From China with Love: Letter to Baby Rhonda : Entry for February 24, 2009

A letter from a friend in Jiangsu,China.

We started out as business associates, and been corresponding for about a year. Her name is Linda, but her birth-name is Xiao Yin. She is 23 yrs old and a very sweet girl who works hard and seldom sees her family from where she lives, only taking the train on holidays for 4 days at a time. We have become great penpals in the past year, celebrating our respective holidays and sending each other e-greetings to go with our holidays. It's been a wonderful experience, and helps to make the world a more tolerable place to live, knowing that we are not hated so much by people of various parts of the world. It has taught me that we are all in this together and I hope we never lose that One-ness that is so important to us, if we are to survive.


From: jiangyin0920
Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2009 8:01 PM
To: Sandra Schwab
Subject: baby

Dear Sandra.

Congratulations to you! I am very happy to hear that...Wish they all ok!

I will looking forward to hearing more about your little grandchild.Last weekend, I went to attend Japanese Class in our downtown, now I have few time to spend with my bf. Hehe...Maybe several months later when I finish classes. I will conside to marry maybe in 2-4years.Hehe...But all will be depending on the reality.

Best regards for you!

Linda

---

网易邮箱，中国第一大电子邮件服务商

Hello Linda! thank you dear Friend!

I have pictures of Tiny One, her name is Rhonda Renee Ryan.

She was taken off the respirator on Monday, is breathing on her own. She will be in hospital until mid-April when she is fully developed. She requires daily blood transfusions until her tiny body starts to produce their own blood cells. She is so fragile and helpless!

The New mom, CJ, went home on Sunday and is feeling much better! I will pass your well -wishes along to her and tell her someone in China cares, that will make her smile! :-)

My daughter CJ is so lucky to have a good hospital and insurance. I am hurting so much that she has to go through this, but I feel that Baby Rhonda is in a good place and will be in the care of good people.

I don't pray much, but if you have a prayer for tiny babies, can you send one for Rhonda, please? I don't know what her role in life will be, only a Higher Power knows that - we just need to see that her journey is a safe one.

I'll send more pictures and news when I have more. I hope you get to see your BF again soon and I hope the time goes by fast. You have your whole life ahead of you, so there is no hurry, only today and tomorrow and tomorrow.

Hugs to you!

Sandra

Pictures of Baby Rhonda at Last!!

CJ called today!

She came home Sunday afternoon-they stopped at BabyWorld to pick up the crib mattress, and she called while waiting in the car~ SHE SOUNDS GREAT!

Today she is walking on Clouds, she sounds sooooo good and her mood is elevated. So good to hear, after her ordeal. The last 4 months have been rough on her, the pregnancy just didn't agree with her.

They have her on BP meds, for pre-eclampsia, which is normal from what I read. She may only need them for a few days, until her body returns to normal.

She's had one blood transfusion already as she is too small to produce her own blood cells, I don't know for how long they will need to do this. There's so much going on, at least she is in good hands~

In other news, new Daddy (the keyword being NEW) built the crib, in the living room. Can you guess where this one is going?? Def. not through the bedroom doorway. Daddy Dearest has to disassemble and re-assemble in the actual room it's to be residing in..Needless to say, Mommy thought it was hilarious..

We appreciate all your comments, please post them here for the Proud Parents to read!! Thanks for all your support!!!

Without further ado, here are the first Pictures of Rhonda!

Baby Rhonda Updates~Sandra's Babyblather : February 20, 2009

I got a call from Mommy today!!! They got hers and the baby's infection under control and think they will send Mommy home tomorrow (Sat).
CJ said her appetite, which had been a roller-coaster since the onset of her pregnancy, literally returned to normal as soon as they took the baby and closed her up. She couldn't wait to get back to her room and get something to eat!

She didn't think things were going so bad that she'd need any morphine, so she restrained herself all day yesterday while she was laying in bed. Today when they got her up to go see her baby, she said she instantly regretted not having took her meds. So she's on mild pain relief for now, but she sounded sooooo good! Her bounce was back in her voice, and I hope she is over the worst for this ordeal. She's going to need to be strong in the coming days and weeks, so she can truck back and forth to the hospital to see her new Little One~

Baby Rhonda will have to stay for about 8 more weeks until she's fully developed, but CJ says she looks great and is even trying to pull her monitor wires and tummy tube out, and is kicking and flopping around like a tadpole out of water!

They have a naval tube in her tummy to feed her for now. CJ decided not to pursue breast-feeding, in light of the fact she would have to run back and forth, pump apparatus, collecting milk, etc, and doesn't think she's up to all that and would rather they start her on a bottle when the time is right.

I was going to pack DD18 in the car and head down middle of next week but CJ said to wait, and unless she gets sick or something changes, she'd rather I wait until the baby shower in April, so I'll have to content myself with waiting on news between now and then.

I'll post pictures as soon as I get anything from down there~ wish us luck!!!

This is the pattern thus far on the baby blanket I'm working on. I'm on repeat #2 and most likely will need more yarn-I made it bigger than the original pattern called for, that last one I did for Hunter was a doll blanket when I got done, pffffffffft.



Hopefully I'll have photos soon, DIL said she got something but it was fuzzy and too many hands in the way, so I'll wait until someone else sneaks a shot from the Neonatal Unit.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and well-wishes, they are much appreciated!!!

Sandra Flies Away

Baby Rhonda is here~

Posted Today at 02:39 PM


Hey Guys,
I'm a grandma again (#3). Baby Rhonda was born today by emergency C-section at approx 1:08pm- she weighted in at 2 lb, 15 oz. 14 3/4" long.

CJ called me this morning saying they were going to do an amniocentesis to see if her mystery infection had reached baby. For reasons I'm not clear on, they canceled the procedure and decided to go ahead and deliver.

They said she has an infection of the uterus and its spread through her blood to her whole body and its infected the baby as well. The baby's heart rate is fine right now and the doctors don't seem to worried but shes only at 31.5 weeks and that's just dangerously early.

Mom and baby are on antibiotics. Baby was coughing up infected amniotic fluid. Mom may get to go home in 4-5 days, Baby will remain until Mid April.

I'll update as I get more news. CJ did indicate early on in this pregnancy, she does not intend to have any more children, this will be her one Miracle.

3: 20pm: I just talked to CJ, they are doing fine. They determined she has endometritis (infection of the uterine lining)

Thank you for your thoughts, and keep them coming! We're gonna need all the help we can get.
Sandra

Time in a Bottle...or it's 3:33am, do you know where your ID is? Entry for February 18, 2009

Id, ego, and super-ego:

Do you notice a certain time of the day/night that repeatedly comes to the forefront of your Awareness Radar?

For me, it's 3:33. usually pm. If I'm still awake at 3:33am, I'm not a Happy Camper. For me, that time of the night, that which I call the Twilight, is a deeply disturbing time for me, and I don't like being there....

There's only one thing that sticks in my mind. Someone once told me, that if the same numbers keep appearing to you, in one form or another, then, "things are right in your universe." whatever that means?

Tonight, Igor went up stairs by himself, and DH and I looked at each other and said at the same time, "What is he doing up there?" He NEVER goes upstairs by himsel. He hangs with us all day, and only goes when it's time for bed and both of us head upstairs with Igor's Bed Bundle, Igor in tow.

We have a special Guest there sometimes. We don't usually speak of "her" aloud, but when a certain friend brought it up out of the clear blue, we perked up.

As I said before, Igor never goes upstairs, unless it's to dig some long-forgotten chew-bone out of his picnic basket. Tonight, when I went to see what he was doing, I crept up silently as I could. Dogs' ears pick up sounds we 4-leggeds cannot detect, so I knew I would likely be detected before I could see what it was he was up to.
When I reached the top of the stairs and looked over to the right into the livingroom, he was nowhere to be seen... that was odd, since his Toy Basket (the Picnic Basket) sits right at the top of the stairs leading into the livingroom....

As I turned and looked down the hall in the other direction, he came trotting out of the Guest Bedroom, with nothing more on his mind than to look at me as if to say, "What?"

I wonder if our Guest has taken a liking to Igor now....I'll have to keep my eyes and ears open more, but my radar has not picked up on anything recently...

Beats me with a stick. I'm goin' to bed.

g'night~ Me

Day 10: DD32 is still in the hospital..... :*(

I've been really distracted and feeling like I'm walking in Spirit World lately...

got a call from my SIL last Friday, my preg DD32 is still in the hospital. She has 10 weeks to go before Baby Rhonda's due date....

The home IV they had her hooked up to for her nightly 12-hour drip (for dehydration/nauses) was working fine the first week, although she was getting a bit depressed merely by looking at it, those tubes and corks hanging from her inner arm...she sent me a picture on her cell phone, I almost lost it.

As the Home Nurse took the daily blood tests, she noticed the white cell count kept rising...by Thursday the 5th, it became a real concern. CJ told me she was going in for a new IV, and that should be it.

Then I got a call from her DH, on Tues, saying they were keeping her, possibly until Thurs. (same time Eadwine was in hospital, come to think of it....)

I sent her a package in the mail on Friday, figured she'd get it in time for Valentine's Day. When I didn't hear from her over the weekend, I got a little miffed-it's not unusual for her to come home from an episode, and not call me with updates for a couple days, too exhausted to deal with anyone.
So I called her cell phone today, she is still in the hospital! They had ruled out the tubes and needle as being a possible source of the bacterial infection, and have an ECG scheduled for later tonight. They want to check her heart (?) because they have run every other test and this may tell them something (?).....

I started her baby blanket this morning.


I can whip this baby out in a week or so if I don't pick up my knitting needles again...I can do this......keeps me focused, when I'd otherwise be wringing my hands while my brain is going 90...

DMIL emailed me tonight, telling me to put my knitting needles away, rip out my Baby Feet Dishcloth from hell, make a pretty ball, and wait until she comes over and helps me figure out a couple stitches I keep getting hung up over...

I think I was stitching my worries into the unwitting dishcloth, and that is why it turned out as it did. I know I can do better than that. :mad:

I played with Igor tonight, but I was still too distracted to give even him my full attention. I'll pay for it at bedtime when I try to climb into my side, only to have to Roll the Poodle......and he doesn't move voluntarily these days.

g'night~ Me

*Bad* Kitty Gone Good Dishcloth ~ DONE!

Project info

Name: *Bad* Kitty Gone Good Dishcloth

Pattern: Kate the Cat Cloth by Rhonda White

Craft: Knitting

Made for: DMIL

Size: 6" Square

Needle and yarn

Needle: US / 7.0 mm

Yarn: Lily Sugar'n Cream Solid

How much? 1 skeins = 95.0 yards (86.9m)

Colorway: Tea Rose

Color family: Pink

Purchased at: Herrschners in Stevens Point, Wisconsin

Notes
Bad Kitty started out off on the wrong paw, 1st four rows of kitty off by 1 stitch…

Many thanks to Cyberseams videos for excellent intstructions!

I’m leaving this picture of Bad Kitty up, so I can be reminded daily, it’s worth taking the time to do it right, even if it means starting over.

And finally, thanks to khyricat for inspiring me to do the right thing

On to the next project, "Baby Feet" ...can you guess who for?

Project Dishcloth Entry for February 11, 2009

Sugar'n Cream Naturals - Dishcloth (knit)

Project info

Name: Sugar'n Cream Naturals - Dishcloth (knit)

Pattern: Sugar'n Cream Naturals - Dishcloth (knit) by Lily / Sugar'n Cream

Craft: Knitting

Made for: Test -Self

Size: Approx 10 ins [25.5 cm] square.

Needle and yarn

Needle: US 9 / 5.5 mm

Yarn: Lily Sugar'n Cream Naturals

How much? 1 skeins = 95.0 yards (86.9m)

Colorway: Terra Firma

Color family: Brown

Purchased at: Herrschners in Stevens Point, Wisconsin

Notes

baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah I dropped a stitch half-way back!!

Knit 10 rows, frog 5…..

DMIL says this one is a great pattern because it won’t roll up on the edges, since it’s worked from corner to corner~

Finally finished it, YIPPY SKIPPY! I can’t stop playing with this one, it’s sooooo soft~

on to the next project~Makin a *Happy Kitty* dishcloth, in place of the *Bad Kitty* dishcloth.

Kthanksbye!

Drinking Alcohol While Operating Power Tools : Entry for February 04, 2009

I can't believe that was even news-worthy..but apparently Fox 6 News (local) thought it worth mentioning....... DH is ROFLing, says he's going to invent a new style hair stick, after he has a beer.

Some drunk idiot (admittedly so) in Menomonee Falls, shot a family Golden Retriever, after mistaking it for a coyote. AS IF shooting a gun at anything is even ok??????

The Retriever is miraculously doing ok. The bullet went through his shoulder and exited his chest, missing all vital organs and bones. He is a Lucky Dog!!

Menomonee Falls, WI Police said coyotes are a recurring theme up there, but never a problem. They are going to press charges against the Shooter. I hope ASPCA gets wind of this and castrates the gun-happy Local Yokal.

In unrelated, and decidedly more sobering news, there was an explosion at the WE plant at Oak Creek yesterday-7 people were injured, 1 critically burned. There was breaking news all day and THAT was news-worthy.

DD32 sent an email out-progress updates: She is finally keeping food down, teh nausea is gone and although she will still be on the IV pump for another couple weeks, she is feeling SOOOOOOOOOOoo much better already, and is even putting on a little weight. I'm almost sure that's some edema from all the IV's, but hey, that's ok as long as it's going in and not coming right back out.

Here's the almost-finished Pretty Kitties Doily. I'm about 3 dtr dec away from finished, and will get Mike to take a good picture when done.

I still haven't responded to (name withheld to protect the innocents) stupid outburst about our "f****g dog" and how we don't go anywhere without him, and most likely won't. Instead, I'm blogging my ass off in Yahoo! 360. Much of it is reminiscences and ramblings~

I get my point across.

Rag-Tag Dishcloth

Sugar'n Cream Naturals-Dishcloth



I got this far on a new project, only to find I had dropped a stitch half-way down~ Arrrrrrgggggghhhhhhh!!

Don't bother trying to find it, it's already ripped out and I'm redoing it. Anyway, this was suppose to be the easiest dishcloth pattern EVER and I managed to screw even this one up right off the bat.

I haven't knitted in years, so I'm still rusty at this but it's all coming back to me now. (que Celine Dion song)

Once I manage to finish this dishcloth, I have several new ones on my Projects list. This is going to be fun, I can tell already!

Toodles, Poodles!

Me~

A Tail of Two Kittehs >^..^<

I finally finished up the Pretty Kitties Doily for DD32 as a Post Baby Gift for the new Mommie. She's due in April but she already knows I'm making this for her. I did it in Pink naturally, since she's expecting a baby girl

This was easy as projects go. I used a heavier cotton and the blocking was less time-consuming.

I'm going to make the Black Cats Doily next Fall, if not sooner~

I shed few hairs over this one, it was smooth sailing all the way, and it turned out to be a nice size at 20 1/2".

Hopefully by this time next week, my next baby-project will be well underway. I'm chomping at the bit to get started!

G'night~

Me.