Surprise!

It may be a little anticlimactic, since this happens pretty often at our house, but...

We're expecting a baby!

I am currently ten weeks along, and due on January 17! So far, everything is going really well!

This was the first test.

It was a really light pink line, but it was there!

The faint line made me nervous. First of all, my period was already several days late, and I should've had a much darker line by that point. Secondly, I've had faint lines before, and those pregnancies ended in miscarriage. So, I took some more tests.

The next morning. A lot better.

There we go.
(The top one is the same test as in the picture above.)

Getting a much darker line in only a two-day time period comforted me a lot. I knew something was growing in my belly! At that point, I was okay with calling my OB and scheduling my first appointment. (And I solemnly swear to stop buying pee-sticks.)

We went in on June 6. Waiting was horrible, and it seemed like time was slowly inching by.

All that waiting was not in vain, however! We got great news! There were lots of big smiles in that exam room, let me tell you! Rapid, steady heartbeat, no obvious issues, and everything is right on track!

Ta-da! Little bean.

It kind of looks like a dragon in this picture. That's about right.

So, in a nutshell - you guys will be subjected to more obnoxious pregnancy posts. Sorry! (Not really.)

 ******************

How far along? 10 weeks

Total weight gain? One pound, although it feels like more

Maternity clothes? Sometimes. My jeans are uncomfortable around the waist, and Nathan informed me the other day that I have a belly already. Boo!

Sleep? Oh, yeah!

Best moment this week? Finally telling the world!

Miss anything? Eating food without regretting it ten minutes later.

Movement? Nope, too early.

Food cravings? Salt. And potatoes.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Anything sweet. Oh, and the smell of the bathroom. I know, it's weird.

Symptoms? Not unless occasionally feeling like puking counts. Honestly, I've been really COLD all the time. It's 78 degrees in our house and I'm walking around with a blanket wrapped around me. I've also been a little tired. I do have four kids, though. :)

Happy or moody? Probably a little moody. I'm not gonna lie.

Looking forward to? I'm hoping we will get another peek at the baby soon, but no guarantees.

******************

So much for that 30 pounds I lost, eh? Oh, well, I can get back on track after Baby gets here, and I'm definitely motivated!

Healing up!

Nicholas' surgery went really, really well! Thank you all for your prayers, words of encouragement, and happy thoughts. We appreciate it all so very much!

The tour that we took last weekend was a huge help, and I am so glad that we decided to do it. We were all very familiar with the procedures and the schedule for the day before we even arrived, and it really reduced our nervousness a lot. The staff at Dell Children's is incredible, and they really go out of their way to ensure the comfort of the kids (and the parents!).

We only waited for about 10-15 minutes before they called us back, and they took Nicky's vitals and asked us a lot of questions about medical history. Then, we got to meet each of the individuals that would be in the OR with Nicky. The surgeon, the nurses, the anesthesiologist, and the nurse anesthetist, to name a few. A child life specialist also came in to talk with Nicky about what was going on and to help him feel a little more comfortable with everything.

In his hospital pajamas, just waiting to head back to surgery!

The worst part of the whole experience? When they were ready for him, the whole team came to get him and walk him back to the OR. We were only allowed to go so far with him, then he had to walk the rest of the hallway without us. At the moment when we had to say goodbye to him, he latched on to me, would not let go, and became hysterical. I was trying SO hard not to cry, because I didn't want him to see that I was upset. I just told him that they were going to take really great care of him, that he would soon be sleeping, and when he opened his eyes again, it would all be over and we would be there with him again. Then he hugged Daddy, and they basically had to detach him from us and take him down the hall. It was really, really upsetting, and Nathan and I were both very shaken.

We went to the waiting room, where we basically tried to distract ourselves (unsuccessfully) to avoid staring at the progress monitor the entire time without blinking. They have a big screen that lists the names of all the surgeons at Dell each day, and it tells you where they are at all times (or basically, where their patients are). Next to Dr. Garcia's name, it said "In Surgery," when Nicky was back there. We just keep waiting for it to change, and we were both so upset that we couldn't really keep ourselves occupied.

We didn't have to wait long, thankfully. It was about 30 minutes from the time we sat down when they paged us and put us into another room so that Dr. Garcia could come and talk to us. About two minutes later, she came in and told us that everything went really, really well, and that he was already in recovery trying to wake up.

We went back to the waiting room until they paged us to go to recovery, and barely had time to sit down before we had to get up again and go back. Nicky was wide awake when we got there, eating a huge rainbow popsicle.

"Mom, can I just eat this in peace, please?"

Of course, the main topic of conversation in the recovery room was his hair color. We can't go anywhere, I swear. Anyway, he was doing so well, and it made us both so happy to see that he was okay and relieved that it was all over.

We were moved again to another room where they could monitor his vitals for a little while longer before we were discharged, and he spent some time watching Mickey Mouse and eating more popsicles.

He had FOUR popsicles before we left the hospital. The nurses just laughed.

After only about thirty minutes or so, his nurse came in with discharge papers and instructions, and we started getting ready to leave. Nicky literally hopped out of bed and put his clothes on like nothing happened. Then, he got to ride a wheelchair out to the car.

Popsicle mouth.

The child actually jumped out of the wheelchair and climbed up into the car with no help. I can't think of many adults that could bounce back that quickly after having an operation. Unbelievable. He was awake during the entire ride home, watching a movie. He said he wanted to eat, and we told him that he could choose what he wanted and we would treat him. He picked "the place where they have those big sandwiches!" That's my child: he loves Subway.

And he's Nathan's child, because he doesn't like cucumbers.

Then, after a few rambunctious minutes at my parents' house (we had to go by and pick up Miss Anna), we went home.

The aftermath: Heaven help us! This child is crazy! Within hours of the surgery, he had already managed to remove the surgical dressing that was GLUED to his incision, so we had to call the surgeon's office to find out whether we needed to drive back to the hospital or not (it was supposed to stay on for a full week). We re-dressed the wound, and the next day he took that dressing off, too. He is supposed to be resting, with no strenuous activity, for a few days. No running, jumping, roughhousing, etc. Yeah, he's been doing laps around the house and I can't get him to sit still for anything. I'm worn out trying to keep up with him. He's going to bust his internal stitches and we're going to have to start all over. Oh, boy.

He's not on any pain meds now, doesn't seem to be having any discomfort, and he's totally back to normal. He has a follow-up appointment in four weeks with the surgeon, so we can check and make sure he's all healed. (If we can keep him still...)  :)

Getting ready for surgery

On Sunday afternoon, we took Nicky into Austin to visit Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas, the hospital where he will be having his surgery. The child life specialists at Dell provide pre-operative tours for kids, to familiarize them with the facility and to show them some of the things they can expect on the day of their operation. We are trying to do our best to ease any anxiety or fear that might come up when we take Nicky on Thursday, and we thought that taking him to look around and talk about what's coming would definitely take some of the pressure off. Having a better idea of what will happen that day eased my mind as well. I'm Nervous Mommy right now.

We were the only ones that showed up for the 1:30 tour, so Nicholas was the star of the show! The child life specialist that worked with us was really great, and was impressed with how smart our Nick-Nick is.

She had a box for Nicky that had some medical items inside, and let him take each one out and play while she told him what the doctors and nurses do with it. There was a stethoscope, a blood pressure cuff, an face mask for the "sleepy air," and several other things.

Finding his heartbeat.

He got to see the machine that will take his vital signs before and after surgery, and learned what each piece was. He seemed like he was really paying attention and was really interested in everything. He got to smell all the different scents that can be added to the "sleepy air" (anesthesia) he'll be given, and decided he liked the strawberry the best.

We all suited up to go back into the surgical area of the hospital after that, which got a huge laugh out of Nicky. Mom and Dad had to wear hats, face masks, and shoe covers, too! I'll bet we looked really cute, although I never saw a mirror (thank goodness).

We saw the room where Nicky will have his vitals taken, and saw all the toys that he'll be able to play with while we're waiting for surgery. Then, we got to go into an operating room! He learned that he would get the sleepy air once he was inside and on a bed, that he would be asleep in just a few seconds, and that he would not wake up during surgery.

The next stop was the recovery room, where he will wake up after surgery. I think he was most excited to hear that he would get a popsicle once he woke up!

So, we'll find out on Wednesday what time we need to report to the hospital. It will most likely be in the morning, we just don't have an exact time yet. Once we're there, and Nicky is taken back for surgery, the procedure should only take 30 minutes to an hour, so we shouldn't have to wait too long. We'll be able to bring him home later that day!

I'll post more after we're all done. Until then, if you could all pray for us (especially on Thursday!), I'd really appreciate it!

Tummy troubles

Our little Nicholas will be having surgery on the 22nd of this month. I'm a nervous mommy. 

About a year ago, I noticed that Nicky had something that looked like a second belly button pooching out on his tummy. When we went for his well-check, I mentioned it to the pediatrician. She said that it could be a number of things. First (and most likely) - a hernia, second (not likely) - a tumor, or third - some kind of random lump of tissue that was just hanging out under the skin. She made a note in his chart about the bump, where it was, the approximate size, and told us not to worry because we'd check on it again later.

Fast forward a year. 

 Can you see it?

Look about three inches about his belly button.

We went in for Nicky's four year-old well check. This time, when the doctor checked it, she felt as though it had increased in size and changed color a bit (getting bluish), so she decided it would be good to do an ultrasound to see what was going on.

Nicky was so great during the ultrasound - well-behaved and cooperative. The tech was impressed and gave him a Spiderman sticker. The very next day, the pediatrician called me to tell me that Nicky did indeed have a hernia, surgery would be needed for correction, and she was going to give us a referral for a surgical consultation.

Four thousand phone calls, another visit with a different pediatrician, and twenty-seven arguments with insurance companies later (grrrr...), we had an appointment to see the pediatric surgeon.

We met her on Monday, and she agrees 100% with our pediatrician. Nicholas has an epigastric hernia that will only be resolved by surgical means. The basic run-down: we do not have to do this surgery if we don't want to. Nicky is not in pain or in danger, and there aren't any complications right now from the hernia. However, choosing to wait could end up being more complicated and dangerous than getting this issue resolved quickly.

 Here's a picture for educational purposes.

Now, don't you feel smarter?

Basically, Nicky's abdominal wall (the fascia) has a defect, a small hole. It was probably present from the time he was born, we just didn't notice it until something from his insides poked through. That's where the problems come in. We don't know for sure what's poking through (no one told us if it was evident on the ultrasound, and the surgeon didn't mention anything). It could just be a piece of fat (the most common), or it could be a piece of something important, like his intestine. If we don't do the surgery, he could be just fine, and this could all resolve itself as he gets older. Alternatively, whatever has poked through the hole could get strangulated, start to necrose (rot), and we could end up with a much more urgent surgical situation and Nicky could get very sick.

So, my poor baby will be going under the knife in two weeks. We've planned to attend a pre-op tour of the hospital a few days before the operation, where they will explain some things to Nicky in kid-friendly language, show him around a bit, and just familiarize him in general with all the things that will be happening on the day of his procedure. I'm hoping this will keep him from melting down when we actually show up on the big day, and that it will ease some of my anxiety a bit. None of my kids has ever had surgery before, so this is a big deal for us.

The actual operation should only take about 30 minutes to an hour. It's just an outpatient procedure, so we'll be able to bring him home whenever he is fully awake and cleared to be discharged. The recovery is going to be...um...interesting, to say the very least. For the first few days, he really needs to be resting completely. Then, he's really supposed to be pretty relaxed and chilled out for TWO WEEKS. (I laughed out loud when the surgeon told us that.) Oh, kill me. Seriously, any of you that know Nicholas well will realize that is almost an impossibility. The child does not simply walk across a room, he somersaults. He can't tell a story without doing an interpretive dance at the same time. While watching a movie, he is rolling around on the couch or the floor while he recites dialog. This is the child that rips holes in the knees of his pants while he's playing inside the house. To have him be still for two weeks is going to be very, very difficult.

So, please send some prayers up for our little Nick-Nick, that the surgery would be fast and effective, and that his healing would be quick and easy. We'll keep you posted!

A day of frustration

*Disclaimer: The following blog entry contains whining and complaining. If you're not interested in my ranting, I'd suggest you stop reading now. Otherwise, carry on.*

Yesterday was not a good day. I understand that it definitely could have been much worse, but it also could have been a lot better! By the time the evening rolled around, I felt like I had been beaten severely and run over by a truck. Based on the behavior I witnessed last night, I think the kids were right there with me.

Zoe had a well-check appointment, Ethan had to get two booster shots, and I had an OB appointment, complete with gestational diabetes test (my least favorite part of pregnancy) and my Rhogam shot. Fun stuff. I recruited my mother to go with me, because I'm not even going to pretend that I would ever be able to wrangle three kids for that long while trying to have intelligent conversations with health care providers. Hah.

Why is it that kids always get up at the crack of dawn when you don't have anywhere to go, and sleep late on the days you have to get up and be somewhere at a particular time? I basically had to drag the kids out of bed and to the breakfast table yesterday morning, because they were snoozing like crazy, and we had to head to Austin between 8:00-8:30. We were ready to go by 8:00, which was amazing. We made it about ten minutes early for Zoe's appointment at 9:45 (despite some ugly Austin traffic).

Sometime during all this, I started drinking my lovely glucose drink (gag) for my gestational diabetes test. 

 Mmmm. Delicious.

My job was to drink the whole thing within a ten-minute time period, then be in the lab exactly one hour after I finished drinking it for my blood test. It's extremely time-sensitive, so I was a crazy clock-watcher during Zoe's appointment. Keep in mind that I didn't have any food or anything to drink since about 8:00 Monday evening.

Everything went well at Zoe's appointment (more about that later), until it came time for her immunizations. She only had to get one, thank goodness, but Ethan was due for two. So, we waited. And we waited. Finally, I checked the time and realized that I only had about 15-20 minutes to finish up at the pediatrician's office and get my pregnant self across the street for my lab appointment, or my test would be voided. I had to stick my head out into the hallway and help the nurses hurry up a little bit. I tried so hard not to be rude.

We finally got out of there, and I practically sprinted to the car, dragging three kids and a Grammy with me, and sped across the street. Then, I hauled myself (and a 30-pound toddler) across a huge parking lot and up a long flight of stairs at top speed, finally reaching my destination exactly one minute before I was supposed to be in the lab. Whew. Too close for comfort.

I told the receptionist, "I need to be in the lab right now for my blood test," and I signed in on the little slips at the front desk. There's even a special place to write down whether you're there for lab work and what time you finished your drink. Obviously, they don't actually look at the slips. She told me they'd get my lab paperwork ready and get me back there "immediately." I was told to have a seat. The clock was ticking, and I was getting irritated. TWENTY-FIVE minutes later, they finally called my name and gave me the lab slip.

I got back to the lab, and waited another ten minutes or so before they finally asked me, "What time did you finish your drink?" It was approaching 11:30 at that point. My answer was, "At 9:57." After the lab techs exchanged concerned glances, they had to call my nurses. It was determined that they would go ahead and take the blood sample and talk to my OB about whether or not it would be usable.

I forgot to mention that my OB appointment was scheduled for 11:00 also, so I was very, very late. After I finished my blood work (and almost passed out/puked for the third time), I went back to the lobby to wait to see my doctor. Finally, at about 12:20-ish, they called me back. I wasn't seeing my OB, but I was going to see his PA, whom I love. She's super sweet.

She told me that I passed the GD test, but they weren't really sure if the numbers were accurate because I didn't have my blood drawn within the appropriate time frame. I told her, "I guess I should have just gone back there and been rude about it, but I didn't have my paperwork." Her eyes got really big as she asked, "You were here at the right time?!" I told her that I was barely here at the right time, but that I would have been able to get my test done correctly if they had sent me back to the lab immediately. She was not happy at that point.

Final results? Well, we're going to have to ask Dr. P what he wants to do. My options right now are either to repeat the test at some point (oh, joy), or to be subjected to finger sticks and blood sugar tests at every appointment from here to the end of my pregnancy, just to be certain that I don't have diabetes. 

 Eat your heart out, Wilford Brimley.

 
The other wonderful piece of news that I received at this appointment? I am anemic. This means we get to shell out some more money every month for iron supplements, which do wonders for my stomach.

We eventually got out of there, went to find a place to eat, and I finally got to have some food and liquid sometime after 1:00. Seventeen hours with no food or drink (besides sugar water) is not a picnic.

What did I learn from this experience? Well, no matter how inconvenient it is to make multiple trips to Austin for a slew of appointments, it is so much better than trying to stack them all in the same day. I will never again take all three of my children at the same time when we know we'll be stuck somewhere for hours and hours. Also, I've discovered that I need to raise my level of rudeness when it comes to health care because the individuals I typically have to deal with do not seem to care whether or not they're doing their jobs well or helping anyone at all. Let me say, first of all, that this does not include the doctors or nurses at any of the practices I've mentioned. They are wonderful and would bend over backward to help us. I'm speaking of the office and hospital receptionists, insurance company personnel, and lab techs, to name a few. Must be nice to get a paycheck even if you're not doing your job.

I was so happy to be home last night that I almost cried.

I'm done complaining now, I think. Sorry.

Zoe at 18 months

Zoe had another well-check appointment yesterday, which meant driving in torrential rain into the heart of Austin to contend with some nasty traffic. Fun times.

She's doing so well! She's now a little over 23 pounds, which keeps her in the 30th percentile for weight, and 31" tall, which moves her up into the 25th percentile for height. Developmentally, she's farther along than she should be, especially when it comes to her vocabulary and speech capabilities. The doctor wanted to know if she was beginning to put words together yet. Some kids don't begin doing that until they're two. "Only two words?" I asked. This is the child that just walked over to me and said "More snacks, please!" Yeah, she's fine.

Poor girlie had to get two shots, but she hardly cried. She's fine today. Luckily, none of my kids have ever had any reactions from immunizations. I hope we never have to deal with that.

Nicholas went with us, because he's had a rash issue that I can't seem to fix. It apparently isn't a big deal, so we'll just wait for it to go away. I'm anxious for his next well-check in December. He's having night terrors more frequently, and has started experiencing them in the middle of the day at nap time as well. He's also waking up more often, just crying. I don't think he's sleeping well, and it worries me a little. We'll get him checked out soon enough.

That is all. :)

Zoe at 15 months

Our little ZuZu is 15 months old today! In celebration, I took her to the doctor. :(

It wasn't all bad. We saw a different pediatrician today (obviously...see previous post) and she was really nice. Zoe seemed a little touchy, but was still giving cute smiles and all, so she couldn't have been too irritated. The doctor was impressed with Zoe's vocabulary and ability to express herself, thought she looked just as healthy as could be, and wasn't concerned at all that Zoe hadn't started walking yet. Her best guess: next month Zoe will be a walker. I agree. She's sooooooo close!

She's also gaining weight, and not just because she's getting older - she's actually moved up from the 10th percentile to the 20th, which made me very happy. She's still in the 40th for height, but as Dr. I'mInAHurry so kindly pointed out at the last well-check, she has a very short mother (again, see previous post). 

The worst part of the appointment: three immunizations. Zoe was a little less than thrilled, but she got over it once I bribed her with snacks. :)

Basic synopsis: I have a very smart, happy and healthy baby girl! I already knew that, though.

Zoe's one year check-up. Warning: Uninteresting medical facts to follow.

Instead of including this information in the birthday post, I decided to separate it out, in case some people don't want to be bored by Zoe's doctor visit. Those of you that want to, read on!

I took Zoe for her one year check-up this afternoon, and I was eager to discuss her supposed milk allergy with the doctor. I like our pediatrician...sometimes...on his good days...when he's not rushing to get out of the room and won't listen to anything I say or answer my questions. I think he's a good man and a great doctor, I just think he might have a problem with his pants randomly catching fire or something, because he sometimes seems to be in a tearing hurry. Anyway, I went to the appointment with a good attitude, determined to get some answers and find out how my little girl is doing.

Basic statistics: Zoe weighs 20 lbs. and is in the 35th percentile for weight, and she is 27" long and in the 10th percentile for height. I was not overly pleased with these numbers, so I made a point to ask the doctor if I should be concerned. His response (in a very flat tone, after looking me up and down): "She probably just got your genes for height." Wow. Okay, I'm going to assume he had some bad coffee this morning or something and let that one go. He doesn't think we need to be concerned about her size, so I'm trying not to be. Her brothers are in the 80th and 90th percentiles, so it's a little hard to get used to having such a tiny person around.

Developmentally, she's doing well. She's still not pulling up to stand, cruise, or walk, but that will come. According to Dr. I'mInAHurry, gross motor development is the least important. She CAN stand...she just doesn't want to. Stubborn. Can't imagine where she gets that from. As far as mental development goes, she's super intelligent. She knows how to say eight words (at least), she makes animal sounds that she can visually match to the animal, she can sort shapes, etc. I'm not trying to brag...seriously. I'm convincing myself that she's really smart and that it doesn't matter that she's not standing up or walking yet.

As for the milk allergy, the doctor STILL did not really give me any useful help. I'm not really surprised, just disappointed. He said that they could do a blood test to determine whether or not she had an allergy, but didn't seem like he really wanted to do it. He said, based on the information I gave him about the one time she'd had formula and the one time she'd had milk, that he was pretty sure she had a severe milk allergy without doing the test. The likelihood that she would have an allergy to another food (i.e. nuts, eggs, soy...) was very low, in his opinion. He did not suggest taking her to an allergist, and he didn't offer much else to me in the way of information about handling the allergy myself or about Zoe's nutrition. He suggested almond or rice milk, but didn't mention soy milk. I asked several questions, but he never answered me or he danced around the answer until I was confused.

The total time spent with the doctor: 12 minutes. This cost us over $70.

Also, he managed to upset Zoe to a degree that I've never seen before. The child was hysterical even before the nurse came to give her the three shots she needed. Then it was decided that they needed to do blood work on Zoe, because she'd never had a CBC before. After ten more minutes of waiting, we learned that she's not anemic. Oh, goody. Zoe got so upset in the exam room that she made herself throw up...twice. My poor baby. She's doing lots better this evening.

So, based on previous visits with this particular doctor, and adding in this wonderful experience, we will be switching Zoe to another pediatrician. I will be staying with the same practice (there are four other doctors to choose from), because I really like the staff and love the fact that they are open almost all the time, including weekends. I'm just upset that it had to come to this. I don't like it when I'm trying to get information and someone treats me like I'm a moron that only came to see them in an effort to waste their time. I'm trying to take care of my kids, and I don't have a medical degree of my own, so I have to trust others to help me.

Getting off my soapbox now. :)