The Chaotic Life of a Mother

I have been reading my husbands blog for a while now and am impressed by his diligence in posts. Me on the other hand spend most of my time going crazy. My life is so busy and filled with stress I never seem to get a moment alone.

A large amount of "things" have happened since my last post and thought I might update those of you that actually do read this. (So not many, lol) First Rya is now 9 months old and weighs in at a whole 15 pounds. Needless to say she is a small one. And prior to her appointment she was crying non stop. And not just any crying, screaming like she was in horrible pain crying. So we waited it out, thinking it was teething for a few days until her appointment. Come to find out the poor thing had an ear infection. So we got her going on some antibiotics and within a day she was back to her old smiling self again.

Rya also had her neurology appointment that we go to every three months or so until she is a year old. (Which is her next appointment, YIKES!) She had been doing this weird lurching thing and we were not sure what on earth it could be. All in all her neurologist said she looked great and was progressing about 3-4 months behind. Which is where she thought she would be for her disability. But she was very concerned about the lurching and ordered an EEG be done right away. If she has a condition called Infantile Spasms then we needed to start her on a steroid right away. Only down side is the ACHT steroid costs $40,000 for one round of treatment. So we were crossing our fingers and praying she didn't have this.

We went home hopeful and not hopeful at the same time. But the neurologist finally called and answered our prayers. She is clear of infantile spasms but has a tendency for seizures. We start her on seizure medicine and as long as she doesn't have a seizure in two years and has a clear EEG she can get off of those. But if ever she has a seizure then the two year clock starts again.

As for me, I started physical therapy for some huge horrible knots in my back. I have to have a deep tissue massage twice a week. Normally a massage would be a wonderful thing. Not this, they are not there to make you relaxed. They are there to work the crap out of you. But I figure as long as it fixes my back, I don't mind.

I also had my 14 week appointment on Thursday. The doctor couldn't find the heartbeat with the dopler so we decided to find it on the video. There the little chili bean was, just growing away. He/She just had a quiet heartbeat. The baby looked good and we can potentially find out what we are having on the 18th of Feb. Cross your fingers!!!!


Well that is a short version of what has been going on in our lives. Busy busy busy!!!!

Plus Or Minus, That Is The Question?

Sunday, November 22nd, I sit eating cucumbers with Jon. I go into the bathroom and realize I am very sick and really need to throw up. (pretty picture eh?) Now this wasn't just any sickness, I knew exactly what it was. So the next morning, I bought the "test". It is true, it is a plus....

I am pregnant, again.

Yes my daughter is 7 months old, yes they will only be 15 months apart. Yes I am stressed and worried. But at least this time I can have the c-section and have the doctor tie my tubes all up, so this never happens again. I have personal reservations about all this due to Rya's disability, but nothing that I won't be able to confront head on when the time comes.

I am hoping with everything that it is a boy. would be nice to finish off our family that way. We have picked out names already, Ace for a boy and Avi for a girl. Zoe will chose the middle name for the baby. I am 6 weeks today, Turkey Day. Due July 22nd, which means I will probably have him/her at the beginning of July. Based on Rya's birth experience.

Well that about says it all for now. Hope everyone else is doing well!

Life Changing Days

“Well I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that your daughter has cerebral palsy, the good news is that we found out early and can start therapy right away” said the neurologist. This might sound like the beginning to an interesting book. However sadly this isn’t a book, it is the beginning of my new life. Some time ago I had noticed a few things about my daughter, Rya-Jo. I mentioned these few things to her doctor, such as not using her left side as much as she uses her right side. Dr. BrokenLeg, (yes this is in fact her real name) decides that we should get an MRI of Rya’s brain. Deciding on whether or not to get the MRI was the first obstacle we had to face with a great deal more to come.
On the day of the MRI we drove to the Children’s Hospital in mostly silence. We knew there were great risks for the sedation but we also knew it was best to find out if there was a problem as soon as we could. The part that seemed to last forever was the crying from getting the IV. Never in my life have I ever wanted to hear my baby cry like that and never do I want to hear it again. We had to wrap her little arms with a sheet so she couldn’t push the nurse away. The screaming pierced my heart, and I couldn’t help but lets a few tears roll down my face. She continued to cry when I was carrying her to the MRI room, soon after they injected the anesthesia. Her crying began to fade and soon it was merely whimpers coming from her mouth. The nurse took my daughter from me and placed her on a giant table where they began prepping her for the MRI. I couldn’t watch much more and walked away after asking how long it would be.
Around 30 minutes later we walked back into the MRI room where Rya was sleeping peacefully on a hospital bed. She slept for almost 2 hours soundly and I never wanted to leave her side. When she woke up she was obviously confused and starving. Soon after she woke and had something to eat we were sent home. I had an appointment with the doctor on that Thursday to discuss the results of the MRI. Later that evening, however, the phone rang, it was Rya’s doctor. She explained that she had received the results and my heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t help but tell myself that she was going to be just fine since doctors never call with bad news.
I couldn’t be more mistaken.
She told me that Rya had a brain infarction, dead brain tissue. I was so confused and was not sure what questions to ask or how to even figure out how to tell Jon. I listened to the doctor and found myself asking all sorts of questions without realizing I was even talking. I hung up the phone and explained to Jon online what the doctor had told me. Immediately we started to look up as much information as we could to find out exactly what we might be dealing with. We had an appointment with a neurologist on the 14th and then a pediatric neurology specialist on October 20th.
Our suspicions were confirmed at the neurology appointment. Our amazing little miracle had a disease called cerebral palsy. My heart sunk thinking of a few people I had come across in my life that had this disease. I only knew of people in wheelchairs and people who couldn’t speak. As the neurologist went on she explained that there are people out there totally functional and have no idea they have CP. All I could do is hope that this would end up being the story for us. The neurologist was very happy to see that we had already had Rya in Physical Therapy, working on Occupational Therapy and had an Opthamology appointment already set up for her. As happy as she was, she had just thrown a blow to my heart that I am still not sure I will ever recover from.
I have tried and tried and tried to keep my spirits up because we are doing so much to help my little girl. She is showing great signs everyday that she is rewiring her brain, but with 38% of her brain missing one can never know. I find myself sick at nights, thinking of the same old, “Why me” issue. Our little family has dealt with so many life changing events, why another one? Why one that would affect my daughter? Was there any way to take her disease away and give it to me? Would I ever hear the words “Mom”, “I love you”, “I have a date”, “I am getting married” or “You are going to be a grandma”. I do realize that the possibilities of these words crossing her lips are there. But I also realize that there is a possibility they won’t either.
For now, all I can do is work, hard hard work. Make sure to give my daughter all the opportunities in life to have a normal childhood. And if it doesn’t work and she is wheelchair bound and can’t speak, I will know that her father and I have done all we can. All we can do now is just love her as much as we have always loved her and will always love her.
So please for us, place Rya in your prayers or thoughts once in a while. Pray that she will be strong, that she will be healthy, but most of all, that she will be happy.

Professional Pictures

A close friend of my family is a photographer, as her baby gift she took some pictures of my little woman! She did such an amazing job, I absolutely love them!!!

Rya-Jo Kay Campbell made her arrival!!

(This is a long one)

Rya-Jo Kay Campbell made her debut on April 18th, at 6:39am. Not exactly the date or way we all expected her to come, but she is here none the less. Tuesday the 14th I went to the doctor to have a stress test done on the little one. She had not moved much and I was beginning to worry. The test results were fine and doctor sent me home to just relax and keep track of kick counts. That Thursday was my regular 37 week appointment, and I was asked about her kicking again. Which again she was rather quiet. The doctor did an ultrasound and then another stress test. He noticed that her heart rate dropped several times during this test and that concerned him, as well as my high blood pressure.

So he said he was going to send me home to be on complete bed rest as well as watching my blood pressure. But before I left he wanted to check to see if I was dilated at all. When he entered the room to check me he told me that he had spoken to a specialist who said it would be best for me to be in Labor and Delivery at the hospital to do a 24 hour monitor on Rya. He then checked me, and told me I was dilated to a 2. So Zoe, Jon and myself headed to the hospital after a quick stop at home, to start what I thought was going my 24 hour stay.

Over the 24 hour period there were some drops again in her heart rate. And Friday night at 8pm the doctor decided it would be better to induce my labor. I finally got an epidural after some time and that was by far the weirdest feeling I have ever had. I couldn't move my legs at all! It was funny, yet at the same time didn't feel good either. After 8 hours of trying to sleep on my left side and hoping I would progress, no progress. So at 5 something AM my doctor decided it was time to go in and get her out. I was shaking uncontrollably on the way into the operating room and in there as well. My mind was racing, was I really ready for all this? Was this going to hurt, can I stop them and keep trying?

The second Jon walked into the room and made eye contact with me I felt completely at ease. I knew everything was going to be just fine. After a lot of pressure and pushing and weird weird feelings, I saw them move my little baby girl to the warmer table. Jon started to take a lot of pictures and they announced her weight and length. She weighed in at 4lbs and 10oz...17.5 inches long. She is/was TINY! One ounce smaller than her Aunt Ashley. She ended up having the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck and was also trying to come out face first.

She ended up having some eating issues, temp issues as well as breathing issues. She spent a week in the Special Care Nursery at the hospital. After eating wonderfully and able to maintain her temp, she was sent home on oxygen. She will be looked at on Friday to see if we can remove her oxygen tank or not. I think there is a really big possibility that she will not have to go any longer because from the moment we walked in the front door she has maintained her oxygen levels so well.

So all in all, she is amazing. I don't think I could be more in love with someone than I am with her. As hard as the pregnancy, emotions, labor and delivery were I wouldn't change it for the world. Except for maybe have her totally healthy when she came into the world.

Here are some more pictures, please enjoy! I certainly do!!!

Spokane Baby Shower

On Saturday the 28th of March my mom and other family members threw me a wonderful amazing baby shower in Spokane, Washington. Traci, her son Ian, Garrett and myself drove up there for a trip and shower. Mom had invited a lot of people and a good majority of those people showed. It was really nice to so see so many people that I have not seen in years. Especially a friend of mine that I have not seen in almost 21 years! Everyone was so wonderful and really got me some wonderful things. Rya-Jo will be the best dressed little girl in town for a long long time.

The rest of the weekend was spent just spending time with my family. Playing card games and going to places to eat that I have not been in a long time. It was great to spend time with my mom and just relax, eat some of her wonderful food as well.

When we came back I had my 35 week appointment. Everything sounds wonderful and looks great. I actually had lost a half a pound since my last appointment. Which I found hard to believe considering the amount of food I consumed in Spokane. We also found out that I am really anemic and needed to start taking more iron pills, which don't sit well in my tummy. Thursday the 16th I have my 37 week appointment, at that time I will be doing everything in my power to get this little one out! I am just tired and in a lot of pain most of the time. So I will be talking with my doctor to see if he thinks she will be okay to come out and then Jon and I will get to working! :) YAY She is so close to being here, send healthy baby vibes my way please!!!

32 Weeks

The top of your uterus can now be measured about 5 inches above your belly button. Because the top of your uterus is so high, you may begin to have trouble breathing or feel short of breath. This is due to the pressure that your growing uterus is placing on your diaphragm. This same pressure may also cause an increased amount of heartburn.

Most likely you are gaining about a pound per week. Your blood volume has increased by 40% to 50% during the past 32 weeks. This allows your body to accommodate both you and your baby. This increased volume is also important because it makes up for the amount of blood you will lose during delivery.

How big is your baby?
Your baby is a little over 16 inches long and weighs between 4 and 4 ½ pounds.

What is happening with your baby?
Your baby is continuing to grow. Her toenails and fingernails have formed. The lungs are continuing to mature but will not reach full maturity for several more weeks. Your baby’s skeleton has completely formed, but her bones are very soft and pliable.