Photo Friday: Tranquility

I took this picture early on an August morning at my favorite vacation spot in the world, the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Calm... peaceful... perfect, really. This picture always makes me stop and remember to slow down. Don't make waves, don't disturb a thing. Just take a deep breath and let the tranquility of the moment surround you.

~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~

Blessings,
Kat

Project Linus: Providing Security through Blankets

As a child, I had a favorite blanket which I called my "bye." Actually, there were two or three of them that were identical, and mom would sneak a dirty one away and replace it with a clean one while I slept. Today, one of those very same "byes" lives in my 5-year-old's bed and has been renamed the "Hugs and Kisses Blanket." Every night before bed, I fill it with hugs and kisses and wrap it around her in case she needs any "mommy love" while she sleeps.

Even though I'm "all grown up" now, I still love that bye, and perhaps that's part of what fueled my favorite hobby of making quilts. I'm certainly not an expert blanket maker but I really enjoy the process of choosing that special pattern for that special someone, selecting the right fabrics, piecing them together and admiring how yards of fabric can become something so special. Maybe that's also one of the reasons I'm so attracted to an organization called Project Linus.

From the Project Linus website:

Project Linus is comprised of hundreds of local chapters and thousands of volunteers across the United States. Each volunteer and local chapter all work together to help us achieve our mission statement, which states:

First, it is our mission to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.”

Second, it is our mission to provide a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and groups in local communities, for the benefit of children.

Together we have distributed over two million blankets to children in need since our inception in 1995.

You don't have to know how to sew, knit or crochet to become involved with Project Linus, though their website does offer lots of great blanket patterns that would be fun for people of all ages to make, including a really simple "no sew fleece" pattern. If you'd like to donate supplies, you can find your local chapter and contact the coordinator for more information. Or, you can make a monetary donation on the Project Linus Website or by mail.

What a great gift to give a child in need... the love, warmth and security of a made-with-love blankie. These are gifts that can make such an important difference that can truly last a lifetime.

~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~

Blessings,
Kat

Prayers, please, for The Miracle Baby in Room C

He's a fighter and he'll get through this, and so will his amazing, loving, supportive family. However, it's been a very long, difficult 9 months already and I know that some more prayers and love headed their way will make it a little less difficult.

During the night, CP got a call from the NICU. Austin had been moved back down to the critical care nursery. His belly blew up once again and an x-ray showed that his large intestine was (again) severely blocked. His breathing was fast and unsteady due to the pain and discomfort. The doctors had to put the tubes back in and the biopsy will probably be done sometime today. This is related to the possibility of Hirschsprung disease that I posted about yesterday.

Please, say a prayer. Ask your friends to say a prayer. And please, keep praying. This little boy and his family have been through so much already.

~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~
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Blessings,
Kat

Good News: Houston, we have poop!!

The usual Tuesday topic is Good in the News but this week,

Good News works just as well!

Only a mother (or a father) can appreciate how magical the words "we have poop!!" can be. This is most especially true in the case of The Miracle Baby in Room C, Austin, who I introduced here yesterday.

For those who read yesterday's post (and if you didn't you should, trust me!), Austin has continued to make even more great strides. He graduated again to another nursery in the NICU, only 1 nursery away from "I can go home now!" Go, Austin!!

The current concern, though, has been about poop. Yes, poop. He went about 3 days without one, which is an indication that he could possibly have Hirschsprung disease. Hirschsprung disease is a birth defect not uncommon in Down Syndrome babies, in which nerve cells in the wall of the large intestine do not develop. These nerve cells, called ganglion cells, control the muscles in that area that normally push food and digestive waste through the large intestine. In Hirschsprung's disease, the muscles in the wall of the large intestine do not relax, which prevents waste from moving through the large intestine. This may lead to trapped stool, infection, inflammation, and constipation.

The doctors were waiting to see if Austin would poop so they could decide whether or not to do a biopsy to test for Hirschprung's. If he has it, he will require surgery to remove the portion of the large intestine that has no nerve cells.

Well, AMEN for POOP!!! Which Austin did on Monday. Way to go, Austin!

The doctors are still planning to do the biopsy just in case, but we're praying now that it shows everything to be in proper working order, with more and more poop coming along as Austin starts eating and nursing more and more.

Today, we're looking for "More Poop" Prayers and healthy biopsy results. Could you spare some for The Miracle Baby in Room C?

~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~
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Blessings,
Kat

Meet The Miracle Baby in Room C

It's been a while since I've posted but I've been waiting and praying for this very story for such a very long time... I'm so honored that my wonderful friend "CP" allowed me to share it with all of you. It's long, but I think it's the most important blog post I've ever written. Further proof that God knows what he's doing, that He'll never give you anything you can't handle, that prayers work and that miracles really do happen. I hope you enjoy this story's ending as much as I have.

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I "met" CP on a community message board on BabyZone.com. The group was set up for expectant mothers who were due in August 2003. I was pregnant with my first baby, CP with her fourth! As our pregnancies progressed, we shared the ups, the downs, the fears, the joys and everything in between. After the little ones were born, a group of us started our own virtual community and we've been together ever since, sharing more of the ups, the downs, the fears, the joys and the "everything in betweens" of mommy-hood. I feel like all the mommies in our group are sisters to me, we've shared so much and loved so much and cried so much and prayed so much and, well, you get the point....

I've had the privilege of meeting five of the mommies in person, CP is one of them.

Many of us have had more children. I had Baby #2. CP went on to have Baby #5. And then, to everyone's surprise, Baby #6.

CP's Baby #6, though, was different from all the rest. He made us pray harder than we've ever prayed, inspired us more than we ever knew possible. This little guy... he changed us. And today, I share his story with you.

From almost the minute CP became pregnant with #6, she felt the effects. Morning sickness, discomfort and unfortunately, problems. Too much amniotic fluid. Too many "off" test results. Too many needles, ultrasounds, worries, pain. All the things that could go wrong with a pregnancy seemed to be happening to CP. They wanted her on bed rest. Right, with five other kids at home. Test results came back. The baby might have Down Syndrome. They couldn't be sure. Then he didn't. Then he did. Then came the fluid around his lungs and other tiny little organs, pushing them to places they should not be. Could he hold on until 36 weeks, when it might be "safe" to deliver him? There was debate amongst the doctors... was he better off on the inside or out? Induction, c-section, natural labor? Were his lungs ready? Would he make it?

Finally, an induction date was set. October 9... only 1 day before he was due. Baby #6, though, had other plans.

Below is CP's story, in her own words, of Baby #6. You might want to grab a tissue (or ten) before you read it.

Sunday, September 21 at 6:00am I woke up and rolled over to hear a pop and a huge gush. I woke up Al and told him my water just broke. We got dressed and headed to the hospital. On a normal day it would have taken us 35 minutes, but that day only took us 20. Al was nervous something was going to happen.

We got there and they put me in an exam room where they tested to see if it was really my water, and sure enough the test strip turned very blue. Because of how much the was flipping, they called the doc in to do an ultrasound to see if he was head down. Sure enough, he was. That was a big relief. The doc checked me and I was 2-3 cm dilated.

At that point I wasn’t having any pain or contractions so they said they would wait and see if I’d start to contract on my own. They moved me from the exam room into the labor room. Got me all hooked up to the monitor and had the hardest time getting his heart beat. Not that there was anything wrong, but because he was moving like crazy.

By 11:00am I still wasn’t having any contractions and I called the nurse to come in because something just wasn’t right. Not that I was worried, but because he was moving so much and his heart beat I couldn’t keep on the monitor. The nurse came in and tried to pick it up with no luck. She looked at me and said she thinks this little man has turned breech. She went to go find the doctor. He came in and said that it wasn’t likely that the baby had turned but he would check. First he checked to see if I had changed any. I was now 5-6 cm dilated (with no pain). They got the ultrasound machine back in the room and sure enough he was now breech. There was a huge pocket of fluid below him, along with my cord. He said that if my water gushed again that my cord would come out first and that wouldn’t be a good thing. Things got underway for a c-section.

Things were moving fast and lots of people were coming in and out with meds and paperwork. The doctor from the NICU came in to talk with us. This is where it gets very emotional for me. She sat down and told us that she wasn’t going to sugar-coat anything with us. Because the has Downs and has the fluid in his lungs, there was a 75% to 80% chance he wouldn’t make it. She wanted us to tell her how much time we wanted them to work on him before they called a time.

I just lost it at that point. I couldn’t even breath. Al stepped in and told her that we would like them to do the best they could for him and work on him until they felt there was no hope. We were shocked by what she was telling us and the stress level went sky-high along with my blood pressure. When she left, Al and I didn’t know what to do but cry. We talked and ended with talk about funeral arrangements.

About 10 minutes later they came and got me. Off to the OR I went. Within 20 minutes, the baby was on his way out. At 1:03pm, 5 seconds after he was out, he was screaming his head off. Both Al and I just lost it and cried when we heard that scream. The doctor looked over at Al and gave him 2 thumbs up. Everything was going perfectly. Al went over to cut the cord and they brought the baby to me for a fast peek and kiss. And off to the NICU he went.

The doc later told us that if he was born ten years ago, he wouldn’t have made it. He still isn’t out of the woods yet. There is still a chance the fluid will build back up, but things are looking to the positive side. He is a fighter and I know he will pull himself out of this. The nurses say he’s the “Miracle Baby in Room C.” He has them all wrapped around his finger.

This is his birth story. It was a long road with a lot of bumps in it, and I’m sure there will be many more as with every kid, but we are ready and so very blessed we have a strong fighter to love and care for. I’m a mother of 6 now and have more love inside of me because of my new baby boy.

Since writing this birth story, The Miracle Baby in Room C has continued to make great strides. He no longer requires the tubes in his mouth, he's able to drink from a bottle and is doing his best to learn how to nurse. He's even graduated to the next level in the NICU. CP is at home with her other 5 "babies," but makes daily trips to visit with her newest little guy. We're all continuing to pray that he gets stronger and healthier every day, and that he gets to come home very, very soon. If you could spare a prayer for him as well, I know the entire family would appreciate it.

It is with the greatest honor that I introduce the world to The Miracle Baby in Room C, the cutest, bravest little fighter, Austin:

Austin Fredrick

Born 09/21/09

7 pounds, 2 ounces

20.5 inches long

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~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~

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Blessings,

Kat

Don't Whine... Vote!

So many things I'd like to change in this world, and sometimes, I feel so powerless. I do what I can as often as I can, and I know which issues are most important to me. I know what I like, and I know what I want to change. But how?

It's so simple, and ALL of us have the power. One word. VOTE!

If you're not registered to vote, it's quick and easy to do online. Check out the voter registration deadline for your state, and then take a few moments to register to make YOUR voice heard!

Voter Registration Deadlines by State

"Rock the Vote" online voter registration site

We've all heard that more people than ever plan to vote this year, plan to make their voice heard. Go ahead and make sure you are one of them!

~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~

Blessings,
Kat

Photo Friday: And Still She Waves

Julie said it best in a recent post, that no one remembers where they were on September 10th. But September 11th, clearly, We Will Never Forget.

I know that it's September 12th already, but I clearly remember where I was and what I was doing 7 years ago today. I was on my couch where I'd been for 24 hours straight, glued to the TV, still in the same clothes I'd been wearing from the day before. Craig and I were talking about the friends, colleagues and mentors we already knew we'd lost, and praying for those we hadn't heard from yet. You see, 8 months earlier, I would have been coming into the Towers on the subway at the very time the first plane hit. The building I worked in was directly across the street.

Seven years later, I'm still not sure we can make sense of it all. We were at Ground Zero in July, and even though I've been there many times in the past few years, the shock of that gaping hole in the ground still doesn't wear off.

One thing I know, though, and one thing I praise God for, is that even on September 11 and every single day since, our flag still stands. Maybe a little more tattered, maybe a little more torn, but no less bright and no less beautiful. And still, she waves.

~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~

Blessings,
Kat