A quick pic...

This is my Little Man. I am going to make many copies of this pic! He was not prompted to pose....he just went over to the tree, and sat down on the present!

Hiya bloggy pals.

Today is such a NOTHING day! I have been up since 7am, and this is exactly what I have done:
changed a diaper, had two cups of coffee, made toast and fruit for Little Man, ate a piece of coffee pineapple cake, watched "Night At The Museum 2" with the fam, facebooked, changed up my blog, did some exercises for my leg (a post will follow soon on my wonderful sciatica), and that's it! It's 11am now, and I guess I should put Little Man down for a nap, and then get on getting the tree out. We usually leave it up a little longer, but this tree, for some reason, did not drink water really, so it is very dry. And with a wood stove in the room (probably why I have a dry tree, huh) it spells danger. Plus, it's VERY crowded in here! Too much stuff.
Had a great Christmas, three days of it.....ahhhh.....thus why I am doing nothing today! This week consists of helping the kids with homework. Lots of it. I didn't send them to school during the last week before vacation, because our little school was just so plagued with sickness. Nothing really major, just lots of snot! And I wanted healthy kids for the holidays. So, we kept them out and got their assignments.
The DiSH is going to go out and look for a job this week too. The self-employed carpenter thing just isn't happening. And it's not due to him not advertising and trying to drum up business. No one is needing anything built! So there are a few options, and hopefully something works out soon. I know it's in God's hands. I'm really trying not to be worried, trust Him, but also do my part.
Christmas pics will follow soon! I took a GREAT one of Little Man that is going to be his 2 year pic.
Gotta go for now!!
Have a great last week of December!!

December 24...almost gone!

The little teeny weeny clock in the corner of my laptop says 11:58pm...I better get to bed in the next 2 minutes, or Santa is going to find me sitting here! Uh Oh! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! Lots of love goes out from me and mine here in Maine!!

And Now You Are Eleven...

It's Birthday Number 2 today! My sweet baby girl is 11. Sigh. I just cannot believe it. Seriously guys. I know that my oldest is 15 1/2, but for some reason, in my sentimental head, my little girl isn't supposed to grow up! My mom, Girly Girl's Nanny, called her this morning, and had the nerve to say "only 2 more years and you'll be a teenager!" Excuse me!! No way! Mikayla's original due date was December 23. She was born just one day before that. The DiSH worked nights at the time, and he was nervous about me being home alone with a 4 year old, so after the weekend, that first Monday night, I spent at my mom's house, sleeping in my old bedroom. My sister was home from college, and her boyfriend was there as well. When Joey (aka Mr. Smarty Pants!) woke up at 6am, I didn't have to get up with him because he had his Nanny and his aunt and uncle to feed him, play with him, and entertain him! I woke up at 7am, feeling something different. Hmmm. Laying there for the next 30 minutes, timing the contractions, I realized I had slept the best I had in a really long time. The phone was next to my bed, so at 7:30am, I called my sweet hubby who was at home sleeping alone in our bed after a night at work. When the phone rang, he answered it right away, and said, "having contractions?" So smart. He showered, and rushed the 10 miles to my mom's house. By then, I had gone down to the kitchen, where my family was. When I refused breakfast, and said that I was going to take a shower and that Andy was on his way, my mom went into motion. "You're in labor? Are you okay? What do you need?" And the questions continued! Finally, an hour and a half after feeling the first contraction, Andy was driving me to the hospital. It was snowing a little, and the roads were icy. But as always, I felt safe with him behind the wheel. But the contractions....oh man. They worsened at a very fast rate. I couldn't sit very well. I was gripping the handle of the car door with all my might. I managed to walk into the birthing center, and it only took a second for a nurse to see why I was there! It was a small little hospital, and only one other baby was being born at the time. The nurse told me she would "check" me and make sure it was not a false alarm before proceeding. I said with great determination, "oh, it's no false alarm!" Two minutes later, her eyes grew big as she said, "you're at 7cm already!" This was at 9:15am. The doctor was called, and things were set into motion. My family arrived, and settled into the waiting room for what they thought would possibly be a day's wait. My father is a truck driver, and was on the road. Both sisters arrived, and Joey was with them. My mom and Andy were with me. I remember one moment of telling my mom I just couldn't do it. Because I was so far along, it was too late for ANY pain medication or an epidural. This was happening, completely naturally! Within an hour, I was 10cm. I told the nurse I would be pushing now. She said "no, wait! the doctor is almost here!" I guess she didn't want to deliver a baby that day! It didn't make me very happy to be told "no, don't push." So, I did anyway. A few minutes later, my doctor walked in. "Are we having a baby today?!" Why do doctors think it's funny to say stuff like that to a woman trying to push a bowling ball out!! And with no pain meds either. I pushed for a bit, and then it was recognized that Mikayla was under stress. Each time I pushed, her heartbeat dropped. She was also a big baby, close to 10 lbs. was the estimate. I was given two choices. #1, push for 2 or more hours, monitoring the baby closely, or choice #2, have her "vacuumed" out. In our birthing class, I remembered being shown the apparatus that would be used to suction the baby out. It had exactly that on one end, a big suction cup. It would suction to the baby's head, placed there by the doctor, and then a hand-pump would be worked by the nurse, and I would push along with the vacuuming. Sounds so nice, huh?!! I asked my doctor how long that would take. Five minutes or so was her answer. Two hours of pushing, or five minutes of suctioning?! Hmmm.....you probably can guess what I chose. It was the most painful thing I have EVER experienced. Sorry for the graphics, but this is part of the story! My doctor slowly put the suction cup in place on the baby's head, going north way too far!! I couldn't make a sound, it hurt so much. And then she said "push, and DON'T stop". No counting to 10 and then getting a break, uhuh. So I pushed. And tried not to scream. I vaguely remember the nurse standing to the left of my doctor, working that pump. My mom was there still, and of course, Andy. My doctor was so calm, and it was looking staring into her eyes as she said "good, good, good...." over and over that got me through not the next five, but SIX minutes. And then she was born. A healthy 9 lb. 4 and 3/4 ounce baby girl! It was 10:42am, 3 hours and 42 minutes total time of labor and delivery! Once things settled down, big brother joined us and met his new baby sister. I began to relax, and at noon, realized I wasn't really that tired, just worn out. The DiSH and I had our celebration dinner, candles and sparkling cider, while my sister rocked my new baby in the corner of the room! We went home the next day, now with two days to finish the last few things I needed to do for Christmas. Mikayla Alexis is such a sweet baby girl. So helpful, thoughtful, kind, considerate, smart, loving, selfless, a child of the King. For 9 years we would feel blessed to have one of each. But by reading my last couple of posts, you know how things changed!! So here are a few pictures that I scanned this morning, from 11 years ago or so. Thank you for reading my 2nd birthday story of the week!

Only minutes old....

one month old...

6 months old...

1 year old...

8 years old...

11 years old!

I love you my Girly Girl.

We are going out for supper tonight, just the girls. Can't wait!!!

And Now He's Two...

He is TWO now! Saturday night, the night before his birthday, I held him in my arms and we rocked in the darkness and quiet of his bedroom. Prayers were said, bubba was gone, snuggles had begun. As I sang Happy Birthday to him softly, he stared up at me, his gaze never leaving mine. When the song was finished, in his little tiny almost 2 year-old voice he said, "Tank-oo Momma". I pulled him closer to my heart, smiled at him and said "You're welcome Baby". As he drifted into dreamland, I quietly told him his birth story. He laid so still in my arms, his eyes opening here and there to look at me, as if to say "I'm listening Momma". Tears filled my eyes as I watched him go from wakefulness to sleep. So precious. I am so blessed. Telling him his story of how he entered this world is a privilege, and although a lot of the details are somewhat scary, I still cherish them. There are so many parts of his birth day that only I remember, that only I can ever tell him about. Like how moments before I was put under for a crash c-section, I concentrated on feeling him move within me, saying a prayer that he would always be so active! And then how one hour later I awoke, and felt him no more. Panic set in, but only for a second, as the nurse assured me he was fine, he was fine!!
He's two now....
He loves all things Sesame Street, Winnie The Pooh, and even Sponge Bob thanks to two older siblings! He loves pizza, green beans, bananas, toast, salad, squash, raisins....but hates olives, green peppers, jello and pretzels. He still cherishes Bear, and they are never far apart. He loves sleeping in Mama's bed, and yes, is there often. He would take 10 "baffs" a day if I let him! He loves to go places, read books, and play with blocks. He dances to any kind of a beat, and I do mean anything! The woodstove was ticking one day, as the heat rose, and all of a sudden, Little Man broke out in a hippity hop dance! He loves his dog Princess. He rolls on top of her, lays beside her as they watch Elmo. He loves his big sister and big brother, and is never far from them when they are around. He is a such a people person! Social butterfly. But yet shy too, which I love....he lays his head on my shoulder, turns his face inward, feeling safe and secure.
He's two now...
I can't wait for this next year to unfold, to watch him grow, learn, and even teach. He can sing the whole song "Jesus Love Me" all the way through. Even though he knows very little about his Creator right now, I love watching the innocence on his face as we talk about Jesus, and I can't wait to guide that relationship along, over the years.
He's two now....
I'm done crying for now, the new year begins. I am so thankful and so blessed. Help me Lord, to always be. 

My 2 year-old Vasa Previa Story

I believe I have shared this story before, but a lot of my followers are new within the last year, and I wanted to share this part of my life with you as well! This story can be found on the site International Vasa Previa Foundation as well. A special shout-out goes out to Jamie and Maggie today, and also to Becky and Zach, and to Cindy. Thinking of you guys today!

This is my story of the birth of my third child, Caleb William Chase, an Undiagnosed Vasa Previa Survivor and true Miracle child!

I have a 15 yr. old son and a 10 yr. old daughter. Three years before my oldest was born, six months after my wedding, my husband and I suffered a miscarriage. I was 24 weeks along, and went through delivery. I was 20 years old, and very naive. An amniocentesis revealed an infection in the placenta. I had carried my baby for approx. four weeks after he had passed away. I never had contractions, never bled. Just went for my first ultrasound, only to be told there was no heartbeat.

When my son was born in 1994, he was a healthy 8 lb. 3 oz ! And then four years later, I delivered a healthy 9 lb. 4 oz. baby girl! I had border-line gestational diabetes. But no other complications in either pregnancy. We had one of each, so we thought we were done! In the summer of 2007, we were actually discussing what to do about making something permanent, when low and behold, I found out I was pregnant! I turned white and almost fainted! My husband grinned, and never stopped. :)

We found out at 11 weeks. At 13 weeks, I thought I miscarried. A fist-sized clot in the toilet made me believe that I had. We went to the hospital, where a very unprofessional nurse practitioner did very little, basically taking my word for it, said Yep, you had a miscarriage, and sent me home. She did not do an ultrasound, simply canceling it after reading blood results wrong. For 24 hrs. we grieved the baby that for two weeks we had grown to love. The next day I followed up with my midwife. She talked to us about a few things, even shedding a tear or two with us. I asked her how did we know that no tissue was left. I was worried about a toxic infection. She said we could check with an ultrasound.

We crossed through the waiting room, telling our other two that we were almost done. They had been told we had lost the baby. Lying on the table, I could only look at my husband, standing at my feet. I did not want to see an empty screen. The next four words would send me on yet another roller-coaster ride. The technician (Jen!) said "The baby is fine". For a mili-second I thought, That’s a cruel joke! But she was serious. We were stunned. I looked at the screen, and there he was, strong heart beat, wiggling! We walked back through the waiting room, again telling our kids "just a minute!" My midwife was speechless. She did a pelvic exam and told me that my cervix was NOT dilated, and never had been.

To this day there is no explanation because there was no specimen to look at. It was a blood clot of some kind, or, another explanation
could be Vanishing Twin Syndrome, which is actually fascinating. From that day on, my pregnancy continued uneventfully, although I did have gestational diabetes, which I completely controlled with a good diet.

And then on Dec. 20, 2007, at 10:00 at night, my water broke, sitting on the couch. It trickled at first, so I wasn't sure of what was going on. I was 32 weeks, 5 days, and two days before had had a normal ultrasound. If only it had been a color Doppler ultrasound or transvaginal! My husband rushed me to the ER (NOT the same one I had visited at 13 weeks) where my midwife happened to be on duty. I had no bleeding, no contractions. I almost felt silly for being there, because I felt fine. I had to keep reminding myself that my water had broke! My midwife checked me, and said that yes, my water had broke, but I was not dilated. A plan to send me to a bigger hospital where a possible c-section would be performed was set into motion.

The hospital I was at did not have the facility or capability to take care of a preemie born under 35 weeks gestation. I was scared. As the EMT s came in to move me and get ready to load me into the ambulance, my midwife(my angel!) decided to check me one last time. I was 4 cm after only one hour, and after saying "O crap", she said she felt the prolapsed cord. The ambulance was canceled, and I was shortly after, whisked away to an emergency c-section. They put me out, and I awoke two hours later, no longer pregnant. I had never had surgery before. Soon after, in a fog, I saw my husband, hanging out with little Caleb, 4 lbs. 2 oz. 16 inches long.

He was doing great. My midwife explained that it was not the cord she felt, but instead, a blood vessel the size of the cord. It had never burst. They delivered it intact. The words VASA PREVIA were used, but I had never heard of it and it would be weeks later until I dared to Google it that I would find out so much more. My doctor, who my midwife accompanied (they are best friends, talk about an awesome team working on me!) said that she had only seen one other case in six years, and the baby had not survived. A few hours later, Caleb was moved to the bigger hospital two hours away, and I was moved four hours after that.

He spent nine days in the NICU, six in the CCN, and then was moved back to our local hospital for seven more days, for grow time. He spent very little time on the respirator, no bili lights, no blood transfusion. He came home on January 11, 2008.

Nine days later, we were back in the PICU. We almost lost him. It was thought at first that he had RSV but that was negative. It was bronchialitis. He was on a respirator for five days, and then when administered Lasex  for some swelling in his face, it also took down the swelling of his esophagus and he managed to extubate himself! He began breathing on his own, looked at us for the first time in five days, tried to cry, and for the next nine days, healed in the Barbara Bush Children's Pediatric Unit in the Maine Medical Center in Portland Maine. He came home again, on Feb. 4.

We stayed at the Ronald McDonald House through both times at the NICU/PICU, which was such a blessing. The RMH is a wonderful resource that my family will give back to whenever possible. Caleb has not been sick since, growing like a weed, and so full of a spunky little fighter's personality! He was our little terror already, when he reached six months!

Today he two years old. Running, singing, pretending, loves his food, laughs, plays, cries, all the things I would be lost without. Everyday, I thank God for giving us this little miracle. Doctors say there is no medical explanation for why I did not bleed or dilate sooner. I don't need one. My days are now filled with thoughts of those that have survivors and of those that have lost their little ones as well. I tell all pregnant people I come in contact with to ask their doctor about Vasa Previa. It could make a world of difference in their lives…


~ Lisa Chase

Birthday Boy!

Dear Momma, Tomorrow is my birthday...

I want a fireman hat, some Pooh and Tigger toys, and some more blocks!

Do you think she'll get me what I want for my second birthday?!

I hope so! Happy 2nd Birthday to MEEEEE tomorrow!!

Yay!