8 Weeks = 2 Months! April 19th, 2017

June 25, 2017July 8, 2017 / jennyalden / Leave a comment

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy Easter and belated Passover!

Today our little boy is 34 weeks, and 2 months out of mama.

It was a BIG week for the Spaldens! Here we are on our last day in the U of Colorado NICU, in cardinal red and Stanford gear- ready for the big move!

Mr. Alden Charles Spahn must have known exactly what was up, because he was very wide eyed and alert that day.

Mama explained the trip ahead, and while he was excited to go to California, he knew he would miss all the wonderful caregivers in Colorado who lovingly tended to him during his first weeks of life.

As we took a last lap around the NICU, Kirk started crying, and then I did too… So many feelings, and memories..!

An awesome team arrived to transport the peanut into a massive capsule for his flight out west.

He fit in snug as a bug…

It was tricky trying to maneuver the capsule into the small jet..

But our team figured it out!

We enjoyed scenic views out the window..

And then we Arrived…!But then….
☠️

DISASTER.

In the spirit of trying to stay positive, I will spare you the dissertation I could write on the horrors of the Stanford NICU, and simply say… it was like going from rolling green pastures, to a loud, bright, chaotic, metal farm factory surrounded by sick babies with no privacy, space, or quiet to kangaroo our child.
When I told Kirk on the phone, he thought I was exaggerating.. then he walked in, froze, and declared: “We need to get th F- out of here”

Thus began a 24 hr panic/sob fest where were wracked our brains to get back to the free range fields of our Colorado NICU. We would pay out of pocket if we had too..

WHEN…

baby boy did something marvelous!With the help of sea level air, A.C got off of his hi-flow tube onto Low flow, which qualified him for a level 2 NICU. The very next day we got a transfer to Sequoia hospital, a much more peaceful space that serves as a satellite nursery for Stanford

While Sequoia is still not as great as the U of Colorado- it is a zillion times better than Stanford, and we are relieved and Grateful to be there.

Seeing the Dr. Seuss quote there made made us feel at home..

But WOW, guys.. How LUCKY were we to end up in Colorado in the first place!?! I was appreciative then, but even more so now that I know what’s out there. We must have angels.

In the meantime, Great aunties Betsie and Barbie have visited our boo

And we’re back on the Kangaroo program….

While you may think this is a Sears catalogue shoot for discount pashminas, it’s actually my besties visiting me in Woodside enjoying the fresh, brisk air.

Thank you Julie, Janelle and Kristien for making the flight up north!

Charlie too loves his walks in Woodside..

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On Saturday we had a family reunion in Atherton..

And then another one in Woodside for Easter..

Overall, Alden is doing great. He’s had few episodes (de-sats and bradies) due to the new low-flow, changes and adjustments.. but he’s our little champ.

Thank you all for letting us share this journey with you so far.. !

Xoxo

The Spladens

Week 7- April 9th, 2017

June 25, 2017July 9, 2017 / jennyalden / Leave a comment

Dear Friends and Family,

Well the weather here has the ups and downs of a newborn baby in the NICU. One moment it’s this:

And the next morning you wake up to this..

But despite the lows (like that time Alden turned blue, rolled his eyes back in his head and they couldn’t get him to breathe because…turns out there was a kink in his Oxygen tube… 😱😳😰😫. Mama bear was none too pleased), he is blossoming into beautiful baby boy who’ now rocking Hi-Flo (Hi-✋🏼!)

What a little peanut!
He now weighs 4lb, 3 ounces and you can see the growth in his new footprints on the right. 👣

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And look how peaceful he is under that blanket as he Kangaroos mommy… 😌

So sweet…!

But..

If I’m being candid, he had a moment when they first took him off Cpap.

(Am I the worst mom for that? Okay, now scroll back up again to see how cute he really is)

Btw, Alden‘s pod is between Kanikikalala and Sladanaruvalcaba’s.
No joke

(And they put the Name Alert on Thomas…?)
In the meantime, Kirk and Charlie are beginning to look alike.
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And while Charlie enjoys hallway fetch, he really prefers to feel the wind in his hair.

We’ve connected with amazing peeps in Denver. Thank you to Dartmouth buddy Billy Wynne and wife Christy for introducing us to the most delicious Japanese restaurant!

And speaking of food, I’m developing something of a Gourmet Gummy Bear addiction. (Hey- they have 100% Vitamin C and are only $1.99 at Target!)

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And for the thrilling news?
We’re transferring to Stanford on Monday afternoon! 🛩 Mommy gets to fly on the Lear jet with the peanut and medical team (thank you insurance!), and Kirky and Charlie will fly seperately on Virgin America ✈️

I can’t believe it has now been 7 weeks. Those first weeks felt like 7 years, and now it all seems to have flown by! I prayed for this moment.. to see a cute chubby baby healthy enough for a transfer, and here we are.
His due date is still not for another month and a half, but it is a relief to see him developing so well. We are just in awe of him.

XOXO
The Spaldens~

Ps: the flowers survived the snow storm..

Week 6 – April 2nd

June 25, 2017July 9, 2017 / jennyalden / Leave a comment

Dear Friends and family,

Today our little boo is 6 weeks old! Well, he’s still not supposed to be born until May 24th, but he’s been out of the oven and baking in Aurora for 6 weeks..

Weighing in at almost 4lbs now, he could totally take on that VOGUE magazine..

Look how sweet he is!

Friday he had his big eye exam and is exactly were he’s supposed to be for a 32 weeker. (Which I guess means going cross-eyed at moments is perfectly fine for now..

)

And you can see in better lighting how blonde he is! Brows, lashes and all..

Kirk and I are getting into the swing of things in Colorado. We’ve found some amazing food joints. Who knew once you get out of the chain restaurant ruck there are incredible farm to table places here?! A foodie’s paradise!

We’ve also been lucky enough to have some home cooked meals- Thanks Jeff Salzenstein and parents Jan and Miles for the incredible rack of lamb! (Sorry Vegan friends)

(Ladies, Jeff is single…

)

Also, thanks to the Favre family (er, Beers) for the delicious gluten free Lasagna.

And nothing could beat the Umbrella show performance we had after dinner. #PartyTime

Tommy Haas made a special Denver stop to see our A.C! (Happy birthday to Tommy tomorrow!!!

)

And Uncle Chris and Aunt Daphne flew out to visit as well 🙂

They managed to escape with Kirk to a local Escape Room.. which of course was nothing like the one Chris designed at the Palace of Fine Arts in SF

(Palace-Games.com plug!)

As for Charlie, he digs playing fetch down the endlessly long hallways of our hotel..

He’s also gotten into March Madness

It seems my pump schedule through the night is really taking a toll on the boys, though..

Kirk and I are still Kangarooing the boo for hours everyday, and enjoying all the fun gifts y’all are sending- like this swanky Beverly Hills Hotel bear (thanks Steve and Katia!)

I asked the NICU nurses if they can tell a difference between babies who get a lot of Kangaroo time and those who don’t. They said though Alden is alert and lively, he’s a lot calmer than the other babies there. The ‘roo time is certainly a part of it.. also they said it could be genetics or the fact I didn’t do drugs when I was pregnant ( low bar in the NICU).

Before we ‘roo the Boo, we go to Moo.

Moo is our local ice-cream spot where we get our daily shake on (and I wonder why I’m the only person to keep putting weight on after the baby’s born.. I’m trying to up my milk production!

)

You can just see the look of sheer joy and delight in Kirk’s eyes when we first discovered the joint.

On Monday we’re going to try again to get Alden off his Cpap (the mask) and back on Hi-Flow (the tube).

Depending on how this goes, it looks like we may get a transfer to Stanford Hospital as early as next Thursday!!

Kirk and I will be living in my childhood home in Woodside until A.C is out of the hospital and construction on our house in LA is completed this summer.

Pretty neat my son will be coming home to the same place I did when I returned from Stanford hosptial as a newborn.

(And like his grandma Connie Spahn was born near Denver..!)

Thank you all for your continued love and support.

Despite the challanges we face, you make us feel like the luckiest for having such incredible people in our lives.

Xoxo

The Spaldens

ps: Our address from mid April- to late June

Jenny & Kirk Spahn

440 Manzanita Way

Woodside, CA

94062

Nearly 5 Weeks- March 24th

June 25, 2017June 25, 2017 / jennyalden / Leave a comment

Dear friends and family- it seems to be that time people are checking in again for another update… So here you go!

Spring is springing in Aurora!
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And so too is our little boo.
Here’s a pic of him off his Cpap scuba gear onto the High-Flo tube. This upgrade lasted a whole 12 hours before he had to go back onto Cpap thanks to constant “Bradies” (when your child turns blue from his heart completely stopping.. things you get used to in the NICU 🙄)

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But come on, how cute is he?.. Yes, he resembles the monkeys in Ubud, but we’re completely smitten. 🐒

We think Kirk set a record for the longest Kangaroo care in one setting.. almost 5 hours!..of not peeing…

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As for Charlie, our nightly face off for which one gets to cuddle daddy has been resolved but him discovering the humidifier. Before, he would wake up at 4am dry hacking the thin air up here.. now he sleeps off to the side right under the mist, and I get my hubby back. ✌🏼

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He still hogs him during the day, though..

We’ve had friends and family visiting.. like Uncle Greggy!

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Greg had the best intentions of getting Alden this baby hat with his name on it.. but you can see, it could probably fit his whole body in it!.. oops. Someday!
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Grandma and Grandpa Spahn also made their way here on their 50th Wedding Anniversary trip!!! Cheers to them! 🥂👏🏼😍

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We also had great time catching up with these cool cats below (Mortimer Sackler, Matija Pecotic, Kathie A, Connie & Stephen S, Gordon Uehling, and it wouldn’t be a proper dinner without Charlie)

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(And if I look fat here, it’s because I totally am)

By the by, our child smells like baking vanilla creamy dreamyness.. Like creme brûlée, a butterscotch chip blondie, vanilla frosting or oddly, this non-minty smelling mint floss

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A.C Spahnny seems to double in size every time I see him. He now ways 3.2lbs! 🙌🏼
That said, he’s still smaller thank this Sneetch (granted, it is a sizable Sneetch)

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And this Velveteen Rabbit (Hi Timmy Evans!)

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And this blue bear from the Uehling family

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It was wonderful to have Gordon, Rehana, Zen, Zia, and Vickie all here to give Alden their love!! He especially appreciated the lullaby Zia wrote and sang for him 😌🎵

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And who doesn’t love Grandma/Kika’s TLC?!

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Here’s Kirk on a much deserved Boy’s Night out with Bode Miller and Greg Hill

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And our wall is looking amazing.

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Thank you everyone so much for your care packages, photos, well wishes and most importantly prayers. 🙏🏼
While baby Spahnny is a NICU rockstar in our minds, the poor thing has gone through many needles, IVs, blood draws, antibiotics, Bradies, and hears the constant sounds of beeps and alarms going off, all in his lonely isolette. 😔

His most recent brain scans didn’t show any bleeding (yay), but there did appear to be some inflammation. This grey matter in the scans could be as innocent as a smudge from the computer pixilation, or other something else.. so yea, there’s that.
If you could continue to keep him in your thoughts, please send bright light to his head for a brilliant, sparkling brain free of inflammation!!!! (And his heart murmur, and his gut biome to be healthy from antibiotics, and his lungs to breath well! So yea, just pray for his health, please..!)

Love love love,
Kirk, Jenny, Charlie, and the child we keep accidentally calling Charlie, Alden..
😙

XOXOXO

Week 3-4, March 15

June 25, 2017June 25, 2017 / jennyalden / Leave a comment

Dear friends and family,
It seems to be that time where y’all are itching for another update.. so here it goes!

The day after my last message little Boo needed a blood transfusion since he was left white and pale from all the blood samples they took from him. But after the infusion he looked pink and vibrant.. it was quite an improvement!

Here he is saying “Yay!” With open eyes!

Additionally, he’s filling out and now weighs a whole 2 lbs, 11 ounces 👊🏼
I mean, he still weighs less than a VOGUE magazine (literally- that thing weighs 4.5 lbs.. it could eat our child), but he’s gone up a diaper size, which is progress.

Here’s is a pic of his first diaper next to a regular New Born’s diaper.

Another pic for perspective.. check out Alden rocking my wedding ring on his wrist. Makes for a super fancy cuff.. 💍

Please note, the IV is off his arm- no more antibiotics! Seems he is clear of the Meningitis scare, his white blood cells look normal, and mama and papa are much relived! 🙏🏼

We’re still Kangarooing him like cray to help him grown with lots of love. 💗

Kirk and I log in about 9-10 hours at the hospital a day. While there is a Chinese water torture aspect to the whole NICU experience in Aurora, Colorado, I’m also shocked at how fast the days have turned.. I mean, look at all those Xs on the month of March already!

Despite the hours in the hospital filling up our days, Kirk still finds time for quality reading..

And since you’re dying to hear about Aurora, here are some pics from our window and our walk to the hospital to show you how happening this place is:

I mean, there isn’t even a Starbucks in sight!

But it’s okay, because we have each other, and now even Charlie’s here.

He’s not quite sure what we’re doing here, but he likes that the garbage in our hotel room is way easier to access than the one in our old kitchen. (Charlie…! 😒)

We’ve been lucky enough to have fun visitors! In addition to our moms, and Kirk’s friend Glenny… Taryn Southern and Blake Spahn were in town for 24 hours to take us out for real food!

And though Aurora may look bleak, there are moments when you catch a breathtaking sunset, look to the heavens and think- Life is Beautiful, and Everything is going to work out, exactly as it should! 😌

Finally, I leave with a message for the little man himself..

XOXOXO