Neat things Wyatt is doing....

Wyatt is doing some neat things lately. He still has not kicked his cold yet and needs to be suctioned, but I think he is recovering from surgery and the cold is hopefully going away. I love sitting Wyatt on my lap facing me and asking him "where is Mommy's nose?" and he grabs it and laughs! I do the same thing with mouth and eyes. It makes me so happy that he is learning new things. Also, whenever I say yes, he says "no" and laughs. Susan, his nurse enjoys playing ball with him. She passes the ball to him and he pushes it back. Wyatt is also picking up blocks and drops them in a box. He enjoys bath time and started splashing water. When we eat or pretend to chew, he also chews and then laughs. I think he is feeling more comfortable since surgery and because of this, his true colors are showing. He is even acting like a real little brother to Chloe. Today Chloe and Wyatt were sitting close to each other on the floor and Wyatt "accidentally" kicked Chloe. Chloe was "hurt" and Wyatt had to apologize and give Chloe a kiss.

This weekend, we celebrated Aunt Danielle's birthday at Bonefish Grill where Wyatt enjoyed people watching. Also, Wyatt enjoyed church this morning and did not fall asleep like he usually does and was extra quiet too.

I still need to locate my camera charger... maybe I should clean my house:)))

Hopkins has a new link of CDH on their website-

The Weekend

When I started my teaching career, I was not married, lived at home to save money, and worked in wonderful school full of young beginning teachers in the same stage of life as myself. We had a great time of happy hours, celebrating birthdays, and working long, hard, hours as a first year teacher. We all grew our separate ways, some getting married, having kids, and working closer to home. In fact, none of us work in the school where we all started ten years ago. Every year, we get together and this past Sunday we had a cook out at my friend Erin's house. It was great fun seeing everyone and their husbands along with their kids. Everyone got to meet Wyatt for the first time too!

Wyatt had a bad cold for the past couple of days. We have been suctioning him (which he hates) and giving him breathing treatments. As I read Jack's blog about Jack's cold, it sounds very similar. Some how these boys try to plan their health issues to occur at the same time... like reherniations and colds!! I think Wyatt is finally starting to feel better. He is sitting up more on his own and tonight he started playing with a new toy with Chloe... it was so cute!!

My friend Jen and her family have been awesome supporters of Wyatt and have been there for us from the very beginning. They are a great fun-loving family who have just created a blog. Jen's kids are super cute! Check out their blog!

Surgery Follow-up

Today Susan, our nurse and myself took Wyatt to Hopkins for his surgical follow up with Dr. L. We also took Chloe... who ate a chocolate donut on the way, so when we got to Hopkins she started running everywhere:))) My sweet little girl was super hyper which distracted me and we missed our turn when our number was called. Luckily, my Dad met us at Hopkins to get her and spend the day with Chloe... so he took her to breakfast and then Aunt Danielle, Pop-Pop, and Chloe had an adventurous day together!

Back to Wyatt... Susan, our nurse vented Wyatt yesterday and out came bright yellow liquid. So today we informed Dr. L of this. So Dr. L ordered a chest x-ray. Our insurance does not cover chest x-rays as outpatient at Hopkins, so we waited around for approval and a few phone calls later we were cleared for an x-ray. While we were waiting, Wyatt's pulmonologist walked by, Dr. C and said he would also take a look at Wyatt's x-ray and call us later. He wanted to know if the fluid in his lungs decreased. Dr. L said the x-ray looks good and no reherniation. Wyatt has a cold which he got from myself or Chloe, but other than that he is ok. His sterostripes were removed today and his surgical site looks good. His blood work results came back and they looked good too. So besides his cold, he is doing fine.

Also, I just have to share that I have been reading a blog about an adventurous couple of four small children who were recently in a plane crash and are burned all over their bodies. Their amazing family are taking care of the kids and are writing about their story. Well... I was watching the Today show the other day and their blog was a featured story!! Also, this same blog led me to another blog of a couple who have a two year old named Chloe and pregnant with another girl. The mother was feeling bad and went to the hospital to find out that she had an infection, her blood was clotting in the wrong places. She had an emergency c-section, both legs amputated, as well as her hand, and she is now blind. She just got home from the hospital and her amazing husband writes about their story on this blog. This blog shows hardship, joy of a newborn, and the unconditional love they have for each other. It really makes you realize that there are a lot of good people in this world.

Wyatt turns one soon and my sister is getting married.. so the month of October is going to be busy...Wyatt's first birthday party, Wedding Shower, Bachlorette Party, and finally her Wedding in Mexico!!!!

The "Real" Elmo!

Chloe and Wyatt love Sesame Street and we think it's a wonderful program for little ones. Chloe started watching it a couple of months before her 2nd birthday and she loves it! So we treated Chloe to a special day of Sesame Street Live in Baltimore where she shouted... "it's the REAL Elmo!!," then to Rain Forest Cafe for lunch which she enjoyed watching the Apes and Elephants move and I think she thought they were real too! Wyatt and Chloe got to spend Saturday evening with mom-mom while we got to enjoy a neighborhood party!! I have many pictures to share, but I just realized my camera battery needs to be recharged.

Wyatt had his pulmonary appt. on Thursday. Blood work was ordered which we got today at our local Quest. I was so nervous to take him to our local Quest because Wyatt is such a hard stick. I told them I wanted their most experienced person (nicely) and they got it in the first try! Since Wyatt is on new medications, especially diuretics, the dr would like to check his electrolytes. We also saw his CT scan of his lungs up close. It looks like he has a full size right lung, but his left lung is only about 1/3 the normal size. During his reherniation, bowel was "poking" into the left lung which may be the reason for the needed increase of oxygen. Wyatt also had his physical therapy appt. today and he enjoyed sitting up, turning the pages in a book!

Summer Fun!

It was rainy all day and the only time we went outside today was to attend Story Time at the library. Wyatt loved it! So after dinner, Wyatt went to sleep so Chloe and I decided to go outside in the rain before bath time. As a child, I always thought it was so neat to sit on my grandmother's porch during a light rain and watch it, but never get wet on a warm summer's day. So when we purchased our house two years ago, we were able to choose the options that we would like to have since it was not built yet. My first option was a front porch, so that we could sit outside on a rainy day and feel the light breeze, listen to the rain, but not get wet. Chloe, Abby, and I did just that this evening and we had a wonderful time! We curled up on the chair with a blanket, looked for "Mr. Moon," listened to the rain drops, ran around, and even had a "tea party" at the little table. It brought back wonderful memories of my childhood and the wonderful feeling of creating memories with my daughter:))

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

More summer fun news... my sister has a wonderful group of best friends. They grew up together and were high school buddies (the dream team), went their separate ways in college, and now are inseparable. They are all in my sister's wedding on Nov. 1st in Mexico. They are athletic, intelligent, and are a lot of fun! Danielle, my sis, recently had a bonfire in her backyard with all her friends, their husbands, and kids. It was fun and a great prelude to the upcoming wedding festivities!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Celebrations

September 2007... me on bedrest (so why am I standing?)

Wyatt and Chloe almost holding hands

Chloe in Daddy's tennis shoes

Serious Wyatt

The past two days marked two anniversaries... Wyatt turned 11 months old. It has been a roller coaster of 11 months but we are so thankful for his health and happiness. Happy Birthday Wyatt!!! We love you so much and you are extra special.

Our first loop on the roller coaster started Sept 10th of last year when my water broke and I was admitted to Hopkins for bed rest. I was at work on an on-line meeting when it happened... boy was that fun! The plan was to stay in the hospital until Wyatt was born (almost a month!) but I really did not want to do that... so I persuaded the doctors to discharge me on condition that I would remain on bed rest at home... thankfully with a wonderfully supportive and helpful husband, (because with a 13 month old at home)... it was almost impossible... but I did it. I realized it has been a year since we have been in and out of hospitals... about 6 months have been spent in a hospital either all day or spending the night. I am hoping the next year a head of us, we are spending more time at home than in a hospital. I grew up and learned so much in the past year... but most importantly I feel like I have a meaningful purpose in my life and that I am making a difference...and I wouldn't change it one bit. Sept. 10th 2007 was the first loop in the roller coaster followed by many more.... how boring would life be with out roller coasters??... however... someone can tell Wyatt that I prefer the slow and easy ride of the Ferris Wheel... no more roller coasters Wyatt!!

Tumble Kicks

Chloe had her first "organized" class on Monday... Tumble Kicks! It took her a little while to warm up, but then she started running, skipping, singing, crawling, etc... We are still working on the sharing part:)) Chloe is also talking so much more and acting like a true two year old... some of her favorite sayings are- "I don't have to", "be careful", "that's silly!"

My Garden

My Garden decided to grow something other than weeds and sunflowers...I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled up carrots and radishes.... I think I saw lettuce too!! Yippee!

Elli Reed

It is with great saddness to write this blog entry... another CDH baby became an angel today... Baby Elli Reed. She was such a tough fighter and a beautiful baby. Her parents Cassi and Brian stayed by her side every day through ECMO, her repair surgery, and afterwards. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this time.

The Gingerbread Man

The book that inspired a day of baking...





Chloe loves to listen to us read the story the Gingerbread Man... so Benji had an idea to make and decorate Gingerbread People on this nice rainy day. Well... we realized we did not have a cookie cutter of a gingerbread man, so he hand-carved them to make a family- a mommy, daddy, baby, and a little girl. Chloe then decorated the little girl. We also made chocolate chip cookies today with sprinkles on top. Wyatt had a great time helping to stir the dough and Chloe had fun sprinkling the sprinkles on top! Finally, I decided to cook tonight... being in the hospital for the entire week... you don't really get a home cooked meal. So I made Rachael Ray's Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss and it turned out to be really good... I surprised myself! Overall, it was a great rainy day inside cozy with the family.

Happy Kids

Ring Around the Rosy

All Fall Down!


Last night my mom and sister came over and we had a celebration dinner to welcome back Wyatt... and Chloe too! We celebrated by playing the drums... Wyatt's favorite... he didn't want to let go of his drum stick and by playing "ring around the rosey... all fall down!" It was a fun, refreshing night! Now we are all ready to stay cozy in the house as a family preparing for Hurricane Hanna to arrive... just the medicine we need!

Joyful, Joyful.... Introducing the Brand New Wyatt Koger....

Click on Mt. Hope's blog and it shows how we feel right now. The brand new Wyatt is home now, happy, healthy, and taking a much needed uninterrupted nap. We are very thankful for the excellent care he received at Hopkins especially his surgeons, and the doctors and nurses from the 6th and 7th floor. Wyatt is currently on a handful of medications to help to clear the fluid out of his lungs, for motility, and for acid reflux. We again made a chart to keep track of seven medications that are given to him a few times a day. He came home on 1/4 liter of oxygen and is stating 99 percent... this shows he is making improvement... when we left here on Saturday to go to the ER, he was on 3/4th liter and not stating 99 percent. I really hope this is the final repair for Wyatt and that he can start to enjoy feeling comfortable and moving forward in his development. Since his stay in the hospital, three teeth came through... I think they got the memo that he was on a pain drip and to come on out!! Wyatt did not come home on any pain medication and he seems very comfortable... this is the speediest, pain-free, recovery he has had! Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

Feeling a little better:)

I can do this medical stuff myself!!

Charla, Wyatt's nurse from the NICU and present during his birth and Wyatt... he wasn't too happy today:(

I love my feet!


Wyatt had a few visitors from the past today... the nurse who helped deliver him and was his primary nurse in the NICU, Charla came by today. She was so sweet to visit him because she has been with him from the very beginning .... during his birth at 4am on Oct. 9th. Dr. C... his wonderful surgeon who moved far far away :) called today to see how he was doing. We are so lucky to have excellent care, but also people that care about him too. The pulmonologist just stopped by and shared that his chest x-ray is worse than yesterday... partially collapsed left lung and more fluid.... so his diuretics were started back, and chest PT. Wyatt seems back to his old self... grabbing his feet and happy so we will see what tomorrow brings:)

Who told Wyatt???

Who told Wyatt the "H" word?? When I arrived this morning I noticed brown blood on his bib and no bowel movement since Tuesday (b/c he is on oxycodone)... so he is on a couple more medications to get him back on track. He is napping now and when he wakes I'll give him a bath and hopefully he will feel better. This is just a little bump in the road and nothing new in Wyatt's world.

Good news- his head CT show a good report- that his ventricles are smaller than the last scan.

A good day...

I am sitting by Wyatt's bedside now and he finally fell asleep after being awake since 6am!! He doesn't want to miss anything! I worked today and Benji stayed by Wyatt's bedside and I arrived after work with Chloe to do the kid switch-a-roo and for the night shift. My kids are great! Chloe is so happy to drive an hour to Hopkins, spend 30 min visiting her brother, and then drive an hour home. She is only two and stays in such a good mood during these long car rides. Today Wyatt had his head CT scan, ultrasound, and a new g-tube. We were also moved from the IMC to down the hall (a room across from the nurses station). Tomorrow we will have a consult with the pulmonary docs to see how we can get some of his fluid out of his lungs. I heard the "H" word today... but I am not saying it aloud until it actually happens:) He is up to 35ml of Elacare.. just a few short of his goal and seems to be tolerating it nicely.

Chloe visits Wyatt!

Chloe visited Wyatt for the first time ever in all of Wyatt's hospital stays. She was so sweet... she kissed Wyatt and said she hopes he feels better and then she told Wyatt to take a nap! Chloe only stayed for about 20 min because Benji and I were doing a change of shift/exchange a child.

I just called in for an update and Wyatt finally fell asleep for the night at 10pm when Benji left and he is currently up to 10 cc's of Elacare 27 calories. Tomorrow is a big day for Wyatt so I hope he rests up!

Goodnight!

A good day!

My family all together again:)))...eventhough it is in a hosiptal!

I am just getting around to updating the blog because Wyatt decided to stay awake a play all day today!!! He is in the best mood and he is currently looking at me pulling his pulse ox probe off his foot! He is so mischevious!

Today's only change was that he had his chest tube removed and feeds started at 5ml/hr increased by 5ml every four hours. Last night about 10pm, he was moved to the 6th floor, the step down floor in the IMC section... which I love:)))

His oxygen remains at 1/4 liter and is stating 100 percent. When I glanced over I noticed his oxygen tube pulled from the wall and he was still 99- 100 percent... who do you think pulled?? not my cute little sweet Wyatt:)))

The surgical team just did their afternoon rounds and Wyatt will be getting a head CT scan tomorrow, an ultrasound, and a cute little button to replace his g-tube. We want a bran-spanking new Wyatt when we get home! I am also requesting a consult with pulmonology to find out how we can clear some of this fluid out of his lungs so we can start weaning him off oxygen. I am on a mission to move forward with Wyatt's recovery.

I realized that Wyatt wants to spend every holiday in the hospital... we have been in the hospital during Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and now we can add Labor Day to the list!! The fourth of July was a close call and we were home during Easter, but he reherniated shortly after. So somebody needs to tell Wyatt that we can come visit with out being admitted as a patient:))

The highlight of the day is about to come.... since it's not RSV season, Chloe is allowed to visit Wyatt for the first time so she is now on her way with her Daddy and our family can finally be together:)) I don't care if it's in the hospital, I just want to be together!

We are so happy with Wyatt's care here at Hopkins.. the nurses are wonderful (Wyatt had one of his favorite nurses- Ashley today), the doctors, his surgeons, and everyone else!

We got the old Wyatt back!!!!

Wyatt is alert and happy today and back to his old self of pulling off his socks, pulse ox probe, shaking his rattle, shaking his head no, and dropping things. It's so refreshing to seem him like this. We have not had to press the pain button all day! The ng tube was removed, he is down to 1/4 liter of oxygen and stating 100 percent. The chest tube is still in, but is clamped. His most recent chest x-ray shows no sign of more fluid accumulating which is good news. He is still very congested and has some secretions so he needs to be deep suctioned every now and then. G-tube feeds were started at 2pm of 5ml of pedilyte and it will gradually increase over time. Later tonight we will be moving to the IMC section of floor 6. Currently we are in the PICU on the 7th floor. It's so important to me that Wyatt is close to a nurse since the probability of him aspirating is increased because of the vocal cord persis which is why I like the IMC and PICU. So far (knock on wood) he is making a speedy recovery. I don't want to rush things and would rather take things slow. I have learned that Wyatt does not like sudden changes. So far I am very happy the way things are going.