Here's what happened...

Here’s what happened…

On Thursday, we had asked the doctor to discharge us early because we didn’t want to have to drive home in the snow on Friday.

Friday Lily had 2 instances of what I suspected were seizures. I called the pediatrician because I suspected that's what they were. The pediatrician was going to call me back. I had told Brandon that next time she does this “seizing” activity we should video tape it so we can show the doctor. Meanwhile, Lily woke up, we went to feed her, almost immediately she started seizing again. Brandon grabbed the video camera and started videoing. Shortly after she started seizing, she turned blue and stopped breathing. Completely blue. At this point, Brandon threw the video camera across the room. We gave her rescue breaths, called 911 and gently shook her till she came around. Ambulance got there, took us to kingwood hospital, there our pediatrician had us transferred us to Texas Children's Hospital. Where he does his rounds. Once we got to Texas Children’s ER, Lily had 2 more seizures, during the second one, they intubated her because she stopped breathing again.

That night, she was moved upstairs to the NICU. Brandon and I registered with the NICU and followed a few moments behind her.
-Now, here is a little interesting tidbit-
I love TLC…I Tivo it all. One of the shows I love and tivo is “The Little Couple”.
Brandon and I turn the corner in the NICU and there is Dr. Jen Arnold from “The Little Couple” on her stool working on Lily! No lie.
So anywho, Dr. Arnold is great and such an easy doctor to talk to. It was crazy ironic and I was quite tickled that she was working on her. After such an emotionally exhausting day, I needed a little irony at that moment.

Brandon and I didn’t want to leave her there by herself, but we needed to go get some rest. The Ronald MacDonald House was full, so we went across the street to the Marriott.
The past few days have run in together and are honestly one big blur.
Here is what we know…
They did a CT Scan, MRI, X-Rays, lumbar puncture, labs for bacterial infections, labs for fungal infections and labs for viral infections. All of them SO FAR have shown nothing abnormal. They have even checked her eyes and they said they were perfect. Right now they are looking into metabolic issues, but they don‘t think that is it either. Right now she is a little of a mystery.

Now I know what many of you are thinking because I thought the same thing too. My medication. It is too much of a coinsidence that I was on an anti-convulsant medication and my child was born having seizures. I have been told over and over that it isn’t possible, but that doesn’t stop me from feeling guilty. I keep thinking that if I wasn’t on it, we wouldn’t be going through this right now, but they KEEP telling me that would not cause her to have seizures.

Saturday they started the new anti-seizure medication Keppra, but she ended up having a breakthrough seizure during the overlap of medications. Sunday they took the breathing tube out (THANK GOD) and started feeding her through at tube through her nose. Today (Monday) we started feeding her with bottles and using the tube to only get down what she couldn’t finish by bottle. They also stopped her on all the antibiotics so no more IVs (yeayyy). She was really happy today. She had a good day and smiled a lot. I got to give her the bottles all day and then daddy went down and gave her the 9:00 bottle. She was loving on him and even opened an eye for him for a split second.

Ok, well I am going to go meet Bran back in the NICU for the 12:00 pm feeding. Hopefully I will be able to keep updating, but things are a little crazy right now.

Please PLEASE please keep Lily in your prayers.
We need to find out what is causing these seizures so we can put a STOP to them! She is so little and needs all the prayers she can get. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT!

Lillian Emma Casey is here!

Finally...
After 41 weeks, on December 1, 2009, Lily finally made her grand entrance into the world. :) We decided to go through with the c-section and Lily was born at 12:43 pm weighing 9.3 lbs and 21 1/4" long. I was sooo nervous! I got into the operating room and started bawling because I was so nervous. The epidural was surprisingly not bad...I was expecting worse. The anxiety was the worst part. It got better when I was laid down and Brandon came in, my nerves subsided so much. The anesthesia guy was concerned about the death grip I had on Brandon's hand though. Apparently, it was making the machine flat line.

As I laid there, my doctor was giving us a play by play...
"This is going to be a 9 pounder."

"Whoa, where did she get the red hair from??!!"

The moment I saw her was surreal. They laid her on my chest and I said, "hi, Lily.". When I talked to her, she opened her eyes for the first time like she already knew me. I guess she did, but it was still the most amazing feeling. I brushed my hand across her cheek and was just amazed.

She was perfect. She is perfect. She is the epitome of love and Brandon and I couldn't be more smitten with her.


Now begins a new journey in our lives. We are so grateful to have such a beautiful baby girl.

Tomorrow is the big day!

Well, here we are at week 41. 10 months and one week...

Today we had our 41 week check-up and Lily still has not progressed any further. No engagement, no dilation, no effacement. Nothing. We've decided to go ahead with the c-section that we have scheduled tomorrow at 12:30pm. My doctor, Brandon and I think it is the best decision. In less than 24 hours, Lily will be here! Things will be getting crazy soon, but I will try to update as soon as possible with pictures...keep checking back!

Well....here's the latest.

Hello everyone....
Just thought I would let you know the happenings this week. We went to our 40 week Dr. appointment on Monday. Everything looks good, but the baby hasn't made any progress. He said the cervix was soft, but I'm not dialated, effaced or anything. We did an ultrasound and he estimated her weight at 8.2 lbs, but that has a 10% error rate either way. That being said, she is not crazy big at all.
Now, here is the part that sucks...
My doctor, is not working this holiday. Which means he started his vacation Wed and will be back on call Sunday night. Which is normally ok...I know other doctors have delivered babies before (yadda yadda yadda), BUT this doctor that would be delivering me if I go into labor this week, is not very patient and is always quick to jump into doing c-sections and with an "unfavorable" cervix, he may end up being quite pushy. MY doctor told us this. I mean, above anything and everything, we want her to come on her own so if she does, more power to her and we'll deal with the doctor and he'll do what we want him to do, but it would just be nice to have my own doctor there. I don't want to have to argue with a doctor who is trying to push a quick c-section so he can get through us and get home to his turkey.
Sooo....
If Lily does not come naturally by Monday, we have ANOTHER FREAKING APPOINTMENT to see if there is any progression. Now, we have this appointment, but we also have a c-section scheduled on Tuesday December 1st at 12:30. Now here is why...If I am NOT moving any further along, then we will be doing the c-section on Tuesday, but if I am dilating, MOST LIKELY, we are going to be induced sometime next week. The doctor did say that he did want her delivered next week. When and how is just a wait and see game, but we have put a deadline on this kid...she will be here a week from now.

Anywho, so needless to say, I'm uncomfortable, swollen and am dying to have our baby girl here. Thanksgiving morning was very emotional for me. Thank goodness I have a great husband who was so willing to listen and someone else who just got it. Although, we knew the chances were slim that she would be on time and here for the holiday, we were still a little sad that she wasn't here. Brandon and I had both our families in town for the holiday and it was kinda upsetting that she wasn't here for that. She was definitely missed, to say the least.

Today was Black Friday, Sal left and Brandon's parents, sister and her kids left as well. Things are calming down around here and mom, Ali and Tim are the last ones left here in Texas. Mom and Ali leave tomorrow and Tim will follow on Sunday to head back to Mandeville. Lily has dropped really low and it feels as if she could fall out any second, but I'm not painfully contracting. It is soooo hard to sit down, stand and walk around, but that's about as far as that goes...just hard not painful.
Here is a picture showing how low she is...

His hand is pretty much at the top of my tummy

I am going to update again soon, hopefully with more news. Just please say a few prayers for us during this time. We want to make the right decisions with this whole process and most importantly we want our baby girl nice and healthy without incident. I know that no matter what happens, it is in God's hands and Brandon and I put all our faith in the fact that with whatever happens, he is guiding us, but this is quite a daunting time for us. I mean, we don't know what to do, but what new parent does? All we can do is have faith in God and have faith in the fact that he is with us and our doctors while these decisions are being made for Lily and I. This is all we can rely on and that is what we will do.

No baby news :/

Well, yesterday was our 39 week appointment and there is no movement forward on the baby front. Lily is still nice and cozy. Snug inside... She has dropped, but is not "engaged" and that's about it. On the 23rd, her due date, we have another appointment and a scan, but Dr. Plavidal promises that is the last time he will see me in his office till after she is born. The scan will show her size, and based on how big she is and if I am dilated or not, we will then choose our next step whether it is a c-section or an induction...Problem is, if we induce or do the c-section, it probably won't be able to be scheduled until AFTER Thanksgiving so that would put us at the week of the 30th....

Honestly, everything depends on whether or not I have progressed at all on the 23rd. Hopefully, I will go into labor before then, but he doesn't think that will happen. He said,

"I have eaten my words more times than I've eaten dinner at home, but I do not see you going into labor this week."

cue heart dropping to the floor
Brandon and I are so ready for our baby girl to be here, it isn't even funny. She still has till the 23rd though. I just keep telling myself that. She's fine where she is, and I'm just being impatient. It just feels like these last weeks have drug on and on and on...Especially since we were told more than once that because she was measuring so big on the scan, he would expect her "sooner rather than later". That just goes to show how reliable technology is...and most likely how stubborn my child will be. Hmmm, imagine that.


I'm still getting that crazy numb feeling in both of my hands and arms. It is like my shoulder, elbow, wrist, and all the joints in my fingers hurt, but my hands fall asleep and don't wake up. It is horrible! I've looked it up online and it is sounding like pregnancy related carpal tunnel...They say it goes away once the baby is born and the swelling goes down, so that's promising, but who knows how much longer that will take! I've had issues with my left wrist before, multiple times, but when I was tested before they said it wasn't carpal tunnel, it was a pinched nerve in my neck. Who the hell knows. I've decided that I am going to try my hardest to keep salt at a super minimum for the next few weeks(hopefully days)to minimize the swelling as much as possible. Ali has my wrist brace in Mandeville, so I might go get another one tomorrow to see if stabilizing it helps.

I'll update again when things get moving or when we know more!

10 days and counting...every second

Well, there is nothing like hoping for a huge gush of water down your leg every time you stand up...

We had our 38 week dr. appointment on Monday the 9th and so far there has been no progression which is super discouraging. He did say that she indeed dropped a little bit, but that's about all. After we walked out of the office I started bawling. I'm just mentally done with being pregnant. Things have gotten better the past few days though. Tuesday, Candice and Drew came in to stay with us until Lily gets here. We have had fun. We've done lots of shopping and LOTS of walking but I am grateful for it. I've needed to get out of this house and it's really nice to have company over...it helps take my mind off of things.

Lately, my feet and hands are super swollen. To me...I notice and and boy do I feel swollen. It's been especially bad all this week. I had two really bad nights and only slept a few hours combined on both nights because my hands kept falling asleep. I would turn over, sit up, but it didn't ever go away till I STOOD up and walked around and then it still took forever for me to get the feeling back in my hands. So weird. My hands were also super painful. Everytime I make a fist, they hurt. I know it is going back to fluid retention and swelling in the joints which is most likely cutting off the circulation, but boy when you can't get that feeling to go away, it sucks. I am thinking the two nights that were really bad were because of a red sauce that was in the Carrabbarras(<-sp?) I ate two nights in a row. I didn't realize red sauce would have a lot of salt in it, but that must have been it because those nights were horrible. Last night I slept ok, but we'll see how tonight goes.

Anywho, well today we went to the Nutcracker Market at the Reliant Center here in Houston. It was AMAZING! It is like the biggest and baddest craft fair in Texas. Seriously! The Houston Ballet puts it on as their annual fundraiser every year and the thing is huge. Bran, Candice, Drew and I were there for about 5 hours today and we were all EXHAUSTED! I don't even think we saw all the booths! The only thing that sucks...which honestly is a blessing and curse for everyone there...is that their are no strollers allowed. None. They don't even rent them. I must have misread something that said that they did, but either way, I didn't remember that we couldn't have the stroller till we were half way there and we left Candice's snuggly at home!!! I felt so bad and I knew we were all in for it! Drew is the cutest, chunkiest, happiest little flirt that you've ever met, but carrying ANY 6 mth old for 5 hours along with bags and bags of stuff is EXHAUSTING! I wish we could go back, but I don't think ANY of us will have the energy for it again till next year!!!! But we are DEFINITELY going next year!

Anywho, well I am so sad to say no baby news as of yet. I was hoping to have her by now, but at the dr appt, when he was looking for her heart, she was being a diva and just stuck her butt up at him and told us all to kiss it...she isn't going anywhere anytime soon! At least we have the 23rd though when he said he was looking to induce. We still don't know if we are going to do the section or not. I am guessing we will have a better idea when we go on Tuesday, Nov 17th. I'll update soon! Hopefully with some exciting baby news!!!!

Damn you water, why do you weigh so much???!!!

So, yesterday was our 37 week appointment with Dr. Plavidal. My last visit was about 2 1/2 weeks ago and not too much has changed. He said that there was protein in my urine and I also gained 6 lbs! UGH! I about dropped on the floor when I heard that. He said that with that very odd weight gain (because my weight gain has been pretty consistent thus far) and the protein in the urine, he said that he thinks that it's mostly fluid retention. That's normal and all, but not fun for the chick looking at that number that jumped six lbs in 2 1/2 weeks. It just kills me because I have been so careful with what I have been eating this whole 9 months! Now I am at a 30 lb weight gain and I have 2 1/2 more weeks. Lovely.

Anywho, I know it's all water and baby, but it drives me nuts! So, to try and remedy the situation, he said I should spend a few days in bed with my feet up but most importantly, stay off my feet. Which granted, I have been on the run quite a bit lately. I've been off walking around the galleria a few times after dr appts, going Christmas shopping, the ren fest, going to classes at the hospital and church, working in the yard and garage. To give myself a little credit, I haven't really been sitting on my butt these past few weeks. So, I tried that today (staying in bed with the feet up) and it got old quick, but it wasn't too bad, but then we ate Chinese food for dinner. One step forward, six hundred steps back. I knew it was a bad idea with the salt content in Chinese food and all, but that will be the last Chinese food I eat till Lily gets here...I have decided that. I just had to get that Chinese food craving out of my system!

OMG, a woman on tv just had a baby in her pants. In her pants! The baby was in her pant leg! I mean, really? Thank God for spandex and all , but booo on Discovery health for the tv show "I didn't know I was pregnant". What a crap show for a pregnant woman to watch. Why is this even on my TV??!! Nothing like watching a few episodes of this show to make you fear giving birth on a toilet...That's all I'm saying.

Dr. Plavidal also said that if she is not here by the 23rd, he will induce me then. Usually, they will give you up to two weeks after your "due date" before they induce, but he said he doesn't want to wait much longer because she will be a big baby. HOPEFULLY, pray to God, she is here before the 23rd, but if she isn't, we will probably have her then or shortly thereafter. Now, that day we may just end up doing a c-section depending on her size, but we will not know till then.

Well, I finally made a super cute pacifier clip for Lily and I started on a Christmas wreath. They came out pretty cute. Here are the pictures!


I really want an embroidery machine. It would be so badass! I could put L's and Caseys on everything!
That being said, the L is iron-on...sigh.

The wreath is obviously not done yet. I need to get some gold wired ribbon and make a bow to put in the middle. We also have a set of bells that will dangle on the inside.

Anyways, I'll keep everyone updated on the ongoings. Till then, I will be here...Waiting...Patiently :)