Baby Dean Homecoming

    Dean came home after his 11 day stay in the NICU. No heart monitor, no meds; just a tiny newborn was welcomed into our home on December 14.
    It was bitter-sweet walking out of the NICU for the last time. Many of the nurses took care of all three of our babies. They are very sweet and I'm so thankful that they care so much for their NICU kids. It's hard leaving your newborn in the care of others but the NICU nurses convey their love of babies well and make it a tad easier to walk away.
Dean has been home 5 days (well more than that b/c I 've been writing this post over the course of several days) and we are adjusting. Most my time is spent feeding him. I nurse him then follow up with a bottle then pump. Even with Thomas' help (by giving Dean a bottle) it's an hour long process. And he eats every three hours so you can see how I feel like all my time is spent feeding him! In the NICU he was only allowed 30min to eat whether it was all bottle feeding or bottle and nursing. He's so small he needs to conserve calories so they kept feedings to 30min. So we generally do the same here at home. Also, we wake him to make sure he eats every 3 hrs.
He had an appointment last Monday and weighed in at 6lbs 12ozs.
We are doing well and staying put in our house to avoid exposure to germs!

Dean's NICU Stay

Dean ended up only staying in the NICU for 11 days. He initially had breathing help as well as treatment to get his bilirubin levels up. He was a baby glow-worm. A family friend, Lydia, gifted Dean a stuffed fox because I considered naming him Fox. Being born at 35 weeks make his stay a long shorter!

Big brother Sean got to visit

 

I brought in pictures of Sean and Kayla for the nurses.

Baby Fox

Baby Dean Has Arrived

We made it to 35 weeks!

December 3rd - 6lbs 4oz!!

He is doing very well. He just needs to learn to eat and gain weight! He should be home in no time :)

Still here..

    I'm still here at the hospital on bed-rest. My OB came by just moments ago. No contractions, lots of baby movement, vitals good. She said she'd see me tomorrow morning.
I've been watching a lot of HGTV and an occasional football game. There is a lot of junk on TV these days! I'm a really good bed-rest patient! Not too restless, but I know I'll be glad to be back home eventually.
    Thomas and Sean headed out to my in-law's land with his family yesterday and spent the night out there. I'm sure Sean had lots of fun with his cousins.
    Today Baylor is playing Tech so hopefully Thomas and I can watch the game together here.
Our dear friend Brandi is rapidly declining in health. We are still persistently praying for miraculous healing. Please join me in crying out for her healing.

33 weeks with Baby No.3

    Wednesday morning I had my 33week appointment. I'm so grateful I've made it this far! Upon examination my doc found I was dilated to 2-3 cm and 50% effaced. She initially said go back home and continue strict bed rest. I asked why I was being sent home even with being dilated, because with Kayla I was dialed a little, not feeling contractions but was sent straight to L&D. She said I was primarily sent to L&D so I could get a steroid shot to progress baby's lung development. But with this baby I already had that shot. Thhheeeennn, my doctor started to think....she decided it'd be best to monitor me over night in the hospital. Not in L&D but just on the floor (postpartum side). So, to the hospital I went. I didn't get into a gown, didn't get any monitors hooked up, just sat in bed and watched TV.
    The nurses took my vitals every few hours and also checked baby fox's heart rate. My friend Jill visited and brought me a vanilla DP and fried pickles! Thankful for friends treating me and taking time to say hi! Thomas spent the night while my mom stayed home with the kids. I'm thankful she has these days off to help us out.
This morning (Thursday) Dr. W came in and asked if I had been having any contractions.
Nope, I said.
She told me to be honest and asked if I was getting more bed rest here than at home.
Yes, I said.
She is having me stay here.... through the weekend. Definitely not what I want but is probably what I need, what baby needs. I can stay more motionless here and keep pressure off cervix. And I'm obviously super close to L&D. I could tell she felt bad but knew it was best. Hey she's here on Thanksgiving too! Thankful for medical staff working today!
As soon as she left the room I cried. Mostly because the thought of staying here away from Sean and Kayla made me sad. They can come visit but a 3 yr old and 15mth old don't last long in such a confined space. Thomas hugged me and said we can bring kids up here. So, I had my pity party and felt bad for myself. Then quickly remembered there are people in the hospital for months on end away from their family and they're in pain! I'm not in pain. Then I felt bad for not visiting my dad more when he was in the hospital with cancer and he was in the hospital a lot. And I remembered I am not doing this (bed-rest) for myself but for baby Fox. As my friend Allison pointed out every day in the womb buys a few days out of NICU, and saves $$ too. Thankful for encouraging friends that love me!
And I remembered my friend Brandi whose health is rapidly declining due to brain cancer. And Mary who is also in pain with pancreatic cancer. My "suffering" is not suffering at all. Thankful I can cry out to the Creator for healing in these women's lives.
I honestly don't care that it's Thanksgiving. I mean it doesn't bother me being here on turkey day. Thomas, my mom and kids will come visit me soon. Maybe we will get turkey from cafeteria, maybe they can get food from Cracker Barrel or Golden Corral. It's whatever. Today isn't about food.
So that's what's going on now.
Most thankful for Jesus Christ. His life, death and resurrection. The freedom to worship him and the community of believers he brings together.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Dad took Sean and Kayla to the suspension bridge

Kayla with the keys

Sean and Kayla visiting with smiles

chaotic little visitors

Brainstorming baby names

one more pregnancy update photo, probably the last!

30.5 weeks

    I'm 30 weeks along and quickly approaching my magical 32 weeks. Since Sean and Kayla were both born at 32 wks I have lowered my activity level to hopefully prevent preterm labor again. As my doc says "we are trying to buy time." I'm going in every 2 weeks, my next appointment is on Monday, Nov 12.
I completely desire to have a full term labor scenario but part of me is just comfortable with what I know; giving birth 2 months early. We were very blessed to have no major complications with neither the labor/delivery nor our babies' health. Their stay in the NICU, both for just under a month, was simply for them to grow. Although growing outside the womb proves more difficult than inside! They did face standard preemie issues like learning the suck-swallow-breathe sequence and jaundice.
As you can imagine it was quite difficult having them in the NICU but I saw it as completely necessary, so why be upset about it?
With Sean I was more ignorant. I guess it was all so new I was zoned out. With Kayla, it was difficult because I had another child at home I was missing. Splitting time between them was hard. She did much better in the NICU than Sean being a girl and all.
All this to say I really feel at peace with whatever birth plan the Lord has laid out for baby and I. If he does comes early we will potentially (hopefully) have same familiar, small struggles that come with my preterm labor. And if I make it past 32 weeks, great! It'll mean a better chance of "normal" labor and taking baby home sooner!
I feel we thrive in tough times and it's only because I know Christ has walked before us in these earthly struggles.

Crafty Pants

So recently a friend asked if she could borrow my sewing machine to make some bean bags. I hadn't pulled the sewing machine out in 6 months, I had to wipe dust off it!
There were some things I had forgotten to do properly, like wind the bobbin and I'm still not completely educated on tension and fun tricks. But I was able to start her off and then she took over her project like a champ. It was nice working with someone cause I wouldn't get as frustrated at problems that arose. And problems always arise with me and my machine!

I'm glad to say that afternoon my creative spark was lit again! I have since made a flower head band for Kayla, although that didn't involve the machine.  And I've started making Kayla a jersey knit scrap dress with matching leggings. Well, I haven't taken that project to the sewing machine yet, but it's cut and pending sewing.

What my point?
What I did actually sew was a simple gift bag thingy.
We bought a gift for one of Sean's friends and it's an awkward shape. I didn't have a gift bag on hand to fit it in and wrapping it wouldn't work well. As I was digging though my collection of gift bags I had the idea of just sewing a simple drawstring bag to put it in. It was a quick project and could satisfy my creative itch. Sometimes you just need to conquer your sewing machine!

So this is the gift that was an awkward shape and if I wrapped it I'm sure the wrapping paper would be prematurely punched though by a nameless toddler.

In the end I had basically a pillow case. Which made me realize I could have just used a pillow case! But I had a hand me down white sheet from my Grandma, hence the musty smell of material =/ 

I cut the material on a fold so I only had to sew two sides to create the bag. I sewed the far left side (in this picture, which is the bottom of the bag) and the top edge.The far right is the opening of bag.

I used the preexisting hem as a casing for the drawstring ribbon. I have learned through many repurposing tutorials on the net to use existing hem lines or seams to your advantage. Below the bag is inside out and you can see the existing hem that I used as casing.

I snipped two holes on either side of the seam to insert ribbon, then attached ribbon to a safety pin and fed ribbon though. Easy peasy. oh and I used fire to melt the ends of ribbon so they don't fray.

 And BAM, we have a simple gift bag that the receiver can use to store stuff if he wants. Or toss cause it was cheap and simple and easy to make!
 I wanted to add a little something so I grabbed some chipboard letters I have that I use for stencils. I eyeballed the centerness, traced letters with a map pencil then went over with Tulip brand felt tip fabric markers. hoorah...so satisfying to make something useful yourself =)

 Nothing fancy, just wanted to share to spark your creativity (possibly?)
Get yo craft on =)

Brandi

I want my prayers to be reality. So bad.

Our dear friend Brandi was diagnosed with brain cancer spring of 2011. Brain cancer. wow.
needless to say it is very serious. She has been on chemo for so long and the treatments aren't showing that there has been improvement. I can hardly wrap my head around all the medical jargon. What I do know is the cancer is killing her.
but...but...but God. Brandi knows the love of Christ. She knows he has plans for her. He formed her in her mother's womb, he knows the hairs on her head, before the foundations of the universe He knew her, He knew how her life would unfold.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

She has hope and she has a future. She is secure in her salvation through Christ, because Christ died a death none of us will ever have to face. We sinned against God in the Garden, we didn't obey his law, we couldn't. Christ could and he did. God incarnate on earth came to dwell with us. He was sinless and we sent him to the cross be murdered, we rejected him. He took on the wrath of God, he suffered, he died a painful death. 

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.1 John 4:10

 but... Christ was raised from the dead, he conquered death. Brandi worships a God that conquers sin and death.

 Brandi has been transformed by Christ and will live because Christ died. I am confident in her eventual entrance to Heaven.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:5-7

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17

I can't claim to know when or even if Brandi will be healed. She may not be. But that doesn't make Christ any less powerful. He is sovereign and the Creator of everything. His will be done, not mine.

I still cry out to Jesus for healing. He knows the desires of our hearts. We long to see Brandi live many, many more years on earth with her husband and two young children. We desire to see a miracle in her life that would glorify God to the extreme.

I still give praise to God for seeking Brandi out, for calling her into his kingdom. His love for his children is unfathomably huge. I pray we can glorify him though this situation, that people will see his power and majesty. 

Please pray for healing in the life of my friend. Pray that God would be glorified.

>>>Brandi's CaringBridge Site

27 weeks with Baby No.3

I had an OB appointment Oct 1st and everything looked good, no signs of labor. I go back the 15th and hopefully it'll be the same. My doctor said to take it easy and avoid long walks, i.e. the zoo, grocery store, Target. I am still getting out of the house but I plan to scale way back on that.

How Far Along: 27 weeks

Size of Baby: 14.5 inches, 2lbs

Total Weight Gain: 15ish lbs

Maternity Clothes: yupp

Gender: boy!

Movement: yes, lots

Sleep: pretty good

Best moment of this week: the best moments are usually when Sean is interacting with the baby...err..my belly. We explain to him there is a baby in there and he'll say "patience". Because we tell him the baby will come out eventually but we have to be patient. Or he'll say "baby's kicking". He hasn't felt a kick yet because a toddler hasn't the time to leave his hand in one spot for more than 3 seconds! You can see the baby move from the outside so I'm hoping Sean can catch a glimpse of that and start to understand a little more.

Food Cravings: sweets, not sugary candy sweet but chocolate, bready, cookie sweet...mmm

Symptoms: more achy this time than with first two, but I guess that's just how it goes both as I age and as I carry more children

What I am looking forward to: meeting this little guy of course! Not too soon though =)

20 Weeks with Baby No.3

As of Monday, August 20th I am 20 weeks along with baby no. 3!

    All traces of morning sickness are gone but I do have to be careful not to eat too much. Otherwise, I get sick to my stomach. Maternity shorts and stretchy skirts are my friend. Way too hot for pants. I feel like my belly is small in the morning but by the end of the day I feel big. Pretty soon I will feel big all the time! I can still bend over fine and pick stuff up but I'm dreading when I can't do that. Sean will have to pitch in with the house cleaning more!
    Our next doctor appointment is Sept 10 when we should find out the gender. I still think it's a boy.
I have starting feeling baby move much more, very distinct. My back is starting to hurt but mostly just after waking up. It's getting harder to sleep comfortably! I still feel like this pregnancy hasn't flown by. Maybe because I know it could be my last and I'm trying to soak it up? Maybe because my days just feel longer? Not sure. But I'm grateful for this little blessing and I'm excited to meet him or her!!

Visiting Grandma

The kids and I took a trip down to Houston to see my mom. Thomas needed some distraction-free time to do last minute prep for the GRE so he stayed home. It was quite enjoyable for all of us. I didn't have to do as much as normal, thank the Lord for Grandmas! And we did a lot of Olympics viewing which we normally wouldn't have been able to do in our tv lacking home.

    We spent time in Grandma's pool and went to my elementary school playground. I was saddened but not surprised that all the old wooden equipment was gone.

    We also had to get some pictures of Kayla on my mom's dresser. She has pic of all three of us kids on a dresser or in front of a mirror at about the same age. So she want's the same for her grandkids!

Travel Bug

I've got the itch to move! While in Houston at my moms house a few weeks back I was exposed to a good amount of cable programming. If I was in control of the remote, which was 98% of the time, the tv was on NBC or HGTV. NBC for the Olympics and HGTV for all the goodness that channel has to offer. My most favorite show is House Hunters International.
Thomas and I have had some wonderful overseas vacations. For our one year anniversary in July 2006 we met up in Germany. I say "met up" because he was deployed in Africa during '06. Germany was beautiful. Clean, green, good food, obviously so much history, nice people and English speaking! It was a nice first overseas experience because it wasn't a polar opposite of USA. We also were able to visit Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Italy. Equally picturesque.

Then in Sept '06 I met him in Egypt where he was stationed. That was an adventure for sure. Completely different from Europe and USA. It was like stepping back into 1980s. There was a layer of dust on everything. 90% of everything seemed old. We stayed at a beach resort part of the time and it was catered to tourists so it was quite nice. When venturing out to Cairo and Alexandria I felt so out of place. We also were able to visit Jerusalem. Since Thomas had been living there 9 mths he was familiar with the culture so I was more comfortable than I might have been had he not known the country. Exploring Egypt was a great experience and so neat to see such a different culture!

Next up a visit to the homeland, Thailand! Thomas is half Thai, his mother was born and raised in Thailand and only came to the US after meeting and marrying Thomas' white-guy dad. Summer '07 his parents offered to take all the kids and spouses to Thailand! Um yes! Again, very different from Europe and US but oh so exciting. It was obviously quite helpful having a native traveling with us. His mom didn't lack energy or knowledge. We saw so much and leaned so much! We stayed in the big city of Bangkok and also a smaller city called Chang Mai. A colorful, friendly, ancient country.

Once settled back in TX after our Thailand trip I got a job and Thomas started back to school. Sean was born Aug 2009 so our traveling lessened.Trying to get vacation time while at new jobs is a toughie! But April /May '11 both Thomas and I quit our jobs! Me to stay at home with kids (I was 5 mths preggo with Kayla) and Thomas quit to go back to school. Sounds like an opportunity for adventure. Along with some good friends we made our way to Cancun, Mexico! It was more of a vacation/ relaxing experience than other trips, cause you know, I had a ginormo baby belly. None the less we were able to take in the sites and culture and see something quite different from TX!

Sooo after watching all the House Hunters International episodes I have been wanting to travel or even move!
With small two children though, soon to be three, it's not too realistic. I would love to take the kids with us but personally I would only like to travel to first world countries (which would be uber expensive).
While we were in Cairo we met a young couple with two young boys. They were probably 3 and 6 yrs old. The family was traveling Europe and Africa for months, how fun! It was nice to see and showed that it can be done. Another side story, while at the top of Mount Sinai, no really, Thomas talked to a young couple who sold their house and were traveling the world. Their logic was, travel now while young cause you don't know if you'll even make it to retirement years.
Realistically, we won't be making any big moves to Bali or even any over seas vacations. But it sure is a desire we both have; to see other countries and cultures. If we could be missionaries, spreading the Gospel in other nations that would be awesome. But for now this adventure we've got going on right now with young children sure is a blessing!
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17 Weeks with Baby No.3

As of July 30, 2012, I am 17 weeks along with pregnancy # 3.

small dark bathroom, dirty mirror, weird face. keepin' it real.

My morning sickness is 80% gone. There are a few times that I feel not so great but in general I'm feeling so much better. With Sean and Kayla I was further along when I started feeling better so I am very grateful!
    Still haven't switched to maternity clothes just yet. They seem a little big and baggy. Some more belly growth and  I'll jump right in them.
    I can't say for sure that I've felt baby move. Maybe it's because I'm constantly moving and can't sit still long enough to concentrate on feeling him/her move. I thought with Kayla that I had felt something by now, but maybe not, and each pregnancy is different.
    I am sleeping much better now too. I used to wake anywhere from 2 to 5am and have to go to the bathroom then would have trouble falling back asleep. I've surprised myself several times by sleeping the whole night through.
    Our next OB appointment is tomorrow, August 1st. I believe this will be another heart beat check and possibly a pelvic exam. Theeen the next appointment after that will be the gender determination appointment.

I must say I think it is a boy.

I can't say that this pregnancy is flying by. Right now it seems slow, but I'm sure by the time I'm in the 20's I'll be like "wow, where'd the time go?!" If I deliver baby #3 like Sean and Kayla at 32 weeks I'm already past the half way point! So maybe this pregnancy is flying by!

Hope you have a great week!

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13 

15 weeks with Baby No.3

 I was waiting to post this till I took a standard baby bump picture, but I never did and now i'm 16 weeks...this picture was taken on July 14th, my birthday! It was also my nephews 1st birthday.

As of Monday, July 16, 2012 I am 15 weeks pregnant.

Size of Baby: according to my BabyBump app. baby is the size of a naval orange (4.0 in) and weighs 2.5 oz.
What I'm missing: stuffing my face with food. I have to pace myself or I'll eat too much and be sick. It helps if I do something while eating like feed Kayla or play on computer like I am now as I eat pizza. =) I also miss sweet things like pancakes, cookies, ice cream, etc. Those make my stomach so upset, I try to avoid them. I miss superdeduper hot baths or hot tubs. I love me some hot baths! I guess I wouldn't enjoy a hot tub this time of year but I feel like it's been forever since I've been in one.
Movements: haven't felt any baby movement yet.
Energy Level: Still pretty low but getting better. I haven't ventured out of the house much. I like having food and the couch nearby! If Thomas is with us it's easier. The evenings are harder so I try to get as much done during the day as possible. When Thomas comes home it's a huge relief! I hope the 2nd trimester energy kicks in and we can go to the splash pad, the zoo, Target! etc.
Maternity Clothes: I haven't wore any quite yet, but I'm sure it's just around the corner! I'm at home most days so stretchy cotton yoga pants are what I mostly wear. When I do step into the closet to find clothes to wear out I complain that I have nothing to wear, ha! Mostly for my bottom half though. Jeans are too hot and I need more dresses or skirts.
Dr. Appointments: My last appointment was on June 27 (Miss Kayla's Birthday) I got to hear the heart beat for the first time. I think it was 167....maybe, something in the 160's. I cherish those times when I get confirmation that there is indeed a little person growing inside me. I tend to get distracted by all my nausea and throw pity parties for myself and almost forget why I'm feeling ill! Because a wonderful little baby! Next appointment will probably be another heartbeat check. Then I believe the one after that will be the gender determination. 

Sean juicing up at my nephew's first birthday party

Sean floating in his "boat"

Miss Kayla Joy enjoying her favorite, strawberries!