Finally They Meet!

Kris was allowed up to see Parker for the first time, and it was a special reunion!



We're so pleased with his progress already. They extubated him around 4pm pst and he's breathing on his own now. They say he'll be ready for feeding tomorrow. Obviously we were able to hold him, and I was able to take part in his bath, hair combing and diaper change (ewww!) - all awesome experiences. Truly as good of outcome as we could have hoped for so far (knock on wood).

Peace out probably for tonight. I'm pooped and so is Kris.

Update

Kris is doing very well. They put her under general anesthesia for the procedure and then stuck her in ICU mainly because when people here brain tumor they freak. At little extra precaution never hurt anyone and I is for the best, but it has kept Kris apart from Parker thus far which is a big bummer for her. We're working on getting her IV out and sent up to seem him real soon.

As for Parker, he's doing very well. As you can see he's a big boy for his age, much more filled out than I expected! He initially let out some good cries, but then had trouble sustaining good breathing after that, so they intubated him. They did the thorough workup on him and the only thing out of order is RDS (respiratory distress syndrome), which basically means his lungs are a bit immature. They gave him some meds for that and his readings are steadily improving! They're hoping to extubate (take the tube out) him later today, which will be super exciting so we can start feeding and holding him.

Thanks for all the support via email, text, posts etc. Can't wait to bring him home soon.

Welcome Parker Kristian Siwek!

Our little guy is here. 6lbs 14oz, 19" (who won the pool?)



His lungs are a little under developed so he is on a little bit of help from a respirator, but they're hoping he can be weened off soon. They'll be alittle NICU observation after he's off the respirator.

Mom is doing well and recovering now. More later!

It's go time!

Well, we've made the decision to go ahead with the C-Section tomorrow, May 18th @ 9:30 pst. At this point our OB is comfortable where we are at with the pregnancy especially since we're past 34 weeks and have gotten steroid shots to help lung development. The chances at a healthy outcome are very, very good at this point and it is time to have a healthy delivery so we can shift the attention onto Kris getting well. She's put her physical and mental well being on the line for 3 months while her symptoms consistently increased, which is on top of the usual challenges of pregnancy to boot. The surgeons have expressed an urgency to get on with her surgery as soon as possible, so the time is now!

She'll always be my hero for what she has endured for our son. Her time to get well is coming soon!

Can't wait to introduce our little man to you very soon.

Mike

Testing

Hello All, Not to much going on here right now...it's a waiting game until we meet with the surgeon again on Monday. So with us having some down time I thought I'd test out our new camcorder and see if I can post a quick video to this blog successfully. Here goes.

Till next time...
Mike

The dates are ever changing....

Okay, so here is the latest. My mom and I made it safely to LA! The weather here is awesome and people have been great. I have met all of my doctors...they are wonderful...I am in the right place.

My neurosurgeon wants to see me again on Monday to assess how I am doing. The brainstem compression has made me quite symptomatic. Between the tumor and my ever expanding belly it is difficult for me to get around without holding on to my mom.

If all is the same on Monday, I am delivering the baby on the evening of 5/20. My neurosurgeon doesn't want anything going on with my spine right now, so unfortunately I will be having my c-section under general anesthesia (ie knocked out vs epidural or spinal block). I am sad to miss out on those first moments of my son's life and meeting my him for the first time with Michael, but I don't have a choice and I trust my docs to do what is best for me.

Then as soon as I am cleared and moving around post c-section they are going to knock me out again and tackle this tumor.

So my dates are ever changing. Right now tumor day is 6/4 and that date will only move up.

Mike will likely be updating this blog from here on out...I may post here and there as the spirit moves me :)

Thank you everyone for your ongoing thoughts, prayers and support!

I am now taking guesses on baby weight. I am predicting 6 lbs 10 oz (though it feels like he must be at least 10 lbs)...Just hoping his lungs are good and that he doesn't require any NICU time! He has dropped I am told, so I am hoping that is a good sign!

Love to you all, Kris

Thought you all might be interested in an upcoming article in Harper's Bazaar on Tara Subkoff, a designer and actress who recently had surgery to remove her acoustic neuroma at House Institute in LA (where I am having surgery:


http://www.harpersbazaar.com/magazine/feature-articles/tara-subkoff-brain-tumor-0510

Also for any of you who remember the group TLC from the 90's (Waterfalls), here is video clip of T-Boz talking about her acoustic neuroma and Dr Rick Friedman who is also my doc...

http://www.comcast.net/video/t-boz-s-brain-tumor-battle/1313634743/Comcast/1313496770/