My Mobile Creation

Project internet web site

2010-04-05T18:51:00.002-05:00

The internet web site for the Shaw Areva MOX project is http://www.moxproject.com

Things are going well in the new job at Shaw Areva MOX

2010-04-03T21:15:00.003-05:00

It has been my first week on the new job and it is going well. I have spent my first week mostly in training (reading) and studying the System Design Decripton.

New opportunity

2010-03-24T09:29:00.002-05:00

I have accepted a position working on a nuclear fuel process at the Savannah River Site. I will be working with the prime contractor, Shaw Areva MOX in Aiken, SC.

2009-05-01T12:54:00.001-05:00

The girls continue to do well and are now both above 9 pounds in weight.

Lauren Elizabeth

2009-03-06T20:21:00.001-06:00

Lauren Elizabeth resting for a while.

Emily Ann

2009-03-06T20:19:00.000-06:00

Emily Ann taking a nap.

They are HOME

2009-02-25T08:56:00.000-06:00

Both Lauren and Emily are now home! They came home on Sunday, February 15 with monitors. They will be continuously monitored for heart rate and respiration for a minimum of 4 weeks. This was part of the criteria to allow the girls to come home. We went through training with a repiratory therapist on how to use the device, which will also record all events. They still occasionally have the Bradycardia, however they are all self resolved at this point. The girls will also have a home visit from a nurse to check their status and check vitals.

Gradual Improvement Pt. II

2009-02-03T08:09:00.000-06:00

Both girls continue to gain weight, Lauren is at approximately 4 lb 7 1/2 oz, and Emily is at 4 lb 3 oz. On Monday during the day, both girls had no Bradycardia events. Stephanie and I went to the Premie-infant care class and I came back to see them. The nurses tried to feed Lauren a bit more and evidently, she was already full. Lauren had one more Bradycardia (self resolved). The goal to go home without a home monitor for heart and respiration, is that there can be no Bradycardia events for seven (7) days in the hospital. The Discharge Coordinator informed us that a high percentage of preemie babies go home with the home monitor. When they first come home, a nurse will also come and visit and assess the medical progress of the girls. Lauren had her "break through" moment and started nursing very well. Emily had already been nursing fairly well and they both had a good day nursing with Mom. Last week both girls were taken out of the isolete (incubator). This is a good milestone since both girls are now capable of maintaining their own body temperature and still gain body mass.

A few more pictures...

2009-01-28T08:25:00.000-06:00

What is the next step?

2009-01-26T12:36:00.000-06:00

Over the past week the routine has been established. Mom (Stephanie) spends a lot of time with them and is learning the optimum feeding schedule for the girls to practice nursing. Yes...you read it right...practice! Preemies do have to learn how the nurse and both girls are doing well in the category. The main goals at this time are for them to be able to: 1. feed on their own, 2. breath with out any Brady-cardia events (for preemies, forgetting to breath, normal at this stage), 3. gain weight and be at 5 lb. As of Sunday January 25, Lauren's weight was at 3 lb 9 oz and Emily's was at 3 lb 10 oz.

A few pictures...

2009-01-24T12:30:00.000-06:00

Gradual Improvement...

2009-01-23T10:43:00.000-06:00

The girls continue to improve every day. They keep on removing their own IV's which can be a problem if they are not staying hydrated. This is not the case, they continue to take their nutrition through the feeding tube inserted through their nose and have been tolerating their feedings well. It is a gradual increase in nutrition (about 2 - 4 ml/child/feeding cycle). They are fed about every 2 - 3 hours (standard). They also continue to pull out their feeding tubes (I can't imagine what if feels like, but it's probably not fun). My girls are very active when awake and definatly like being held by Mommy and Daddy. The nursing staff encourages us to hold them and interact. I have to admit, that is very soothing to hold my precious little baby girls.

The notification from the Hospital Patient Advocate

2009-01-21T14:00:00.000-06:00

We were notified on Monday that the NICU was in a "lock down" mode. Evidently, there is a "severe" outbreak of RSV and the flu. They are only allowing the parents access to their children. The girls continue to progress along and improve. It is a slow and gradual process. They draw blood samples to check gases and mineral (salt, potassium, etc.) levels. They modify their diet for what ever they are low or high on. At this age, they tend to have acidosis (a normal condition and nothing to be alarmed) since their kidneys are comming on line (so to speak).

Grandma Marcia and baby Emily

2009-01-20T12:59:00.001-06:00

Grandmother Gantt gets to have some personal time with one of her new baby girls.

Emily & Daddy having some bonding time

2009-01-19T19:23:00.001-06:00

Emily is up close and staying warm on Dad's chest.

Proud Grand Parents see their baby's for the first time

2009-01-18T10:40:00.000-06:00

John seeing and touching Emily for the first time.

Joyce seeing and touching Lauren for the first time.

Cuddle time with my baby girl

2009-01-17T18:43:00.001-06:00

When I arrived there this morning, they were feeding the girls and providing all of the nutrition that they needed with a tube to their stomach. The nurses will provide Mom's milk and introduce that via the tube and will start to promote the girls learning how to nurse from their mother naturally. I was allowed to hold Lauren with direct skin contact. The "experts" say this is very calming and good for the bonding process. I am very humbled and awed by all of this and glad to hold my girls.

Welcome our new baby girls

2009-01-16T09:29:00.000-06:00

When I got to the hospital yesterday morning, things started moving pretty fast. I was there no more than 10 minutes and the resident doctor came in to check to see how she was doing and stated that it was time to go into delivery. My first born daughter is Lauren Elizabeth and Mom was incredible and delivered her naturally with no epidural. She weighed in at 3 lb 8 oz and 16 1/2" long. She was born about 10:15 AM on Thursday. My second born daughter, Emily Ann was breach and had to be turned. The doctor was checking on her position and Emily grabbed his finger and would not let go inside the womb. They quickly decided to do a C-section and that went very well. Emily was born about 1 hour later and weighed in at 3 lb 9 oz and 16 1/2" long. They are in the NICU and sharing a room. I appreciate your thoughts and prayers. The top photo is Emily Ann and the bottom photo is Lauren Elizabeth.

Moving forward...

2009-01-15T07:42:00.000-06:00

Throughout the afternoon yesterday, she had moderate contractions on the half hour. Tuesday night she did have some "more severe" pain, and they countered that with some pain medicine. As of this morning, her contractions are now about 20 minutes apart, thus the girls may be with us soon! The doctors seem very optimistic and both of the girls vitals are doing well. I am looking forward to their births.

The Mommy picture post

2009-01-14T16:09:00.000-06:00

Due to popular protests...the picture has now been removed. She is doing very well and everything is status quo at this point.

The situation with Stephanie & the twins

2009-01-14T08:11:00.000-06:00

Since Monday night, she has been in the hospital because her water broke. She went to a business meeting and was getting ready to leave after going to the bathroom and realized her water had broken. She is at about 32 weeks into the pregnancy. The doctors have prescribed a course of medications to help with the contractions, infection, and medicines for the babies. They are giving her magnesium sulfate as a muscle relaxant to keep her from going into labor. This medicine has seemed to have helped. They are also giving her antibiotics to guard against infection and a steroid treatment to help the babies lungs develop. The goal is to "buy" some time to keep the babies in the womb another 10 - 12 days to at least 34 weeks. The doctors did a sonogram and both girls are about 4 lbs, so they are gaining weight well and are doing okay. Stephanie will be in the hospital and on bed rest until the birth of the girls. We appreciate the thoughts and prayers during this time. I shall continue to update everyone as I learn what happens.

J.M.G reading the paper

2009-01-10T12:13:00.001-06:00

J.M.G. taking a look at today's newspaper.

Glad to be home

2008-11-17T06:31:00.000-06:00

We are very glad the he is home safe and sound (as well as Mom and Grandma). His appetite has seemed to have returned (as you can see).

At home in KC

2008-11-14T08:20:00.000-06:00

Thursday, 13 November 2008:

J.M. slept late and was supposed to stayed with Grandma at the house in the morning, while Mommy went into work to take care of a few things. Instead, he decided that he wanted to go with Mommy to work and "see" everyone. He is still sore in his neck, but is up and about and active like a normal 3 year old.

At the house, D5 & travel home

2008-11-12T16:53:00.000-06:00

Today is a big day, J.M., Mom, and Grandma will travel home today. I will pick them up tonight, so it will be a nice reunion.

Update #1:
I picked them up and the plane was slightly early (for a change). J.M. seemed a little unsteady since he had not be up and about for a while. He does not need to ware a bandage on the incision area anymore. Mommy said he was very "chatty" during their layover at the airport and flight from ATL to MCI. I am very thankful to Holli and Joel for the hospitality that they extended and making us feel like we were at home. It sure was great to see them again and be with my family.

At the house, D4

2008-11-11T10:06:00.000-06:00

J.M. had a good night and slept reasonably well. He has not requested any pain medication and he had some solid food for breakfast. He will see Dr. Oaks for the follow-up examination at 10:45 AM.

Update #1:
The examination went well with Dr. Oaks. He gave instructions for follow-up, wound care, etc. J.M. has continued to convalesce and gradually get better. He still has not requested any pain meds, thus this is a good sign. They will be traveling home tomorrow.

At the house, D3

2008-11-10T22:18:00.000-06:00

Today was a pretty good day, no up-chucking for 24 hours (I'll try to keep these comments to a minimum.) He sipped Gatorade in the morning to help keep him hydrated. This evening he sat up and ate pizza with Jake and Max and when I called this evening he sounded in good spirits. He has not wanted any pain medication. Tomorrow he has a check up with Dr. Oaks. I'll keep you posted.

At the house

2008-11-10T08:11:00.000-06:00

Saturday, 8 November 2008:

We brought him "home" to a fantastic house nearby and got him settled in and he rested. I headed to the airport and met my mother-in-law and passed the keys and gave direction to the house. He rested throughout the afternoon and ate a little and held it down.

Sunday, 9 November 2008:

He had a couple of bouts of nausea (vomit), once in the morning and evening. He is getting fluids and staying hydrated. The key is for him to take it easy for a while and intake things like pedialite and peach syrup. I spoke with him and he sounded okay. I miss my son and what him home back in KC.

At the room, D2

2008-11-08T06:26:00.000-06:00

He has had a pretty good night. He struggled for a while late (about 11:30 PM) and was not going to sleep very well. He was allowed Valium to help him relax and I requested it to get him to sleep better. I believe that he will be discharged today.

Update #1:

The doctors came in early and did their rounds. He was released to go home (local) and Dr. Oaks wants to see him on the scheduled visit on Tuesday. He had a good breakfast and ate quite a bit. I think we were more excited about going home the J.M. (Not really, but it's hard to tell by the look on his face.)

At the room

2008-11-07T11:06:00.000-06:00

J.M. had a pretty good night, no dry heaving or vomit. Both of us dozed pretty good for a few hours through out the night. He stayed on a course of pain meds alternating between Tylenol and ibuprofen and had a dose of Zofran this morning. After the ibuprofen on an empty stomach he would get the nausea, so I don't think he will be having that anymore. As long as he continues to take in liquid and keep it down he may be able to be discharged today. He had some more popsickle and some apple juice. We took him for a ride down to the lobby to see the Christmas decorations. The doctors want him to be more active and we will be helping him do that.

Update #1:

He had been in bed pretty much the hole day. His pain had been managed as needed with Tylenol. I went to a nice area for adults and had a great 4 hour nap and when I came back at 6:30 PM after a wake-up call from J.M. he had some solid food for supper and has been keeping it down. He has had no Zofran this afternoon and this is now as needed. He in not on any IV drip, so he needs to stay hydrated and thus far has been drinking fluids. I'm thinking that if he has a good night...we are out of here tomorrow.

Into a room

2008-11-06T21:17:00.000-06:00

J.M. has been moved into his own room. It took a while, but one on the floor where they wanted the neurology patients finally became available (we are thankful). He has been taking his pain meds at regular intervals and had a dose of Tylenol at 9 PM. The pain meds are now as needed. He had another does of Zofran at around 7:30 PM and a pop sickle at 8 PM. So far so good. I am staying the night to keep him company and help out.

Some background on why we are in Alabama:

J.M.G. is a forcep delivery baby with birth trauma. Mom was in labor for about 12 hours and she and J.M. were not showing any signs of stress. We were informed that insurance would not pay for a C section, thus the option was use of a forcep. We preferred the C section route at the beginning. He then spent the next ten days in Children's Mercy recovering from a fractured scull, needing a blood transfusion, and jaundice. We have done all of the medical follow up and at two years of age they pronounced that he was doing well and meeting normal milestones. That is when we started to notice the muscle tone issues with his left leg and the neurologist scheduled an MRI on August 11 for follow up. The MRI professionals found the syrnix and he was diagnosed with the chairi 0

At the PICU

2008-11-06T06:19:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture of J.M. resting comfortably last night with Stanley. I want to see and comfort him and let him know that his Mommy and Daddy LOVE him VERY much.

Update #1: We were in with him from 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM and he is still somewhat nauseous. He spent part of the night dry heaving and we believe he equates the pain meds with the bad feeling in his tummy. We have encouraged him to take the pain meds so his head will feel better. The 4 mg's of Zofran does seem to be doing the job. He is now the "healthiest" kid in the PICU and on the top of the list for a room (a GREAT sign and relief). What Dr. Oaks did not tell us is that the area where he performed the surgery may cause some nausea. Dr. Oaks wants to see him keep everything down for a day before he will release him from the hospital.

Day of the surgery

2008-11-05T10:32:00.000-06:00

The surgery went fairly well...it lasted about 1 1/2 hours. Dr. Oaks found what he wanted to find, the substantial scar tissue from the birth trauma. He made an opening about 10 mm in the base of the scull and did not think it was necessary to put in the plastic conduit (tube) to facilitate better drainage in the future. He is in recovery and will be in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) overnight as a precaution. We will be able to see him at around 12:00 PM.

Update #1: We were able to see JM briefly when he was taken into the PICU and he looked pretty good considering the circumstances. They were settling him in and they recommended that we get something to eat. We came back later after lunch and he only had the oxygen (O2) being provided to his nose, one intravenous line and and arterial line. They are providing pain medicine (Motrin & Tylenol) every three hours.

Update #2: We were in to see him from 4PM - 6PM and he is still dozing in and out. They were encouraging him to go pee in his pull-up diaper and he did not want to do it. We had to reassure him that considering the circumstances that it was okay to go pee pee and he did. He wanted to move his head from the right to the left and when he realized that it hurt, he did not want to do it. The nurse performed her magic and we helped move him to the left side and got him settled in to watch Veggie Tales with his buddy Stanley. The gave him a dose of Zofran (2 mg) about 6 PM to help with the nausia. We went to Newks Cafe for supper.

Update #3: When we went back after supper, they would not let us in until 9:30 PM due to a new patient being brought in and settled. The regular scheduled visit time is from 8PM - 10PM. We stayed and helped the nurse since he was still feeling a little nauseated and was throwing up a bit (they measure everything!). They increased the dose of Zofran to 4 mg's at close to 11 PM. Hopfully that will help the little guy.

Dr. Oaks initial consult

2008-11-04T18:40:00.000-06:00

Today was the day for the initial visit with Dr. Oaks. He is the guru that Dr. Greene from Children's Mercy Hospital recommended we go see. Dr. Oaks has treated over 400 patients with chiari 1 & chiari 0. What John Morgan does have is a syrinx, which is cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) that has been collecting and pressing on the spinal cord. CSF is normally produced in the brain and flows out through the base of the scull into the body. Dr. Oaks does not technically view JM's case as a chiari 0, however he is treating the symptoms as if it were. What he expects to find is scar tissue which is causing the formation the syrinx. The operation is to remove a small amount of scull at the base to allow for the CSF to more evenly flow out of the scull. He will create an orifice using some tissue from just below JM's scalp to form a "sling" to hold back the sack that surrounds the brain. The scar tissue does not show up in the MRI that was performed on August 11. If there is significant scar tissue, Dr. Oaks may insert an additional conduit (tube) to allow for better flow of the CSF out of the scull into the body. The question remains, is the syrinx causing the issues with JM's leg? We don't really know at this time. There are risks involved with performing the surgery, however if we do nothing at this time there could be additional symptoms due to the syrinx pressing against his spinal cord. We have been in communication with JM's pediatrician, Dr. Grossman, and he is supportive of our decision to perform the procedure. John Morgan will be admitted at 6:00 AM tomorrow.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Much Love from us...

As a humorous aside, Dr.Oakes went to the University of Missouri and waited tables at Stephens College to meet girls. For those of you who don't know, Stepahnie went to Stephens College.

J.M.G. On the ground

2008-11-03T08:59:00.001-06:00

John Morgan is on the ground in ATL. A nice first day of travel, no major hick up's just a couple of plane rides and we were in Birmingham, AL having some lunch. After a nap, we spent the evening playing with Jake (5 years old) & Max (3 years old) just having a lot of fun. Many thanks to Joel and Holli for being so hospitable and having us stay with them.

Biker dude

2008-10-29T12:24:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of J.M. from last years Halloween festivities. This year he is going to be a fireman.

Rugby player

2008-10-28T16:55:00.001-05:00

This is a great picture of John Morgan from last March.