New Jersey

We left our house around lunch time on Saturday and stopped in Wytheville, Virginia.  This was a little past half-way.  On Sunday morning, we drove to Harrisonburg, VA, for church.  After church, we met one of Craig's cousins at a Mexican restaurant.  It started pouring while we were in the restaurant and rained off and on the rest of the day.  

We drove through D.C. instead of around it (I love D.C.).  Traffic was HORRIBLE in Maryland.  We expected Interstate 95 to be a massive highway running to the Northeast--not just 3 lanes.  We came upon our first toll (I'm a tightwad and HATE tolls!)--Eight stinking dollars!  I've never heard of an $8 toll.  We sat in the toll plaza for 30 minutes.  I have no idea why it took so long.  About ten miles later, there was another $4 toll.  We eventually made it to our hotel in Turnersville, NJ--three hours later than our original projected time.

Because my appointment with Dr. Davis was not until 1pm today, we spent the morning in Philadelphia.  We toured Independence Hall and saw the Liberty Bell.  We ate at John's Roast Pork--a dive whose cheese steak was given very high ratings from several sources.  We enjoyed it.

My appointment went well.  The doctor answered questions and did an ultrasound to look at my cervix--he measured it at 2.3cm (normal is 4.5cm).  Dr. Davis showed me the material he will use to tie around my cervix.  They took blood and then we left.  I'm supposed to be at the hospital tomorrow around 10:30 AM for surgery around noon.

After the appointment, neither Craig nor I wanted to stay in the hotel room or in Turnersville.  We drove down to Cape May.  It's at the southern tip of the NJ peninsula--just south of Atlantic City.  It was a beautiful little town.  It has a light house, but we didn't climb it--have to save those dollars for the toll roads (if you make a wrong turn on a highway, you'll have to pay a toll to exit and then to re-enter the opposite direction).  We parked at the light house (a state park) and walked down to the beach.  I knew the water would be cool, but I didn't expect it to be freezing COLD!  There was a WW2 bunker on the beach--I didn't realize the U.S. built bunkers along the coast during WW2.  We enjoyed an ice cream cone before walking around the "downtown" area of Cape May.  Most of the architecture was Victorian and the houses/yards were gorgeous.  This was definitely a tourist destination, but there were no highrise hotels or resorts; instead, quaint bed and breakfasts and summer rental homes lined the narrow streets.  We ate dinner in Cape May before driving back to our hotel.  I'm really glad we went to the coast.

Somehow I don't think tomorrow will be as enjoyable as today was....

Trans-Abdominal Cerclage

Before I talk about my upcoming surgery, I want to give an update on Clayton....you know, for Brandi and the folks at Imperial :)

Clayton will be 2 years old in a little over a month.  He's about 20 pounds and wears 12 months clothes.  His developmental delay gap is shrinking.  He sees his speech therapist every Wednesday.  A developmental therapist comes to our house every Monday.  He sees the physical therapist once a month, but will be discharged at age 2, and an occupational therapist comes to the house every three months.  He is progressing very well.

We moved to a new house in May.  Clayton loves the backyard and the neighbors.  Nothing is happier to him than playing with Riley and Eian.  He has no shortage of energy--he is always kicking a soccer ball or swinging a golf club or baseball bat.

Now to my surgery...

I have a condition called "cervical insufficiency."  The following is taken from the internet:

What does it mean to have cervical insufficiency?

If you have cervical insufficiency, it means that your cervix is effacing and dilating prematurely (before your baby is full term). This might happen in the second or early third trimester if your cervix is softer and weaker than normal or is abnormally short to begin with, as the weight of your growing baby puts increasing pressure on it. There are usually no contractions or other symptoms.

Cervical insufficiency (sometimes called "incompetent cervix") can result in second-trimester miscarriage; preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM), in which your water breaks before you're full-term and before you're in labor; or preterm delivery (before 37 weeks). It particularly increases your risk for early preterm delivery, which means giving birth before 32 weeks.

Most women lose their babies because they and their doctor are unaware of their condition.  Thankfully, my doctor measures the cervix of each pregnant patient.  When she noticed that my cervix was shortening with Clayton, she performed an emergency trans-vaginal cerclage (she tied my cervix closed with fishing line) and put me on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy (bed rest began at 18 weeks).  Ultimately, my cerclage failed and I went into pre-term labor and delivered Clayton at 31 weeks, 1 day.  Clayton was in the NICU for 7 weeks and, as I have written above, sees multiple therapists. 

When I discussed the possibility of future pregnancies with my doctor, she encouraged me to research a procedure called "Trans-Abdominal Cerclage", or TAC.  Bascially, they cut you open and put a very strong ring around the top of your cervix that prevents the cervix from opening.  This is a permanent ring and c-sections would therefore be necessary.  The TAC allows a full-term pregnancy with NO BED REST!!!  While there are a handful of doctors across the country, there are really only 2 doctors that perform the surgery regularly.  One, Dr. Haney, is in Chicago and the other, Dr. Davis, is in southern New Jersey.  I have spoken on the phone with both doctors and they are both very nice.  I wanted to have the surgery in Chicago because it is closer to Memphis.  However, Dr. Haney is not covered by my insurance (Cigna).  I asked my friend Michael Williams to pray for this situation--that I would be able to have the surgery.  Fortunately, Michael has a direct line and Dr. Davis (NJ) called to schedule my surgery.

I will meet Dr. Davis on Monday for an ultrasound and will have surgery on Tuesday, July 23 at Kennedy University Hospital in Turnersville, NJ (near Philadelphia).  I will stay in the hospital for one night and will be able to start our drive back home on Wednesday.  I will be a part of a research study to determine if doctors can run a simple test on pregnant women to determine if a woman is at risk of cervical insufficiency.

I appreciate all prayers for safe travels (16 hour drive each way) and successful surgery. 

An update...

It's been a while since I've posted anything on here.  I typically like to keep things private, but Clayton's progress over the past month is too exciting not to share.  First, an update on Clayton...

He is 16 months old (14 months developmentally) and weighs about 17 pounds.  He has finally gotten into 6 month and 6-9 month clothing.  At his 12 month check-up, I had hoped we could move to whole milk, but our pediatrician wanted Clayton to stay on Enfacare (VERY expensive preemie formula) because he wouldn't eat other foods and whole milk alone would not give him the nutrients he needed.  This leads me to his feeding problems...

Eating has always been a problem for Clayton.  It started in the NICU with bottle-feeding; he held his breath quite often when he ate by bottle.  Even after he stopped holding his breath, it was a chore to feed him his bottle.  Feeding time was never something I looked forward to.  On the rare occasion that Clayton ate well, there was always a good chance that he would throw up.  When he was 9-10 months old, we began introducing solid foods.  He didn't have any interest in it.  When summer break began, he started really showing interest in the food we were eating and I thought things were clicking for him.  Though he acted like he wanted to eat anything you were eating, he really only wanted to lick it.  If you put anything in his mouth, he would gag until he pushed the food out of his mouth or until he threw up. 

After talking with a family at church whose daughter had feeding problems, we applied for TEIS (Tennessee Early Intervention Services).   TEIS provides services to babies (birth to age 3) that have significant developmental delay (it's like special education for babies).  Thankfully, Clayton was approved to receive services.  With TEIS, Clayton can see a speech therapist for feeding therapy and it's free of charge to us.  During his feeding therapy evaluation, the speech therapist (sweet Suzanne) confirmed what I already knew:  Clayton was very much speech and language delayed.  We see Suzanne once a week for speech and feeding therapy.  Also, a developmental therapist comes to our home once a week to work with Clayton.  We're in the process of finding an occupational therapist also.

We spent our week of Fall Break at my grandparents' cabin in North Georgia.  It was a wonderful week and Clayton made great progress with eating.  He began eating yogurt and could eat an entire cup of yogurt in a day.  He also didn't gag when I gave him a piece of graham cracker.  That doesn't sound like much, but it was a huge step and I was so proud of his progress that week.  After we came home from the cabin, a friend at church (Michael) asked us how Clayton had been eating that week.  I was surprised when he asked about it, but I was excited to tell him of Clayton's progress.  As I reflected on our conversation with Michael, I realized that I had never spoken to Michael about Clayton's feeding problems.  Then it dawned on me that on the Friday night we left for the cabin, we had a prayer vigil at church.  Michael got our prayer card and it had Clayton's feeding problems listed.  He had been praying all week for Clayton--and what a difference it made!  Michael has continued to pray for Clayton and the progress has been incredible.

Between October and Christmas, Clayton began eating yogurt, baby foods, gold fish, and cheerios.  Even after Clayton began eating soft foods, self-feeding was a problem.  He didn't want food to touch his hands (eventually, he began holding graham crackers, saltines, and gold fish).  In early December, Clayton began eating "real" food--started with Brandi Stiff's chicken noodle soup.  The best soup ever!  He loved the carrots, noodles, and broth.  He stopped gagging and throwing up.  At his 15-month check up, the doctor switched us to whole milk (and a multi-vitamin) because Clayton was now eating some foods.  A pay raise!

At Christmas, Clayton became a different child.  We traveled to Jacksonville, FL, to spend Christmas with my family.  In 7.5 years, we have only visited my family in Jacksonville twice--so sad!  On Christmas Eve, Clayton ate baked beans, bread, macaroni & cheese, potato salad, barbecue, banana pudding, and COOKIES (he LOVES cookies).  He devoured anything I put toward his mouth.  He was simply warming up for Christmas.  At Christmas dinner, he ate everything on my plate.  I was in complete shock at how well he was eating.  It was a wonderful week. 

On our way home from Jacksonville, I worked with Clayton on holding cheerios in his fingers and eating them.  Something in his brain clicked after a few hours of working on it because now he eats everything with his fingers.  It brings tears to my eyes at dinner to watch him feed himself because I feared the day would never come.  You can't really understand how frustrating and miserable it is to have a child who won't eat unless you have a child who won't eat.  I can now say that I don't have one :)  Clayton feeds himself anything you put in front of him--anything!

While feeding is now under our belt, our work is not complete.  We still have a long way to go on speech & language therapy and his developmental delay.  He is still not walking, but he's close.  If he'd just let go....

For Brandi

My friend Brandi has moved to Hawaii and I miss her and her family dearly!  I'm sad that I won't get to see her girls and Jack grow up and she won't be able to see Clayton reach milestones.  So, this update is for Brandi.

Clayton is now 9 1/2 months old (developmentally, 7 1/2 months).  Here's a list of what he's up to lately...
*He is crawling very well.
*His first tooth (bottom front) broke through a little over a week ago
*He loves anything cold, but especially ice water and popcicles
*He has finally started showing interest in what we're eating (loves strawberry icecream!)
*He babbles some, but doesn't have a wide range of "words" yet
*We went to the beach with my parents last week--Clayton enjoyed the pool but was terrified of the waves.
*He sleeps through the night most of the time.  Our two trips this summer have thrown him off, but he seems to bounce back alright.
*He seems to enjoy the Cradle Roll class at church....until he gets tired of it.
*His hair has started to lay down some now....and I think it's time for a hair cut (but Craig disagrees)

Dovie Jean

This is my blog, so I can say what I want....I have the best grandmother a girl could want.  My grandmother and I have been the best of friends since I was old enough to remember.  She and my dad were the only two people I liked for the first 5 or so years of my life.  Some of my best memories include going to my grandparents' trailer at a lake that was always dried up.  We (my cousins, grandmother, and I) climbed up Sand Mountain and slid down.  We tromped through the woods looking for "tree horses" and playing cowboys and Indians.  We walked along the railroad tracks looking for spikes--and we always ran to the tracks when we heard the train coming.  We created animals in the sand/dirt.  We played in and fought over the hammock.  We shot BB guns and rode bikes though Styrofoam.  We had fires and roasted marshmallows and we always had sparklers when we had fires.  If I could go back to any point in my childhood, it would be the time spent at the trailer.  Well, except that I was always afraid of Grans' dog, Muffy--and Muffy always came with us.

That lake was always dried up and the trailer is no more.  Now, we have the cabin and it's my new happy place.  I love spending time in the summer, fall, and winter with my grandmother at the cabin.  I love to go to the flea market with her and to cook with her.  My grandmother and I share a love of cookbooks and cooking.  We do disagree on whether to eat chili over spaghetti noodles though.....yuck. 

She has had a lot on her plate the past few years with her arthritis and my Grandfather having Alzheimer's.  I wish we lived in the same city--oh the fun we could have!

All this to say.....I love my grandmother very much.  I could never hope for more in a grandmother. 

Progress for the Sake of Progress

I love Harry Potter!  Anytime I use the word "progress," I can hear Dolores Umbridge in my head.  Craig reads Harry Potter to Clayton every afternoon.  We're on The Chamber of Secrets right now.  Friday was a day of progress.

Clayton had an appointment to see his favorite therapists at 8:30 AM (I took the day off).  Both Morgan (PT) and Lauren (ST) were amazed at Clayton's growth--both have watched him since he was in the NICU.  Speech with Lauren went well--we won't see her again for 2 months (spoon feeding).  Physical Therapy with Morgan went well also.  There were several things Morgan was pleased with, but she could tell immediately that Clayton does not get enough Tummy Time.  She gave us some exercises to be working on and wants to see us again in 1 month (instead of 3 months).  That appointment will be over Spring Break, so Craig will get to come also.  Hopefully we'll get him up to speed this month!

One big change I'm noticing is that Clayton is now grabbing for things.  He has loved to hold things for a while (when we place toys in his hands), but he has started intentionally reaching for and grabbing things.  My mom gave him some tactile/grippy balls for Christmas that are perfect for his fine-motor skills (something else we're supposed to be working on).  I think Friday was the best day I've ever spent with Clayton.  He ate well, he played well, and he napped well. 

Here are some pictures from our day....
I bundled him up the best I could because it was FREEZING outside!

Morgan (PT) playing with Clayton.

Lauren (ST) with Clayton.  She must have pinched him because he never cries :)

Clayton grabbing toys and actually tolerating tummy time.

A Nice Visit

The past several years (except last year) my parents have come to the Lectureships at FHU and spent the weekend before lectureships with us.  I was excited that they were able to do the same this year.  They were lucky enough to spend a few days with Jackson on their way over.  My mom took a video of Jackson walking and emailed it to me--I watch it over and over!  I can't wait to see him in May (if not before).
Here are some pictures from the weekend.

 PW's guacamole is so so good!  Don't look at the Roman numerals on the cookie cake too closely...

Yum, bang bang shrimp!

What is a weekend without Muddy's?