Casey Scott Dorman

Warning! Warning! Warning! Casey's story is quite lengthy and may bring a tear to your eye!

The tale of Casey Scott Dorman starts way back in December 2004. Collin Jay had just turned 1 year old so Jason and I decided to start "trying" for baby #2. We naively thought the 2nd time around might go quicker than the 1st round (something about how we'd be more relaxed this time....yeah right!). When we didn't get pregnant right away, we didn't think too much of it. As the following October approached, I have to admit, I became more and more anxious as each month came and went. At that point my doctor gently recommended I lose a little weight; apparently there is a relation to infertility and higher BMIs. Since I wasn't happy with my appearance anyway I thought, "Why not? Maybe I'll lose 10lbs or so and will be that much better off for a pregnancy". 6 months and 60 lbs less later, and I STILL had not gotten pregnant! In the meantime, I'd also almost lost my mother to a major car accident and Jason's mom had also been in and out of the hospital too. We'd also been on a common infertility drug for a few months trying to regulate "things" and had gone through 2 failed IUIs (essentially the procedure just a step below IVF). So far nothing worked.

It was at about the 1 1/2 year point that my new doctor (who specializes in infertility) finally took my recommendation that I have a dye test done. I had been meeting with an infertility support group for a few months and several of the ladies had mentioned that this particular test (which checks to see if your fallopian tubes are open) is a common test given to women with unexplained infertility. Lo and behold -- the test revealed I had only 1 tube open, making it much harder to get pregnant. Through the wide range of emotions -- sadness, anger, grief, frustration -- we decided that I would undergo exploratory surgery to see if the doctor could open up my blocked tube. Praise the Lord -- the surgery was a success! However, it was also discovered during the surgery that I had Stage III endometriosis. It seems the odds of us getting pregnant on our own just kept getting smaller and smaller :(

Following the surgery to open my blocked tube and remove the endometriosis, our doctor said our best chance at getting pregnant would be right then. You didn't have to tell me twice -- back to the infertility clinic I went the next month for another IUI. And once again.....sadness. At this point Jay and I questioned greatly where we should go from there. We desperately wanted another child. We wanted to make Collin a big brother SOOO badly. We wanted our moms and the rest of our family to experience the joy of another child hanging around. But we also wanted to follow the plan God had for us. After much prayer we decided to try our 4th and final IUI. And wouldn't you know?? Casey was conceived!! Praise GOD!!!

As with Collin, my pregnancy went well until around the 7th month. I started having contractions even earlier than I had with Collin. This time around it was early enough that they put me on meds to help calm my uterus down and give Casey the chance to develop as he should. The last month and a half were long and stressful. I constantly felt the pain and discomfort of pretty strong contractions, except this time I had a 3 1/2 year old at home who still needed his mommy. Oh yeah. Did I mention that within a 2 month time span Jay also underwent 2 knee surgeries! Yikes!

Somewhere around the 8th month I started only working part time, as the meds were not keeping my contractions at bay. I also started having regular non stress tests to see how the little man was handling things. The answer -- not too well! One NST after the other......Casey kept failing. They'd always send me for the next test (an ultrasound); sometimes he'd pass those, sometimes he'd fail them. So then off to OB/triage we went for further testing.

December 7, 2007 -- my doctor scheduled an amniocentesis for December 10th. If Casey passed the test (i.e. that his lungs were mature enough at just under 37 weeks to be born), she would schedule me for a c-section on the 11th. The morning of the 10th came and all 3 of us made our way to Metro Hospital for the test. The test went off without a hitch, but my doc sent me up to triage for an hour of observation. Jay and Collin looked on as I once again lay in the bed, hooked up to the baby monitors. At one point a nurse stopped in and said, "Did you know you're having contractions?". I looked at her kind of like, "Duh. I've been having them for weeks now!". My doctor stopped in to "check me" to make sure these contractions weren't putting me into labor. To our great surprise -- they were! I had gone from being dilated to a 1 for the previous several weeks to a 3! An hour later I was a 4 and the doc said, "I guess we aren't going to have a chance to wait for the amnio results....you're in labor now! Let's get you to the OR.".

As ready as I thought I had been to finally meet my little man, NOTHING could have prepared me for what was about to take place. At a little after 4:00 pm on Monday, December 10 Casey Scott Dorman entered the world at 6lbs 9oz! Tears of joy flowed down our faces, but it wasn't long before fear quickly replaced them.

I will never forget the look of apprehension on Jason's face as he walked into the recovery area a little while later. His words tore me apart. "Honey, it looks like you won't be able to see Casey tonight. He's having a hard time breathing and needs to be closely monitored". Since I still had no feeling below my waist, I would have to wait until the next morning to finally get a good look at the little wonder that I had been waiting 3 years for! Heartache. Simply heartache.

Over the next day and a half, Casey's respiratory problems went back & forth. For awhile it appeared he was doing better and that the nasal cannula (of oxygen) was helping out. But an early morning call to my room Wednesday morning revealed he had taken a turn for the worse. A team from Spectrum NICU was rushing over to take Casey by ambulance and get him set up on C-Pap (continuing positive air pressure) ASAP. Much to the dismay of my family (yes Cam, I'm talking about you!!!), I convince my doc to release me early so I could follow the ambulance to Spectrum Health. Heartache. More heartache.

Casey spent the next 10 days of his life hanging out at Spectrum's NICU then NIM center. He impressed a team of excellent doctors and flirted his way into the hearts of many kind, generous nurses. I firmly believe that because of their care, the support of all of our family & friends, and the many prayers that were said for Casey was he able to join us at home for Christmas 2007! Praise God (again!!).

We're pretty sure that Casey must have gotten too used to life at Spectrum, because a short 2 1/2 weeks later he was back. Fortunately for us, Collin Jay simply adored his little brother from the start! Unfortunately for us, when that meant he got a cold he was unable to keep his germy little mouth away from Casey and his weak immune system. Tests done at Casey's peds office on January 9 revealed he had RSV and his oxygen saturation was way down. Maybe he had a thing for ambulances, because the little squirt got another ride to Spectrum that night!

If I thought I had been scared the first couple weeks of Casey's life, I don't know what I would call the fear that suffocated Jay and I over the next 3 weeks. Casey went from bad to worse in a few short days. On his 4th day back at Spectrum tests showed he now had pneumonia, a heart murmur that needed to be checked out, blood work that indicated his kidneys could be under distress, and possibly meningitis. I will never forget watching a doctor and a nurse essentially fold my tiny little baby into a ball as they performed the spinal tap. I guess I don't know what was worse -- watching them insert that impossibly long needle into his back, or the fact that he was so sick that he didn't even flinch or make a sound. Heartache. And fear. Lots of it.

Praise God to whom all blessings flow! Casey did NOT have meningitis, his heart murmur is nothing to worry about, his kidney functions turned around, and he eventually started to overcome his respiratory problems! After a full 21 days at Spectrum Casey was finally well enough to come home (again!). This time we left with more than just the little man -- we also brought home oxygen tanks, an apnea monitor, a nebulizer, tons of meds (mostly for a major case of reflux), and a diagnosis of chronic lung disease. Life was certainly different at home than we ever could have imagined, but we tried hard to make the best of it.

A part from one more 3-day hospital stay very shortly after we brought Casey home (from the 21 -day stay), Casey has done fantastic! He quickly overcame the need for all of his equipment and even started making his way up on the growth chart! In fact, we just had his 2 year check-up this week and Casey's peds doc said he is thoroughly impressed with how far he has come and expects him to have no further respiratory or growth delays. Awesome job little man!!

Everyday we grow deeper and deeper in love with our little miracle. He is spunky, vivacious, intelligent, sweet, crazy, and has the most amazing giggle (especially when Daddy & Collin tickle him!). He is independent and not afraid to tell you what he wants..loudly...and usually with a few major gestures for added emphasis! LOL He is obsessed with Veggie Tales and can almost always be seen carrying around Bob & Larry. If you're ever around him, ask him for a huggie (a hug of course) and you won't be disappointed. Just like he knew how to flirt his way into the nurses hearts from the day he was born, he continues to make himself firmly at home in the hearts of all us who are so blessed to be a part of his life.

Thank you God for Casey Scott Dorman.

Happy 6th Birthday Collin Jay!!

6 years ago today Jason and I became parents. 6 years ago today we took on the biggest responsibilty of our lives. We stopped being a young couple with relatively little care in the world, to become people whose sole responsibility was to provide everything (love, care, provisions) to an innocent little life. 6 years ago to today we fell in love -- with each other (all over again) and with a beautiful, healthy baby boy. 6 years ago today we knew God's greatest joy!!

The history of Collin Jay Dorman.....

After being married for barely a year, Jason and I decided we wanted to become parents. At the time, Jason's mom was pretty sick and we knew we wanted her to know the joy of being a grandma (again). After 7 long months of trying, one Saturday morning I took a test. Having become a pro at taking home pregnancy tests I had become accustomed to seeing only 1 line. To my great surprise and excitement a 2nd faint line started to show up!! I ran to our bedroom, woke up Jason, and said to him "come look at something and tell me what you see". His eyes got big and do you know what his response was??!! "Let's go get some orange juice". What??!! After about a 2 second trip to the kitchen for orange juice (I still don't know where that came from) we both ran back to the bathroom to look at the test again. Sure enough, the faint 2nd line had become a little darker. We were pregnant!!

The first 32 weeks of pregnancy went very well for us. At 20 weeks we joyfully found out we were expecting a little boy! But at 33 weeks things took a bit of a scary turn. On a weekend trip to Burch Run with my mom, I started experiencing occassional contractions. A week later they became regularly spaced apart and I was sent to ob/triage for observation. After determining I was experiencing pre-term contractions and that I had an infection, they decided to keep me over night to see if antibiotics and IV fluids would stop the contractions. The next day I was released and instructed to stop working.

The next 6 weeks seemed to take forever! While the doc had thought I would go early, Collin Jay was having none of that! Oh no.....not him! He thought it was fun to keep mom laid up with contractions, but only with ones that basically just caused me discomfort and sleepless nights but not ones that brought on labor progression!! The little booger :)

November 11, 2003 -- my due date. At my appt that day the doc decided to schedule us for induction on the 13th. She said that if the hospital had room, they would call us very early in the morning and tell us to come on in. November 12, 2003 -- Jason and I spent our last evening child-free doing whatever last minute preperations were necessary. I later found out that Jay also made a quick trip to the jewelry store to pick up a beautiful necklace with a November gemstone pendant. Throughout the night I stayed awake with contractions. We were experiencing a major wind storm that night and I was just too uncomfortable to sleep. I didn't think much of the contractions since I'd been experiencing them for 7 weeks. At about 4:00 am I went to use the restroom and discovered a new "sign" common at the end of pregnancy that indicated labor might actually be approaching on its own! I called the doc's after hours number and soon had a call back from the on-call doc. I told her about my increasingly painful contractions and the new "sign". She said I better come on in, even though the hospital hadn't called to say there was room for me. I woke up Jay and said it was time to go. It was at about that time that I realized my prayers had been answered ~~ I had gone into labor on my own!! Unfortunately, Jay had not come to the same conclusion. He had heard the phone ring and assumed it was just the hospital calling to say they had room for me. He didn't understand the changes I'd gone through over the night, and he was taking his sweet old time getting ready to go! We got in the car and I said (not too nicely) "We HAVE to go....I'm in labor!". His eyes got big again and he finally got his butt in gear! 2 minutes down the road I instructed Jay to pull over so that I could promptly throw up on the side of the road. Okay, I'll be honest.....not everything made it outside the car. Hey ~~ give me a break, I was in labor!! Thank you Grandpa Bob for making sure that was cleaned up before we were released from the hospital ;)

At the hospital they determined I was about 3-4 cm dilated. We were later told by several nurses that were so busy that day and the next few that we would NOT have been called to come in for an induction! In fact, they said that during times of full moon and major wind storms they often see a lot more women go into labor. For the next couple hours I battled major back labor, constant shakes, nausea, and an epidural that did not work. At about 10:00 am things had progressed nicely (I was at about a 5) but Collin started showing signs of distress with each contraction. His heart rate kept dropping, my blood pressure kept rising, and no amount of repositioning seemed to calm him down. C-Section here we come!

Collin Jay Dorman was delivered safely a little after noon on November 13, 2003! First thing he did -- pee on the doctor! He weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs 15oz! Holy cow that's a big boy! While they were finishing up with me Jason stayed glued to Collin's side, amazed at his beautiful little boy! I just wanted to see him and finally hold him! Within a few hours we were settled into a room and began the life of a family of 3 :)

Since the day he was born, Collin has done nothing but bring happiness and laughter to the world. If he's not telling you tall tales that only his amazingly wild imagination could come up with, he's keeping you laughing with his crazy talking eyebrows :) And while he definitely gave this new set of parents a run for their money in the beginning (can you say Colic??), we have never ceased to be amazed at how lucky we are to be his mommy and daddy. Today Collin is truly a wonderful little man: he is an extremely kind, generous, loving, sweet, and smart little boy. Casey is the luckiest little brother ever, because he has Collin wrapped around his little demanding finger ;) We love you Collin Jay!!

Stay tuned for Casey's story, coming to a blog near you on December 10, 2009!!

Family Date Night

Friday night we had a wonderful evening out at the Gerald R Ford International Airport viewing area. $5 footlongs from Subway + family of four + lots of planes coming & going = Awesome Night! Subway -- Eat Fresh
We're so lucky they play so well together!
Mommy & Casey enjoying a snack
Casey showing us where to look -- an airplane about to take off.

He's always got something to say!

Wrestling fools!
Still wrestling!

All about Collin

After enjoying a wonderful summer filled with tons of fun (fishing with his dad, "Uncle Mark", and "cousin" Alorie; camping at Little Eden; playing with friends down the street) Collin Jay is officially a kindergartener! Can you believe it??!!

School started 2 weeks ago and so far everything is going great! Despite our worries, he has been able to adjust to the full day schedule (all day 2 days a week, 1/2 day on Fridays) very well. He's definitely more tired in the evenings and can be a bear in the mornings to get ready for school, but I don't blame him.....I love sleeping too!

We're really proud of him for riding not 1 but 2 busses a day. Since my parents (who watch Collin & Casey while Jay and I work) live in the Brown school district and we live in the Countryside district, Collin has to take a transfer bus from Brown to Countryside each way. He's never once gotten on the wrong bus or fallen asleep at the back of the bus :)

Collin had the pleasure of visiting the dentist yesterday. No cavitites for my boy!! He was a really good big boy during the whole exam, and of course he kept everyone within earshot laughing at his hysterical antics. That boy belongs on a stage somewhere! We also discovered he has a 2nd tooth loose (the 1st one came out at the end of July during a wonderful dinner that included corn-on-the cob!) and is already getting his 6 year molars! Talk about an overachiever ;)

Collin is walking in the 5th Annual Be-Pop Walk-a-Thon this Friday, September 25th. We would greatly appreciate any support you want to give him. Please contact me at adorman01@hotmail.com if you want to help out. Collin has a reputation to uphold; last year he raised the 2nd most amount of money in the entire school!! He loves the Razor Scooter he won for earning that spot in school history!

Day 4 at Little Eden Camp

Vacation is finally here and we're loving it! The "group" consists of Justin & Jenny Albrecht, Anagh, TJ, Tori, Nathaniel, Anna, and Anthony; Cam & Sheri Albrecht, Jacob, and Isabelle; Cherith, Kayla, Taylor, & Caitlyn Hoffman; Mom Albrecht; Me, Collin, & Casey. All of us are staying in 1 cabin and 1 RV. It's a tight fit but so far only minor blood has been shed!

Highlights so far:

• Justin pulling the RV to camp with his beautiful, blue semi truck
• An amazing seafood & prime rib buffet that included a chocolate fountain with all sorts of goodies -- marshmallows, pretzels, & cherries
• "Eww, Eww, Eww. Cold, wet water" (a brilliant statement by Collin)
• Trying out (and loving) our new boat!
• Tons of cousins to play with
• Shuffleboard, softball, tubing, swimming, & board games
• Lake Michigan!!!
• Running early in the morning with Casey along Portage Lake with a half-way break at Lake Michigan beach.

So far the only downfall has been the missing family members -- Dad Albrecht & Jason. I miss my hubby SOOOOOO much! Me and the boys are having a ton of fun but we certainly wish Jay (aka Daddy) were with us.

That's all for now. Hopefully I'll post again soon and will include pictures as soon as I can figure out how to upload photos on Cam's computer.

Summer Fun

As a family we love the weekends because it brings us all together. Sometimes it's just the four of use (plus our furry creatures) but more often then not we have a few guests over. But for tonight we were guest free. The agenda for the night -- grilled chicken & hamburgers, corn on the cob (a family fav), swinging in the hammock, and S'mores by the campfire :)

Today we had the opportunity to spend some time running errands (oh joy!); I even convinced Jason to take us to the mall :)

Earlier on this week (one of the days it was 90+ degrees) we enjoyed some time in the sprinklers.

I know I'm 6 days lates (oops!) but Happy Belated Father's Day to all of the men (and the women who play both roles) out there who make it their life's goal to be the best dad and partner they can be. To my dad, dad-in-law, and all my brothers -- you guys are awesome and you make the world a better place with the children you raise / have raised.

To my hubby and the best daddy ever, Jason: I love you more today than I ever thought possible because of the father you have become. Our boys are the sweet, loving, fun, intelligent, creative, and crazy boys they are because of you and the example you lead. Not only do you have an innate ability at being a great daddy, but you also have grown into this role by watching your own dad, grandpa, and brother and from trial and error. I am proud of you for learning from mistakes and constantly striving to do more, to be more. Collin & Casey have the best example to learn from; they are learning from a man who is not perfect but knows how to laugh at mistakes, make things right, and move forward in a best direction. Thank you for keeping all of us smiling and reminding me to not take life too seriously!

Casey N Mommy Time

Tonight was so awesome! Casey and I got some rare time together -- just the two of us! While Collin enjoyed a trip to a hotel to go swimming with his cousins (thanks Uncle Ben!) and Jason did some side work, Casey and I got some quality time together. We went on a "date" to Subway; picked up a few groceries at Meijer; took a bubble bath; and even had enough energy to play with Daddy and Uncle John when they arrived home to watch the Wings game (hopefully the game ends better than it's been going so far!).

Throughout the whole night I kept thinking to myself, "I am one lucky lady"! Casey is a true joy to have as a son. Whether he's flirting with everyone in the store, smashing a bag of chips between his hands, making kissy faces at me, splashing me in the tub, or snuggling in the recliner for his nighttime bottle....that boy breaks my heart! Thank you God for blessing me with the two most AMAZING little men!

Blogging For Beginners

The Dorman's have joined the world of blogging......Lord help us all! I can't guarantee that we'll be any good at it, or even if anyone will follow it, but I'm going to give it a shot anyway!

So what's happening in the Dorman household? A lot!! Jason has thankfully started a new job this week.....yippee! God has blessed him with a great opportunity to work for a local real estate development firm (Ben Muller Realty) as lead lawncare / snowplow "guru". So far Jay really likes his boss, co-workers, and the laid back atmosphere. I really like knowing he's going to get a paycheck in a few weeks ;) And when he's not working, playing with boys, or harassing me -- I'm sure he'll back at his newfound passion -- fishing!

Collin has just finished his first year of school. Can you believe it??!! We could not be more proud of the amazing little boy he has become. He is smart, creative, honest (mostly!), funny, sensitive, and social (maybe a little too social at times.....just like his Daddy was in school!). We just got his final report card for the year and his teacher did nothing but sing his praises!

Collin is also just about to finish up his first year in t-ball. We've had a lot of fun this year coaching (Jay) and organizing (me, of course) his team. The boys are all smart, funny, and have really fine-tuned their t-ball skills! I'd watch out for team Fast Track Appraisals if I were you ;)

And what about Casey? Well, we still lovingly refer to him as our "Naughty Boy"! Everyone who knows him knows that he has a HUGE personality! He's crazy, intuitive, curious, brave, stubborn, and can charm the pants off just about anyone! He loves wrestling with his daddy, big brother, and two brown dogs (although one of them does not love wrestling with him). He will eagerly crawl up on your lap for a cuddle, especially if his favorite Veggie Tales movie is on. He also loves crawling into the dishwasher and dryer, but we try to limit those types of activities ;)

So that's about it. We're going to attempt to regain some peace in the house now that Jay has been blessed with a good job and school is out for the summer. We're anxiously awaiting our annual vacation at Little Eden......our favorite place to go as a family!

Many blessings to you all.

Angie (Jason, Collin & Casey too)