Gorgeous

Gorgeous
Daddy and Daughter

Thursday, July 29, 2010

July 28th, 2010



Look what I can do!!! Yep, I was sucking on my binky when mommy and daddy came in to see me this evening. This is just another step in our long travel home. I am at 30 weeks now and I really shouldn't develop my SUCKING SKILLS until 31 weeks or so.


At 32 weeks, I should be able to start the Non Nutritional Feeding, thats where mommy pumps her milk dry then holds me and I get to try to suck. The Dr. don't want me to just normally suck because they are still needing to monitor how much food I get, and if they let me suck, then there is no way to tell that.


We found out today that when they weighed me, I FINALLY HIT 2LBS!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!! We have been trying so hard to finally break over that hurdle.


Good night, thanks for continueing to pray for me and my family.


July 27th,2010



Today Mommy got to hold me for over an hour! That was exciting! :O) I think the nurses kinda forgot about us and Mommy & Daddy didn't pipe up to interrupt them!

The nurses no longer have to weigh my Diapers to notate how much Teetee and Poopoo I have done but rather now I am simply on a Diaper count! That is progression as the Drs are no longer really concerned about my digestive system!!!! Praise the Lord!
God Bless to All!

July 26th, 2010



Today they weighed and measured me and I now weight 1 lb 14 oz with a huge height of 13 inches! :O) Mommy thinks I may be short like her! Lol! I am right now but I will soon be tall like Daddy!

I am doing very well and the 3 of us Thank everyone for their prayers!

July 24th, 2010



Thank you Jesus! Wow! I made it thru my first month! :O) Today I am officially a month old and doing wonderful!


Mommy and Daddy came up to my bed and sang Happy Birthday to me while watching me squirm a little! :O) I love to squirm around! I am getting really good at opening my eyes, looking around,and moving my hindey up and down! Hee Hee!


Happy Birthday to all!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

SORRY

Just wanted to say sorry for no updates this week. It's been an extremly busy and Tiring week. Please be patient and continue to check back. The plans are to update it during the day tomorrow (29th).

Mikele is doing wonderful. We have a few key updates to share so again, please check back.

Thanks for understanding.
Daddy and Mommy

Friday, July 23, 2010

July 23rd, 2010



Guess what???? I am 4 weeks old now!!!! :O)

Tomorrow is my Birthday and Boy is there going to be a celebration! Haha! Papa Edge celebrates my Birthday every Thursday of every week!

Today I received 2 blood Transfusions! :O( I know they are necessary but they sure do hurt! I think they hurt Daddy and Mommy more than they do me! :O( They say that my Hemoglobin count was down so that is why the Blood. I should feel bright eyed and bushy tail tomorrow! :O)

Thanks to Bro Ronald and Sis Gena for coming to see me and taking a few minutes to distract Mommy and Daddy for me! :O) They needed some time away from the Hospital! Lol!

Well, yaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwnnnn.... time for a good nights rest!

Good Night!

Love you all! God Bless!

July 21th & 22nd of 2010






Good Morning, America!

Today I am so Thankful that my PIC Line (aka Central Line) is out of me! Yay! :O) My arms move so much better now!

I am also up to eating 15 cc's of milk now! I love getting that good milk! I am out doing Mommy now! Lol! Mommy can not keep up with my eating! But that's ok. They have some very high caloric formula that should help me gain weight really fast! That is what I am hoping for so I can hurry up and get outta here! :O)

My weight is still 1 lb 12oz! Yiiiiipppeeee!!! That is a great thing! No weight loss!

I have my Daddy wrapped around my mini finger and here is a video that Mommy is posting to prove it! :O) Heehee!

Lots of Love to all! Thank you for your prayers!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

July 20th, 2010



Mommy and Daddy came to see me this evening and Just in time for my feeding. Mommy asked if she could hold me and My nice Nurse said yes, in fact, you can hold her while she is eating. This was good news, cause it takes 30 minutes to feed (the time limit the Dr. set for mommy to hold me) then the nurse told Mommy that she will have to hold me for another 30 minutes to make sure my food stays down. WOW a whole Hour!!! AWESOME!

While, I was feeding, I started having some problems. :-( long story short, I kept forgeting to breath, so needless to say, I got attention from the nurse, and she said that if I DSATed like that again, she would have to put me back in my bed, well, I was hard headed (like my Daddy) and I forgot to breath again, so the Nurse came and took me and put me back in my bed.


This really scared Mommy and Daddy, so Mommy was more than happy to give me up so that I would be safe.

I'm OK, But the nurse said that some babies are ok being held while eating and some are not due to reflux and apnea etc, so right now, I guess I'm not. :-(

Please continue to pray for me and my family. It is really stating to wear everyone out. You know, Living in a Hotel room, driving an hour for work, etc.

July 19th, 2010



I've really enjoyed Mommy being able to hold me. It's realy warm and comfy when we are able to "Kangaroo". Even though it is only 30 minutes per day We look forward to it. I think Mommy really likes it. :-) Its really kinda hard for Mommy to hold me because we have to move me from my bed to her, but I am still hooked up to the monitors and my CPAP machine, so it takes about 5 min, just to get set up for Mommy to be able to Kangaroo with me.


There really is not much going on right now. Everything is just Calm and on Cruise Control so to speak.


Here is a video of Mommy holding me. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.




Monday, July 19, 2010

July 18th,2010







What a SURPRISE I got this evening. Mommy got to hold me!!! It was so cool. I got to feel like I was not alone in this big ole world. I can't wait till Daddy gets to hold me too. The Dr. says that Mommy can hold me 1 time every day and for only 30 minutes right now, but as I progress, She will be able to hold me more and daddy will finally be able to hold me too.

They are feeding me 13 ML's and I am tolerating that just fine!

The Dr. told Mommy and Daddy that I was doing really good and that they should be able to take the "PIC" line out of my arm in a few days. I don't need it right now, but they want to leave it in incase I have to have an IV in it again. As long as it is in, they do not have to give me any shots or pricks other than to take blood samples. I like that alot! Once I get the PIC line out, I will be operating totally on my own. Of course, I will still have my monitors on me and I'll still have my CPAP that helps me breathe if I forget (just like my Papaw Riddick has for SNORING) but at least no meds, Iv's, etc.

I'm only weighing 1lb10oz tonight, but the nurse said thats what I weighed last night too, and normally Premies show a slight loss or maintain for a couple of days, then a BOOST comes overnight, so we wil see what I weigh tomorrow!!!

Please pray for Mommy. She has been having some cramps today and she is still really fighting just to produce enough milk for me to keep eating the Breast Milk. The more I eat, the harder it is for her to keep ahead of me, but she is doing her best to make the best life for me.


Daddy is still having to drive back and forth from Lake Jackson everyday Just to see ME and MOMMY! Unfortunatly he has to work, but He has a really good job who has been REALLY understading with our situation!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

July 16th/17th, 2010



Yesterday and today I have been a little Lonely. :-(. Mommy and Daddy had to go to Marshall to drop off Nate and Nikki and take care of some things there. They did come by and see me yesterday morning before they left (6am) and then again today when they got home (about 9pm). I forgot to tell you last night that the Nice Nurse that was on duty Thursday Night let Nate and Nikki touch me just for a few minutes so that we would get to know each other a little better. I really liked that and am going to miss them now that they are gone. :-(.




During this time the Dr. said I was doing better and that I could again have more food. YIPEE!!!! Everyone knows how bad hospital food is, I sure am glad I am getting more of Mommy's Milk! They went from giving me 7ML's to 9ML's! Wow what a change! So far I am doing just fine and digesting it with no problems.




The nurse told Mommy and Daddy that they are planning to take me off of the TPN IV (total parental nutrition) when this bag s finished! This means I must be doing good.




OH YEAH!!! I almost forgot... I have GROWN a little!!! I am weighing in at a whopping 1lb12oz now and measure at 13 inches!




Thursday, July 15, 2010

July 15th, 2010

Wow, what a day!!!

Mom and Dad had to go home to Lake Jackson today for work and also to pack up Nate and Nikki's stuff so they can go back to Kentucky... I sure am going to miss seeing them, and leting them see me grow everyday!!!

They have again uped my feeding amount. I am now taking 7ML every 3 hours as opposed to 4MLs like it was yesterday.

A couple of special events happened today,

1. Mommy got to feed me through my feeding tube today,
2. Daddy checked my temp.,
3. Nathan and Nikki got to touch me for the first time today since they are leaving tomorrow.
4. Mommy also got to change my poopy diaper. This means I get to keep eating.
5 Daddy got to take a picture of me without all of my hoses on my face. FINALLY, but only one.

We will try to get a few pictures up in the next couple of days. It's really late and Mommy and Daddy have to leave really early in the mornin to drive to Marshall to meet Jere so Bubba and Sissy can go home.

July 14th, 2010

Today I'm doing a little better. The Dr. took me off the ventilator again and I am back on the Cpap Machine.

They also raised my feeding amount to 4ML every 3 hours. I should start gaining weight.

Sorry so short, daddy is tired and will repost later with more interesting details.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

July 13th, 2010



This Pic is a few days old, but I'm still cute. Mommy and Daddy forgot their camera today when they came to see me, so this pic is better than nothing. LOL...


Today started off just like yesterday. Up, Down, Up, Down, but finally this after noon I started getting my act together and sorta got things leveled out. WHEW! what a work out, all those constant changes. I didn't know whether I was going or coming.


I'm still on the Ventilator, but I am doing some breathing of my own as well now. My poor little lungs just are not ready for me to be doing all of this on my own. ONE DAY I'LL BE ABLE TO!!!


I am still getting to have some of Mommy's Milk.. In fact, they have raised my dosage. I am getting 3ML's every 3 Hours now!!! Maybe this will help me grow faster!!!


My nurse weighed me today and I weigh 1lb6oz so I have grown a little bit.


Thanks to all my friends and family who are praying for me.

July 12th, 2010

Today I have been acting like my MOMMY!!! I WANT ATTENTION!!!! NOW!!!!! I am making the Nurses come check on me about every 2-5 minutes.. NO JOKE! I can't seem to decide just how much oxygen I need. They turn me up and then I jump up over 100% SAT rate, then they turn me down one notch, and I drop below 84%, sometimes as low as 50%. The doctors want me to stay between 84% and 96% saturation rate (oxygen level in my blood).

I'm still on the ventilator and in fact, I'm so tired I am totally depending on it to do the breathing for me.


Tonight, When Daddy came by to check on me, He didn't want to leave cause I was acting up so bad. Back and forth, Up and Down I really was keeping my nurse on her toes.

July 11th, 2010

Today my Great Grandparents came by to see me. It was the first time I met PaPa Edge. They were on their way home from the reunion so they stopped off in Houston to see me. Papa was really excited and has been talking about me for over two weeks. Infact, he made Mama turn his cookies into a Birthday party for me on Thursday. They didn't have any candles so they used 2 matches instead to celebrate my 2nd Week!!!



We found out today that they have started giving me milk again. YAHOO!!!! I am so glad to get some food! So far I am doing good and digesting it and I've even had a poopy diaper, that means I'm doing good!!



I'm still on the Ventilator, But other than that, everything looks good!!! Except the fact that they constantly are poking my little foot with a needle to draw blood samples... UGH! Daddy don't like that!!!!!!

July 10th, 2010


Mommy, Daddy, Bubba and Sissy went to the EDGE Family Reunion this weekend. They left on Friday evening after coming to visit me in the hospital when Dad got off work, then they got back about 11:30 on Saturday night and came by to visit me. I LIKED THAT!!! I can't wait until I get to go next year. I hear it's so much fun!!


While they were gone, The Doctors took me off of my feedings due to a possible infection in my blood. :-(. I recieved a blood transfusion, and I also got tired of breathing on my own, so they put me back on the Ventilator.


We are still trusting GOD for my complete HEALING! Thanks for all your Prayers!!!
PS. Here is a pic of my diaper beside a pen and a Lip gloss tube... I'm ITTY BITTY!!! But I still got my parents WRAPPED around me!!!!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

July 6th, 2010

Baby Mikele is 12 Days old to day and Mommy had the most wonderful Surprise! I got to change her first Poopy Diaper! :O) :O)
Daddy and I arrived at the Hospital about 9pm after he got off work. We were all scrubbed up and about to go back when Danny's Aunt Elaine & her daughter, Marty, arrived. Danny took Aunt Elaine back to visit with Mikele then Marty went back for a few. When Marty came out, she advised that Nurse Tracie was waiting on me! I asked why and she said to change her Diaper! YYYYEEEEAAAAAA!!!

I got hands on and it was GREAT! I was very scared to handle her but she was a trooper! This was her first real Poopy Diaper and to me it was an honor!! This means that her bowels are so far working they way they need to!!!! Thank you Jesus for a Poopy Diaper! LOL!

Daddy did great behind the camera and enjoy our experience!

God Bless!

Daddy & Mommy! :O)

July 5th, 2010


Good Morning, Good Morning!
I arrived at the Hospital and was greeted by a wonderful surprise! The Drs have taken out all of her IV lines out of her Belly Button! Thank You Jesus! She does have what they call a PIC line in her arm but that is normal. A PIC line is like a central line for all IV fluids directly in a large vein/artery. This is necessary for now until no more IV fluids are needed.
Since they have the IV lines out, she can now be placed on her little Tummy!!! This is allowed in the Hospital as there are Nurses monitoring her 24 hrs a day and she is hooked up to monitors if anything was to change! This position right now really helps her in her breathing! Mommy was really glad to see her looking more comfortable in a new position! She was passed out! I think she is taking after her Daddy with the sleeping on her Tummy! :O)
Also because they took the feeding line out of her Tummy, She can now began eating! They started her on 1 Milliliter of Breastmilk ever 3 hrs. Dr Patel advised that this is our next hurdle in her care. Her intestines are not supposed to be ready to receive food for at least another 3 months if not longer so her insides are not mature! They are just watching her closely right now to make sure that she does not develope any probles with her intestines! Please continue to pray for her help and for healthy organs during this next hurdle! Thank you Jesus for Beautiful Healthy Baby! :O)
Our Angel now weighs a whopping 1lb 5 oz! Yay! We like weight gain! :O)
God Bless
Danny & Christy

July 4th, 2010

4th of July Celebration Hat
Mommy & Mikele

Happy July 4th, 2010!!!

It's Raining, it's pouring! My Tiny Angel is Snoring! :O)

Here in Clear Lake and the rest of this area, we are being inundated with rain! But that can not stop a smile that crosses my face every time I scrub up and round the corner to see my little Angel!

We are soooo proud of her as she continues the long fight ahead of her! The Lord is continuously giving her strength! Thank you Jesus!

The volunteers made all the Babies a Celebration hat for today! :O) Needless to say, she can not wear it but could sit in it!

God Bless!

July 3rd, 2010




July 3rd

Our Tiny Angel is 9 days old today and doing GREAT! We give all the Glory and Honor to God!

She continues to Amaze the Drs and the Nurses by not having to go back on the Ventilator! She is breathing very well on her own and is maintaining all her labs just fine!

We had a family trip to the hospital and took some pics! Enjoy!
God Bless and keep the prayers coming!

Danny, Christy, Nate, Nick & Mikele!

Sunday, July 4, 2010

July 2nd, 2010

Mikele was taken off the ventilator today... !!! She is breathing on her own. They said it is not unusual for them to be placed back on the ventilator not because they are not able to breathe on their own, but because it wears them out physically. The Dr.'s say she is doing ABSOLUTLY WONDERFUL and for a 25 week baby, she is outstanding. She does still have a C-Pap machine hooked to her to keep the correct amount of pressure to her lungs, but the good thing is she is breathing on her own.!!

Gotta run..
Oh, mommy is doing good too.

July 1st, 2010




Christy TOUCHED BABY Mikele THIS MORNING!!!! I didnt get to until later in the evening when I got in from work... UGH.. NO FAIR!!!




What an emotional rush... They have removed the goggles, ear muffs and hat... We can actually see her and touch her!!! She is so beautiful, yet seems so fragile. She is so small!!! I was able to place my Wedding ring onto her foot, and if I would have kept going, I believe it would go to her thigh!

June 30th, 2010

Mikele is dong good. We got a GREAT REPORT today. They did an ultrasound of the head to check and make sure that no Brain Bleedings have taken place during the first 5 days while she was on Min. Stimulation. The test come back NEGTIVE meaning no bleeds!!! She is now off of Min. Stim. So we should be able to start touching her.

I went back to work yesterday... UGH! that was so hard. I'm so tired, and my heart was strictly at the Hospital with my 2 loves... Christy and Mikele.

Christy is doing well, Healing greatly and getting around a little better every day.

June 29th, 2010

Just a quick note to let you know that baby is doing well, no changes. so far so good.

Christy was released from the Hospital today and we are currently staying at a cousins guest house in Dickinson, until we get things set up with medicaid who is going to help pay for a hotel room. THANK YOU JESUS for your many blessings.

Dr. has given her 2 different Blood Pressure Meds and she takes one regularly, and one if it goes over 150. Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

June 26th, 2010

So far we have had a good day.

Christy has had her epidural, all IV's, and Monitors removed. She has been able to actually put on her own clothes/gown. She is able to walk to the NICU to see Mikele any time she wants. She has had a couple test run today to check her heart because of a "blockage" that really was not a blockage, just a miscommunication between the chambers in the heart. This should correct itself, however, they would like a follow up visit. She has been having a headache and ear ache, so they done a CT Scan. Due to a result in that, they sent her for a MRI of the head. We are still waiting on the results of that. At this point they are saying a possible discharge of MONDAY!!

Mikele is being a real champ so far. She had a Blood transfusion today. Nothing wrong, we expected it. Most all Premie babys of this sort, require 2-3 Blood Transfusions. It is mainly because they are constantly taking blood from her for testing since the Gas rate in the blood is how they determine how much oxygen/Breaths per min. ETC she is requiring. In a baby of her size, their blood cells are not producing enough blood to compensate for the amount being taken, so they must give her blood. That is the only change in her that has happened today. I did speak with the Nurse Practioner today and she told me that she is really fiesty. She said she is doing really good. All of her vitals are staying good, they are able to run her on minimum levels of oxygen as well as the Blood Pressure Increase medicine and anything else they give her. The vent is still breathing for her for the Majority. But again, this is expected.

Visitations still remain the same,
Mikelle can be seen anytime that a parent is available, and as long as it is NOT between 6:30 and 8 both morning and Night. That is when the Nurses are doing shift change.
Christy can be visited between 10 and 8, however, they are still keeping restrictions on her of no more than 2 at a time for very SHORT and QUIET visits. If you come up, just check with the Nurses to see if she can have visitors. They will usually let us know you are out there.

Thanks for your continued support.
Danny
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June 25th, 2010

Just a quick update tonight.

The Doctor finally changed Christy's Blood Pressure Medicine,Thus causing her Blood pressure to be become normal and under control. The last reading was 146 over 61. Also not sure if I have told before now, but christy's Heart rate has been on the slow side, in fact at one time Wednesday night, it was as low as 35bpm. Norm is around 50-70. With the Current BP Meds, it is in the 70's! Thank you Jesus.!!! We did finally get moved to a normal Post Partum Room and should be here through Sunday, before being able to go home. The Hospital Info is:

Clear Lake Regional
500 Medical Center Blvd.
Webster, TX. 3rd Floor
Room 302

Mikele is doing good for the moment. They say that the 2nd 24 hours (which is where we are now) are a very crucial turnign point. Usually the baby will start getting sick at this time if it is going to. So please say a little extra prayer. All her vitals are looking good, She is breathing 21% oxygen, which is what we breath, The Ventilator is set to breath at 25 breaths per minute, her monitor is showing between 30 and 45 breaths per Min. meaning that she is breathing a few on her own. (anything over 25 is her. i.e. 35= 25 is ventilator and 10 is her)

Visiting Hours are from 10am to 8pm for Christy, However she has asked that it be extremly limited, so you may or may not get in. At this point, the best thing for Christy is REST, REST and MORE REST!!!! The more that people come in and talk, etc, the less rest she gets.

Mikele's Visitation hours are anytime EXCEPT between the hours of 6:30 and 8:00 am and pm. This is the time that the Nurses are doing Shift Change, so it violates HIPPA Laws if we are in there. There is only 1 person alloved at a time and they must be both 18 years and above and they must be escorted by me, or christy (the parent). For the next 4 days she is on whats called MIN STIM, meaning minnimum stimulation so we are not able to touch her, make noise etc, only observe through the Incubator. With the many risk of infections etc, I ask that you please limit the amount of times you want to see her, We understnad that everyone wants to see her, but at this time we need to try to keep it as limited as possible.

Thanks to the Rock Church for the Beautiful Sunflower Arrangement, MKASSOCIATION for the georgeaus Bouqut and FMD/Bro. Howel for the Yellow Duck Base Arrangement. It is Adorable, funny thing is, Christy is a Rubber Duck fanatic, IT WAS PERFECT!!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers, We are going to have a long next few months, We live an HOUR drive from the hospital so we will have a lot of desicions to make.

Thanks again,
Danny Riddick=
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Baby Mikele is here!!!

Mikele J'Lee Riddick was born 6/24/2010 at 12:28pm by C- Section and Weighed in at a whoping 1lb2oz. She is 11 3/4 " long.

June 24th, 2010

Well, we had some change in blood pressures last night and when the Dr. came in this morning to do the sonogram, they found that the blood flow to the baby as well as the baby's movements, etc are not as good as they were when we came in on Tues, showing possible Distress, so the Dr. feels it is in best interest for both Christy and the Baby to go ahead with a C-Section today and Deliver the baby.

We are sad that she (the baby) cannot remain in the Womb to grow, but we know that we have a GOD who is looking down on us and HE is in Control!!!

We have been moved to 3rd floor Labor and Delivery, However, they have limited it to NO VISITORS. She is scheduled to go into Surgery at noon, and will then go straight to ICU for recovery so that they can monitor everything closely due to her blood pressure and low heart rate. baby will be taken to NICU and will remain there indefinatly. Normal is until full term of pregnancy. (4 months)

Thanks for continuing yours prayers.
Danny Riddick

June 23rd, 2010

At this time there really is no new news. This morning 6/23 we had a sonogram to check the baby's blood flow from Christy through the Umbilical Cord, There was IMPROVEMENT!!! Thank you Jesus. Dr. said, we are not going to take her TODAY unless something changes for the worse. However, this is going to be a day to day process of evaluation.

The Problems that are causing this are, High Blood Pressure (which we are treating by oral meds now) Hypertension, Fluid Build up in Legs and PreEclampsia, all of which would play a damaging factor in the baby's health if not properly treated. We feel that everything is going to be OK, however, they do feel that this is going to be a long hospital stay, or an early delivery, because they are planning to keep Christy here, monitoring her daily until delivery. :-(

Naomi (Christy's Sister) and I had a chance to tour the NICU today and that eased our minds a little to see that there is sucess rates as well as about 3 other very similar cases in the unit right now. We were able to see a few babies that are equivalent in size/age and they are doing just fine. Now, that doesnt mean everything is great, because, every baby and situation is different, but we are TRUSTING GOD that we will not have to Deliver, but if we do, then we do feel we are in good hands here at Clear Lake Regional. There is a 50-60% survival rate accross the country, and about a 75% survival rate here at this Hospital.

Thanks for all the Prayers, Financial Support, and the Beautiful Flower arrangements that we have recieved. I will post as soon as possible. Most updates are done by Facebook cause it's so much quicker and easier, email takes a while, and as you can tell, it might be quite LATE, if you can't tell it's like almost 2am. I'm dozing off as I try to type this. Please forgive typos!!!

Love you all,
Danny Riddick