiotics. The blood cultures after 48 hours were negative. However, she continued to have trouble taking a bottle due to upper respiratory congestion--either refusing to take the bottle or spitting up what she did take. We saw her pediatrician, Dr. Brown, on Tuesday and he started Laurie back on HMF (human milk fortifier) in order to increase her calorie intake without having to increase the amount of milk she takes--Laurie had only gained about 3 oz. in a week, up to 6 lbs. 5 oz. Dr. Brown also started Laurie on another antibiotic to hopefully help with congestion and encouraged us to continue using the humidifier.

Then on Wednesday, Mother, Mrs. Judy, Laurie, and I left at 7:00 a.m. for Birmingham for a follow-up ophthalmologist appointment. After Laurie's hospitalization, I called Dr. Carlo to see if he could see us while we were in Birmingham and he graciously agreed. We saw him at 11:00 a.m. and he recommended that we try feeding Laurie smaller amounts every 2 hours and agreed that her cold was still upper respiratory (her lungs sounded good). He also suggested that we get another humidifier with a control setting for the amount of humidity being released. He again reminded us of the importance of washing hands and everyone changing clothes before holding Laurie (Mother and Mrs. Judy have already brought an extra set of clothes to our house and Cole has never had so many baths!!!!). I felt much better just having Dr. Carlo look at Laurie!!! After that appointment we went back to the UAB townhouse, ate lunch, and met with the "oxygen man" to swap out oxygen tanks and get needed supplies. At 1:30 we left for Laurie's ophthalmologist appointment. If you have been keeping up with my blog, you know that ophthalmologist in Birmingham work on a totally different time clock than the rest of us and Wednesday was no exception. We finally saw Dr. Fiest and his report was O.K. The blood vessels that are growing back are still premature and the time frame for the Avastin injections is running out. So, Dr. Fiest wants to see Laurie back in two weeks and possibly do another round of Avastin injections or laser surgery. Needless to say, we are not out of the woods with her vision yet. After the eye appointment, we went back to the UAB townhouse to finish cleaning up and turn in all the keys. We also made a stop at Babies-R-Us for a new humidifier and made several stops to feed Laurie. We finally returned home at 10:00 p.m. Laurie did great for such a long day of traveling and appointments, but the rest of us were exhausted!!

This week we will go back to see Dr. Brown on Tuesday. Laurie's congestion does seem to be doing better, so maybe we can go back to 3 hour feedings. As you can imagine, two hour feedings leave very little time for sleep or anything else!!! We will go back to Birmingham on November 3rd to see Dr. Fiest and for a pulmonary appointment.

Thanks to all of you for continuing to keep up with Laurie's progress. God continues to bless our family with your support. Please continue to pray for Laurie's lung development and for her vision. Also, please pray for all four of us as we adjust to our new norm at home (working everyone's schedule around Laurie's feedings, monitor alarms going off at all hours, little sleep, confinement to the house, Cole having to share our attention, etc...)

Love to all!
Todd, Leah, Cole, and Laurie

October 18, 2008

Hello everyone from Flowers Hospital :( Most of you probably didn't know, but Todd and I had to bring Laurie to the ER at about 2:30 a.m. Friday morning. After 24 hours of having numerous de-sats and heart rate drops, especially during her feeds, I had called UAB and spoken with several of Laurie's nurses and doctors. We tried all their suggestions, including having to increase her oxygen levels, but Laurie seemed to be getting worse. After a very scary 12:30 a.m. feed, where Laurie dropped her sat level, heart rate, and began turning blue, we decided to come on to Dothan. A CBC showed that Laurie's crit level was low and she was in need of a blood transfusion. She also had terrible cough, congestion, and was very lethargic. Laurie's pediatrician was on call and talked with her doctors in Birmingham. They decided that the blood transfusion and IV antibiotics could be done here, but that she would be transferred back to Birmingham, if there were any changes for the worse. Thankfully, the transfusion and antibiotics seem to be working and Laurie is already doing much better. So far the blood cultures have not grown back anything and she will have to complete 48 hours of antibiotics before being discharged. This is all a painful reminder that Laurie is still very susceptible to infections. We know that as a micro-preemie, Laurie still has a way to go before she is out to the woods completely! Please continue to pray for Laurie's health and for her to grow stronger each day! We will keep you updated! Thanks for all you have done to support our family!

Love,
Todd, Leah, Cole, and Laurie

October 14, 2008

Good afternoon everyone! It is so great to be posting from home!! I just wanted to add some pictures from Saturday's homecoming celebration. Todd, Mother, and I took Laurie to her first pediatrician appointment this mornig. It took all three of us to get a preemie baby and all her oxygen "stuff" into the doctor's office. We are still very slow moving with everything and learning the best way to travel with Laurie's equipment. We decided to change Laurie's feeding schedule back to every three hours to help with her breathing (not to tire her out so quickly). Dr. Carlo had also recommended this yesterday when he called to check on Laurie. He is such a special doctor--telling me that he would be out of the country until Sunday, but to e-mail with questions after our appointment today, if we needed him! He will be excited to learn that Laurie has continued to gain weight since leaving the hospital, weighing 6 lbs. 2 oz. today. Next week, we will have another pediatricain appointment in Dothan and an ophthalmologist appointment in Birmingham. So much for staying at home!!! Thanks for your continued prayers as we adjust to all being home together!

Love,

Todd, Leah, Cole, and Laurie

October 12, 2008

Laurie getting a nap before discharge!
Leaving the hospital!!!!!
As I arrive home, I'm sating 97!!!

My family just looking at me through the window!

Hello everyone! Sorry, I have not posted in a few days, but we have not had a moment to stop since last Thursday! Todd and I went over to the hospital Thursday morning to feed Laurie her 8:00 a.m. bottle and were overwhelmed by the numerous meetings/trainings we had to complete before rooming in with Laurie that night. After a crazy day, we spent our last night in the hospital with Laurie in a very, very small room with a very, very, loud pulse ox monitor!!! Laurie did great---Todd and I were awake all night jumping up to check her with every "ding" of her pulse oximeter!!! We could not believe it when we were ready for discharge on Friday by 10:30 a.m.--they were ready to get rid of us and we were ready to go!!! As we left the hospital through the same doors I entered by ambulance three and half long months ago, I thanked God for allowing me to leave with my beautiful, healthy baby girl---I wasn't so sure that would be the outcome when I entered!!!

After spending Friday afternoon packing, we left Birmingham at about 1:30 p.m. (between Laurie's feedings--she continues to make our schedule!). We are also learning the best way of traveling with Laurie and all of her wires, oxygen, and monitor, but you can see from the picture Laurie didn't mind the ride home!

We were welcomed home by a crowd of family wearing pink in Laurie's honor!!!! We are truly blessed with a wonderful family who has been with us every step of the way on this long journey and who continue to amaze us with their support. They all came Saturday to celebrate Laurie's arrival even though they knew that they could only look at her through the front window!!!

We decided to wait and surprise Cole with Laurie's homecoming. As I held Laurie up through the car window, he screamed "Laurie's here"!!! When we got inside the house he asked us, "Is Laurie going to get to spend the night?" He was soooo excited to learn that she was going to get to spend every night at home with us now!! But, I don't think he really believes it--he has not wanted to leave her side! What a special homecoming it was!!!!

I will try to post more pictures of Saturday as I get them from family members! Thanks again to all of you who have continued to follow Laurie's progess! We realize that we would not have made it through this ordeal without your prayers! I will continue to keep you updated and post pictures as Laurie grows!

Love to all!

Todd, Leah, Cole and Laurie