Archive for » September, 2007 «

Glow Worm days are over!

24 Sep 2007 by

gianna-bililight.jpg

Here’s Gianna sporting her Glow Worm outfit a.k.a. her bili-light.  Some of you have asked about the bili-light so I thought I’d take a picture so you could see.   It wraps around the baby’s torso and is hooked up to a machine that “feeds” light through a tube to the bili-blanket.  Gianna had to be on it for 23 hours a day.  She was allowed off only to go to the doctor visits.  This bili-blanket only covered half of her torso.  (Some wrap all the way around the torso–like the one Therese had when she was born.) So  we had to move it to the other half after 10-11 hours and keep rotating it.  As you might imagine, nursing and sleeping was not the easiest thing to do.  On top of that the machine wasn’t very portable, so we were pretty much confined to her crib and our bed. 

The good news, though, is that we were officially released from the bili-light this afternoon.  Gianna’s bilirubin level went down to 12.9!!  Praise the Lord!  And she managed to gain half a pound over the weekend!  Woohoo!!!

Thank you again for all your prayers!  And thank you to Our Lady of San Juan and of course St. Gianna!

Category: Family  One Comment

Baby-moon

23 Sep 2007 by

Today is the last day of our Baby-moon.  Adam heads back to work tomorrow.  The kids have been remarkabley filled with grace and patience during this time that has provided us a few unexpected challenges. 

Gianna has been waking on her own since yesterday to nurse and let us know she needs a change… Adam and I have never prayed so much for poopy diapers!  And she has been a trooper adjusting to life with her biliblanket.  She’s so very sweet, a great nurser (despite the fact that she didn’t gain weight when her bilirubin levels were increasing), and a good sleeper.  When given the choice between the hard flat mattress in the cradle or sleeping cuddled next to me, I win hands down! :)   Having carried her around for 9 months in my womb, I find it hard to sleep without her right next to me.  She also knows when meal times are and cries quite loudly for her share!  Her voice is heard in the mix with Fulton’s and Therese’s when it’s breakfast, lunch and dinner time. 

Before I can get formal “thank yous” out, I just want to extend our gratitude to all of you who have called, emailed, visited, brought flowers, gifts, meals, watched the kids, and especially interceeded to our Blessed Lord with all your prayers.  Your generosity has been a blessing. 

Category: Family  One Comment

Juandice update

21 Sep 2007 by

The good news is Gianna’s bilirubin level is going down.  It was 15.9 today.

The bad news is that it only went down one point and she didn’t gain weight in the last three days.  So, she will have to stay wrapped in the bililight blanket all weekend.  And we have to go back to the doctor’s on Monday to check her weight.  Please pray that her liver starts doing its job and that she starts eating like her big brother!

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Gianna’s Jaundice

20 Sep 2007 by

First we’ll ask you to please pray for Gianna and that she will quickly recover from her jaundice.  Adam mentioned Gianna’s jaundice in his previous post.  Here is what has transpired since.

Gianna tested positive for Coombs.  It’s the same thing Therese had when she was born.  Both girls have different blood types than me: A-.  I’m O+.  But my blood passes to them in utero and our blood types mix.  Even though all babies get some jaundice after they are born, babies who are positive Coombs often have higher levels and hence more severe jaundice because the antigens in our blood types are incompatible.

So Gianna’s bilirubin levels went from 9.3 on Sunday when we left the hospital to 15 on Monday, 17 on Tuesday and 19 yesterday.  When it gets to the high teens and 20s phototherapy is needed.  So, like Therese, Gianna is now attached to the bililight until her bilirubin levels go down to 12 or 13.   Today’s level was 16.9. Praise God it’s going down.

For the most part, this is all pretty normal.  The only complications that Gianna has over Therese is that Gianna received a hemotoma (a bruise on the head–blood between skull and skin) and a few other bruises on the face (one in her eye) during birth.  Bruising produces additional bilirubin.  (That’s why our skin turns yellowish when we bruise.)  Her bruising may keep the level elevated longer than normal.

So at this point what we need is for Gianna to nurse well, gain weight and poop.    She hasn’t gained weight since Tuesday or she may have lost a couple of ounces.  That’s not good to me, but the doc hasn’t suggested supplementing with formula yet.  The bililight does cause some dehydration.  She was born 8 lbs 9 oz.  She’s back up to 8 lbs.  She’s also not pooping a lot.  Pooping gets rid of the bilirubin apparently.

For us this means we have to go into the doc’s every morning to get her blood drawn and get her levels checked.  I also have to wake her ( and me) every two hours to nurse her. This is tiring, and she a good night sleeper too; but it must be done.  This evening it has been especially difficult to wake her.  And it has been emotionally difficult for me to hold my limp little baby in my arms and struggle to nurse her.  I know this too shall pass…

Thanks you in advance for all your prayers.

Category: Family  3 Comments

Gianna Maria Gretencord

17 Sep 2007 by

It was with great joy we welcomed Gianna Maria Gretencord to the family last Friday. She was born at 9:53am at St. David’s Hospital. Gianna weighed in at 8 lb 9oz and is 20.25 inches long. Mom is recovering nicely and baby is doing quite well. She loves to eat and sleep which works fine for us.

Gianna Maria born

Thérèse loves her little sister and frequently requests to hold and kiss her. Fulton has had this “not interested” attitude for some time but last night we caught him waving “good night” to her.

I updated Gianna’s page with the new information. I’ll let Sharon have the honors of telling the birth story. Trust me, this is one we will never forget!

Our one concern at this moment is that Gianna’s blood type is A negative – which is the same as Thérèse’s. If you recall, Thérèse had a serious case of jaundice when she was born. Gianna looks to be heading down the same path. Today’s visit to the pediatrician has shown that her bilirubin count has skyrocketed. She goes back tomorrow for another test. Despite all her best efforts with continual feedings, it hasn’t worked it’s way out of her system. We’ll keep you posted.

Category: Family  7 Comments

Motorcycling in Texas

12 Sep 2007 by

When it comes to driving in Texas, registering an out-of-state scooter has been the hardest thing I’ve done. The process was long and tedious – although partly due to the fact I was rebuilding the scooter simultaneously. However, I certainly could of saved a few trips to the DMV. Here are some tips that may benefit someone who would happen to stumble upon this post while looking for the same information I had:

Getting the Title

  • Make sure the title has been filled out correctly. If a dealer is selling it on behalf of the owner, may sure that the owner has dictated this on the title by completing the reassignment.
  • Get an accurate reading on the odometer.
  • I had my own troubles with the title (see the first item), but not having one would have been worse. I’ve been told however that there are ways to obtaining one.

Transfering the Title

  • Save yourself some time and have the seller fill out form 130-U Application for Certificate of Title (instructions) at the time of sale. This form will also serve as a Bill of Sale, but I’d also ask for one of those anyway.
  • Make sure that the seller’s name on this form matches the name on the title – including dealer vs. owner. In my case, the dealer did not reassign himself as the seller on the title but did on the application. The DMV caught this. Rather than sending the title back to the dealer to do a reassignment and complete a statement of fact, I tracked down the original owner and had him mail me a completed 130-U. Now the dealer was out of the picture.
  • If your bike is less than 10 years old, make sure the odometer readings on 130-U and on the title are an exact match. I had a discrepancy of a single mile and the clerk went into a panic. She was about to send me away to who knows where until she noticed that my bike was built in 1974.

Title without Registration
If your bike is not ready for registration (i.e. hasn’t passed inspection) but you want to avoid the penalty for going over 20 days, you can complete VTR-131 Request to Issue Negotiable Certificate of Title Without Registration (Title Only). However, you will have to pay the application fee ($33 in Williamson county) again when you go back to register. I was already 30-days past the date of sale so I just decided to wait until I was ready for registration before transferring the title.

Registration

  • Form 130-U will also serve as your registration. You’ll also need proof of insurance and an inspection.
  • If the bike does not have a license plate, you’ll need a temporary one to get it to the inspection station, unless you can haul it. They are available for either $5 for a 1-way plate or $25 for a 30-day plate. I don’t understand the point of the 1-way deal or how it would even be enforced. I just got the 30-day plate since I didn’t know when I could take it in. Be prepared to pay cash only for one of these babies.

Inspection

  • Any location that performs motor vehicle inspections can inspect your bike… or so I’m told. I recommend Sticker Stop if there’s one in your neighborhood.
  • Here the official checklist of what’s covered. For the brake check they’ll ask you to stop within 20 ft going 20mph.
  • Motorcycles/Scooters do not have to undergo an emissions test.
  • If your bike was purchased out of state, be sure to tell the inspectors. There’s a different form they need to give you instead of the standard inspection report. I don’t recall the form name or number but it’s along the lines of Safety Inspection Report for Vehicles Purchases Outside the State of Texas. I had to return to Sticker Stop to get this thing. They just saw my temporary plate and assumed it was bought in Texas.
Category: Vespa  4 Comments

Happy Birthdays

11 Sep 2007 by

Just in case you’re wondering if Baby G has graced us with his/her presence outside the womb…the answer is no.   It’s not his/her birthday today.  I’m still here wondering how close I’ll get to looking like Shamu and ever so thankful that Adam has not insisted on taking very many pictures of me during my pregnancy.   We will let you know as soon as Adam gets home from the hospital and can post it or email you.

In the meantime, a very happy birthday to Fr. Tim today and for my brother, Hector, tomorrow!  May God shower countless blessing upon you both and Jesus, Mary and Joseph always guide and protect you!  Therese insisted on making cake for you but I told her we’d wait until you come visit!

Category: Family  One Comment

Like Father

10 Sep 2007 by

Thérèse: Daddy, can I have a scooter?
Daddy: Of course you can, sweetheart.. We just need to get your mother to approve.

Category: Family, Fun, Vespa  One Comment

All Geared Up

09 Sep 2007 by

You won’t catch me doing any of this nonsense on the scooter:

Roman Holiday Vespa

Obviously Mr. Peck never completed a motorcycle safety course. I could list the number of infractions he has incurred in this very photo but I have not the time.

This is certainly more suitable for modern Austin traffic:

Adam Vespa Gear

Category: Vespa  2 Comments

Happy Birthday, Mother Mary

08 Sep 2007 by

Therese with Mary’s Cake

Category: Faith, Family  Leave a Comment
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