To all friends and family:
This blog is intended to keep all of you posted on information, updates, and thoughts from the Turner family as we work to bring Karsie into this world. To all who have been supportive through prayer, kind words, and hugs we both want to say "Thank you" from the bottom of our hearts. This has been and will continue to be a very trying time for us and every act of love from you has given us inspiration and strength.
-Kevin, Michelle, & Karsie-
We have given Karsie an email account so when she is older she can read all of the support that was sent her way during this time. Feel free to write a note to her or a prayer for her. Write to her at karsiegene@gmail.com.
Last night was a little rough. Karsie woke up in the middle of the night and was pretty congested. It took a little while to get her calmed down but she went back to sleep.
Today she still had a pretty runny nose but she seemed to be feeling okay. Then just a little while ago she got a bit fussy and we took her temperature. She was running a temp of about 101. We called the doctor and they told us to come in. The doctor said that the breathing is a little concerning as her wheezing is back so we were put back onto the medicine that Karsie had when she came back from the hospital. Hopefully this will clear everything up.
We have been down this road before and we hope the path is a little different this time as last time she had to go to the hospital. We'll see how it goes tonight but we're praying that Karsie's congestion clears up soon.
1. Pinky is so close. That last part of the scab is being real persistent.
2. Rice cereal still seems to be Karsie's food of choice, which makes sense. The flavor is probably as close to breast milk as all the foods we try.
3. Karsie is ever so slightly starting to stiffen her legs when put upright. She is still slow at it and not real strong, but it's coming.
4. Karsie has started to really talk. She's been working on her "M" sounds, which really sounds like "mama" if we didn't know she has no idea what she's saying. She also is working on her "B" sounds. She's still being stubborn with her "Omph" sounds which we're trying to get her first word to be "omphalocele." We'll see how that goes.
Things Karsie still needs help with:
1. Legs - while we see improvement, her legs are still pretty weak.
2. Neck - we also see huge improvements during tummy time. She is able to lift her head for a few minutes and even look around. Her endurance has improved a lot too, but it's still weak.
3. Cough - Karsie still has a lingering cough, which the doctors told us could happen after the hospitalization with RSV. She has one or two real good gags a day due to the phlegm being caught in her throat.
1. As many of you know Karsie was dedicated this past weekend. One thing we did not mention was a gift that Karsie's aunt Christine and uncle Todd gave her. For many years, when the little girls in Aunt Christine's family were dedicated or baptized, they were given a bracelet as a gift for the special occasion. They all still have theirs. The night before Karsie was dedicated she got her little bracelet and wore it the entire day.
2. Yesterday Kevin peeled off almost all of Karsie's scab on Pinky. What is left now is maybe as thick as a thin nail and as long your pinky fingernail. We're probably looking at another two days or so before we will be taking a picture of a completed Pinky. The human body is amazing isn't it?
3. Today Karsie ate like a champ. We have been giving Karsie little tastes of solid foods lately. All of which we are making here at home...even the upcoming food. Thank you food processor. She has been eating on a rotation of bananas, rice cereal, and sweet potatoes. Today was rice cereal. She downed about two table spoons without too much trouble. She has a tendency to get overwhelmed with the texture and gags, but she didn't do too bad today especially considering she ate a ton of food for her. Up next: pears.
4. This didn't happen this week, but when we were down in San Diego Karsie got to meet baby Matthew and Garrett for the first time. Matthew is another baby we have been praying for and, if you click on his button to the left of Karsie's blog you can see his story. He's a cute little thing. It was Matthew's birthday and Karsie was able to celebrate with Matthew and his family.
5. Karsie's talking has been getting much more developed. So much so that it has made quite a funny situation with her toys. She frequently talks to them. She coos and smacks and grunts at her toys. They, in turn, do nothing. So she talks a little louder. She gets to the point where she gets just frustrated enough that it's cute and she starts to scream at them. They have yet to respond to her.
We have a video of the dedication soon to go up, but until we can get it up we'll post some pictures. Today was a good day.
Reuben Welch holding Karsie after the dedication. She was so good for him.
Right after prayer Karsie gave this huge yawn and everyone laughed. We took two videos and only managed to get part of the yawn, but here we got a great picture of it.
Karsie was so great during the entire thing. She behaved right up until we sat down with her and the attention was not on her anymore.
Reuben's Sunday School class was getting ready to start and we wanted to get a quick picture of the three of us right before we left.
The family with Karsie. We took literally dozens of pictures of different families holding Karsie and Karsie posed for every one. We have all of these people plus her godparents and extended family members holding her and she gave out huge smiles for all of them. Unfortunately when we wanted to do the big family picture she was spent. So we got one of her chewing on her fingers.
Not that He hasn't claimed you as one of His testaments already, but today your mom and dad are publicly acknowledging that you belong to God. Since you were born we all have been aware that you were something special. We prayed, from the very first day you were born, that we could keep you and that you would grow up to know the gift that you are to us and to the world. Your story has touched our life as it has so many others. So today when you look out into the eyes of the church and at us, we know that those are the eyes of a baby but it's the voice of God. We are so proud of you and we continue to be thankful for the blessing that you have been to us.
Pinky is almost complete! Her little "spec" left on her omphalocele has just now completely scabbed over. It was pink and a little gooey for a long time, but it is now hard and crusty. Which means that it's only a matter of time before it falls off and her entire belly will be skin! We think we'll get it in just around her 7 month birthday, but who knows?
Upcoming appointments: March 30th for G.I. doctors and Dr. Saenz (surgery). He'll be happy to see the skin growth. April something or other for Dr. Gossman (plastic surgery - she will be assessing her and announcing whether she is ready or not ready for tissue expanders which is our next step).
Tomorrow is Karsie's dedication at 9:00. All are welcome.
1. Karsie got to spend some good time with her Godparents this last weekend. They came to visit us... and Karsie had so much fun. At one point, Kelli was walking with Karsie and as soon as she sat down... Karsie fell fast asleep!
2. Last night Karsie got to try rice cereal with breast milk and bananas... she didn't get more than a spoonful in her mouth... but she did think it was fairly amusing trying it. Her favorite part was when I let her lick the banana... she liked that much better than trying to actually eat it.
3. Last night we headed to dinner with my parents and grandma... Karsie had been cooped up in the car seat/stroller for a good part of the day (the doctors visit, a LONG walk with some great friends, trip to Costco). She was ready to be home and laying on the floor and playing. We got into the restaurant and Karsie started fussing... then screaming. I didn't want to ruin dinner for all the other people, so I grabbed her and her food bag and we headed outside to walk around and see if she would settle. She did settle after a bit, so we went in for take two. Just as soon as we sat down... Karsie started at it again! I hadn't even dipped my chip in the white sauce! I knew she wouldn't settle until she was home. She had hit her limit... so Karsie and I headed back home. My parents brought me some dinner (thank you) and a little side of white sauce (thank you)... and Karsie played and was super happy. I am sure this will not be the last time a dinner is cut short due to my child.
4. Massages... Karsie LOVES to have a little massage after her bath. When we get her out of the tub, we put on her diaper and her dressing... then we grab some Burt's Bees Baby lotion (love the smell) and slather it over her little arms and legs... and she thinks it is about the best thing ever. If she is super mad (at being removed from the tub play time), this calms her down almost instantly... she especially loves it when we both pull her arms and legs at the same time... in a super stretch. She giggles and looks at us expectantly waiting for us to do that again!
5. Just another shot of us at the zoo... Karsie really liked the orangutan area (a favorite of ours)... she maybe didn't care about the animals... but we think she likes the color green... and that area is super green and lush!
Yesterday's GI appointment went very well... and I feel SO much better about things after having the chance to talk with the doctor and nurse! Let me give you a little recap of the appointment.
Karsie was weighed and came in at 5.845 kilos = 12 lbs 14 oz. This means that she has continued to grow very well over the last month. Things have slowed down a bit, but that is ok... she is right at her growth goal! She is finally on the growth chart (albeit very very low... but she has made it onto the chart)!
She is now allowed to officially start baby foods. We got the green light to start with bananas and rice cereal and slowly advance with feeding by mouth. All of this is to be done at Karsie's lead... if she doesn't want to eat one day, she doesn't have to. This is all supposed to be super pleasant experiences and we will let her dictate the pace.
We are also allowed to replace 4oz of her formula with 4 oz of breast milk. So her total calories for the day are being decreased! This is great news... and it also means that we are going to be able to put a dent in that milk supply! Yahoo! I was taught how to replace the g-tube button and how to check it to make sure it is in properly.
We were only taught how to clean it in the NICU and then sent on our merry way... fully expecting to have to go to the ER if something happened to the button. However, now if the button comes out or if it needs to be replaced... we can do that at home! I feel SO much better now!
I talked with the doctor about tummy time... and the whole rolling over business. She felt that tummy time on her mat is ok... but tummy time on her belly is probably not the best idea. There are too many things that could kink or get smooshed that she would rather us not take any chances.
Karsie is going to continue on her meds for now. She doesn't want to change the meds because things are going well... and she doesn't want to change too much. Karsie will probably stay on the prilosec as long as she has the g-tube. It is a safe medicine so long term use isn't a problem. The reglan does have some possible side effects, but because it helps everything move through, it is very beneficial for Karsie right now. She is on a low dose and that is not changing.
As for the skin covering Pinky... the last little bit of granulation tissue is now scabbed over and should be ready to fall off pretty soon. We will continue to dress the wound until then, but hopefully very soon we will have pictures of the amazing skin without any granulation tissue!
Overall, the appointment went very well and we go back at the end of March. At that appointment, we will get to start looking at condensing during the day time! Hooray!
Watching the orangutans... and the people! Karsie had a great time. Kelli, Karsie, Mom... after a lovely trip around the zoo! Now... off to get some of that delish zoo ice cream!
Karsie LOVES her bath time... she has this special bath seat to use at Nana and Grampa's house... and she was having so much fun splashing her feet and making all kinds of noise! She stayed in the bath an extra long time today just playing in the water!
Today Karsie was such a little trooper! She has a GI appointment on Thursday and so we had to make a trip to the lab to get some blood drawn in preparation for that appointment. She waited patiently in the very crowded waiting room for over an hour... and then when she was called back she endured two pokes to find a good vein. She did get pretty angry that she had to have multiple pokes... but after it was done she was pretty happy about the pink wrap on her wrist. She especially enjoyed gnawing on it and the new feel of the rubber on her gums. Since her appointment isn't until Thursday, we plan on relaxing and enjoying some down time for the next two days. Karsie is excited about taking lots of walks and enjoying a bit of sunshine!
1. We got Karsie this snow suit on clearance (just in case we decide to venture somewhere cold in the next few months)... It is a 0-6 month size.... and she is just swimming in it! If you look at where her feet end, we folded the rest of the leg up under her! She did think the whole adventure of trying it on was quite hilarious!
2. Grumpy wake-up face... Karsie wakes up in the morning and thinks it is the best time of day... most of the time she is pretty happy right after a nap as well. The other day... this was her wake-up face! She looked so mad... and we weren't sure what she was so irked at... cute nonetheless! 3. She has been working on her spitting skills... she spits at the turtle in her gym. She had a massive stare-down with the turtle (for like 20 min.) where she would stare and then spit and then stare and then spit... She probably won that one... the turtle never did get around to spitting back :) 4. Such a cutie... we are having so much fun with her home! Lots of snuggle time! Especially after this week... Monday she got her 6 month shots (3 of them) and then on Wednesday she got her RSV shot (Finally)! She had a bit of a rough week... poor thing gets poked so much... at least once a week lately! Next week she gets no break as we have to go in to the lab and have some blood work :( Still... super cute!
5. We are all set for her baby dedication! Yay! Sunday, February 7th she will be dedicated! We are so excited about this big event in her/our lives!
To many of you this isn't really news. We had hoped to put this up earlier, but things haven't been finalized, so we don't want to be premature, but in order to prevent mass hysteria with our family (even though they already know) we'll post it anyway.
After over six months, Karsie is getting dedicated. Assuming things stay the same Karsie will be dedicated on February 7th in San Diego. We are extremely excited about it. We are very honored to have Reuben Welch, someone very special to us, perform the dedication ceremony.
We haven't gotten the official word back from the church yet, so the date may change, but we think it's a go.
FINALLY!!! It has been a frustrating few days for us in the Turner household. Our computer was freaking out and we couldn't load anything from our camera to the computer. That adding on to the fact that we ran out of space with all the photos we took.
Anyway, this is Karsie's first laughing video. It's a good one. We're going to try and put up a movie/video every Monday. Most of them will be vintage videos at first because we have a few. Okay, we have a ton! We have something important and neat to announce tomorrow. That's not supposed to be a teaser...just more of a reminder. Take care...
1. Karsie will have blonde hair and light eyes. Michelle has blonde hair and blue eyes and Kevin has (had) blonde hair and green eyes. Since both require two genes to make, all our kids will have blonde hair and light eyes (some form of blue and green).
2. Karsie is ticklish on her back. Go figure. It's best right under her shoulders.
3. Karsie's favorite time of day is first thing in the morning. We will wake up many times to her talking to herself in her bed.
4. Karsie watches football. We think it's the color green that she enjoys, but Kevin is very excited about that.
5. Karsie is now mobile. Usually at this point babies are rolling, which she does as much as she can (she once rolled onto her omphalocele), but she doesn't roll completely over from side to side. She moves in a clockwise manner...like really slow breakdancing. She'll stay on her back the whole time but she points a different direction as time goes on. And it is always clockwise.
So I had five new things to share today... but the computer will not let me load the new pics. So... we are doing a pseudo rerun version where I will share some older pics and a couple new things sans pics.
1. Today Karsie is 5 months old for her adjusted age (from her due date). She is now wearing six month size pajamas and 3-6 month sized onesies! All this means that Karsie is able to wear these cute outfits from her showers!
2. This picture was taken during my first stint in the hospital on bedrest (bathroom privileges explains why I was out of bed). This would have been right around 32 weeks. It just caught my attention while scrolling through the pictures!
3. This was one of my most favorite shower gifts... and I think now it is more appropriate than I could have imagined back then. Not only does Karsie wear her guts out in front... she is brave and strong... and Gutsy!
4. I have started the new blog. It doesn't have anything real fancy up yet... but the site is there and I am trying to get everything ready to start blogging over there for Monday! You can check it out (and follow if you like) at pageturnercrafts.blogspot.com
5. Karsie has a johnny-jumper type apparatus (yeah, we know the PT/OT folks probably hate us for that) and she is getting better at using her little legs to move around in it. Tonight she was in there for about 15-20 minutes and I was showing her how to bounce (a typical teaching moment) and she thought it was the funniest thing ever! She was doing her tiny little throaty giggle and it was so cute. I will try to get a video of this... if we can figure out how to get things on the computer again!
Okay... if you stopped by yesterday afternoon you maybe saw a poll and a short blog explaining the poll. Then very quickly, the poll went away.
I had been contemplating if I was going to start a new blog for crafting, tutorials, recipes, green living, etc. Then I thought I would poll all you readers and see what you thought... but then after I posted the poll, I kept thinking and I decided I wanted to make a separate blog from this one... and keep Karsie the main focus of this blog. So I took down the poll. I am hoping to start the new blog in a few days... I still need a name for said blog (and am open to suggestions). I will, of course, let you know when I start the new blog and give you that info in case you care to follow.
So, there you have it... in case you wondered about the short lived poll :)
In other news... Karsie is doing well. I signed the paperwork yesterday for her RSV shot. As soon as it gets shipped to the Dr.'s office, I will take her in to get her synagis! We are enjoying all the rain and wind by spending lots of snuggle time inside! Also, we still don't have an OK for solids from the GI docs but it is a question we plan on asking at our next visit. But in the meantime, we have started to let Karsie taste little bits of banana. I have rubbed the spoon on the banana and then let her lick it. She isn't even really getting bites, but she is getting the taste. We have also started giving her spoonfuls of water on occasion to help her get ready for eating from a spoon. Her OT at Children's wanted her to start on solids as early as the GI docs would allow so she doesn't develop any oral aversions and to keep her orally stimulated. So... until we see the GI docs, we are letting her play with a new flavor!
Today, after many phone calls (not all of which were calm and composed)... and yesterday after an angry phone call made by Kevin, we have been approved...
Karsie is going to get the synagis shot! We aren't sure how many she will get... but I will go fill out the paperwork tomorrow and then as soon as the medicine gets to the Dr.'s office... she will get the shot to prevent RSV!
Today we had an appointment with Dr. Suen for Karsie's flu shots. He listened and looked in her ears and didn't see anything to be concerned with! He told us to continue with her breathing treatments as we have been (short acting as needed during the day and long acting in the morning and again at bedtime). We also talked about being in limbo for the synagis (RSV shot) still. Karsie then got her two flu shots (seasonal and H1N1). She didn't even really cry! She wasn't thrilled when the medicine was in her leg... but the shots themselves didn't really phase her! She has been getting a little Tylenol just to help ease any soreness... but otherwise she is doing well! She is now up to 12 lbs. 6 oz.
We go back in a week for her well baby check up and her 6 month shots...
Karsie is a half year old today. It seems unbelievable to us that it has been that long, but on the other hand it also feels like forever ago. It's weird how that works sometimes.
It was only a half a year ago that we thought we had lost our little girl. But after 6 months of fighting and defying odds, Karsie is now happy, breathing, eating/growing, and growing skin (by the way she's almost done).
We are in a bit of a silent period right now where we don't have any major appointments until February, and even that one probably isn't that big. It won't be until March/April that we really will start back on the trek of fixing her belly. But for now we're just enjoying our little one being home. She has now been home for over a month minus the small trip to the hospital here in town. We'll continue to keep you all up to date on her growth and development and our little adventures.
1. Karsie gets breathing treatments twice a day... and she tries to eat the mask the whole time! 2. She is so cute... I had to take some pictures of her on the bed! Love the little bug!! 3. She has been practicing her tummy time every day. She now can tolerate a few minutes before getting really mad. Yesterday she did a great job holding herself up on her forearms for a couple minutes! 4. Snuggle time with daddy! Oooh I could just eat her up! 5. Karsie had a fun few days early this week with Aunty Mandy. Kevin's sister was able to come and visit for three days this week and spend time with Karsie before she (Mandy) goes to New Zealand for a year or two! Sounds like the Turners will be making a trip to the South Pacific?
We have the funniest video ready to post, but blogspot is being non-compliant. Karsie is playing on her little gym and when we crinkle one of her toys connected to the gym she goes nuts dancing. Very funny.
Since we cannot post that yet, we'll just give an update. Karsie is healing. Her last weight came in at exactly 12 lbs. (clothes on of course). She is off the antibiotics and is getting close to being ready to come down on the steroid inhalant as well (she was put on a steroid inhalant to keep her airways open after the RSV). She is on a pretty good schedule and we are thankful for that. She is however starting to take two naps a day instead of three... and the teething (or rather teeth moving around under the gums) is throwing her off a bit as well. She still nurses at least twice a day. Her skin is really amazing as well... she only has a little bit left. It feels like we have been calling it "quarter sized" for a while... and though I would still use that description, it is smaller than when we first started using it.
Kevin has been back at work and is enjoying getting back into a routine.
I am staying home for now and loving it. How is it that housework isn't so bad when I am not working? I don't mind doing the laundry and keeping things dusted and tidy when I feel I have time to get those things done. I have also taken to getting some crafty chores done as well. I may post some blog tutorials on a few of my undertakings (though I'm not sure if I would do it here, or on another blog dedicated to crafty type things).
We will continue to try to post the video of Karsie playing with her gym and the crinkle toy dance!
Right after prayer Karsie gave this huge yawn and everyone laughed. We took two videos and only managed to get part of the yawn, but here we got a great picture of it.
Karsie was so great during the entire thing. She behaved right up until we sat down with her and the attention was not on her anymore.
Reuben's Sunday School class was getting ready to start and we wanted to get a quick picture of the three of us right before we left. 
