update on gage's caringbridge site

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2009 12:21 AM, CDT

Gage has had a few more blood pressure checks since my last post. On 8/27 he was 122/64. Since this was so high, the nurse waited a few minutes and checked it again. This time she got 112/58, lower, but still too high. Honestly it was a shock and discouraging. His blood pressure checks have been good, so, I really was not that concerned. Dr. Strasburger decided to start him back on Enalipril. He is on a very low dosage of .7 mls twice a day. She said she was not sure he fully needs it right now, but she's hoping it helps in the long run. If his blood pressure is high it means that his heart is working harder and will result in wearing out and causing his valves to leak. So, the hope is that starting the medicine will cause the valves not to have to work so hard so that leakage he does have does not get worse at a fast rate. Again, it was very hard going back on a medicine after being off 9 months. I know that at the same time, we are thankful for the 9 months and that some children never go off, but the enalipril is like a daily reminder and I don't miss that! But Lord willing, it will help Gage in the long run!
So, today he had his first check being on the Enalipril. It was 108/56, so it's come down, but still high. He's been on the medicine since last Tuesday, and the nurse today said it takes a good week or two to take full effect. So it might help out a little more, but Dr. Strasburger said she'd start low and go up from there as to not shock his body with a big dose right off the bat. So going up won't surprise me, but staying as low as we can would be nice too!
On some other news-we signed up today, as Heart Hikers 4 Gage, to "hike' in the Brigg's & Al's Run & Walk for Children's Hospital of Wisconsin again! Obviously you all know how much CHW means to our family. God has done miracles through the doctors and nurses to give Gage the life he has today! We are forever praising God and thankful for the team of Doctors and Nurses who have taken care of Gage through both his surgies. If you would like to join our team and support us, please visit www.register.alsrun.com -we would love to have you join us! And either way, if you feel led to make a tax deductable donation, please visit, www.firstgiving.com/hearthikers4gage -we really appreciate your donation to help with awesome cause!
Gage goes back for a blood pressure check next week. I'm not sure exactly how long we'll be doing this, but probably at least a few more weeks until we know how much medicine he needs.
A little Sister update-She's getting so big and she's so cute! (Okay, I know, I'm her mom...so I might be a tiny bit biased!) She is rolling over a little bit, but not very often since her big brother just pushes her over as soon as she gets mad. Which is within the first few seconds of being put on her belly! But at least she can and does do it when she gets the chance! She is starting to play so much with hanging toys and she loves to hold her feet or push toys away with her feet. And yesterday she starting giggling outloud-so adorable! Gage just loves her to pieces and is quite the helper and well, Malia, she just loves that big brother of hers...she lights up every time he comes near!
Again, thank you for your prayers!
Love,

Nathan, Chantae, Gage and Malia

our room...and some other crafts i've been up to!

here is what i did above our bed...i dont' know if you remember when i showed you what our room looks like, but i've added the 'hawaiian' theme to the walls to match our comforter. so i added the branches and the hibiscus to the ribbons holding the picture frames.

this is to the left of our bed...added the flowers and the branches and the little gecko...

and here is to the left 0f that window...basically added the same thing!

here is a close up of one of our little friends in our room...

and above our closets...

and another little tropic friend, a turtle by the light switch...

here is some writing i did in our bathroom. i've always wanted to do something in the big empty space above the shower, but everything i had was too short or too tall.

and i did a few lil things in malia's room. i added the pic and her headband holders to this wall that was very empty...

and on the wall i made the plaque, i finally got some frames up and a few pictures. she turns six, yes, six months in october, so i hate to say it but the two empy frames will probably stay that way until i get those pictures taken and fill up the two frames...

and in gage's room, if you remember, he has the jungle/giraffe theme going on the walls, so on the ceiling we put the glow in the dark stars up for the sky, which gage just loves to look at the stars in real life and now in his room! then on his ceiling fan, i added the clouds for the day time up in the sky...

and there was a couple on our block who just had a little boy with a big brother, so i made some name signs for their room as well. it worked out good. the week before she had her baby boy, she showed me the boys room!

s

so, besides being super busy being a mommy, doing tons of cleaning and gardening, yes, we ended up doing another big project before the summer was over! lord willing, we are DONE, and next summer we are JUST enjoying it, you know, between pulling weeds...anyway, my daughters dedication, and church, that's what i've been up to!

gage's caringbridge site

opps...this is a week late! i saved it instead of publishing it and just noticed! oh well! either way, last week or this week, please pray for my little guy! thanks! This is the update on my sons caringbridge site (www.caringbridge.org/visit/mittelstaedt) :

When I left off with my last post, Gage needed to start having blood pressure checks and Malia was about to turn 4 months old! Before I give the update on the kids, I wanted to share a ‘post that has been running through my head’ that I never got out.

Two weeks ago, shortly after finding out about Gage’s blood pressure, our pastors wife got up at the end of church and spoke about how God had put ‘complaining…or not complaining really’ on her heart. Many topics bring me to Gage even if it’s not exactly what we are talking about. Like songs about healing, two years later, I still can’t get through them at church. Not totally because Gage was not healed the way I had hoped, but for All God has done for Gage. Well this one brought me to Gage as well. Now, I know this goes for a lot more than just Gage’s blood pressure, but the message was clear and really spoke to me this week! It got me thinking that if Gage’s blood pressure checks are good, then, he is doing good, we are medicine free and totally praise God! It also got me thinking that if these checks show that Gage does have some high blood pressure issues, then I should not complain, but be thankful that it’s being caught right away, God is still watching out for him, that there ‘is’ medicine for him to take and not just complain he has to take it. Gods word tells us, ‘in All things give God the glory, not just when it turns out how ‘we’ want’. All week, this just ran through my head how, I need to give it to God…the worry of the blood pressure checks to all the glory no matter what plan God has! What great peace this also brought me all week!

With that being said, I am happy to report that Gage has had two blood pressure checks, 100/60 and 102/58! Praise the Lord!!! These are just fine numbers for him! His cardiologist would like him to be at about 100, little lower would be great, but she’ll take a little higher as well! It felt so good to go in for his check yesterday and have peace about it either way. Sure my heart would have been saddened, but I still would have more to praise God about than to complain about!

Malia is now 4 months old already and getting closer to 5! She had her 4 month check up and weighed in at 14lbs 8 oz(71%), 23.5 in for height(23%), and 40.5 cm(37%) head circumference. I’m always looking back to see where her and Gage were at – at the same age. I don’t know if it makes the difference that ones a boy and ones a girl or if small differences really make that big of a difference. Gage was 13lbs 9oz, only a pound less, but took him down to the 14th percentile, he was 24 inches tall(18%), and his head measured at 40cm(6%).Not big differences in numbers, but it sure changes the percentiles. My conclusion though, it looks like my kids will just always be short!

Well, I just got my husband off to work, so, I should try to go get a few more hours of sleep before my children are up!

Thanks for praying and praising God with us! We will continue to monitor Gage’s blood pressure in the next month or two just to make sure we find a good average range to go by. I will update after the checks, so please keep them in prayer!

Thanks!

Nathan, Chantae, Gage, and Malia

my 4 year anniversary!

worshiping
reception...cake area
i loved my bridesmaids flowers

our programs
nathan and i at the reception
my mom and dad walking me down the aisle

our vows

four years ago today, nathan and i were up and getting ready for our beautiful wedding day by this time! god has truly blessed me with a wonderful husband! i am forever thankful! but i'm short on time, so, i will just add a few pictures of our special day! my mom is watching our two kiddos for us tonight and then as a surprise i booked us a couples message! i'm excited and i think nathan will love it! his back is always sore from bending over at work welding.

in other news, i have our bedroom almost done! as soon as i get the tree done i will take pictures and post them on here. we have been busy doing more yard work, yes, i know, i said we were done for this year, but then another big idea popped in my head so poor nathan is landscaping again see, isn't he wonderful?
ok. like always i add my pics last and ever since we had to start using different browsers something is always not working right! very annoying! i got it last time so i could add the pictures again and now it won't let me move the pictures where i want them or in any type of order. so i guess they will just have to stay above the writing and all mixed up! and i don't have any good pictures of nathan and i on the computer...they are all on cds. just what i needed to print where on the computer. so there isn't a good/cute one of us either! oh well. enjoy and have a great day!

prayer request

just asking those who follow my blog to please pray for my son. his blood pressure is up a little so the cardiologist wants to monitor this for the next few weeks and see if this high is where gage 'normally hangs out' at or if he was just high from playing or something that day. i updated his caring bridge site tonight with a little more information at www.caringbridge.org/visit/mittelstaedt

thanks!

also, i talked to another mom today who is expecting a little girl in august who is diagnosed with having the same heart defect as gage, truncus arteriosis. please keep them in prayer as it's very stressful and nerve wrecking and beyond emotional to be preparing for the greatest gift to be born, but with so much unknown and to put your little one under the knife for open heart surgery in hopes to save their life. i was blessed to be able to talk to this mom and try to answer her questions b/c i would have loved this, but at the same time, it's hard going down memory lane. so please lift them up during this time and the baby, who is doing well right now, but her stomach is measuring a few weeks smaller than the rest of her body.

again, thanks!

we had malia's 3 month pictures taken today, so, i thought before i turn in for the night that i would share a few of them. it was a very long and stressful time getting pictures, but we finally have some! i have been very busy decorating my bedroom. so as soon as i get it done, then i'll take some pictures to post! i just love decorating with my cricut machine! i wish i had more rooms...i'm thinking of more ideas that i'd love to do! ha! maybe my husband will have to finish our basement just so i have something to decorate! lol truthfully, we really need the room. we like our little house, but we have outgrown it very fast! alright, that's another story...night!

our trip!

hello! well, we are back from our family vacation! we went to go visit my dad and his side of the family in washington and oregon! as always we had a super great time and it was too short! we spent all but three days camping near the oregon coast with some family and friends!
we cousin got married the first weekend we were there so we drove over to her beautiful outside wedding for the day and visited with my granny. it was so cool to watch my dad and gage's relationship totally bloom on this trip. my dad is not a big kid person and didnt' want grandkids, so, it was so awesome to see my dad so in love with him! he talked and held malia a little, about what he did the first time gage was out, so, i think once she is talking and moving, he'll be more into her as well! it was hard to leave though. it was the saddest i've seen my dad since my brother and i were little! i think he loves those grandbabies more than he thought he would! =)

gage was so good on our trip. he was such a little charmer and impressed everyone with his manners and knowing the alphabet and recognizing his letters! he had tons of fun playing in the sand and was a great little camper! my dad told him that just like in baseball there is no crying in camping. lol he must have listened b/c he was such a good boy! it was a blessing and a joy to have the best behaved kid out of the other kids and it be the one in the 'terrible twos'!

lol gage is in his crib down for a nap and just yelled out, "mommy, i'm not sleeping!" lol he's so stinking cute!
malia was a little doll as well. she loved the west coast. as soon as we got there she started sleeping until 6-7 am instead of 4 am for her first feeding! then she'd go back to sleep until 9! the second week we were there she started to wake up more during the day. she had still been a rather sleepy girl. she was rather content most of the time and loved being held! she has started to really look at you more rather than a blank look. and smiling. i love it. she's looking right at you and starting to coo back to you and then gets a big grin! so adorable!

since we've been home it has for the most part been relaxing, which is so nice! i did a major cleaning job before we left and what i didn't get done my sweet mom came and did for me! it was such a surprise to come home and for it to be done! what a treat it was! so the house has been staying clean, i'm trying to stay on top of it better. it just makes me more relaxed and i spend more time with the kids than cleaning every time they don't 'need' me. so it's been a blessing!
my granny is come from oregon next week to visit us! so that is another good reason to stay on top of my cleaning! lol

i just wanted to get a lil post up while i had some time. i am doing another craft in malia's room and one outside for the backyard, so while both kids are sleeping, well, gage is still telling me he's not sleeping, but he's in his bed and will eventually crash, i'm going to go work on those projects!
have a great god-given day!
chantae