Grayson's Birthday!!

Every year on my kids birthdays I pull out the old "When You Were Born" story! All of my kids have had theirs replayed here, but not my Grayson! His birthday was the day we left for Phoenix, and in the rush--I didn't get it blogged!

Between Jacob and Grayson I shockingly got pregnant. My husband lived a state away, but had surprised me in Utah just a couple of days before Christmas. It was amazing to see him--but I really must say-it was only a "Booty Call"--a really expensive--airplane requiring Booty Call! I went to Phoenix to visit with his mom and his aunt 3 weeks later, and found out that we were pregnant! (I guess it was a VERY successful Booty Call) I ended up miscarrying the next week. Now something strange happens inside the mind of a woman who has just suffered a miscarriage. Timing wise--it was probably for the best that I wasn't pregnant. But suddenly I have this overwhelming feeling that I have to get pregnant as soon as possible. Almost as a way to prove to myself and others that I can do this. I may have failed at this attempt, but now I have this inner push to prove that I can have a baby.

Enter Grayson! After the miscarriage my midwife told me to just wait a month and try again. Well, waiting a month would have resulted in a possible Y2K baby--and I wanted NOTHING to interfere with my epidural machine! So I waited 2 months. She also told me "what to look for". As in, 'when you see this...do this!!' So my husband was the one getting the Booty Call this time! And yep--we were pregnant!

Grayson was originally due February 14th, but not wanting to 'interfere' with his school Valentine's party-we planned to induce him on the 12th. My husband's older brother passed away on the 12th of February, and Grayson was getting this brothers name as his middle name-so we thought it very fitting. Well, my doctor didn't agree! He did a final ultrasound on the 4th of February and about choked! He saw this HUGE head and thought there was no way I would be able to deliver it! By this point, I wanted this baby out--and so I didn't tell him that my first baby's head still holds the record at the hospital he was born at! So we scheduled an induction for the 6th of February.

I was finally at the hospital--in no pain, and feeling fine. The IV and the Epidural were the most painful parts of the whole stay. In fact, I ended up telling the nurse putting the IV in--If she pulled it out one more time--I would put it in her arm!! When it was finally time for the Epidural--it was awful! I wasn't in much pain and I'm leaning over the bed onto a nurse. I felt everything--but then I felt this huge pop and bubbles--all I thought--I'm going to be paralyzed. How can I take care of a newborn and be paralyzed??? I started to cry--but then realized I could move my feet--so I was fine! It wasn't until a couple of months later--watching ER--when giving an epidural on the show the doctor goes--"Now your going to feel a pop, and then some bubbles--but everything is just fine!" Holy Cow!! Why didn't my real doctor say that!!!

My husband got to watch the NHL Allstar game on tv. My parents had been at the hospital most of the day, and I was waiting and waiting! The nurse came in and checked my dilation. I had walked in the door at a three and I was sitting at a 4! 6 hours later--and I've moved up 1!! I wasn't happy! The later it got--the more it meant I would have to stay an additional night in the hospital--and I HATE that! But Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (the original with Regis) would be on at 8 pm. SO I kept saying-I just have to make it to 8, I just have to make it to 8! I wasn't addicted-but it was something I enjoyed that would take my mind off of the fact that nothing was happening!

So it's finally 8 o'clock and my parents head out for dinner. And I settle in with my Millionaire. 8:45 I let the nurse know that I was feeling pressure--absolutely nothing bad--no pain--just pressure! She checked me and went running out of the room! Now there's a confidence builder!!

The nurse comes back in with the doctor in full regalia!! I guess we are ready to push. I'm feeling nothing--laughing with the doctor. The nurse makes a comment about how much hair this baby has...What?? You can see his hair? I guess I don't need to push--he's basically here!! One little push to get the shoulders out--and I was done! But, but, but--2 hours ago I was only a 4!! My mom is at dinner---there was NO PAIN!! What just happened here!!!

I guess when you have babies really fast there is some bruising and scraping that appears on their faces. But it didn't show up for awhile. All I remember about Grayson's looks is that you could see he was going to have really deep set eyes. He would open his eyes and look at me and with his swolleness and his deep eyes--his eyeballs were about an inch lower than his eyelids--very weird to look at!

My mom got in the room shortly after he was born--completely astounded at the turn of events! She walked in and got to hold him. She was planning on not having this moment for many more hours! We called my aunt and uncle and they brought Jake over. They all got to hold my hours old baby--and he started to chant rhythmically when my Uncle was holding him. It was so cute and he commented on it.

Miraculously, you'll understand that word in a second--the nurse that was taking care of me on the recovery side normally works on the labor and delivery side. She let me know that chanting is NOT a good thing and ran off to get a doctor to have another look at him. There wasn't a normal nursery at this hospital. Once the baby is checked and found healthy on the L/D side, they move to the recovery side with mom, and they are done. But they did have a NICU. She came back and said that she was just going to take Grayson to the nursery to give him a little oxygen and that he should be back soon. He never came back to that room! I had a flood of nurses and doctors rushing in to fill me in on what was going on--but no baby came with them. One nurse from the NICU told me how everything was going that he's on full oxygen and that they had called in a Neo-Natal Cardiologist (it's 2 am--never good), but that everything would be fine. Then she went out to the nurses station--3 feet from my room and proceeded to tell the nurses there that she had never seen a baby looking so grave. What??? He was fine! He was healthy! He had funny eyes--but the swelling would come down and he would be beautiful!! Grave?? I rushed into the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub and just cried and begged God not to take my baby. Then as if a man was standing next to me in the room I heard the words, "He will be fine. Your father is here." I immediately knew what that meant. My dad was here-from Utah-he was 25 miles away--but he was here and he, through the power of God, HE could save Grayson!! I knew it, and I felt so much better.

I called my husband to let him know what was going on. He went and got my parents to watch Jacob and he rushed to the hospital. He just missed the Cardiologist who practically spoke Greek (not really) to me...hole in his heart, common as the hills, heart murmur, 3 weeks in the hospital---AMAZINGLY lucky that his heart condition was caught after he had already been checked off as OK. There you have the miraculousness of having the nurse that I did!! When my husband got there we got to go see Grayson for the first time in hours--and to this day I wish I hadn't gone! He looked like a little gray, dead baby hooked up to monitors with tubes and wires coming out of every orifice, in every appendage, his head was in a space helmet looking thing--and we were not allowed to touch him. It would cause his heart to race and that could cause a heart attack.

In a nutshell--when the baby is in Utero the heart only uses two chambers and it works to oxygenate the entire body because the lungs are filled with fluid. When the baby is born and takes it's first breath, that hole shuts the whole heart takes over pumping the blood, and the lungs clear to oxygenate the blood. But not in Grayson. His heart didn't seal, his lungs didn't clear. His heart was working too hard to work, and his lungs were in danger of getting pneumonia because they hadn't cleared.

I went back to my room with the horror of that site burned into my eyes. I couldn't sleep, and I just kept pleading that he would be OK. And again, I felt this calm, warm reassurance--that my dad was here. My parents came at 10 in the morning and my dad went in and gave Grayson a blessing. In it, he was promised that he would make a full and MIRACULOUS recovery--one that would astound and amaze even his doctors. When he finished with his blessing he had tears in his eyes. He said that he was just really impressed that this baby was a special little spirit, and that he was going to be fine.

I left the hospital without ever getting to hold this baby again during my stay. Tuesday morning I went in to pump for him and I got to hold him for about 15 minutes. The nurses let me know that it was a long road to recovery--that it could be 3 weeks before I could take him home-2 weeks to recover and 1 week under the UV lights for the Jaundice he was bound to get. I went home down--but happy knowing he was going to make it. We went back Tuesday night so I could pump again. My husband went up first, and I stayed in the car with Jake. 15 minutes later my husband came back and it was my turn--he did tell me Grayson looked great! I got up to the nursery and rang the bell. The woman inside the nursery was holding a really cute baby and smiling. She told me that my husband held Grayson, and how good he looked--blah--blah--blah--get out of my way--I'm going to get my baby. I get to his isolet--and he isn't there. Now my brain is confused but starting to catch on to what this woman was babbling about--she was holding Grayson!! No monitors, no tubes, no wires--and he was darling!! His grayish crown--gone. Bruises from quick delivery--gone. Swollen eyes--gone.

As I took this baby in my arms I knew he was fine. I just did. He was perfect! The nurse said that she didn't want to get my hopes up-but she said that she couldn't see why they wouldn't release him the next day. It was Tuesday night--he was born on Sunday--I'm expecting 3 weeks-not three days!! MIRACLE! So I went home exuberant. I might get to bring him home tomorrow.

8:00 in the morning the phone rings. It's his doctor. His exact words--"Mrs. Nykaza, this is Dr. (something foreign), Your baby...WOW! He's ready to go home!" Just like my dad had said in his blessing--he would have a recovery that would astound even his doctors. My Heavenly Father was watching over this baby--and he (even 7 years later) is still a special little spirit in my life!!

Here is a picture taken the day I got to bring him home! No gray head--No swollen eyes--No bruises on his face--No tubes and wires--NO JAUNDICE!!! What a Miracle! Isn't he precious!!!


And here is beautiful angel boy at 1 Year old!!! Complete recovery--quite the sportsman now!!