The Story of Emmie-Rose

This is the story of a little girl that came into this world way ahead of schedule. Now fighting day by day until she can be home with her family. This is Emmie's story. From 23 weeks old on...

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Can't Believe Its been 3 Years!!!!





Today You would have turned 3! You were/are the Strongest person I have ever met in My life. You were a true FIGHTER and didnt let anyone tell You otherwise! You took everything so graciously and without complaint. You surpassed everyone's "time frame". Even though it was said You should go and You were withheld Your basic needs (Mommy and Daddy Fought Hard) You lived for 16 more days! Emmie-Rose, You are My Hero!!!!

I remember so well the day You were born! I knew You werent due yet but I was having "labor pains" which wasnt right. You were only 24.5 wks at the time. We called the docs and went into the L & D to find out what was going on. Eventually they figured out that You wanted to come today (LOL, You were in a hurry to see the WORLD). Everyone prepped and We delivered in the OR to be closer to the NICU. There were all kinds of people there to greet You when You made Your Grand Entrance! My Doc put You on My chest and You were the Most Beautiful, "Perfect" Little Girl (along with Your sisters, :) ) that I had ever seen! Truly amazing! You were 1.5lbs of Joy! I had never seen a Baby so small but soo beautiful all in one! A few minutes later, You were whisked away by the NICU Docs to give You the Support You needed for Your tiny little body to function better. My Doc made sure I was okay and finished taking care of Me before moving Me back to My room. Then We had to sit and wait... How hard was that, You may ask.... It was one of the hardest and longest waits of My life. I just wanted to hold You and make everything okay! I didnt want You to have to carry that heavy burden. You were too little to have to carry all that yourself. Its a blur how long it took before We could come into the NICU to see You! I do have to say, I was totally freaking out. Chris pushed Me up to Your bed after We washed up, and told Me I could open the porthole and touch Your Sweet little hand. I have to admit, I was really scared, I had him touch You first. When I did touch You that first time, I NEVER wanted to let You go!!! You had wires and tubes all over You and heat to keep You warm. The Nurses would explain what was going to happen next and what they were going to do throughout the day etc. The hardest thing to hear was I couldnt hold You yet. I stayed in the hospital for 4 days and then I had to be released. That was hard knowing I had to walk out of that hospital without My Baby Girl with Me. We visited everyday and there were always changes whether good or bad. Daddy called all the time to check on You when We werent there. We were always in contact with the Nurses/Docs to make sure You were getting the Best Care and We were always in the Loop of Care. As the days went on, there were setbacks but there were improvements as well. We were told when You stabilized that You would have to be transferred to another hospital due to Insurance. We were really sad about this situation as We were getting comfortable (loosely used) at the first hospital. So on the Upside of things.... You improved enough to be tranferred, You had Your first ride in a vehicle (and LOVED IT), and got to be "outside" the 4 Walls of a Hospital for a little while. We followed right behind You the whole way. We were soo happy when We got there and they told Us You had a "blast" in the Ambulance. :) You definitely experienced Michigan Bumpy Roads for sure!! LOL Anyways... after You arrived, and We talked to the Staff, We were told We wouldn't be able to see You for a long time. We were super upset about that. They stated that they had to do tests on You (that had just been done at the previous Hospital but..) and We had to just wait. A LONG time passes and they finally allowed Us to see You! Unfortunately, You contracted E Coli twice from this hospital due We feel to unclean work practices. We helped give you "bath(s)" in Your bed and helped change your bedding. Daddy changed a few diapers which was really cool! :) At one point You were off of IV's and most meds, You still had Your breathing tubes because they hadnt tried to hard to wean You off and Your lungs were still trying to develop. You also had a feeding tube due to the breathing tube, but that was it. What an accomplishment. In two months You had thrived so much! We were soo excited about your progress though We knew "We" werent out of the Woods just yet. We knew there could be a million more obstacles along the road ahead but We were completely fine with that. Then One day the We were given extremely horrible News You had contracted Necrotizing Enterocolitis(NEC for short)(Please check out this pdf file for full explaination of this condition: http://www.greenhosp.org/pe_pdf/women_NEC.pdf). We had NO CLUE what they were saying to Us except that You were in Grave Condition and things didnt look good. :( One day You were doing well and on Your way to growing and getting better and the next You weren't going to survive. We were totally stunned NOT understanding what happened, not knowing how You contracted it and realizing that You had made a HUGE turn for the worse after all Your fighting. So they told Us what they were going to do and that they would wait a few days to see if the swelling went down, if not, they would do surgery to see how intestine was salvagable. I begged and begged them on the second day to do the surgery to catch any "live intestine" before there wasnt any left. They didnt listen and did surgery on the third day. At this point, Daddy and I were "living" at the Hospital, so We were just across the hall from the NICU. We sat downstairs waiting for You to come out of Surgery. We went back upstairs for a bit waiting for You to return to the NICU, when the Surgeon came in and told Us, it was too late. Supposedly there was not enough intestine to save. They gave You 2 days! Daddy and I couldnt believe it. We totally lost it that day not knowing at what point, We would lose You or what could have been done to prevent this awful condition from occurring). So for two days We sat and I held You and looked at You and told You how much Mommy loved You and how I always would. The Docs/Nurses decided they would only do "pallative care" (which is NO CARE). They decided that She would no longer receive TPN, Blood Transfusions, or Platelets (which You had since birth, so it wasn't anything new or different). So 2 days passed and You were still going strong though You werent receiving "anything". The Docs/Nurses were "Baffled" in their words NOT knowing why You were still with Us. So they started asking Us to take You off the Breathing machine (which AGAIN, You had been on since birth and they never really bothered to wean You off) and Our answer was always "No, God will take You when He decides). They wouldnt take No and God for an answer, so they got the ethics committee involved. The committee ended up stating that "We can tell her if We decide to do so". I WAS LIVID!!!! We started sitting with You as much as possible to make sure they were not doing anything wrong to You. So You fought and We fought all day everyday for them to just let God decide when Your time was up. You made it 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 more days with the amazement Im sure of alot of people, wondering why this Baby Girl who was given two days to live, continued on for another 16 days. Talk about Miracles!! God is Truly Amazing! You went to peacefully in My arms that evening. That day was amazing, We got there in the mid morning and I held You, looking at Me with those Beautiful Baby Eyes and as content as could be in Mommy's arms. You always seemed to feel better (Your stats perked up) when Mommy was holding You. Then towards the early evening, Your stats had started slowing going down and not coming back up. Which usually they would go up and down all the time but not like today. So I sat and held You and rocked You and talked to You looking into those eyes again. Then the stats just slowly fell to 0 and I held You in My arms and You were so at peace. It was beyond amazing how peacefully You went to Heaven that night. A few Family Members came to say Goodbye to You that night. We held You, We cried and then We had to leave for the last time visiting. Im not sure You exactly know how proud of You Daddy and I are. You gave 66 days a Run for their Money!!! :) I surely look up to You. Your strength, You attitude, Your Love and Hope You shared with others. Through You I hope people have learned alot of things about themselves and their beliefs. Even though Z, M and B only got to meet and see You a few times, there aren't many days that go by without a mention of Emmie-Rose girl!! :) They love You and miss You sooo much, there are times they cry and laugh, and visit You at the Cemetary. They love singing to You and We always say prayers with You! :)Angel, I hope You know that I love more than Life and that I can't wait to see you in Heaven! To hug You and hold You and know You aren't suffering anymore. My Love for You will NEVER die and there will always be a missing piece of My heart til We meet again.


R. I. P.


Emmie-Rose Payton J.B. Yannella


July 15, 2006-Sept. 19, 2006

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Z, M and B


Rest in Peace Sweet Baby Girl


66 Precious Days here with Us!!!

(picture 1: Day of Funeral)

(picture 2: Day of Birth)





Friday, September 19, 2008

2 Years Ago Tonight




Okay, So 2 yrs ago today You went away.


Since then, I havent been the same.


I think of You constantly and wonder


what You are doing in Heaven!! I know


You are having a wonderful time and I am


so glad your not in pain. You accepted all the


pain and suffering with a True Angel's heart.


Z, M and B talk about You all the time and Wish


You were here. They miss you terribly and want You


to "come home".


You were too young to leave this world but the Lord


knew what He was doing. I dont question Why and never


will. Though I would love to know why He chose You that day,


right now is not the time. I will see You again one day in Heaven


so "leave the light on" :)


You went peacefully in My arms that night and never made a fuss.


You endured so much without a single complaint.




Emmie-Rose Payton J.B. You are Mommy's HERO and Always have been and Always will be!!!




Please Watch Out for Us down here!




My love for You will NEVER DIE!! You are My Sweet Baby Girl forever!




Love,


Mommy & Daddy


Z, M and B




RIP Sweet Baby Girl


7-15-06 to 9-19-06


66 Precious Days here with Us.


Gone NEVER forgotten!

(picture taken on 9-19-06)


Tuesday, July 15, 2008

HAPPY 2nd Birthday Baby Girl

Today You turn 2!! I wish I could see how much you have grown, how many words You can say, the Beautiful Smile on Your face. I miss You so much Baby Girl. The past few days have been VERY HARD on Mommy. I tried to be so Strong for Everyone but its been hard lately. I know You are in Heaven looking down on Us. I Iknow You have a Great Life but I miss You soo soo soo much Sweet Baby.

Your Big Sis went to Camp on Sunday and stays til Friday evening. This is the first time She has been away from Family for that long. I miss Her tons as well. She is having a great time though and I am really happy for her.

Your Middle Sis is doing well. She is learning new things all the time. Loves the Computer, playing Nick Jr. and Webkinz. She starts Kindergarten in the Fall and can't wait. She is super excited.

Your Brother is starting Preschool in the Fall (though not as excited as Middle Sis). He would rather stay home and be Mommy's baby for awhile longer!

Daddy is doing very well!! He got a new job as a Computer Engineer again (after 8 long yrs). He loves it and works with really nice people. Praise the Lord! He is doing much better with his health as well.

Happy 2nd Birthday Baby Girl!!!

2 yrs ago today You came into Our Lives
We fell in Love with You from the start
You brought so much Joy to Everyone
It was so hard to let You Go!
You fought so hard to be okay
But God told You to Come home.
We let You go so Peacefully
And know You are so Well Today.

Z, M and B always ask about You all the time and miss You soo very much. They just want You to come home. Its hard for them to understand that You are in Heaven.
Mom and Dad always talk about You and We miss You alot! We can't wait to see You again one day. We keep going for Your Sisters and Brother as they need Us more each day.


Sweet Dreams Baby Girl! We love You Forever and Ever!


Gone but NEVER Forgotten!!!

RIP Baby Emmie-Rose 7-15-2006 to 9-19-2006


Love Forever and Always,
Mommy, Daddy, Z, M and B






Monday, October 15, 2007

October 15th is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

TODAY, at 7:00 pm in all time zones, families around the United States will light candles in memory all of the precious babies that havebeen lost during pregnancy or in infancy. Too many families grieve in silence, sometimes never coming to terms with their loss. If everyone lights a candle at 7 p.m. and keeps it burning for 1 hour, there will be a continuous wave of light around the world.

(note: This was sent in one of the Groups I am in)

Please light a Candle in Memory Our Precious Baby Girl Emmie-Rose :) We know She is in Heaven watching all of Us.

Take Care!

Miss You Baby Girl!!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, Z, M, and B

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Sept 19th A Year Gone By

Today's the day You went away
To be with Jesus up on High
We cried and held You Forever that night
We didnt want You to leave Our sight
We love You more than life itself
And know one day We will see Your Face
But for now, We will think and dream of You
Til We see You again to Hold You near
Our Love for You will never die
and one Day soon We will see you on High
(written By Mommy)


Baby Emmie-Rose,

We miss you so very much. We can't believe its been a year since Jesus called You home. We had You for a precious 66 days and
loved every minute of it. You went through alot and never complained at all. You endured so much and had the Sweetest Spirit
ever. We are sooo proud of You and Very Proud to call You Our Daughter. We know You are pain free now and are playing with
your siblings, Grandma, Great Grandparents, Great Aunt and Cousin Shannon too. There's never a minute of the day that goes
by that We don't think about You and wish You were home with Us. We know God had a reason to bring You here and then take
You home. You touched lots of people's lives and Blessed so many by Your courage and strength. You are a Wonderful and TRUE
example of what a HERO really is all about.

Gone but NEVER Forgotten!!!

RIP Baby Emmie-Rose 7-15-2006 to 9-19-2006

Love Forever and Always
Mommy, Daddy, Z, M and B





Sunday, July 15, 2007

Happy Birthday Emmie-Rose 7/15/07

Happy First Birthday Emmie-Rose!

It’s amazing to think that one year ago you came into our life.
Your kind heart, strong spirit, and your willingness to overcome

all obstacles will be forever with us.

Instead of cake and candles and a big party, we brought you a

bouquet of balloons while brother and sisters blew bubbles.
We came to play with you for a while then packed up the van to
head to Lake Michigan. Your siblings have never seen a real beach before.

We are looking forward to a picnic lunch on the beach tomorrow.
We know you will be there with us.

Love,
Mommy, Daddy, Z, M, B.


Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Mar 6, 2007 - Start of spring in 14 days.

Only 14 days left until the start of spring!

I’m hoping the groundhog was right and that the warm weather is on its way soon.

Everyone is doing well. We have made it thru Z’s, M’s and B’s birthdays as well as Stephanie’s. I’m the exception to every rule in our house with a birthday in October.

I want to thank everyone that keeps checking in to see how things are going. Its pretty amazing the number of hits a week we receive to this site.

For all our new readers, Welcome!
This site started out as a way to tell our family how things were going with the birth of our new baby Emmie-Rose. I was home watching our other children while my wife was at the hospital. After taking so many phone calls I was like, there has got to be a better way to get the word out.
I’m in the IT field so a blog made perfect sense.

What started out as a family web site has grown into something amazing.

What has been going on?
We went a few weeks ago and picked out and ordered Emmie-Roses headstone. Sometime in the spring/early summer it should be in place.

I was talking with my instructor at school this week about everything that’s been going on so far and he was like, “I can’t imagine everything your family has been thru. You have certainly changed from all you have been thru. You’re not the same person I interviewed at the beginning of last year.”
I was kind of taken back a step by that.

Stephanie and I are trying hard to hold strong. There really has not been any closure yet with everything going on at Uncle Steve’s office. I’m normally a brain stormer, someone always dreaming up new programs or solutions for IT problems. Anymore it’s like I was hit by a ton of bricks and I don’t seem to have the energy and enthusiasm I once had. Maybe it’s just because I’ve been cooped up in the house all winter and need to run around in some warm weather.
Maybe I just miss the fact that my child would be 8 months old this month.
I can picture her playing with her brother and sisters. Each of them taking turns pushing her around in a stroller, like they do with their dolls now.
B still walks around the house with his hands in front of him saying
“I ‘m holding Emmie-Rose, give her a kiss Mommy and Daddy”
Her love still lives on as demonstrated by our 3 year old. She touched so many different hearts in so many ways.

Our hearts and love go out to all the families with children born before their due dates.