Is summer here yet?

Summer may be here now, but not quite on the day we visited our neighborhood splashpad. If was a beautiful afternoon. After Keaton got home from school, we suited up and headed down the street. The water was really cold and there was a breeze. After a short time they were shivering with blue lips. I am sure we will enjoy the splashpad a lot more as summer truly arrives.

First Month

One month has come and gone. (I am trying to keep up) You had a lot of visitors your first month. Everyone couldn't wait to meet you. Here is Nana holding you in the NICU. Her and PawPaw were really glad you waited for them to return from Singapore before making an arrival.

Kayla and Ryan came all the way from Austin to see you. Kayla couldn't wait to hold you. Ryan was afraid he would drop you, but finally was convinced it was safe to hold you for a minute.

Uncle Adam even got a turn. Aunt Julie had a lot of baby Gage time. She didn't want to share with anyone. Funny how she held him the most and I didn't get a picture.
Here is PawPaw holding you the day you came home.
And Aunt Kerrie. Now we still need to convince Aunt Casey to make the trip to Houston to see you soon.

Of course Gee couldn't wait to get some alone time. But don't worry, she will be back to spend the entire summer with us. This will be a lot of help when mommy goes back to work. (tear, sniff, sniff)

Papa Dan got some snuggle time too, but again I missed the photo op.

Keaton and Cort absolutely adore you

Happy One Month

Little Red Caboose

I did not get to take the boys for the train ride in March, but we did manage a mommy and me outing in April. We left Gage at home with dad and we headed for Zube Park. This is a train park that is run by volunteers. They built the park, own the trains, and run the train every 3rd Saturday of the month. We had been one time about a year ago and had to stand in line for about 30 minutes. I was prepared to stand in line again since we made a stop at Dunkin Donuts, but we were able to ride the first train leaving the station.

My View on our Train Ride

Notice the chocolate on Cort's face from the donutThe track runs through the woods and this sign says Gator Crossing. Keaton immediately asked me if there would be real gators.

I could tell his cautious side had kicked in.

Zube park is a little far and so on our drive back I played some of the kid CD's I had previously loaded in the CD player. I had thought we needed to start listening again to 'Toddler' songs for the baby instead of jamming out to TobyMac. The first song I played, Wheels on the bus, received a curled lip look from both the kids. I then skipped on to DJ the Dinosaur. This song used to be their FAVORITE. We used to listen to it over and over. Keaton proceeded to tell me that DJ the Dinosaur was not a song 6 years old listen to. But how can you not sing along to the silly songs of Lori Berkner. We played the train songs to complete our train outing, Little Red Caboose and I've Been Working on the Railroad. Little Red Caboose even got an encore. We were all singing along and it took me back to when both of them were little. I can't believe how fast they have grown up.

Since our outing turned out to be short (yet fun), we made a stop at the book store. Keaton picked out some Pokemon chapter books and Cort picked out a pop up book about a journey to space. They also, on their own, picked out a cute little book about ducks for Gage. I found a daily devotional book for kids that we have been enjoying reading together at night.

Easter

The kids had a super great, spoiled Easter weekend. To start off, Mark took Keaton and Cort to our Small Group's Easter gathering on Saturday. Gage had only been home a week so he and I stayed home. They had a potluck lunch before the Easter Egg Hunt.

The Easter Bunny was very good to Keaton and Cort. He brought lots of candy, even chocolate candy this year now that Keaton is doing so much better with his allergies. He also brought Keaton a new Spongebob Leapster Game and Cort a new movie-Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Squeakquel. Aunt Kerrie brought the boys more candy and craft projects. They decorated eggs with stickers and painted sun catchers.

Each year we open the Resurrection Eggs and talk about the true meaning of Easter. Our favorite scripture is Luke 24:6 He is not here, He is Risen. Mark also took the boys to church Easter Sunday and after the service they had an Easter Egg hunt.

Aunt Kerrie, Nana, PawPaw, Grandmother, and Grandfather joined us for Easter lunch. The kids had another egg hunt in our backyard. Gage even found one.

Yellow Bus

Keaton normally rides the Daycare bus to and from school, but is now a yellow bus rider. While I am home on maternity leave, neither Keaton or Cort are going to Daycare. Mark still gets Keaton up each morning and ready for school. He also takes him to the bus stop at the end of our street. Keaton absolutely loves riding the bus. He is the only boy on our street in Elementary school, but he doesn't seem to mind all the girls. They even let him be first in line to get on the bus. One of the other moms told me that Mark and Keaton are so cute in the mornings. They have a secret handshake, as do Mark and Cort, and she says they are funny doing their 'slap hands' before Keaton gets on the bus.

I pick him up from the bus stop in the afternoons and he always gets off the bus with a huge grin on his face. I am glad he is getting to ride the bus this year as it is the last year we will have bus service. We have been re-zoned from Copeland to Lowery for next year. Cort will start Kindergarten at Lowery. We are within 2 miles of the school and their are no major street crossings which allows the school not to offer a bus route. We are excited about Lowery because we have heard great things about the school, but we will miss Copeland. The worst part about our transfer.....they are the Lowery Longhorns. Mark considered moving, but we are staying and will support the 'Longhorns' for Lowery and our kids!

Gig 'Em!

Gage Reeves Roberson

Here he is. Mr. Gage Reeves Roberson. He made his entrance into this world 3 weeks early.Born March 22, 2010 at 5:37 PM

Weighing 7 lbs 8 oz

Measuring 19 3/4 inches long

ALL BOY--and can you say Quarterback? Look at those hands!

The Saturday before his birth, I was not feeling well. I spent most of the day resting. Sunday, I felt a little better. Jane and Ed came for dinner since they had just returned from their Singapore vacation. They commented later that I did not seem myself. Sunday night I was up a lot and not feeling well. At 3:00 in the morning I would have bet I would not be going to work, but somehow managed to go any way. Throughout the morning I was not feeling well, something just wasn't right. Mark convinced me to call my doctor after I called him a couple of times crying. I tried to move my Thursday appointment up, but they said if something was wrong I needed to go to the hospital to be checked. Of course they did. I spent the next hour finishing up some work before leaving and told Mark to meet me at the hospital at 11:30. I didn't have the best attitude when I arrived at the hospital. I felt silly walking in not even having contractions, just saying I wasn't feeling well.

The first hour on the monitors everything looked good. I had a couple small contractions and the baby looked fine. I was not in labor. Then right at the hour mark I had a big contraction and the baby's heartbeat dropped into the 70's for 5 minutes. After the nurse reviewed the printout, we heard a voice over the intercom say, "Mrs. Roberson, when was the last time you ate?" The glance between Mark and I said we both knew what that meant. Not long after, nurses arrive announcing WE ARE HAVING A BABY TODAY and started prepping me for surgery.

Since I had eaten breakfast at 8:30, (yes at work. I don't usually do that, but this morning I had stopped at McDonalds and ate breakfast after I arrived at work) I would not have the C-section until at least 3:30. Having been through this before, Mark and I knew 3:30 would be the earliest we would have the baby, but more than likely it would be a waiting game. Waiting on the doctor to arrive and the OR to be open. This gave Mark time to run home and gather his stuff. See, I had packed my suitcase several weeks ago and insisted Mark bring it to the hospital that day. Mark on the other hand, didn't. We also made phone calls to arrange Nana to pick up Keaton and Cort and spend the night with them. She would have to get them ready and off to school the next day also. We called the daycare and spoke to Cort after he woke up from his nap and Keaton once he arrived from Copeland. Both were very excited.

Around 5:00 we knew it was time. We started heading to the OR soon after that where I received my spinal. I was worried I would be anxious and nervous, maybe even have a panic attack, but was actually pretty calm. I couldn't wait to see our new baby. Not long into the surgery I hear my doctor say she was really glad I came in to be checked out that day. I didn't ask any questions at the point, not sure I was prepared for the reason she was saying that. A few minutes later she said it again, but this time added because he had his cord tightly around his neck TWO times.

He was born at 5:37 PM and came out screaming. My c-section babies do not like being pulled from their warm womb without warning. Little man was screaming loud and once they got him to settle down some, they could tell his breathing was labored. He was having retractions. Retractions are a sign that someone is working hard to breathe. The areas below the ribs, between the ribs, and in the neck sink in with each attempt to inhale. Normally, when you take a breath, your diaphragm and the muscles around your ribs create a vacuum that pulls air into your lungs. But if a person is having trouble breathing, extra muscles kick into action. The use of these muscles results in retractions, which can be seen as the person tries to inhale.

So after a quick kiss to mom and a couple of pictures, dad and baby were off to the NICU to be checked out. I was taken to recovery, but assumed that the baby would be joining me soon. I mean he is a 37 week baby, which they consider to be full term. Each time Mark checked on me he wasn't able to bring me good news. It wasn't long before we were told he would be staying overnight in the NICU to be observed. They did a chest X-Ray looking for a possible Pneumothorax (collapsed lung), but did not find one. (Cort had one after birth and they had to put in a chest tube) They did see that he had fluid in his lungs.

The fluid could be from all the screaming at delivery. Although, it happens more often in C-Section babies. They don't get the advantage of the fluid being 'squeezed' from their lungs. He was placed on oxygen and IV fluids/nutrition, along with a heart , temperature, and oxygen saturation monitor.

All hooked up--yeah, we didn't like it either

The next morning I finally made a trip to the NICU. The hospital had remodeled since we had Cort and the NICU was now secluded down a long hall that is locked down by two doors. I, of course, was wheeled down to see him, as I was until being released from the hospital. There was no way I could have made the journey on foot.

Holding him for the 1st time

Mark and the baby spent the most time together the first night and few days. He made many trips down to the NICU to check on him and communicate with doctors and nurses. Even after I visited Tuesday morning, Mark continued to check on him every few hours. Of course, he was also delivering breast milk that I was pumping.

Baby Boy Roberson, as he was known the first few days of his life, had many visitors. Only parents and grandparents are allowed in the NICU. So Keaton and Cort had to wait to see their little brother. The way the NICU has been remodeled, there is not even a window for them to peek in. Mark did sneek Aunt Kerrie in and they were busted. Those law breakers!!

PawPaw--Mark's dad

Nana--Mark's mom

Papa Dan--Lori's dad

Gee--Lori's mom

Of course the boys were dying to meet their new baby brother. It helped that the baby and I had prepared a special gift for them. They each got a new stuffed puppy that they loved. Cort named his puppy Gravy at first and then changed it the next day to Blaster. (Cort calls the color gray...grave. The puppy was gray and white, therefore Gravy.) Keaton named his brown and black puppy Chocolate although changed it the next day to Scooby. I think he goes back and forth, because I heard Keaton call him Chocolate the other day. The animals were a nice distraction for them in the hospital room and gave everyone something to fuss over since Baby Boy couldn't join us. Of course they liked sitting in my wheelchair too.

So each day we were hopeful that he would be released from the NICU and join us in our room, but each day we were told that would not be the case. I was very frustrated and mad because I didn't understand why this was happening again. I mean, Cort was 6 weeks early and I completely understood why he needed extra care. But this baby, who still needed a name, was only 3 weeks early.

I believe it was Wednesday when they took him off the oxygen. But now he had developed Jaundice and they wanted to monitor him for that. He was not tolerating his feedings well either. In the NICU, each baby is fed every 3 hours and they are only given 30 minutes to complete the feeding. He was not interested in eating and had problems sucking, swallowing, and breathing all at the same time. It wasn't long before they put in a feeding tube. If he didn't finish the bottle within the 30 minute time, they put the remainder down the feeding tube. They kept increasing the amount they wanted him to eat. This was to help the jaundice levels come down. The more he ate and pooped, the better. Luckily they never had to put him under the blue lights.

Even though I was in much pain, and itched badly the first 24 hours due to the spinal, Mark and I found it nice that we were able to spend so much alone time together. This was something we enjoyed despite all the other things going on. Keaton and Cort were being taken care of by family or at school, the baby was in the NICU, and this left Mark and I. We were able to talk without being interrupted, we even watched a movie together one night. My mistake was agreeing to a comedy, The Proposal, because every time I laughed it hurt.

I was told I would be released on Thursday. We were again hopeful that the baby would come home with us as well. Once again we were told his feedings were not going well and he was not being released. So we had to complete all the paperwork before I left the hospital. I had already sent the Birth Certificate Registrar away earlier in the week because we hadn't decided on a name yet. I even tried to convince Mark we could decide later because the baby wasn't leaving the hospital yet. But Mark was adamant he had a name before we left, he needed an identity.

What? I don't have a name???

Mark and I spent over two hours sitting in my hospital room going back and forth on his name. The options were, Caden (Cade) Mark or Gage Reeves, but we just couldn't decide. We wrote it down, said it out loud, prayed about it, and even cried. But hours later we decided on Gage Reeves Roberson and signed the Birth Certificate to make it official. To us he will always be Commander GRR (pronounced Gurr). You see we have this thing with initials in our family. Everyone has nicknames. It all started in college when my roommates would call Mark...The MER (Mark Edward Roberson). A friend at work started calling me Laser (Lori Ann Shattles Roberson) after I had to give my approval by signing my initials LSR. When Keaton came along it became the MER and the KER (Keaton Edward Roberson) so of course Cort was given an initial nickname too. CGR (Cort Garner Roberson ) is the Cougar. So if we had chosen Caden, the baby's initials would have been CMR--we thought Commander. If we went with Gage, it would be GRR (Gurr). I have to admit I was not that fond of GRR at first. We already had a MER and KER, did we really need a GRR. I said I would call him Tiger. It kind of goes with Cougar and Tigers say GRR when they growl. (Not to mention the Tiger on the Cornflakes commercial that says GRRREAT!!!) So after going back and forth, we liked the name of it put together, Commander GRR it will be.

I finally have a name!!

Now to completely get side tracked, as if this post is not long enough, the kids each have their own letter (K, C, & G) because I sometimes call them by their letter. But I also call them by the name backwards. Usually when I don't want them to know I am talking about them. Probably will not be long before they figure that out.

Mark---Kram
Lori---Irol (I roll) Because that's how I do it :)
Keaton---Noteak (Nautic)
Cort---Troc
Gage---Egag (E-Gag?? Guess we didn't think that one through)


We left the hospital Thursday afternoon, ran some errands, and picked up the kids from daycare. Once we were home and settling in, Cort began to cry. It was such a heartbreaking cry with big tears. When I asked him what was wrong, he said he wanted me to bring the baby home with me. Of course, I begin to cry also. Such an emotional time, not knowing when your baby will come home. And the boys, remember, haven't even seen him yet. Back to the nights of calling the hospital to 'check' on my baby, to ask the nurse on duty how my baby is doing. Seems so weird that someone else is feeding him, changing him, and watching over him.

We made it through the first night at home. I slept in our bed propped up on some couch cushions because it was too painful to lay flat or on my side. When we arrived at the hospital Friday morning, we found Baby Gage had been moved from the level 3 nursery to level 2. This was a promotion and one step closer to him coming home. But once again would not be Friday. They had now increased his feedings to 55 ML, that is almost 2 oz every 3 hours for a 4 day old baby. Of course, there is no way he could finish that amount, so gavage (feeding tube) it is.

We found ourselves optimistic Saturday morning. We headed there first thing in order to talk to the doctor as he made his rounds. We were not happy with the night nurse. We didn't like her attitude each time we called to check on Gage. She was 'too busy'. I am sure she was, but I needed to check on MY baby. Once we arrive we discover he had the most awful diaper rash that he did not have the day before, and she failed to draw blood for his bilirubin test. A test that may hold whether he could be released or not. On top of that, he feedings did not go well through the night. I guess she was too busy to work with him. I was in tears once again. The doctor decided to remove the feeding tube and allow Gage to eat ad lib or how ever much he could eat within the 30 minutes. As long as he maintained his weight and the bilirubin level went down, we might be taking our baby home Sunday.

We called my parents to bring the kids up to the hospital. We were determined to let them see their baby brother. We brought them down the long hallway and they waited in the waiting room while Mark and I unhooked Gage, with the nurses permission of course, and wheeled him over to the window. Keaton and Cort got their first look at their little brother. It is funny, the nurse stood watching us the whole time. Maybe she thought we were going to make a run for it. We had started referring to the NICU as 'Baby Jail'.

Friday and Saturday Mark and I found ourselves again spending some quality alone time together. We had lunch at two of our favorite places, Tia Marias and Pei Wei. Well, PF Changs would have been better, but Pei Wei will do. And my husband found his comedic side again and making me laugh way too much. With every chuckle I clutch my stomach and begged him to stop. He reminded me he is always this funny, but there are usually two little boys that get all of my attention....(now there is 3)

His feeding tube

I'm trying Mommy
Saturday morning, I was feeling very anxious. I even felt like I may have a panic attack. I was holding Gage when he started crying. I handed him to Mark because of how I was feeling. Mark snuggled him up and Gage stopped crying immediately.

Getting some Daddy love

So Sunday morning was to be THE DAY, right? We hoped so. I felt like we were almost convincing the nurse and doctor to let us take him home. The bilirubin did go down, but so did his weight. Since they took him off the feeding tube, he actually lost an ounce. But, they decided to release him any way. Without saying in so many words, they felt we were responsible parents that would take him home and give him the attention and care he needed to continue gaining weight. We were to follow up with the pediatrician Monday morning.

Ready to go home!

We were so excited to be home as a complete family. As you can see Keaton and Cort immediately fell in love with baby Gage. We did follow up with the doctor the next day, and to my heartbreak, he once again lost weight. We were to follow up again in two days. There could be some scale discrepancy. On Wednesday's appointment he had gained almost 2 ounces. Then the following Monday, for his 2 week visit, he weighed 7 lbs 11 oz, which was an 8 ounce gain. We were in the clear and his bilirubin continued to decrease.

Baby Gage and his namesake. Fredrick Reeves Hamilton

Fred is Mark's Grandfather on his mom's side.

Welcome home Gage!!

I am so glad you were born!