Sunday, May 30, 2010

S'mores!

What a great lazy evening!

Paisley gave her babies a ride through the house.

We went to buy supplies to make s'mores. YUMMY!
Daddy built us a fire.

And Paisley waited patiently.

And then got to help Dada roast the marshmallows.


Daddy showed her how to eat a s'more.

But she really didn't like eating them on her own. Too messy for the princess ;)
  

She would rather have eaten just the ingredients separately. Whatever!

Momma roasted some too! That belly is getting bigger by the second I think!!! 34 weeks tomorrow!

Unfortunately just like Daddy when it comes to mosquito bites. :( 
One big on her arm and one by her eye. Goodness!

You know its been a good day in the life of a 2 year old when the day has required 3 pair of shoes, all of which she had to remove in the kitchen. Hilarious!

Looking forward to being home tomorrow for Memorial Day too! 
Then only 2 more "kid-days" of school left!!!! I think I can, I think I can!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Dr. P and a Great Ultrasound Picture

My momma and I went to see Dr. Pietrantoni this afternoon (all afternoon 2:15-5:30). After delivering 6 babies today, Dr. P ended his day with my appointment! 
Finally, this baby decided to give us a good face shot during the ultrasound.


Isn't he adorable?!?!? No worries about the forehead, it's just fluid making the picture look distorted. 

Updates... The fluid on his brain has increased some, but Dr. P says he is not alarmed at all. He does feel that he will need a shunt, as he is classifying the hydrocephalus now as moderate instead of mild. We will see if Dr. Moriarty agrees with this after he is born. 

The ultrasonographer (the one we had today was the one who diagnosed him with Spina Bifida, and yes she remembered) really got some great pictures and views of everything today. It is amazing how big he has gotten in the last month. Today when she would measure different body parts, we saw one part at a time, instead of several parts in one screen. 
BabyBoy is looking great and weighs approximately, are you sure you're ready for it??? 
5 pounds 3 ounces!!!!!

26 weeks: 2 pounds
30 weeks: 3 pounds 11 ounces
33 weeks: 5 pounds 3 ounces
He is a growing boy!

Appointment Schedule...weekly now!
Dr. Dunn -- June 4 (my first day of summer vacation)
Dr. P -- June 9 (after my all important haircut and highlight appt. :)
Dr. P -- June 16 (the day before our 4 year anniversary)
Dr. P -- June 23 (37 WEEKS!!)

We have a tentative 39 week c-section date scheduled for July 7, 2010. Lucky double 7's!!! We will just have to see how large this baby grows to be by that point. Dr. P wants to make sure he is able to tolerate being on the ventilator during and after surgery within 48 hours of being born. I hope he is ready to deliver a big one...and thank goodness for me, that it's a c-section!

Once again another good appointment. Keep those prayers coming!!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Autumn's Baby Shower

Sunday afternoon we celebrated with Autumn at a baby shower before Miss Kylie Rose arrives very soon.

Christian really thought he would help at first!
My silly girl watching Autumn open all the girly presents.
The 2 pregnant best friends
Love you, Autumn and Christian! We can't wait to meet Kylie!

Jordan's Graduation

My brother, Jordan graduated from Franklin College just south of Indianapolis on Saturday morning. We all went up on Friday evening for dinner at St. Elmo's in Indy to celebrate.

  


We had a wonderful dinner. Joey and Amanda also went with us. Amanda had arranged a babysitter for Adam, Ava, and Paisley. They had so much fun playing together. Paisley even ended up just spending the night at their house because she was already asleep (just barely, apparently playing with new toys seemed like a much better idea than going to sleep, thanks Rick and Ann!) and was coming back the next morning so she didn't have to sit through the graduation ceremony. We missed having Paisley with us, however, it was a very enjoyable weekend!!

His chair! We walked right past this before sitting down and I just had to snap the picture!


A very proud Mom and Dad with their graduate.

Mamaw and Jordan

Mom, Dad, Jordan, Michelle, Me, and Rodney

Very special day for Jordan. Glad we could celebrate with you!

After Jordan and Michelle drove off to a friend's wedding in Chicago, we had the rest of the day to do some shopping. Shopping for 2 children is quite different (and more expensive ;) than just one! We got many essentials at Buy Buy Baby and then went to the outlets. Great afternoon of shopping for Nana and Momma...we are pretty good at it!


Tour of the NICU Details

It's been a busy weekend and I'm just now getting around to posting about our trip to the Kosiar NICU on Wednesday. I am also just now beginning to comprehend all of the information we learned. My mind-set since we found out our little guy has spina bifida has been that we will worry about it when it gets here. Well, it is almost here!!!!!
Kim Knott is a Nurse Practitioner with Neonatal Associates (the group that will be BabyBoy's neonatology group), and is a parent and PTO Vice President at NHE. It is such a comforting feeling to have that personal contact in a situation that I fear could be so impersonal. She even gave us the tour and spent nearly 2 hours with us on Wednesday night...what a blessing!
What we learned...
*Paisley is not allowed in the NICU (under 3, no exceptions). The only time she will be able to see 'baby bruver' is if she is at the hospital when he is born. I had decided it was probably not appropriate for her to be there and see my right out of surgery. She is so concerned about me all the time asking, "you okay, Momma" if I cough, step on a toy, or do anything out of the ordinary that I just don't want to scare her anymore than necessary. HOWEVER...now she will be present because she must at least see him to know that he is real and does exist. Otherwise, she will think we are crazy going to see him all the time and everything if she has never even met him. After he is born and they are taking him from the OR to the NICU, they will stop at the waiting room. That will be her only opportunity. It breaks my heart that I will miss that initial look on her face from meeting him for the first time, but I know it is the way it must be. Thank goodness that I have time to prepare myself. There will be many pictures/videos I know.
*We can visit 24 hours a day. It is comforting to know that we can spend time with him whenever we need to. Of course there may be a situation at any time where there is an emergency with another baby and they really don't want any extra people, which I completely understand. We only need to "scrub in" before going back. No extra germs!!!
*Norton's post-partum area of the hospital is located on the 3rd floor. The NICU at Kosair is also located on the 3rd floor. There is only a pedway separating where we will be. This will make it easy for me to travel before I am discharged. It will also make it much easier on our family to go back and forth. I am so thankful we will be so close to each other. I am a little disappointed that the post-partum area of Norton's does not have a separate area for mom's who do not and cannot have their babies with them. I was hopeful that there would not be crying babies around me, when I so desperately want the same. That will not be fun. ;(
*They will put in a PICC line very soon after he is moved to the NICU to avoid damaging his very tiny, fragile veins. He will need to be on antibiotics for 7 days after surgery and probably have some fluids at first, so this should be a much easier and more beneficial alternative than the possibility of multiple IV's. Whatever they say is best!
*In order to go back to visit with our precious little guy, you must be accompanied by Rodney or I. This is comforting, because we want to make sure we always have the most current information. A doctor could be doing an assessment at any time and we would want to make sure that we are hearing all the important information and then relaying that to family and friends. Our pastor will be able to go at any time to visit and pray...that is a must! They do have a very nice, new family waiting room for NICU patients and families only, that is located across the pedway at Norton's.
*The NICU is nothing like I expected. There are different pods with probably 8 babies in each pod. I think Kim said they can have up to 200 babies at a time. There were little rooms and hallways running everywhere. There sure is nothing private about any of it. I tend to be a very nosy person (I always know what's going on at every table around us at a restaurant), so I will have to try really hard to not become involved in other people's babies and lives around us. I am sure we will be so involved with our situation, that I won't have time to be nosy. :) It is very cramped, with way more nurses and doctors around than babies, which tells me he will be taken care of very well, which I never doubted.

This will not be an easy time in our lives, however I know with your continued support, we will be just fine and the time will go very quickly. I am so thankful that it will be summer time (just 7 more kid days of school for me now!), and my momma will be able to be my chauffeur after I am discharged. Rodney will go back to work after I leave the hospital so that he can take his week of vacation once we bring our little guy home. That's when the real fun begins!!! Please continue to pray!
Busy week... I am currently doing a 24 hour urine sample to check for protein (a sign of preeclapsia which I had with Paisley and consequently was in the hospital for 10 days before she was born). I see Dr. Dunn on Tuesday for my first NST (non-stress test) and then Dr. Pietrantoni on Thursday for another ultrasound. I really hope Dr. P will set THE DATE for the c-section when we see him this week... I will be begging! ;)

We love you LilyMae and Friends!



Oh, how Paisley loves LilyMae(s), Bloom, and Emmit. They are all in her bed. One Lily and Emmit always travels with us, however they must stay in the car if we are going to a restaurant, store, etc. When she was 3-4 months old, LilyMae was the first thing she ever reached for in a store. Of course Nana had to purchase her. Since then, we have looked for more of her "Lily's friends" everywhere we go. She even has one that we ordered from Australia. Bunnies By the Bay also makes a couple of friends that are a little more boyish that you can guarantee BabyBoy will have!
We love you l-l-l-l-l-l (just the l sound repeated) and Emmy!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

NICU Tour

I'll update tomorrow with details of tonight's events, but all in all things went very well. I did not realize how overwhelming a "tour" would be, but I am exhausted! Learned lots that we are so thankful for knowing ahead of time. However, hearing all the details and cans and can'ts, makes all the thoughts of "we'll worry about it when the time comes" a reality of that time being here. Head still held high, just a little dose of reality this evening. Please continue praying; I feel them as I close my very tired eyes.    

Monday, May 10, 2010

Please stay this way forever

So sweet this evening.

As we left WalMart this evening... "Bye WalMart, we yuv you! Uh-huh, we do, we yuv you whole bunches!" Seriously, where does this come from!!

Singing occurred the entire ride home. Mainly just vowels in different voices. Rodney was trying to get her to sing deep and high, but she doesn't quite have this mastered. It sure was funny to hear her try. I tried for a video on my camera, but it is too dark. Here's the cheesy picture to go with all that singing though.


We got home and she insisted to "help-y dada" carry in the groceries. Such a big helper all the time!


Love this little girl, soooo much! 
I cherish all of our silly times together as our little family of three, but cannot wait to add our precious little boy to the mix!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Dr. P Appointment Update

The more good news we get, the more I CANNOT wait to meet our precious little boy! We had a great appointment with Dr. Pietrantoni this afternoon. Dr. P even had an associate with him for today's visit...his 2 year old daughter, Grace. We loved meeting her, who is in the process of learning both Spanish and Italian. We almost took Paisley with us today...I'm sure they would have had a great time together!!

It is very obvious that our little guy is extremely active. The entire ultrasound he was kicking and punching (as he does all the time)! He also has A LOT of hair, which he chose to play with during the ultrasound. Those little fingers were running through all that hair, so cool to see! His cheeks are chubby and he looks so much like a baby, instead of a little alienish (you know what I mean, if you've ever seen an ultrasound). He also weighs a whopping 3 pounds 11 ounces!!! 4 weeks ago he weighed 2 pounds even...seems like a pretty big increase to me, and I am feelin' it!

The fluid on BabyBoy's brain has only increased a little, but that is to be expected, since his head is getting larger as he grows. The ultrasound tech measured 1.7 cm; Dr. P measured 1.3 cm. He assured us that the brain looks proportionate and we don't need to worry about the numbers. He could measure 10 times and would get a different measurement each time. Dr. P used the word "excellent" and that we are most definitely still in the mild-moderate range of hydrocephalus. The spine still looks to be perfectly aligned, as well, which is a good indicator that the spinal cord is undamaged. Of course we won't know anything for sure until he is born and has the surgery to see exactly what we are working with. However, we continue to be positive, as we are given positive information. That is our only option, and we have no reason to think any way but positive.

All in all, a very good visit with Dr. P today. I will see Dr. Dunn in 2 weeks and Dr. P again on June 4 when I am 34 weeks. Until then, I will continue to be the best incubator possible! Thanks for the continued thoughts and prayers...we still need them more than ever!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Sunshine. Playhouse. Slide. Book. Mow.

What a great evening we have had! I sat in the backyard reading a book while Rodney mowed and Paisley played and for the most part, entertained herself. Last summer, not so much...all I did was attempt to make her want to play with one thing for more than 2 minutes and really just heard a lot of whining. Tonight was amazing, and I hope this continues throughout the summer. We'll see!

     


     

Yes...dancing on the table. Silly girl!

   


      
Tickling my feet. Can you hear the "tickle, tickle" sounds?!?!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Some lost ones...

**Paisley said this morning as she was playing with some random items in the living room (I guess she was bored)... "I want baby brother to come out so he can play with me." So sweet! She said she wanted him to play with her blankets, cups (yes the plastic cups that distracted her while dying Easter eggs), and the dinosaur that she got in a Happy Meal a while ago. 
I hope her sweet feelings continue after he does actually arrive. :)

I was uploading some new pictures from this weekend, and found several other good ones that have been forgotten. Enjoy a glimpse into the life of our crazy little girl. 



Smelling the pretty flowers.




"Working" outside.


Always ready to help, especially with laundry and dishes...our least favorite tasks.





From sweet to CRAZY in a matter of seconds.


So sweet and smiley!



Helping momma make chocolate chip pancakes. Yummm!

Rodney's cousin, Kelly, got married on last night. It was a beautiful wedding and we all had a great time. Long drive, but we'll do it for family!

Mamaw and Papaw Jones with Paisley.


They even had a cotton candy machine and a whole room for kiddos to play. Big hit!!!