Caroline is One Year Old

Update on Mom

It has been a roller coaster ride, to say the least...juggling meds and doses to try to keep her out of a-fib (irregular heart rhythm), trying to keep her kidneys working and swelling down, trying to build up her stamina so her tolerance of activity improves and shortness of breath resolves. She is now in Cardiac Rehab. She has had good and bad days, but I think we finally got that tweeked to her level. Her main goals are to be able to drive again, go to church and the store and out to eat and play cards with her friends, and walk with a steady gait. Her spirits are good and she is moving forward since she began Cardiac Rehab. She is still in a-fib, but not symptomatic, and heart rate is under control, so she refused Cardioversion and the cardiologist was ok with that. They have to be careful how much they increase her dosage of her cardiac meds because if they succeed in getting her completely out of a-fib, she becomes very bradycardic (extremely low heart rate, i.e. 40's). I see her 3-4 times a week and Toby sees her on her days off. Her wound finally healed!!! She is off the walker and is using a quad cane. Phyllis is coming next Wednesday to stay with her while Toby and Jerry and John and I are in Florida. I know she'll enjoy that. Will try to keep you more up to date. It has been pretty busy on this end. Love to all! Vicki

A trip to the beach

Here is a pic of baby Caroline and daddy Jeff at the beach. Thought you'd enjoy. She is 10 months now and crawling, pulling up standing, walking around things and just a pure joy to all of us.

Jeff Doyle Family on Christmas

Here is a shot of Caroline, Jeff and Heather outside St. Patrick's on Christmas Day. One happy family.

Mom Home From Regency Place

Here is a shot of Mom home from Regency Place Rehab Center. Note her Rolator walker. Pretty fancy, huh?? The rate she is going in PT and OT, she probably won't need it too much longer.

I stayed with her the first 8 days home, now Phyllis is with her for a week. The nurse comes 3 times a week, PT and OT 3 times a week for first week or so.

She still has an open wound from her graft site that we are debriding and redressing
every day.

We are monitoring her heart rate (which has been extremely low (40's and 50's) and making adjustments to her heart and blood pressure meds as we keep in touch with the Cardiologist's office. We are also monitoring her weight on a daily basis because of the high dose of Lasix (water pill) she was on. We've got it down to 40 mg from 160 mg daily, and we've cut back on her Potassium as we have decreased her Lasix. We are in frequent contact with the Nephrologist in this regard. Phyllis is reporting vital signs and weight every day, so I can monitor it and get in touch with the doctors as needed.

She is doing more every day. This photo was taken on one of the two days in 6 weeks where she stayed in pj's and robe due to overdoing it the previous two days with Dr. visit, discharge home, and Christmas.

Tux watching kitties

Here is Tux at the back door, watching Cheddar.

Ivory

Ivory is beginning to look better nourished now that she comes once or twice a day for meals. She is also feeling comfortable enough to stick around, sometimes all day and evening...grooming, napping, doing her business, etc. Just today, she finally let me pet her...a break-through.

Cheddar

Here is Cheddar, at our back door, meowing for his supper. He has made a complete turnaround from being a skittish, run- when- he- saw- or- heard- us, kitty to an affectionate guy that loves to be petted and jumps up onto our laps for snuggling, kneading, petting, grooming.

Right now, he and Tux are getting to know each other through the front and back doors. Sometimes, they just sit and stare at each other...other times Cheddar growls and hisses at Tux, who backs down...then Tux's tail rapidly thrashes back and forth. They definitely are not ready to be together.

Meet Cheddar

About a week after we started feeding Ivory, we saw this orange tabby in the yard, then feeding at our feeding station. He, too, looks undernourished. We named him Cheddar, and he has been a "regular" from then on. He, also, is standoffish, but appears to have been around people some, because he does not run off. We can watch him feed too.

Meet Ivory

Ivory started coming around recently and last week I got a closer look and saw that (s)he was very skinny. I immediately decided to feed him/her. She ate everything we left out for her--moist and dry food--that first night and came back in the morning for more. (S)he has been coming a.m. and p.m. every day all week. We can sit out on the patio and watch her eat, and she occasionally looks up at us (with the most beautiful blue eyes). Apparently, she has been around humans and is not a feral cat. Eventually, we hope (s)he'll warm up to us. We are going to try to find a place where we canhave Ivory spayed/neutered. Maybe she can be our outdoor cat. Not sure how Tux would take to having another cat in "his" house.

Q: Guess who found her feet?? A: Baby Caroline

I was playing with my feet, and next thing you know--I fell asleep

Little cousins with newest cousin

Little Cousins

Katelyn, Hailey, Mackenzie
Having a sleep-over

Little hams

Taken after Caroline's baptism

David, Kim, Kristen, Michael, Mackenzie, Katelyn, Hailey, with Julie and Doug in the back.
Michael and Kristen
Vicki (aka Grammy) Jeff holding Caroline in her baptismal gown, and Jean (my best friend since we were 18)
Heather and Jeff holding Caroline

Precious Baby Caroline

Home At Long Last and Doing Great

Baby Caroline came home after 12 days in NICU at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. I flew down ahead of our original schedule of April 29th, to be with Jeff for moral support since Heather was still in the hospital til Saturday. Caroline made daily progress and was weaned off the ventillator, then the oxygen, then the IV hyperal (nutrition) and began to breast feed before discharge. Her resp. lungs matured after a dose of surfactant; and her patent ductus closed after a prostglandin inhibitor was administer by IV drip over several days.

John came down on the 29th, as originally planned, and we stayed with Jeff and Heather for a few days til they were able to get some rest and get into a routine with Baby Caroline. She is adorable. Will share more pictures when I get home from Florida.

Currently, John has returned to Indy after 2 weeks' stay, and I'm here at Julie's for a week and then for a week at David's--but on call 24/7 in case Jeff and Heather need help in any way.

Needless to say, I am enjoying my visit with the kids and grandkids. This was my first Mother's Day with all three kids in 14 years. It was great.

Update on Baby Caroline

Caroline continues to have respiratory distress, so they are transferring her to All Childrens' Hospital in St. Petersburg to be put on a ventillator to help with her breathing--so she can rest after working so hard to breathe. Jeff is going up with her and Heather's mom will stay with Heather at the hospital. Heather is supposed to be discharged tomorrow and plans to go on up with Jeff to be with Caroline. They are hoping to get a room in the Ronald McDonald House so they won't have to commute the 40 minutes each way every day--too rough on Heather. Keep all of them in your prayers. They anticipate a week's hospitalization. She does not have pneumonia nor amniotic fluid in her lungs, as was originally believed. They feel her lungs are still immature, due to the fact that she was delivered early (possibly 2 weeks prior to due date).
Will keep you posted.

Proud Daddy and Mommy

Jeff, Caroline and Heather immediately after birth. Isn't she precious??

Sweet Caroline

She is a little thumb sucker. She is currently in the special care nursery on oxygen, iv and monitors due to some respiratory distress. We'll know more tomorrow. Keep her and Jeff and Heather in your prayers. Will keep you posted.