Jack Jack

 

Well as some of you know, but many of you don’t, we have had quite the 2 weeks over here at the Douglas house.

I have not had time to return any calls or emails (unless you happened to catch me while I was nursing) so here is the long over due update…

So on Tuesday January 24th we headed to the hospital to have baby Grant.  That night when talking to my mom and dad on the phone (who were staying with the kids), they mentioned that Jackson had been complaining of stomach pains.

When I got discharged from the hospital the following day Jackson was still complaining of intermittent stomach pain.  So we called his pediatrician, who had Jack jump up and down to rule out appendicitis.  He then posited that Jack was probably just constipated and told us to give him Milk of Magnesia to clear him up.  We received the news somewhat skeptically since he had been going to the bathroom just fine, so instead opted to wait and see if it went away on its own.

That Saturday his stomach was still hurting so we went to Urgent Care where he was given a Step test and an X-ray.  Again, the best guess was constipation, and directed us to give him lots of fruits and fruit juices.

Then came Thursday and still with stomach pain, so we took Jack to the pediatrician.  Doctor looked him over, and said it probably was constipation, but in order to know for sure, we’d have to really treat it, so he instructed us to get him on Mira Lax and a children’s enema.

Finally on Friday with symptoms still unchanged, and with my parents insistence, we took him to the ER.  Again the ER doc said it was constipation, and only after insisting on lab work did we get some answers.  The blood work showed that he had an infection and inflammation.

He was immediately sent for a chest XRAY to determine if he had pneumonia—negative.  Then it was time for a CT scan which involves an IV with contrast and charcoal drink.  The CT scan showed 10 cm of Jackson’s small intestine very inflamed and 3X as thick as they were supposed to be.

At this point he was admitted into the hospital.  The next morning (last Saturday), the doctors said this could be 1 of 3 things:

1. Acute infection

2. Chron’s disease

3.  Lymphoma

It is hard to describe how terrifying this experience was.  I felt like I was in this terrible nightmare.  Every time another diagnostic test was performed and the MD came in to deliver the findings I felt like I couldn’t breathe.   For the first time in my life I truly understood what it meant to “pray always.” 

The poor little guy was poked and prodded night and day—IVs, daily blood drawls, colonoscopy, 4 biopsies and a PPD.  Plus he couldn’t eat.  For some reason all he wanted was a bagel.  He would say “Mom, can I just look at a bagel.”  Ahh, it brings tears to my eyes every time I think about it.  Despite the circumstances Jackson was in great spirits.  He knew all the doctors and nurses names and knew exactly what procedure was being performed and why it was being performed.  He immediately won over the entire staff, being especially charming with the young cute nurses.  After a particularly insightful question, the surgeon said “I can’t believe this kid is 5!”  

However, the most touching part of this whole experience to me, was the outpouring of love we all received.  I’m not even sure how the first person found out, but immediately members from church started showing up at the hospital to visit with Jack, bring presents to Jack, play chess with Jack, or just keep us company.  His preschool teachers came with a big candy filled poster board that said “Please take good care of our friend".  Angie came and took Taylor, neighbors and friends brought food, my mom took care of Grant, my Dad made countless trips back and forth to the hospital (mainly to bring my pumped breast milk from the hospital home to Grant), and countless people called, texted, and emailed.  We felt surrounded by love, faith, and prayers. 

Jackson was discharged on Tuesday afternoon, with still no answers.  The preliminary biopsy results show no lymphoma cells.  So although lymphoma is still a possibility, it is becoming more and more remote—praise God.

They promised that we would have some answers by Wednesday (the 48 hour mark), but alas, the results were inconclusive so they had to send the biopsies to California for further analysis. Those results will be back as early as tomorrow, and as late as Tuesday.  This coming Tuesday (Valentines day), Jackson is also scheduled for a follow up ultrasound to see if the inflammation has gone down.  So between those 2 tests and pending lab work (that can signal Chron’s, due back this Monday)—we should pretty much have a clear understanding of what is going on by Valentines day.

Whew…not sure how easy all of that was to follow, but basically we are still fervently praying that this was just some unknown monster infection.  Jackson seems to be doing well.  He tuckers out easily, but is eating well, pooping well, and has had no stomach pain since returning from the hospital. 

Thank you for your continued prayers, we will keep you updated!  And, if you have room for one more prayer, one of Grant’s infant screening tests came back abnormal (the thyroid one to be exact).  It has been retested and we will get the results back tomorrow.  Please pray for a false positive.

It’s amazing how fast life can change.  This experience has definitely made us more sympathetic, empathetic, and brought us closer to our Heavenly Father. 

January 2012

 

Happy New Year!  This month will be a hard one to beat, as we have already received a year’s worth of blessings.  It’s hard not to skip ahead to Jan. 24th, but I’ll try!

The beginning of the month started with my baby shower (thrown by my mom and a friend from church).  It was so fun to have friends from GAC, Vandy, and church all in my house at once.  Not to mention lots of family!  Needless to say, Grant is now, and will be for a while, the best-dressed kid in America!

Jackson is now nearing the end of his first basketball season.  Enduring a 4-5 year old basketball game is not for the faint of heart.  The game is stopped incessantly if:   a player steals the ball, to get the defense set up, if a player is shooting on the wrong goal, and a host of other reasons.  As one who follows the rules obsessively, Jackson has had a frustrating season.  He visibly experiences great angst as he watches kids run up the court holding onto the ball (without dribbling), and also when he has to fend off his own teammates when trying to score a basket.  However, his aggravation evaporates the moment he scores, and he does his famous fist pump (developed and perfected during soccer season) while saying “Whoo!” and “Yeah!" all the way down the court.

On MLK day Jackson also participated in a chess tournament.  He went 2-2-1 (1 being a stalemate).  He was very happy with his stalemate saying “That huge guy was KILLING me!”  His school team has Regionals this Saturday, so we asked him if he wanted to take a bye the first (of 5) matches so that he could play in his basketball game.  After a brief deliberation he said, “This decision is SO hard, BOTH teams really NEED me.”  Oh the delusional confidence of youth :).

And little Tay continues to be hell on wheels :).  Despite being quite particular and demanding at home, we continue to get these glowing reports from her teacher.  “She is such a good listener, she always helps clean up, and she is quick to share.”  What?!?  Quite the contrast from the reports we got at the beginning of the year.  The funniest thing she is doing right now, is every night she will get out of her bed, walk over to her monitor, pick it up with both hands, put it to her mouth, and scream “MOM, CAN YOU HEAR ME???”  Yes, yes I can…

Finally!  My due date was Fri Jan. 27, but on Tues Jan. 24 we headed in early for a scheduled induction. 

I have to admit, scheduling an induction takes some of the “Oh my gosh I’m in labor, this is it!” fun out of it.  But getting a good night sleep, being able to shower/get dressed/put on makeup, and have childcare arranged, makes up for it.

So around 6am with my parents covering the house, we headed to Northside.

 

I was anxious about delivering this time because of the gestational diabetes.  The doctors said “he will be at least 8.5 pounds.”  This is a large number to someone who has never delivered a baby over the 7lb mark.  However, nothing ever flusters Scott, so between that and having a funny family friend as our anesthesiologist (Mark Hamilton), I was laughing all the way up until delivery.  When Dr. Bills said it was time to push, out came Grant David Douglas on the first push!  He was screaming, pink, and had a head full of jet black Douglas hair.  Scott got to cut the cord (a first for him), and I was allowed to hold him before his bath (a first for me).  And as you can see, fortunately Grant wasn’t quite as large as promised.

 

 

So as you can see, the pictures of Scott with our children look like he simply kept the same baby, changed shirts and walked onto a different set for the three different pictures.  The man does not age!

Within hours the gang descended.  Everyone was anxious to meet Grant!  I wish I would have prepared Jackson a little more:  the baby will be crying, he will not look clean at first, he will have to get a Vitamin K shot, they will put gel in his eyes.  It all was a little overwhelming for the Jackman and he started yelling “Get me out of here, lets get out of here!!!”  Alas, Scott ended up taking Jack and Tay to the McDonalds in the hospital for ice-cream.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day…

My poor parents got put through the ringer at home with the kids.  Both kids got pink eye, Jackson screamed out all through the night with constipation pains, and both kids had a cough. 

 

                                             Therefore, we (or I really) quickly became the most annoying patient at Northside, constantly inquiring about:  when will the circumcision get done, when will the pediatrician be here, when will the OB discharge me, WHEN CAN I GO HOME??”  I felt like I needed to get home to be with the kids.

Yes, I know, I still look 6 months pregnant.  In fact, the first thing Jackson said to me when I walked through the door was “Why is your stomach still so big.”  Let’s see how your stomach looks right after delivering your 3rd child :).

The kids have adjusted well.  Taylor is the most interested in baby brother, always wanting to feed, burp, and “snuggle Baby Grant.”  Of course Scott is still on paternity leave, so reality hasn’t hit yet.  Talk to me on Monday, and it might be a different story.

The birth of this little guy was every bit as miraculous and enchanting as the first.  We sing ‘songs of joy and praise’ to our King, grateful to have stewardship over one of His special sons.  I know he was meant for our family.  He is a sweetheart, and already has us wrapped around his finger!

With so much love,

Scott, Caroline, Jackson, Taylor, and Baby Grant