Monday, August 27th-Week 23

Ok, today it is official. Miller, Matt and I are in Week 23. (Full term babies and a "normal" pregnancy go to week 40) Between last week and this week, seemed like it dragged along, as I know that this next week will be even slower. As said in our last blog, week 24 is a huge milestone/goal for us! However, in our hearts, we know that we will hit that goal and then surpass our others.

While we were in the hospital, I had used a football analogy that this was sort of like a football game. After we had received good news from the doctors about my cervix closing and no infection, I told Matt that we were in the 2nd quarter of a National Championship football game and we were winning. Matt rephrased it as we were at the end of the 1st quarter, were getting our butts kicked 21-0 but were on our way to a comeback and had scored 14 points. So, we kept using this analogy throughout our hospital stay and shared it with Dr. Berry and Dr. Uribe right before we went into surgery. Dr. Berry said that it was halftime and that we had tied up the game. If we get to week 24-28, then we were well on our way to winning the game. After that, it was not a matter of if we win the game but by how much we want to "kick their butts". I told him that we wanted it really bad and to make this a game to go down in game-winning history! (I think I referenced a UT vs. Baylor game but Matt didn't appreciate it much!)

Anyway, in this upcoming season of college football, we are suited up, looking good and are playing our hearts out! We know that we have a lot of the game left to play but are taking it one play at a time and just moving that ball closer to the goal! We know that God is in our hearts and is our Coach, so we know that we are doing what it takes to put a "W" in the win column! Just as I know that the Longhorns will do the same. (go horns!)

So, I may not be at any of the games this year,but know that Matt, Miller and I are actively participating in one ourselves. You may see Matt at the games, if I can kick him out of the house and make him go, just so I can live my life vicariously through him. So, if you do see him, he will be there to scout out the Longhorns so that we may follow in their "National Championship" footsteps! I know that Miller is actively participating too because he reminds me every day by showing me that he can kick really hard, and is very "vocal" about which way I should be laying. I guess he is like the quarterback calling his plays and Matt and I are the receivers who will keep our eyes on the ball, catch it, run with our hearts to the goal line and believe that we can win this game! :)

Peace and love to you all!

Dana, Matt and Miracle Miller

August 22nd-So far, so good!

It has been a while since we posted on our blog, but once again--no news is good news! It has taken us about 1 1/2 weeks to settle down into the house. We are so blessed to be doing "bed rest" here instead of the hospital but I never realized how much harder it would be on the both of us--but more so Matt.

At the hospital, we had the comfort of nurses coming in to check on us and to hear Miller's heartbeat. Now, not so much. Poor Matt has taken place of all the nurses and clinical assistants (CA's), and has has to wait on me "hand and foot." Once again, he has proven to be an incredible husband and provider! I am so blessed in so many ways.

In order for us to be more secure with being at home, Matt is now looking to rent a Doppler which measures the baby's heart rate--like the ones they use in the doctor's office. If he could rent a sonogram machine and roll into the house, then he would do it. I told him that it is taking it a little too far--sort of like Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes did when they were expecting Suri. Anyway--Julie has stopped by a few times on her way home from work to check on Miller's heartbeat and to put our minds at rest. Not knowing what Miller is doing all of the time has to be one of the hardest thing about being away from the hospital but then again, I do miss the ice! :) We can't thank Julie enough for being such a wonderful friend and nurse to us! Once again,we are blessed with so many wonderful friends!

As for our meals--thank you so very much for all of y'all who have dropped off food. Obviously this has been a huge treat for us--especially Matt since he does not have to cook every night. These meals have been wonderful and I have successfully gained 3 of the 10 pounds I had lost in the hospital.

Speaking of weight, let us update you on Miracle Miller. We went to see Dr. Uribe and Dr. Berry yesterday and it was the best day I have had so far since leaving the hospital! It was the best for many reasons and they are as follows:

• It was the first time I got to get dressed up to go "out".
• It was a fun car ride--sort of--the bumps would scare me a little.
• I almost felt like a normal person just "going to the doctor"
• Dr. Uribe was pleased with seeing Miller's progression and his fluid level!
• My bed rest regime is going good and it is showing through Miller's growth.
• Dr. Berry said that he thought it looked like a normal, healthy pregnancy when he saw the sonogram results.
• Miracle Miller weighs 1 pound and 4 ounces--close to a Week 24 baby! (he is only 22 weeks and obviously an "overachiever") :)
• On the way home, we snuck over to my brother's house to see my sister-in-law, nieces, nephew and their newest addition--a puppy named Izzy.

All in all, it was a great day yesterday. Dr. Berry was pleased and for those of you who know the whole story and my "old" nickname for him, this is hard to do! He is an amazing doctor who took a huge chance/risk on us to give us the best chance to bring Miller into this world! So far--so good! We have 2 weeks to go before we see our doctor's again--but at that time, we will start a new regiment using steroids to get his lungs more developed in case he wants to come early (hope not--his room is not even close to being completed!) :)

August 13th--Home Sweet Home

Yes...we finally made it home to "the Creek" as Matt calls it. We got our "walking papers" on Saturday AM, and I don't think I could have gotten out of the hospital sooner! The idea of just being at home gave us all renewed strength to our ongoing battle. However, it didn't come without a few more tears.

As I was being wheeled out of the hospital by Sister Linda--I quickly learned that my departure was bittersweet. I busted out into tears because I felt that I was leaving a huge part of me and my heart at the hospital and that was baby Lawton. It just didn't feel exactly right and it hurt so very much! As I was being put into the car, I continued crying while Matt and Mom were trying to get all things accumlated into the car as fast as possible, so that they could console me. As Matt was trying to stuff in a beautiful, big butterfly balloon--it came loose and starting flying away. As Matt was apologizing that he had lost the balloon, I quickly stopped crying and looked up to watch it. It was a beautiful sight watching it fly into the blue, cloudless sky, towards the sun. Once again, I found a sense of peace and comfort. I honestly think that this was God and Lawton telling me that all was ok and that Lawton was safe.

So, we are all here at home--Matt, Miller, Jake, Truman and me AND loving it. It is so nice to be at home, in my own bed with my own things. However, I must keep telling myself that though I am at home, I am still on bed rest! There are so many things that need to be done before Miller gets here but I guess I can turn to the internet for these things. (Being connnected to the "real world" is a blessing in itself!) Lucky for me, I have many friends, sister (Susie), and mom who all want to help with Miller's room so I know that I am in great hands.

Anyway, we have an appointment with Dr. Berry and Dr. Uribe next Tuesday afternoon, and we know that they will be both be pleased with how good Miller and I are doing! :) Other than that---not much else is going on with the exception of being able to do some work from home and feel like I am contributing as a "normal" person would be doing. Give us a call here at 330-1722 or you are always welcomed to visit anytime!

Peace and Love to you all!
Dana, Matt and Miracle Miller

August 10th

Good news gets even better! As of our last entry, after the surgery....I have been progressively getting better...so much that we heard the word "home". There is a chance that we get to continue our fight from home since Miller has been so good---and of course, our doctor's have been brilliant! We are still not out of the woods but have accomplished another goal. Week 36 here we come! Ok, I know that it is 16 weeks away but Miller, Matt and I know that we are going to get there!

So, this is Day 17 in the hospital...and I walked for the first time in last night--since I was admitted on July 25th. It was the most incredible feeling. Guess you could say that I was taking "baby steps". For this--I am so blessed to be out of my bed and feel sort of back to normal!

Anyway, here are a few things I have learned both funny and serious:

• Pedicures last longer when you don't get the chance to walk.
• Hair on one's legs seems to not grow as fast when you are lying in bed.
• Flowers do brighten a dark hospital room---even when the flowers are dying.
• Some people do say stupid things to those who are in the hospital ("Did that just come out of your mouth?")
• I will NEVER again wish I could just "lay around in bed" again!
• A sponge bath w/hair wash--next best thing to Lake Austin spa
• Soft, fuzzy, warm socks are the best invention
• God is ALWAYS with me!
• The nurses at Seton are incredible loving people. Nurses are truly people who have the biggest hearts..and they should get paid more for what they do!
• There is such a person as a compassionate and brilliant doctor as seen with Dr. Uribe and Dr. Berry! With out their persistence...I would not have had any options nor would we have had a chance to experience Miracles!
• The true and pure meaning of "love" as seen through our friends and family!
• The Holy Spirit is comforting, calming and is an incredible feeling.
• The power of love and prayer is amazing!
• Miracles do happen---seen now and will be seen throughout the next 16 weeks.

So we will continue to fight this battle but in the comfort of our own home! To say Matt, Miller and I are excited is a huge understatement! Come see us at 2411....where my "room" will be bigger and more comfortable! Plus more space in the fridge to offer you a beer or a glass of wine!

Love to you all! Prayers still encouraged and welcomed!

SUCCESS!!!!

Another blessing has been bestowed upon the DeLorenzo family! Dana's surgery went perfect and the amnio on Miller was even better! Dr. Berry and Dr. Uribe visited with Jim, Sonia and I after the surgery and informed us that Dana as usual was an over-achiever. Dr. Berry displayed a strong confidence in her success which put all of us at ease. We can not give enough thanks to the doctors, nurses, friends and family for all of their support during this time of need. Dana is resting well in room 246 and has orders to get out of bed and walk tomorrow if she feels up to it. Yes actually get out of bed! Dr. Berry indicated that we can return home Friday or Saturday with Dana on continued bed rest for another 7-10 days. We will consult with Dr. Uribe on his decision of when we return to our home but all signs show positive and we continue to stay strong in our faith. This has been a unique experience of highs and lows but we stay determined to bring Miller and Dana through this with a 30+ week delivery. Our next milestones are as follows: Return home within the next few day and continue our journey to 28 weeks. When all goes well we have a new milestone of 32 weeks and then 36+. Dr. Berry conveyed that anything over 30 weeks is great progress and that we should focus our energy on getting to that point.

So we are doing well and looking forward to getting through the next 48 hrs with no infection and limited contractions. Dana is awesome and is a tough women who is on a mission. I admire her strength and resolve to make this family a reality. I love her more each day and thank God he has blessed my life with her love. Please know we will try to return everyone's calls but the next day or two will be busy for us so please understand that we all appreciate your support. I ask we hold off on visitors for the next day or two so Dana can focus on her recovery and rest.

As always please continue to keep us in your prayers.

August 8th

I learned a new scripture yesterday in a book (The Buzz by Thelma Wells) that my dear friend-Lashonda gave me last week. It is Phillipians 4:13 that states "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I truly believe that and know that God loves us--especially our little Miller!

We are so blessed and we completely Trust Him! Through this whole "lesson", we know we are in a good place though others may not view it the same. We have a great sense of calm feelings that we are following the right step and that this will work!

Ok, it is 11:30am and I am not nervous about anything but rather excited! We are doing general anesthia (sp?) so I can go into this as positive as I am feeling now and come out of it just as positive. If I had to be awake for the whole thing, then I am not sure how strong and positive I could be in a state like that. Anyway, no harm to Miller and in fact, I am more at ease knowing that he is going to be sleepy too--and not as hyper during the amniocentesis which puts my mind even more at ease. (He loves getting his picture taken--sort of like his Uncle Greg and gets a little hyper while we do sonograms. He is very proud that he is a boy and likes to show "it" off too---Miller that is, not my brother!) :)

The whole procedure does not take long at all and I should only be in recovery for about 1 1/2 hours afterwards--which is longer than the surgery itself. I will encourage Matt to update this blog tonight so that all of y'all will know the outcome--which will be positive once again! Please say a prayer for all of us starting at 6pm. As said, we have seen the power of prayer and this will be no different than the Miracles we have experienced thus far.

As said earlier: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" Praise God!

Peace and Love to all of you and your families!
Dana, Matt and our little Miracle Miller

August 7th

Dumb wipe board is wrong again...it says the 6th. Don't these nurses know how very important it is to keep up with the right date? I have learned way too much about being a patient in the hospital--especially since this is Day 14 and counting....

However...Day 14 possibilities are more positive than Day 1 and here is where we are today: After seeing Dr. Berry on Sunday and getting the good news about other options AND after talking to Dr. Uribe late last night, we have come to the decision to go ahead and proceed with the surgery. (Stop reading if you don't want details and just want to leave it at that.....b/c here is about to be too much info)

The surgery is called Suclage (sp?). Basically it is reinforcing my cervix by stitching me closed. The more Miller eats and gets fatter (exactly what we want), then he will weigh approximately the same weight as both of my boys once did---thus putting more pressure on my incompetent cervix and the possibility of his membrane rupturing like Lawton's did puts us back in the danger zone. Since just laying around and not getting out of bed does not seem like an proactive option, we decided to go with Dr. Berry and Dr. Uribe's suggestion of the surgery. Dr. Berry equated it to a woman's purse that has a drawstring at the top of it (personally, I am picturing the old Dooney & Bourke purse I once had in high school.) to keep it closed tight and reinforced. The success rates of this surgery is good and what we are gambling on--odds look good enough to go for it..plus Matt and I feel like to be more proactive is smarter than reactive at this point in Miller's and our lives.

Another sign that we are moving in the right direction (I like to call them "Godsigns") is that the anestheologist (the doctor who gives you the good drugs that puts one into a sound sleep) that was recommended to us by Lisa Coffman (through her best friend who knows the business very well b/c she is in it---you know friend of a friend) happens to be working the night shift tomorrow night the same time we are scheduled for surgery--6pm. Go figure! It is another small and amazing miracle that we are heading in the right direction.

So, the only thing we need is all of y'all to start praying at 6pm on Wednesday night for our little Miracle Miller that he may cooperative throughout and after the surgery and onto week 34+, pray for the steadiness of the Doctor's hands, pray for Matt and my continued strength through the surgery and after in recovery and beyond. Matt and I are so very positive about this new option and we know in our hearts that it is all going to work out!

Love to you all!

08-05-07

We received positive news today about our pregnancy. I was at breakfast at La Madeline enjoying the Sunday paper and coffee waiting for my French Continental breakfast when Dana called my cell phone. She said with enthusiasim "Dr. Berry is here"! I was looking forward to a quiet morning reading the paper and enjoying my breakfast but duty called so I downed my breakfast and then rushed back to the hospital.

As I was walking briskley back to the hospital I was feeling calm about things and knew we were going to have good news today. As I entered the room Dr. Berry was sitting comfortably in the chair enjoying the company of Dana and two nurses. I apologized for being late and asked how things went today with the visit. With some passion in his voice he began telling us that he did not have high expectations about our situation at first, however that he was very encouraged of what the results of his examination were with Dana. He said that we now have a few more options available to us since Dana's cervix is still closed and that Miller's size and fluid levels looked great. He said that only 10% of women who experience what we have so far get to this point that provides them additional options that can increase the chances for a successful pregnancy.

We thanked him for this encouraging news and said we would wait to make any decision as to how to proceed until we discussed everything with Dr. Uribe. Stay tuned...the best is yet to come!

Thank you again for everything...especially the prayers.

Friday, August 3rd

No news is good news! It has been this way since our last entry and hopefully will continue this way for us for the next 12+ weeks. I had a good night last night and I woke up feeling renewed with strength that we are going to deliver a healthy Miller after week 34. We realize that each good day/night is a blessing and one step closer to our goal. It also amazes me in the power of prayer because I know that God is listening to all of ours and your prayers.

Dr. Uribe is out of town until Monday but he checks in every day with us via phone. I told him to relax and enjoy his time off--and that things were quiet and boring here. After our last conversation with him....he said that we needed to take this day by day---then as those remain quiet and boring, then our next goal is week 24. After that, week 28 (chances for Miller's survival go up dramatically), then the goal of week 32. Dr. U said that if all goes well until that timeframe, then he will want us to deliver Miller during week 34. Personally, we are setting our sights on week 36 especially since we know that Miller is going to be stubborn and want to stay in and grow some more! So, we have our goals---and in addition, we have heard that we may get to go home for a few weeks but Dr. U is still not convinced of this yet. Though we would love to be in the comfort of our own home, it is a little scarey to be away from the comfort of the hospital--knowing that great nurses and doctor's are just steps away. Who knows---I may change my mind next week after getting tired of this small hospital room and bad food. :)

So, it is day 10 in the hospital and I thought it was going to be a tougher day than normal espcially since we lost Baby Lawton one week ago today. However, I keep going back to the fact that I know he is in a much better place--in Heaven and in God's arms. He is safe. He is our angel looking out for us and especially for his big brother. So while we still grieve and will continue to do so, we still count all of our many blessings. This experience has been a life stopping, life altering, and one that we have learned many lessons from. We will continue to learn throughout our journey and we will continue to pray that we grow in love and strength for each other, for Miller, and for all of our family and friends! Thank you again for your many prayers---they are definitely working!

Dana & Matt

August 1st--I think

Hi all--
I haven't gone back to read what Matt has written but as always, I am sure it has been eloquent and concise. Well, it is Wednesday, August 1st--I think. This is because it has been the longest week of our lives--plus the dry-erase board in our room has not been updated to today's date. I am fairly certain it is August 1st because tomorrow is my niece's (Meghan) 5th birthday. I had asked Matt to go out and buy her a birthday gift but he is convinced that she really wants an empty vase that she can "put cool stuff into." Of course, I told him that this was not a good gift for a 5 year old and that anything "princess" would be perfect--rather than an empty vase. Happy Birthday sweet Meghan!

Anyway--to get everyone up to speed....here is what we have learned today from the best doctor in the whole wide world--Dr. Uribe. All blood tests are either negative and/or are getting back to normal after having to deliver Lawton. Also-they did a special test on the membrane around Lawton (I think that is what was tested) and it came back negative for bacteria--which is another great sign that there may have not been enough time for infection to set in. Praise God! This has been one small ray of hope and light through a very dark time--and we know that there are many more to come!

Dr. Uribe also told us that he has done tons (read: TONS) of research and that he is fairly certain he has read all of the reseach related to cases like mine....except for the ones written in German and I know that he will probably take a german class between now and the next time I see him. I can't say enough about how incredible he is both as a doctor, as a person and as our friend! Anyway--he did find a case where a woman had almost the exact situation as me and delivered a rupture of Twin A at 18 weeks and delivered healthy Twin B at 35 weeks--all with bed rest and bed pan--no amnio or stitches-- (ok--sorry probably too much information there.) In addition to this article, a very dear friend shared her complete story with me that had escaped my mind but it all came flooding back when we were talking. She now has a beautiful son that she says has the strength of both twins--and obviously is definite miracle. I know him personally--and he is an incredible young man. All of this just gives me renewed strength after this very long week. I have an incredible feeling each day that is amazingly beautiful and renewing. I know that God and Baby Lawton is with all of us at all times--and Miracle Miller kicks me constantly to remind me that he is ready and willing for this big fight that we are in.

Lastly--my very organized husband is getting bombarded with requests to bring food to the hospital because obviously everyone knows how bad the food is here (though the Chicken a la King was decent at lunch today.) Anyway--to keep us sane--he has decided to buy a calendar for our beautiful hospital walls to keep up with all of the sweet offers. Obviously, we appreciate these offers immensely--and I know he will be better once we get the "meals on wheels" to us organized. We understand that y'all have your own very busy lives--so let us know what day/days are good for you and we can refer to our new calendar.

Love to you all--and thank you for all of your thoughts, well wishes, food, flowers, visits and prayers! Through all of this--we find our lives to be even more amazing and blessed than ever! Hugs and kisses from me, Matt and Miracle Miller!!