Jacey-Kate's Surgery

Russ and I are so happy today is over with and so appreciative of all the prayers and well wishes from friends and family. We were definitely comforted by the support and encouragement we received. After the OR nurse took Jacey-Kate out of my arms to go to surgery, we walked downstairs to get a cup of coffee. I brought a book I'm reading with me and the name of the chapter that I read this morning was "To Experience God's Peace". I love it when He does stuff like this...the scripture at the beginning of the chapter was 2 Thess. 3:16 which says "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." How cool is that?

Last night before we kissed Jacey-Kate good night, we talked about how everyone else has been anxious and freaked out about her surgery, but we've had a total peace about it. I won't lie, before the nurse took her from me, and as she walked away with my baby, my heart just sunk in my chest and I realized how little control I had over this situation. (Not that I thought I had any control to begin with) I'm so thankful that God gives us the strength we need to make it through each day.

Jacey-Kate's surgery took 35 minutes, she was back in our room by 9:10 and nursing immediately. We were initially planning to spend the night, but we were released around noon today. She has done really well and has slept for most of the day. Dr. Burstein did great work from what we can tell so far. Her steri-strips should fall off within 7-10 days, so I'll be sure to post pics of her nose once they come off. The pictures below are super cute! Before and after shots as well as her little surgery gown and hospital/recovery gown that we got to bring home. There's also a picture of Jacey-Kate after mommy gave her the first dose of antibiotic. You won't miss it! Thanks again for praying for our little girl and for us. We love you and appreciate you. :-)

Jacey-Kate Update

 

Lots of good news to report...

1. Jacey-Kate's genetic testing came back normal.
2. Surgery is scheduled for Monday, August 31st and we get to spend the night at Scottish Rite.
3. Our sweet girl smiled for the first time this past Sunday!!

We feel very confident moving forward with her surgery and are excited to see what her nose will look like after Dr. Burstein operates. Thanks for your prayers and encouragement. We'll keep you posted on her progress.

The Kiefers' Krazy Lives

There's lots to report from the Kiefer household. We have kept ourselves busy through the month of August. Lulu, grandma Sustakovitch, was here for two days to play with Jacey-Kate, we met with the genetics' doctor, scheduled surgery and had grandma and grandpa Kiefer here for a week!

Jacey-Kate loves her Lulu! She can't wait for her to come back and visit next week. Kara's so excited to have her mom spending the night, babysitting and going to doctor's appointments for Jacey-Kate with her. Jacey-Kate's going to miss her daddy next week...he'll be in St. Louis for work. :-(

Our appointment with the geneticist went really well. Kim was so sweet and complimentary of Jacey-Kate's cuteness! She gave her a clean bill of health and thought she was ready for surgery. Jacey-Kate did have her blood drawn, she slept through it, not sure how, but she was an angel. The blood drawn will be used to test her chromosomes to make sure there isn't anything else going on as well as to check to see if the fronto nasal dysplasia was a mishap during the first trimester, or if it's something that runs in either Russ or Kara's genes. Either way, we're so grateful that she's healthy!

I'm taking Jacey-Kate for an eye appointment on Monday and then pre-op with the surgeon on Tuesday of next week. Surgery is scheduled at Scottish Rite on Monday, August 31st. We'd love for you to be praying with us for her surgery. Not sure what time yet. We're so glad we're not having to wait long to have her nose taken care of.

Grandma and grandpa Kiefer flew in on August 14th and spent a week with us. Jacey-Kate really enjoyed being with her grandparents. Russ and Kara loved having them here as well. (Not just because they helped with several projects around the house...that was a huge bonus!!) Our backyard looks like it's had a hair cut, or a new landscape job and Russ' tool area in the basement is actually organized. Everything has it's place! Grandma knitted Jacey-Kate a precious sweater for this winter and finished the curtains in Jacey-Kate's room.

We were able to take Jacey-kate to church last Sunday, she really enjoyed hearing Andy speak on Losing Your Religion. Afterwards, we went to the Varsity!!! Everyone must try Atlanta's favorite grease pit...it's Grandma Faye's all time favorite place to have a chili dog. Jacey-Kate also got to go to the aquarium. She really enjoyed the tropical fish display. :-0

Russ and I can't believe how quickly she's growing. We're so impressed with her chubby cheeks and how she's sleeping through the night! Grandma Kiefer was nice enough to help us get her sleeping from 10-6 am!!! Dr. Denmark...she's the bomb.com! If I had known about her philosophy on newborns, I'd have done this from day one.

Oh well...next time!

1 Month Check-Up

Jacey-Kate weighed in at 9 lbs and 7 oz when we went for her 1 month check-up this morning. Her parents were shocked to hear that she has also grown 3 inches and her height is in the 75% for her age. We have a healthy little girl that we're so thankful for and couldn't imagine life without her.

The three of us went to Georgia's 1st birthday party yesterday afternoon. We had so much fun, like we always do, even though Jacey-Kate slept through most of it. :-) As you can tell, Jacey-Kate is a daddy's girl, unless of course she's hungry! Next year we'll be sure to keep Jacey-Kate a little more awake and hopefully Georgia's birthday will be in Serenbe.

Jacey-Kate at 4 Weeks

It's truly amazing how quickly a newborn grows. We go Monday for Jacey-Kate's 1 month check up, so we're not sure exactly how much she weighs, but she definitely feels close to 8 lbs. Jacey-Kate is so loved, she has visitors come by to meet her all the time. Bailey, Brynna, Leslyn and Liz are among her favorites!!! Thanks for stopping by to see our little Jacey-Cakes.

We really appreciate all the prayers, encouragement and support. Jacey-Kate went for her CT scan yesterday morning at Scottish Rite. Kara was really nervous that Jacey-Kate would nurse and be wide awake which would make her move all around and fuss while they were trying to do the scan. If that happened, she would have had to have been sedated. We believe all of our friends and family's prayers helped her to lay completely still and to not be scared or cry. She was absolutely perfect! You can see by the pictures below how tiny she is compared to the CT scan machine. Russ and I stood there watching her go through this and thought about all the other parents that have been in our shoes and how they must have felt just like we did at that very moment....helpless. It's amazing how God gives you the strength you need in the exact moment you need it. We're very grateful that Jacey-Kate's scan took less than 5 minutes, but the biggest blessing is that we've already heard from our doctor and the CT scan was clear! The next step is to meet with the Genetics' doctor on the 14th, back at Scottish Rite, which by the way is an amazing hospital, especially when you know a few nurses. :-) After the genetics' tests are completed and our surgeon has the results, we can schedule Jacey-Kate's surgery to fix her nose.