Kyle at home...

Kyle is home, but still sick. Kelly is having to keep him upright because everytime she lays him down, he throws up, so she is trying to keep him hydrated and then, keep it in him! He is still pretty sick, but he is home. Kelly was asking people to pray that his fever would break for good, and not go higher again. He needs to keep drinking and eating,... so pray that his little appetite comes back! Also, pray for Kelly as she is very tired. I am in Nashville, left the day before Kyle woke up so sick. I hate being away right now while Kyle is sick but,... here I am blogging from nashville while poor kelly is going on hour 20 something of holding Kyle... she is an incredible mom! Pray for the other dudes at the house too,... Jadon and Jack as they are having to sacrifice some of mom's time right now... they have DeeDee and pops to help them stay occupied,... but are ready for Dad to be home, mom to play and Kyle to be well I am sure! The Sherrill life is as chaotic as ever, but we would have it no other way,... God is at work... even through the trials of sickness...

Please keep praying for all of this!!!!

thanks so much!

Please keep praying.

3:30 am... Kyle is a bit acidocic (not sure how to spell that). He is not weaning from the oxygen either. He was doing good till about 11:30. He was down to .5 liters and staying 95 & 96. Tonight he started requiring more oxygen. He is at 2 liters now, still sating low 90s, and respiratory rate is high. Just had more blood drawn to check levels. Please pray for good results- not to be acididic and for Kyle to be able to wean some on the oxygen.

Please pray for Kyle

In my true perfectionistic thinker mode I was waiting to get the video of Kyle walking from my flip to my computer before my next post. And for anyone reading I am secretly hoping you are right now so excited that Kyle is walking that you have forgotten that I have not posted in 5 weeks!!!! :) I am posting tonight though bc I would love your prayers. Kyle is at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital again today. We came tithe ER this (Saturday) am bc of congestion, fever, lethargic, and vomiting. I know... Yikes! We tested negative for flu and RSV. He has some respiratory virus was pretty dehydrated and really just needs support to get through it. He can't keep his sats up without the oxygen and breathing treatments. He has been admitted and right now is finally asleep. He has 2 hours before his next exam and treatment. That is great though he has not slept more than 20 min all day. He is exhausted. The IVs of today have been rough- any time someone in black scrubs (the ER) scrubs walks in his lip falls to the floor and the giant alligator tears start! Please pray that his lungs will recover quickly. Please pray for his fever to subside and the congestion too. His heart rate and breathing to return to normal levels and his oxygen exchange to get better too. And pray for me too if you will. It has been a trying week and a hard day. I'm really tired.

I'm sure I just botched all the medical words. Kind of nice that some of that lingo is becoming a memory. Thank you for praying.

Oh! I almost forgot. Kyle has this one good hour or so right after tylenol and a breathing treatment that he gets more chipper. He will a tually sit up in my lap or play with toy. and in true Kyle fashion one of his Favorite (and mine too) came to see us and Kyle waved bye for the first time to her!!!! What an angel!

Quick post - A very cool and very important :) person at Hermann emailed to check on kyle today since his surgery and I was updating him on kyle.  This has been such an exciting week - and really needed - last week I was feeling really discouraged about kyle's developmental progress - you know it seems like he waits until he has us all in an uproar and then he just lets out with these huge leaps and bounds in growth!  here is a piece of my email.

Kyle is very heavy in therapy right now so it feels like we are working very hard.  But - you need to walk up to the NICU today and give a hug to everyone in there that fought so hard for kyle (I am getting to the why!!!!)   do you remember those days in November when it was so grim - kyle's brain bleed had gotten worse.... all the way to a grade 3 IVH.  But no one gave up - even when I felt like I had to as a mom - no one gave up.

Kyle started saying words this week!  WORDS - and he is only 13 months corrected.  He says "cookie".  I think most 23 weekers that survive have severe feeding issues and Kyle, a CMHH NICU grad! :) , says "COOKIE"  .... sounds more like "too - ckie"  and he also started saying "outside" today.  One of our (doctors and therapists) biggest fears for kyle due to his brain injury has been motor planning.  being able to carry out a desired action the way he needs too.  Today we had all the neighbor hood kids over in the back yard (yes we are still in isolation!) with Kyle's big brother's and when he heard them out there playing - he crawled over to the door and pulled himself up and stood on his tip toes to get his fingertips on the door knob and I said - "do you want to go outside" and he looked back at me and said "out - side"  sounded more like "OU - SIGH"  ADORABLE and AMAZING!

I really am amazed.

oh - and this is a pic of jack when I asked him to help me put away the groceries..... these are the straws!

Surgery went great!

We are home... they are all asleep.  Sometimes I feel so accomplished, grateful, satisfied... not sure the word... when the day is over - all 3 boys are safely in bed and the day has turned out good.  :)  Kyle did great today!  One of our dear friends and one of our favorite babysitter's too spent the night to watch the boys this am and Nonna came down to go with us!  and our aunt and one of our cousins had come to sit with us and even brought donuts!!  We left at 5:30 am and kyle thought that was the best thing ever.  Being drug out of bed in the dark to play with mom AND go Bye Bye!  what could be better!  he was in the best mood - didn't even think about the fact that he could not eat!  ...... until we hit traffic and he caught a glimpse of the diaper bag... it started to get ugly - but luckily he was distracted with my iphone and the rest of the morning went well.  long story but we have gotten to know the CEO of the CMHH and he knew kyle was having surgery so he was there this am to greet kyle and introduce us to all the amazing operating room directors - everyone was great.  We met with the team of surgeons and nurses and anesthesia team - ALL AMAZING!  they took him back about 9 am and he was done by 11 am.

Just as the waives of nerves and nausea were setting in for me - in walked some of our friends we met during kyle's stay in the NICU.  This couple had a 23 weeker in the NICU as well - I speak of them often in my blog - their son's name is Matthew.  He passed away in December of 07.  I couldn't believe they were there!  and they brought cup cakes - darn amazing cupcakes too!  so we were well fed and honestly - sounds strange to say - but we had the best conversation.  They spent the whole 2 hours keeping my mind busy - I am so grateful for that!  grateful when I think about how hard it is for me to be in that building, the Hermann tower, that elevator - how much more they must hurt and still put aside their hurt to be there for us....

I learn so stinking much every day lately.   So many of kyle's nurses, NNPs, and docs came to see him and us today.  Let me stress and say or shout or jump up and down... I LOVE this hospital and their staff.  they truly are a hand picked team of amazing, gifted, loving and brilliant people!  I am overwhelmed so frequently of how much people have done for us and our family.  how much people love and give and how that changes and affects - every time.  like scripture says - truth.  Love doesn't fail.

Before I knew it the 2 hours had gone by and kyle was great!

now let's define great... :)  I was soooo relieved when the surgeon came out and said how great it went!  I was so glad to have the hurdle behind us!  It felt like a finish line to me!  a finish line of Kyle's acute medical preemie-ness.  if that makes any sense.

of course kyle will still be followed by high risk and neurology but for the right now stuff we are looking at - this was it!  we are free to focus on therapy and life!!

so anyway - back to kyle being great - so I was releived but the look on that sweet little buddy's face when I got to him was a drunken... "HELP ME!" he was sooo sad.  he just sank into my arms and went right to sleep.  He is still (at 9:23 pm) VERY groggy - he has taken bottles and some cheerios - he has given some half grins when you tickle his little hand but other than that he is asleep or really groggy and fussy.  He screams when he has to tee tee!  all mom's of boys who have gotten circumcisions remember that!  and he is pretty fussy when he is awake - but right now he is asleep!  and healthy!  recovering!  and well!

I am so grateful for everyone praying!  please keep asking God to help him recover quickly.

I came home to another one with vomiting and headache!  and the other one with a fingernail falling off from a door slamming injury!   sounds like a house of 3 boys huh?

off to be early - I think the emotionally being worn out is catching up to the regular mom  physical worn out!  but I couldn't be happier!

kyle transferring funds on the iphone just before surgery! j/k.

kyle after surgery.  so sweet.

Prayers please - Surgery Next Week!

No need to panic - this is planned!  Kyle will be having his hernia repair next week! March the 4th.  I can honestly say that i feel like he is ready.  When I start to think of the ventilator side of it I can go from normal to panic in about 1 second flat - so those are the moments I stop pray over him.  really and truly - and then I pray over me - my emotions and thoughts.   

The Hermann tower at Memorial Hermann Hospital is still what gets me - I think it is going up those elevators - so many times confident that total devastation is what I would find at the top.  A strong nausea and great anxiousness overwhelms me every time I board one of those elevators.  Kyle's surgery is on the 2nd floor of that tower.  So even though I know he is ready - I am a bit worried about my mental and emotional state that day.  Good news is that we should be in and out before you know it.  We will leave our house at 4:15 am!  and should be home by 3 in the afternoon?! ish - somewhere around there!  and so soon after this kyle is off of isolation!!!!  

We are so close to freedom I can smell it -  

so the pics and videos are coming soon - i am still trying to move in!!!  sad, I know.  but I will get there.

Just wanted to post to ask anyone reading to pray for kyle.  I write this not even knowing how in the world all this works anymore.  In fact it is kind of humorous to me that i actually really thought I did know at one time.  hmmmm.... funny thought.   Anyway - I still - with little understanding of who God truly is and how he truly works - I still ask you to go to him on Kyle's behalf.  I desperately want him to come through this with flying colors!

One year Corrected...

There are so many things in my life that seem to me to be unbelievable.  like....

the fact that I am finally blogging again ( I know it took forever)  hahaha :)

5 months after hurricane IKE we are back in our home!!!

2 days ago was kyle's 1 year corrected birthday

2 days ago was also 1 year from the day we brought him home from the hospital

and most unbelievable of all - Kyle has officially passed his sleep study and is off of oxygen, and has been recommended to come off all monitors (apnea and pulse ox!)  I'm a hair nervous about letting go of those!

It just seems hard to believe but it really is true - 15 months ago all hell broke lose...  figuratively speaking (I think).  and hear i am - over a year later - looking around, sometimes surveying the damage but mostly grateful.  For so long I never thought I could get here.  I can not say honestly yet that I am grateful for all that has happened.  But I am grateful for who I am now - for how I am changing.  For the lives that have been threaded into mine - for those I am so grateful.

each day brings me closer to realizing that I don't have to wait for some milestone to be living my dream but that this is my dream.  :)

I am so enjoying every day in our new house with 3 VERY rowdy little boys!  pics soon - and i learned how to fix my videos - i'll up load some soon - these kids are FUUUUNNNNNYYYY!

time to live....

These are for you Ann Marie! I guess it is pretty bad when your friend has to text you to get some pics of your kids up on the blog!  So here they are ... below!  

I know we all feel like this sometimes but I am having a hard time finding time to live my life much less document it.  But i really think - others disagree - but i am going to be positive and choose to believe that when we get back in our house - life will settle a bit!  I know it will.  Right now we are still out of  our home from hurricane ike.  partly b/c our contractor is very busy and partly b/c we had a neighbor file a compalint that if we build a room in our garage that we would not be able to park our cars in there.  well REALLY LONG story short - that complaint has delayed us.  and caused so much financial and timing frustrations.  I really couldn't belive it when I heard it but THANKFULLY after many letters - 2 days in "The Woodlands Court"  called variance hearings - The Woodlands sided with us and we are now on the road to finishing our house.  we hope to be back in early Feb!

So between life, therapy, building and refurnishing a house - working and having a ball with our kids, kindergarten reading!!!!, and christmas plays we are staying busy!  I will return to documenting our amazing life soon!  we are all alive though - all boys have been passing around a stomach virus and a cold. so we are still sick and trying to stay out of public!  Hurry up April!!!!  

This is jack at his pizza party at school!

Jack after pizza and icing from his homemade christmas tree!

Jadon played "Joseph" in the kindergarten play!

We went to Santa Town again this year - sooo fun - hey ride, sit with santa, play on the stage with the live band, pony rides, petting zoo and we did it all! So much fun. This is jack and sidney (she is only 21 months but I think jack is in love!)  they are trying to get the first peek at Santa!

He can't get it open but once it is open he can't stay out.  Kyle loves the fridge - today he climbed in and came out with his yogurt!

well .... back to living!!!!

Kyle Swinging!!

He Loves to swing!

Kyle is getting better!

The pedi said that kyle has 2 ear infections and a cold.  That is actually great news for us!  NO RSV!  Pedi said his lungs sounded good!  I was really glad to hear that.  Our Pedi - who I LOVE - he is amazing!  (aside - if anyone reading this needs a great pediatrician!  Dr. Tony John)  That is who we go to - the whole practice is great - Hometown Pediatrics.  When we first moved here in 2002 - very end of the year.  We tried 2 other pediatricians.  Didn't like either of them or the offices.  Then I had a friend BEEEEGGG to get me in to Dr. Chandler b/c she was not taking new patients.  Well we loved her and then she opened her own practice and added 3 (i think) other doctors. every time we were sick we could not see chandler b/c she was so busy so we finally asked - who else is great with little ones! and the receptionist said to try Dr. John.  We did and we love him.  He has been Jadon's Pedi since he was 3 I think? and Jack and Kyle's since birth.  He even visited the NICU when kyle was born.  He loves the Lord and is amazing with kids.  The whole practice takes what mom's say seriously and isn't afraid to refer out if they think that is what the kids need - which I love!  Kyle even has a high risk but my first choice, even for kyle, is to go to them!

so wow - where did that come from - I just really love them and love the way they take care of my kiddos!

so Kyle has an antibiotic for the ears and already everything is clearing up - fever gone - heart rate back to normal and breathing is better!

on a side note...

can anyone help me - anytime I try to upload my videos (there are only 45 seconds long or so) my blogger says there is an error?  any ideas?