Big Boy Bed

Our little guy is growing up! Ever since we found out that we are expecting our 3rd child this September, we've been slowly preparing Luca for the arrival of his "big boy bed." We figured, first take care of the bed... then prepare him for the baby!
His bed was delivered this afternoon, and we worked feverishly to get his room put together by bedtime this evening! Luca was very excited about the new bed - especially the sheets with cars on them. He's now fast asleep and I can't wait to go and take a peek!

So proud to be a "big boy!"

March Birthdays!

Yesterday was Bella's 5th birthday. While we were in Puerto Rico, Luca celebrated his 3rd birthday with a McQueen cake at Nonna and Pappy's. We then had their birthday party when we returned with a Mickey Mouse theme. Bella's birthday finally arrived and she chose a Care Bear cake. Now that we've exhausted all possible birthday themes, next year should be a challenge!

The video shows Keith bringing Bella her present - a Hello Kitty bike with PINK tires! She really doesn't show much excitement, but she rode at all over the house last night as well as all morning outside today.

We waited until yesterday to give Luca his presents from us, too, since there was so much going on at their party. The video shows him opening a John Deer talking tool belt and hat - these kids (and Keith) are John Deere people! The very sight of a green tractor evokes so much excitement.

Luca also got his very own Leapster so that he doesn't have to fight for Bella's anymore.

Puerto Rico

I realized that I really didn't post any pictures of the Puerto Rico trip after we had finally arrived... so here are a couple. The first one is a view from the balcony of our hotel room and the second is taken of the city wall of Old San Juan.

Keith and I had a great little getaway despite the rain for all but the last day and a half we were there! We managed to still have a great time sightseeing, hitting the spa and relaxing. I have learned, though, that going on vacation during your 1st trimester of pregnancy might not be the greatest idea! Bathing suits are a total drag, there are no fruity drinks to enjoy, and going out to dinner at your peak nausea-time can be a challenge. However, we truly loved San Juan and plan to visit again - whether or not we'll bring the kids is still up in the air!

Big Trucks!

These days, Luca is obsessed with construction vehicles... diggers, fork lifts, cranes, bulldozers and dumptrucks. Anytime he sees them - anywhere, he announces it with great joy!

Keith and I are still in Puerto Rico, but the kids are having a great time with my parents! As you can see in the picture, my dad made Luca's day by taking them to one of the new toll road construction sites in Brownsville. Bella gets almost excited as Luca does - I think she feeds off of his enthusiasm. Christian was there, too, and I was glad to see that the kids are having a good time while we are away!

As for Keith and me, we are enjoying Puerto Rico. The weather is very warm, but has been rainy, so we're missing out on some sun! We have managed to relax and spend some much needed time together, so we're really having a nice time. Tomorrow is our last full day, so we're hoping that the clouds will go away so that we can soak up some rays before we have to go home to the cold!

Nice Sign

We Made It!

This is what tired looks like.
Today was the first time I ever fish-tailed in an airplane. We finally took off from Philadelphia at 6 pm this evening. Despite watching the snow plows work on the runways all day, it was still covered in ice when we took off, causing the plane to swerve all over the runway just before we got into the air! A few palpitations later, we were safely above the clouds and said good-bye to all of the messy snow and hello to a 4 hour flight to San Juan.
We are now finally here - it's 1:30 am (we are 1 hour ahead of east coast time), and I'm ready to hit the sack! I'm also ready to wake up to some sunshine!
We also found out that Verizon Wireless doesn't have service here, so the entire trip will be cell-phone free! Thank goodness for e-mail... I can keep up with the kids that way. There won't be anymore pictures until we get back because I forgot the USB cord for the camera and my cell phone won't work, so I'll post in a few days!

Stuck in Philly

So I think we just may have picked the worst day of the year to try to fly.
We got up this morning at 5 am to get to the airport. When we got there we realized that our flight to Charlotte had been delayed, so we were going to miss our connection. We did, however, manage to get a flight to Philadelphia where we will have a 6 HOUR layover, and then leave for San Juan early this evening. As you can see, the runway was pretty scary when we landed.
We are optimistic, though, that we WILL wake up in sunny Puerto Rico tomorrow morning! Airports are so fun.

Kiss Me!

We're back in Pennsylvania, and Jilli and Bella are having another great reunion! Here is a picture of them at Ruby Tuesdays last night. It's not collagen, the big lips are actually lollipops that they earned by eating a good dinner!

We came into town for a baby shower for my sister-in-law Jen, today. It was a very nice time!

Keith and I actually leave tomorrow for Puerto Rico for some much needed R & R. We are really looking forward to a break, as the kids will be here with my mom and dad for the week! I should have some very tropical pictures to post later!

House Tour

I've had some requests to post more pictures of our home, and since we had no "house projects" planned for the weekend, I finally got around to taking some pictures.

Since we've moved in in October, I had all winter to concentrate on decorating the inside of our home, and it's almost finished. The finished basement still isn't finished, but for the most part, we can finally take a breather. (And Keith is happy about that!)

We have one room that isn't pictured - the NEW BABY's room! He or she is due to arrive in September, so that room will be my next project!

Front Entrance


Foyer

Foyer

Music Room


Dining Room

Great Room

Great Room

Back Stairs



Kitchen

Breakfast Room
Family Room

Family Room

1st Floor Guest Room

Play Room

Play Room

Master Bedroom

Master Sitting Area


Master Bath

Bella's Room

Luca's Room

Basement Bar

Bar Area

Theater Room

Theater Room

Weight Room

Basement Guest Room

The Real Groundhog Day

Noah's Appointment

Noah had his follow-up appointment at Children's today. The doctor was pleased with his progress. She decided to leave him on the IV antibiotics for another 10 days, and then switch him to oral antibiotics for 2 more weeks after that. That means that Noah will still have the PICC line for 10 more days, as long as everything is okay with it (i.e. it is functioning well and doesn't get infected.)
She actually removed a stitch that remained in is chest wound, which is healing okay (not perfectly, but okay!)
On Tuesday, Noah will have a cbc done (bloodwork) to make sure that he is doing okay with the antibiotics and to check on his anemia. He will have a chest x-ray in one month!
That about does it! The report was good and we're all so glad!

All is Right with the World (of Football, at least!)

Noah News

I know it's been a couple of days since an update on Noah, which is actually a good thing. He had a great Super Bowl, although still pretty weak. Luca was especially happy to see his buddy and wanted to play with him - a lot. After we explained that Noah was sick, Luca let him rest and all was well. Especially the end of the Super Bowl... GO STEELERS! (We are so proud of our team!)

Noah still has is PICC line in and is receiving IV antibiotics every day. A home health nurse came on Monday to document that Jaime (a home health nurse, herself) could administer the meds and care for the PICC line. From that point on, Jaime has been giving Noah his meds, dressing the wound in his side and caring for his central line.
On Friday Noah will see the ID doctor at Children's again. She had called Jaime and told her that she will most likely keep Noah on the IV abx for 2 weeks because it took so long for him to become afebrile. Their goal is to prevent any further fluid accumulation in the lung and keeping him on the abx for an additional week may help.
Noah went back to school yesterday, and had a bit of a rough time with the transition. However, today went much better! Jaime said that he still is very pale, though, and we need to continue to pray for increased strength for Noah.
Thank again for reading this update. He's in the homestretch!

Post Op Day 3

During church today I got a text from Jaime with great news (no, I do not normally text in church!).
Noah will have one more dose of IV antibiotics today and will be discharged later this afternoon!
He is apparently very excited to see his cousins, Bella and Luca, and they can't wait to see him.

Noah will still be on the IV antibiotics at home through his PICC line until Saturday. On Friday, however, he will go back to Children's to be examined (and have a possible CT scan) to determine if he is in fact ready to come off of them.

We are very excited that Noah will be with us for the Super Bowl, and he is looking forward to the party!
Again, thank you so much for all of your prayers. Your support for this family has been overwhelming, and they are so blessed to have you.

Please continue to pray for Noah's healing, as we don't want another repeat appearance at Children's Hospital ER! This week we need to pray for the remaining fluid to be dispersed from his lung and for the infection to clear (meaning no more fevers.)

Stay tuned for more updates!

Happy Birthday, Noah!

Here are the pictures I promised from the hospital...

A thumbs-up in "Big Ben" fashion.

(To let you all know that he's okay!)

We're finally here!

He switched out the hosiptal gown for a new Polamalu Jersey


We were so happy that Noah actually ATE his cake!

Uncle Tony & Aunt Judy



Family photo

Getting packed in!

Happy 8th Birthday!

Post Op Day 2

Today is Noah's 8th birthday. We were able to visit him this morning and he had the coolest room in the hospital, due to Jaime's awesome Steeler decorations. Many visitors came throughout the day (all dressed in black & gold) for his birthday. They even managed to convert a Browns fan medical resident to a Steeler fan with all of their Steeler Spirit!

Noah was doing much better today, and he had a much better night last night. He was in pretty good spirits when we were there, and I took lots of pictures (but managed to leave my camera at the hospital!) I will post them tomorrow after I get it back!

A few hours ago, sugery ordered a chest x-ray to determine if they could take the chest tube out today. It must have looked good to them, because they pulled the tube a few minutes ago. This is a very good sign that Noah is progressing extremely well. He was actually up and around a bit today and managed to take a "walk" around his floor.
Noah will have another chest x-ray in 3 hours to determine if any air was let in during the removal of the tube. If that x-ray looks good, surgery will most likely sign-off. Then it will be up to Medicine to decide when he can be discharged!

Look for another update tomorrow afternoon with pictures!

Post-Op Day 1

I just spoke with Jaime a few minutes ago. She said that Noah had a bit of a rough night. He pretty much had a constant fever - which actually was to be expected. The surgeon said that since the operation stirred up the infection, his next few days may be a little rough. He is hopeful that the chest tube will be able to come out on Sunday. We really don't know when Noah will be able to come home, but hopefully shortly after that.
Aside from the fever, Noah is naturally in pain and has some nausea. Please pray for his comfort during this expected rough patch.
Jason is at the hospital with Noah now, as Jaime was able to get away for a few hours to take a much needed shower. As you can imagine, she has had no real showers, no sleep and no appetite through all of this, so please pray for strength for her as well.
Keith, the kids and I will be leaving late this afternoon to go to Brownsville. We will finally be able to visit the little guy (just in time for his 8th birthday tomorrow), so we look forward to seeing him for ourselves!
My next post will be tomorrow. I will bring my camera so I can post some pictures!

Out of Surgery!

At 8:50 pm I learned that Noah was out of surgery and in his room! Jaime said that everything went very well. Noah was tired and a bit crabby, but much better than after the previous procedure which failed a few days ago.
The surgeon was able to get most of the infection out of the lung and was optimistic that after allowing the chest tube to drain for 2-3 days, Noah would be ready to come home.
Well, we can all thank God that the day went as it did. As it turned out, the schedule being the way it did landed Noah a great team. The nurses told Jaime that Dr. Kane was "the best" and that he was the one they would want for themselves!
I truly wanted to post this earlier, but this all happened while I was in the middle of putting the kids to bed!
We are all so relieved... Jaime really sounded good, which made me feel good. Jaime and Jason will both stay with Noah at the hospital tonight - they are in the process of trying to find Jason a chair to sleep in!
Again, Jaime sends her thanks for all of the continued prayer, love and support. We are so greatful to have such faithful friends and family.
God is so good and we are very blessed.
I will continue to update the blog with any additional news!

In Surgery

Noah went into surgery with Dr. Tim Kane a few minutes ago. Jaime went back to the OR with him until he fell asleep, and he did fine. They said that it would take until about 8 pm. I will update when I get news!
Thanks for your prayers!

Delayed!

Argh!!!
Noah's surgery has been moved to between 4 and 5 pm. The wait is frustrating (and the poor kid can't eat anything)!
Oh well, that gives us more time for more prayers! As soon as he goes into surgery, I will update.

The Latest on Noah

I know that we are all kind of just waiting today, so I wanted to give a bit of an update. Noah's surgery will be at 2:30 pm. This time is likely to be delayed (as OR times often are), so just know that I will post an update as soon as I get any news.
Thank you all for your outpouring of support and prayers for Noah.

Noah Update

Thank you all so much for your prayers for Noah. We are actively recruiting all of the "prayers" that we know to lift this little guy up before the Lord.
Anyway, the latest news from Children's is that the docs have decided to forgo the TPA (the medicine they were going to put into the chest tube to lyse the adhesions). They feel that it will just probably not work.
Noah is on the schedule to have the VATS tomorrow. This SHOULD work, and is actually what Jaime was hoping for instead of just waiting for things to get worse.
This is surgery in the operating room which involves general anesthesia. If you are interested in learning about the VATS, click on this link: http://www.thoracicsurgery.medicine.pitt.edu/content/Video_Assisted_Thoracic_Surgery.pdf

We ask that you all please pray for him tomorrow. We do not yet have his surgery time, but we know that he is on the OR schedule.
Jaime is so grateful for all of your love and prayers. (Oh, and don't forget to pray for her and Jason, as well.)
Thanks all!

Noah is sick...

The cutie in this picture is my sister's 8-year old son, Noah. Shortly after Christmas, Noah came down with the flu. Shortly after that, he was diagnosed with pneumonia and put on antibiotics. After he continued to spike fevers, Jaime had a chest x-ray taken that confirmed that Noah had a pleural effusion (infected fluid between the lung and it's lining). He was admitted to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh where he had IV antibiotics and was watched for a few days. He was then discharged to home. Noah didn't improve at home. After another visit to his PCP the following week, Noah was sent back to Childrens. He was admitted again 2 days ago. A CT of his lung showed that he had now developed necrotizing pheumonia with several cysts and adhesions in his lung. He underwent a procedure yesterday to try to drain it, but he had too many adhesions and it didn't work. They did place a chest tube, however, and it is under negative pressure to try to drain the infection. At this point, Noah is in pain from the tube, and just waiting. Tomorrow the doctors will inject TPA into the chest tube to try to lyse the adhesions and facilitate drainage of the infection. After this, they will wait to see if that works. If it doesn't, he will have to have a VATS procdure (video-assisted thoracic surgery) to debride the infection.
This is a pretty serious situation, and everyone close to Noah is concerned. I'm writing all of this because my nephew and his family (Jaime, Jason and Jilli) need your prayers. If you are reading this, please pray for Noah. We believe that he will be healed and recover, and we are asking God for strength for Noah, encouragement and comfort for Jaime and Jason, and wisdom for the doctors who are caring for him.
Thanks!

If you are interested on reading a medical article outlining exactly what Noah is going through, click on this link: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1001747-overview

A Great Day in History

Today is a great day in history. On this day in 1912, my Grandma Rohland was born! She is 97 years old today and still keepin' on!
Happy Birthday, Grandma.
We miss you and love you!

A picture of Grandma holding Bella at only 5 months old!

Going for the Six Pack!

Yeah... we're a little excited! It was a beautiful night in Virginia as we watched Pittsburgh trounce Baltimore. The cool thing is, for as close as we are to Baltimore, there seems to be much more support for the Steelers around here, which is very comforting to me! It was awesome to go to church yesterday and see some black and gold jerseys. Many of the folks here have nothing but great things to say about the steel city, and I couldn't be prouder to bleed black and gold!

Go Steelers!

Go STEELERS!

How proud are we of our Pittsburgh Steelers?? Even though we've lived in San Diego and now Virginia, I am a Pittsburgh girl at heart and we'll always root for the Steelers as our home team! The difference between tonights great game and some in the past was that the Steelers played like they truly belonged there. Even though we are quite fond of the Chargers, we couldn't be happier to see the Steelers advance in the playoffs!

Bella and Luca now totally respect the fact that sometimes, Mommy and Daddy just have to watch football. Today when the game came on, they each ran to their rooms to grab their Steelers jerseys!

Post-game victory snack. Hey... the Steelers won - they can have a little sugar!!

Back to normal!

We've been home from our Christmas trip to my parents for almost a week now, and I feel like we're finally getting settled again. It took quite a while to put away all of the new toys and gadgets, but now everything has a place! Bella and Luca are really enjoying finding something different to play with every day! I figure we should get a few more days of that, then it will be back to business as usual. Speaking of business as usual, the Christmas decorations are all put away, Bella is back to school, and I'm fighting the urge to get bummed out that it's all over. This time of year is tough, so I'll have to line up some more decorating projects to keep my mind occupied!

Happy New Year, everyone!