Weezie Update

So many of you have been so sweet to email and call to ask for the latest on the newest little member of the family. I hope it's not too impersonal that I just keep copy and pasting Adam's email updates here - it's just easier to keep everyone informed and I post them as soon as I get them. Thank y'all for praying for them- I know they appreciate it!

Hi all,

I don’t have much new to report today so I’ll keep it concise.

As I previously wrote, yesterday was a good day for Eloise and we were hoping to be taking her home soon. Unfortunately, the blood tests that came back this morning showed that Eloise’s blood (her hemoglobin and hematocrit) had returned to the approximate levels as when she was born. While it’s a discouraging development, we remain hopeful that they will begin trending in the right direction. The hematologist that will see Eloise has ordered some more tests (more stuff we’re hoping to “rule out”) and those results should be coming back over the next week. They also decided to re-take some of the previous tests to see if there were any false negatives.

If you could see her, Eloise appears to be perfectly normal – she’s feeding, sleeping and doing all the other things a baby should do. We’re very thankful for that and continue to hope that her blood will simply remedy itself and we can bring her home soon.

I know I say this every email, but we are unspeakably grateful for your prayers and encouraging words. We know it makes a difference.

Thanks,

Adam

A Good Night

This weekend, we had some pretty nice weather and so Saturday night, Tyler invited us over to his beach (yes... he has a private beach at his house) to sit by the water (and by "the water" I mean the Puget Sound) around a fire and have some s'mores. How could we turn that down? We hung out outside for hours. Since it doesn't get dark here until around 9 pm, we were able to enjoy watching the sun set and then hang out for hours, just chit chatting and relaxing. What a great idea...



Not a bad view...

Let's all let out a collective "Awww......"

Kim, Brittany and Brandon...

Fire starters...

Just representin'...

Creepy...

Marshmellow caught on fire and fell off the stick... Tyler decided to put it out with his foot... best of intentions, but a messy decision.

Not Enough of Howard?

I keep hearing from several folks that I haven't been putting up enough of Howard... this, even though I told Aaron that I feel like we've turned into one of those couples that ONLY talks about their child--both to each other and to other people. What did we talk about before Howard? What did I post pictures of before Howard? Well, ask and you shall receive. And... to add yet another post from my pops (that may or may not be a "spin" off of a Bible verse...):

"You have not because you ask not. And when you ask, you ask amiss. So next time, ask a Mrs."

And it just so happens that I AM a Mrs... so, without further adieu, here are some of the latest pictures of him in all his glory:

Playing with his mom.

And with the mailman (not THE mailman. Our mailman Vic is the most awesome guy that's ever existed... very happy and loves to give Howard treats. This man? No treats. But I'm sure he's very nice...)

Howard Moon, mid-air... LEAPING over my legs...

I'm sure I've told several of you that Howard is a different creature altogether when Aaron is out of town. And it just so happens that Aaron is (wait for it..............) out of town. He knows that when he sees Aaron put on that flight suit and walk out the door with a giant bag , he won't be coming back for a while. So he turns into... how should I say this?.... a demon.

Okay, demon is a strong word. But he turns into a different dog. Im sure it's normal puppy stuff. But Howard is no regular puppy. He's a GIANT puppy. So the regular puppy stuff he does brings about bigger results. Barks at me incessantly. Chews on things. Jumps very high. Runs in circles biting his tail... sigh... I suppose it's his coping mechanism for missing Aaron. And it seems to work for him...

I miss Aaron too. Perhaps I'll try those things....

Update on Weezie

The latest email from Adam--

I can’t even begin to thank you all for the kind words, prayers and offers of support. I know I haven’t responded to some emails, but please know they have been a huge encouragement to Rachel and me. That being said … here’s the latest from the world of Eloise:

Yesterday they conducted the ultrasound on the head to determine if bleeding on the brain was the source of the problem and it came back negative (meaning they found no bleeding). We had great meetings with Dr. Goldstein, Eloise’s Neonatologist, who explained in detail the course of action moving forward. First – let me say that we are really, really fond of this doctor. He was very patient and took time to walk us through every possible scenario that this could involve. This was both scary and encouraging, but the bottom line was that Rachel and I were both greatly comforted by knowing the situation more fully and having a better understanding of what’s wrong with Eloise’s blood.

After ruling out bleeding in the head, an ultrasound was conducted on the abdomen to see if that was the source and this, too, came back negative. So far, all cultures taken to diagnose a blood stream infection have come back negative. If this remains the case, they will stop the IV antibiotics. Many of the blood tests sent off to diagnose the most serious viral infections are still pending, but other tests that have been taken cause the doctors to think they will likely be negative as well. We are encouraged by the fact that the blood (hemoglobin and hematocrit) is trending in the right direction.

We’ve been told by Dr. Goldstein that if the “really bad” things are ruled out, there is a chance we might never know what is causing this, but that Eloise will live a normal and healthy life. While part of me wants closure and to “know what’s wrong” I’ll take that option in a heartbeat. We feel really blessed to have had wonderful care during this time. The doctors and nurses have been incredible and we’re very thankful for that.

Thank you again for all your encouragement,

Adam

Maaaaaybe Far Awaaaaaaaaay....

I don't know if any of you ever visit the Veazey blog but sometimes, my siblings will put hilarious pictures/videos, etc... on there of their kids. Of course I woke up to rain this morning and I don't know about you, but that instantly makes me just feel "blah" for the day... So since I had a little inkling of homesickness, I clicked on over to the Veazey blog to see if they had updated so I could see my cute nieces but, because they have more of a life than I do, they hadn't updated in a while. So I started scrolling down through older ones and came across this video. Makes me smile so big everytime and now I'm feeling better :)

Thanks, Luce.

Update on Eloise

From Adam:

We just met with the pediatrician and the nurse practitioner for the neonatologist.

Unfortunately, the Kleihauer Betke test (the test to determine if Rachel and Weezie had been sharing blood) came back negative. We were hoping this was the diagnosis. This now means that it’s either some kind of internal bleeding or any number of blood disorders. At this point, they still have not had to give her a transfusion.

The blood tests continue to come back with consistent results (no significant increase or decrease in blood cells). We’re told that’s good from the standpoint that she’s not doing worse but at the same time it means she’s not “improving.” I’ll keep you posted.

Wedding Pics

I still haven't ordered a photo album... I can't narrow it down from 1200 to 75... toughy. But I did finally compile some that friends sent us and edited them a little (well some of them) and decided to just order a few of these for now. In any case, here they are in slide-show fashion- they're also on the right but they're so tiny I figured I'd put it in a post as well :)