Caitlin's First Week

The past week has been the most exciting and frightening week of our lives.

Friday:
Caitlin scored an 8/9 and 9/9 on her Apgar test. She only cried when being poked for shots. The pediatrician gave her a healthy baby status. She seemed content and happy. She had her hearing test and passed on one side, but was a bit too active for the second ear, making the test inconclusive. We sent her to the Nursery during the night, to be brought to us for feedings.

Saturday:
Cailtin remained content and slept almost all the day. She seemed most alert between 2:00 - 4:00 am. Caitlin was again given the hearing test. This time she failed in both ears.

Sunday:
At 3:00 in the morning, we were notified by the nurse that Caitlin had lost 15 ounces, just over 10% of her birth weight. We were told weight loss is normal, but in the 5%-10% range. Later when the doctor saw her, she received a healthy baby status. Both Kim and Caitlin were okayed to be discharged; however we decided that Kim should have another day to rest from the c-section. Kim was beginning to show signs of Edema in her legs. Caitlin had her third hearing test, and this time passed on both ears.

Monday:
Early in the morning we were told that Caitlin had lost another four ounces, bringing her weight loss to over 15%. The nurse ordered a bilirubin blood test for jaundice. Around 7:00 in the morning we were told that Cailtin had an elevated bilirubin count and had to go under the lights. She also needed to be supplemented 2 ounces of formula every two hours. Thus began the every two hour feedings, which took about an hour for each feeding. Kim and I were extremely exhausted and very scared. We knew jaundice is common as is weight loss, but it did not change how we felt. We seemed unable to feed or help our baby. We prayed and cried almost continuously. A nurse who was helping with our feedings recommended that we allow the staff to cover a couple of feedings at night.

Tuesday:
Caitlin received another bilirubin blood test, which although lower than the first, was still elevated. She gained 3 ounces that day. The nurse practitioner decided to continue the treatment of lights and bi hourly feedings; Which we learned from a nurse as the nurse practitioner failed to come and tell us her report. Although Kim still had Edema in her legs, she was discharged. We were allowed to move to a different hospital room in the maternal ward. We continued the bi hourly feedings throughout the day. Caitlin did not complain under the lights. She often looked like she was sunbathing. Late Tuesday Kim began to be concerned that her breathing was more labored.

Wednesday:
At 4:15 in the morning Kim's breathing had become more labored. She also felt pressure in her chest. The edema had spread to upper body and her hands. The nurses would not look at her since she had been technically discharged. We went to the ER to have Kim checked out. They looked at her quickly and decided an a battery of test including a test for heart distress and blood clots. The grandparents quickly came in to keep Kim company as I went to be with Caitlin. The ER doctors decided to admit Kim. On the other hand Caitlin's weight had increased another two ounces and her bilirubin count had dropped into a safer level. Caitlin was okayed to be discharged. Thus began the journey to transfer our stuff and Caitlin to our third room in the hospital. While doing this some reports from the doctors arrived. Kim showed signs of an enlarged heart. However, a different test showed that there was no damage to the heart. Around six in the evening the doctor reported that the results of the tests showed no immediate danger to Kim. The Edema was more pronounced than normal and the excess pressure was the cause of the labored breathing. Kim was prescribed a drug to reduce the Edema and discharged. Around 7:00 on Wednesday night we were able to bring Caitlin and Kim home for the first time.

Caitlin's Birthday

Caitlin Marie Villalpando was born today Friday September 26, 2008. She weighed in at 7 pounts and 10 ounces. She measured 20 inches in legth. She and mom are doing well.

A Visit to California

Unfortunately our past trip to California signifies the end of a wonderful summer break. We had a wonderful time with the family. In addition to visiting family, the ten day trip consisted of a baby shower, an engagement party, birthday parties, a zoo trip, a Dodger game, beach days, a movie, and a trip to the ER. Seeing baby Izzy for the first time was a delight. She is beautiful. Mary and Robert are very capable parents and seem very happy, although a bit tired. Congratulations James and Tracy on your engagement. We hope the best for you two. As always, Grandma and Grandpa Gizmo provide wonderful hospitality with waffle breakfasts, gourmet dinners and delightful conversation. Sadly we could not work out a trip to Lompoc to see Nathan and his karate practice. We did enjoy spending time with David, Betsy, Nathan and Matthew at the engagement party and at the zoo. Thank you Dan and Danielle for driving us all over Los Angeles. The Dodger game with Ben and Luke was great. It is always good to see the Dodgers win in the ninth inning. Erin is adorable and knows more words than I do. Luke has a wonderful golf swing that he was able to demonstrate for us in the backyard. And it is always fun to play baseball in the front yard with Ben, Nathan, and Luke. Watching the kids play baseball reminded me a lot of playing when I was a kid. It was great to spend time with Aunt Noella, Uncle NoNo, Sue, Michael, Terry, Neil, and Dylan. Thank you very much for taking the time to drive all the way to Carpinteria, whichever route you decided to take. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, and we hope Uncle NoNo is healing well from his surgery. Even with Kim's fall and the subsequent trip to the emergency room, the trip was wonderful. We wish we could visit more often, and we really appreciate every one's efforts to spend time with us when we can make it to Carpinteria.

Annual Tomato Contest

After a second place finish to David last year, Papa Gizmo seems to be on track for an easy win with 40 tomatoes to date. I also hear that they are delicious. Sadly, my plant has only produced four fruits, also very tasty. David has not sent an up to date count, but early reports are that his plant is not a strong contender. There is the hope that while Papa Gizmo visits us this fall, David and his two companions, Nathan and Matthew, might be able to sneak around the two guard dogs, Scout and Oreo, and alter the seemingly inevitable outcome. As for the largest tomato this year, I have not received any reports.

A Visit from Connecticut

Wow, it has been a while. Sorry we've been out of touch but now that we are back in Spokane, you can expect updates on a regular basis. At the end of July into the beginning of August, we were lucky enough to have a visit from my parents. The visit was filled with great activities including many neighborhood walks, trips to Manito Park to see the dahlias and roses, a Spokane Indians baseball game, Art Fest in Coeur d'Alene, cherry picking at Green Bluff, an invigorating game of croquet and an exciting game of Monopoly. The Spokane weather cooperated, and it was beautiful for their entire trip. Hopefully when my parents return at the end of September as Caitlin enters the world, the weather will be just as nice.

Caitlin's Room

We have greatly enjoyed completing Caitlin's room. After several sketches and lots of discussion, we decided to have a theme of flowers so we painted a mural on the wall. With the help of Al and Evelyne, we were able to place the furniture throughout the room. We are still adding finishing touches to the walls. Caitlin's library has a great start. Hopefully Caitlin will enjoy her new room in a couple of months.

"New to Us" Car

We recently purchased a "new to us" car. It is an Acura MDX with about 65,000 miles. We had been looking for such a car for about 3 months in Spokane. We had to drive 5.5 hours to Portland to find one. It seats seven, although the back two had better be small. It has a navigation system which help the directionally challenged. We will give free rides to any visitors. Hopefully Caitlin will enjoy the car since we will most likely still have it when she is 16.