July 19th, 127,000 strong!

The journey has continued over the past month without much news. About a month ago the doctor said that we did not need to check each week because he didn't see a need in drawing blood so often. I think Karsten was happy about that. A month has passed and we went today to have the platelets checked, hoping for good news. That is what we received. Today Karsten's platelet count increased to 127,000, and though he wasn't happy to have his foot stabbed for blood, we were happy to get the results. Dr Cohen, who we will be forever grateful for, said that is the last time he needs to see Karsten. He said the antibodies should be gone soon and the increase is exactly what they expected. We are so thankful for everyone that has supported our little boy, and thankful for the diagnosis and prognosis from all the medical staff, that has been so consistent and accurate since that first morning of uncertainty. We don't know where Karsten's journey will take him from here but we are so thankful to be a part of it! We can't wait for more of you to meet him and see how beautiful he is. He will capture your heart and you'll be glad you have the opportunity to be a part of his story. Journey on...

Latest Update from June 21st- 29,000 and increasing!

Again as I write, I am completely overwhelmed with the support of family and friends over the past 3 weeks. Karsten is now 3 weeks old and doing very well. On Tuesday the 21st (now that I am back to work, it is harder to keep this updated and I apologize), we had Karsten's platelets checked and he is up to 29.000. The Doctor again said he is not concerned and very happy with Karsten's progress. 3 weeks ago, we could have hardly imagined that we would be so far through the process at this time. And we are so thankful to be moving closer to being 100% out of the water. The next appointment is not going to be until July 20th. We'll update both on our Facebook pages and here if anything updates prior to that, but for now, life is going along pretty normally.

I also wanted to thank everyone who has brought us food in this time. Our friends and family are amazing and we are very fortunate to have each of you in our life. And for those of you who haven't met Karsten yet, we look forward to introducing him to you.

Monday June 13th "Treat him like a normal kid, just don't drop him on his head"

... those were our hematologists words as he smiled to us. I replied asking "would you recommend dropping a normal child on his head." He just smiled. Of course not, but what his message was to us is that Karsten is doing fantastic and he is not worried about him we should just exercise a little extra caution. The platelet count was up to 20,000 today. When we got the news, Julie and I just looked at each other and smiled with so much joy that there were not real words to be said. The Doctor explained the condition again, which is what we had been told by the Neonatal Doctor, and he said, it may take up to 6 weeks still to be back up to the 150,000 count (that is the minimum number that a normal healthy person has), but that he is not worried about him at this point. Now we are just waiting for the antibodies from Julie's system to die off in him. This was much needed news for us. What seemed it could take months has, seemed to come to pass quickly over the past week. Julie said today that a week ago she couldn't have imagined having this good news so soon. What we can say is that we are simply grateful for all the support, prayers, thoughts, medical knowledge, kind words and actions of all the caring people around us, both the ones we knew and the ones we met during this process. From the bottom of our hearts and from the depths of Karsten's little blood/platelet count we want to say Thank You! We have a follow up next Tuesday for another platelet check but for today it was just a great day of being a family with a lighter load to carry. We had a great day today and look forward to many more and hopefully a day soon that the Doctor says to us "150,000 platelets today, and remember to not drop him on his head."

June 12th- A Day of Firsts

It was a nice day here in the Godwin home; kind of a day of firsts. Karsten got his first bath and also his first family walk in the stroller. It is kind of strange but it is easy to forget that he is not a perfectly healthy little boy. He looks strong, has good vital signs and acts very normal (he also has that nice baby smell). But we remember that tomorrow morning we have 2 doctor appointments at 10.30 with the Hematologist and 12.14 with the Pediatrician. We are really looking forward the day that he gets his clean bill of health and things are really normal. Until then, we wait and hope, and are doing everything that we cannot to not miss the small moments in his first days of life that could easily be missed as we look to rush forward 6 weeks to the hopeful end of this blood disorder. Enjoy the pictures, thanks for reading and thanks again for all the support!

June 11th- 1 Week old today!

Just under a half of an hour ago, Karsten turned 1 week old. In many ways it seems to have been longer as I have previously said, but when I look at that tiny little guy, it is clear he is only a week old. I am so thankful to be home and hanging out with him, today. Here is a picture of his new favorite spot. He sleeps here and eats and then repeats as often as he can until he goes to his bassinet for the night! Hopefully within the next 5 weeks his body will get back in control of the platelets and he can get on to a normal life, but for now we are enjoying the home life with him. We hope to know more as we meet with doctors next week.

Friday June 10th- the Original Due date...

Today is June 10th. This was Karsten's original due date. Wow, we couldn't have imagined that it would feel like he has been with us for weeks on the day he was scheduled to be born. For only being 6 days old, we certainly have a lot of history and memories already built. Today's memory was a very quiet day at home, with just one trip to the pediatrician. They say, "no news is good news", and that would be his story today. We did not do much except hold him, change diapers and he ate like a little crazy guy. He is now at 7 lbs (probably because of all the eating and he is filling out his little legs). Monday will be the appointment with the hematologist and until then continued quiet (as much as we can with a 4 1/2 year old who is trying so hard to be quiet for his brother, in the midst of his jealousy for attention). Daddy spent as much time playing with Kaleb and drawing star wars pictures today as he could to keep Kaleb's life normal and we look forward to the weekend as a family. Thanks again for all of your support. We continue to be grateful! I will try to post more pictures tomorrow after they are imported from the phone.

Homeward Bound Thursday June 9th - the journey takes a good turn with caution

This morning we got the first news that was not as positive. Karsten's count is down to 9000. However the doctor quickly advised us that this is still okay because Karsten's body is now adapting and it will likely take 6 weeks to get through this (again better news than 6 months). They also told us that all his other vital signs look great, and for this reason, it is time to change our focus to the transition home. They also did a head ultra sound to make sure his head was safe and that came back that he was good. So I am sitting here typing this entry on my phone, waiting to go to an infant cpr class and then begin Karsten's first trip outside, into a car and home to be with big brother. They cautioned us that we will live quiet and low key for around 6 weeks and we need to limit visitors for now, but we are closer to being out of the water and relaxing on the beach than we have been since he was born. We will keep you posted on his progress and keep the pictures and updates daily. We do have quite a number of Doctor follow ups already set and as we learn more, we will let you know. The first appointment is tomorrow morning with the pediatrician, and that is followed by a Monday appointment with the hematologist, who has provided us with his cell number in case we need him (how awesome is that?). Karsten's is now needle/IV free and happy as ever. We can't wait to introduce you in about 6 weeks.or when he gets a clean bill of health.

Update: As I post, I am sitting on my bed in our home with the whole family around me. All 4 of us sitting together as the baby is cooing to mama singing to him.

The journey continues ...->

June 8th Evening- Squeaky Kisses

The video is a bit dark but this is how we spent part of our day. We were just kissing on him and he began to react to the "squeaky kisses" we use to give Kaleb. That is where you make squeaky noises in his open mouth as you kiss him. It was a great day and so much fun! Then at the end of the day, they moved us to the less serious side of the NICU. That means they feel his condition is a lot better. We are so thankful today. We will keep you updates. His platelets still have a ways to go, but he is fighting and we are positive that he is on his way in the right direction.

Wednesday June 8th in the morning

It seems that Karsten is about 6 months old, but each night at 9.55 we note that he is another day old. Last night he hit his 3 day. Wow a lot can happen in 3 days. Good news to update. Julie has now been able to feed Karsty on a regular basis and he continues to put on the pounds (actually ounces). He no longer has an IV runing fluid to him and for the most part is functioning much like any 3 day old child. Currently he is up to 6 lbs 7 oz and looking strong as ever! This morning they drew blood again to check the platelet count and as we arrived back in his room around 6.30am this morning, the nurse met us with further great news. The platelet count after a day and a half are stable at 11,000 and have not dropped. This is what the Dr said he was hoping to happen. We are very happy and optimistic, but still taking it in small strides. Karsten slept in a normal crib last night and seemed to continue to rest and gain strength. We are so happy and so grateful for everyones support. If we could thank everyone individually we would but since we can't know that we read every comment on facebook and on the blog and are grateful beyond words. We will keep you posted on the next step. They have mentioned upgrading him and moving him to a transition area in the NICU to prepare him and us for coming home, but no time frame is set. We will continue to wait and see. To be honest the nursing staff is so great that we are considering asking them to keep him until he graduates high school. They help us feed him, monitor his vital signs, a doctor is always close by and I have decent insurance so after about $2000 dollars a year it will all be covered. We can't feed and raise him for that much at home. Ok Ok I am just kidding but good humor and laughing certainly has helped to make the past few days a lot easier. The journey is still early but we have hit a few smooth stretches and it is nice to just hold and kiss that little face. When you get to see him, you will understand. He is a great little boy and we are honored to be able to be his parents.

June 7th- An Optimistic Outlook

***An update for today***

We spent a bit of the morning with Kaleb and then got back to the hospital to some really optimistic news. First we got to spend some time with Karsten and hold and kiss him. Then our nurse told us that the Hematologist from Phoenix Children's Hospital that is reviewing Karsty's chart said he is very optimistic and feels it is time to challenge Karsten's body to see how it is doing.

1. They want him off the IV and back to Mommy feeding (Julie is so happy)

2. They are looking to get him out of the fortress crib and back to a normal baby crib.

3. There was then optimistic talk that if his body responds and Julie and I are educated correctly that we might get to see him come home but no time frame was given so that could mean a week or two or it could mean something else all together, we just don't know but are glad it is being discussed.

Good news, though with caution.

Tomorrow, we will get a 2nd read on Little K's platelets. If it goes down the above might not happen or be delayed, but it is good when the Dr, says he is impressed by how good Karsten is doing. He is one tough little boy!

Thanks for the support and we'll have more tomorrow.

Picture Gallery

Here are a few pictures... not in any particular order...

Monday June 6th... a greater understanding...

Monday morning was a difficult morning. Still no answers and all the while trying to be supportive not only to Julie but also to a 4 1/2 year old who just doesn't understand what is going on.

After a trip to take Kaleb to school, a visit with a good friend at Starbuck's or as I might refer to it, me crying on the shoulder of a Barista friend, I ended up back in the NICU and Julie and I took hour shifts holding Karsty and giving him as much love as we could.

About mid morning, we had a visit from 2 supportive friends, Brad whom we have a decade of friendship with and Gavin whom we don't know well but are appreciative of his support (and comical relief of our friends in the yellow hospital gowns that they were required to where). They offered both support through their presence and offering words of support and prayer and then we went back to holding our little guy, not knowing if we had a little amount of time or a great amount of time with him.

Later in the morning we had another visit from the AZ family and while we were in conversation with them, the nurse came in and cleared the room except for me and Karsten (Julie was with her doctor) My heart leapt with fear at first, but the nurse quickly said "you aren't out of the water but this will be Good News." my heart settled.

Our Doctor came in and began to explain what he thinks is going on in terms that I might understand. His diagnosis which is going to be either confirmed or not through blood tests in the next few days is a disorder called, "Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia" (now I am not a big believer in Wikipedia, but this will somewhat explain it to you http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neonatal_alloimmune_thrombocytopenia) What he thinks is happening is that Karsten's platelets are different than Julie's and somewhere in the process of pregnancy, some of Julie's antibodies slipped into Karsten through the umbilical chord. Because Julie's platelets are negative and Karsten's are positive, the antibodies are attaching his positive platelets. The good news is that Julie's platelets cannot survive forever in him (maybe 6 months max). the other good news is that they can transfuse negative platelets into him and if his body accepts them, Julie's antibodies should not be able to kill them off.

So to confirm this theory of the Doctor, they have taken blood test from all 3 of us to see if this is happening. If so then he thinks we are on the right course and in his experience with this disorder, he has seen 5 children go through this and make it through. Once the antibodies are gone, it should be done and he should be a normal infant/toddler at that time. If the test don't confirm this then he could be back to the drawing board (but he seems confidant)

The next step for the day was a platelet transfusion and then 8 hour of waiting and holding him to see if the count goes up. As of Midnight on Monday he was up to 10,000 and even better news at 4am Tuesday morning it had grown to 11,000.

Of course again we wait, but this time with a greater understanding and a wonderful support system of friends and family. Our goal is to update daily on this blog to keep you posted and if we don't return calls or texts very quickly, please understand that we are appreciative but we don't always know what to do.

Sunday June 5th... an unexpected turn...

Sunday began as an incredible day. First we had the introduction of Kaleb (big brother) and Karsten (little brother) or as Kaleb likes to call them, Big K and Little K. Karsten also met his Grandma Godwin who is in town from Ohio to help out with Big K. We also had a visit from our friend Kristy Wood, and that was followed visit by our friends Craig, Stephanie and Caitlyn Barton. Later in the day we had our last visit from our Arizona family, Galen, Vera and Erica Yoder. It was amazingly joy-filled full of people who will be a part of our little boy's life. Karsten was handed around and in the fashion that we quickly saw in our little guy, he was calm, quiet and very adaptive (even to big brother trying to take his hat on and off).

Our first visit from the pediatrician did not seem out of the ordinary, except for a small hesitation that Karsten had some small bruising on his body, which we assumed was from birth, but the doctor wanted to have checked. through a quick blood test.

Because nothing seemed out of the ordinary, I headed home to play with Kaleb while Mama spent time with Karsty. Shortly after I arrived home, as I was playing with Kaleb and we were involved in some sort of light saber battle with his toys, the phone rang. This moment was like none I have every experienced. Julie had hesitation and emotion in her voice that made me immediately drop what I was doing with a quick kiss and apology to Kaleb headed quickly back to the hospital. During that 10 miles of uncertainly, all I knew was that Karsten was on his way to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) and there was something wrong in his blood.

Once here in the NICU, it was explained to us that Karsten's platelet count was dangerously low. In a healthy human, 150,000 is considered low and under 20,000 is considered critical. Our little boy was at 5000 and by the time we got there he was hooked up to so many machines with needles and other things that we looked that he had been through a battle. (and yet not too may whimpers, which we now were seeing that might not just be a laid back personality but a little boy that was just exhausted). And it was now apparent that this little guy is as tough as they come.

Beyond this we did not have any answers and Julie and I entered a 15 hour period of uncertainty that I have never experienced in 37 years. We did not know what to do, we did not know what to say. All of our previous facebook celebration through pictures seised and we began to wait. We were very fortunate that we were able to hold the little boy and love on him. For about an hour or two we hugged on him and kissed him but then he went back to his baby bed (which is kind of like a safety fortress for infants).

And with many tears, we waited and cried and waited...

June 4th 2011- Hello World

Hi World, this is Karsten, our son. He was born on Saturday June 4th 2011 at 9.55pm after a smooth and somewhat brief labor. Weighing a tiny 6 lbs 1 oz, he looked small in comparison to Big brother’s birth, but all the first signs were healthy and possibly a little west coast laid back. We immediately were in love with this little boy, actually that happened 9 months ago when we found out about him! June 4th will be a day etched into our lives and the lives of those around us from now until eternity. He was very responsive to mommy and daddy’s voices and in the first 24 hours did not cry a total of 15 minutes. And Cute does not describe him, but it is a good start. We will post a series of pictures for you to see this handsome little man and begin to fall in love for yourselves! Also following will be some details of Karsten’s journey through life. Journeys are not always easy and certainly not always smooth. But the adventure to find meaning, purpose and love is always worth it. Karsten’s journey in the past days has already been bumpy, but with the help of a great medical staff, loving friends and family and the prayers of countless people, he is taking it a day at a time. We invite you to go on the journey with our son.