We Have Rooms!

It was a God moment today. Dane called the hotel last night and we were told that they were booked for 2 months. He called this afternoon and was able to get rooms for us and the Hartmans. He called tonight and was able to get Greg a room for Thur. night. Thank you God for your many blessings!

DELIVERY DATE!!!!

Brittany and Travis were told that Micah will be delivered on Wed. September 2nd.
After reviewing Micah’s test they decided that he was strong enough for the delivery. Thank you God for getting him this far.

Not sure of any of the details yet, other than Brittany goes in Tuesday for Pre-op testing. I will keep you posted as we know.

Please pray for the Brittany, Travis, Micah, and the team that will be in the operating room. Also, pray for hotel accommodations for my self, Dane, Travis Mom, and sisters. The place we have been staying is telling us that it is booked for 2 months. Now we need to find a place close and not very expenses.

More testing.....

Brittany had her semi weekly ultrasound and non-stress test. Micah passed both of them with flying colors! The Nst test he did in 20 minutes, which is a record time for him. For the ultrasound he received all 8 points. Brittany amniotic fluid level was down also, which helps her contractions not come as often. They will repeat the tests again on Monday.

They were without air conditioning for awhile yesterday. Brittany thought no pregnant women should be without it. :) Thankfully it was only for a few hours. Her daily trip out of the room yesterday was to the TV room to watch America's Got Talent.

Good news from Micah’s testing and cards from the youth group brought their spirits up today. Thanks for all the prayers and words of encouragement that have come their way.

An update...

Yesterday, we had our normal tests for Micah, but this time, as an outpatient! :) His non-stress test (it measures how his movement and the contractions affect his heart rate) came back fine. Sometimes he's squirming so much they can't keep track of him. Yesterday he rolled over and they had to find him again. He's a tricky one! We also had his bi-weekly ultrasound. He almost got all his points, but missed out on one because he didn't breathe as much as they want him to. He's ALWAYS stubborn on this, but this is the first time he didn't get it all in under 30 minutes. He was breathing though- on several occasions, just not quite what they wanted. The doctors weren't too concerned though.
They are planning an amniocentesis (oh boy) for September 2nd, when I'll be 36 weeks by their count. If this test shows his lungs are mature, they will deliver him shortly after. If not, they'll continue their waiting game.
Every three weeks, he gets measured. This week, they estimated him at 5 lbs, 5 oz. To us, this seems huge! We didn't think he'd ever get this big! They measure different bones, his head and his abdomen. The size is converted to the estimated age of the baby. His head was in the 34 week range, his belly in the 33 week range, but his legs measured between 35-36 weeks. Everything was within the range of normal, I'm just amused at the long legs.
This is my first time to venture downstairs to the computers, so I'm a happy camper. I plan about one "outing" a day- whether it's to the doctors office, the tv area, or somewhere else. Otherwise, I'm taking it pretty easy.
We just want to thank everyone for their cards. We have a memo board in our room that is full of cards, and we love getting them. We appreciate the prayers, we know that's the only way we've kept our sanity the last three weeks.

Not sure what I did???

It came to my attention that you couldn't comment on my last post. I am not sure what I did
so I am trying it again. Hopefully, you can leave comments now, which I will pass on to Travis and Brittany.

Brenda

News from the MRI testing

I'm writing this for Brittany and Travis - They received wonderful news. The MRI showed NO airway blockage. The Doctor is certain that he will be able to get an airway in either by mouth or his nose. PRAISE GOD!!

The MRI also showed that Micah's lungs are a little small for his age. (On the low end of normal) So they have decided to wait until week 36 or 37 to deliver him. They will meet next week to pick a date, unless Micah decides to control the show.

Britt said she felt miserable after the long day, but was celebrating in her head. :) We have alot to be Thankful for.

Britt and Travis wanted me to pass on a Thank you to Alan, Cathy and Jenny for the Fruit arrangement.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Brenda for Travis, Brittany and Micah

Freedom!!!

The going plan is to let me out today! That's both exciting and terrifying. We'll be across the street from the hospital.
The MRI is tomorrow and we'll be at Childrens from lunch to dinner. Let you know more when we can! I won't have wireless (or maybe internet at all), so I may pass the updating to my mom.
Wish us luck!

A little update, and a lot of thanks!

There is no way I can remember to specifically thank all of you who have sent us cards this week! It's so nice to get mail (it spices up what have been pretty boring days!) I do want to thank the Youth and the New Life Class for making cards for us. We're reading the youth cards a few a day, and we got the New Life Class cards in the mail today. You guys are pretty great!
We had visitors today! Craig, Cora, Olivia and Bethan came to visit us... that's a long drive (but they are used to long drives!) Unfortunately Olivia and Bethan weren't old enough to come on the floor- I'm sorry! They didn't tell me that rule! But for future reference, I know that you have to be 14 to go into the NICU. I'm sorry, youngins!
The doctors are still talking about letting me out tomorrow. I'm off the medicine now, and I already miss it! As long as the contractions are bearable and not changing anything, they're planning on letting me out tomorrow. Sunshine, here I come! If they let me out, we'll be a hop, skip and jump from Childrens, which makes us feel better about being there.
Tomorrow I'll have an ultrasound to check on Micah, as well as his daily test. Friday, though, they're doing another MRI at Childrens. The doctors want to see if anything has changed since about a month ago. Having the MRI makes me really nervous (I'm scared of what they'll find), but they need to know about it in advance so they can plan for it. It's a blessing, but a real stress. Plus, I'm not terribly fond of MRIs. But really, who loves them?!?
Well, I think that's all for today. Maybe tomorrow I'll be posting from the R. McD. house, not the hospital!

An interesting day... by my standards.

There's (officially) no way I can keep up with all these doctors/residents/nurses I've met. I finally met the 4th of 4 Maternal-Fetal doctors associated with the fetal care center.
Micah did really well on his non-stress test this morning. I was only on the monitor for 35 minutes, when normally it's an hour (or more). He scored an 8/8 on his biophysical profile (the ultrasound). The amniotic fluid level is still slightly high, but it could be lower than the last two times they've checked it. It's a very inexact science, so the number varies.
Dr. DeFranco was filled in on the plan to stop the medicine on Wednesday morning, and see what happens. She said there's a chance that if I stay stable after that, they may let me out. (Emphasis on the "mays" and "ifs" in that statement.) That's the closest I've come to dreaming about the outside of this room since I've been here. We would be across the street from the hospital, so we wouldn't be far if something were to change.

An amusing fact... The clinical manager for the nurses on the floor is from none other than Columbia City. We had a nice chat about Hilgers going out of business and a few other things. SMALL world.

I thought this was pretty amusing... It's from the 1993 "classic" Dennis the Menace.

Dennis: The most important thing is they marry the women, then the women can go down and get the baby.
Margaret: The baby is in her stomach.
Dennis: She has to get it installed. Her stomach isn't just filled up with babies.
Margaret: Who installed some?
Dennis: A minister and a doctor.
Margaret: How?
Dennis: 'How'?
Joey: [laughs] She wants to know how? [Joey continues laughing but stops as Margaret furiosuly glares at him]
Margaret: Tell me, Dennis. How?
Dennis: The bellybutton-it opens up.
Margaret: How come men have them?
Dennis: So they don't look weird in bathing suits.

Hope you got a laugh.

My Saturday in pictures...

The closest thing to a timeline...

Well, the doctor decided to take me off my medicine when I get to 34 weeks (probably mid next week). The main medicine I'm on is not something they typically keep people on for a long time. No one is sure what will happen when I'm off of it, I guess we'll see! The medicine is typically used for high blood pressure, but for some reason it works for this too. I've learned the real meaning of low blood pressure in the last two weeks. (My record is 86/46) Luckily, I'm feeling much better now than I was.
I can attest that Micah is getting bigger, my belly is proof! He should be around 4 1/2 pounds by now. He's 33 1/2 weeks. It depends on who you talk to, but they want me to get between 34-36 weeks- which would be about 20" long and 5-6 lbs.
Being in the hospital has officially got annoying. I'm surprised it took this long, really. I miss the outside and work and people... Oh well... like one nurse said, "every day he's in you, is one less day he will be in the NICU."

A little clarification...

I got a call from Dr. Lim (he and Crombleholme are the two lead surgeons) to clarify some of the information from our last big meeting. The most important thing is that they both feel fairly confident that they'll be able to establish an airway through the mouth or nose. They can't say for sure, but there's at least a decent chance that'll be the case. That is what we are REALLY hoping for. They have other options, but this would be the ideal one.
We are both pretty relieved to hear this, because this isn't what we thought at first. He gave us some more information... but that's the most important thing. Right now I'm just worried about getting him out safely, then we can worry about the rest.
I just got a very pleasant interruption! A lady from the gift shop came in with a little stuffed lamb, balloons, magazines and a coloring book... How fun! :) Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Weaver!!!
The flowers we've gotten and the balloons make the room much happier. I've been in this room for over a week now, and it's nice to have some things to make it a little more home like. Thanks!
P.S. Rachel Ray made a really yummy buffalo chicken stromboli on her show... Maybe you'd like it. I"m a huge stromboli fan, thank you Julie N.! Enjoy!

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 3-4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 large or 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken, such as rotisserie chicken, leftovers or cooked chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup hot sauce for extra spicy, or 1/4 cup tomato sauce or tomato juice mixed with 2 tablespoons hot sauce, for mild
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 store-bought pizza dough, defrosted
• Flour, for dusting the rolling surface
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 1 egg
• A sprinkle of sesame seeds or poppy seeds

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 400˚F.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter with the EVOO and cook the celery and carrots until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken and hot sauce to the pan and toss everything together with some salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside and let cool.
When the filling is cool, roll out the pizza dough into a rectangle on a floured surface. Spread the cooled filling evenly out onto the entire dough, making sure not to get too close the any of the edges. Top with the cheeses and scallions.
Roll the stromboli, starting at one of the long sides, tucking in both ends firmly. Press the seam with your fingers to seal.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg with a splash of water, then lightly brush it over the stromboli, covering the entire surface. Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds, transfer to a baking sheet and bake in the oven until golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Nothing new...

Nothing new to report today. We talked with Dr. VanHook about why the doctors (not his specifically, but others) gave us such different opinions about what was going on. He said he'd call over and talk to at least one of the doctors (the other is on vacation), and then get back with us.
Last night was a long night... at nearly midnight they decided to give me another shot of steroids (sweet dreams, right?!) and at 5:15 they had someone come up and do an EKG. I'm still not sure why they did that, I was too tired to ask. They normally come in at 11, 1, 5 and 6:30, which is plenty to me, but last night was extra special.
On a happy note, the nice young man who brings me snacks every evening just stopped by with a huge handful of snacks. I'm allowed to pick out whatever I want normally, but today he gave me probably a dozen of what I asked for. That, my friends, is how to get on a pregnant ladies good side. :)

Not the news we wanted...

We went over to Children's today to meet with another team of doctors. In this kind of a situation, there's between 2-10 different people per job that you can meet, and this meeting was with a completely different set of doctors than the first time.
For some unknown reason, they found something in Micah's windpipe on the MRI. It's the same MRI they looked at last time, and they didn't see it (or at least mention it). Needless to say this is not good news. They can't tell for sure what it is, but there's a chance it's partially obstructing his airway. That means a normal intubation might not work, and they'd have to do a trach. The trach is a problem because that area of his neck is covered by the cyst- so to get to his windpipe, they'd have to remove the cyst- which there may/may not be time for.
They (of course) brought up EVERY possible variable that could go wrong, and it was incredibly disheartening. The 34-35 week time fame is out the window apparently, in favor for trying to wait as long as 36 weeks. As long as insurance will pay for it, I think they're planning on keeping me here till then. It's still dangerous for Micah and me if I go into labor, so the fact that they're waiting is incredibly frustrating.
The first doctor said that recovery from the surgery itself (to remove the cyst) would be 7-10 days, this doctor said as little as 2-3 weeks, or as much as a few months. We have no idea why things seemed to change so much.
The first doctor said that Micah might have an underdeveloped jaw because of the cyst, the second doctor said that they can already tell he does. The first doctor said there might be nerve damage in his face, but that it would be temporary, the second said it would be permanent.
Needless to say, we didn't want to hear any of this.
That's basically the main idea.

Uneventful....

Things have been happily uneventful. I've only seen the specialist once today, which is a good thing! I hope they stay that way!
We are supposed to go to Childrens Hospital tomorrow for meetings, but we haven't heard a single thing for a few days. Hopefully they'll be able to give us some details tonight.
Have a good night!
Travis and Brittany

Drama, drama, drama...

Seriously, this kid is pretty dramatic for still being in there... Maybe he's getting it all out of his system before he's born (haha... I know better).
Still having contractions... It's been 6 days now. As Dr. VanHook says, "Some people just contract and contract, and nothing changes... And you're one of those people." Dr. VanHook is a pretty funny, quotable guy. As he says, the doctors "are using their belt and suspenders" to make sure that I dont go into labor without them knowing. (Meaning they're covering their bases quite well). He has a bank of analogies that are always pretty amusing. I've seen him the last three days pretty frequently.
The one thing I'm pretty sure of is that I'm not getting out of here before he's born. When the maternal fetal doctor sees you multiple times a day, so he can leave without worrying about me, you know that they're watching you pretty darn close.
Today we're trying medicine number... 4, I think. This one probably won't make much difference, but they're trying their entire arsenal.
We have visitors this weekend, which is nice. Unfortunately everyone is going home until something decides to happen. It'll be strange just being Travis and I, but I think I'll probably catch up on sleep (they don't let you do much of that around here).
Anyways, enough for now.
Britt (for Travis, Micah, Brenda, Linda, Amber and Mandy)

OH! I forgot (since it doesn't apply to me!) We got into the Ronald McDonald House yesterday. Travis says it's really nice, and it's about 15 dollars cheaper a night than where we were staying (although that was a great deal too!) So, now we have an address.
Ronald McDonald House
c/o Travis and Brittany Hartman Room 24
350 Erkenbrecher Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45229

Nothing new...

Well, it's Friday. It's good people remind me, or else I might forget. Hopefully lots of the youth are having fun at movie night tonight.
Not much new to report today. They tried me on a third medicine to stop the contractions. So far, it doesn't seem to be doing anything. The good news is that the contractions aren't changing anything, and they don't seem to be getting any worse.
Kudos to anyone who has been in the hospital for more than a few days... It's driving me crazy. Thankfully I have a wonderful hubby that is taking good care of me.
Pray specifically that Micah doesn't come over the weekend... It's just not a good/easy time in hospital-land to make something happen (like his complicated delivery). The maternal-fetal doctor is pretty pleased that nothing has changed. I'm trying to keep it that way (as if I had a choice, right).
Have a good weekend... God bless
Brittany
(P.S. The ultrasound on Monday showed that Micah has hair! I forgot to mention that! He must take after his daddy).

A little more... since I have nothing but time!

I could end up writing a lot, since I have nothing but time.
Our time spent in Cincinnati has been quite unpredictable, but it's been pretty good. Travis has been sleeping on the couch in the room (I can't talk him into sleeping at the hotel). My dad was here for a few days, and my mom is here for the week. It's nice to have people to talk to- I can't imagine being here all alone! Being in the hospital isn't the best, of course, but it's not been too bad so far. I suppose I'm getting ready for being woken up in the middle of the night lots and lots! We were lucky to get a sort of hotel type room that's only about two blocks from the hospital. It's pretty cheap for a hotel room, and even though Travis isn't sleeping there, it's nice for him to have somewhere to go. It's a hotel/almost dormitory for people with family in the hospital, so my mom is staying there. They can walk if they want. Which brings me to my next point... I think anyone who would want to live in a city this size is CRAZY. There's nothing like having to take interstates to get anywhere!
I woke up from a nap today to find flowers in my room! Thanks Grandma, Aunt Joni, Aunt Ellen and family. Flowers are nice to have in the room. We also really appreciate all the things people have done for us the last few weeks- we have been very blessed by so many of you. It's taken a lot of stress off us!
We are so grateful for all of you guys, our family, church family and friends. You all have been incredibly supportive and we appreciate your prayers. God is taking care of us! We are doing pretty well.
Hope your having a great day.
Brittany :)

Hospital Wireless!

Woohoo, got wireless at the hospital. It's a fragile little wireless, so I'm not promising I'll ever get it again!
It's been quite the week, don't you think? Monday I went in for "routine" tests, and they stuck me in the hospital! I was in the labor and delivery area from Monday-Wednesday, and now they've moved me to a more normal room. They also starved me for 27 hours on Monday/Tuesday (you shouldn't get between me and my food!) They got the contractions under control, then sent me to the other side of the floor... where apparently the "good" snacks are.... haven't seen any of these good snacks yet.
This morning my contractions returned, but they're not nearly what they were on Monday and Tuesday. They're keeping an eye on me. Pray they don't come back, if for no other reason, this room has a window and I get to see the sun!
I had an ultrasound this morning and nothing seemed to change for the worse, which is good. They didn't measure him, since he was measured monday. He should be putting on about an ounce a day from here on out.
Well, the internet is pooping out on me, so I guess I better get this posted before it dies entirely.

Oh, and Jude... we don't have an address yet, we'll let you know as soon as we get one.
Catch you later,
Brittany & Travis, and little Micah who demands to be noticed today! Squirmy pants!

Cincinnati News - Wednesday Aug 5

I'm writing this update for Brittany and Travis. They do not have Internet access at the hospital. Britt went for an ultrasound on Monday morning. They started with a non-stress test. From which the determined she was having contractions 2-4 minutes apart. They decided to admit her to the University Hospital for monitoring. She was in the labor room from Monday to Wednesday. They have gotten her contractions down to about 15 - 20 minutes apart. She is now in a room for them to watch, and doing well. The ultra sound continues to show that Micah is doing great! Praise God! The doctors have not given them any indication whether she will stay there till Micah is born or will get to go back to the hotel to wait. They would like to get him to at least 34 weeks. He was 32 yesterday. I am staying down with them until Sunday, and with Travis Mom and sisters coming on the weekend. I will pass on any posting that they receive. Please continue praying for Micah and Brittany health and safety, for Travis to be able to get the rest he will need for the upcoming weeks, and wisdom for the Doctors and nurses.

Thanks for everything,
Brenda for Brittany and Travis

Made it!

We made it to Cincinnati in pretty good time (no thanks to Dayton construction) and are relaxing in the hotel... with wireless internet. :) It's good to be down here.