Please Pray

10/6/08: The results from the follow up CT scan showed a small spot still in Noah's chest. This means that we are back in the same boat we were in May... Noah will have to have a follow up scan in two weeks and they will continue to watch the spot for changes. This is bittersweet news in that Noah will not undergo chemo - yet. But, at the same time, the spot isn't completely gone and the cancer remains looming over all our heads. We did spend the evening with Noah yesterday and he is feeling much better and is happily playing as usual.

10/1/08: Noah's surgery was yesterday and he pulled through successfully despite having to lose part of a rib and lots of chest muscle. According to the doctors, everything looks pretty good and they think they may have gotten clean margins and all of the tumor. If this is true, Noah may not have to go through chemo after all. More info to come...


Edited 9/28/08: The test done on Noah's bone marrow came back negative - meaning the cancer hasn't spread to his bones. Surgery will be performed on Tuesday 9/30 to remove the tumor in Noah's chest. After that, the doctors will know if they were able to remove enough to avoid chemo or not. Keep Noah and the family in your prayers this week.


Although our family has been busy celebrating a new life, we've also been dealing with some horrible news. As most of you know, over Memorial Day weekend, our family dealt with the fact that a tumor was found in Noah's chest. Noah is Sage's 18-month old cousin (the cutie with the curly, blonde hair in the picture). Surgery was performed then and most of the tumor was removed. Further scans would be performed to determine if any other treatment would be needed.





Last week, Noah went in for a follow-up scan where we learned the tumor had returned. A MRI done today will determine whether or not surgery will be performed again to attempt to remove the tumor. With or without surgery, Noah will be undergoing chemo this time. He will have to endure 3 in hospital days every three weeks for the next 15 weeks. Obviously, this is devastating news to our family - especially my brother Jon and his wife Sarah (holding Sage in the picture). Please keep Noah in your prayers.

After 1 Week

Sage celebrated his one week birthday yesterday and all is well. He is sleeping in 3 to 4 hour segments, eating like a champ, and spending more time alert. Sage is simply the most precious thing we've ever seen and we love him more than we thought humanly possible.

Enjoy some more recent pictures of Sage:

Comical Hospital Exit

Early Wednesday morning (9/10), the Assistant Manager of the floor notified us that we would likely have to share our room with another mom/baby. This was due to construction that was happening at the hospital. Needless to say, this is NOT something that Jared or I wanted to do. We couldn't figure out why they would schedule construction on that part of the hospital in September, knowing that it is the busiest time of the year for labor and deliveries. We were aggravated and Jared asked if there was any possiblity of us going home that day instead. Initially, we were told no, but then they realized that it had actually been over 24 hours since Sage was born. So, after some phone calls, they told us at about 1 pm that we could go home at 3pm.

Because of the rush, the afternoon was hectic with nurses running in and out to take care of me and Sage and all the things that needed to be done before we could leave. Jared rushed off to have the car seat installed while I stayed to pack and prepare for discharge. By 3:30 Jared and I were packed and ready to go home with our little man. That's when the real fun started...

First, while I changed Sage into his homecoming outfit, I also changed his diaper. Just after I lay the clean diaper under him, he squirts another turd out. I wipe that off, and then comes another. After wiping that off, he pees all over himself! I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt and the tears in my eyes were preventing me from finishing the diapering job. But, between Jared, myself, and the nurse, we were able to get Sage cleaned up and into his homecoming outfit.

Then, as Jared is working on strapping Sage into the car seat, my nurse finally decides to take the IV port out of my wrist. She rips the tape off (free wax job) and puts a tiny piece of guaze with a bit of pressure on the wound for a few seconds. I'm feeling fine, so not thinking much about it, I hop out of the chair to help Jared. We're over the bed, strapping Sage in, and gathering some things off the bed. Next thing you know, I look down and there is blood EVERYWHERE - all over the bed sheets, the floor, the pillows, etc.!!! I suddenly realize that it's coming from me where the IV had been. I'm thankful I didn't pass out from this realization. My nurse grabs the pillow case off the pillow and is wrapping it tightly around my wrist. She says, "hold that really tight and put your wrist above your heart." I do as she says as she runs out of the room to find something more appropriate than a pillowcase to stop the bleeding. Finally, she comes back and after more pressure is applied and my wrist is elevated for awhile, I'm fine and ready to go. Who knew so much blood come from such a tiny pin prick of a hole?!!! It seriously looked like a scene from a horror movie.

So, finally, we are ready to go. I'm in the wheelchair holding Sage in his carseat. Jared is pushing the galley cart FILLED with all of our belongings. Also on the cart (on the top shelf) are all the beautiful flower arrangements and balloons sent to us at the hospital. The nurse rolls me out and Jared follows with the cart. We make it all the way out to the car when, oops, there goes a wheel of the cart off the curb!!! A vase filled with flowers attached to a ballon crashes to the ground. Luckily, Jared saved the cart from spilling anything else!

At this point, I'm sitting on the sidewalk with the baby, feeling pretty helpless as I watch Jared frustrated by the crashing flowers. I continue watching as Jared and the nurse load everything into our Tucson. As they're loading things, the wind decides to pick up, and the cart starts to roll away heading right into a wall and certain disaster. Thank goodness for the elderly lady who moved quite quickly for her age and grabbed the cart just in time!!! All I could do was laugh - maybe a little delirious from minimal sleep and quite a bit of blood loss. But, here I am laughing so hard I can't see straight!

Our exit from the hospital could've been a script for a sitcom! All of these events took place in under 30 minutes - hilarious!

About the name...

We've discovered three meanings for the name we chose for our little boy: Sage.

According to the dictionary: a sage is a profoundly wise person. Sage as an adjective means wise.

Sage is also a seasoning or a spice - the spice of our lives, that's for sure!

And finally, Sage is a shade of green.

Now, picture Jared and I an hour or two away from welcoming our little boy into the world - still not agreeing on a name!!! We were going back and forth between the names Jayse, Amari, and Sage. Jared doesn't like Jayse, I don't like Amari. But we were both being stubborn about wanting those two names. Sage was a name we had agreed on at one point, but were hesistant because of its uniqueness and how it would be received.

So, there we are trying desperately to agree on a name before our little boy arrived. I mentioned that if we named him Sage, he would have two names that are shades of green (Sage and Kelly). At that moment, it was as if the stars collided... We were watching the Green Bay Packers on tv. I was eating a green popsicle. Everyone in the room had a shade of green in their clothing (Grandma's shirt was sage, Jared had green on his shirt, even my gown was close to the color sage). So, it seemed, it was meant to be - Sage it is.

Added 9/13: And as another Sept. 08 mom pointed out, my water broke on "Olive" Road. Olive is yet another shade of green. True destiny. =)

Robert is Jared's middle name as well as Jared's dad's middle name. Robert is also my dad's name, my grandpa's name, and my brother's middle name. Easy decision there!!

Welcome Sage Robert - our wise little man.

Introducing... Sage Robert Kelly

After 17 hours of labor, Sage Robert Kelly finally made his entrance into this world on September 9, 2008 at 12:43 AM.

Labor was well, labor. Overall, it wasn't bad. At one point (after about 13 hours), I mentioned that I felt like I was competing in an endurance challenge on a reality tv show - only I was going to win a prize better than a million dollars: my sweet little son.

There was about an hour of lots of pain when I was contracting before I got the epidural. After the epidural, I was quite comfortable for a long time. Then, I started having lots of back labor as Sage was "sunny-side up" instead of face down. That hurt worse than anything. So, our wonderful nurse, JoAnn, propped me up on my hands and knees (despite the fact I could barely feel my legs) to get Sage to rotate. He finally did and the back pain lessened.

I was fully effaced and dilated from about 9:00pm on, but Sage wasn't far enough down yet. So, Jo Ann had me switching positions and trying different things to get him to move down.

At about 11:00 pm, it was finally time to start pushing. JoAnn had me start "practicing" and by midnight, Sage was crowning. At that point, it was hard not to push while we waited for the doctor to get there. It really felt like he was about to fall out, but luckily Dr. Campbell arrived just in time! It took about two more pushes and he was out.

That moment, where I got to feel his head and body slide out of me was truly special. It was almost surreal. After 9 months of imagining what this special little miracle would be like and he was finally here. Wow! It was truly the best moment of our lives. Jared and I were instantly in love.

About Sage:

Weight: 6 lbs., 14 oz.

Length: 20 inches

Perfectly formed, no problems at all!

More details to come... But for now, Mommy needs some rest.

It's Time!!!

I'm currently in the hospital, been in labor for 4 hours now.

I was on my way to work at 7:30 am when my water broke!! I had just gotten off the highway onto the exit ramp at Olive when I felt a pop. I thought, "That was weird," and about a minute later, there was a huge gush of warm fluid. At first, I wondered if I had peed my pants, but then realized that I haven't peed that much in a really long time. Plus, it was uncontrollable - not like when you can hold your pee.

I had a momentary freak out, made a u-turn and called Jared. Of course, he didn't answer the phone until the second time I called. I was crying when I told him, "My water broke." I think he was still sleeping, so he wasn't sure what to think, but just said okay and kind of hung up. Then, I called my mom who was already at work. Then I called the doctor's office and they said to come on in to labor and delivery.

The drive back to the house seemed like the LONGEST drive ever! It was rush hour traffic, heading into the city. Then, once I got off the highway, I got stuck behind a couple school buses. I sang along to "Spotlight" by Jennifer Hudson to keep me calm. Finally made it home to Jared standing in the garage with my bag. He was frantic!!!

Seriously, I've never seen Jared so rushed in my life. I was thinking, "What happened to my normally super-calm, laid back husband?" He was throwing stuff in the car left and right, running around like a chicken with his head cut-off! I had to tell him to calm down that I'm not going to the hospital until I take a shower and change out of my sopping wet clothes.

So, I did take a shower, made sure everything was good to go at home and that my bag was fully packed. I also made sure to give Rosco a big hug and kiss and told her she'll always be my baby! Then, we headed to the hopsital where we arrived at 8:30. Since then, I've gotten my IV, been checked for dilation (just 1cm), and started a pitocin drip to induce labor at 11:00. It's now 12:30 and I'm feeling contractions, but nothing incredibly painful or anything. So, I have a feeling it's going to be a long day!

About today: It's Monday, September 8, 2008. A warm, sunny 80 degrees with a chance of storms this afternoon. Today's headlines revolve mostly around the upcoming election and another approaching hurricane (Ike).

Wish us luck for a safe, easy delivery!

Now, that's what I call nesting...

It's just after 10pm on a Sunday night. I have to be up in less than eight hours to work a full day tomorrow. But, that didn't stop me from a late-night cleaning rampage! In the last hour or so, I've cleaned the bathroom, swept and mopped the floors, dusted, windexed the windows, and cleaned out all the window sills (there was a LOT of dirt - I don't think they've been touched in a LONG time), cleaned the kitchen, made my lunch, and prepared my clothes for tomorrow.

All of this after experiencing nearly constant braxton hicks today with a many real contractions thrown in here and there. Maybe baby?

We spent the afternoon at our friends' Brandellan and Chad's house. Their son, Kobe, predicted the baby will arrive on Friday. He predicted the birth of his little brother, so he may be on to something.

Shortly after we left our friend's house, I talked to my mom and dad. Dad predicts Thursday night or Friday too. I guess because he works nights this week and Thursday will be his last.

We shall see. All I know is the time is quickly approaching and we are both excited and terrified at the same time!

We're full term!

Well, it's official...baby boy is now considered "full term." Translation - he could make his debut any day now - completely thrilling yet totally terrifying at the same time.

For awhile there, I was convinced that baby boy was going to come early. Now, I'm resigning myself to the fact that he's pretty content where he's at. I'm still predicting Sept. 15th as his birthday, but wouldn't be suprised if he's actually late! Jared hopes for the 23rd so it's easy to remember (Jared's birthday is July 23). We shall see!

All I know is the bigger and more uncomfortable I get, the more I hope baby boy arrives soon! I really can't complain because it could be a lot worse, but at the same time, ugly things are starting to happen!

As my adoring husband pointed out a couple days ago, I'm finally sporting the stretch marks I managed to avoid the first 8 months. And, as everyone can plainly see - my feet are ginormous. Imagine Shrek's feet and you'll get a close visual of mine without the green color! I tried really hard this morning to put on a closed toe shoe because it was raining and I didn't want my feet to be wet. Well, again, imagine a fairytale moment when Cinderella's stepsister is desperately trying to squish her fat foot into a delicate glass slipper. That's what I looked like this morning! Oh the joys! So, sorry everyone for exposing you to my ogre feet, but I literally cannot fit into any shoes but my flip flops!!! Hey, at least they have sparkles on them. Even my face is growing rounder by the day - again, thanks Jared for letting me know that wearing my hair down makes my face look "more full."

Those are just the things that people can see. The worst symptom right now has to be the acid reflux/heartburn that rips into my throat every night - no matter what I eat. It's like a forest fire raging in my esophagus! The pain is bad, the taste worse. Yuck, it's like I just swallowed a glass of steaming hot bile! So, I sleep nearly sitting up, but that doesn't seem to help. Even a handful of Tums doesn't make much difference these days.

But, like I said, I really can't complain. All my symptoms are par for the course and aren't confining me to bed or even keeping me from work. So, I guess I can handle another 20 days! Wish me luck!