One month old!

Baby Samuel is now one month old! Can you believe it? He is doing great. He now weighs 11 lbs and 3 oz!!! He is 21 and 3/4 inches and a chunky little monkey. His siblings absolutely love him and want to touch and hold and just be near him. They really are so sweet! He loves to look at them and is even trying to squeal or coo at them. Saturday, he smiled for the first times on cue. He has a precious smile and a dimple on his left cheek! He has rolled over once and when he gets really mad, he tries again and again... He is rather spoiled and loves to be held. He does have a bit of reflux and is now on medicine, he seems so much more comfortable now. I am so thankful too because he seemed so miserable in the evenings! Jason and Sara Kate's new favorite thing is to put all of their toys in the crib and then climb out and put them in the big boy bed and back and forth and so on.... so here are some pictures of our fun!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Three's Company

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We have been having so much fun getting to know Baby Samuel and just playing together. Last weekend it snowed and Jason and Sara Kate and Daddy went out in it to play with our neighbors, Ms. Deanna and Mr. Billy. They loved it. The kids were so tired when they finally came in that they slept right through the afternoon with no power in the house... Baby Samuel is doing great, he eats every two to three hours, which leaves Mommy little time to do much else. He is a sweet boy and LOVES to be held. His big brother and sister just adore him and so far, have not been jealous.

February update....

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Well, the past week has been a blur! We came home on the 18th, PawPaw's 81st birthday. So, we had a little party for him at the house and a little welcome home dinner for Samuel with PawPaw, Buddy and Pops. Then, on Friday, I took Samuel to Dr. Huie for his follow-up visit. He was back to birthweight and doing fantastic. Dr. Huie told me I could take him out some, just to be careful... that being said. I decided not to miss another of PawPaw's birthday parties, like last year. So, we suprised everyone by coming to the party in Anniston...(half way for the Atlanta part of the family and the Alabama part). We all love PawPaw so much and love to get to see each other on this annual celebration! We had such a good time. Then on Sunday, Mimi, Poppa, Aunt Amanda and Uncle Josh came to meet baby Samuel. We enjoyed them so much. Between all of this, we got some candid shots of the kids loving on thier new baby. Sara Kate thinks he is hers and wants to carry him around and squeeze him and love on him... it is just priceless. Jason is a little more timid, but loves to kiss him and look at him and talk about him. Neither seem to be jelous and both are doing so well with him.

Tuesday, I decided to be brave and take the kids to Chick-fil-A for a change of scenery.... it was a disaster. When we got there, we got our food and sat down. Jason was so excited about playing that he began eating so he could. Samuel was starving and crying so I was giving him a bottle and setting out the other's food... all of a sudden, Jason got a funny look on his face and began vomiting, all over the table and his shirt... So, I stop feeding Samuel to clean him up and strip him (of course, I had no change of clothes for Jason). Sara Kate decided she was finished and started trying to climb out and Samuel started crying for more bottle... so then I get the bottle going again and Jason is melting down because now I can't let him go play in case he is sick (though, I really think he just gagged on too much). Then Samuel spits up all over himself and now, I am done. SO, I pack them up and head to the van. On the way, Sara Kate finds the red button on my key chain and sets off my car alarm... so, needless to say, we won't be going anywhere alone for a while.... if I had gone anywhere but Chick-fil-A I would likely still be there cleaning up and crying, but the staff was just so helpful and kind that I survived and now am just laughing at the whole story. Great baby book story for sure!

Baby Samuel is HOME!!!! He has done so well and finally, we brought him home today. His bilirubin stayed down and he moved to a crib yesterday. He has maintained his temp and is eating like a line-backer. He is only 1 oz. to his birthweight! Today is also PawPaw's 81st birthday, so the family is coming over for a welcome home/birthday party. More updates to come from that! Thank you all again for your prayers and support. They are so appreciated and still so needed!!!

Monday update on Samuel

We made great progress today!!! Baby Samuel's bilirubin came down to 12.4 this morning and the moved him to a crib with a bili blanket, which is awesome. They told me I could try to breastfeed him today when I came so I was so excited. When Steven got home from work, we went to visit. He was waiting for us because it was past time for him to eat. He was so alert and so hungry.... or so I thought. Not long after I started feeding him, he snuggled up and fell asleep... So sweet. To wake him up to keep him eating, I handed him to Daddy for some special loving and some pictures. Then it was back to feeding.... I fought for an hour to keep him awake to eat, but enjoyed every minute of it. When it was time to leave, they were getting ready to check another bilirubin level. I called at bedtime and it is down to 9!!! If it continues to go down by in the morning and he continues to eat well, they will give us a discharge plan tomorrow!!! Baby Samuel has been dubbed "Sammy the Bull" by a dear friend... I think it fits. He has been a trojan. Here are some of the pictures of the sweet time with Daddy.... Thank you again for all of your prayers and concern... it is working!

Update on Baby Samuel

So far, we have made great progress. As of yesterday, the blood cultures remained negative. That is great news and that means no more antibiotics. He has been eating very well and his breathing has remained normal. The only thing we are waiting on is his bilirubin to come down. It peaked yesterday at 16.5 and they have had him on 3 bili lights. Today it was down to 14, which is promising. They are going to recheck it tonight and if it continues to go down, begin removing the lights one at a time. Then, the only thing we will be waiting on is for him to graduate to a crib from the warming table where they will make sure he can maintain his body temperature. He hasn't had to up until this point, so they want to be sure. So, all that means that maybe mid-week we can bring him home, but it just depends on him.

We finally got to hold him some today and I am just in love. They have been limiting us to keep him on those lights. I can't wait to get him and just hold him and keep him!

I am doing better, still weak from a pretty low hematocrit, but improving daily. I am just so thankful for all the care and expertise I have and am getting from St. V and that everything seems to get better every day. Thanks for all the prayers and calls, please don't stop praying!!!

Love, Kate

Introducing Samuel Robert Allen

Samuel Robert Allen was born at 1:19 pm on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 at a whopping 8 lbs 14oz and 21 inches long.

I spoke with Kate and Steven numerous times on Tuesday and everything seemed to go very smoothly during the labor process. However, after baby Samuel was born, things took a turn for the worse for Kate. She began hemorrhaging as a piece of placenta or membrane broke off inside of her. After much clotting, they got Kate stabilized and stopped the clotting/bleeding process. Thank heavens for those wonderful doctors and nurses at St. Vincent's!

Kate became stable around 5:00 pm on Tuesday. Although exhausted, she had very high spirits. Since she had such a tramatic day, she decided to send Baby Samuel to the nursery to get some rest.

Wednesday, February 11th
In the early morning on Wednesday, the nurses brought Baby Samuel into the room and explained to Kate that his breathing was significantly fast. They wanted to draw some blood. After the blood was drawn, they decided to keep Baby Samuel in NICU until he resumed a normal breathing pattern. At one point, he was breathing as much as 110 times per minute. They also refrained him from eating so that there was no chance that he would aspirate. He was hooked up on glucose to help with his sugar levels. They determined that his white blood count is elevated. At one point, they were concerned about his heart but luckily, a cardiologist came and his heart checked out to be normal for an infant. He remained in the NICU overnight where his breathing slowed down but still remained faster than normal. Kate visited the ICU every time the doors were open.

Thursday, Feburary 12th
Samuel remains in the NICU. Today, they placed a feeding tube down his throat to provide him with some nutrients. His bilirubin count has risen so they decided to also place him on a "bili" bed. However, his breathing has become a little more stable. At this point, they are thinking that pneumonia has set in and started some antibiotics today. According to my conversation with Kate a few minutes ago, they are going to keep Samuel anywhere from 3 to 7 days to continue giving him the antibiotics. We are praying that Baby Samuel will come home on Saturday. More than likely, Kate will be released tomorrow, February 13th.

Although Kate and Samuel have had several bumps in the road, we are all VERY thankful for the support and care that they have received from the staff at St. V's and from all of Kate's friends and loved ones. Please continue to pray for this precious family and Samuel's quick recovery.

With much love,
Aunt Katie