Luke's Corner in Lukaland (told by him)

O how fast time flies. I’ve been at this new strange location for a month now. It’s much better than my last place. Not so many people poking at me (though that little girl does like to hold me and kiss my face all the time). Hardly any blinky sounds or alarms going off. Just me and two big people who call themselves Mom and Dad, and this little person who calls herself Carlita. I’ve been spending most of my time with the female, called Mom. She’s cool – she’s always there to give me my food and holds me a lot. I like that very much. I’m not much for sleeping on my back and I have this awful stuffy nose that I just can’t get rid of. Trust me, mom and Dad try their best trying to suck the snorts out of my tiny nose and sending saline up my nose. Not fun at all. For someone who had a hard time breathing from the start, this isn’t helping me. But I ‘ll get over it – you all know me – the fighter. So my schedule is real simple – I like it that way. I sleep, pass gas which wakes me (I hate it), eat Mommy milk, pass out at her breast, wake up if she moves me, eat more, sleep. That’s it. Not too busy – just enough time to get my beauty rest. I do have my bad spells when Mom and Dad have to stay up all night with me (I feed every two hours) but I’m a newborn. What do you expect?


Mom does have me doing these “play” sessions with her and some researcher from campus. I don’t like it every much at first but now I’m starting to see things and notice Mom interacting with me. So much that I even smiled last week for her. It wasn’t that “gassy in my sleep” smile. I truly smiled at her – she was being funny.
Also the family went to visit my Tia Sandra and her family. I met my cousin Sofia. She’s a cutie. We also visited Abuela, who is a bit high strong for me. My sister took care of it though telling her that I was her baby, not Abuela. That girl – already watching out for me.


Lastly, we went for a 2 month check up. I weighed in at 10 pounds (I double my weight from birth), was 21 and half inches long and my head was 14 and ¼ inches round. I’m definitely filling out all over the place. My sister weighed in at 30 pounds and was 37 ½ inches tall. Wow!! That’s’ big! She keeps telling us all that she’s not the baby but a big girl. She’s working on potty training but sometimes wants to be a baby just like me. I do like her but sometimes she’s a bit too much for me. I’ll get used to it I guess. Well that’s it from Luke’s corner in Lukaland. Stay tune for my next adventures.

Friday, Sept. 5, 2008: A week and a month difference

It seems hard to believe that on Sept. 4th Luke was suppose to be born. What a difference a month it has been! When I’m holding Luke I just think that he can just be rolled up and put back into my belly right now because I was suppose to give birth this week. To think back to a month ago and all the drama we’ve gone through to now at home just sitting around holding him, it’ almost seems so long ago. Luke is doing great! We had two doctor’s appointments. Last week he weighed in at 6 lb and 2 oz. and this week at 7 lbs. and has grown one inch. He got his one-month vaccine shots (hepastis B) and was adored by the office staff. We also had a nurse come out to our place (as part of our benefits) to check up on how Luke is doing and he just keeps gaining weight which is very good. He’s right on mark if he was born today, and behind as a 1 monther but that’s okay. He’s eating very well (which keeps Mom up all night) and loves being held. He’s starting to have moments of full alertness, looking around and observing things. His big eyes just widen when he seems something new. Just so cute! Karl and I have been busy doing little errands every day. I really can’t just sit around inside all day but we have gotten to sleep in and we don’t push ourselves THAT much (that’s really Karl holding me back though).


Last weekend (Labor day weekend) Aunt Fran came to visit and we were apple picking. It was so nice to have another pair of hands to handle Luke and Carlita. After she left on Monday, we spent that day at the outdoor pool. I really wanted to be outside and it was a great day. Carlita and Karl kept busy in the big pool and horsing around.


Carlita is loving her brother. She always wants to hold him and feed him. When he cries, she lets us know “Baby is crying”. She does have her moments when she wants all the attention when people come over to visit and see Luke but otherwise the Luka family is adjusting well to the new little addition.

Lukey comes home!

A weekend of fun in the NICU. We spent the weekend changing diapers and doing feedings. Now that Luke is on his own schedule for feeding, Lulu slept over the whole weekend at the NICU in order to breastfeed Luke. He’s doing great with the feedings. He got his feeding tube removed and only has the heart monitor attached to him, the only thing that needs to stay attached until he leaves.

After 48 hours of ab lib feeding (meaning on demand) Luke was discharged today and is now at home. Dad dressed him up in a Cubs outfit and Carlita kept looking over Luke while driving home. Today the new Kaliher clan came together for the first time. Carlita is in love with Luke and parents are excited for this new adventure. We are very blessed that Luke got better so fast. 20 days in the NICU is a short time compared to some of the other babies. We are indeed blessed. Thank you to everyone who prayed for Luke and kept us in your thoughts. Now the fun is about to begin in Lukaland!

Friday, Aug. 22: On the home stretch

Big news. Luke drank all his milk by bottle over the night. Once he hit 4 bottles, they decided to let him ab lib, which means to let him wake up on him own and get feed. No more every 3 hours. It’s all up to him to wake up and tell us “I’m hungry”. Very exciting. Once he does this for 48 hours and doesn’t lose weight, he can get discharged. That means maybe Sunday evening but I think Monday will really be the day. So we worked on breastfeeding for half hour, which he tried his best but didn’t understand how to get more milk out and then got feed by bottle. We tried again later in the afternoon and he did much better latching on the left breast and feed for twenty minutes. I decided to sleep over at the NICU in order to get into the rhythm of breastfeeding all the time. Hopefully this all works out and Luke will be coming home either Sunday or Monday.


On Wednesday, Karl’s work, Delaware Guidance Services threw us a baby shower. It was planned a month ago because they thought my C-section would be next week. Luke had other things in mind. The baby shower was held in Wilmington and there was tons of good food, presents, and great company. It was just so nice that they did this.


In other news, Luke got his hearing screen and passed. He also got fitted into his car seat by the occupational therapist since he’s a preemie. We took cute shots of him in that seat. He’s so tiny in it. Next Luke is on the list to get circumcised. Karl is already feeling the pain for him. I hope this goes well but they haven’t come yet to take him away to do it. So we’re getting to those final steps to getting out of the NICU and getting home. Now its up to him with his feedings when we get home. Come on Luke – you can do it!

Thursday, Aug. 21: The full body experience ~written by Lulu for all those who don’t know what the body handles

There’s a lot of books out there regarding pregnancy and what goes on with a woman’s body. However, there is hardly anything written regarding post-pregnancy. Sure, there’s jokes about the pregnancy brain (aka scrambled eggs) and how exhausting it is to have a baby (i.e. no sleep). But there’s hardly anything out there that tells you EVERYthing from head to toe what’s going on with a woman’s body. So here it is for all of you who ever thought “what is it like to have a post-baby body?”.
WARNING: The following does include crude, and explicit details of the woman body that might disturb most from ever having a baby. You have been warned!

1) The head and feelings
a. Some women get thicker hair during the pregnancy. Some even have their hair fall out. As for me, my hair was pretty much the same. Semi-thick and luscious!
b. As for what’s happening inside the head, that’s another story. Forgetedfulness, irritability, moodiness. All types of emotions (good and bad) come out throughout the pregnancy, but especially afterwards. Extra sensitivity to being touched, irritable with everyone around you. That is what happened to me. Karl gets most of it. There’s many reasons why this happens: no sleep, tired of everything around you, all new things happening and you have no control over it, body chemicals affect your mood, etc. I love company and talking to a lot of people, but by the end of the first week, I was so tired of repeating everything three hundred times that I just wanted to be quiet. Can you believe that? Me Lulu wanting to be quiet and not be bothered. All these feelings do subside, though they stay there for some time.
2) Arms/fingers
a. I had and still have at times gotten “pins and needles” feelings in my arms and legs. This occurs mostly while sleeping when I’m laying down in bed, but also when I’m holding something for some period of time (like a cell phone). This is slowly going away, but still exists.
3) Chest/breasts
a. Oooo the breasties. The boobs. The Lu-lus. Okay, before giving birth they increase like triple in size in preparation for the golden liquid (aka milk). After birth and a few days later, the milk arrives. How do I explain this? Hmmm…. It’s like filling up a balloon with water. Attach it to your chest and there you go. The breasts add 5-7 pounds to your weight (so you lost roughly 20 pounds after the birth, but added on 7 pounds for the food supply). If you are breastfeeding, you ideally start right away feeding your baby. I was unable to do this, since Luke is in the NICU, so I started pumping. After 3 days, your true milk supply comes in. Now here comes the fun times. If you don’t empty out those girls, they get very painful, sometimes sending a sharp pain to your upper back. You get clogged ducts, which may lead to infection if they are not flushed out. I had this for a while. You have to just work it out with your friend, the pump, and rub that duct out and try to get that milk flowing out of the areoli (newsflash to everyone: milk does not come out of the nibble but the areoli). As for me, I rented a hospital grade pump to have at home because my Medela pump wasn’t doing it enough for me. I sleep with a bra on (i.e. no underwires ladies) and pump every three hours. The hospital grade pump has better suction than commercial grade. So just imagine being hooked up to a milk machine, similar to ones used for cows and there you got it. The fun enjoyment of the post-birth breasts. Ooo one more thing.. they start heading south VERY quickly and don’t return north ever. So enjoy them when you can, because they won’t be the same after becoming pregnant.
4) Abs/stomach
a. The type of birth you had (i.e. vaginal or C-section) will influence how your abs/stomach turn out. No matter what for the first week you will look like you are 6 months pregnant. Your uterus starts contracting back to its normal size right away, so you have constant cramps (ladies it’s like your menstrual cycle cramps). If you are breastfeeding (or pumping), this whole process goes faster but is still painful. Every time you pump/feed, your uterus contracts, so you’re getting a double whammie from the top to the bottom. After two weeks, most people wouldn’t know that you gave birth unless they saw you naked, but you do see yourself nake. You see the flab hanging there. You see the scar from the operation (if you had a C-section). You feel the stretches from anything you had happen and you want to scratch them (but you can’t because they are located too low on your body).

(Are you OK so far? If you are getting a little queasy, you might want to skip the next two parts—to number 6, because it’s about to get very explicit).

5) Genital/butt
a. Inside your body, your intestines are trying to work so you can go to the bathroom. This is a crude joke nature put on us women. You have to wear a pad for several weeks, first for the bleeding and next for the pee that escapes. No matter if you had a C-section or a vaginal birth, going to the bathroom is the worst experience. Take stool softener to help you get it on. Not the sexiest thing to know about, but it will help out greatly when you are trying to do number 2. Pissing is hard too, sometimes getting sprayed all over your legs or dripped because your vagina is recovering still. Timeline on this: unknown. After two and a half weeks, I still use stool softener and have to piss every hour. I wear a pad for those loose drips and left over residue. O the fun of being diapered up just likes a baby.
6) Leggs/feet
a. pins and needles still exist. You reserve some water during the pregnancy and afterwards, so you blow up and look like a tree stump. Only solution is to put your feet up and drink plenty of water. But that’s’ the catch -22. You ‘ll have to go to the bathroom more often and if you read my above comments, you know that’s not fun. So you’re daned if you do and damned if you don’t. Luckily this is the one area that does get fast relief and is the least of your worries.

I think I have covered the entire experience of the post-pregnancy body. Really why do we go through this over and over – because no one tells us and our brain plays a funny trick called forgetness. But it is worth it all when you have that baby in your arms and you watch them grow into little and big people. Besides, it makes for a great story for any party you throw your kid just to embarrass them.

Wednesday, Aug. 20: Luke breaks the silence (written by luke)

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven’t written but I’ve been a bit busy these past two weeks. See, my buddy, the placenta, didn’t like being my roommate. I guess he had issues with the use of space. Look, I tried to compromise with him, but I needed more room. I’m a big guy. So placenta decided to move out, which caused a big disruption in our space. Before I knew it, I had to do a room change and was moved into a very strange place with lights, sounds, and air. It was definitely strange. As a result, I retreated into myself for the past two weeks. Finally I decided it was time for me to come out of my hiding hole and join the world. Surprisingly, I really liked it. There’s these two people always at my bedside, and a little girl who told me that I was her sweetheart. That really woke me up from my miserable funk with Placenta. Actually there’s a lot of people always taking care of me, checking in and making sure I’m okay. Sometimes they get me mad when they stick me in the heel, but most of the time they leave me alone to sleep and dream the days away. I have realized that I get hungry and one of these people, I think she’s the one they call Mom, provides a nice supply of milk every day. I‘ve overheard that they’ll have to open a new milk bank the way she is going. I’ve been shy in drinking this stuff. Look, I’m really depressed about placenta leaving me and haven’t been myself in a LONG time. But my stomach does like milk, so I’ve been nibbling here and there and getting used to the white stuff. Mom, as they call her, seems to really want me to get going on this. She wears me out trying to get me to drink the stuff and from the strangest place, a breast. All I’ve ever known has been my hands, so this has been a really strange adventure. Then there’s the other person, Dad. He’s cool. He reads to me and cuddles me. I really like how warm he is. Reminds me of my old space. Ooooo… I’m retreating back to where I was…. Stay in the present, Luke. Okay, I’m fine now. Well, this really tried me out writing so much for the first time. I promise everyone I’ll do better with this milk drinking and get out of this place they call the NICU so everyone can check me out. I haven’t seen myself, but I’ve heard that I’m pretty cute. Well, I gotta show myself off to the world. Catch ya later!

Monday, Aug. 18: Gaining weight

Luke Highlights: belly button stub fell off, spent two hours awake looking around and being cute, got a bath from Mom, and gained two ounces. Mom’s highlight: got to drive again after two weeks being chauffeured around, pumped an unbelievable amount of milk, gave a bath to Luke, and thought of Luke’s D-day (discharge day). Today was a very nice day. Over the night, Luke lost his belly button stub. Luke is nibbling more on the breast and was wide-awake for two hours. He wanted to be cuddled and looked all over the place. He has big blue eyes, similar to Carlita when she was born. This morning Carlita came along and was so sweet with Luke. She said “Ooooo he’s my sweetheart”. She kept kissing him and wanting to hold him. She’s doing so great with Luke and the NICU visits. After the morning, Karl took Carlita to a playground and to the pool and I drove to the hospital all by myself. It was weird to drive after two weeks off. I spent the afternoon holding Luke and trying to help him breastfeed. We got a nice surprise visit from Jen and Sean Eddy and Sean’s sister Alice (Jen was one of my RAs at JMU). They visited Luke, and we all went out for dinner and ice cream. After they left, I returned to the hospital and got a chance to give Luke a bath. Before getting the bath, he gave me a great present in his diaper. Good boy! He was so cute, and didn’t fuss that much during the bath. He got weighed and has gained two ounces, which is good. The nurse explained that babies should gain one or two ounces a day hopefully. Hopefully Luke does this.


Today was two weeks since Luke was born. He is considered 36 weeks old gestational, rather than two weeks old. Karl and I have learned so much throughout this experience. I really am dealing with feelings of not being able to do anything for Luke, other than pump for milk. The nurses are great and give me things to do for him, but still we spend hours just sitting there watching Luke sleep. We’re not at home and in our own zone. We have two homes and it’s hard to balance between the two. I just want to have him home so I can take naps with him, cuddle, and not pump as much. Hopefully this will happen soon.

Sunday, Aug. 17: More of the same

After the first week of 24-hours of craziness these days are slow and boring. We get to the NICU roughly around 9-10am, we get an update of Luke’s evening (i.e. how much did he poop, eat, etc), pump milk, and wait for the care hour (happens every three hours). 9am, noon, 3pm, 6pm, and etc. We sit there in rocking chairs, reading books, and looking at Luke. We do little projects (i.e. thank you cards, research preemie information) and make phone calls/text messages.

Today Aunt Laura and Bob came to visit. We went out to eat at the Olive Garden and went for ice cream. They were so kind to take Carlita to Vince’s Sports Center so that Karl and I could have time by Luke’s bed.

I got to breastfeed Luke at noon and at 6pm (he didn’t wake up for the 3pm feeding). He really latched on one breast for 5 minutes and then passed out. Good boy! Little by little. Carlita did very well with him, wanting to hold him and giving him lots of kisses and hugs. She was a good helper getting my water and breastfeeding pillow (aka “the Bone”) and patting Luke’s head. The doctor and nurses just love Carlita and she behaved very well in such an intense environment.

It’s so different now that he is all better. There’s hardly a nurse by his side every minute and hardly any tests being conducted on him. The first week we barely could keep up with everything that was going on, but now we fall asleep in the rocking chairs just waiting for him to wake up in order to change his diaper and feed him. I really want him to catch on breastfeeding in order to get home. It’s tiring to go back and forth to the NICU (though it’s a very nice place) but would love to sleep with him at home in our space and just take care of him. I’m sure soon enough this will happen.

Saturday, Aug. 16: Brother-sister love

Another great day in the NICU. Today we brought Carlita to visit Luke. This was a more successful than her first visit last week. Luke was awake which was great for Carlita. She came in and just was in awe of Luke. The night before we had her make a special project for Luke and put it up in his nursery area. She quickly noticed it and stated that Luke liked it. Karl and Carlita read a book to Luke while I pumped.

This really worked so well for Carlita. She had packed a suitcase of her toys so when she got bored, she went to the Comfort Room and played there with Karl. Her godparents, Tara and Mike, came to take her to the UD pool after we ate lunch. This really helped us out. We spent the whole day at Luke’s side. Every three hours Luke and I tried breastfeeding (and they increased his intake on the gavage up to 50 ml), but he didn’t wake up at 3pm. He slept straight through for 6 hours after our noon feeding attempt. I must have worn him out!

Tara, Mike, and Carlita returned from their day at the pool. Everyone got to visit Luke one more time before we left. We also were able to bring in outfits for him to wear, which helps alot. Hopefully Luke starts learning how to breastfeed so he can come home.

Friday, August 15, 2008: One less wire attached

The big news today is that as a result of his new found ability to regulate his temperature on his own, Luke has been transferred into a regular crib! That’s right, a regular baby crib, which we can take him in and out of easily; no more isolette, no more “big heating machine” (official term for “radiant warmer”). The other big news was that his IV was removed, so now all he needs to work on is feeding.

He’s getting breastmilk through a tube that is in his nose and goes into his stomach. Every three hours we do “care” (check temperature, change diaper, feed). I get to try to convince him to feed off the breast. He’s into playing and just staring off into space. He got on several times but didn’t really hold on. But he did do two-three chews and that’s good. We had a friend, Jessica (our babysitter) come visit, and while the visit Luke spit up all over himself and pooped. O…. the beginning of the mystery white stuff and things coming out from both ends. He is getting cuter every minute. We asked about when he would be release and the doctor explained it depends on how he does with his feedings. So eat little man!! Learn how to catch the nibble.

After a week plus in the NICU, we have a new extended vocabulary. Here are some of the words we have learned through all of this: ventilator, oscillator, radiant warmer, isolette, pulse oximeter, heart rate and breathing monitor, intravenous lines, umbilical catheter, nasogastric tube, nasal canula, blood pressure monitor, endotracheal tube. Quiz, anyone?

Thursday, August 14, 2008: Play by Play action

He-man returned again last night! When we arrived this morning, the nurse told us that Luke pulled out his nasal cannula over the night, and that his breathing and oxygen levels have stayed high! CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES, COME ON!!! We can’t believe how much he has improved! He is now breathing fine on his own without any support ☺. That was obviously today’s big news, but Luke was put into a regular crib today (can you believe it?), the doctor increased milk consumption to 30 ml (1 full ounce, oh yeah) and Lulu also got to breastfeed again today. Luke did better at the breastfeeding—here is the play-by-play: Luke steps up to the breast, here comes the mouth, oh it missed a little bit to the left, ball one; here’s the next pitch—a bit to the right, ball two; and here he comes again, this time it looks good, right down the middle, Luke makes contact, it’s a strong hit; it could be, it might be, IT IS!!! A HOME RUN!!!! Yes, Luke was able to latch on a few times (although he was like a home run hitter, most of the time he struck out) and may have actually gotten a little bit of milk. In other news, Lulu had her first experience of the male baby anatomy—she learned that the unit has to be tucked down, so as to avoid being sprayed—she forgot this crucial step, and watched helplessly as Jr. peed all over himself and made a mess on his bed. We hope that tomorrow will continue the progress, and that he will be able to take his IV out. Can’t wait to take him home.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008 – A step in the right direction

~Written by Karl, the proud papi

Another beautiful day! Luke continued to do well on the nasal cannula again today, and they lowered his oxygen level all the way down to 21%, which is the same level we breathe at (he is now getting no additional oxygen support). The doctor said that he will be taken off the cannula tomorrow, but if he takes it out himself tonight, they will allow it (and continue monitoring him, of course). They also removed another one of his lines out of his belly button today (because of concern over infection), and gave him a new IV in his right arm. He is pooping great (I’ll bet you really wanted to know that) and able to take 9 ml of milk, so they increased his milk consumption to 20 ml, and (drum roll, please) LULU GOT TO TRY BREASTFEEDING FOR THE FIRST TIME TODAY. He apparently (according to mom) made a few feeble attempts and then promptly passed out (so satisfying to be on mommy’s breast). But I know that mommy was very happy being able to at least have the chance to breastfeed. Daddy also got to hold him after breastfeeding, and Luke continued to rest peacefully (and he also had the hiccups from the breastfeeding ☺


Lulu’s dad came to visit which was nice. Today Carlita asked to go see her little brother (rather than going to school). She seems to be getting the idea that he’s around but not at home. It feels like we have two lives right now – one at the hospital and one at home. Can’t wait to blend them together.

Tuesday, Aug. 12, 208: what a difference a week makes

Unbelievable! When we got to the hospital this morning, Luke was off the ventilator! The nurses told us that over the night, he had pulled the tube out himself! Hercules, Hercules! He-Man! What a strong little boy! They had told us that if he did this, they would try to leave it out and see how he does. Apparently, he did well all night and this morning, so they left it out ☺. They have him on 30% Oxygen on a nasal cannula, and he is doing fine. If he continues to do well (they took one gas level this morning, which was good), they will continue to lower the oxygen level until it reaches 21%.

Dr. Stuartz stopped by and told us that they would be removing one of his lines (in his belly button) and that we’ll get a chance to hold him today. What! We can hold him. No way! We got very excited about this. We spent the day sitting near him, waiting for this moment. Finally at 4pm the line was removed and he was swaddled (which he liked very much) and was put in our arms. I couldn’t believe I had him in my arms finally. I squeezed him so tight and smelled him. That’s when I started to cry. My son, my little man. I finally had him near my skin, my heart. I just couldn’t believe it. After 40 minutes, I finally gave him over to Karl, only because I had to pump (those breasts were crazy when holding him). Karl had a similar experience, got teary eyed, and was in awe with his son. We are truly in the home stretch and it is amazing. We are so grateful and thankful. Thank you to everyone that has been sending out positive thoughts and prayers.

Monday, Aug. 11, 2008: One week old

Today we came to the hospital around 10 am, after dropping off Carlita at the ELC. Carlita was a little bit cranky this morning on the ride over and when we dropped her off; she also is still a little confused about what is going on with Luke—she asked this morning, “Is Luke still in Mommy’s belly?” and of course, we had to tell her that he was out of her belly and at the hospital. And then she said, “Luke’s an angel.” So cute!


After dropping her off, we headed to the hospital and the NICU. We met a new nurse (Kathy), who told us that Luke was continuing to do well, having good gas levels despite continuing to lower the settings on the ventilator (he is now at Oxygen level of 21, which is as low as they can go; and the f (frequency) is 25, and the pressure setting is at 20). They also have cut the Morphine drip from 15 down to 5 ml, and they have taken him off the antibiotics (has been seven days, so infection has been treated);he had a chest xray this morning, which they are evaluating. Depending on what the xray shows and how he continues to respond, they hope to continue decreasing the ventilator settings today and have him escavated (aka get his tubes out) from the ventilator tomorrow. He has significantly less wires attached to him and is way more alert, opening his eyes, moving his little arms and legs (and his left arm is a little mischievous, going underneath the tube and worrying the nurse that he will try to pull it out). He did have to be put back on the tanning bed and the cool shades (phototherapy for Jaundice), but that is not unexpected or alarming, because he has not been eating much. But, the doctors have decided to start GIVING HIM BREASTMILK today!!!!!!! WOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!!
YEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAA!!!!! Mommy is very happy about this, and this should help with the Jaundice. He did well but threw it all up due to mucus in his stomach. That’s okay. Little by little.


Around 5:30pm we said bye to our little man and went and picked up our little girl. She was very sweet and we spent the evening playing with her. It’s strange to be sitting at home doing nothing and knowing Luke is in the NICU. It’s a bit odd to just sit (which I hate). I’m getting a lot done though (getting pictures and videos created about him) and of course pumping (which I’m very good at). It doesn’t feel we have a new addition to our family. It just seems like nothing. Just waiting and doing nothing. The worst thing for me. I must do – that is what keeps me going. I’m not like others who can just chill and kick back. Look, this is kicking back for me (blogging, playing with computer, etc). Hopefully our little man will be home soon and he can fill our lives up.

Saturday, Aug. 9: Balancing life with kids

During the night I woke up at 4am to pump and then at 8am. I needed to be out of the room by 9am so I showered and moved out. Luke seemed to have an okay night but his numbers were not looking good. Though they weaned him from 100% to 30% oxygen support, his numbers were going down hill. It seemed like he couldn’t get more weaned off. A new nurse was on (Karen) and a fellow (Kristie) who explained to me that his numbers got worst. They changed the “food” fluids in hopes that his numbers change (which they did). His morning x-ray did not look as clear as it did yesterday. In fact, they got worst. Talk about another transfusion was introduced and I was again in an emotional state. Karl and Carlita showed up with breakfast and ate. Karl went to see Luke while I played with Carlita (well she played by herself but I directed the fun). I needed to pump so Karl took Carlita to see Luke. They came into the room where I was pumping and Carlita stated “ Luke is an angel”. I just teared up! So cute!


We headed home for lunch and a naptime. Carlita and I went to bed but I guess she got up and Karl and her went to the pool while I slept for 2 hours. I woke up to a nasty phone call from my mother and I got up to watch some of the Olympics. Karl and Carlita returned from the pool and we heated up some dinner and headed back to the hospital. Carlita did very well, playing while I pumped and then standing by us near Luke. She really can’t see him and didn’t want to get near him due to all the machines and wires but she did as well as she can do. She did get upset leaving with Karl because Mommy (that’s me) wasn’t leaving too. Poor little girl! I’m sure this is all overwhelming, not having me at home and being able to cuddle and play together. And poor Karl who gets no time with Luke and is taking care of Carlita and me. The man is Super daddy. I don’t even know how he’s handling all this. I just cry and have little breakdowns. He’s cried and I’m sure is having his moments but we keep strong for each other and Carlita.


I spent most of the night next to Luke. I helped Kari (the nurse) do “care” and keep track of all the numbers. He got another chest x-ray done and it was getting better regarding the clearness of his lungs. His numbers were okay but just not good enough. Most likely a transfusion will happen tomorrow. I’m getting more comfortable with this because I know it’ll help him. It seems like he’s anemic and needs a boost. I hope this does this. One week is coming up soon and I just want to hold him and feed him.

Friday, Aug. 8 – An unlucky day

Today is supposed to be a good day, a lucky day with 8/8/08 but it turned out to be an unlucky day for us. Today was my release day from the hospital. Also the first day of the Olympics if you are paying attention to it. We slept very well last night. I pumped at 4am and saw Luke who seemed to be doing well. At 7am I got all checked out by my nurse and pumped again. We tried to sleep more but we received several phone calls from family and friends requesting a Luke update. We packed up and then my sister and mother came over for the last time because they are heading back home today. Actually Mother never came to see me and say good bye. She hung out in the lobby and was very rude to Karl as he helped Sandra get things into the car. Mother really was becoming distraction and needed to get out of here. I wish my sister could stay but she’s been wonderful staying the entire week. We also have been lucky to have our friend, Samanta (Luke’s godmother), be able to pick and drop off Carlita at daycare every morning and evening. Once Sandra and mother left, we got released from our room and headed home to unpack to repack. See, the NICU has family rooms that you can stay in overnight (you have to sign up for it every morning) and I signed up for tonight. We got home after going to our pharmacy to drop off my pain prescription. While unpacking, we realized that our Ipod Touch and wireless mouse was missing. I remembered having them on the window still but I know we didn’t pack them up. I called the hospital and they only found a cell phone charger. This really stressed me out. We rushed packing and went to the pharmacy to get my medicine and found out that they couldn’t fill it out because they couldn’t read the doctor’s name. If it’s not one thing, it’s another thing. We drove back to the hospital and went to my room and found nothing. Our Ipod touch and mouse was gone but not the charger. I don’t think the nurses took it because they didn’t even know what an Itouch was but obviously after we left anyone could have came in and took it. I was so upset!!! Nothing was going right.


After that drama, I went to the hospital pharmacy and realized I didn’t have my ID (it was at home so poor Karl had to drive home to get my ID). I was getting more and more upset. Then after he got back, we opened some mail and found a “photo” speeding ticket. What a day! Lastly, Samanta was 6 minute late getting Carlita due to a train crossing and daycare called us and are charging us a late pick up fee. Damn it!!!! What else, what else can go wrong? Karl was very sweet and got me flowers and a family figurine from Willow Tree. He’s so sweet! I’m very lucky to have him and his even-tempered personality to balance out my emotional state right now.


We did have good news today with Luke. His chest X-rays were improving. They showed us all his x-rays from birth day one. The X-rays showed that his lungs were closed off (you can tell by the white, cloudy coloring). The most recent X-ray showed his lungs were starting to open (there were more dark spots) which was very good news. Dr. Stuartz was very pleased and decided to stop his pavulon (this was the medicine to make him paralyzed so he can be relaxed). It was also making him too paralyzed, which is not good because you need to exercise your muscles. He was also off the phototherapy for jaundice so at least we had a good day with Luke.


So after a day like this, I moved into the NICU family room and hung out at Luke’s bedside until 11pm. After pumping, I headed to bed and watched a bit of the Opening Ceremonies. I needed mindless activity after this unlucky day. Hopefully tomorrow we are more lucky.

Thursday, August 7, 2008: A whirl mill of emotions

Last night was pretty tough for Karl and I. We took turns sitting by Luke through the night. Karl took the first shift until 2am then Lulu until 5am. Luke was definitely having some problems. All his numbers were going down, rather than up. His O2, which originally was great, were getting worst. The nurse practitioner talked with the doctor on call and they decided to put Luke on a morphine drip in order for him to get relaxed. He was getting over stimulated and not allowing himself to get relaxed and let the medicine or the ventilator work for him. They also changed to a different breathing machine called the oscillator. It vibrates and makes a sub-woofing sound in order to get the CO2 “bubbles” out of his lungs. They also put in a line into his belly button in order to have another source to draw blood and give his morphine drip. He also has Pre-ductile and post-ductile to measure his oxygen flow. There’s a lot of terminology that we are learning quickly. Last, he received a transfusion in order to boost his red blood cell count. That really made a difference. Within a few hours, his red cell count was way up and his chest X-rays were clearing up. It was indeed a better day. I did cry a lot today because knowing that he’s sick and there’s nothing I could do to help him made me feel so useless. Luckily my milk came in and now I’m a pumping machine. Every two hours or so I pump away just thinking that this milk will eventually help him get better.


Throughout the day we got to do “care” with him (i.e. check his temperature and change his diaper). I had visitors come at lunch time (friends from work Kathleen, Cathy, and Michele) so I missed one care so Karl did it. I wish I were there because I guess Luke gave his father two poops and a nice stream of peep that bounced right off his finger and hit Luke in his eye. Good aim Son! Luke’s doctor, Dr. Stuartz, was very pleased with his progress but wanted to do some different tests to eliminate other causes for his condition. She ordered an echo cardio gram (ECG) to look at his heart to make sure it was working all right. The cardiologist (who happened to be very hot; almost McDreamy) looked at the heart structure, vents, etc. And Luke got a clean bill on his heart. So that eliminated the possibility that there was also a heart problem. He simply (if it can be very simple) has pre-mature lungs and RDS (respiratory distress syndrome). The doctor thinks he might also have an infection but not sure. Luckily he has been receiving antibiotics since day one so that should address that problem. The doctor wants minimum interruptions so we had a “family discussion” with my sister and mother in one of the NICU family rooms. We really did this in order to “chill out” my mother who was getting a bit overwhelming with all her questions and requesting to see Luke (which we were not allowing her to do). The doctor did great answering all the questions and trying to explain what was happening with Luke. Some tough things to listen to and understand but I think it satisfied my mother.


In the afternoon we received more visitors from work (Sarah, Sendy, Jimmy, Ivet, and Samanta) came to visit. My sister and mother came for dinner. We had take-out from Olive Garden – yummy. The night before we had Cuban food that Mother cooked which was delicious. The hospital food has been okay – breakfast and lunch has been really good but dinner is a different story. We have ordered almost every item and now we’re just making fun of the food. Everything looks like that cheap plastic food that kids play with. Not appealing at all. After tonight’s dinner, everyone left. Karl and I visited Luke until midnight and decided to sleep as much as we could. It was much needed after such a long day. Unfortunately, my mother wasn’t behaving herself at our apartment (i.e. waking up the girls and going through out stuff) and Karl had to drive home to make a “presence”. This chilled her out but wasn’t what we needed at midnight. Karl came back and we both fell asleep.

Wednesday, Aug. 6: Luke status

~Written by big papa Karl
It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions since Luke was born. I didn’t get to hold him for more than 5 minutes when he was taken away to the NICU. The first night we went to see him he was doing okay, but then he needed to have an IV and receive antibiotics. They did a C-pap (which means Continuous Positive airway pressure - a method of respiratory ventilation ). They started with this method to see if they could prevent the need for intubation, but it didn’t work so he had to have the tubes. He was put on a respirator, hooked up by a tube going down from his mouth into his lungs (orotracheal intubation), in order to help him breathe. However, we found out today that his lungs were not opening properly to let out his carbon dioxide, so the CO2 began to build up. The doctors handled it well, though, providing him with the enzyme, Surfactin and increasing the rate of respiration. The parents, however, not so much…we have been anxious, worried, scared, exhausted and all this terminology has been like a spinning whirlpool of words and letters (CO2, O2, RDS, GPS, oh wait, that’s not….):


We had a lot of visitors to help us through this rough spell. Lulu’s sister and mother got here the day of the birth and have been a great help in taking care of Carlita. They brought Carlita to visit with Lulu and meet Luke today, but the experience was a little overwhelming for everybody. Karl picked Carlita up from day care and the plan was to meet everyone back at Lulu’s room. However, when we got there, the room was deserted and the nurses told us Lulu had gone with Samanta and Sami (colleagues and friends from work) to visit the baby. Daddy got Carlita to put on her “I’m the Big Sister” shirt, but then Karl made the not so wise choice of taking Carlita down to the NICU also (hello—lots of babies on machines, mommy in wheelchair, doctors, nurses running around—daddy was not using his noggin very well), and of course Carlita was startled, overwhelmed and scared. She allowed daddy to pick her up and look at Luke, but I don’t think she understood that it was Luke; then she asked mommy to pick her up and carry her, and mommy of course was in a wheelchair and couldn’t pick her up, so she had a meltdown in the middle of the NICU and down the hallway back to the room. Then, there were all these people packed together in lulu’s room, so she continued to be fussy for a while. But thank goodness Sandra’s baby Sofia was there. Gradually Carlita ate some food and played with Sofia, and calmed down. She even expressed a stunning revelation, after looking inquisitively at mommy’s tummy—“Luke not in mommy’s belly?” She continued to play with Sofia and family/friends for a while, but soon she ran out of steam, became cranky and had to leave. Daddy walked her out to Sandra’s car and helped put our car seat in Tia’s car. On the way, she wanted to hold Sofia’s hand, and when she could not, she began crying. When daddy put the car seat in the car, she was so excited to sit next to Sofia. She is going to be an amazing Big Sister!


Gradually Luke’s CO2 levels have come down and the doctors are now decreasing his level of extra oxygen and respiration (from the machine). We have been visiting him regularly, talking and reading to him, but he seems to be a very sensitive baby (whenever babies started crying or alarms went off, he would “desat,” which meant that his oxygen levels were dropping (his breathing was disregulated). So we have had to be careful to just sit, talk or read quietly next to him, and we haven’t been able to touch him as much as we’d like (much less hold him), so it has been really hard. However, the night nurse Alicia was great, telling us all about what they were doing with Luke, and she even allowed Lulu to take his temperature and Karl to change his diaper (meconium—it was so sticky and Karl was doing a good job of smearing it all over his butt—and then Luke pooped twice to give Karl more opportunity to practice his poop smearing skills): But his CO2 levels have dropped to the levels they want, and they have decreased the rate of respiration (and the oxygen level has stayed low), so we are hopeful that he will be able to come off the respirator soon.

Week 35: A Luka-size Surpirse

After last week’s ultrasound, we had a relaxing weekend. Karl and I both got massages and had a date to a Ragtime concert here on campus. Sunday we spent it at the pool just lounging around.


Monday, Sept 4, 20 we all got up, had breakfast and Parents as Educators came over to work with Carlita. (This is a free program in the school system that helps children be prepared for school. After Chris left (the instructor), Karl went to work and I waited for my friend, Samanta, to come pick Carlita and I up (She had borrowed my car for the weekend). Roughly 9:30am she arrives and Carlita and I headed out to get into the car. All of a sudden, I felt a rush of liquid and I thought to myself – great I peeped on myself. But it wasn’t pee but blood. There I stood looking down at my pants as they turned red and Samanta, who was sitting in the car, looked at me. Carlita started getting nervous and said “Mommy you have red pee”. Yes, honey lets get into the car. Samanta got her in while I called my doctor’s office who directed me to triage at the hospital. Samanta got a couple of towels from our bathroom and I stripped off my pants right in the middle of the street. I really didn’t care because it was gross to be in. We got Carlita into daycare and off to the hospital we went.


Karl met us there and right into triage we went. I was still bleeding and starting to get cramps. They decided to admit me and took us to High Risk. There the doctor on call reviewed what can be happening. Since I have placenta pervia, the cervix could have started getting relaxed and the placenta start bleeding. It looked like it had slowed down so they were going to monitor me and try to keep the baby in as long as possible up to 37 weeks. Wait a minute! You mean that I would have to be o bed rest in the hospital for two weeks. Yes was the reply. Well I didn’t like that idea and I don’t think Luke liked that idea because at roughly 2pm I started getting more contradictions, fast and painful. They took me to get a bio ultrasound and while there more blood came. I couldn’t get any medicine because they didn’t know if I would be getting a C-section right away or not. After the ultrasound, they wheeled me back to High Risk and right away they determined that I was going in for a C-section. I had lost a lot of blood and had so much pain.


By 4:30pm, my sister and mother arrived right in time before they wheeled me off to OR2 for the C-section. By 5pm I was getting prepped for the C-section. Karl looked quite handsome in his blue outfit, and we had latin music pumping as Luke was pulled into this world at 5:27pm. He weighed in at 5 lbs and 11 oz and is mighty long at 19 inches. He cried a lot and has a good patch of dark hair on his head. After they finished sewing me up, we all moved to the recovery room. I got my favorite thing – the bear hug which helps you keep warm and get rid of the shakes, which I had. Luke was a bit too grunting for the nurses and they looked him over and determined that he needed to get to the NICU right away. I got to hold him for a few minutes before he was taken away in an incurbator. We got hourly reports on how he was doing, as we spent four hours in the recovery room. Because he’s late pre-term, his lungs didn’t have everything needed for him to breathe on his own. They were evaluating him for Respiratory Distress Syndrome and doing x-rays, giving him antibiotics, and an IV. He did come out kicking strong but probably wore himself out. Poor baby! He’s my little kickboxer!


After 4 hours in Recovery, we got move to the maternity ward to a private room. Right away we wanted to go see him but the NICU was a bit busy and he was in the nurses’ observation room, which no one can go into. We had to wait until 11pm when they called us to let us know we could come visit him. We got to the NICU and found our little boy all hooked up but looking good. His coloring was so much better and he was calmer. We held his hands and talked to him. The nurse told us that he was doing quite well considering his age. His weight and height is helping him because he’s actually large for a pre-term baby. After hearing more about what they did for him (review this website http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/rds/rds_treatments.html) for more information, we came back to our room so I can start pumping and for us to get some rest.


So it was quite a surprising day. One month from his due date, Luke came into the world. I’m doing fine, recovering from the C-section. This birth was such a different experience compared to Carlita’s birth, who was overdue. Bleeding, emergency C-section, and NICU are all new experiences for us. We are very lucky that we had our friend, Samanta, with us and that my sister and mother came so fast. Carlita hasn’t seen her little brother but tonight she will. I will keep you all informed on how things are going and when we’ll be heading out of the hospital. Welcome Luke to Lukaland!!!

Week 34 – get me out of here

Another ultrasound. No change in the placenta but Luke was very active and we got a chance for a 4d shot of him I can tell the Kaliher forehead already. He has lots of hair. I wonder if it’s going to be dark or blonde. We still don’t know the new C-section date because there’s not a lot of availability at the hospital. We’ll just waiting to find out that new date. As for me, I’m starting to get very uncomfortable I must eat every two hours otherwise I get crappy. And if I don’t go to the bathroom right away, I feel very sick. I can’t hold anything (number one or two) so I’m up a lot in ht middle of the night. It’s just the way your body prepares you for no sleep nights. Carlita is also helping in that domain as she’s waking up at 2am to come to our bed. I’m allowing it because in one month it will no longer be us three but the fantastic four.

Week 33:Baby Shower and Change of Plans

This week I had to go out and purchase a belly belt because of all the pressure on my back and my pelvic. It really works. I don’t have to go to the bathroom as much and my back doesn’t hurt so much. We had another bio this week and baby looks good, just that placenta. O the fun! So we had a doctor’s appointment on Thursday. They are definitely moving up the date from Sept. 4th to hopefully the week of Aug.25th. There’s a problem with scheduling because my doctor is already booked that week as well as the hospital but she’s determined to delivery this baby so she’s going to figure it out with the hospital. We’ll just have to wait and see. So it looks like I won’t be making it to opening week for my job. We’ll do whatever is needed to ensure a healthy delivery.


The other event this week was our baby shower, hosted by my sister, Sandra, and BBF, Samanta (Luke’s godmother). Details of the event was kept a secret until one hour before the event. The baby shower was held at the George Wilson Center, which is where we host Carlita’s birthday parties. It’s just down the street from where we live. How convenient!! I spent the whole weekend preparing the house, doing a lot of errands, and getting myself prep with a manicure and pedicure (and for the first time an eyebrow wax). Our place looked great! Once we got the call to head over to the center, we were off. It was a great surprise because I didn’t know who was going to be there. There were friends from all our different paths. The shower was also a birthday party for Karl (who’s birthday was on Saturday the 26th and he turned 29 years old).


The center was decked out in our colors of yellow and blue. There was a food from Boston Market and a BBQ place in Maryland that my sister uses for her parties. We had some surprises of who came. Karl had colleagues from his work, and I had a friend from London who was here for the week stop by. I just couldn’t believe it. The party started with an explanation of the theme “From Boy to Men”. So cute!!! Music from Boys II Men played in the background. There was a powerpoint presentation regarding Karl and baby Luke’s journey. There were baby games with prizes. Just a great party. We were blessed with many presents and great friends. Karl received A lot of Chicago Cubs stuff – well I’s for Luke but Karl’s passion for the Cubs will be passed on to Luke and Carlita. I thank you all for making this event so special for us. We are very excited for Luke to join the Luka family and enter Glitterland.

Week 32: Going by fast

This week was the turning point for my body. Now I’m walking much slower, have a waddle, and constant pain in my pelvic. I haven’t blown up or have any swelling in my feet but it’s just getting harder to move around. Bending over is a chore and walking for more than a few minutes causes shortness of breath and pain in my back. 6 weeks to go with this – are you kidding me? I don’t remember this happening last time – I was walking a lot when I was pregnant with Carlita but this was there’s that damn placenta that is in the way.

We had another level II ultrasound. There’s hardly any room for the baby and his head is right on the placenta. Now I know what’s hurting me down there. He weighed in at 4 lb and 9 oz. The placenta still is too close to the cervix so we’ll keep being monitored. The end is near but it’s going to be a fun last month to get to the final end.

Week 31: 9 weeks to go and counting

This week we had yet another ultrasound. This time we brought Carlita along so she can see her baby brother. She did as well as any toddler can do. She was nervous about what they were doing to my stomach and said “ I don’t have a baby in my belly”. She was very cute but didn’t really get what was going on. The baby looks great but that placenta isn’t moving. The technician told us that it most likely won’t be moving. O boy!


So I happened to also have a doctor’s appointment this week and they decided to move up my C-section day in late August. Don’t’ know the date yet because the scheduling person is out on vacation. When I asked when it would be, the nurse practitioner (she was the one I saw this week) told us (Karl and me) that it’s a combination of wanting a C-section at 38 weeks (last week of August) and availability (which means going earlier). O well!!! I was hoping to get through opening (for my job) here on campus but now it looks like I’ll be missing most of RA training. As much as I hate that since it’s the most important point of the year for my job, this baby and my body is saying it’s not that important. I have no bleeding or other symptoms for them to put me on bedrest. They just don’t’ want me to have nay contradictions or go into labor. I really don’t’ think that will happen considering I didn’t go into labor with Carlita but each baby is different.


I weighed in at 177 pounds this week. Getting up there in weight. I’m eating every 2 hours – always hungry and I’m itchy. I also have blast of energy (more than my usually levels) and getting more back pain. I am having a harder time bending over – my toes need some work and I’m getting leg cramps. Karl is so good at giving me massages and taking care of so much around the house. Carlita really gets that there’s a baby in my belly but don’t really understand what that means. When we ask her about her brother, she talks about her “brother” Jack from school (she grew up with him and was her first kiss at her 1 year birthday party – check out YouTube video of it). She keeps us laughing and entertained so much. It really is a great life I have and I have nothing to complain about. I’ve been blessed!

Week 30 : No placenta movement

Another ultrasound. Baby looks great but that stubborn placenta still stays low in the cervix. Next week another date with the ultrasound machine.

Pregnancy Scenes

summer fun at my mother's

Week 29 – bio scan

I went in for my weekly bio scan and the baby looks good but placenta still there. No pictures this week because he was not having a photogenic moment. Maybe next week!

Week 27 (June) – third trimester here we come

This week I had a doctor’s appointment. They start rotating you to meet different doctors at your visits just in case you don’t’ end up with your doctor at the delivery. Even though I’m scheduled for a C-section with dr. McCracken, they still have you do this. So this week I met Dr. Larkin who is very nice. I weighed in at 173 pounds (I’m getting up there). Everything looked good but she explained that I had placenta pervia based on the last ultrasounds and that I should take it easy – no lifting, no sex, etc. that’s easy to do. For those who don’t know what placenta pervia is, it’s when the placenta is too low in the cervix. Basically it would come out first before the baby which is bad. It can lead to serious bleeding, possible transfusion, etc. Not something they like to do so they would move up my C-section earlier that September. 4th. For right now, we’re going to monitor the placenta and hopefully it will be up in the uterus.

Also this week at the doctor’s appointment, I did the o so popular sugar test. This is when you drink 50mg of pure sugar water and have to sit around for 1 hour for it to go through your blood stream, and then they draw blood. This test is to see how your blood handles breaking down sugar cells and if you are developing diabetes. I got the popular lemon-lime favor – hummy.. NOT!!! I just imagined it to be Gatorade and drank it as fast as I could. I was directed not to move, don’t eat or drink, but could go to the bathroom (that’s good). So I sat on a couch with my Ipod as my heart started to race and little Luke was kicking around in my belly. After an hour, they drew my blood which causes you to lose all that energy that was built up. O the fun of being pregnant!

The following week we had an ultrasound to see how the placenta was doing. It had not more the 2 centimeters needed to get out of the cervix. Everything else with the baby looked great. He is weighing in at 2 lbs and there’s movement and lots of fluid around him. Due to the placenta, they are now going to do weekly bios and monthly Level 2 ultrasounds to see if the baby is developing okay and if that stubborn placenta moves up and out of the way. This can mean anything but if it doesn’t move, the C-section will be moved up earlier. I really don’t want that because that would be right in the middle of RA training and I need to get to opening day to get my staff set up for the year. But like everyone has been telling me, everyone will survive just fine without you. Most importantly is to take care of yourself and the baby. This is so hard to do but I’ll try and keep you all updated on how successful I’m at that.

Week 24 – Halfway done

This month I had my check up with Dr. McCracken. It’s so different this time around with doctor’s appointments. We’re not checking my cervix since I’m doing a C-section, just blood pressure and measuring my belly. I had a very bad leg cramp and have troubles walking with pain in my pelvic area. Dr. McCracken told me to eat more bananas, but that all the pains and aches get worst with every baby. My body isn’t what it used to be. Great! So I can’t even walk fast. NOPe! She told me to slow down. Look, last time I was teaching kickboxing up until this point. This time I haven’t even worked out at all (other than the occasion run here and there).

Then I had an ultrasound to check on how my plasma was “hanging” in my cervix. It’s still too low for their liking so we’re doing another ultrasound in a month. We got to see Luke and his little penis. It’s just so cool to see the inside of his body and see him kick around in there.
My semester is coming to a close, which is good. I’ll be taking one summer course to prepare my EdD proposal. Hopefully I can stay focus to get it done. Over Memorial day weekend, we went to he Woods Resort to celebrate our anniversary. Carlita had a blast in the pool and playground, and it was nice getting away from technology and the world for a while. For the first time, she said to my sister “Mommy has a baby in her belly”. So it seems she’s starting to get it but we’ll be working on helping her understand and get ready for the next baby this summer.

With the semester ending, now I feel I can concentrate on the pregnancy more – getting things ready like the crib and a baby registry. O the fun of it all! I do love being pregnant and love the summer so this will be a blast!

May 1 – and the verdict is…. (week 19)

We had an Level 2 ultrasound last week to check out how baby was doing. It was fun to sit there nd watch the monitor as the little one moved around kicking and swarming. The technician went through all the body parts (i.e. lungs, heart, spine, head) to check on the development. She asked us if we wanted to know the sex of the baby and we did. WE were surprised the last time but this time we wanted to know. So the verdict is….. a boy!!! We got a pair! We are so excited about this. I don’t know what to do with a boy. I should have known because I came up with the name a few weeks ago: Luka Armando Kaliher. We saw his penis and we were reassured that he will for sure be a boy when it comes to birth. We just couldn’t believe it. I always wanted to have a brother growing up and now we’re having a boy. So exciting!!! The doctor came in and told us that the baby looked great. We were so happy.

Later in the week I had a check up with my doctor. We listened to the heartbeat and talked about still births. One of my friends had one and it really saddened me. But my doctor reassured me that I had minimal risks. So everything is going very well. I’m more hungry but not that much. I don’t’ really have any carvings, though I still work like to have eggs a lot. I am having difficulty walking with pain in my pelvis but that’s natural because all of your joints and ligaments are getting looser. I can’t’ even walk fast! That’s so hard for me. The weather is getting nicer which is great to get into some of my summer clothing. My breasts are ridiculed large – they think they are ready to produce milk. They haven’t been this big until I gave birth to Carlita. I’m scared on how much bigger they will get even though Karl is enjoying them. Carlita still has no clue. We try to tell her about the baby in my belly but she just looks at her own belly. This summer we will start explaining it more to her and get some books on being a big sister. She’ll be great! That’s all from our happy little family.

April 3rd- 5th month has begun

Really nothing has happened over the past month. We had a check up a few weeks back with Dr. McCracken. We weighed in (159) and heard the heartbeat. My c-section is already scheduled for September. 4th at 1:30pm. It’s weird to know that – I already scheduled it into my palm. Funny, huh? Karl asked about vagina delivery after C-section. McCracken was funny in her response, explaining that “we have already tested out the pelvic” with Carlita and it didn’t happen. Also second babies are usually bigger than first. If I happen to go into natural labor before the 4th, we can see what we will do but otherwise she recommended C-section. I agree! Look as much as I know natural birth is so much better in regards of bouncing back and for the mom/child, I don’t’ want to go through the same thing that happened with Carlita that I pushed all day and then have to end up doing a C-section. I know what to expect with a C-section and the recovery time. Plus Carlita and I were fine and have a great bond. So that’s settle!

The big news, though this month, was the birth of my niece, Sofia. Sandra went into early labor and on March 11th (one month early) Sofia was born. She is so adorable and tiny!!! She did stop breathing while she was breastfeeding, turning blue, which made us cry but she’s okay. She spent some nights in the NICU and now is at home with Mom and Dad on a heart monitor. I can’t wait to have all the cousins together. Carlita is going to have a blast being the boss of all these kids. It was amazing to see my sister give birth. She’s the only female in our family to do it a natural. Amazing woman!!

Next week we have our Level 2 ultasound which is when we will find out what we are having. I’m very excited to know this time around and prepare for either a girl or a boy.

Feb 26: 12 weeks 1st trimester complete

I can’t the first trimester is done. Wow! How it flew by! I had to go out to shop for maternity pants because I’m so showing which I can’t believe it. Just popping out. Last week saw Dr. McCracken, my Ob/GYN. She was very excited because she knew we were working on this for a while. We listened to the heartbeat and had to do a pap smear. So much fun! All looking good! This week we had our genetic counseling and first trimester screening, which is something new. This screening involves some blood sample and an ultrasound. They are looking for any signs of possible birth defects or Down syndrome. First we did the genetic counseling. Since we’ve done this before, we knew what to expect. Lots of questions about family history, but overall the counselor had no concerns regarding our history. Then we had the ultrasound. The little roo was moving around a lot, kicking and giving us the hand. It was quite entertaining. They measured the back of the neck and different parts, and the doctor came in and gave up the news that I had the chance of having a baby with Downs as a 32 year old – yes! I got younger! And a chance of a 20 year for T13/T18 (other chromosome defects). I got younger every minute. We were happy but it didn’t matter what the news was because we are having a baby!