Pediatrician update...

I received a call from the receptionist at the new doctor's office this morning.  I have to admit, this Mommy probably overreacted a bit and got a little too worried after the initial phone call.  Trust me, it wasn't my first time overreacting and I am sure it won't be my last.  After I stopped to think about my initial conversation, I had spoken with the receptionist who might not have any medical background so of course, she would need to verify with the doctors before giving me any type of answer especially since Isabelle will not be one of their "typical" patients. 
I was told the doctor has no issues with accepting Isabelle as a patient but did have some concerns with me delivering in SanDestin.  Since he hasn't been involved in my care up to this point, his concerns were the same as mine have been.  What if they have to transport Isabelle to Pensacola due to complications?  The hospital in SanDestin is not set up for babies that might have complications.  I explained a little of my pregnancy background and all of the doctor's that I am seeing including Isabelle's Pediatric Cardiologist who will be on the phone with the techs when she is born.  I am sure that all of Isabelle's records will be sent to him for further review after she is born.
Now that everything is settled and I have stopped overreacting, I feel good about our change in doctors.  Although, we will miss our other doctor and nurse so much, I am hoping that this change will make things a little easier on us for appointments.  If I had not heard such great things about this doctor, I would never have made the switch.  I would be willing driving where ever necessary to make sure all of my babies get great care.

Dose of reality

I have been talking to Ryan for a few months now about switching Pediatricians and I kept putting it off.  Now that we are possibly a few weeks away from meeting Isabelle I finally took the time to make the call this afternoon.  We love our current Pediatrician and have been with him since Ethan was born.  He has been there for the boys through everything.  But, the office is way out of our way and this new Pediatrician's office is just a couple of miles from our house.   We have heard great things about him so it is hard for us to think of any reason not to make the change. 
So, I make the call this afternoon and give her Aiden's medical history- which she had no issues with and then I started to explain my pregnancy and Isabelle.  After I got finished explaining that Isabelle will have DS and also has a heart condition that will require open heart surgery she paused briefly and then said she will have to get with the doctor to make sure he can accommodate her needs.  She was very nice and careful with her wording but I never even thought about a doctor not being able to accept Isabelle as a patient.  I just assumed that any Pediatrician could be her primary doctor especially since she already has a cardiologist.  I am thinking the hesitation was due more to her heart condition and not the DS but for some reason, that news hit me hard.   I am learning very quickly that I have no idea what I am doing so far with Isabelle.  I am sure I will learn very quickly but this was my first dose of reality... my new reality.
I should receive a call tomorrow afternoon to let me know if he is able to be Isabelle's doctor.  If not, then we might just stick with our current Pediatrician and pray he would be able to take Isabelle.

Easter Weekend...

We had a busy but fun Easter weekend.  I know I was tired of hunting eggs by Sunday night.  I think the boys would have still be up for more if we would have allowed.  Thankfully, I had discarded their old stash of candy prior to this weekend because we are now over flowing again.
We started off on Saturday with our annual Easter egg dash/Picnic with the church.
                                    Ethan getting ready for his turn.

This is what Aiden thought about having to wait for the big kids to go first.   

And Ethan is off... 

Now it is Aiden's turn.  He got a prize for getting the most eggs.  I heard that another little boy actually got more than him but I won't tell him if you don't. 

Aiden with his bag full of 93 eggs! 

I was told that I wasn't allowed to make them stop picking up eggs for pictures.  Any pictures that I took must be action shots.  They were on a mission and I was not to get in their way.

Saturday night, we went over to Mimi and Poppy's for dinner and some more egg hunting.  The boys had a great time and even Isabelle got an Easter basket. 

After church, we headed over to Nana and Papa's for lunch and more Easter egg hunting. 

Aiden waiting for his turn to hunt some more eggs.  Isn't he cute?!?

Mikayla and Ethan 

They have been released from their cages and can start finding the eggs. 

Ethan in deep concentration- finding these eggs are very important

Aiden just chillin... 

Ethan- he is growing up so fast!   

After the kids found all of the eggs, it was the adults turn.  Daddy was a good sport since Mommy had to sit this one out. 

We had a great weekend full of family time and good food. 

Isabelle's appointment- 34 weeks

This afternoon we had our week 34 high risk appointment.  Normally, Isabelle is moving constantly which makes the techs job much more difficult but today, we couldn't get her to move at all.  I learned that this makes the techs job just as difficult.  We were getting a little worried since we tried everything to make her move and nothing was working.  Other than doing jumping jacks, we tried it.  Finally right before the doctor came in, Isabelle woke up and moved around and of course, hasn't stopped since.  The tech did get a funny picture right when she moved.  Isabelle looked like she was pointing at her and not too happy that she had been woken up.  That's our stubborn little girl. 
We did get some good news today.  The fluid that was in her abdomen is now completely gone.  Everything else looked great and we will visit Dr. T. one more time before Isabelle makes her debut. 
Next Monday, we will see Dr. E and then on Wednesday we will be going to Pensacola to see the Pediatric Cardiologist one more time.
We are slowly getting closer to our goal of week 36.  It would be nice if Isabelle could stay put a little past week 36 so she can continue to grow and get stronger before we welcome her into this big world.

Short Isabelle Update...

I had my first of two appointments this morning for Isabelle.  I was stopped immediately before getting my vitals taken because they could tell I had a "not so" nutritious breakfast.  I knew I should not have had a taquito and coke for breakfast!!  I hadn't had one in so long and had been so good but I was craving it this morning.  Oh well... lesson learned.  Plus the scale showed a few extra pounds.  Again, not a smart day to eat a big breakfast.
Dr. E. decided not to check my cervix today.  If I have began to dilate, she doesn't want to progress anything further.  At this point, I am monitoring my contractions to make sure I don't feel like anything is too much out of the ordinary.  Plus, I need to continue to slow down a bit and rest as much as possible.  Easier said than done, but I will try.  Dr. E. said that Isabelle has dropped and is sitting very low which could explain some of the pain that I have been experiencing.
Good news is that I am able to work for another week!!  This is such a blessing.  I really need to work as long as possible (especially since we already know I will need to be out for Isabelle's heart surgery) and I don't want to put the office in any more of a bind.
We are keeping our fingers crossed for another smooth appointment in a few hours.  Next up is our high risk appointment.  Hopefully Isabelle will cooperate so it will be nice and quick.

                                         Week 34- Mommy and Isabelle

When I need them most...

When I need my family and friends the most... they always are there!  The past few days, I have been back to my pity party (as you can tell in the last post) but my family knew something was wrong and I immediately starting getting calls and encouraging emails.  It is funny how even when you haven't said a word to anyone, your family and friends know when you are a bit down. 
I enjoy reading blogs from other Moms that are in the same situation but their children are a bit older so they have already experienced where I am at.  I find their words encouraging and it reminds me that Isabelle will fit right in with our family and she will be loved and love us unconditionally. 
I know that these next few weeks or hopefully a bit longer if she will stay put, will be hard and emotional for our family but we will get through it. 
I made sure I gave myself time this morning to read my devotional before even getting out of bed (didn't need a day like yesterday!) and this is what today's said:
Do not be afraid, for I am with you.  Hear me saying Peace, be still to your restless heart.  No matter what happens, I will never leave you or forsake you.  Let this assurance soak into your mind and hearts, until you overflow with Joy.  Though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, you need not fear!
Then, on the way to work, I received a phone call from my Dad with words of encouragement.  Sometimes a girl just needs her Daddy to wrap his arms around her to ensure her everything is going to be OK.  I got that this morning with this phone call.  Then I get to work and I have an email waiting for me from my Mom with scriptures/prayer and just pure love.  So much for not crying today!! But these tears are different, they are from feeling so loved and not feeling alone in "my" situation.  My family and friends are right there with me every step of the way.  

What a day!!

Lucky for Daddy, he had to open the Spa this morning and missed our craziness at the house.  By 7:30 this morning, the boys and I had all yelled, cried and each thrown our own major temper tantrum.  Last night I had a horrible dream/nightmare about Isabelle so combining that with the boy's meltdowns might explain part of my own temper tantrum.  (still not excusable but I am finding the need to justify why at my age I had my own temper tantrum.)
I had started a rule just last night that when the boys decide to throw a temper tantrum, 5 minutes will be deducted from their bed time.  I am trying this because I can't find anything that works.  I have no idea how to stop temper tantrums, I believe I have been consistent with them but at the ages of 7 and 5, I would think they would be starting to decline at this point... but no such luck.  So... for tonight, all three of us have to go to bed early due to our temper tantrums this morning, even Mommy.  To top off our "wonderful" morning, one of the dogs had gotten sick (Thankfully, Daddy had cleaned it up before he left but I saw my poor rug outside) and Ethan's backpack was in Daddy's trunk.  No backpack= automatic change in his color chart at school (which started another meltdown!).
I made it to work but as soon as Ryan called me to find out how the morning went... I broke down.  At this point, I can't start crying especially in public because I won't be able to stop.  It is like a faucet with no off switch. 
My doctors have said for a while that I need to get to week 36 which always seemed so far away until someone reminded me that it is actually only 3 weeks from now.  What?!?  I am not prepared.  This realization has put me in a spiral of emotions and complete freak out mode.  I am not emotionally/mentally prepared and our house is definitely not ready.  I am normally a very organized person but at this point, you would never know that.  Also, although I like to be spontaneous at times, I don't with the big things in my life.  When big changes happen, I like to know every step before it happens and what needs to be done before I get there.  With Isabelle, I can't do that.  I am so ready for this pregnancy to be over.  It has been long, stressful and quite frankly... not fun at all but I am not ready for Isabelle yet. I don't feel like I am prepared emotionally or mentally. 
When a person has a fear and knows that they must face it, majority of the time you have comfort in that you face it head on, get through it and move on.  With the diagnosis of Isabelle, this is a life long journey.  This isn't something that follows those steps above.  This is what overwhelms me. 
I want to be strong but right now, I don't know how to be.  I want to trust in everything that I know is true and that God will protect us and never give me anything I can't handle but I don't feel that right now.  This seems a little too much for me at this point.
So... what I would like to know is if I can put myself in time out and in the bed about 8 hours early due to my temper tantrum?  Trust me... it wasn't pretty.  Maybe I could sleep away this day and start fresh in the morning.

Shout out for Isabelle... week 32

I have to give Isabelle a little shout out right now!!  The big news... she flipped and is no longer breech!  I got a little chocked up when the tech told me she is now head down.  I am sure the tech thought I was just being an over-emotional pregnant woman but I was really starting to have some anxiety about a possible c-section.  With everything else going on, a c-section was the last thing that I wanted to be worrying about.  Last month when I was told Isabelle was breech, I immediately starting doing some serious praying.  I knew she had plenty of time to flip but if we look at her track record, you can see she is quite stubborn.  A few days after the news, I felt a weird movement in my belly.  I immediately thought, was that it??  Did she flip?  But I wasn't going to be checked for a few more weeks so there was no way to know.  Ryan was convinced that she would remain breech and I would have to have a c-section and I have to say I was pretty sceptical myself.  So... Yay for baby Isabelle!!
I never realized how comforting it was to have Ryan at the high risk appointments until today.  He had a meeting he couldn't get out of so I had to go to this one solo.  The waiting was a bit painful and my mind immediately started thinking the worst.  Would there be any bad news today?  Would she cooperate?  but I survived. 
I think the techs must draw straws to see who has to take me back to the ultrasound room.  Isabelle definitely doesn't make their job easy.  The tech asked me if I get any sleep with this baby.  My answer... not so much.  Last night, Isabelle was moving around so much that I actually started to feel like I was going to crawl out of my skin.  (Hopefully others have felt that as well and I am not going crazy!)  I immediately got out of bed and had to just move around.  I couldn't lay in bed any longer and watch my belly move and wiggle into the weirdest positions.
Back to the appointment:
Isabelle is looking good and weighing in at 4lbs 11ozs.  Nothing has really changed at this point which for Isabelle, is a good thing.  The fluid around her heart and abdomen is still minimal and shouldn't cause any issues during or after birth.  Her bowels still have a few brights spots but the Dr. said that this will have zero affect on her after birth. 
I have 4 more weeks of my progestrone shots.  I can not wait until these are finished.  Last night's shot was probably the most painful one so far.  Even Ryan (my husband doctor) is ready for these to be over with.  The fun of shooting me in the behind has finally worn off.  The boys are even used to my shots now.  As soon as we get in the house, they yell "Mommy needs her shot, Mommy needs her shot!"  Thanks guys.  Trust me... having to get a shot in my behind is not something I will easily forget.
Now is the time that my appointments start weekly until Isabelle arrives.  Dr. E will start checking my cervix at week 34 and we are interested to see what she finds.  Ryan is betting that I will be put on bed rest but I am not ready to think about that at this point.  I have tried to slow down a bit but being a Mommy of 2 very active boys, is proving to be a bit difficult.

My children...

 My boys love their little sister so much and they haven't even met her yet.  The simple and unconditional love of a child amazes me! 
Now, when they talk about our family, Isabelle's name is never left out and if you happen to forget... you will surely be reminded.


A few days ago, I found Ethan testing out a pair of Isabelle's shoes.  I think he was able to get his big toe to finally fit and he just sat and laughed.  He was amazed at how small everything is.  He was only 2 when Aiden was born so he didn't really grasp everything like he does now.

When Aiden and I cuddle, you will always find his hand resting on my belly. They both rub my belly constantly and make sure to hug and kiss Isabelle every morning and night.

(Now that's a big belly!)
These are things that I love right now.  I haven't been feeling great lately but I wouldn't trade these moments for anything.  My boys are teaching me to trust and love no matter what.  When I am having an off day... that is the day they choose to show extra affection towards Isabelle.  I am so thankful for my boy's love and the laughter they bring to our family.  They can lift my spirits any day of the week.

Ethan's field trip

Ethan went on a field trip with his 1st grade class to the strawberry patch.  I think I am missing out on experiencing this place.  I have heard many good things about it.  Once Isabelle is born, the boys and I might have to take a little field trip of our own.

A friend of mine sent me this picture of Ethan during the field trip...

You think he is having fun?!?

Monkey business... the final chapter

Big Giant Monkey had to make his appearance over the weekend.  The boys even got into it and started placing him around the house.  I can definitely tell they are their Father's sons.  They made him proud!

This spot was the boy's idea for Big Giant Monkey.   

And then it was time for him to eat...  

I have since put Big Giant Monkey back in the boy's bedroom where he belongs.  I think I have seen enough of him lately.

Underwear...

Who knew underwear was considered a bad word?!?  I am in big trouble if it is because I am pretty sure I tell the boys about 10 times each morning, "time to put on your underwear!".  Well... according to Aiden, underwear is something he should not be saying.  Wow! I must be a really strict Mom.
While we were eating dinner last night, Aiden explained that one of his friends was trying to get him to say a bad word on the playground.  Before we knew what the word was, we started explaining that no one can really make you say something.  You choose to say it or not.  So... if you don't think you should repeat something that is being said...then don't.  He then went on to tell us the rest of the story.  (this information would have been helpful before our little lecture)
On the playground, his friend was telling him that he could make him say the word "underwear" and Aiden's reply was "I won't say that word".  So his friend kept saying "look under there... look under there!"  Aiden turned and said "look under where?" (underwear)  This friend is a smart one!!  Ryan and I definitely got a good laugh out of that one. 
I think it is time I explain that "underwear" really isn't a bad word.

Monkey business continues...

So... Big Giant Monkey showed up in my bed reading my book and then once I came downstairs last night, I found this...

Big Giant Monkey had borrowed my eye mask, body pillow and my spot in the bed.  If I find Big Giant Monkey taking a bubble bath, he is in big trouble!