New pics

Here are some pictures of our big girl who now weighs 5 pounds 4 ounces. We are enjoying our time at home and everyday we learn more about what Ella likes or dislikes : ) and we adjust...

We are going back to San Antonio this week to see a couple of specialists for follow-up with the baby girl and if we have time we are going to stop by the NICU and show off our big girl.

Regular baby

Now that the infection is cleared up and all the antibiotics are done our girl is starting to act like a regular baby...small, but regular. She has decided that it is ok to sleep at night, and her parents are thrilled : ) Also, her sugar levels have started to rise which is a great thing...at first it scared me because that is what happened when she had an infection, but our pediatrician(whom we think is just the greatest) did a blood test and it came back great so now we are wondering if her body is repairing itself. (prayer has a way of changing things) The blood test that was done when we left the hospital came back this week and her glucose storage came back normal, so we are back to the drawing board as to the cause. We should be going back to San Antonio soon to see her specialists, and perhaps then they will have another option for us.

I have gone back to teaching and it's great. My students seemed pleased to see me and I am pleased to be back to my life...I do miss the little girl when I am at school, but I only have 3 classes so I'm not gone very long. My mom is an angel and comes to the house every day and watches the babe, and we can't thank her enough...Ella thinks she is great already. We are house bound to a certain extent because of the baby girls immune system, but we are HOME and that is what matters.

Home again...home again...

Our baby girl now weighs 5 pounds 1 ounce and is home again...and this time here to stay. The oral antibiotics are doing well except for the diaper rash, which is unfortunately par for the course.

We are adjusting to a house full of baby stuff, not enough time for all the things that need to be done, sleep deprivation, and more joy than we can contain. Life as we know it will never be normal again, but when I think about what we have been through in the past 5 months I am amazed and awed at God's mercy and the miracle of Ella.

Right now keeping Ella healthy is our number one priority. We will also be taking frequent trips back to San Antonio to visit the numerous specialists that were involved in her case. Pray for infection to stay away and for our little princess to continue to gain weight.

Tomorrow...Tomorrow...

This post starts with upsetting news and ends on a happy note...the upsetting part is that the IV blew again yesterday, and after many tries(where Ella sobbed) they finally got another one started. This morning, the new IV had to be removed because it wasn't working any more. I thought that this would be the beginning of Ella having to endure the many needle sticks that accompanied the last try, but our pediatrician gave us the good news for today. He said that if they were not able to get the IV started with only 1 or 2 tries then he would put her on oral antibiotics, moniter her today, and then send her home...hopefully tomorrow...(this makes me want to sing just like little orphan Annie). She has had one dose of the oral antibiotics and is doing well, so pray that they don't cause any adverse reactions.

Our little princess is eating much better and is even sleeping in her bed...only about one and a half hours, but that is better than nothing. Also, pray for Aaron because he is feeling a little under the weather and had to go back to work nights, which isn't helping his immune system. This stay in the hospital has solidified the fact that germs are the enemy in the Jeson house, but it is hard to keep your immune system working properly when sleep is none existant.

Thank you again to everyone that is praying for our baby girl...we are coming home soon...in Jesus name!!

Good news

Ella is still in the hospital here in Victoria but they almost sent us back to San Antonio yesterday. Because of the infection, she is on IV antibiotics and yesterday her IV blew, which means it wasn't usable anymore. Our little girl is a hard stick (a couple of nurses tried and couldn't get it), so they thought they were going to have to send us back to San Antonio to get a bigger IV. They got on the phone and called the nurse manager who was leaving church and came right over. Before she tried to get the IV, I asked her if she minded if I prayed over her and Ella, she was glad to have the prayer and I believe God worked a miracle, because she got the IV on her first try. This means that we are able to stay in Victoria, but we will be in the hospital until at least Thursday.


Through a course of tests, they found that the broviac site had bacteria and there was also bacteria in her blood. If there is a bright side to bacteria, it is that it is a light strain that responds to antibiotics (as opposed to the resistant strain). A cardiologist came to examine Ella's heart today and make sure there was no vegetation(from the bacteria) growing around or on her heart from the broviac, and he gave us an all clear. Praise the Lord!!

I was reminded today about how optimistic my blog was in the beginning of Ella's stay in the hospital and I am now reflecting on how far we have come. There are lots of things that I could be angry about or cry about or shake my fist at heaven over, but today when Ella was upset because of the 50 millionth(made up word)test she calmed down because I gave her kisses on her check and called her my baby girl. The smile on her face and laughter in her eyes reminds me that God knows her future and will help erase the past 5 months in her mind.

Pray for our baby girl to continue to improve and grow...grow...grow!! (when I get an updated weight I'll be sure to let you guys know.)

Back in the Hospital

Our little girl started having fever on Thursday around 6:00pm and also her sugar levels were very high which was strange, so we took her to the emergency room and they admitted her. She is in a hospital here in Victoria, with an infection, and from a process of elimination it looks like it is from the broviac site. The baby girl has had to endure a barage of tests all the while being sick.

Unfortunately, they put her on the regular pedi floor instead of the nursery or NICU (they couldn't admit her to the nursery because she is too many days past her due date - technically she is almost 5 months old) and so this means we have to stay with her 24/7. I am not complaining about spending time with my beautiful daughter, but I have to admit that this is definately more exhausting than SA.

Right now the best case is that we get to go home after she has had a week of antibiotics but time will tell us more. If the broviac site needs to be lanced, because of infection build up, then they will send us back to SA.

Pray for Ella to be rid of the infection, rest well (hasn't been sleeping very good), strength for us (Aaron and my mom have been life savers), and protection from any other infection from the many people that come through her room(the hospital is not as protected as the NICU).

Homecoming!!

The day that we have been looking forward to has finally arrived, Ella was released from the hospital. She weighs 4 pounds 10 ounces and is doing great. They took the broviac IV out Monday morning and also took blood to test for the glucose storage problem and then they sent us home. It was a very exciting day, but also made me a little nervous at the same time. She is doing well, but we have to test her blood sugar every six hours and still add cornstarch to her milk to help keep her blood sugar levels up.

Hospital policy says that every patient discharged from the hospital must be taken out to their car in a wheelchair. Since the babies can't sit in the wheelchair by themselves, then the mothers carry them while they are wheeled out. Here are a few pics of us leaving the hospital.

The first night home from the hospital, Aaron and I didn't get any sleep because our little girl didn't like being in a new place and wouldn't sleep in her bed. Every day gets a little better and since we now make sure there are noises and lights, like she had in the hospital, she is adjusting better. I see a few months of sleep deprivation in my future, but strange as it sounds, I'm excited about it. God has brought Ella such a long way in 5 months and the rest of her life will just get better.

I have much more that I could write about our time in San Antonio and what I have learned about God's provision, but I'll save it for next time. I am going to continue updating the blog with pictures of Ella and notes about her progress, so stay tuned for the exciting days to come.