Home!

We got home yesterday afternoon and have had a blast being home with our little buddy. He slept pretty well, and is doing everything a baby should be doing. We met this morning with our Pediatrician, and he gave Mitchell a clean bill of health. This afternoon, our visiting nurse came by and gave Mitchell his meds for the day. She'll come everyday till tuesday, and then once a week to change his dressing. It's fun to spend more time with him, learn his queues, and see more of his personality everyday. We're working on a photo album of our experience, and will find some way to post it here in the days to come.

We rejoice, and we hope you do too, in a God that grants us grace to order our pain aright, and in the darkness is there to sustain. We wouldn't give up the lessons weve learned, and after all of it, we gladly say with many others that we have made no sacrifice. God has given us everything we have needed and more. "Hast thou not seen, all that is needful has been sent by His gracious ordaining."

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? -Romans 8:31,32.

Last things

Discharge papers are almost complete. The pharmacy should be here shortly to bring us the meds we'll need for the next week or so, then we'll do todays infusion and be ready to head westbound around 2 or so. PRAISE GOD! We are so excited to go home!!!!!!!!!!!!

Going out with a bang

Mitchell had a rough last day. It's 5pm now, and he hasn't eaten since 7am. He was on call most of the day for the cath lab and a circumcision. The catheter went in today at 2, and he was brought back to us at 3. He was drugged for the catheter procedure, and had a hard time waking up. So for two hours, he was hooked back up to the monitors, and nursing staff tried to stimulate him back to baby-hood. It was scary to go back to monitors and medications rather than the pooping, eating,
screaming, smiling baby we know. He's still in and out of sleep now, but the sleep times are getting shorter and shorter. So hopefully he'll be able to feed soon. Otherwise, we are scheduled to leave tomorrow, which is so great we can hardly believe.

Mitchell vs. Enterobacter Cloacae, day 5

A busy day of changed plans. The catheter lab was closed today, so we never got the PICC line installed. We are hoping to get that in the morning or for sure by the aftenoon tomorrow.
Because the original blood cultures tested positive in the entire blood stream, and not just local to the central line, antibiotics will have to be administered for 6 weeks instead of 2. So we are on day 5 of 42 of antibiotics through IV. So after the PICC line is in tomorrow, we should be able to head home on wednesday and do the meds at home. We were told that this morning but were reluctant to believe it. But after talking now with the Home Meds nurse, and the discharge coordinator, it looks more and more like a reality. We're so excited to get out of Ann Arbor!

It's been a long wait since thursday, when they took Mitchells blood culture. Completed results should come back sometime today, but so far so good. And since he's had a clear culture for three days, he'll have a PICC line (Peripherally inserted central catheter) inserted today around noon. That will replace the IV we've had to move every few days, and hopefully we can bring him home with it soon.
Otherwise, Mitchell is doing well. He's off regimented feeding schedules and can eat whenever he wants. He's sleeping at night, which we hope will last a while. And most of the time, he's 'free range', and we can walk him around when his IV isn't hooked up.

Something to smile about

Preliminary results are in from yestedays blood cultures, and they are clear. If they remain negative for the next 24 hours, then the antibiotics have been effective, and yesterday would have been day one of our 14 day countdown. If, after 7 or 8 days, everything else is going well, we might be able to come home before the two weeks are up. At that point, Mitch would still have an IV and we'd be administering antibiotics through it for another week or so.

We recieved word today that the infection showed up in the original culture from a periphery blood draw. That means that the infection isn't localized around the umbilical cord/belly button, but has spread throughout all of the blood. A fresh round of blood cultures started today, and we should have those results in the morning friday, to show if the antibiotics are effective in killing the infection. We also learned today that our extended stay (7-14 days) will start on the day that we get a clear culture. Hopefully that is today.
Otherwise, Mitchell has been doing very well. He is doing well with feedings and even started to nurse today.

More vacation time...

Preliminary results came back today at 12:30 on Mitchells blood tests. They've found a blood borne infection around where the central line was in his umbilical cord. The good news thus far is that the blood tests from periphery areas are negative. They are treating him presently with two broad-spec antibiotics, until they are able to specify the bacteria causing the infection and treat it specifically. This means that we will be here for at least 7-10 more days, compared to 2-6 weeks if the infection were to spread. Otherwise, Mitchell is the best we've seen him. He is off oxygen, able to take 35 ml's of milk by bottle and the rest by feeding tube. We are able to hold him often and he is awake and happy. His temperature is being treated with tylenol, which he seems to like the grape taste. We are praying that the infection will be treated quickly by the antibiotics, and that it doesn't spread any further, especially toward his heart. After Monday's news of possibly going home by now, this comes as quite a let down... we are already exhausted and can't really fathom two more weeks here. But we are being reminded of things we already know, that God's promises and strength are made perfect in our weakness, and He will give us everything we need for the day.

rain delay

Mitchell had a fever last night of 101.5. This morning, we're testing for four different types of infections... in his urine, feces, blood, and incision. His incision looks good, and his stomach feels soft, so maybe that's not the culprit. Blood infections are possible through the central line into a baby's belly button if they are left in too long. If that's the case, it's frustrating, since he's had it in for a few days without any need for it. We may know some early results soon, but complete cultures won't be available or 2-5 days. Kind of disheartening since we we were looking forward to heading home soon. Please pray for Mitchell, he's been through a lot, and we'd love to bring him home... and we need patience and rest, neither of which seem to be coming very easily right now.

The home stretch...

This morning Mitchell moved into what we hope will be his last hospital room for a while. We're busy with feeding him every three hours, changing diapers, holding him, and Bethany is still pumping every three hours as well. We'll be able to let the nursing staff feed him at night, but it has made for a busy day. And we hope we won't have many more here. If things continue as they have, we'll be heading home this week.

Almost there...

Another great day of progress. No more morphine, no more meds, no more ventilator. Just nutrients via IV, some tubes here and there. The ventilator has made him a little horse in the throat, so his cry is restrained, but as the picture shows, his effort isn't. We got to hold him again today, though it's quite an ordeal with all of the tubes, etc. He's even doing so well that either sunday or monday he'll move down to "the floor", where we watch him with the help of a nurse whenever needed. At this rate, we may be home by next weekend! Praise the Lord for answered prayers.

One tough cookie

Mitchell is a tank. He continues to improve above and beyond expectations. They've been able to wean him off the use of the ventilator about a day ahead of schedule, and other meds are being weaned and removed regularly. The ventilator will remain as a precaution for the next day or so, while the last meds are weaned. The bandage covering his chest will come off today, as will one of the chest drainage tubes. We are amazed at his progress.
We've learned a little more about next steps for recovery. After his meds are finished and he is awake, etc., he'll begin going into step down units. That process will end with a stay in the "moderate care" unit. During that time, we'll have a nurse as needed, otherwise we'll be caring for him 24 hours a day. Parenting at last! So, with that in mind, we got out last night for a date. We agreed that it was the most stress free, enjoyable time we've had in months. We are thankful for that time and all the good God is doing for Mitchell.

Good Morning, Mitchell. It's been a long night.

Our little buddy is doing well. He had a good night, and continues to improve. His morphine allotment went down this morning, which made him a little more active, which is encouraging to see, and he even opened his eyes while we were there. He's gained about three pounds of liquids, which is to be expected with all the medications, so we're hoping that will start to drop again... the less swelling the better. Today will probably be another day of waiting for news, as he isn't really out of the woods yet. Thanks for all of your prayers and encouraging comments.

Recovery, version 2.0

The surgery went great, and Mitchell is in recovery. He won't be stable for the next 8-12 or so hours, so we are still praying for a healthy boy. He looks puffed up like he did at birth, and has some tubes coming out of his chest for drainage. When we saw him a little while ago, he was hooked up to an external pace maker to help regulate his heart rate. Otherwise, vitals looked good... and his oxygen is at 100%!!! This might be a long night, but we're so relieved to have the surgery behind us. Thank you so much for your prayers.

Good news

We just spoke with the Nurse Practitioner, and she gave us a good report that the surgery is almost complete, it's gone well, and they'll be taking him off the bypass machine around 11am. Such good news! We'll put up more info when it comes...

The end of a long week...

Mitchell is in good shape for surgery tomorrow. He has a more consistent respiratory rate, due to a new oxygen system in place, and two blood transfusions. While we could concievably be pushed back, the surgery is scheduled for 8am wednesday. It's a four hour surgery, although the risk will continue to be high for the 8-12 hours afterwards, when the body is most prone to swelling, specifically the heart. Our parents are coming down today yet, and then tonight late we'll get to hold him for a little while.
We've been grateful for a week with Mitchell. It has been hard, but joyful. And as we watch our son labor for breath and life, we have been reminded how God watched his son labor for breath and life, and ordained his suffering on our behalf... by his stripes, we have been healed.

Support for a blue eyed baby

Yesterday was a really hard day. Today we were encouraged at every turn. Mitchell stabilized overnight, and even opened his eyes for a few minutes and enjoyed a binky. We weren't there, as God granted us some needed sleep, but the nurse told us he has blue eyes. We had a great lunch out with the Vanderweys, and even got to see all the kids. A few of our church elders came down and prayed for us and Mitchell, which was very encouraging. Mitchells neighbor, Mary, got moved to a lower risk NICU, and will go home tomorrow. Mary's parents and grandparents are all Christians, and will continue to pray for us. Bethany saw an old friend from highschool, who is now studying to be a neuro surgeon at Mott's, that too was encouraging. Two of our best friends, Cooper and Tommy, called and expressed their love and prayer. We recieved flowers on behalf of our friends in Africa. A donation was made to the UofM NICU on Mitchells behalf by someone we've never met. Our friends parents gave us a generous gift, although we've only met them a handful of times. And words can't describe our gratefullness for a letter we recieved today from thirty of our friends from college, who chose to remain unamed, who are praying for us and sent us an unbelievable gift of over $1700. And we can't even guess how many things are being done on our behalf that we will never know. Our only conclusion is that Christ is king, and that "no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him." We love you all very much. Thank you.

Progress...

It's been a good couple of days. Yesterday was a calmer day, Mitchell showed continued signs of improvement, and they even took him off the respirator. That is very encouraging, as it shows some strength in him. It's meant some more labored breathing, which is hard to watch at times, but it's also great to see his oxygen levels maintaining 80+, even without the respirator. With the respirator gone, it's also allowed Mitch to wake up some, be a little more active, and even muster the occasional cry. We never knew how good a crying baby would sound.
Today, we had a good visit with our parents, even got out for lunch... it was good to get out in the sunshine. Were looking forward to going to church tomorrow and a visit from our church elders tomorrow afternoon.
Please continue to pray for us, the days are up and down emotionally. Although Mitch is doing well, today he had an urgent EKG done to moniter a change in his heart beat. These kind of things are exhausting.

CUTER THAN YESTERDAY?!? Fact or Fiction? More Inside!

Another great day with our little guy. We had a hard time getting Bethany discharged, it seemed to take all morning. But the timing was perfect, as we walked in to the NICU just in time to talk to the pediatric cardiologists as they made rounds. They are very pleased with Mitchells progress over the last day. They summarized their comments by saying "If you look in a textbook, it'd be this case right here." It was really great to know that mitchell is gainging strength and in good hands. We also learned today that the tenative date for surgery is this upcoming wednesday, May 9th.
We enjoyed getting to see some of our friends from home today, and the day filled up pretty quickly. We are learning that time flies here, so in order to save some sanity, we're inviting people who would like to come visit to first contact Jenny Vanderwey to find a time that is best.
Finally, heres another picture of Mitchell from today. He moved his feet around tonight, and that was really fun to see.

growing pains...

It has been a good day. Mitchell is showing signs of improvement, his Oxygen is steadily above 90, and he looks pinker every time we see him. However, his blood pressure is low enough to be a concern, and the carbon dioxide in his blood seems to be climbing as the oxygen does. These elements are all addressed by a variety of medications, etc... so it seems to be a time of finding the right mixture of treatments to get him stabilized just right.
Bethany is doing well, she's on schedule to be released tomorrow morning. She's been walking around quite a bit, and is back on regular foods. We got to spend about an hour last night with Mitchell, and that was a great treat.
We are still waiting to see when surgery will come, at this point, no factors to throw us off course for sometime in the next 12 days.

It's a Boy!

After 30 or so hours of labor, we had to have a c-section at 3 am this morning. It was welcome news at that hour, as the labor had really exhausted Bethany. The baby was head down, but facing the wrong way. Mitchell McAvoy Ehrlich was born at 3:13 am. He weighs 6 pounds, 15 ounces, and is 20" long. We were able to see him this morning on our way to our new room for the next two days. Our parents were also able to see him today, and his stats are improving. A catheder was inserted into his heart, to open the way for more oxygenation of blood.. When he was born, his blood was at 28 percent saturation.. with todays treatments, he is hanging around 82.
Surgery is the next big thing, and at this point, there isn't any developments to throw the normal schedule out... so 3-14 days, but probably on the shorter end of that. We'll get a picture of Mitchell up tomorrow...