Home

Finally home from the hospital!!!!!! We were released yesterday. I had a good rest last night and did some much needed house cleaning today (as much as I could running from room to room so as not to leave Brookie alone by her self, because I am now paranoid again) Before these seizures it had been since the mid to end of last year since she had any seizures. I had started to relax and take for granted that her seizures were under control. I am now absolutely terrified that she is going to start having more. She is doing much better today she was still tired, but she did play a little bit. Her Echo cardiogram and EKG went very well and they said that she would not need to be seen for another 6 months!!! She was also followed by all of her other specialist while in the hospital and they all seemed to be happy with how she is doing!!! I want to say again thanks so much to everyone who prayed for our baby girl!!

more testing!!!!!!!!

We are still in the hospital, but are definitely going to be released tomorrow!!! The swallow study went great!! The hearing screening was a little concerning for me but the audiologist said that she wasn't worried a great deal about her hearing, and commented that she did only respond to the higher range of the spectrum and that could be caused by slight hearing loss. Brook was very distracted and we are going to repeat it again in 1-3 months. We have an Echo cardiogram and a EKG scheduled in the morning, then we should be free to go!!! I can't wait to go home and catch up on some MUCH needed rest!!!!!!!! Many thanks to every one for your prayers!!! The Biggest thanks to Alisha for all of the goodies!!! Much appreciation for my mommy and Two older sisters who helped out so much with my other kiddos!!!!

hospitalized due to seizures again

After what started as a 3 day tummy bug,we are now in the hospital again for the second time in 2010. Brooklyn had 2 seizures at home in a 12 hour period. We made the choice to bring her in to the hospital. Pulling in to the parking garage she had a seizure in the carseat. I pulled her out and we rushed in to the ER while she was actively seizing. While in the ER they tested her blood sugar and discovered that it was 42 very low. She was having light seizures "staring spells" about every 5-10 min that were lasting about 30 seconds a piece(during these she did not loose resperation). The nurses in the ER could not start an IV line (that she desperately needed), after sticking her 15 times they decided to send her up to the anesthesia department to have them try. When we made it up to the room she had another bad seizure. During this one I remember the nurse yelling "get a trachea tube kit!!" My heart sank all I could think was PLEASE GOD NO!!! I was terrified to say the least!! after the seizure ended, the doctor decided that it would be best to put her under anesthesia to start the IV line that she needed very badly. they took her away from us and I was so scared to just be away from her, and have no clue what was happening to her. The doctor walked out and I nearly ran at him to have him tell me that every thing went great (after all, they were only starting an IV). Things did not go great, the doctor said that it was horrible. While under heavy anesthesia she had 3 severe seizures and the only line that they could start was in a main vessel in her neck. (very scary to hear that your baby girl is having violent jerking seizures while a doctor is sticking a sharp object in a vital artery) They gave her high doses of glucose and anti seizure medications. He said that she did not have to have a tracheostomy. I burst into tears (tears of joy, tears of worry, tears of sadness, tears just because I could just handle no more) the doctor did something I needed most at that moment. He took my hand and started to say a prayer for god to keep our baby girl in his hand and to heal her little body. He also prayed for god to give me some much needed strength in this time. While sitting in the waiting room I just cried feeling so bad for my poor baby girl and that she was having to go through all of this. After she recovered enough we were able to go back and be with her, seeing her was was very reassuring. In anesthesia they monitored her for about 30 minutes then she was sent back to the ER, to wait for a room up stairs.

Today she is doing much better, the doctor even said that there was a possibility of going home tomorrow, but he wants to do a swallow study and a hearing screen. He also wants to address the low blood sugar issue with her endocrinologist, to make sure he isn't concerned that this will be an on going thing. The difference in her health from yesterday is absolutly AMAZING!! She is feeling much much better!!!

Stomach virus causes seizure.

Brookie has had the stomach virus for the past 3 days and has been trowing up every thing she eats and drinks (including her medicine). With out having her Calcium, Anti seizure, and heart meds she get even sicker. Tonight (march 5, 2010) Brookie was taking a bath with her little sister, and they were playing and having fun. I felt Brookie fall over and hit my arm while I was washing the baby. I thought that she had just lost her balance so i tried to sit her back up then I realized that her eyes were rolling back in her head and that she was not breathing and starting to become blue around her mouth, her body was very tense. She was having a seizure. I started to yell for Ben all while trying to calm Bryson (who has never seen her have a seizure) and reassure him that his baby sister is going to be okay. After about 3 minutes and Ben having to do some rescue breaths she came out of it. She is resting right now and we are going to watch her to make sure that she doesn't have anymore within 24 hours, and since it didn't last longer than 4 minutes they doctor told us that she didn't need to go to the hospital unless there was something else we were concerned about.

Hospitalized with bronchitis.

Sick With Bronchitis

Pulse ox

Sleeping during a breathing treatment

In January of 2010 we took Brooklyn to the urgent care center due to her having a fever, cough congestion, and runny nose. The doctor checked her oxygen level and said that she was dipping down in the 70's, and that she felt we needed to take her to the hospital to be monitored!!! We took her to wise county, where she received IV antibiotics and oxygen. They diagnosed her as having bronchitis and were released a couple of hours later. The next day brook woke up around 8:00 AM then fell back asleep & slept from about 10:00 AM to about 5:00 PM She had rapid breathing, fever, and same symptoms as the day before. She wouldn't drink anythink and I feared that she was going to become dehydrated. We decided to call the doctor to see if we should bring her back in. She reccommended that we take her to Cooks children's where all of her specialists are. We were there in a packed waiting room but only waited about 5 min. to go back, and they decided that we were going to stay. We were monitored for 3 days, and her fever broke, she was doing much better and we were released!!!

A mother of a "special" child

A mother of a "special" child

When I was young I'd often say, I'd like to be a mom someday

While playing with my baby doll, I thought that jobs not hard at all

I'd have a baby,maybe two, a girl in pink........ a boy in blue

I grew up and sure enough,

The baby that was sent to me, was born with disabilities

At first I'm frightened thru & thru, there is so much to learn to care for you

This wasn't in my plans at all, whenever I was young and played with dolls

Your mind and body were so weak, you might not ever walk or speak

So much special care required, I'm often scared and often tired

As months and years go slowly by, I often smile but sometimes cry

To watch you grow and not complain, though you endure your share of pain

Oh how I'd hold you and I'd pray,that you'd be healed and whole someday

But I know that was not to be, not physically or mentally

And so I taught you best I could your progress slow but very good

But then one day I realized, as I gazed into your loving eyes

That I had learned so much from you, determination....courage too

A love so unconditional, it floods my soul and always will

I'm proud to say I gave you birth, for your an angel here on earth.

Author unknown

BIG Little sister!!!!

Me and the girls!!!

Bath time babies!!!

Brooklyn 16 months & Brandi 2 months!!

The girls are 14 months apart but are very close to being the same size!! Brandi is catching up with Brooklyn so fast!! Their last measurement on February 8, 2010 Brooklyn @ 19 months was 30 inches, and weighed 18 pounds 4 ounces. Brandi @ 5 months was 27 inches, and weighed the exact same at 18 pounds 4 ounces!!! I was so shocked that they weighed the same!!! Brookie is still in the lead by 3 inches but, baby sister is catching up very quickly!!! So we now refer to Brandi as "The BIG little Sister."

Becoming a big sister!!!!!

First picture of all three of my beautiful babies!!!

Brandi Nicole Strahan

Brandi Nicole 1 month & Brooklyn Aliyah 15 months

The new Big Sister!!!!

The approaching time of the baby's birth was a very anxious time for me. I was worried how Brookie would take to having a new baby in the house, and how we would manage having a new baby and having brook who is so very demanding, to say the least. Brandi Nicole was born September 7, 2008!! She weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces, and was 21 1/2 inches!!! It was very different than Brookie's birth. I had a second C-section due to risk that go along with having a natural delivery after having a previous C-section with Brook. Brandi was a beautiful, pink, healthy baby!!! She looked like a lil' butter ball compared to Brookie when she was born!! Brookie was at the hospital whenever she was born and stayed in the hospital with Ben and I during the hospital stay!! She has only ever been away from me for a couple hours whenever I had to go to the hospital early on in my pregnancy with Brandi, due to severe cramps and bleeding. We don't let her stay with any one else due to all of her medical problems, I would be a nervous wreck!!! She did very well at first when the baby was very small and didn't really do much. Now that the baby sits up and plays she will sometimes hit and pinch her, but I don't think that it is her way of being mean. She does this to Ben and I, and it seems like more of an impulsive behavior. She is my little mommy hen and tried to "help" with the baby!!! She will give the baby her bottle, or take it from her!! She tries to shove her pacifier in the babies mouth whenever she cries, even though the baby never took a pacifier!! And she will give her kisses!! Over all I would say that she is happy to be a big sister, and loves the new baby!! I do feel like it will be beneficial for brook to have a sibling so close in age, due to her developmental delays.