Un Año Nuevo

Looks like we will be spending tonight in, yup... you guessed it, the hospital. That is two holidays in a row we have spent watching TNT movies in a hospital bed and eating cafeteria food. Not much has changed in Isabella's health since Christmas, with the exception that Chanel's water broke on Thursday. This does not mean the baby is coming, however. The doctors still want to monitor Chanel for contractions to be sure but they made clear that the baby will not be delivered for weeks. Isabella can not be not be born before 32 weeks, and today marks 31 weeks. The reason being is that the medical staff will have to put Isabella on breathing machines. If she is not at least 32 weeks, Isabella's body will be too weak to survive. Once again, we are living hour by hour waiting to see what lies in store for Chanel an I. Chanel insists that Isabella will share the same birthday as me, January 28th but I think she will be born sooner. We will have to wait and see!

Our New Home

Missouri has become a sort of second home to Chanel and I. The nurses and doctors act like we are part of their family now. They have already confirmed what was our second worst fear, that we would be spending Christmas in a hospital. However, due to technicalities, we have two round-trip tickets between Phoenix and St. Louis. Chanel's mother, Traci and Chanel's son Rylan will be flying out on the 26th to spend some time with us here. Right now she is on the phone with the airlines and the airports trying to schedule the flights. Everyday for us has been non-stop organizing and prioritizing of travel accommodations as well as residence here. While we were in the middle of today's chaotic agenda, the lunch boy from the hospital cafeteria brought Chanel's food. He asked how we were doing, and Chanel paused from the phone just long enough to say "just fine, and you?" His answer left Chanel distracted from her phone call as he replied, "I am blessed." We looked at each other and as he walked out the door he said "ya'll have a blessed day." It is so very true, we are blessed to be here at this critical time in Isabella's life and to be surrounded by people who truly care about us while we are so very far from Arizona.

White Christmas?

Well here we are back in St. Mary's Hospital after what we thought was going to be another check up appointment and ultra-sound. We left the Ronald McDonald House early to this morning to travel to the hospital. It would of been easier for us to go to the children's hospital next door where we have been receiving evaluations but hey, everything worked out just fine. St. Mary's is where they would of admitted Chanel anyways. During the ultra-sound today thy found that her cervix was once again measuring short at .8 cm. However, she is not dilated which means she is not giving birth anytime soon. As for me, I have to travel back to the RMcH to spend the night. They have an insurance policy where at least one of the person has to stay the night here. Its super cold and raining today so that makes for a very unpleasant journey back and forth from place to place. Not to mention we have to take a bus to a train station, across town on a train, then onto another bus to get back and forth. I am praying that everything is okay and so should you! The Doctor wants to keep her overnight, while another doctor wants to give Isabella steroids to help the lungs before Chanel gives birth. Either way, they said there is a good chance we won't be home before Christmas. Chanel is really missing her son Rylan and wanted to Skype with him tonight but my laptop was at the RMcH. Looks like we might be seeing some Missouri snow before everything is done and over with.

The Waiting Game

Toady we had an appointment with Dr. Vlastos and Dr. Yang to further monitor baby Isabella and review Chanel's condition after the surgery. They both performed ultra-sounds on Chanel to receive estimates on how much lung is proving to grow after the hydrogel placement. They both told us that the LHR (or lung to head ratio if you have not read the links provided) had increased from an astounding .8 to almost 3! Dr. 's Vlastos and Yang also noted the appearance of bright white areas that did exist before, suggesting growth of both the right and left lungs.They said the hydrogel is working better than they expected. Everything else checked out except for Chanel's cervix, which measured at 1 1/2 cm. The normal length of the cervix should of been in the ballpark of 3 or greater. They are afraid that pre-term labor is a possibility if they can not control her contractions. Chanel was prescribed a smooth-muscle relaxer and was asked to simply relax and stay in bed. This comes one day after we went back to downtown St. Louis to walk around and hangout all afternoon. Chanel is really tired, but like always, Isabella isn't. She keeps kicking, moving around and giving the nurses a hard time playing 'hide and seek' while they are trying to monitor her. It's so funny watching the Dr.'s look at ultra-sound and struggle with our baby as she moves, not allowing them to view the measurements they need. Besides that, we plan on staying inside the Ronald McDonald House this weekend. On Sunday, however, we will be in attendance at the Rams vs. the Bengals football game at Edward Jones Dome. Robert Quinn, a rookie from The St. Louis Rams donated tickets to the families here. As always, we ask everyone to keep praying for the baby. We still have to wait three more weeks to see if the surgery was effective, and we have to wait until February when they will preform surgery to repair Isabella's hernia. We thank you for all your support and prayers in behalf of our baby and us while we are on this crazy adventure.

Lazy Sunday.

Chanel was released from the hospital this morning after a long nights stay in the hospital. The baby did not want to stop tumbling around and kicking last night while we were trying to sleep. Unfortunately for Chanel, Isabella was kicking right where the small 1/4 inch incision was on her belly. Chanel was in so much pain but there was not anything we could do, of course. Also the baby monitor that was strapped to her stomach all night  had to be re-positioned by hospital staff. The monitor, which resembles to small ultrasound-type devices keeps track of the baby's heartbeat and any contractions. Because Isabella would not stop moving, nurses came in and out of our room about 6 or 7 times to wake us up and fix the straps on Chanel. Needless to say, it was a long night. We were released at 9 am and called a cab to take us back to the Ronald McDonald House where we could finally get some sleep. After a short nap, we decided to shower, do some laundry, and snack on some cookies that were made for the families of the RMcDH  by Wells Fargo employee volunteers. It so neat to see all the volunteers that are coming in and out making meals for the families. Two days ago we even ran into the missionaries, who perform their weekly service here. Last night a local high school N.H.S. members came and baked homemade pizza for us. Chanel and I are so grateful for all they do for us everyday and the time they take to help all the families, which number about 20 in all. Right now we are sitting in the dining room watching the Broncos vs. the Bears game while local members in the community are cooking chili and cornbread. I'm following the Cardinals game through ESPN.com on my laptop just waiting till dinner is ready. I'm also preparing the photos that we will be posting on the blog sometime soon.

We Wrote This Down For You.

So I guess our first post should be about what an amazing experience this has been for both Chanel and I. We're finally here in St. Louis at St. Mary's Medical Center where our little Isabella can recieve treatment for CDH. I can still vividly remember the first time we were told the horrible news about CDH and what it entails. On this blog we have included a link of our favorite websites that helped us research more about this disease, so if you are still curious as to what CDH encompasses, please feel free to click the link above. Chanel spent 95% of the two months on the phone contacting doctors, nurses, and insurance companies to try and find hope for our daughter. It was not until the morning of December 6th that St. Louis called with the wonderful news that we had our plane ticket reservations waiting at Sky Harbor Airport. We left that morning, our hearts filled with joy that despite what statistics and data would show our baby would have a chance. Blessing after blessing, day after day, compassion has been shown to us by hard working individuals both in Arizona and Missouri. Our friends and families have been praying and will continue to do so tirelessly over these next few weeks as the Hydrogel that is in place works on the growth of Isabella's lungs. We will be posting pictures of our visit in St. Louis as soon as we can.