The Odds and Ins

Holy moly, I have a two-year-old!! When did that happen? Must have happened when I wasn't blogging!! Yeah, I know I have been, um, quiet lately. I am sure you haven't noticed.

I mean what can I say, we have had lots going on.

I do, now, have a big girl and not a baby. She still seems so baby-ish to me. Mainly because she doesn't talk and, well, I still have to change diapers; and the fact that she only weighs 19 pounds which most 1 year olds beat! Other than that she is a big girl! And...she is sleeping in a big girl bed now! Well, only last night but still she made it a whole night. She fell out of the bed (we assume) once. We had just put Triston down and he yelled at us, "what was that noise". We didn't know but we heard her crying so we figured it was thud from her hitting the floor. I laid her back down and she snoozed the rest of the night. Tonight she went down even better. I will maybe cry one tear for her growing up too fast. But for the most part I love this age. She is so much fun and she just makes me happy.

Speaking of making me happy, Triston...well, that is a touchy subject these days. You all know that my kids are equal in my book. I birthed one but not the other. I love them both the same though. I discipline them both the same as well. And lately disciplining has been a challenge with T. Bless his heart (it's a southern thing, ya'll), he is the sweetest thing this side of the Mississippi but he struggles so much in so many areas. Lately, it has been grades, controlling some anger outbreaks, and shushing when told to shush! Ok, really, what kid shushes on command?! I know mine isn't the only one!! But grades, ugh grades. Why do I feel like I am the one in 4th grade? If I could be a fly on the wall in that classroom all my problems would be solved. I would know everything the teacher said to do and I would be able to bring all the info home! But I can't do that so it is up to him to do so. Not a success!! How do you a get a boy, who will one day become a man, to get all the information transferred from one place to another in it's entirety when so many things happen between point A and point B to make him forget. I pray for his future wife!! I do not have the answer to this yet. I will let you know if I figure it out but, I wouldn't hold my breath!

Speaking of breathing...my husband will be doing so a lot better soon. He is currently having allergy shots done weekly. He is allergic to the strangest things, like cockroaches and tobacco! Anyway, he is also having a deviated septum surgically repaired this week. I am so excited (insert sarcasm) to care for him as my patient. I will admit compassion is not my strong point! But I am hoping his pain meds are strong enough for me to knock him out and have some peace and quiet!! Wishful thinking, I'm afraid.

Other than these, pretty major, things there is still church, baseball, work, grocery-ing, doctor's appointments, loving on my neice (that's a fun one!!), men's conferences, marriage conferences, ailing stomachs (boo, virus), and daily woes that come and go! I must be thankful though. I am living, breathing, and praising everyday!

If only I had more time to blog!!!

How did I get so lucky?!!

Dancing Queen!

Noteworthy

I have been meaning to get on here and post some things that Presley has started doing these days. She started a new day care a few weeks ago and she is flourishing there! I love it!! Other than that she is:

*signing for more by knocking her fist together and saying "mmmm"

*playing imaginatively with her baby, i.e. changing her clothes and wiping her mouth and changing her diaper.

*saying "daddy" a lot!

*saying "noooo" when I start to sing and sign to The Itsy-Bitsy Spider

*gesturing 1,2,3 with her fingers

*helping clean by throwing trash away, wiping anything and everything, and doing the laundry

*clearly yelling for Scooby...the dumb dog!

That is just naming a few. She has qualified to TEIS intervention because she tested with a 40% delay in communication and a 25% delay in cognitive. She will start therapy soon. So, I hope to see even more new things from her in the near future!

My Cup Runneth Over

I am feeling so blessed right now! I can hardly contain myself. I thought (back, almost 2 years ago) when I had my daughter that I could not feel that joy again until/if I had another child of my own.

Boy, was I wrong!

My brave sister-in-law and her supportive husband (my brother!!) went to the hospital this morning with contractions and labor pains. He sent me a text while I was in church telling me that she had dilated to 8 and things were moving quickly. I got nervous, excited, anxious and I could not concentrate on what the preacher was saying. I told Daniel I did not want to miss the delivery so we jetted out of church early. I was so excited to get to the hospital and so scared that she would arrive before I would. I.was.wrong!!

I arrived around 12:00 p.m. They had stopped her Pitocin and she was great on her pain meds! I was a little jealous because I felt my contractions even with an epidural. Anyway, she was dilated to a 10 around 1:30 and started pushing around 2:30. She pushed until around 6:00 and nothing was happening. Ava, my niece-to-be, was not budging. The doctor tried to get some movement with forceps but, was unsuccessful. So, he ordered a c-section. We got nervous. We have not experience a cesarean before.

But at 6:35 p.m. on January 30, 2011 my beautiful, flawless niece was born. Baby and Momma did great! I am so proud of Brooke. My labor, however painful, was fairly easy. Hers was the furthest thing from that. But she handled it like a champ!! But back to the baby!!!

Enjoy...

January 2011...A Month of Doctor's Visits

Most people are strategic with there major medical visits. They schedule them towards the end of a calendar year when insurance deductibles have been met for the year and visits are covered at a higher percentage, if not 100%. Not us! No, we choose to schedule several major appointments in the first month of this new year of insurance. With this new (fairly high) deductible to meet! Awesome, I know!
So, it went something like this. Daniel was seen for back pain and nerve "issues" at which time the doctor advised an MRI done on his back. He also saw and ENT for his nose and allergies problems who also advised a CT scan of his sinuses and allergy testing. After completing those, the ENT recommends an MRI of his brain along with a vertigo test. Lovely! Then, Presley saw her cardiologist for her yearly check-up and he confirmed our interests in seeing a genetic doctor to review any complications there. This appointment is not only for Presley but also for Daniel and I to determine (a better outlook, anyway) what our risks are if/when we get pregnant again.
The appointment with the genetics department is so important you don't even get to choose when your appointment is!! They schedule it and you show up...rain, sleet, or snow!! And snow, it was! But we made it.
We received a lot of information from the doctor. A lot of this information was well over our heads! But he did a good job of explaining it for us. And I will summarize for you!
The likelihood of Presley having Trisomy 16 (mosaic), which was the cause of our miscarriage last Spring, is slim. Trisomy 16 is the most common reason for miscarriage in the first trimester. That combined with the fact that VSD is the most common congenital heart defect slims those chances even more. After a physical examination the doctor told us about two syndromes that he wanted to test for specifically. One being Noonan's Syndrome and the other being DiGeorge Syndrome. You should google them! Or don't! It is kind of scary for this mom to read about.
Basically, there are some little folds of skin in the corners of Presley's eyes and her "cute button nose" trigger his thinking of Noonan's Syndrome. They drew some blood and will test each and every chromosome to see if there are any deletions or abnormalities.
Now, because we had a daughter with a congenital heart defect our chances of having another baby with the same go up to about 50%. We will have a better idea of whether or not we should be tested after Presley's results return in about 8 weeks.
So, there you have it! That fairly high deductible will more than likely be met for this year after all of this. And we likely will be living in a cardboard box after paying all that we will owe to Vanderbilt and other doctor's but it will be worth it, I think!!
I am not sure if any of this will make sense. It is all kind of a blur to me at this point. So much so, that I did not even google the syndrome's until 24 hours after our visit. And once I did regret set in!!

Lyrics of 2010

Put the past behind you and hope for the best
Celebrate some first and some lasts

Find joy in the friends you cherish
Put your best foot forward and make a wish

Wake up to a new beginning, or two
Try to make sometime for YOU

Let go and let God
Be ready to be called

Turmoil and strife will spike
Sometimes it's best to just take a hike

Money makes the world go 'round
But it counts for nothing when your Heaven bound

All-in-all, you leave this year one way
To find your self coming into pretty much the same

God hold me close
I don't want you to let go

2011...what is your song?

Green with Envy

I am so jealous of Daniel. He has a very close relationship with his extended family. They all live within 30 miles of us and they all gather together for every holiday.

My family, on the other hand, is not so lucky. I have an aunt and 2 uncles, 5 cousins, and a second cousin on the way that I only get to see at Christmas time. It is so overwhelming to try to catch up from a whole year in a short period of time like that.

I wish so badly that I could have my cousins (4 of them girls born within 5 years of each other) at my disposal all year long. I wish I could call them up for dinner or to go to church events together or just hang out and eat ice cream! But, nonetheless, I enjoy my time with my cousins when we do get to see each other, once a year! I have so many memories of our Christmas' together and I hope they don't end anytime soon.

I do hope to have some pictures of Christmas to post soon. But I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you!! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and ring in the New Year just the same!