Day 10

DAY 10:


Yesterday we took Kayson to the doctor because he has been sick for the past few days. Luckily he tested negative for the flu but has an upper respiratory infection. I am nervous about bringing the baby home while Kayson is sick because I don't want him to end up back in the hospital. But I'm hoping all will go well and the baby won't catch it. Today was the big day we finally got to bring Kalijah home!!! Kayson and Krehl got to spend time with their cousins at the zoo today while we went to see Kalijah. The doctor told us we could take him home around 6:00pm. Krehl was very excited to see the baby but I didn't want him to get to close because he is getting what Kayson has. Kayson was not to sure about the baby he kept peeking his head around to see him then hiding back in his seat. When we got home Kayson was not happy about me holding the baby. After his meltdown he kept running into the living room to see if he could see Kalijah, then he brought me a little tiny car for Kalijah to play with. Russ tried to keep Kayson and Krehl entertained and not to close to the baby. My biggest fear now is Kalijah catching what Kayson and Krehl have and ending up back in the hospital. But we bought lots of hand sanitizer and lysol spray and have been constantly washing our hands. The boys are glad to be home in their own beds and Kalijah is doing good so far. He ate 4 oz when we got home and has pretty much been sleeping since. Luckily my grandma will be coming to help out tomorrow, the boys are excited to spend some time with her. We are very grateful that we have all 3 boys at home with us now and the Kalijah is doing so well. We appreciate everyone's prayers and thoughtfulness. We have to be very cautious, the doctors said it is very important that he doesn't get sick for the next 4 months and that we do not let the baby around a lot of people during that time. We will keep everyone posted while we get settled in and will let you know when we are ready for visitors. This is definitively a new experience. It is scary to bring him home with no monitors showing us his heart rate and breathing are good and not being able to keep him away from sickness and germs but I am so glad to finally have him home. It is a relief knowing that our family is now complete and we our together. 

Day 8

DAY 8:

I can't believe that Kalijah turned a week old yesterday. All my days have ran together and it feels like we've been waiting forever to take our baby boy home. They had taken his first tube out but there was still a leak so they had to put a different tube back in. This one is under his left side and a little bit bigger but is suppose to be better. He had it put in Friday around 3:30 AM and last night around 11:00pm they turned it off and since then he hasn't had a single leak and is doing good. If he goes 48 hours without any leaks or problems they will be taking the tube out and he will be able to come home within a few days after doing so, as long as he is doing well. We got to see him today and he is doing good. They said his x-ray was very good and showed no signs of pneumonia and he has been eating from a bottle and has only had tylenol once since they put the new tube in. We are praying that the leak in his lung has healed and will not come back and that he will soon be able to come home.

I know that the Lord will not give us more than we can endure. This has by far been the hardest trial I have ever had. I feel so helpless but have been able to find comfort in knowing that this is in the Lord's hand and I've had my faith to get me through the hardest times. It has been a week full of ups and downs and a rollercoaster of emotions. It seems just as you think life seems to be going to good to be true it is just that. Reality comes in and an unexpected trial comes out of no where. It is so crazy because recently we had been talking about how lucky we were to have such healthy boys and had been praying every night that Kalijah would arrive healthy and strong. I know that my father in Heaven has a plan for my family and my sweet baby boy. I know that there is a reason we are going through this trial right now, and even though I may not fully understand it I have faith that it will all work out how it is meant to be. I have grown so close to my Heavenly Father this week and I can't imagine the pain he endured giving his only begotten son so that we could have the atonement in our lives. I cannot say how thankful I am for my parents and my husband. Russ has really been a constant support and rock for me through this time and we have grown even closer together. I cannot imagine my life without him. My parents are always there for me and my family doing whatever they can to help. They have helped so much during this time and have spent lots of time with Kayson and Krehl so that we could be there for Kalijah. It is nice knowing that when we are away they are in loving hands. I have a very peaceful feeling about everything and am not as scared as I was a few days ago. Will post some pictures tomorrow. Thank you for the prayers and support.

Day 5...

Today was a very long emotional day. The morning started off with great news they said Kalijah was doing so good and his x-ray looked good so they decided to take his chest tube out. I went to see him around 2pm and they said they had had to pull some air out which they do by inserting a needle. I finally got to hold him which made me feel a lot better. He looked good and his color was good. I got to hold him for almost an hour and it was so nice to be able to feel like I could comfort him. I came back around 5 and they had to pull more air out and said if they had to do it one more time then they were probably going to have to put the chest tube back in. It was very frustrating to hear this because he seems to be doing so much better but there is still a leak somewhere in his lungs. We went out and tried to keep our minds off of everything then went back again around 9. We talked to the nurses for a while and stayed there to comfort him until he fell back asleep. It was very hard to see him so uncomfortable and to not know why there is still a leak or how long it will take for him to recover. As a mom I just kept thinking of what it could be or what I could've done to prevent this and why this is happening. It's so scary to think that his health can change so quickly and how important every decision is. I hope that we will be able to know what to do for him and that things will all work out how they are meant to be. It was a very emotional day for me but I think it's just all the emotions from the week and normal emotions from just having a baby that are all catching up to me. Time seems to be going by so slow. I can't believe it has only been 5 days. I feel like I've been stuck in a bad dream and I'm just going through the motions. I had a bad feeling before the baby was born, I just kept feeling like something was going to be wrong with either me or the baby. I am hoping that everything will turn out for the best. I am so very grateful and feel so blessed to have my family so close. My parents have been such a great help and have been taking the boys so much so we can spend time with Kalijah and get some rest. I am very grateful to have my wonderful husband he has been by my side the whole time and has truly been such a great support for me during this time. I could not have made it through this past week without my husband an my parents and of course my Heavenly Father. I feel like this stituation is out of our hands so we must trust that the Lord has a plan for Kalijah and everything will work out how it's meant to be. Please continue to keep Kalijah in your prayers.

Our St. Patty's Day Baby!

The newest member of our family, Kalijah Isaac Fricke, was born on March 27th at 1:40pm. He is our St. Patty's Day baby!  Friday we got everything ready for baby and spent most of the day walking hoping to get my labor going. My parents were on their way home from Seattle when I thought my water was leaking. We went to the hospital around 8:30pm and my contractions were 2 minutes apart but no sign of my water leaking. My mom made it and we waited and waited and waited. They were going to send me home but his heart rate was dropping so they decided to keep me there. The doctor came in to check me and broke my water around 1:30am. They put a monitor on the baby's head to monitor his heart rate. I was having consistent hard contractions for a while so my mom stayed and we all tried to get some sleep. Nothing was happening so my mom went home to get some sleep. They decided the would start me on PIT soon so we decided to wait until the doctor and my mom got some sleep. I tried to sleep but was so uncomfortable I couldn't rest. They started me on PIT and the contractions starting getting stronger when they upped it to a 3 my labor was progressing even more. Finally it was time to push and after 4 pushes our precious baby boy was here. He was born at 1:40 pm on Saturday. He is our biggest and longest baby weighing 8 lbs 1 oz and being 21 1/2 inches long. It was my longest and most difficult labor but I would do it all over again if I had to. We are so grateful for our precious baby boy. I am thankful that I was able to have the support of my husband and my mom throughout my labor, I couldn't have done it without them. Love you mom and Russ. :)

Kalijah and Daddy


Kalijah and Grandma