tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42736799916571646462012-02-16T22:52:00.485-05:00We survived 11 weeks in the NICU and a risky surgery to remove half Lawson's lung, my husband getting laid off from his job of 12 years, and a move to a whole new city for his new job, all in less than a year! We know it's all in God's hands and are grateful for each day He gives us.Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.comBlogger1051100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-42558907491281122782010-07-20T19:06:00.013-04:002010-07-21T00:41:33.925-04:00

When our agent first told me there was brick in the kitchen of the house we were about to walk through, at first I couldn't imagine it, then I was prepared to hate it. As it turns out, I LOVE it! Since I first saw this kitchen, it has gone through a few transformations, some at the former owners hands and some at mine, and more are to come. . .This is how the kitchen looked the first time I saw

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-51650437663537281402010-05-02T21:25:00.003-04:002010-05-02T21:49:00.586-04:00

The kids have been at my parent's house since April 16, to give me a week to finish packing and cleaning our house in Raleigh before we closed on Monday April 26. It was also supposed to have given me a week to get our house in Roanoke Rapids ready before we went to pick them up. According to that plan, we should be just getting home tonight from mom and dad's house, introducing Lacey and Lawson

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-30080113149586688082010-04-30T09:16:00.002-04:002010-04-30T09:58:27.224-04:00

Since my last update, we have gone through some pretty dramatic changes! Our house in Raleigh sold! Hurray for that! Considering the current economic state of our country, selling a house in less than 2 months is worthy of celebration! We have found the perfect house for us in Roanoke Rapids! Hurray for that too! It was not an easy feat; we looked at EVERY house on the market, which is

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-90850984364415357162010-03-06T23:47:00.003-05:002010-03-07T00:03:27.686-05:00

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-70787287919561668992010-02-25T01:55:00.009-05:002010-02-25T22:37:15.438-05:00

I was reminded recently that it's been a very long time since I've posted anything on the blog. I realized it's been even longer since I've REALLY 'written' like I used to do. There was a time when I thought I would keep 'our story' updated much more often than I do. And then life happened! There have been sooooo many exciting, wonderful, hilarious, crazy, sad, happy moments that I really

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-50071910362508002862009-12-29T01:20:00.000-05:002009-12-29T01:21:41.464-05:00

As most of you know, Brian recently entered the job market after 13 years at the same company because of downsizing. He set to work right away looking for a new job and after about two months of hard core job searching and two interviews, we got a call which set in motion the craziness that has been our lives for the past few weeks. In a matter of a few days, we have made some pretty big

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-22288847860212984842009-12-04T22:09:00.005-05:002009-12-04T22:51:56.081-05:00

This Thanksgiving we brought Lawson back to my hometown for the first time. It was a wonderful visit, since my sister and her family were there too. So for the first time, my family was ALL together! It was wonderful! We also took Lawson to First Baptist Church, one of the churches that prayed so hard for Lawson's recovery. As soon as the pastor figured out who he was, he came and got Lawson and

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-26160115196720981622009-11-09T23:03:00.003-05:002009-11-09T23:26:18.101-05:00

Tonight I'm posting from Brian's phone so bear with me! We've been on the road since Friday morning visiting family. First my sister and her family in DC; next Brian's grandparents in NJ. We're currently in NY, just for fun between stops. We're going to try to get on the Today show tomorrow-just in the crowd around the plaza. Last year Al Roker interviewed me! :). Now every time Lacey sees

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-36094722054736698792009-10-31T01:51:00.003-04:002009-11-01T15:39:22.020-05:00

Here's a video of Lawson attmepting to eat. We're having quite a time getting him to take solid foods. He does this really funny thing when the food touches his tongue. He sticks it out, so as to say, "Eeew, get it off, get it off!" I'm sure he'll get it soon enough . . . ;) Enjoy!

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-15688475213208419192009-10-26T09:26:00.002-04:002009-10-26T12:52:49.043-04:00

Lawson has been sitting up all by himself for a few days now! :)

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-51829200374441191052009-09-11T12:02:00.001-04:002009-09-11T12:05:47.569-04:00

Please excuse our huge blanket over the couch. Yes, I know how incredibly tacky it is. However, this morning, I was reminded of exactly why we have it there. As Lawson finished his bottle, I moved him up to my shoulder for the obligatory burp. Instead of a burp, I got a projectile spit-up all across the back of the couch. Luckily my tacky blanket was there to save the day. But all this is

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-33817223753869181102009-09-04T23:23:00.002-04:002009-09-04T23:45:14.445-04:00

In case you've never tried stopping breastfeeding/pumping 'cold turkey', it's a very bad idea!! I do NOT recommend!At our appointment at Duke on Tuesday, I was told I could stop pumping my breastmilk for Lawson. I took that literally and stopped; not a good idea! My breasts got very engorged and painful. I did know I needed to pump just a little to ease the pain, but not enough to 'stimulate'

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-76054409765205618442009-09-03T23:07:00.001-04:002009-09-04T15:03:58.606-04:00

So if you've been reading my blog, you know how important breastfeeding has been to me. I've wanted to breastfeed Lawson since he was born. Even when he was in the NICU, weeks away from ever eating anything, I shared my desire with his nurses. Most of the nurses were on board, saying that if breastfeeding was my goal, it was theirs too. There were a few who made me feel guilty for even talking

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-9734522006244883512009-09-02T23:55:00.001-04:002009-09-03T00:42:49.560-04:00

We didn't even know Lawson had an appointment Tuesday, until they called with the reminder message on Monday. Apparently, at our last Special Infant Care Clinic appointment 3 months ago, we thought we were finished, so we didn't check out and missed finding out about the appointment! (Either that, or we're really sucky parents and just forgot to write it down on either of our calendars.) We've

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-30177453227266326782009-08-23T00:17:00.003-04:002009-08-23T00:45:43.995-04:00

We've reached the halfway mark! Lawson has been home with us longer than he was in the NICU!! Since then we've been back to Duke many times for appointments and check ups. Just this week we had his hearing screening at Duke, which he passed. (Babies who've been on sustained ventilation have a much greater risk of hearing loss in the future.) This visit was over in record breaking time!! I was

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-21391615892792775452009-08-18T23:56:00.007-04:002009-08-19T23:56:53.750-04:00

Over the weekend, my sister and her husband were finally able to make it down to see Lawson. We've tried to schedule this a few times, but this was the first time they've gotten to visit since Lawson has been home. They're living in Alexandria, VA these days, much closer than Holland, so it's a little easier, but life still happens.This was the first time Michelle had gotten to hold Lawson. She

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-89898753190854905182009-08-08T01:47:00.005-04:002009-08-08T02:25:49.540-04:00

This week I decided that Lawson was well enough to finally have some portraits made. I called an old friend, Kitty Jones, who took some amazing portraits of Lacey when she was a baby. Ms. Kitty is the manager at JC Penny Portriat Studio at North Hills. She doesn't really take photos any more due to the time/stress constraints of the managerial position, but she makes the occasional exception. I'm

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-37787183967530367782009-08-04T22:49:00.000-04:002009-08-04T23:01:27.402-04:00

The time has come for me to mourn a loss. It happened quite a while ago, but we found out about it the day we were bringing Lawson home from the NICU. I haven't said anything about it yet but now it's painfully clear what a huge loss it was. Gallons of my breastmilk were lost. There's only enough milk for about 3 days left in our freezer. I'm still pumping and we're trying to breastfeed

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-311345955045325232009-07-30T23:50:00.001-04:002009-07-30T23:58:08.484-04:00

I've realized that several of my last posts have sounded kinda negative, which is very uncharacteristic of me! If this doesn't give you a reason to smile, I don't know what will!! Here is one of the absolutely wonderful things about staying home! (more to come in the future)We've recently found out that Mr. Lawson is ticklish . . .

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-36226286139058549652009-07-30T01:08:00.002-04:002009-07-30T10:31:39.756-04:00

My son and I really need to have a chat about our sleep schedules! Those of you who know me, know I am NOT a morning person! In my opinion, the day should begin at around 10:15am, just early enough to get breakfast at McDonalds. I could easily stay awake half the night. As a matter of fact, it's hard for me to go to bed early. Well, except for when I was pregnant with Lacey. I was so exhausted,

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-52675932019385127242009-07-25T21:41:00.001-04:002009-07-25T21:51:56.261-04:00

For my entire working life, my world has revolved around the beginning and ending of school. My 'year' begins when school begins. Starting a school year means the mad rush it takes to get everything ready for another batch of little ones. And ending a year means tying up all the little details like paperwork and programs. Most of those years the rush to begin starts in August and the wrap up

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-24382325319941332922009-07-23T23:10:00.000-04:002009-07-23T23:12:44.445-04:00

Lawson is 4 months 1 week old.He now weighs 11 lbs 14oz!He is officially wearing size 3M clothes.He can roll over on his tummy time mat (with the pillow propping him up, but that's a start)!He's laughing out loud!

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-79282159243192425152009-07-21T07:49:00.005-04:002009-07-21T09:51:50.672-04:00

The day our wild roller coaster NICU ride with Lawson began, we were to have had a baby shower at Brian's work. Before we got the news, I remember him being all stressed out that we were going to be late. Brian tends to be wound up awfully tight and can find pretty much anything to stress about! ;) As we sat in the waiting room, he kept checking his watch and asking when they were going to call

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-90727433796976260932009-07-19T22:15:00.000-04:002009-07-19T22:16:33.582-04:00

Lawson, Lacey and I have been home together for about 7 weeks, since we pulled Lacey out of daycare to prevent her from bringing home germs to Lawson. She's super smart and loves to learn, but she's also very social, which means I hear, "Mommy will you play with me?" several hundred times a day! Another common phrase I hear is, "But I need someone to play with me!". Just the other day, I

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-64473040283137804022009-07-17T23:58:00.002-04:002009-07-18T01:18:31.275-04:00

Brian had the day off work today, since he's been working longer days to get every other Friday off. He decided today would be a good day to get a new ceiling fan for our bedroom because the chain broke off ours the other day and now it won't turn on. He warned me that the last time he installed a ceiling fan, he did something wrong, blew a fuse in the house and blew the motor in the fan! We went

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-29338880200038675902009-07-16T18:57:00.003-04:002009-07-16T19:13:21.416-04:00

Every day it seems that Lacey gets more and more creative with her drawings. Just a few weeks ago her 'people' were faces with legs. She's now moved on to faces with bodies and legs. There's rarely arms, unless I remind her. They usually have hair and many times they have belly buttons. :) This was the first picture she has made that included a 'background' and 'theme', where something was

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-9185686114839197902009-07-14T23:18:00.000-04:002009-07-14T23:25:16.243-04:00

So yesterday my facebook status was "Mitzi Stinson Levering is wondering if we can actually make it to Lawson's doctor appointment on time this week. We should start getting ready, since we've only got 6 hours! LOL" That was at 9am. I was halfway joking and yet we were still cutting it close to arrive on time! I wish I were the 'on time' person, but I just can't seem to make it happen. Within the

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-8049769153111969552009-07-11T23:51:00.001-04:002009-07-12T00:31:23.947-04:00

Lawson has been betrothed since we found out he was going to be a boy! My friend Katie and I were due on exactly the same day, April 25, and they found out that she was having a girl right around the same time that we found out I was having a boy. Since Katie and my husband, Brian are both huge Carolina fans, they decided that our boy and their girl will have to marry someday, or at least date!

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-11175060568106931322009-07-09T23:26:00.000-04:002009-07-09T23:34:45.130-04:00

Breastfeeding is a wonderful and beautiful thing! It is a perfect way for mother and child to bond. Quite possibly the most natural thing a woman can do. OK, I'm getting a little carried away here. I'll have to say I agree with the first two, but that last one about being 'natural' is just a load of crap! I don't care how many people say breastfeeding is a natural skill that every baby and mother

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-57397903306274066122009-07-07T21:58:00.008-04:002009-07-08T13:47:33.549-04:00

Today's visit to Duke was quite eventful! We were told to expect to be there a good part of the day, so we arranged for Lacey to have a play date with friends. It's a good thing, since our appointment was at 10am and we didn't finish until after 2pm. We met with the speech therapist, physical therapist, the neonatologist fellow, the attending physician, and a few other Lawson fans.As we checked

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-41394382173516555122009-07-05T23:52:00.002-04:002009-07-06T00:25:33.699-04:00

On Wednesday, I packed up all of my teaching supplies and moved them into my garage. In my mind it was the 'official' start to my year at home. The class that I started the year with had their last day of the school year Thursday and all the teachers had staff development on Wednesday. So it was eerily quiet in the halls of Brassfield as I packed my things. I was surprised by how quickly I was

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-75915251782436364772009-06-26T22:16:00.001-04:002009-06-29T00:15:54.373-04:00

Yesterday was a very tough day for me! My Kindergarten class had their End of Year celebration and I was invited. Bringing Lawson or Lacey was never even a thought in my mind, but initially I planned to go. I asked Brian to take off work to watch Lacey and Lawson and began thinking about the day. I thought about my sweet little kiddos and how much I miss them. I thought about how much they

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-16090878493158802322009-06-24T19:11:00.005-04:002009-06-26T08:40:48.694-04:00

We had our follow up appointment with Dr. Rice today. It was the first time I've had to get Lacey and Lawson ready all by myself and go anywhere. (We went to his regular pediatrician yesterday just for a weight check to see if they need to change his medicine dosing, but Brian met us at home before we went.) We were pretty excited that he us up to 9lb 10oz!!! Dr. Rice was excited to see us and

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-26469871001448078232009-06-18T23:48:00.002-04:002009-06-24T19:11:21.284-04:00

My mom has been here since March 18 helping me through the wild roller coaster that has been our lives for the past 3 months. At times we were terrified for Lawson's life, other times overjoyed with his progress. There is no way I could have been as strong as I've been without her. It's hard for me to understand the selflessness she has shown to dedicate that much time to our lives, but I am

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-53018863185026325182009-06-16T23:44:00.000-04:002009-06-21T11:52:07.370-04:00

We headed back to Duke today for the first of many follow up visits with his 'old friends' there. This appointment was with Dr. Majure, one of the pulmonologists. We knew about 'Duke time' from our experience there in the NICU, but we weren't prepared for 'Clinic Duke time'! Our scheduled time was 11am. By about noon, they suggested that we go ahead downstairs for his chest x-ray, since the

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-6148471793270647352009-06-14T22:29:00.003-04:002009-06-17T15:58:22.310-04:00

Today Lacey got her first swim lesson of the season. She was so excited she could hardly wait! Since my mom's still here, she kept Lawson at home while Brian and I watched Lacey. She took a few lessons last year and by the end of the season, she would go underwater near the steps, but I would definitely say that she cannot swim. Her lesson today was basically a review of the skills she learned

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-58980587299734499972009-06-13T22:06:00.002-04:002009-06-17T15:56:46.499-04:00

Today is Lawson's 3 month birthday! This afternoon, my mom and I had to make a 'quick' trip to the Patsy Aiken Attic Sale to return one of the outfits that we got at the last sale that didn't fit Lacey. We took her with us, so of course, it wasn't a 'quick' trip. I wanted her try on everything so I didn't have to return stuff again! Lacey, on the other hand, just wanted to try on everything . . .

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-21789827314474596042009-06-12T23:18:00.005-04:002009-06-17T15:52:13.405-04:00

As I've mentioned in an earlier post, we've pulled Lacey out of daycare to prevent her from bringing home germs while Lawson's condition is still very fragile. And since I'm not returning to work, we don't need all day daycare. However, as I've also mentioned in an earlier post, Lacey's appetite for learning is almost insatiable. So we've decided to enroll Lacey in preschool. We've had her on the

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-6736454395045142722009-06-11T23:48:00.001-04:002009-06-12T00:01:50.909-04:00

Brian is back to work, but thankfully my mom is still here with me. Since Lawson is on such a strict feeding/medication schedule, we're trying to use that as a baseline to work out a sort of daily schedule, a lesson plan if you will. Those of you who know me well, know how much I like a plan! Seriously, without a plan I would never accomplish anything! So I guess it's more of a need than a 'like'

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-62929430553114870652009-06-09T22:29:00.003-04:002009-06-10T00:18:32.058-04:00

Lawson had the second of his many follow up appointments yesterday. This was with his regular pediatrician to check for appropriate weight gain. We were sooooooooo proud of him . . . he is up to 8lb 4oz!! That's up 1 lb 2oz since we brought him home from the hospital! The doctor made us feel very good about what we've been doing with him. :)That's really all the news we have to share, but I

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-46053488549582973472009-06-05T12:01:00.005-04:002009-06-07T01:18:30.253-04:00

We've been home with Lawson exactly one week today and I really can't think of one reason to complain, except maybe that we’ve become huge germaphobes! He's eating like a champ, growing like a weed, smiling like crazy, and sleeping like a log!! We're all getting plenty of sleep and eating well, including Lawson. He stays awake about 3 hours throughout the day and he goes right back to sleep at

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-21670042789073798082009-06-02T23:50:00.003-04:002009-06-04T13:18:04.113-04:00

When Lacey woke up this morning, she came into my room just as I was about to get into the shower. Lawson was still asleep in the bassinette next to our bed, mom was still snoozing in her room, and Brian was already downstairs. Assuming Lacey would want to eat breakfast immediately, as she usually does, I said, "I really need to get in the shower, but Daddy's downstairs." To my surprise she

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-34739982568032664662009-06-01T23:58:00.005-04:002009-06-02T01:51:19.447-04:00

To say that the past few days have been wonderful would be an understatement. Lawson is such a good baby and Lacey has exceeded any expectation we may have had of her as a big sister! We’ve spent the weekend getting to know one another and snuggling, snuggling, snuggling!! Lawson is definitely a smiler! At his ‘newborn well baby’ (neither of which he is) appointment today with his regular

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-74427215581951780652009-05-30T20:18:00.000-04:002009-05-30T20:27:39.286-04:00

I would love to share every detail of our amazing last few days, but that will have to wait! As I sit here on my very own couch, pumping, I'm eagerly waiting for my next turn to snuggle with our amazing little miracle, Lawson. Yes friends, that's right . . . Lawson is home! We were surpised by that news when we arrived to spend the evening with Lawson in the Care By Parent Room yesterday! We had

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-8016361863715408852009-05-27T23:58:00.000-04:002009-05-28T01:48:24.876-04:00

Yesterday was an extremely stressfull day for all of us! I didn't feel like blogging about it and thought about leaving it out, but since this is as much MY diary of our experience and opportunity to vent as it is keeping everyone else informed, I've decided to include it. When we arrived at the hospital, Amanda, the speech therapist was at Lawson's bedside. She greeted us and then said, "So

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-10507684838653961122009-05-25T03:33:00.000-04:002009-05-25T03:42:13.918-04:00

Over the weekend we've had some really exciting changes! Lawson has yet another Attending Physician, Dr. Malcom, whose specialty is transitioning infants to home. He's also a big supporter of breastfeeding. He feels that the swallow study is an 'unnatural' way to check to see if breastfeeding is safe, since it is done in the lab and not actually at the breast. He believes that the best way to

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-77239470465480015232009-05-22T21:24:00.004-04:002009-05-22T23:32:38.404-04:00

Today we met with Lawson's new Attending Physician. We hadn't met with any Attendings since Lawson moved from Room 4 about 2 weeks ago, so it was nice to finally speak with someone 'in charge'. Apparently, when your child is doing well, you get no love! lol Her arrival was actually a surprise. Brian was feeding Lawson his bottle and I was pumping, so we had the curtain pulled around the '

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-82177322569256978822009-05-20T23:36:00.001-04:002009-05-20T23:49:06.301-04:00

Lawson's surgery was 3 weeks ago today. He has made an amazing recovery and is right on track for his gestational age, which is about 3 weeks. His scars have healed enough that he was able to get the very first bath of his life today! I'm talking REAL bath, sitting in the tub with soap and water!! Of course he wasn't a big fan, but it was totally teriffic for me! He was actually really relaxed

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-84733415245394528322009-05-18T23:57:00.001-04:002009-05-19T01:06:59.167-04:00

We got a call this morning letting us know that the speech therapist was concerned that Lawson wasn't progressing like she would like to see and felt that he needed to go ahead with the swallow study. Brian and I met at the hosptial around 2pm to get the results. I knew I needed to pump a little before we tried breastfeeding for his 3pm feeding, but I wanted to get a little Lawson lovin' first.

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-41125721866914138172009-05-18T00:22:00.004-04:002009-05-18T00:45:04.835-04:00

It's 12:22 am and I just got home from the hospital. Lawson's feeding schedule is every 3 hours at 3, 6, 9, and 12 both am and pm. They want me to try to be there for as many feedings as possible to help him get the hang of it. Both yesterday and today I was able to make it there for the 3pm and 9 pm feedings. I was there for a few others on both days, but he was either asleep or not in the

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-1592591232654928702009-05-15T23:34:00.002-04:002009-05-15T23:43:59.934-04:00

Lawson was able to take almost 4ml during our breastfeeding session today! That's a tiny amount, considering the whole feed is about 54ml, but lactation and speech were very pleased for our first try! The TCN is usually a pretty quiet place, but for some reason just as we were getting started, there was all kinds of commotion, some babies leaving, some babies crying, some babies moving in, and

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-14982186008193127002009-05-14T22:49:00.000-04:002009-05-14T23:19:33.082-04:00

Lawson had a big day today. He got moved to a more private area of the TCN, since we're there so often, pumping and practicing 'lick and learn'. The spot he was in yesterday was directly in front of the nurses station, so every time we closed the curtains, it took up half of the walking space in front of their desk. So now we have much more room and privacy. This morning we tried 'lick and

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-46460879484906923602009-05-13T22:01:00.000-04:002009-05-13T22:25:52.805-04:00

When I dropped Lacey off at daycare this morning, we saw one of her little friends from class, Tyler and his grandmother, who were just visiting for a few minutes. He's the child who had surgery at Duke to remove what was thought to be a tumor, right around the same time as Lawson's surgery. Both of our families celebrated successful surgeries; it seemed that it wasn't a tumor after all.

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-62316463323837427062009-05-12T22:08:00.001-04:002009-05-12T22:32:32.398-04:00

I finally felt ready to visit with my Kindergarteners and coworkers today. When things were so uncertain with Lawson, I just knew I couldn't put on my teacher face. Today I had some paperwork to deliver to school. I could have mailed it, but now that Lawson is doing so great and my kiddos are tracking out tomorrow, it seemed like the right time. Besides, when Lawson comes home (which I hope is

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-64764636006356064902009-05-11T20:46:00.004-04:002009-05-11T23:11:14.098-04:00

Brian and I met at the hospital this afternoon for our 'lick and learn' session with lactation. Lawson did an awesome job of latching on and sucking! Yet he is still reacting negatively to swallowing even drops of milk, so the Speech Pathologist is continuing to work with him on that. He is continuing to get his nutrition from my breastmilk through the gavage tube and TPN and lipids

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-87624258659850697332009-05-10T22:04:00.006-04:002009-05-14T23:41:08.017-04:00

We've had a terrific weekend! Yesterday morning we took Lacey strawberry picking. The whole experience took about 30 minutes but she had a blast! I highly recommend Page farms, behind Kohl's at Brier Creek. When we got home, Lacey made mini strawberry pies all by herself. She's such a sweetie; she made a card and two strawberry pies to welcome our new neighbors to the neighborhood. When that was

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-70333509827068276592009-05-08T22:18:00.000-04:002009-05-08T22:48:45.330-04:00

From what we've learned, the road to teaching a preemie to breastfeed is complicated. The natural reflex that helps a newborn feed, coordinating sucking, swallowing and breathing, is not yet developed in a preemie. If he doesn't use that reflex when the gestational age to do so is finally reached, it goes away. Plus if the baby has been intubated, especially for an extended period of time, he can

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-58239817853268264452009-05-07T22:40:00.001-04:002009-05-07T23:09:20.760-04:00

Eight weeks ago we asked the doctors when we would be able to bring Lawson home. They told us there was no way to know, but that most preemies stay at least until they have reached their gestational 'birthday'; Lawson's was April 25. In order for any baby to leave the NICU, they must do 3 things: 1) Breathe on their own 2) Regulate their own temperature and 3) Breast or bottle feed (apparently

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-74871034410870231622009-05-06T22:38:00.001-04:002009-05-07T21:26:38.052-04:00

I went to the hospital early today so I could 'kangaroo' with Lawson. This is what the NICU considers a special way of holding your baby. You wear a button front blouse and unbutton it, then hold your baby, skin to skin, to encourage closeness and bonding. I wish I could find the words to describe that experience today! I sat with Lawson on my chest for about 2 hours today. Just before I left the

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-9847940209051409712009-05-05T22:51:00.000-04:002009-05-05T23:32:26.549-04:00

It is unbelievable how wonderful Lawson continues to do! He was so sweet today. He got a little bit of a bath, so it was even sweeter to hold him! Honestly, it was wonderful to finally get to hold him, but he really did stink! Daddy held him for about 30 minutes and he was just wide awake and happy the whole time! For a while, they were having a staring contest! :) It was great to see Lawson with

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-78530150948846581552009-05-05T10:42:00.002-04:002009-05-05T11:20:22.300-04:00

I was so exhausted yesterday evening that as soon as we got home from the hospital, I laid down on the couch and fell asleep until midnight! I pumped and went straight to bed! So this is my first opportunity to catch everyone up on our wonderful day yesterday! Lawson's nurse called early to let us know they would be taking him off the ventilator at noon. When my mom and I arrived at the

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-69383064320083413852009-05-03T21:31:00.001-04:002009-05-03T22:14:18.318-04:00

My sister and her family left this evening and I went to the hospital by myself after that. When I got there, there were tons of doctors, nurses, and the RT standing around Lawson's bed. Apparently, he had been switched to the conventional ventilator and wasn't happy about it. His heart rate had skyrocketed and his oxygenation was down. By the time I got there, they had gotten him settled down by

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-25929089257101651982009-05-02T22:26:00.000-04:002009-05-02T22:43:30.662-04:00

My sister and her family came to visit today. She and I went to the hospital shortly after they arrived. Lawson was awake and happy for quite a while when we first got there and slept peacefully after that. He was also sucking on his pacifier! (Sorry, no pics; I was too caught up in watching him to get the camera!) That was great to see, since he'll need to practice sucking in order to learn

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-61914731167297740932009-05-01T21:50:00.004-04:002009-05-02T11:45:50.957-04:00

By the time we made it to the hospital today, it was late afternoon, but Lawson was wide awake and happy, happy, happy! Danielle left this morning, so it was just Brian, Mom and myself. Brian and I got a chance to speak with Dr. Auten, our current Attending Physician, for quite some time. He was really pleased with Lawson's progress and reviewed the plan for the weekend, with one minor change. He

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-45147309688447393812009-04-30T22:31:00.000-04:002009-04-30T23:18:14.828-04:00

Lawson had a great day today. He spent the day resting peacefully, but was awake for about an hour while my mom and I visited. He was calm and quiet, yet wide eyed when he was awake. Dr. Rice came in this afternoon and was pleased with his progress. He had one 'episode' overnight, where his oxygen saturation level dropped, but he recovered quickly and hasn't had any more episodes since then.

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-87327067272590022202009-04-29T21:10:00.004-04:002009-04-29T23:57:47.113-04:00

Danielle and I arrived at the hospital early today so I could have some time with Lawson before his surgery. Brian stayed home to get Lacey off to daycare and mom felt like she could handle the stress of the day best at home. Brian got there early enough to spend some time with Lawson before his surgery. I got to hold him again and was actually happy that they were late in starting so I could

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-69488801176734385422009-04-28T23:41:00.009-04:002009-04-29T00:34:54.352-04:00

We had an amazing time visiting with Lawson today. I think the pictures say it best . . .

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-33634848639487281942009-04-28T00:23:00.003-04:002009-04-28T00:39:30.260-04:00

The meeting went as expected today. Lawson will undergo surgery on Wednesday at 10am. The entire procedure is expected to take about 5 hours, with the actual surgery taking 3 - 4 hours. The CT scan he had this morning showed that the lung is much more damaged than the x-rays make it appear to be. It is unclear exactly what will need to be removed until the surgeons have a chance to see if

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-35479508815321467232009-04-26T23:30:00.003-04:002009-07-08T09:03:45.680-04:00

Yesterday was my original due date. Instead Lawson came six weeks, one day early and has been fighting for his life ever since. We've had ups and downs, happy tears and sad ones. The news seems to go from bad to good and back again. This time he made it 22 hours off the ventilator. (for the quick update, scroll to the bottom)The original 'problem' that caused the team of doctors at Duke to induce

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-65489255788789133652009-04-24T21:05:00.002-04:002009-04-24T21:52:15.533-04:00

The x-ray we saw today of Lawson's chest didn't even look like the same child! There was an entire section at the top of his left lung that was almost perfectly healthy! He still has the sequestration at the bottom of the left lung that has been there since the beginning. This has never really been the problem and he could go years without having to deal with it. But there was beautiful,

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-61698022321877060112009-04-23T21:28:00.002-04:002009-04-23T21:44:45.730-04:00

It's been a very long week since my last post. For whatever reason, I could not bring myself to type the reason I was praying for a miracle when I wrote that post. And it's still hard to do now, but the reason I needed a miracle was because Dr. Rice didn't think Lawson was strong enough to survive the surgery and without his lung getting better with the current treatment, there was no other

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-64236484084848051452009-04-20T22:01:00.005-04:002009-04-20T22:33:23.424-04:00

I'm not really in the mood to blog tonight, but I do want to ask for your prayers! I met with the pediatric surgeon, Dr. Rice, this afternoon and he said unless there is a dramatic improvement in Lawson's left lung by the end of this week, the only option will be surgery. We'll have a CT scan to check progress and proceed from there. Depending on how the lung looks, Lawson will either need a

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-48350609615700617032009-04-18T21:19:00.003-04:002009-04-18T22:09:05.712-04:00

We got an early start today, since we had a playdate for Lacey/parents' cook out planned this evening with a few of our friends. We tried to get in the 'whole family visit' early in the day so Lacey could have enough time for a nap, which is a necessity for playdates! As it turns out, that's when Lawson is the most awake. He was awake, alert, and happy the WHOLE time we were there! That never

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-22741258836441091372009-04-17T21:49:00.003-04:002009-04-17T22:29:27.485-04:00

The doctors called this morning to tell us the breathing tube had slipped out of the right side and was now giving air to both lungs. They planned another bronchoscopy to put it back where it should be. The assured us it was a quick fix and no big deal. This was supposed to happen at 11am.Brian's dad came up for a visit and to meet his new grandson for the first time today. We got to the

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-39975140991409133652009-04-16T22:37:00.004-04:002009-04-16T23:51:56.802-04:00

Soooooo . . . we got a chance to chat with Dr. Goldberg and look at Lawson's most recent chest x-ray today. There's not a whole lot of change in the x-ray, but enough that Dr. Goldberg was pleased, which makes me pleased too! They have also been able to come down a little on the ventilator settings and increase his feedings. Being able to have the breastmilk has helped him gain a few ounces,

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-69180137029904673012009-04-14T19:50:00.003-04:002009-04-14T21:06:36.264-04:00

For the past two Tuesdays, my good friend, Lauri, has taken off work to help me out and drive me to the hospital. It's nice to have a friend for the drive. I don't think she knew what she was getting into today . . . We had a long to-do list before I had to be at the hospital for a meeting with Lawson's team of doctors. We had to return things to both Target and Walmart, then pick up a few

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-13981837957138278602009-04-13T22:41:00.004-04:002009-04-14T01:21:23.582-04:00

My mom and I had a really nice morning with a little retail therapy. :) It was time to invest in a few shirts that actually fit 'up top' and are not maternity! I tried on about 25 shirts and ended up with 5!! We were at Kohl's forever! Since we were out and about for quite a while, I experienced a 'first' today, even after breastfeeding Lacey for 14 months- pumping in the car while eating lunch-

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-29119957222604469832009-04-12T19:01:00.002-04:002009-04-12T19:48:09.629-04:00

There's not really a lot of news to share about Lawson. Since the last blog post, we have continued the waiting game. Dr. Tanaka told us that we'll be able to tell if the plan is working if the x-rays show improvement. Unfortunately, the x-rays have not shown improvement, but they have not gotten worse. Since the original plan was to look at things again on Monday, that's where we are right

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-16704249475222565302009-04-09T20:06:00.004-04:002009-04-10T05:01:42.778-04:00

Seriously!? As in Grey's Anatomy, "Seriously, you've got to be kidding me!" I think I mentioned before that the doctors said they've seen all the problems that Lawson has displayed, just not in the same child. Today we can add another unusual problem to the list.Dr. Tanaka ordered a bronchoscopy, since his idea for the nitrogen washout (the combination of 100% oxygen and steroids) didn't work. A

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-82438026045645803902009-04-08T17:40:00.002-04:002009-04-08T17:43:57.638-04:00

Here's the latest video of Lawson awake. He's on the jet ventilator, so that's the loud rhythmic noise in the background. You can barely hear it, but he's making a soft grunting sound too. :)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN6Esp54D_A

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-51769091865204453392009-04-07T22:03:00.002-04:002009-04-07T23:24:16.954-04:00

When I got to the hospital today, he was wide awake and alert! I LOVE those days! It feels like he's looking right at me! :) His nurse said he'd been a little fussy earlier and so she'd given him some morphine, which means our little party didn't last long before he was fast asleep. Even when he's sleeping, I just enjoy sitting by his bed and watching him sleep. I did get a chance to take a

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-41861597569232867782009-04-04T22:21:00.002-04:002009-04-04T23:01:03.842-04:00

Every 12 hours Lawson gets a new nurse/team of nurses. Sometimes they're nurses we've seen before, sometimes they're not, sometimes there's just one, and sometimes two (one training and the other learning). We've liked most of them and really like a few of them. And since Duke is a teaching hospital, he gets new doctors every two weeks or so. His 'turn' with Dr. Goldstein has finished and

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-9210104505838954112009-04-03T23:28:00.002-04:002009-07-08T08:53:19.257-04:00

Lawson's doctor called us today to say that one of the blebs had burst and caused a pneumothorax, air in the space outside the lung in the pleural space. They just happened to see it on a routine chest x-ray. Normally this would be a very serious condition that causes the lung to collapse. Since Lawson's left lung is so filled with blebs, (apparently there are hundreds) the lung was inflated by

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-31247930517180761282009-04-02T21:43:00.003-04:002009-04-02T21:59:03.485-04:00

I got up this morning and planned to drop Lacey off at daycare and then run a few errands that I've been meaning to handle. As I was halfway across town, I realized I'd left my cell phone at home. By the time I got home, it was 12:15. My mom asked if Brian had gotten in touch with me yet. Lawson's doctors wanted us to meet them at the hospital at 12:30 to discuss the 'plan'. Of course, Brian

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-61005110652574807112009-04-01T21:38:00.001-04:002009-04-02T21:42:03.271-04:00

When I arrived at the hospital, they informed me that Lawson was about to go down for his CT scan. I was surprised, since I didn't know he was even going to have a CT scan. Once they got me calmed down and convinced me that it was a good thing (He was stable enough for the test.) I noticed there was a razor laying near his bed. When I inquired as to it's presence, they told me they had to shave a

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-49175751148841197372009-03-30T22:47:00.002-04:002009-03-30T22:56:52.770-04:00

Lawson's vitals were fairly constant today. Since he has been reacting negatively to stimulation again, he was wearing noise cancelling headphones and light blocking 'shades'. Even though it's a tough situation and we're still emotional, it's hard not to laugh a little when we see him 'dressed up' like that! He didn't really make any progress nor did he lose any ground, so overall it was a

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-21841705575743975672009-03-29T22:07:00.005-04:002009-03-30T04:54:30.901-04:00

I'll have to admit that I'm wiping the tears as I type tonight. I was expecting to show up this evening to see my little dumplin's beautiful lips with nothing stuck down his throat and no tape all over his face. Instead, the receptionist asked me to wait a few minutes, since they were in the middle of taking his blood, not too out of the ordinary. Then the nurse practioner came out to talk to me,

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-17756103886237640812009-03-28T21:50:00.002-04:002009-03-28T22:16:52.821-04:00

Brian and I got great news that we weren't expecting at the hospital tonight. . . they're planning to extubate Lawson (take out the breathing tube) tomorrow afternoon!!!! His right lung is perfectly healthy and his left lung, which was under the most stress from the beginning, is taking a little longer to heal. So apparently his chest x-rays, blood gases, and performance on the jet over the

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-82836637890638911362009-03-28T14:44:00.003-04:002009-03-28T15:31:11.299-04:00

I'll start by apologizing to all the worriers who get nervous when I don't blog. I truly didn't have the energy to get off the couch yesterday! Actually I felt worse yesterday than the day before! Plus I had a fever of 102.4. Ugh! So I haven't been to see my little fighter since Wednesday! :(According to our last phone conversation, here's the latest Lawson report . . . He is doing well on

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-40958252756902751262009-03-26T21:00:00.003-04:002009-06-21T21:45:50.326-04:00

So it is mastitis- double mastitis actually (both breasts)! Of course this is both good and bad. It's great because I'm not contagious and can go to see Lawson. It's bad because I truly feel terrible and didn't have it in me to make it to the hospital today! I was able to get in with my OB and they've given me an antibiotic. My doctor said I should start to feel better by tomorrow; let's hope

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-10598617488288628482009-03-26T13:20:00.003-04:002009-03-26T22:19:22.204-04:00

Here is the link to the video I took yesterday. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ_U2yNCKCo At this point I'm not sure if I have the flu or mastitis, an infection of the breast! :( I woke up at 1am with uncontrollable shaking and chills, body aches, and a headache. I was convinced it's the flu, but since Danielle is here, she thought the symptoms sounded like mastitis. Brian called a little while

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-33641080665140147522009-03-25T21:59:00.002-04:002009-03-25T22:26:01.443-04:00

We got the call at 4:30am. Lawson had 16 hours off the ventilator! By 4:30, they decided that he was breathing too heavy and he was wearing himself out, so they reintubated him (put the breathing tube back in.) We had prepared ourselves for the call, so it didn't bother us too much.Brian and I woke up early today and took Lacey to daycare so grandma could take some time to rest and recuperate

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-29585135352662573952009-03-24T21:28:00.004-04:002009-07-16T23:51:16.621-04:00

Lacey and I had a blast today making instruments with items from the recycle bin, playing with Little People, and washing seashells in the sink. Brian called early in the day saying he had talked to Lawson's nurse and they might remove his breathing tube today. He got home at 3pm and we headed for the hospital. Unfortunately, grandma isn't feeling well today, so she stayed home. Since there were

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-31616932241075206592009-03-23T20:45:00.004-04:002009-07-16T23:45:06.976-04:00

Brian went back to work today and since he works in Durham, he dropped me off this morning at the hospital. It was awesome to spend the entire day with Lawson. He was doing so well, that his nurse, Kelly, let me help wash his hair! We used a little 'scrub brush' dipped in soapy water and then rinsed with a wet cloth. It was the first thing he's gotten cleaned since his birth! She said that if

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-69056893062423007342009-03-22T19:29:00.004-04:002009-07-16T23:22:49.136-04:00

First and foremost, I'm thankful for the ultrasound that let us know there was a problem. If we would have never gotten that ultrasound and had been delivered at Rex, like we'd planned, he would have either not made it to full term or they would have had no idea what was wrong with him when he came out limp and lifeless and been ill equiped to care for him.He is at one of the best hospitals in

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-20029458011175783632009-03-21T17:57:00.005-04:002009-07-16T23:33:26.807-04:00

During our visit today, we received more positive news sprinkled with some cause for concern. I'll start with the GREAT news . . . Since birth, he has been on the High Frequency Jet Ventilator. Basically what we were told is that the 'jet' gives very fast breaths by vibrating air into the lungs more so than helping him breathe. Lawson was getting 420 breaths per minute. It made a loud rhythmic

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-60901702965031629072009-03-20T21:37:00.004-04:002009-07-16T23:08:48.582-04:00

I guess the positive conversation we had with Dr. Goldstein yesterday made me overly optimistic. I guess I failed to hear the 'barring any further complications' part of the conversation. I guess I didn't want to believe that anything else could go wrong.When we were on our way out the door to the hospital today, we got a call from the Nurse Practitioner. She said that Lawson had had an 'episode'

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-28122859257919996402009-03-20T11:38:00.005-04:002009-07-16T23:04:01.406-04:00

This time one week ago, I was laying in the hospital bed at Duke wondering what time they would induce labor. We had been told the night before that they would start sometime in the morning. It didn't actually happen until 2pm, but that's neither here nor there at this point.It's so crazy to look back on everything now. Everyone I know had made some sort of comment about how huge I was. It came

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-23795197992938664452009-03-19T21:16:00.004-04:002009-07-08T08:44:46.141-04:00

The nurses show up to work every day and tend to whomever is there unless they have a primary patient. They have the option to choose a primary patient, so that any time they work, that is the baby in their care. We've been waiting for Lawson to have a 'primary nurse' since he arrived in the NICU. All of the nurses we've met so far already had primary patients or were night or weekend only

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4273679991657164646.post-52000215553677550642009-03-19T12:36:00.004-04:002009-07-08T08:41:37.830-04:00

We're on our way to the hospital in a few minutes. We wanted to spend a little time with my dad before he headed back home today. My mom is staying until, as she puts it, we kick her out. :) By the way, my dad was given a clean bill of health from his doctor and released with no restrictions. It still makes me nervous for him to drive all by himself, but he refused to let anyone come with him. He

Mitzi Leveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760966888642245817noreply@blogger.com2