Ethan is almost home!

Ethan has really been progressing! He's up to 4 lbs 1.2 ounces. Last night we got him started on a plastic nipple and he went to town on it.. Today he was moved out of his incubator and into an open crib, which means he is regulating his own body temperature. This also means he gets to start wearing all kinds of cute little baby outfits!! It appears that he's grown out of bradys (short instances of heart rate drops). He's almost achieved all the milestones set for him to go home! It hasn't been nearly as hard as I originally thought dealing with all the visits and seeing him hooked up to cables - the little guy never cries and seems to enjoy our company, so we cherish all the time we get with him. My 30th birthday is in 2 weeks and all I want is to bring my little guy home!

Ethan's Story Part II

Just a few hours old

After his O2 tube came out

He already has a strong grip!
Winking to the camera ;)

As I mentioned before you can't plan ANYTHING! The doctors told me I had PPROM (Preterm Premature Rupture of the Membranes, which happens in fewer than 3% of pregnancies) and we hoped to stay on bed rest for 5 weeks to prevent a premature birth. I had fetal heart rate monitors on my stomach because they were concerned with the lack of amniotic fluid he could press down on his umbilical cord & cut off his oxygen. He was treating my stomach like a bounce house so this happened often. Anytime his heart rate went down, day or night, a nurse would come in and shift me to get him to move which would always bring his heart rate back. Well, almost always. Thursday afternoon his heart rate went down & didn't come back up after shifting me several times. The room went from 1 nurse to a lot of people fast & then they were telling me they were going to have to do an emergency C section. You can imagine my reaction... "Really? Seriously?" Actually it was a little more panicked than that & involved some crying & shaking. Blake was at home painting & they had already told me an emergency section would have the baby out in 5 minutes. Given that we live 40 miles from the hospital he was not going to make it. Also they would have to put me under because it was the fastest option for anesthesia . I would not be awake to see him or hear him cry, instead I would wake up in a recovery room with him already in NICU. They had me in the operating room with my arms strapped down, just about to put me under when his heart rate came back. The little guy just shaved off some of the grounding time he is already under. They decided not to proceed because I was only 29 weeks and better to wait it out. They put me in a room right outside the operating room just in case it happened again I would be close by. After monitoring me for 24 hours with no more drops I would be able to go back to my room. Late Friday night I started to feel pressure but didn't know what it was so they checked me & I was 2 centimeters dilated. This was around 12:45 am. I had gone up a centimeter but that didn't necessarily mean I was in labor so they said to let them know if it got worse. It got MUCH worse. About 1:15 am I woke Blake up & told him it was worse & might be contractions. He started timing them (the one thing we learned in the 2 childbirth classes we managed to go to) & called the nurse. They were a minute apart & progressively getting worse. A massive team was trying to get assembled as I had to have doctors & nurses for me and a NICU team for Ethan. I heard somebody tell someone else to call my doctor & then heard someone reply with "She's not going to make it, this baby is coming now!" I just wanted to know where the guy with the drugs was. I kept telling Blake "they need to do the epidural now before the next one comes" & Blake kept telling me this would be the last one, just get through this one. Wrong. He was trying but the nurse said "actually she's gonna feel a few more". If she could have read Blake's mind it was saying "SHUT UP!" I finally got the epidural & Ethan was born probably 2 minutes later at 2:37 am! The epidural hadn't even taken full effect. I don't know how or why it progressed so fast but the entire thing didn't last more than an hour and a half. I was able to hear him cry, see him, & even give him a kiss before they rushed him to NICU. I was grateful I didn't have a C section but scared at the fact he was 11 weeks premature. Of course all I wanted to know was he o.k.
He was born weighing 3lbs and immediately cried. Even though he was so young he never had to be hooked up to a ventilator and his APGAR score was a 8 to 9. All good signs. As soon as I could I went to the NICU to see him. He had an IV, an oxygen tube, a feeding tube, a heart rate monitor, a temperature monitor, & a pulse ox monitor. The poor thing had more wires hooked up to him than my tv. By March 4th he was doing well enough that they were able to remove the oxygen tube and his IV came out 2 days later. He has continued to go up on his feedings and his weight goes up every day. He is now 3.5 lbs & big enough that he can wear preemie clothes while he is in NICU. He is a tough little guy. He has had 2 brain scans to monitor a brain bleed that is very common in preemies. His is a level 1 which is the least severe on a scale of 1 to 4. The doctors are confident it will resolve itself but there are side effects if it doesn't. They will continue to do the brain scans & monitor it until it does go away. He also has a heart murmur, which is also common in preemies, due to a blood vessel not closing after birth. (For a better explanation you can click on heart murmur & then hit the back button to return to this page) Again, the doctors said they usually resolve on its own & will continue to monitor it. At this point the only other thing we are concerned about is something called a Brady which is where his heart rate drops. Because his brain is not fully developed he sometimes 'forgets' to breathe which causes his heart rate to drop. Normally he has a self stemming brady which means he recovers on his own. Occasionally he will have a mild brady where the nurses wake him up & it goes back up. The doctors said this is to be expected and he will eventually grow out of it. He is being given caffeine to help with them. Hardly seems right though, I can't drink caffeine because it goes into the milk and he is getting it prescribed! Over all he is doing incredibly well and we are very optimistic. He wont be able to come home until he is over 4lbs, can regulate his body temp, and is able to eat normally (he has to learn to suck, swallow, & breathe all at the same time). But in the meantime he is in great care & as long as he is healthy we are happy!

Thank you all for caring enough to take the time to follow our little guys progress. As always we appreciate it very much!
Love,
Jennifer & Blake

Ethan's Story Part I

To keep this more of a "story" than a biography I decided to break it up into parts and post 1 a day so you don't see it in its entirety and think 'I am not about to waste my whole day reading this'! Here is the first half and I will post the next on Tuesday. After Tuesday we will post updates on his progress. We appreciate every one's well wishes, prayers, and concern. We love and appreciate you all!

Blake & I were anxiously awaiting the arrival of Ethan's due date, May 14th. We decided we should get all of our home improvement projects out of the way before he came because we knew we wouldn't have time after that. We started painting and I started deconstructing my office to box up so we could start the nursery. Long story short, the house was a wreck! Now that you have that visual image, let me tell you how I quickly learned you can never plan ANYTHING when it comes to kids!
It all began Tuesday morning February 22nd, I woke up thinking I was about to wet the bed. I ran to the bathroom wondering why I couldn't hold it all of the sudden. I looked online and found that losing muscle control in your bladder during pregnancy was pretty common. I went bed thinking 'Oh joy, yet another not so fun side effect of pregnancy' but not concerned. I went to work dealing with this new problem all day but not saying anything because it was too embarrassing. On my way home I called my Mom to vent about 12 weeks of dealing with this! She said I should call my doctor but it was almost 5:00 & I was stuck in downtown Orlando traffic. We had a childbirth class that night so I decided to mention it to the instructor & see what she said. During the class she told us she had thought her water broke when she was pregnant but it was actually what I was going through, lack of bladder control. See, it is normal! I was even more reassured it was nothing to worry about but I still mentioned it to her after class. Her response? "Go to the hospital now!" But its normal, right? I said"Seriously? Really?" Again, "Go to the hospital now!" Blake started to worry but I kept thinking she just wants to be safe & cover herself legally. I'm fine. We get to the hospital & I am checked, the whole time thinking there isn't going to be any place open to eat by the time we get out of there. They call my doctor which I assume is routine & still not worried about anything but dinner. My doctor showed up examined me & informed me I had a rupture, was leaking amniotic fluid, & would be transferred to another hospital better equipped for high risk pregnancy & would spend the next 5 weeks on bed rest there. All I could say was "Seriously? Really?" She said yes & then the tables turned. I lost it & Blake started reassuring me. They wouldn't even let Blake drive me, I had to go straight there in an ambulance while Blake went home to get some stuff for me. I tried bribing the EMTs in the ambulance to stop by the house so I could see my dogs, pick up some stuff, & maybe straighten up a little but they weren't buying it. Blake met me at the hospital with stuff for me (except for the dogs which I had asked him to stuff into bags). The new plan was to keep me in the hospital until 34 weeks when the risk of infection from the rupture outweighed the risk of having him prematurely. My parents after getting the news hopped in the car at 2 am & drove straight down. I was nervous & scared but I had the best team in the world taking care of me & I'm not talking about the doctors. I can't began to tell you how fortunate I am to have the best husband and parents in the world. Blake went out and bought board games, a deck of cards, and brought in dvds to prepare for my five week incarceration. He slept at the hospital every night and my Mom stayed with me every day (even though I was sleeping half the time) so Blake could go home & try to get the house back to normal. Poor Blake now had the task of painting the house, cleaning out my office & moving it to another room, selling all of the furniture in said room, & preparing the nursery by himself. Mom was a big help again by cleaning up, doing laundry, & doing touch up paint. Have I mentioned how lucky I am?

Will Work for Animals

Most people work for money, some work for food, but not me... I work for animals.
I know it has been a while since I have written but a lot has been going on. In the last month we have had several house guests, finished our unfinished basement, and I got a job. As you can imagine it is an animal job. I'm excited to again be able to convince kids that snakes are not scary, conservation is important, and just pass on the cool and fun facts of animals and nature. Unfortunately, having not worked in some time I am not used to getting up early and being on my feet so much. I am also a little rusty on my info. There is only so many times I can repeat cool trivia about animals to Blake before he starts rolling his eyes, I should have been watching animal planet more! I stay busy with work since most of my spare time is catching up on what my early onset alzheimers brain has forgotten, which hasn't left me much time to write. But I am lucky to be doing what I love. Especially lucky to have Blake's support because without him I would be eating dry ramen noodles from a box on the street. Hence the working for animals part. This is a field you do because you are passionate about it not to become the next Trump. In addition, after I pay for gas and tolls I am lucky if I break even. But it doesn't matter to me because I am having a heck of a good time! I am so lucky and appreciative of Blake because otherwise I wouldn't be able to do this. I am also greatful to my parents who passed on their love of nature and wildlife to me. All those years of going outwest and looking for wildlife definitely made an impression on me. I am working with a lot of the same animals that I worked with before and a few new ones. One new animal is an American alligator which has been fun but mainly because I came home one day with a band aid and convinced Blake I got bit by the alligator! It was actually a paper cut. I don't have pictures from this job yet so I will post some old ones. You know me, a post isn't a post without pictures! I will post again soon with some pictures of the work we did on the house. I hope everyone out there is well and as always, thanks for stopping by and reading!

Boats, Buffett, and .... Botanicals?

BOATS...

Watch out Bill Dance, You've got competition!

One of the many lakes around here.

BUFFETT...

Proper attire required

You can't get to Margaritaville without Margaritas!

& BOTANICALS!

So Blake and I spent the past week enjoying a Jimmy Buffett concert, our new boat, and the flower and Garden Festival at Disney's Epcot. Ok, well I mainly enjoyed the last one but Blake was kind enough to accompany me.
As I mentioned we recently bought a "new" boat (its new to us!). It is hard to live in an area surrounded by lakes and only an hour and half to the ocean without a boat! Blake is definitely more familiar with boats than I but I am getting my lake legs! We have yet to try it out in the ocean but will get there eventually. We live within a few miles of a chain of lakes and so far 2 out of 3 times we have seen gators (only babies) and snakes. We got a ski boat and yes we are actually going to ski in the lake with the gators. With just a little training I'm going to have Blake forming a pyramid on skis with them!
After a fun day on the boat we spent Saturday driving to Tampa to see Jimmy Buffett perform. This was Blake's first Buffett concert and my first time tailgating at one. Yes, I said tailgating. For those of you that don't know Jimmy Buffett concerts are so much more than a concert. Most fans (aka Parrotheads) get to the concert hours (several hours) before the actual show and drink, cookout, drink, play games, and did I mention drink? Parrotheads are very fun and spirited and dress up in.... well, just about anything. Guys and girls wear coconut or shell bikinis, grass skirts, parrot hats, shark hats, and anything tropical, fun, or silly. People set up tents, campers, umbrellas, grills, bars, and I even saw a boat. While waiting for the actual show people play games like cornhole, horseshoes, and race coolers (yes, you read that right, check the link if you don't believe me). Being my first time and it only being the two of us I didn't see the need to bring all that stuff. I was wrong. We got there a few hours before the show and realized it was to hot to just sit outside the car on the grass plus we were grossly under dressed. There was not a single grass skirt between the two of us. Luckily, Parrotheads are always willing to help a fellow Parrot out and the family parked in front of us loaded us up with the proper attire. It may be the only time in my life I get Blake in a shell bikini so enjoy it! After an evening of wearing it Blake now appreciates when we women have to remind men "our eyes are up here"! While I think Blake is still only a parakeet, I believe with just one more show he will be a full fledged Parrothead!
We capped off our week with a trip to Disney's Epcot to see the Flower and Garden Festival. They always have incredible topiaries during the year so I was excited to see what they would have specifically for the Festival. As always, Disney doesn't disappoint. I figured pictures would be better than me describing them, so, enjoy!

Life's a Beach.... A DOG BEACH that is!!!!

So I realize I haven't posted in a while but there really hasn't been much going on here. It's pretty much day to day routine. I look for a job, Blake works. I clean the house, Blake works. You get the picture. It doesn't make for very entertaining reading or writing. Of course that hasn't stopped me so far, lol! There is an occasional halt to the routine when we have house guests which we have had on regular basis since we have moved here. We are not complaining though! We have a lot of fun playing tourist, eating out and hanging out with everyone. Then its back to work, clean house, work, etc... The weather has finally warmed up enough to venture out and go to the beach or water parks. We are starting to see lizards again and have already seen one snake in the yard. So we decided to enjoy the weather and take the dogs to the beach! There is a beach south of Tampa about an hour and a half from us called Fort DeSoto that has a large dog beach. I think it is safe to say they had a good time!

The whole way there they barely ever sat down!

Are we there yet?!?!?!
Objects in mirror are closer than they appear: Does that mean the beach is closer?!?!?

So many butts to sniff so little time...

Wrig didn't know what to think at first...
But quickly got the hang of it!
Wrigley really enjoyed swimming while...
Milo preferred sunbathing!
He hasn't learned shaking off while in the water defeats the purpose!
Look! I found a large drowned rat!
They didn't stand and hang their heads out nearly as much on the way home. Pooped much?

Thanks for checking in and reading! I hope everyone is having as good of a time as our dogs!

Spaceflights & Frostbite

The previous shuttle launch from the entrance of our neighborhood

Just a few of the people there the first night

Like I said me+ camera+ dark= blurry
If you double click the pict you can see it better.
The bright light on the far left with the lights hitting the clouds is the launch pad. If you squint you can see little white spots in the water, a group of herons got the best spot.

To see my video of the launch click here
(To return to the blog hit your back arrow button)

Warning: May cause motion sickness!
Give me a break, I was tired and freezing!

Central Florida has a lot to do but still doesn't compare to New York City. However, Central Florida has one show Broadway will never get. The shuttle launch! Sadly, the shuttle only has a few more launches left and the last night launch was scheduled for Saturday at 4:39 in the morning. You can actually see the shuttle from the entrance to our neighborhood but I really wanted to see and hear it up close. I researched the best place to see it and found that Titusville had the best views and Port Canaveral was the best place to hear it. I really wanted to be able to see the launch pad and I knew I would still be able to hear it there so I went to an area close to Space View Park. I read to get a good view you need to get there about 3 hours early and since I'm a staggering 5' tall I thought it best to get there early so I could be in the front. The drive is only about an hour and a half away but it probably would have been cheaper to fly given all the tolls! Blake was interested in going until I told him the launch was at 4:30 a.m then he was less interested. When I told him I needed to get there 3 hours early he lost any interest he had left. Since he wasn't coming I needed to bring something to occupy me for 3 hours but not too much for me to carry by myself. I brought a camera bag filled with 3 types of cameras, chips, a book, and a small flashlight. Unfortunately it was so cold, and I didn't think to bring gloves, I never read the book. I know 3 cameras is a little excessive but I am far less talented behind the lens than my sister and without a tripod any pictures I take at night are guaranteed blurry. I decided to take the new camera and old camera to see what worked and if they failed I had my Vado to record it. I recorded it.
I realize most of the country is under a lot of snow and much colder but the 50 degree nights here are equivalent to Alaska to me. So I made sure to bundle up with sweatpants, sweatshirt, and a heavy coat. I also took this really cute pink and brown blanket I got for picnics and my pink fleece blanket (yes I like pink). At the last minute I decided to grab a folding a chair also and I am glad I did! I forgot most of Florida is a big boggy marsh. There was no way I was going to put my nice blanket on that ground! They did come in handy though because even with dressing for the cold I was freezing! I huddled up on the chair and put both blankets around me and still thought I might go home with a few less fingers and toes. When I got to Titusville it reminded me of going to a sporting event. 3 hours before the launch and people were parking everywhere and walking with bags and folding chairs. I got a great spot right in front and could clearly see the launch pad even with about a hundred people already there. As I waited I pondered some of life's greatest mysteries like what kind of work can one do after losing their fingers and toes? And is there irony in losing your fingers to frostbite while in Florida? Many of the people around me were checking updates on their phones and laptops and Space View Park actually broadcasts Nasa's TV broadcast. It went back and forth from a go to a no go to a go before it was actually scrubbed. The launch was reset for 4:14 a.m Saturday night. I was disappointed but couldn't complain, at least I wasn't too far away and could easily come back. Not to mention better safe than sorry. At least now I would be better prepared! So Sunday night I at least already had everything packed and this time I wore a hat, scarf, gloves, wool socks, and 2 layers under my coat. So WHY WAS I STILL FREEZING?!?!?! At least with the gloves I could read my book except it is hard to turn a page with gloves on. When I got to Titusville I was worried they scrubbed it while I was driving there because it looked nothing like Saturday night. The place was a ghost town. The parking lots were all empty and no one was walking around. I actually called Blake to check the status but it hadn't been scrubbed. It eventually got more crowded but still only a fraction of the previous night. The night started out just like Saturday; beautiful clear skies full of stars that quickly became covered by clouds. I just knew it was going to get canceled again but waited it out now pondering how many times I should keep coming before being certified as crazy. Eventually the T minus count started and then got to the no going back point and everyone started counting down with it. When it hit T minus one the sky lit up like the sun had just skyrocketed up. The pitch black skies looked as if a switch was flipped and it turned to daylight. Because of the cloud cover you could only see a bright dot and the clouds light up after the initial take off. A minute after take off you could hear it and it is hard to describe while doing it justice. It is definitely something you have to be there to really experience. It only lasted a couple of minutes but afterwards I was so glad I made the trip twice and it was worth almost losing my fingers.

I blame the Ice

So I typed all this out a while ago and forgot to post it! I blame it on the the cold weather, for almost a week I couldn't do anything because it was to cold to climb out from under the blanket! It is still cold here but thankfully the ice is now gone. So here is the latest, better late than never (of course that depends on how much you actually enjoy reading this!):

So, we moved to sunny Florida to get away from the cold weather and have year round warmth... so tell me why as I type this I am wearing a sweatshirt, wool socks, sweatpants and my palm trees have ice on them?!?! It is currently in the high 20's and still dropping to the mid 20's. When I took my dogs out this morning, it started sleeting on us! Sleeting! In Central Florida! Did I mention my palm trees have ice on them? I know you guys are thinking "please, it's colder than that where I am". You are right, BUT I moved to get away from that!!! The cold weather does stink but the worst part is that all of our plants/grass is dying. Losing a few plants is OK but we are very worried about all the new sod we just put down. I swear if it dies, I am just going to spray paint it green! Those are not raindrops on the ends of the palms!
And notice the grass is not green, its Florida! It should always be green!!

So other than freezing (literally) cold temperatures, other things you should concern yourself with when living in Central Florida is flying projectiles. We went home for the holidays and enjoyed visiting with friends and family for a few days and then drove 10 hours back home with the dogs. We got back around 1 am and were prepared to be up for at least another hour to clean dog hair out of the rental car (boy does that sound familiar). Instead I spent an hour cleaning glass off the kitchen floor, table, and counter tops and then another hour cleaning the rental car. Finally around 4 am I went to bed so I could get up in 4 hours to return the car. Glass you ask? Obviously living on the fairway of a golf course comes with consequences. Glass went as far as 25' away into the hall and over our 3 1/2' counters into the kitchen sink. I actually found a piece of glass embedded into the wall under the counter top. I have yet to figure out how but I even found a piece in the living room on top of our console. To get there it had to go around a corner and behind my Christmas Decorations! Glass was all over the kitchen table and chairs.
I am glad I wasn't sitting there or else lunch wouldn't have been pleasant.Because the screen was so cold, the ball didn't actually go through the screen. Lucky for the jackass that busted our window; didn't leave his name but made sure to get his ball out of our yard :( To get an idea of the size, the hole was as large as my hand. Thankfully we got the window fixed relatively fast and cheap and the freezing Florida temperatures are no longer coming in!

I hope everyone had a good and safe holiday. We definitely did and enjoyed seeing everyone. I am going to close this out with a few pictures from Christmas. I hope everyone has a great 2010!

Our house decorated for Christmas...Hahaha... I wish!
OK, so this is our house decorated for Christmas
Note the GREEN grass... I miss it :(
Our boys enjoying their Christmas gifts from my mom
I had to share these pictures my sister took at Christmas because they are so incredibly good

Before & After: Paradise gets a makeover!

Blake & I have been working hard to get our new house back in shape and make it feel like a home. And of course I have been enjoying decorating it! We still have a lot to do ( replace: old light fixtures, cabinets, counter-tops, paint, buy new furniture and appliances, finish the basement, get new window treatments, etc...) but are pretty happy with the results thus far! We wanted to share our little piece of paradise and hard work with you guys!

Before:

After:We had to completely tear out all the grass and buy all new sod as well as gain control of the jungle that was the flower beds.
Entry Before:
After:

Den Before:
After:I have no idea what the previous owners had on that bar on the wall but they didn't want it going anywhere! Short of a sledgehammer, I have no idea how to get it off the wall!

Kitchen Before:
After:
Before:

After:
Before:
After:
Before:The previous owners took all but 3 light fixtures, the fridge, and... the dishwasher!!! Maybe they were going to NYC?!
After:

Living room Before:
After:
Before:
After:The living room is my favorite room so I had to throw in some extra pictures!
Blake's office Before:
After:

Entry to Master Before:
After:
Master Before:
Master After:
Dining room Before:
Dining room After:I realize that doesn't look like a dining room table. You are right it isn't! Since we don't have a table yet we thought we should put in seating because we don't have enough ;)

Patio Before:
After:
Butler's Pantry Before:

Butler's Pantry After:
Hall Before:
After:
Another Hall Before:
After:
Stairs Before:It appears the previous owners played hopscotch on the stairs with a bottle of Hershey's syrup!
After:

Bonus room Before:

Bonus room After:
Guest Bedroom Before:
Guest Bedroom After:
Porch Before:
Porch After:
Blake and I are in love with our new home and appreciate you guys for checking out all the hard work we have put into it! Stay tuned for more before & after pictures in the future as we take on more projects!