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July 04 Quinn is still fighting hardMy little granddaughter, Quinn, who is now a month old is still fighting hard. It started off as a cold, then became a sinus infection, then the cold moved into her lungs....and all the mucous caused one of her lungs to collapse.
The lungs are OK now...no more congestion. But her nose and sinuses are still stuffed up.
Since babies do most of their breathing through their noses you can well imagine what a struggle it is for the poor little tyke. The mucous that she is unable to expel is traveling down into her tummy (she is swallowing it) as a result the tummy is upset....and she is unable to keep food down.
 They have her on a feeding tube to top up any bottle feeds...or to feed her when she is too exhausted to suck. Today they added another machine....one that drips tiny amounts of formula into her feeding tube (much like the IV that she is still hooked up to as well). She needs nourishment in order to fight this thing off. So far, her weight (after dipping the first few days) is back up to 9 lbs and they are able to keep it stable.
It is so deceptive with babies....they do well for a while and just as quickly things can go sour. They also bounce back pretty quickly.
I am just thankful the doctors (and nurses in particular -- who spend the balance of their time with patients) are ever vigilant, kind, and reassuring.
The doctor on call for the weekend told my daughter to prepare for a longer stay. She may recover quickly but by the looks of things it could be a lengthier process. Until her cold goes away and she can eat and keep food down...she is staying in hospital.
I continue to ask you for your prayers....this is so hard on Quinn's mommy, daddy and siblings as well as Quinn,
She is in the best of care, God is watching over her, we have tremendous prayer support and for all of that I am truly thankful.
To all my American Blogger friends, I hope you are having a wonderful 4th of July.
And to all of my friends here on Windows Live...thank you, from the bottom of my heart for your prayer support.
May God Bless Each and Every One of You Richly
    ***UPDATE***
After writing this I spoke to my daughter. It appears Quinn's lungs are congested again. July 01 Still requesting prayers for QuinnJust spoke to my daughter. Quinn is still very weak...from lack of sleep. She is still congested (the congestion in her lungs is a tad better). Throughout the night they have been putting masks over her mouth and nose and giving her epinephrine treatments...which seem to help her breathing somewhat. The goal is to get her to eat a bit more and gain strength. As for what the problem is....it could just be a very bad cold that has also lodged in her chest. According to the nurses, with babies that young they need to keep a watchful eye on them. The struggle to breathe can be such a strain on their body that sometimes the body simply gives up. Sooo, as you can imagine, they are being extremely vigilant...for which we are very thankful.
For sure we are looking at another night in hospital...possibly longer. Not all test results are in yet. They have ruled out RSV....the whooping cough test results won't be back for another 6 days. Not exactly sure what other tests they have done...but so far, we have heard nothing.
I appreciate all your prayers...and ask that they be continued for both Quinn and my daughter (who is understandibly exhausted). Again, I will continue to update this blog as the day wears on.
God Bless All my fine Prayer Warriors....you are awesome and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.     June 30 Urgent Prayer Request...Please!!    My 3 !/2 week old Granddaughter Quinn has a bad cold. This morning she is coughing, vomiting, and has blood in her diaper (which is a sign of dehydration)...she also may have an ear infection (as per a walk-in clinic doc yesterday...who did nothing). Due to her stuffed up nose (babies breathe through their noses) she is eating poorly.My daughter is taking Quinn over to the pediatrician shortly, right after she drops the other two off here.
Please remember the baby in your prayers. I will keep you apprised of the situation as I am able. Thank you!!
Somewhere along the line today I have to head out to mom's too to give her the weekly Arthritis shot and take her shopping. I am just so thankful my hubby is around today to help me...perhaps I will send him out to tend to mom while I look after the other two and wait by the phone for word on Quinn. So, yes, please we need your prayers.
~Karin~
UPDATE: Daughter is taking Quinn to the hospital per doctor's orders. Will keep you informed. Thank you for your Prayers!!
SECOND UPDATE: Baby is being hooked up to IV's and they are running a battery of tests to see what is wrong. There is a possibility they may have to tube feed her as she is not eating from mommy or the bottle. This is going to be a very looong day :-(
THIRD UPDATE: Heartwrenching to see little Quinn hooked up to the IV, a heart monitor, oxygen and goodness knows what else. I'm just glad she is in hospital being well monitored. My daughter will be staying with her.
They have already done a bunch of tests....so far no results yet. Just praying for a peaceful and restful night for Quinn and her mommy.
June 27 Bye Emmi...see you in 3 yrs.           For some reason I can't seem to put the captions beside, underneath or on top of each individual picture, as some of you can. Not sure what I am doing wrong.
Anyway, the top picture is my cousin Emmi with Noah....the next batch were taken at Vancouver Airport when we saw Emmi off (Emmi and my hubby, Emmi and yours truly, Emmi and my mom)....and pictures taken at Harrison lake of Hannah, Mattias, Quinn and my daughter.
Emmi only had a very short stay with mom....7 full days (not counting the evening my American cousin brought her and the day we took her to the airport).
Emmi arrived in Vancouver on May 27th but was spirited off to the USA by my American cousin Margit. They did a whirlwind 7,000 mile tour of Utah, North Dakota, The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole (wherever that is?), Las Vegas...and Big Sky (??)...they also visited various relatives in Washington State and the aforementioned States. We have a large contingent of relatives scattered throughout the U.S.
By the time Margit brought Emmi back up to mom's place....poor Emmi was exhausted and her head was spinning with all the sights and visiting. So she rather enjoyed the relaxation at mom's. We just took her on a few short outings (naturally the weather wasn't very cooperative) so we had to plan our outings between rainstorms.
Emmi will likely come back again in 3 years...at which time we hope to snag her for a longer period of time and maybe take her on an Alaska Cruise. The trick is to try and keep my mom in good health so she will still be around. Emmi had a sense of foreboding when she saw mom and is dubious that she will see her again....so as you can imagine the farewell at the airport was very heart-wrenching. I, myself, hate goodbyes....I don't cry in public, so my tears are shed silently at home.
I haven't been to Vancouver Airport in decades and since the renovations I was impressed by how beautiful it is. The parking, however, is another story. $3 for each half-hour. Emmi had to be there 3 hours early to check in....we couldn't just dump her and leave. We kept her company and left about 45 minutes before she was due to start embarking. Total parking bill $21.00
 ....OUCH !! Those little emoticons are supposed to represent money...look more like nuts to me  Anyway, now that she is gone I can, more or less, return back to my normal routine (whatever normal is....seems to change on a daily basis....
).Hopefully I will have a little more time to catch up on all blog postings that I have missed.
Just know that I am thinking about you all.
God Bless You All June 20 What Makes A Dad
June 17 Time for an updateSorry about the boring title...but I just couldn't think of an appropriate one.
Baby Quinn is thriving. Hannah has one more week of school left. Mattias is still being the doting big brother...now if we could only teach him to be a bit gentler with the kittens.
I got mom's house cleaned and everything squared away. My German cousin is now staying with her until the 25th when I have to take her to the airport. Yesterday hubby, mom, cousin Emmi, and I went to the lake where we had scattered my dad's ashes and had a little quiet time...followed by a Schnitzel dinner at my fav. restaurant.
Saturday my kids, grandkids, mom, cousin Emmi will all come over for a long overdue family visit. Not sure how many years it will be before Emmi comes back over for a visit.
Sunday, of course, is Father's Day....so we will be heading over to the park....Old Car Sunday. An annual event that the guys just love.
I am still busy trying to catch up with Son's bookwork...and hubby's office stuff...not to mention that my dust bunnies are demanding that I either clean them up....or give them names. I hate housecleaning and would rather name them....but we have some in the family that have allergies...so I guess I better pull out the Swiffer, the Vacuum and the dust cloth
      s. Not today though....babysitting first.Hopefully I will have time to throw on a Father's Day Blog before Sunday.
Stay out of trouble ....Hugs and Blessings to all
   Here are a few more pics of the grandkids.
June 11 Aren't these just the cutest little kitties!!These days my daughter's house just seems to be filled with little ones.
Here is an updated picture of the kittens (they are now 2 weeks old). So sweet!! Don't tell my hubby, but I have my heart set on a particular one. Now all I have to do is figure out how to convince him that I really, really need a kitty. Don't think Simba would be too impressed (she is old)...but Midnight would probably be ecstatic.
Can you guess which one has captured my heart??
Mattias helps look after his new baby sister....and Hannah tends to the mommy cat, the kittens and their two other cats.....but as it is in all families...my daughter gets the wonderful job of cleaning litter boxes and changing diapers..LOL.       June 10 Mattias, the best big brother :-)Throughout my daughter's pregnancy she was constantly worried about how Mattias would take to the new baby. Hannah was ecstatic but Mattias...not so much.
Now that the baby is here....Mattias is absolutely enthralled. He helps to clean her little bum when she has soiled her diapers, at story time he rubs her head....if she makes a peep he immediately notifies his mommy. Hannah, on the other hand although she loves her little sister, is much more interested in playing with her friends and the baby kitties.
My other grandson Noah is now crawling around like a bat out of ....well you get the picture. They are busy baby-proofing the house.
The antibiotics are finally kicking in and I might just lick this chest infection. Sure hope so. It has been years since I have needed antibiotics and the ones the doc put me on are just terrible on my stomach. I make sure I take them with food...but still...I only hope they don't cause a flare-up of my Crohns Disease...that's all I would need.
Mom is doing OK. I find that she is becoming more dependant on me. Everything from grocery shopping to writing cheques, cleaning her house etc etc. Her arthritis has not gotten any worse...as far as I can tell her health has not declined...and yet things she did just six months ago she says she can't do anymore. I mean, come on....her mailbox is only a couple dozen steps from her front door....all flat...she has her walker....the weather is dry (not slippery) and yet she can't check her own mail either? yesterday, when I took her out shopping I MADE her walk....she didn't like it much....but I keep telling her "Mom, if you don't use your muscles, you will lose them"....her reply is "So what"....AAARRRGGGHHH. I am going to have to stop enabling her. There are things she could quite easily do...and quite frankly any activity would do her a world of good. Time for her to get off the pity pot.
I don't mind helping her out....but honestly my plate is full too....I have grandkids that need babysitting (something I really want to do), I have my own house to clean (blech)....and a hubby that needs some attention too!!
Sometime next week my Washington State Cousin will be dropping off one of my German cousins to stay with mom for about 10 days. I will be their wheels. Don't mind, not a problem....I really don't think my German cousin wants to hang out all day at mom's and mope right along with her. I think mom's biggest problem is depression but she will not acknowledge that. Depression is something she says only weak people suffer from....HUH!! Sorry, I got off on a rant there.
Our weather has been very dry...the forest fire situation up here is getting bad...thus the air quality is not that great. In the valley where we live we get northwest winds. The winds from the west bring the pollution from the city....the winds from the north bring pollution from the forest fires. Not good at all.
Here are a few more pics of the kids....not sure when I will be able to post again. Depends on how busy my office work gets, when my cousin arrives....and how much help my daughter will need when her hubby goes back to work next week.
Take care....and God Bless      June 04 Welcome Baby QuinnOur Sweet Little Granddaughter finally arrived at 6:20 in the evening. It was a long night and day of waiting.....but oh so worth it.
Surprisingly she was the smallest of my daughter's three....weighing in at 8 lbs 2 oz. Looking at my daughter you would have thought the baby was going to be much larger.
Here are the 3 pictures we were able to take at the hospital before the nurses kicked us out to clean up mommy and Quinn (middle name still undecided).
I'm off to bed now...finally got Hannah and Mattias settled.
Goodnight and May God Bless    Baby Q is on her way !! Yeah!!My daughter just came out of the doc's and is on her way to the hospital. She is 4 to 5 cm dilated....and it looks like everything is a go!!
I just got done bathing Hannah and Mattias....now I have to clean my bird cages and the bunny cage and then its off to my daughter's to pick up the kids overnight stuff, check on the kitties, feed them and make sure the dog gets down for his constitutional.
Boy I am tired....and guess who is having a nap right now....my hubby (who got to stay home last night a sleep....Hmmph...Old Men!! ). I know one thing for sure....I am NOT cooking tonight. It is hot, I am tired and cranky....so it will be McDonalds for sure....goodness I hope they have air-conditioning.
Don't know when I will be back on here....but for sure there will be pictures with my next post.
God Bless
~Karin~ No Baby Q Yet!!Her water broke...contractions started and as soon as they got to the hospital they stopped. She was only 2 cm dilated. They sent her home early this morning and said to come back tomorrow morning and they will induce her.
Soon as they got home the contractions started again...but they are not regular yet. She has a 1:30 doc. appt. today so we will see what he says.
NOBODY (except for Mattias) got any sleep last night....not even Hannah. Guess we are too anxious. Hopefully things will move along and this babe will be born today!! Baby Granddaughter is on the way It is probably about 4 in the morning. I am over spending the night with Hannah and Mattias. Their mommy's water broke around 2. I am having a difficult time sleeping so I thought I would while away the hours on the computer, Looks like baby Q.....will be with us shortly. Far as I know they will be naming her Quinn. The middle name is still undecided...but will likely be Amelia (Isabella or Alexandra) but of course they may change their minds with regards to the middle name. Hubby and I will take the kids over to the hospital to see their new babysister....and Lord willing we will remember our Camera. Keep you posted...best try and get a little shut-eye or I will be good for nothing tomorrow. Goodnight and May God Bless. June 03 Kitty Pictures...6 days old nowWe are still awaiting the arrival of our granddaughter....5 days left (doesn't look like Baby Q is in a big hurry to honor us with her entrance into the world). She seems to be way too comfortable in mommy's tummy. My daughter has another appt tomorrow...so we will see if she has dilated any further....maybe they will strip the membranes and get things moving along. Baby is getting mighty big. My daughter is more than ready to get the show on the road!!
Anyway, here are a few new pictures of the 6 kitties....they are now 6 days old and are just adorable.         May 29 Hannah and Mattias' Cat had her kittens yesterday.Mattias got to watch the birth of six little kittens yesterday. Four came before his mom and dad headed out to the pediatrician. I helped with #5.....and then I thought for sure that was it.....but I guess while the kids and I were outside #6 came out. Here are pictures of momma and her litter. Daughter is really going to have her hands full....three adult cats, six kitties, a dog....and very soon a new baby.   May 27 My daughter at 38 weeks and 2 daysJust thought I would share this picture of my daughter. She is now 38 weeks and 2 days.
Two weeks ago the doc already figured the baby could easily be at 8 lbs. Wonder how big this one will be if she goes full term?
Baby has dropped a little in the last few days and my daughter has had some cramping....so perhaps the doc will have pity on her and strip the membranes tomorrow....we shall see. I'll keep you posted.  Can you believe it...still under the weatherSorry folks. I am still under the weather. Cold, sinus infection, dry cough, strep throat, eye infection, upset stomach, and lack of appetite...not to mention a low-grade fever,
My daughter is still battling a sore throat...baby has dropped (won't be long now)...likely on Thursday they will strip her membranes and get things moving. I have been frantically trying to get my son's book work done so I will be free to look after Hannah and Mattias.....their daddy also has a strep infection in his throat. Hubby is sick as well...blah.
Mattias is slowly getting over his cold but is now on Asthma inhalers (steroids)...he had one scary asthma attack...triggered by this nasty cold.
So far mom is doing fine....but quite honestly she is running me ragged (last week I had to run over to her place 3 times....once for her doc appt in the city, once to give her the Arthritis shot and last Thursday to take her for her bone density test. I was out there again today taking her shopping, banking and administering her shot. Where the heck is that elusive brother of mine when you need him? His son, my nephew, is no better. He does come on occasion to visit...but I always thought that there was an ulterior motive. Mom has gifted him her Jeep. I am really ticked off...hubby needs another vehicle and the Jeep would have been perfect...but I guess he did a great job at sucking up to Mom. Hubby and I are not like that.
I am seriously considering selling my dad's accordion and sheet music...not something I really wanted to do...but hubby needs a vehicle soon.
Anyway...I guess I have ranted enough for one night. Next blog will probably introduce you too my newest granddaugther...Baby Q.
Until then....Sending you all hugs and blessings.
   ~Karin~
May 18 A Motley Crew for LunchMom and I made the trek into the City today for her Rheumatologist's appointment.
Bear in mind that today is the last day of a long weekend for us. Our freeway was like a parking lot.....lucky to be doing 30 clicks at times.
Her meds, thankfully, are working well for the Arthritis...the doctor was immensely pleased (he hasn't seen her in a year).
After the appointment we met up with some of our long time friends for lunch. I really wish I had taken a video camera. Altogether there were 7 of us for lunch...all crammed into a tiny corner booth. Two with canes, one on crutches and my mom with a walker. It was quite the ordeal getting everybody seated...
 . As I was moving the walker and crutches over to a corner of the restaurant where nobody would trip over them I accidently bonked a gentleman on the head with one of the crutches. I gave him my winning smile, apologized profusely and he replied "It's alright sweetheart...God Bless You". The service was lousy, my lunch tasted like cardboard...because my sinuses are still all clogged up..... and later in the car my mom complained that she hadn't planned on sharing OUR lunch with other people. Sometimes there is just no pleasing her. She complains that she is lonely and yet when you try to get a small group together ...she complains again. Ah well...what's a girl to do.I left at 9:45 this morning and didn't get back home 'til 5:30 this afternoon...and quite frankly I am pooped!!
I still have my head cold and have now passed it on to poor hubby who held down the fort today and cooked dinner... Bless His Heart.
My very pregnant daughter went to a local clinic this morning because for a few days now her throat has been extremely sore. This morning she could stand it no longer. Turns out her sinuses are infected and draining down into her throat
 . They put her on antibiotics. Mattias' pink eye is better now but he is still coughing and starting to spike these weird unexplained fevers again.
Hannah has a cold as well.
Thankfully everyone else in the family that has come into contact with us germ bags are fine...and I pray it stays that way.
So, that was my day, in a nutshell.
I'm outta here...got some dishes to do and then I am going sit and relax in front of the TV and sleep through a few sitcoms.
Back out to mom's tomorrow....shopping, cleaning, give her a weekly injection and figure out how to stop birds from coming in through her stove hood fan
. Poor lady has been chasing birds out with a broom all week. I'm thinking the flapper valve is stuck in the open position and the birds are looking for nesting places. Oh the fun just never ends.  Goodnight and May God Bless May 15 Another LARGE Grandchild coming soon!!Yesterday my daughter had another appointment at the baby docs. She casually mentioned to him that this time around she is hoping for a smaller baby....yeah right!! Hannah was 8 lbs 4 oz, Mattias came in at a whopping 9 lbs 11 oz. so my daughter told the doctor that this time she would be happy with a mere 8 lb baby. Normally the doctors' do not give any opinion as to the size of the baby....this time, however, he did say...."well the baby is large...I would guesstimate that she has already reached the 8 lb mark"
 . Jenny is 36 weeks along. If she goes full term she could very well be looking at a 10 pounder. So, if nothing has happened in two weeks time (May 28th) the doctor will strip her membranes and hopefully get things moving along. The due date is June 8th....but for my daughter's sake, we are hoping (as is the doctor) that it will be sooner. Baby Q might just arrive before the end of the month.My cold is steadfastly clinging to me. Not much I can do but let it run its course and stay away from my mother. She was exposed to a lot of germs on Mother's Day (at that time only Mattias had a cold)...but by the following day I was down for the count, followed by Hannah. Hannah has since recovered, mine is still kicking around. Mattias is still sniffling away. I just pray Mom stays well. So far, so good.
I won't be seeing mom until Monday at which time I will need to take her into the city for her Rheumatologist's appointment. I had big plans to clean her house this weekend....but those good intentions will have to be put on hold until I shake this thing. So, by Monday...my cold MUST be gone!!
Mattias was here for a while yesterday while his mom went to the docs. Other than a snotty nose...and acting a tad more grumpy...he appeared to be fine. By late afternoon Jenny found him laying on the couch all tired, and rubbing his eyes....not like Mattias at all. She noted that his eyes were all blood shot...and then saw a yellow. goopy discharge at the corners of each eye. An internet search revealed that he could quite conceivably have "Pink Eye". There are two kinds....viral (clear discharge) and bacterial (yellowish discharge). So its off to the docs again today to get an accurate diagnosis and appropriate antibiotics, In the meantime all precautions are being taken NOT to spread it. Pink eye, in either form is highly contagious, Our poor little Mattias....he seems to be susceptible to every bug that comes around.
If you have a moment, I would really appreciate your prayers....for Mattias and a speedy recovery, for my daughter...a safe and quick delivery (the sooner the better), for my mom...that she --- with her compromised immune system---has not been affected by the Mother's Day germ exposure....and for anyone else that has come in contact with us sickies.
Well, its 8:39 Friday morning here...so I had better get my day going.
Have a wonderful Friday !!
*Hugs and Blessings* May 13 Under the WeatherOur Mother's Day at my moms went reasonably well. The only downside is that my brother's girlfriend always brings her nasty little mutt. Now, don't get me wrong....I normally love dogs (and people) but those two....the g/f and her dog...well, I'm sorry, but I could do without them. The mutt snapped at Mattias at least twice....left bruises on the little guy's skin. Mattias did nothing to provoke the dog. The g/f just shrugged it off as if it was not a big deal. My son-in-law was about ready to pick up the mutt and throw it against the wall. I don't think it is the dog's fault. Perhaps the owner should be thrown against the wall??  Mom enjoyed having most of the family around....but she does admit she is beginning to find it overwhelming having a lot of people over at one time. For the most part she spends her days alone, or has one on one visits when I come out. She is not used to a lot of commotion anymore.
My daughter and the grandkids have all been battling colds. The germs finally found their way over to my house. I woke up Monday morning with a sore throat, a stuffed up head, achy joints and an upset stomach...."oink, oink" ...errr I mean "cough, cough", snort, aaachhooo!!
Tuesday was even worse, and I had to go out and give mom her shot. Thankfully hubby was able to drive me out and help mom with her shopping. I had no energy whatsoever. Last night I had a better sleep and today I am starting to feel human again, more or less. Just don't put your face too close to the screen....I may still be contagious.Hope the rest of you are having a wonderful week.
Goodnight and May God Bless
Going to leave you with an X-rated picture of Noah.
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