Here is a great picture of my Mom and Grandmother. Happy Mother's Day to you both! Click on the image for larger picture!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Hair (or lack of)
On the left is Grant at age 11 mos.
On the right is Mark at the same age. Same hair!
Check out those pants!
Birthday Party
Grant turns ONE on Tuesday the 26th but we had a party yesterday.
Man, that was fun! Grant had a great time and loved the lion cake that Jenn and Denise made for him.
We are so blessed that Grant is with us and Jenn is healthy! We praise God for all his blessings and for watching over our family.
Check out all the pics HERE.
Grantopia
Grant is growing like a weed! He claps and waves and loves to spit out his food!
And MawMaw got him doing a real good impression of The Hulk!
He crawls around at 100 miles an hour and loves the telephone and United Airlines commercials.
Grant-uary!
Grant is all smiles! What a great baby. Today Grant sat up by himself for 10 minutes. He seems like a happy kid!
Check out some new pics of Grant HERE.
Thanksgiving Pictures
Sorry about the delay in updating Grant's site. Been very, very, and very busy. My New Years resolution is to update the blog more frequently.
Grant is doing GREAT! He is eating and sleeping well. He laughs all the time (probably at his Dad) and has the best smile I have ever seen.
Check out the picture HERE.
Mark Baby Pics
Just added some pics of me before I got old and ugly.
And before I get angry emails about no pics of Jenn when she was a babe, first I have to say, she is still a BABE. Second, I don't have any pics of her when she was little. Sooooo, if you want some up here, send em please!
And before I get angry emails about no pics of Jenn when she was a babe, first I have to say, she is still a BABE. Second, I don't have any pics of her when she was little. Sooooo, if you want some up here, send em please!
Welcome Home Grant!
Praise God! Jennifer and Grant have come home!
Grant is still on a monitor to make sure we know if or when his heart rate or breathing decrease to dangerous levels.
Jennifer is still very sore from the c-section but is very happy to be home and we are thrilled with our new little family.
Gotta thank Denise, Preston and Rhonda for working so hard to get Grant’s nursery ready while we were all in the hospital for the past 20 days.
It is great to be home. Thanks for all your gifts, cards, and especially your prayers!
Check some pics HERE. I haven't had time to edit captions, sorry.
Grant is still on a monitor to make sure we know if or when his heart rate or breathing decrease to dangerous levels.
Jennifer is still very sore from the c-section but is very happy to be home and we are thrilled with our new little family.
Gotta thank Denise, Preston and Rhonda for working so hard to get Grant’s nursery ready while we were all in the hospital for the past 20 days.
It is great to be home. Thanks for all your gifts, cards, and especially your prayers!
Check some pics HERE. I haven't had time to edit captions, sorry.
Picture Updates
Grant Has Arrived!
Praise the Lord Grant Martin has arrived.
Jennifer and Grant are doing great and are both healthy.
Sorry I haven’t updated the weblog in a while but we have been in the hospital. On the morning of July 26th, Jenn’s doctors had decided that they would take the baby after week 36. Well, Grant did not participate. Jenn went into active labor around 6pm that same day and they had to do an emergency c-section.
They were concerned about Jenn’s heart so they wanted to put a catheter in her heart to measure pressures along with an IV into her artery. She had to have this done without any anesthesia and all the doctors were amazed how brave and strong she was. To make matters worse, after all the work to get that thing in her heart, it would not work so it was all for nothing.
Young Grant Martin Blackwell was born at 9:14pm on Monday, July 26th. He weighed 5lbs 7oz. and was 17 ½ inches long. There was a scare at first because he had to be helped get his breathing started because he got some of mom’s anesthesia before being born, but he is breathing on his own and doing great now. He was born six weeks early so he is still having some difficulty maintaining his temperature so he has to stay in an incubator but there is hope that he will come home this Sunday along with Mom.
Jenn is doing great and is in good spirits and will be coming home no later than this Sunday.
Thanks for all your prayers!
See some early pics HERE!
Daddy Mark
Jennifer and Grant are doing great and are both healthy.
Sorry I haven’t updated the weblog in a while but we have been in the hospital. On the morning of July 26th, Jenn’s doctors had decided that they would take the baby after week 36. Well, Grant did not participate. Jenn went into active labor around 6pm that same day and they had to do an emergency c-section.
They were concerned about Jenn’s heart so they wanted to put a catheter in her heart to measure pressures along with an IV into her artery. She had to have this done without any anesthesia and all the doctors were amazed how brave and strong she was. To make matters worse, after all the work to get that thing in her heart, it would not work so it was all for nothing.
Young Grant Martin Blackwell was born at 9:14pm on Monday, July 26th. He weighed 5lbs 7oz. and was 17 ½ inches long. There was a scare at first because he had to be helped get his breathing started because he got some of mom’s anesthesia before being born, but he is breathing on his own and doing great now. He was born six weeks early so he is still having some difficulty maintaining his temperature so he has to stay in an incubator but there is hope that he will come home this Sunday along with Mom.
Jenn is doing great and is in good spirits and will be coming home no later than this Sunday.
Thanks for all your prayers!
See some early pics HERE!
Daddy Mark
Jenn is Back in the Hospital
Sorry for the delay in updating the blog. It has been a long week.
On Thursday the 15th, Jenn was staying at Edisto Beach with her mom and the dogs. Our dog Boss was really sick (life threatening sick actually) and when Jenn got up early Thursday morning to check on him, she noticed that she was spotting. Her mom rushed her to the hospital where she started having contractions. They put her on fluids and some mild pain medication to try to stop the contractions. Well, ten hours later we got to take her home.
Saturday morning rolls around the cycle begins again! Back to MUSC we go, where she has been since. They will probably keep her there until the baby is born, which could be any moment. She is currently 33 weeks along and they are really hoping to get her to the end of 35 weeks. They have already given her steroids to help Grant's lungs develop.
The cardiologists performed an echo on her heart and it looks like the pressures are pretty high so they have increased her dosage of diuretic to try to get rid of some excess fluids. They are not too concerned at the moment, but they have decided to put a catheter in her heart during the delivery to closely monitor how it reacts to giving birth. The most difficult part will be after the birth when the heart rate increases rapidly while getting rid of all the extra fluids in the body. The epidural should help reduce the effects of this process.
Jenn is resting and being watched closely and Grant is doing GREAT. Please continue your prayers for these two.
P.S. For you dog lovers, Boss is doing much better after having had surgery where they removed two pennies, two quarters, leaves, hunks of a rubber bone, and a large chunk of asphalt from his stomach. Stupid dog.
On Thursday the 15th, Jenn was staying at Edisto Beach with her mom and the dogs. Our dog Boss was really sick (life threatening sick actually) and when Jenn got up early Thursday morning to check on him, she noticed that she was spotting. Her mom rushed her to the hospital where she started having contractions. They put her on fluids and some mild pain medication to try to stop the contractions. Well, ten hours later we got to take her home.
Saturday morning rolls around the cycle begins again! Back to MUSC we go, where she has been since. They will probably keep her there until the baby is born, which could be any moment. She is currently 33 weeks along and they are really hoping to get her to the end of 35 weeks. They have already given her steroids to help Grant's lungs develop.
The cardiologists performed an echo on her heart and it looks like the pressures are pretty high so they have increased her dosage of diuretic to try to get rid of some excess fluids. They are not too concerned at the moment, but they have decided to put a catheter in her heart during the delivery to closely monitor how it reacts to giving birth. The most difficult part will be after the birth when the heart rate increases rapidly while getting rid of all the extra fluids in the body. The epidural should help reduce the effects of this process.
Jenn is resting and being watched closely and Grant is doing GREAT. Please continue your prayers for these two.
P.S. For you dog lovers, Boss is doing much better after having had surgery where they removed two pennies, two quarters, leaves, hunks of a rubber bone, and a large chunk of asphalt from his stomach. Stupid dog.
Jennifer at 27 Weeks
Jennifer is "glowing" and as beautiful as ever! She is feeling great and we are counting down the days!
Crib Construction
Just added some pics of the crib construction.
I would like to say it took hours and was very difficult for me to put together, but I would be lying.
Looks really pretty though! Thanks Mom and Allen!
I would like to say it took hours and was very difficult for me to put together, but I would be lying.
Looks really pretty though! Thanks Mom and Allen!
Jenn and Grant are Great!
Jenn is off bed-rest! The docs said that Grant is growing and seems fine so her earlier trouble did not harm the baby. She still has to take it easy, but we all expect smooth sailing from here on out (God willing). Grant now weighs about two pounds and Jenn is growing at the right pace. The ultrasound pics from last week are already up over on the left and I will be adding a pic of Jenn’s ever expanding belly soon.
Jenn's Belly
Grant is growing and so is Jenn's belly! We watched Grant kick and prod and poke her belly tonight. Very cool but very strange. Here is a picture. Jenn starts week 24 tomorrow.
Trouble
Jenn had some trouble Wednesday morning. She began bleeding at around 3am and we had to go to the hospital. They think the placenta separated from the uterus a small bit. They were concerned that the bleeding could trigger contractions so they kept her overnight to observe. She came home Thursday and is confined to the bed for a week. She and Baby Grant are doing great but please continue to remember them in your prayers!
Update
Jenn had a cardiologist appointment Wednesday. The echo shows no change in her heart’s ejection fraction, which is a great thing. However, the doctor is concerned that she cannot shake this cough she has and that her ankles are swollen. He is putting her on a diuretic to try to bring her fluid levels down as a preventative measure. Please keep Jennifer in your prayers!
Grant Week 22
Jenn and Grant Martin went in for a checkup on Wednesday. They wanted to take a good look at Grant's heart to see if it was developing well considering Jenn's condition. Everything looks GREAT! Praise God! Jennifer is still having problems with bronchitis, but other than not being able to breath, feels good. She is coughing like a 60-year-old, carton a day smoker. Grant is active and kicking a lot and Jenn is looking really cute in all her maternity clothes! I will post a picture of Jenn's growing waistline soon.
Check out the new ultrasound pics HERE.
Check out the new ultrasound pics HERE.
It's Official
We have been calling the baby "IT" for months now. We can now call him a he! We found out today that it is a boy. Jenn and I are both excited and the ultrasound showed the baby was very healthy (and handsome I might add).
Pics are up! Check them out HERE!
Pics are up! Check them out HERE!
Tomorrow
Jenn has a doctor appointment tomorrow and we will hopefully find out the sex of the baby. I am on record with the guess that it is a girl and if so she will be named Lily Kay Blackwell. Jenn has not given a guess, but if it is a boy he will be named Grant Martin Blackwell.
Stay tuned.
Stay tuned.
Kicking
Jenn is away in Hawaii with her mother and grandmother. She called last night and said she has felt the baby kick!! She said she could even see her belly move a little.
How exciting! Of course it would have been nice to have been there to experience that, but somebody has to pay the bills.
How exciting! Of course it would have been nice to have been there to experience that, but somebody has to pay the bills.
We Are Having a Baby!
Jenn just had her 12-week check-up with the doctors and we are now successfully and healthily entering the second trimester of pregnancy. We are very excited and ask for everyone’s prayers for a healthy baby and a healthy Jennifer!
As many of you know, Jennifer has a congenital heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy that weakens her heart. When she was diagnosed, she had an ejection fraction (the amount of blood your heart pumps with each beat) of around 35. The doctors told her it would be extremely risky to go through pregnancy. We had resigned ourselves to never being able to have a biological child unless it was through a surrogate.
Well, after a few years of Jenn being on medication, her ejection fraction has increased to around 50! This remarkable improvement in her heart's capacity gave her and her doctors a renewed hope in her ability to take on carrying a baby. The problem was that there are very few cases out there where a woman of Jenn's age, with this disease, have gone through a pregnancy. Most people with cardiomyopathy are WELL past child birthing age. So Jenn and I and the handy Internet started researching. We found ONE study on our situation and it was favorable for Jenn getting through pregnancy with little or no complications. Of course it is still pretty risky due to the increased blood volume in a woman's system during pregnancy, which causes the heart to work harder. There are risks, but Jenn desperately wanted to carry her own child. After her heart doctor and a high risk pregnancy doctor studied the situation, they gave their blessing and we were off to the races.
Well, five months of "trying" and nothing. Jenn had tried all the kits and calendars and we just decided to forget about it and if it happened, it happened. Well it happened. New Years Day I awake (with a hangover) to Jenn yelling "its positive, its positive!" Wow. I am going to be a father. Poor kid. We had a house full of people coming over later that day to watch the UGA-Purdue bowl game and we had to get everything ready. For those of you who know me well, I am slightly animated when watching my Bulldawgs play. I could barely concentrate when watching the game. Everyone was asking me what was wrong and why I was so quiet. "Just tired." Needless to say, Jenn and I have had trouble keeping this to ourselves for so long.
We are going to use this site to update family and friends on things, and maybe even help the very few people around the world that were in Jenn's position with her condition. Now the first trimester is behind us and there is so much more ahead. Praise God for the miracle of birth and continue to remember us in your prayers!
As many of you know, Jennifer has a congenital heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy that weakens her heart. When she was diagnosed, she had an ejection fraction (the amount of blood your heart pumps with each beat) of around 35. The doctors told her it would be extremely risky to go through pregnancy. We had resigned ourselves to never being able to have a biological child unless it was through a surrogate.
Well, after a few years of Jenn being on medication, her ejection fraction has increased to around 50! This remarkable improvement in her heart's capacity gave her and her doctors a renewed hope in her ability to take on carrying a baby. The problem was that there are very few cases out there where a woman of Jenn's age, with this disease, have gone through a pregnancy. Most people with cardiomyopathy are WELL past child birthing age. So Jenn and I and the handy Internet started researching. We found ONE study on our situation and it was favorable for Jenn getting through pregnancy with little or no complications. Of course it is still pretty risky due to the increased blood volume in a woman's system during pregnancy, which causes the heart to work harder. There are risks, but Jenn desperately wanted to carry her own child. After her heart doctor and a high risk pregnancy doctor studied the situation, they gave their blessing and we were off to the races.
Well, five months of "trying" and nothing. Jenn had tried all the kits and calendars and we just decided to forget about it and if it happened, it happened. Well it happened. New Years Day I awake (with a hangover) to Jenn yelling "its positive, its positive!" Wow. I am going to be a father. Poor kid. We had a house full of people coming over later that day to watch the UGA-Purdue bowl game and we had to get everything ready. For those of you who know me well, I am slightly animated when watching my Bulldawgs play. I could barely concentrate when watching the game. Everyone was asking me what was wrong and why I was so quiet. "Just tired." Needless to say, Jenn and I have had trouble keeping this to ourselves for so long.
We are going to use this site to update family and friends on things, and maybe even help the very few people around the world that were in Jenn's position with her condition. Now the first trimester is behind us and there is so much more ahead. Praise God for the miracle of birth and continue to remember us in your prayers!
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