Last Piece Of "Normal"

I have came to the road where I feel I am loosing the battle. The little piece of "normal" or what we consider "normal" is changing.

I have been struggling with Hunter's recent hospital stay. I am struggling with what the current days entail and I struggle what the next few weeks have in store for us. I am tired and emotionally wiped and sick of hearing how "Strong" I am.

The days of PICC lines, TPN, and the future thoughts of an ileostomy are just too overwhelming. I liked uneventful and I want it back. That little piece of "Normal" that Hunter had, I just want it back. Is that really too much to ask?

I guess just like everything, we will adjust. But I do have to say at times I am sick of adjusting. I am angry right now and I have to get past that.

I know that God is leading us down the path that is right for Hunter. In my heart I know this is the right road for him, I just need to take some time and digest, I guess.

So, sorry this isn't the normal type of post of me, but our "Normal" is changing.

Please keep Hunter in your thoughts and prayers

The Little Train Who Could

Do you sometimes feel like you just have to keep telling yourself I think I can I think I can, but yet you feel like you keep sliding back down that hill?

That is how this week has really gone for us. The Dr's have came to the conclusion that there is no obstruction in Hunter's upper or lower Intestines. Even though his bowel is so dilated and he shows symptoms of an obstruction, a lot of what is going on could just be from the Hirsch Sprugs he had at birth.

We have met with GI and the Surgeon to discuss options. We all know that Hunter's bowel's are not working the best and that motility is a big issue for him, so we aren't convinced we will gain much from doing a motility study on him.

So, the plan.... We tried to start Hunter back on some Pedialite, but he ended up throwing that all up. So, Hunter got a PICC line put in last night and TPN (intravenous feedings) started this evening. We will get him stable on this and be sent home for the holidays so we can get strong. The plan is to come back the week after Christmas sometime for an ileostomy. This is very similar to a colostomy, but it will be at the end of his small intestine, and they will remove his large intestine since it is not working yesterday.

It's hard to sit back and think about what this all means. Even though you know this is the right thing to do you sit and second guess yourself. So, that is what the week has had in store for us.

Continue to keep Hunter in your thoughts and prayers. God Bless

Traveling New Waters

Well, we have officially been admitted to Children's in Milwaukee. This is odd for us since we usually go to Madison, but the GI doc wants him to see the GI doc here that specializes in the issues that Hunter is having. So, we finally got in to our room from the ER last night (this morning). What is really crazy is that we have to be in the PICU, that is just NUTS. Oh well, what are we going to do.

So, now we wait for GI. Please keep Hunter in your thoughts and prayers.

The home front is a little rocky too as Neil is home with a 5 year old that was puking and has diarrhea. Seriously stop the madness.

I will try to keep you all posted. God Bless

When's Enough

That is about all I have to say. Hunter has another bowel ilieus. Friday we went for an xray due to strange stool and puking. The doctor finally agreed enough is enough. We took Hunter in for another xray on Saturday, things looked a little better. We spent our weekend on bowel rest, means IV fluids only. Poor little man, I just feel so bad for him. So, today is the day. We are holding tight. Our pediatrician is reaching out to GI in Madison to find out what is next. We know there will be something, but what we just don't know.

For the time being we hang tight. Please keep Huntman in your thoughts and prayers

God Bless

Quietness

Well, things have quieted down for the moment, well in some respects. Hunter has been doing good for the past week, so we continue to pray that he stays on the upswing.

The holidays are in full swing around our house now. Decorations are up, except for our tree. We have breakfast with Santa this weekend and are hoping to get a tree afterwards.

With the holiday's in swing, its time for some updated pictures. My wonderful friend Donna was able to get some great new pictures of the family. We are so lucky to have her to help capture these precious moments. Here is the whole crew and Harrison and Hayden loving on their brother. These are the types of moments that bring tears to my eyes.










Here is the whole smiling crew, Hunter 7, Hayden 5 and Harrison 2










Then of course mom and dad needed a quick moment with the Huntman










Hope you enjoyed the new pictures. God Bless

Settling Down

For the time being, life is settling down. Hunter is now getting feeds pretty much 24 hours a day to see if that will help with all the GI issues he has been having. The other day all I could smell was feeding, he must have been refluxing, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that it was just a fluke. Otherwise, the Huntman is good. It feels so nice to be able to say that : ) We will continue to pray that things keep going down the right track.

Tonight we have Hayden's Parent Teacher conference. We received his first progress report and were very happy with the report. For those of you that know Hayden can you imagine that one of his strong points is his love and compassion for others, he loves helping others. That's my Hayden. : )

Mr. Harrison is getting big. He has grown up so much in the last month. We are enjoying watching him and Hayden wrestle around, and watching him be concerned about Hunter when he scratches his face.

Otherwise, we are just savoring the time of uneventfulness in our home. Now, we should probably start thinking about Christmas. Talk about being behind!! We are getting pictures on Friday so I can't wait to share those.

Hope this finds everyone well. God Bless

Keeping Our Fingers Crossed

Well it is Wednesday and we have our fingers crossed. Our feeding goal as of tomorrow is 52 cc's per hour, we are at 45. Yesterday Hunter had a good day, but last night was a little rough for him. Hunter seemed to not be tolerating his feeds so we went a little backwards from 48 cc's to 45. That seemed to make him more comfortable. Hunter for some reason needed a little O2 to keep is stats up last night, not sure if he was just that tired? So, we continue to pray that we make it to our goal by tomorrow. We have to check in with GI tomorrow as to where we are with things. If we don't hit our goal, not sure if that means Madison or not. But, overall I have nothing to complain about. My little man is such a trooper. You should have seen how proud he was of mom and dad the other day when we pulled out our first IV. : ) OK, maybe I'm exaggerating. So, please say an extra prayer for Mr. Hunter, and we will try to keep you posted.

Hayden and Harrison are doing good. Hayden sure does have the whole IV thing on his mind still. He was still talking about it last night. Well, at least we know he listens.... sometimes.

Have a fabulous day. Thanks again for checking in. God Bless

At The Minimum

Well, we hit our minimum cc's per hour at about 2:00 AM. So far, we are holding steady. We needed to hit our 42 cc per hour of feeding so we can prove we are starting to tolerate feeds and so we can get rid of that pain of an IV. But, we do what we have to do. I didn't realize how aware and in tune to things little Mr. Hayden is. Last night I needed to run get something for Hunter and asked Hayden to stand next to him on the couch, sometimes Mr. Hunter tries to do tricks. Hayden looks at me and says, "You want me to stand here and make sure he doesn't roll off the couch and pull out his IV, right?" Crazy crazy. What a good brother! So, we continue to keep our fingers crossed that we are over the hump and that we don't have to head on a road trip to Madison today. We will keep you posted. Please continue to keep Huntman in your prayers. God Bless

An update

Well, I have been trying to tell Hunter that if he wanted more attention he just has to tell me :)

We saw the GI doctor yesterday and we have a plan. I don't know that I like the plan, but a plan it is. Hunter had a CT scan on Thursday to look at things and all looks well. So, yesterday we continued on Pedialyte, and he has tolerated it fairly well. So today we will continue with the Pedialyte until 4:00. At 4:00 we will start his normal feeds at a very very low rate, and supplement the difference with IV fluids. We have a minimum amount of fluids we need to get in his body, and whatever he does not tolerate with feeds we will supplement with IV fluids. Please say a prayer that his IV holds out so we don't have to poke him again. The poor little guy has been just like a pin cushion. If by Monday Hunter cannot handle his normal feeds, we will head to Madison to get a PIC line and start TPN. For those of you who are not familiar with TPN, this is an intravenous feeding. We need to start getting nutrients in him, and if his normal feeds aren't working, this is the only real option. This will mean a few days in Madison until we get things adjusted. Due to Hunter's Hirsch Sprungs and everything else going on the Dr. said it is just taking a little longer for his tummy to start working again. So, we are praying very very hard that by Monday we are back on full feeds and this because a week of the past. We have officially had enough fun!

So, please say an extra prayer for the Huntman. God Bless

The Struggle Continues

How does that saying go? In like a Lion out like a lamb? We are hoping and praying that is how winter will work for us. Hunter has been crying for two days now, you can completely tell it is GI related, of course. I am sure the antibiotics that he was on has caused his bowels to stop. We went to the Dr. this morning, and sure enough. We are now on IV antibiotics and bowel rest for 2 days. My heart just breaks watching him struggle so hard, whimpering and crying. I have had enough of this, we have to get to the bottom of what is going on. I know it is partially because of who Hunter is and the fact that he has Hirsch Sprungs, but there has to be something we can do. I feel like his tummy hurts more than it doesn't these days. February will be a year that we have been dealing with this and it appears we have not made any progress. We have been doing the rectal irrigation's twice a week to try and keep things moving, but as you can see we are still dealing with issues. So, we will give this 48 hours and see what the plan from here is. We are very lucky to have such wonderful nurses for Hunter. We were able to do the IV's here and run the fluids at home so we don't have to be in the hospital. Now we have to see how he does over the next 48 hours, and then recheck is platelets, white blood and red blood cell counts. Hunter's platelets are over double what they should be, red blood cell counts are low, and white are high, so something is going on. Please continue to keep my little man in your prayers.

So, just trying to get back to uneventful. Hope this finds everyone well. God Bless

Short Visit

Well, Hunter decided it was time to take a short visit to Children's in Neenah. Thursday evening we ended up getting admitted with Pneumonia and a bacterial infection. We went to the Dr. Thursday because Hunter had blood coming out of his trach. Usually this is a sign of irritation since he had to be suctioned quite often due to being sick. He looked pretty pecked and I had the feeling we were going to be admitted, and sure enough.

The Dr. that was there was actually pretty nice. She thought it might be in our best interest to go to Madison, which would have been an ambulance ride. Well, Madison was low on beds so we stayed in Neenah. I knew once they started running an IV antibiotic that Hunter would perk right up, and I actually told them we would be going home on Friday :) At first the Dr. was not too sure about us going home on Friday, but I think she figured it out rather quick that I was not going to change my mind. So, 3 new meds later which included the IV antibiotic and we were on our way home. We got home about 3 on Friday and you could tell Hunter was happy to be home.

Hunter is still on O2 and we will be doing the IV Antibiotic for a few more days, but he has turned the corner. His breathing and demeanor are much much better.

The little brothers are doing good. Hayden was pretty worried about his big brother..

Hope this finds everyone well. God Bless

Are we over the hump?

Wow!!! That is all I can say about the last two weeks. My husband and I were first blessed with the cold and cough. This week Harrison had a temp and horrible cold, Hayden spiked a fever on Wednesday and had to be picked up from school. Neil and him were suppose to go on a field trip on Thursday, but instead they bonded at home together. Hunter has been holding his own. You just never know with him if he is just being Hunter or is just not feeling well. We are still trying to get a good grip on the GI issues he has been having, so please continue to pray that we get this figured out once and for all.

We have Harrison's 2nd birthday party on Sunday, thank goodness everyone is over their illness, and now I can spend my day tomorrow lysoling the house. Doesn't that sound like fun!!

Hard to believe that my little guy is going to be 2 already.... that means that just around the corner is Hayden's 6th and Hunter's 8th birthday. WOW! The crazy thing is I remember the day I had Hunter just like it was yesterday. I may not be able to remember what I wore to work the other day but I remember that. The day I thought my world was going to end... it was actually just the beginning.

Otherwise things have been pretty good in the Woldt house. Considering the amount of illness going around in the schools I can't complain. I have officially pulled Hunter from going to school. It was the decision I had to make.

Harrison has his 2 year check on Monday. Any guess on how much he weights? I will be curious to see where he is compared to Hayden at this age.

Well, hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. God Bless!

Still No School

Well, I am still holding Hunter out of school. Over half of one of the CD classes is still out, so we will just stay put working at home. If that is selfish, sorry, but health comes first.

Hunter has been doing great! He has been so happy and alert lately. He has been tolerating his speaking valve for over 4 hours some days. This is so awesome! I can spend the day listening to him talk to me. It is pretty funny when his brothers are around because you can tell the tone in his sounds changes.... at least mom thinks so :) Hopefully next we can head back to school and see our friends.

Hayden has been enjoying school. He sure does come home with some interesting stories!

As for the little guy, stinker as usual. I was actually doing some videotaping the other night and caught him going after Hayden, so now I have proof!

Last weekend the family went to the Little Farmer and everyone had a blast. We went for a hay ride and took the great pumpkin pictures which mom enjoys doing every year. As for this weekend, hoping to keep things pretty uneventful. I am taking Harrison to an Art class on Saturday morning, so hopefully he likes that. Otherwise looks like a weekend of great family time.

Hope all is well! God Bless

Executive Decision

Well, mom has made the executive decision. An announcement came out that the H1N1 virus is going around our area. I have made the decision to keep Hunter out of school for the time being. Right or wrong, I don't want to take any chances. Hunter is feeling much better these days, but now our bowels seems to be standing still. We irrigated last night, with no success, so hopefully today will be the day. See... I always told you how important bowel movements are in our family :)

Hayden is enjoying school. He is a little exhausted, but still enjoying it. The H1N1 virus is not confirmed at his school, but we are still taking extra caution. Sometimes I feel like a hypocrite, I pull Hunter from school and Hayden still has to go. I know whey I am doing it and most people understand but I still question myself sometimes. Hayden started swimming on Monday night at a new place. He was a little hesitant, but I think once he settles in all will be fine.

Little Hair Bear Harrison is doing good, certainly has a mind of his own. It's sure getting hard for me to believe he is going to be 2 years old. Time flies when you are having fun, that is for sure. He seems to be enjoying the change with only him going to daycare. Hayden and him seem to be much more excited to see each other at night, which is a nice change.

As for the weekend, Friday night I am taking Hunter to Quarry Quest. CP called and asked if we wanted to go, you get to drive right down in the quarry and see all the stuff, ride in the Hummer. So, I am looking forward to it. Otherwise, not too much. I need to get working on Harrison's birthday cards. Hopefully we can just have some nice family time this weekend.

Hope this finds everyone well. God Bless

Over The Hump

The good news is we appear to be over the hump. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were some rough days for the Huntman. Finally yesterday we really started to turn the corner. We thank God for watching over him and giving him strength to make such a wonderful turn around. Hunter still needs a little O2 at night when he is sleeping, a lot of suctioning during the day, but overall he is doing good.

I do have to say every day he continues to amaze me and bless me. When I walk in his room in the morning and rub his hair, and he opens his eyes and smiles, I melt. It helps to remind me of all the little things that are just so important. It's the snuggles he gives me, the little noises he makes, and the reactions on his face that are irreplaceable. It is the things I like to think he's thinking when his brothers are running around and hooting and hollering that make me smile, everyday. It's when Harrison takes the suction catheter and takes Hunter's Trach vent off and tries suctioning him that makes me smile, or when he grabs his g-tube extension and tries to put a french fry down it for Hunter. It's when Hayden asks "When is Hunter coming home?', that reminds me what am impact he has on everyone in the family. That the brother that has never spoke a word to his brothers is loved oh so much. These are the things that bring smiles to my face, tears to my eyes, and joy to my heart. These are the things that remind me how blessed I am. Have a fabulous weekend. God Bless

And We're Sick

Well, seems to be the story lately. My Hunter Bunter is sick. He started vomiting yesterday and was pretty crabby. I don't blame him. He required quite a bit of O2 last night, but I think he was just exhausted for not feeling good. Today he hung out and took it easy. I told him if he really didn't want to go to school tomorrow he could have just told me. Hopefully this too will pass sooner than later.

Hayden is still adjusting to school. After Monday and Tuesday last week he asked if he could have Wednesday off. Dad said if he was good he could have Monday off... to bad he didn't quite get that deal. : ) Otherwise he is doing good.

Harrison is just being little Harrison and getting in to trouble as usual. I think he is enjoying the time at the babysitter without his brother. It is probably good for both of them. Now the question is... will they get along better when they are at home now? I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Hope this finds you all well. We will keep you updated. God Bless

School Time

Can you believe it is time for school already!

Yesterday was Hayden's first day of Kindergarten. Hard to believe he is already old enough for Kindergarten. Neil and I watched him get on the school bus in the morning. His bus driver is actually his soccer coach from Summer, Mr. Ron. We really like him, so that was nice. Funny enough, I got an email from one of the teachers that knows Hunter letting me know she checked in on him and he was doing wonderful. Too funny, she knows me way too well! I raced home to make sure I was there when Hayden got off the buss.... what a look of exhaustion. Hayden had that glazed over look. He played for a while with the neighbor, then he sat down to watch Ghostbusters and was down for the count. Hopefully he adjusts soon to being in school all day.

Hunter started school yesterday also. On Tuesday and Thursday's his teacher will be coming to work with him at home. This is the teacher he has had since he started early childhood when he was 3. On Wednesday's Hunter will go to school all day. We want to ease in to this and see how things go. He is finally healthy I do not want to repeat last year. As for how he did for the teacher yesterday, he was an absolute STAR yesterday! He wore his speaker valve for over 6 hours yesterday, and was very very attentive and visual. It is so wonderful to see him having a great day! I think he knows that now that he is in 2nd grade he has to kick it up a notch. Ok... just kidding. That was probably the hardest part of yesterday. I try not to think about the fact that Hunter is suppose to be in 2nd grade, and I continue to just focus on him, although some days like yesterday can be harder than others.

Yesterday was Mr. Harrison's first day at daycare with no brother by his side. Interesting new thing for him. All was fine, just as I expected. Maybe they will enjoy each others company more now in the evening....

Hope this finds everyone well. Have a fabulous day. God Bless

On A Roll

Well, we seem to be on a roll these last few weeks. We seem to have a regime down that may be working for the Huntman. Two days, no poop, we irrigate. That seems to help get him over the hump. Considering the alternatives right now, this works.

Hayden gets to go see an Orthopedic doctor regarding his tippie toe walking, which is continuing to get worse. We are going to take him to the same Orthopedic Dr. that Hunter sees, that is scheduled for next Friday. Then, depending on what he has to see we may need to take him to see a Neurologist. That stinks, since Hunter's neurologist is at Mayo for a year... this means to Madison we will go. So I ask myself, is this a test ????? Seriously... but then I remind myself it can always be worse. So, overall things have been good in the Woldt household, we really can't complain.

We went to Wisconsin Dells last weekend and had a great time. Hunter really seemed to enjoy it much more that he ever has when we went to Blue Harbor or Tundra Lodge. We are working on getting Hayden ready for Kindergarten, how exciting is this! It is hard to believe it is that time already... then again it is hard to believe Hair bear is going to be two.

Hope this finds everyone well. Have a great weekend. I will try to get some new photos posted of the boys.

God Bless

The Ride Continues....

Poop still seems to be an issue on this end of the world. We are starting our bowel irrigation's today. I know... great way to start out a post hey! Hopefully this does the trick... I guess we'll find out.

Hayden is home sick today.... 103 temp, so now we have to make sure he stays away from his brothers. I always say you know he is sick when he is actually in bed sleeping. He's a busy guy like his mom so this is very uncommon for him.

Harrison had a fever Friday and Saturday but that was about it. Not this high, and didn't seem to slow him down so hopefully this is what Hayden has and by tomorrow he feels better.

My mom has been in the hospital since Thursday. The Dr's thought she had a stroke, but it ended up being that her right inner ear is not working, and probably an infection. So, in the realm of things, some drugs and rest and she should be feeling better.

So as usual, never a dull moment. Hope this finds everyone well. Have a great day! God Bless

Just As Mom Thought

Do you ever ask yourself if you should just do what you think is right? I should have went with what my gut instinct was yesterday, because that is exactly what the Dr said today.

It seems like Hunter's bowels just slow down after 4 or 5 weeks. We seem to go good for a while and then after about 4 or 5 weeks we seem to hit a wall. The plan is to continue to do what we are doing now, but on the 3rd day if he has not stooled a lot we should start with 24 hours of rectal irrigation's. Thank goodness I am already a pro at this.

Hopefully this will do the trick and keep him from having another explosive day like he did yesterday. He is still not tolerating feeding well today, so we are going to do the wonderful pedialyte and ease him back in to feedings after his bowels calm down.

Poor little man. We continue to pray this gets him over the hump. Next thing will be to do a Valium enema and take a look and see if there is a narrowing or suture that are causing him issues. Hoping we don't have to travel that road, that comes with a whole new set of issues.

Thanks for checking in on Hunter. God Bless

And We Wait

Yep, that is the truth, and we wait. Hunter is having some GI issues, again. After talking with Pediatricians office and GI in Madison we went in to the Peds office and had an X-Ray to see what is going on. Now, we have to sit and try to be patient.... all of you that know me know that is not one of my finer qualities. I guess, I just want to get to the bottom of this. I feel so bad for the little man, seems like we put a bandaid on things, and before you know it we start having issues again.

Please pray that we get Hunter's GI issues under control once and for all. We'll keep you posted.

God Bless

So Big!

So Big! That is sort of an oxymoron when I am talking about my boys. Big, they are not. Vertically challenged, that is more like it. I always joke about how my boys are such little peanuts, must be because they all have such big hearts and so much love to give.

We recently had new pictures taken. As I look through all the pictures, it reminds me just how "big" our boys are getting. It reminds me just how lucky I really am and how different all their personalities are.

Here is a perfect example. We were trying so hard to get a new family picture.... leave it to Hayden to always make it interesting. The one you think would be posing for the camera, was but in the wrong way.

I do have to say he always keeps things interesting. But, the reality is this is our family. This is really the perfect picture that truly represents our family.

Then there is our precious Hunter. Can you say breathtaking? What a stud!

Then there is Mr. Hayden, who really is such a loving guy

And last but not least my little pistol!

All the joys of my life. How perfect!

God Bless

Little Ham Bones

Happy Thursday!

Your probably thinking, Ham Bones?... I tend to call my boys my little ham bones because that is what they are : ) They each have their own little personality. It amazes me each day to watch how different they all are, yet how much the same they can be.

Harrison has grown up so much in the last month. He is really showing so much interest and love for Hunter that it brings tears to my eyes. He's at that difficult stage where he is too little to really understand, but old enough to realize that he's different. He's old enough to want to try and play with him, he is old enough to try to feed him french fries, and he is old enough to wave good-bye and give him kisses. Soon he will be old enough to really understand and explain to everyone else that he is different, and that is OK because we love him.

Hunter is old enough that he looks at Harrison with those eyes like can't you just leave me alone, old enough to know he can't even defend himself, and old enough to know how much his brothers and Mom and Dad love him.

Then there is my loving Hayden. He is old enough to tell his brothers that he loves them, old enough to help Hunter stop scratching his face or wipe his drool, and he is old enough to tell everyone everything they could possibly want to know as long as they keep listening : )

Even though by the end of the night we are tired, exhausted, and as hard as it is to believe sometimes crabby : ) It is things like this that remind me that these are my greatest gifts. To see the love and compassion through my three boys reminds me just how lucky I am to be there Mom.

Have a great day! God Bless

It's been so long....

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. As usual life has just been rocking.

We saw the GI doctor last week. We are going to try 1 tbls of Milk of Magnesia every morning along with our daily suppository and see if that helps get Hunter's bowels going on a daily basis. He is just so consistent at being inconsistent. For the most part, Hunter goes potty every other day, even with getting a suppository daily. Since he is already on a strong ducalax adult suppository there are not too many other options out there. We will give this a month and see how things go. He has not had anymore blood in his stool so hopefully we have turned the corner and will be done with that for a while. The plan is to try to get Hunter to go daily, and go and be done. So, we will continue to pray that we get this all figured out. If this doesn't work and we continue to have issues with Colitis we may have to talk with the surgeon to explore other options, but we aren't there yet.

Hayden is doing good. He is now officially going to be a Kindergartner. I cried at his preschool graduation... I will be a wreak next year I am sure. Soccer is almost done for the season, and T-ball started last night. Hayden informed me that he like T-ball much better than Soccer so looks like we will not be doing soccer next year. That is OK, I told him to find what he enjoys the most. Hayden continues to be my compassionate one... he read to Hunter the other night. He choose a cookbook of all things and then sang him a Lullaby before he went to bed. Things like that are priceless.

Then there is Harrison.... TROUBLE! We are going through that wonderful biting stage again. He drew blood on Hayden yesterday! I sure hope this phase passes fast. He is a little stinker all the way. He continues to amaze me by how many words he can say. He still loves dogs ... and cracks me up when he tries to put Haydens Ben 10 timer on his arm. He could really care less about his toys, it's all about Hayden's toys. They are finally starting to play together better, at least sometimes. Harrison is also starting to become much more aware of Hunter. He is, for the most part nice and gentle with Hunter... it is amazing how they just know at this age.

So, overall life is good in the Woldt house. I promise I will get some new pictures uploaded soon.

Have a fabulous week. God Bless

Hmm...

The true meaning of things that make you go hmm... Hunt man is still not himself. Saturday we were retching and throwing up again... and our bowels just do not seem right. Sounds like it is time for a call to GI. He is still crying so much more, I just wish we could figure out what the issue is. I feel so bad for him. You know it is bad when a trached little guy cries and you can hear the whimpering. We did an MRI last week just to make sure his shunt wasn't causing issues, and that checked out good. So, we are really thinking something GI related is going on.

Harrison is still being my little bully stink head. I really hope he gets past this... Hayden is even calling him a bully now.

Hayden is counting down the days until he is considered a Kindergartner. He is so excited. Last week he had a field trip to the new zoo in Green Bay, and I chaperoned. We had a great time.

Otherwise, things are good in the Woldt house. I will keep you posted on what the GI doc has to say.

God Bless

The Right Direction

Looks like we are heading in the right direction. So far so good with the rectal irrigation. We have not had anymore blood in our stool as of this time.

Hunter is going to have a quick scan MRI on Monday and a check with the Neurosurgeon. They want to make sure that his irritability is not shunt related. Even thought he is not showing signs of shunt failure, they want to count it out. It worked out well because Iskandar is going to be in Appleton on Monday so at least we don't have to take the long trip to Madison.

So, lets keep praying that things keep going in the right direction.

Hayden is doing well. I think he is ready for school to be done. He has started soccer, but is not sure if he likes it or not yet. I keep reminding dad that he is only 5. It is good exercise. We are going to start him in T-ball with his friend Raina. I think he will really like that! With all that, I think we are going to have to stop swimming lessons for the summer, otherwise we will be running Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Harrison is doing good. He had a rough night last night, and I am not sure why. We are working on some anger management issues with him. I keep saying this too will pass. I think he is mad at me when I pick him up at daycare. It can only get better right?

Otherwise, the big 9 years of wedded bliss is sneaking up on us next week. Can you believe that!! How crazy is that. We were going to go to a Brewer game but the schedule just didn't work for us, so maybe next month. That probably will work out better since we are going to be doing some remodeling, and they are planning to start the end of this month or the beginning of next.

Have a fabulous day! God Bless

The Plan

Well, it looks like 14 days of rectal irrigation's, or what I like to call butt flushing, and 14 days of our wonderful antibiotic friend flagil. In the scope of things, I can handle this. The GI doctor thinks Hunter just has irritation, his Xray looks good overall, but he does believe we need to get him on a better daily schedule, not sure how we are going to do that yet. If only little man would have read the book : )

We talked with the GI doc about the increased whimpering and crying that Hunter has been doing. He is wondering if he is refluxing more, and maybe we should try feeding him more during the day, and less or not at all at night. I'm not convinced this is the problem yet, because the whimpering and crying doesn't necessarily relate with feeding times, or right after feeding times.

He did suggest that I contact the neurosurgeon just to run it past him. Hunter is not displaying any signs of shunt failure, but then again he didn't read the book : ) I haven't heard back from Benny on what his thoughts are so we'll see, I am guessing he may just order an MRI to check things out.

Well, overall I can't complain. "Butt flushing" might just become part of our normal life and that is just OK.

The other two little guys are good. Have a fabulous day. God Bless

Still Waiting.....

Well, we are still waiting for answers. Just have to love that! I called GI in Madison last night and he hasn't looked at Hunter's lab results or xray yet. I guess, it is on the list for this morning. So, I will have to followup again this morning. Needless to say, I am getting a little aggravated. Have to love the hurry up and wait : )

Otherwise, uneventful here. We will keep you posted. God Bless

Spoke too soon??

Well, yesterday Hunter had blood in his stool again. We called the doctor and had an Xray and blood work done. The Xray was inconclusive, imagine that, and his blood work was elevated. After, finally at 6:00 pm being today to either see the doctor in the morning, go to the local ER or drive to Madison, I decided to call the GI doctor on call in Madison. We talked about things and decided to start our rectal irrigation's and go back on the flagil antibiotic. We sent the lab results and Xray results to Madison and are waiting a call from the GI doctor. So, we still have no idea if we are heading to Madison or what.

Mom's feeling is there is something going on we just have not put our finger on yet. Please keep Mr. Hunter in your thoughts and prayers.

Otherwise, pretty uneventful. I will keep everyone posted.

God Bless

Time flies when you’re having fun

Well, as the saying goes, time does fly when you are having fun! I can't believe it has been 3 weeks since I posted. Sorry about that.

It has been a pretty good 3 weeks in the Woldt household. Overall the boys are good. Hunter has been whimpering and crying more than usual. We are not sure about that.. so we will be reaching out to the Dr's to see what they think. Who knows, his teeth that are coming in could be bothering him, or maybe my little man is growing. Our trip to Madison was uneventful. His Bronch went well. They put new ear tubes in and did say his ears were disgusting. Otherwise he looks like a champ.

Hayden started soccer and had his first soccer game last night. Dad had to substitute coaching since one of the coaches was gone. Now that was a site to see! : ) It was a lot of fun to watch the excitement in Hayden's face. I am very proud of him.

Harrison is just my little bundle of energy. He is talking more and more each day. He weighted in at a big 20lbs 6 oz at his 18 month appointment. So he is another little man. Someone has to make them little. The other night I sat Harrison on Hunter's lap, Hunter gave his brother the biggest smile. It was one of those moments you simply treasure. Then little Mr. Harrison decided he would try feeding Hunter a pretzel, well sweet Hunter just gave him that look, now come on seriously! It was simply Kodak!

Otherwise it has been busy but good in the Woldt household. Hope this finds everyone well. God Bless

No News Is Good News

Happy Thursday!

Sorry it has been so long since I posted. Life has been crazy, but good crazy. Everyone is healthy right now, so we are going in to spring on the right note.

Nothing too new and exciting. Tonight we will be stuffing plastic eggs for the Easter Egg hunt we are having with the neighbors on Saturday. So, that should be fun... hunt for eggs and cookout.

Sunday we are planning on having a low key Easter which will be nice also.

So, boys are good. Harrison is going through the wonderful NO stage right now. I forgot how much fun that is. Hayden started soccer and was so excited. Hunter is healthy and happy.

Hope this finds everyone healthy and happy. Have a fabulous Easter. I will make sure to post some updated pictures over the weekend.

God Bless

Happy Monday!

Well, Happy Monday! Sorry it has been so long since I posted last. Hunter was sick again, respiratory that we were sharing around the house. Then on Friday he had the diarrhea and throwing up, but now he appears to be recovered.

We have been having some tremors, that we are questioning, so we have been keeping an eye on that. As long as it doesn't get worse, we will wait until we see the Neurologist in early May to ask about it.

Otherwise, it has been pretty uneventful here. Hayden is Super Kid at school this week, so Last night we worked on putting a poster together with the things he likes. He drew a picture of his family, he even put Hunter in a wheelchair.


Harrison is growing like a weed. He loves the nice weather we have been having, but screams when he has to come inside.

Last weekend we took Hayden and Harrison to an indoor waterpark. It was nice, we had a lot of fun. Hunter enjoyed a vacation from the family. We have tried bringing him in the past, but he hates it, I guess it is too loud and too hot. He was all smiles when I came home yesterday. We cuddled and talked, and he just smiled and smiled. I love those moments.

I do have one request, if everyone could say an extra pray for little Addison I would appreciate it. Her mom works at our MN Thrivent office. Little Addison is a true trooper and is such a doll.

Well, hope this finds everyone well. Here are some updated pics. God Bless

Things that make you go hmmm....

Happy Thursday!

Things are going pretty good in the Woldt household. Hunter's heart rate has been dropping and hanging lower than usually at night. So, we have been a little concerned about that. So, today he is going in for a blood draw to check things out and make sure all is well. I think he is just so exhausted from everything going on he is just that tired.

Hayden is good. He is excited that his 2nd cousin Charlie is coming to sleep over on Saturday night. It should be fun.

Harrison is good. It is getting amazing how much he is saying and doing all of a sudden. I almost forgot how much they learn so quickly : )

So, overall things are pretty uneventful. Have a fabulous day! God Bless

Things are going good

Things are going good in the Woldt household. Hunter went last week for his checkup, and his bottom half checked out well : ) We had a little respitory bug going on, so we went back on some zithromax. Let's just say between the flagil for his bowels and the zithromax, it has been interesting. I feel so bad for him because his butt is so sore. I shouldn't complain, because that doesn't happen often.

Overall Hunter is doing much better, still not himself, but better. You can tell his stamina is not back, but what do you expect after having a few long weeks. So, hopefully we are over the Seven year itch and can move on.

Hayden is doing good. He is off of school today, so Dad took the day off and they are going out for breakfast and then ice fishing. So, I am sure they will have fun.

Harrison is getting to be such a little stinker. He is going through the wonderful slapping stage. He gets made at something and he slaps it. So, we have been working on trying to break that habit. He was pretty cute the other day. I had Hunter's suction sitting on the living room table, and I came back and there Harrison was waiving the suction cathitor in Hunter's face. He knew we did something with it, he just wasen't sure what. What a little helper.

So, life is good and the family is healthy. Hope this finds everyone well. God Bless

The Verdict

Well, it appears Hunter has Colitis. Apparently kids that have Hirsch Sprungs can often get this after being on antibiotics, which can cause the bowels to slow down.

Right now he is getting pedialyte and is tolerating that. So, the plan is to go home tomorrow morning. They will keep him on an antibiotic to help with the inflation in his bowels, we will continue irrigating him, do another day on pedialyte, and then start feeds slowly.

So, things look good, just a little bump in the road and we will be home for our lucky 7 birthday!

Now, we have to try to get the little guy to sleep. You can tell he knows that he is not at home, and he is not happy about it. If we could only know what was going through his mind. I seriously think he wants to know what all the fuss is about : )

The nurses have been good, and the new GI doctor seems good. So, continue to keep Hunter in your Prayers.

Here are a few pics

7 Year Itch

Well, Hunter must have been having the 7 year itch. Yesterday we took him back to the pediatrcian, they did another xray of his bowls and things were worse. They were originally going to admit us in Neenah, but then decided it would be best for us to head to Madison so GI could see us.

They said it looks like Colitis. They want to irrigate him, which is similar to getting an enema, and then rest his bowels. So, we are waiting this morning for the Dr. to come in and see him, and then for them to do another xray.

I told Hunter, he must have been having the 7 year itch. I told him, next time to just tell me ; ) it is pretty freaky that it has been almost exactly 7 years since we were here... Crazy Crazy

So, we were originally suppose to be in Madison today for a bronch, now we are inpatient for our bowels. Well, this too will pass.

I will keep you posted. Please keep Hunter in your prayers. God Bless

Hopefully Nothing

Last week Hunter had blood in his stool. It was one diaper so we talked to the Dr and they said to just watch it. Well, we have now had two more. My poor little guy... He can't even complain

So, it looks like a call to the Dr this morning, and I am really hoping that if they want to do a scope, they can arrange it so they can do it on Wednesday when we are in Madison for his bronch.

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. We will keep you posted.

God Bless

Up and Down

Well, it looks like we are in for anther round of ups and downs. Wednesday night Hunter just was not himself, thrashing and his heart rate was much higher than usual. Thursday, he slept most of the day. Thursday evening, he threw up. Usually he is pretty good about getting it out his mouth and nose, but there was definitely puke in his trach this time. He is miserable. I feel so sorry for the little man. You know it is so hard when a child is sick, and they cry and scream. But, when you have a child that doesn't normally make noise, when he whimpers so loud you hear him, it is the most heart wrenching thing.

This morning his temp was a little elevated for him, but he seems good right now. It never does fail going in to the weekend. I am really praying that he did not aspirate, which I am sure will just cause us respiratory issues. Please keep Hunter in your prayers.

Have a fabulous weekend. God Bless.

Another Weekend Gone

Well, another weekend is gone.

We enjoyed a nice weekend with the boys, and it was nice to see they were enjoying each others company too. Harrison crawled up on the couch and was hanging out with Hunter. It was the cutest thing!


Snuggling right in...


I loved this! I told him to give Hunter Kisses! These are the moments that just bring tears to my eyes : )


Saturday Hayden had a little party with a few friends from school for his birthday. They had a blast at Badger Sport park. Then, Saturday night his little friend Allison, that lives next to us stayed over night. Their first slumber party!! : ) They did awesome!



Hayden and Allison's first sleep over : )




Today, Hayden and Harrison had some fun playing. Hayden wanted to watch a move, and put two little chairs out one for himself and one for Harrison.. Surprisingly Harrison climbed right up to sit down next to him.


So, it was a very nice weekend in the Woldt household.

Now it is on to planning Hunter's 7th birthday!! This is his golden birthday, so under the circumstances this is a very very special birthday. So, if anyone has any clever idea's let me know.


Hope this finds everyone well. God Bless : )

This and That

Well, the boys all made it through the weekend. I think the highlight of the weekend was Hayden and Dad making blueberry muffins. I called and he said he had something sweet and full of blueberry's for me when I got home. How sweet.

Hunter is doing well. I think we are finally over the respiratory stuff. The teacher is coming to work with him at home until this nasty weather is over, and I feel like we are 100% back. I just don't want to risk a relapse.

Harrison had his 15 month appointment today. He is a big 19 pounds. I guess I just make my kids small, they must get that from their dad. He is proportionate height and weight so the Dr. wasn't concerned. He is in the big 1% for weight and 4% for height. He's just my little man : )

Tomorrow is a big day..... Hayden is turning 5. That is crazy!! I simply cannot believe he is going to be 5. He is turning in to such a man. He was so excited tonight he could barely stand it! All I can say is WOW time flys.

Hope this finds everyone happy and healthy! Chat soon! God Bless

Boys Weekend

Well, it's a boys weekend coming up! I am leaving tomorrow for a weekend away scrapbooking! I am pretty excited! I am going to miss the boys, but I know they are in good hands. I told Hayden he was going to have to be dad's big helper, so I know everything will be just fine.

Hunter is doing good. He is confined to the house since we have been having such horribly cold weather. Today when I was driving to work it was -12 and that was without the wind chill. Remind me why I live in Wisconsin again??

Next week is a big week for Hayden, he will turn 5. I just can't believe it!! That is crazy! We are going to Badger Sport Park for his birthday, so that should be fun. He was so excited he was able to invite friends to his party.

Harrison is growing like a weed. He goes in for his 15 month appointment next week. It is hard to believe that he is that old already.

So, it's been a good week in the Woldt household. I will try to post some updated pictures when I get back in town.

Pray for warm weather and continued health! God Bless

Recovering from the Holidays

Hello! Hope everyone is recovering from the Holidays! I know our house is trying to get back to normal. Hunter is still not 100%, still getting nebs. We have been concerned lately because he is doing a lot more retching than usual, not sure what that is about. We have an appointment coming up with GI to see if they have any ideas. I have pulled Hunter from school right now until we get his Health back to normal. For the time being he will be home bound and the teacher will come out twice a week for a hour to work with him.

Hayden is happy to be back in school, and back to his usual routine. He has been a tired little guy when he gets home at night. He is still enjoying all the great gifts that Santa brought. He enjoyed helping mom organize his and Harrison's bedroom over the holidays.

Harrison is back at the babysitters, during the day which has been a hard adjustment for him. He has really been a mommas boy after being home for 13 days with mom and his brothers. He is starting to talk so much more. Mama, more, hi, it just amazes me. I can't imagine him being such a little talker, I wonder where he gets that from ; )

It was nice to be off over the holidays, but it was nice to get back to our normal routine. As usual, the next few months will be busy with our Annual Dr appointments. We head to Madison the beginning of February, hopefully for another uneventful visit.

Hope everyone has had a good start to the year. Chat soon! God Bless