Its beginning to look alot like Christmas...

Go Packers!
Unfortunately they lost, but aren't these people cute?!?!?

Going to see Santa

Hardwick Christmas

Check this out...

Enjoy!

'Tis the season...

Look at our little elf!

Putting up the Christmas tree

Ho, Ho, Ho!


Hope your holiday season is coming along nicely. I'm sure everyone has more shopping done than me (presents purchased so far=0)! Oh well, I'll get it done. Everyone here is healthy (knock on wood, PRAISE GOD!, Yippee) and we are praying it stays that way. Just wanted to share some cute pictures! Take care!

Avery's 1st Thanksgiving

Just enjoy this little beauty!!! She's come a long way and we are very THANKFUL for that!

Thanksgiving

Kicked out...

Shelby's Nov RMH stay

...of club RMH, that is. Literally Shelby didn't want to leave. I think its because she was scared of getting her IV out. She asked a great question, especially for a 5 1/2-year-old. She was concerned about what would happen if she got sick again. Would there have to be another IV? The answer was "yes" so she thought just keeping this one in would be fine. Not so. I finally got her convinced to come home, the IV got removed and then she was very happy. She's still not "Shelby" but this stay was much more emotional than the past ones have been. She's much more aware of what's going on and what's going to happen. Very scary stuff for a little girl. Hell, most adults are very scared of the things my little girl just had to endure. Its a hard notion to wrap your little brain around that IV's suck, but they are very helpful and we need them to make you better. She's hanging in there, though. We are just trying to re-adjust to life at home. Thank you for the thoughts and prayers. Let's hope we can go at least another 11 months before this happens again.

By the way, her Dr. in Chicago still just wants to leave the cyst alone. So the cyst saga continues...

Happy Thanksgiving! May you all overstuff yourselves and take a nap on the couch.

Still there

Yes, my dear Shelby is still in RMH. Today was the first time since Sunday night that I broke loose from there. She is improving and it looked like she was going to bust loose today, but we are waiting on Dr. Deutsch hearing from Chicago for the all-clear.

What did you do this weekend?

Miss Shelby is still in RMH. Some of her numbers look better, but some look worse. They want to give the IV antibiotics at least 48 hours in her. Tomorrow at 6 a.m. she'll have labs again and then we'll go from there. Her fever has been gone since this morning and her tummy pain seems better. She is more active, but very tired. She's had lots of visitors so that has made her very happy. If you want to come visit, please call first. I'm home for a few hours with Avery & Riley while Daddy hangs out with her. We'll make the switch around 8 p.m. and I'll pull the night shift at the hospital. Keep the prayers coming please.

Riley had her Libby Lu birthday party & sleepover last night. We wanted to keep things as normal as possible around her even though Shelby's in the hospital. WE ARE ALL EXHAUSTED and poor Avery's schedule is all off whack. I feel like I am living a split life. The hospital one & the "normal" home one. I just want us to be all at home together again.

Sick Shelby

Last night Shelby was admitted at Rockford Memorial Hospital for severe abdominal pain and fever. Her biliruben and wbc are elevated. She is on two IV antibiotics and feeling sort-of rough. Please keep her in your prayers. On Tuesday at liver clinic we found out that her cyst is now the size of a lemon. Could this be causing her pain & fever? We'll see soon....I'll update when I can.

More pictures & videos

More October Fun

Look what I can do now

Yes, I'm feeling pretty smart! Now I just need to figure out how to improve the video resolution on our camera. One of these days... This post is going to be our life lately summed up in pictures. Make sure to read the captions! Enjoy!

ALF Walk

Zoo Day

Busy, busy, busy!

Thank you to those out there who faithfully still check to see if I do updates. We have just been BUSY since the school year started and I began working. I thought I would give you an update on our family starting with the oldest and working down to the youngest...so, here we go!

Scott:
Daddy Scott works his tail off at Carpetmill Outlet (anyone need new flooring?) almost every day. His schedule changed recently so that he is picking up 10 hours of overtime every 2 weeks. Now his days off have changed and he never has 2 days in a row off. We miss that! Unfortunately, I always have things around the house that need to be done when he is off work, so I keep him too busy. He's a trouper, though, and keeps marching forward. The Packers being 4-0 is helping quite a bit! No one call our house Sunday night. It the BIG Packers/Bears game! GO PACK!!!

Me:
Ah.....where to begin? Having a 3rd child has thrown my life into a whirlwind. Not that I wasn't busy before, but 3....yes, its just a different kind of crazy now. I began working through Burpee Museum September 17th as a program instructor in their after school program at Westview. This job is Monday-Friday from 2-5, but I have the same days off as Riley & Shelby do, so that's really nice. My wonderful, wonderful, giving Mother has been watching Miss Avery and then picking up the big girls at their bus stop and watching them until I get home. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU Mom! Yesterday I woke up with a terrible headache on the left side of my head only to be diagnosed with an ear infection! I thought those were for little kids! No wonder they get so grumpy when they have them - they hurt! The doctor thinks its from my wonderful (grrrrr) allergies. I'm ready for the first frost.

Riley:
Uh...I think Riley is already smarter than her parents. She is amazing in school and sometimes you forget that she is only in 2nd grade until she throws a very age-appropriate temper-tantrum over something very minor then you are snapped back into reality. She is still devouring books and has taken up "teaching" Shelby in math and reading skills. She is awesome with Avery. She asks if she can change her diaper and Avery adores her! It is going to be a lot of fun watching their relationship over the years.

Shelby:
Shelby is enjoying being a Kindergartner. School seems to be going really well for her and she is reading some simple books already. She so wants to be like Riley! She does have a fear of dogs that has really escalated out of control so on Friday we are taking her to Chicago to speak with a psychiatrist that is very experienced in dealing with children with health issues, especially surrounding transplant. Shelby's fear has spread into a fear of being around people she doesn't know and bees. I think her fears are really her becoming more aware of her health situation and they are just manifesting through dogs, crowds, and bees, but we'll see what the good doctor has to say about all this. On the health front, she has dealt with an infection in her foot that required a visit to the ER, a shot in her foot (ouch!) and a round of antibiotics and, most recently, intermittent tummy pain that has doubled her over. That, too, required a visit to the ER. Nothing has been found, but there is concern with the cysts on her liver, so we are just keeping a close eye, as usual, on her. She, too, loves her baby sister so much. Avery just lights up when she sees her.

Avery:
My fat, chunky baby is doing wonderful! Last week was rough as she was getting ready to get her 1st tooth. Thankfully (for her and us) it came through on Friday. She also rolled over for the first time on Friday. BIG DAY! She is a very happy baby, quick to smile and laugh! We just love her to pieces. She is a cuddler, a lover, and....what did we ever do without her!?!?!?! We still haven't started solids, but maybe after her 6-month check-up we can try to begin rice cereal. The longer you wait to start solids with someone with allergies, the higher the chance is that they'll outgrow them. Let's pray and keep our fingers and toes crossed. Allergies can be such a hassle, especially food allergies. We gave her infants motrin last week for her teething pain only to have her break out in hives. It was a pretty tense hour or so around her while I watched her like a hawk to make sure the reaction didn't progress into anaphylaxis.

O.k., I think that's the end of the line....oh yeah, our beta fish Dash:
He's doing well despite having a very swollen eye for about 2 weeks. Anyone know how to take care of that?

Just look how chunky she is now!

Just wanted to show everyone how CUTE Miss Avery is & how she figured out how to GROW!

I'm so horrible...

...at asking for prayers and then not updating. I'm sorry to keep everyone hanging! Shelby's scope went great. About 45 minutes after the procedure she popped right out of the anesthesia and said "Is my test done?" and was hungry. She snarfed down an entire cheeseburger Happy Meal from McDonald's and we were on our way. Her varices are the same they were in December of 2005. Just some grade 2's hanging out in there, looking pretty innocent. Dr. Alonso did see some white plaque in the upper 1/3 of her esophagus which would explain Shelby's frequent throat-clearing and was initially thought to be thrush, but the tests came back indicating that it is NOT that. We are now to see an ENT to get to the bottom of this.

Avery had her 4-month check-up on Friday. She now weighs in at 15.6 pounds -yea for the baby who had a horrible time initially gaining weight!!! I'll try to post pics tomorrow night. Good night!

Prayers for tomorrow please

Shelby is having an upper endoscopy done at Children's Memorial tomorrow at 9 a.m. Please hold her in your prayers that nothing has changed since her last scope in December of 2005. I'll update more tomorrow when we have results and are home. Thank you.

July Happenings

I know, I know, real exciting title, eh?! There seems to be so many things going on that I just can't wrap it up in a cohesive title. Let's see where to start....Riley is doing wonderful. If she could live under the water or grow gills she would be one happy girl. She is swimming amazingly well and seems so grown up for only 7 1/2. Where did my baby go?

Avery is growing! She has a beautiful smile and once you get her talking she seems to have alot to say. She is really an easy-going baby and has been sleeping 8-9 hour stretches at night for about 7 weeks now. Trust me, we know how lucky we are to have a good sleeper. The other two didn't seem to value sleep like Avery does. She still has her milk protein allergy, but is feeding much, much better than she used to. Her doctor probably won't even start to see if she's outgrown that until she's about 9 months old.

Shelby, Shelby, Shelby....my dear sweet huge-hearted Shelby! Where to begin? As you know in previous posts I have written about her just not being herself and her elevated ammonia level. This past weekend we traveled to Bloomington for my cousin Lisa's wedding. Riley & Shelby were very excited to get all dressed up and stay in a hotel. They did lots of swimming in an over-clorinated pool thus Shelby (as she didn't have goggles like her sister) ended up with red, burning eyes and that was just the straw to break the camel's back. She was tired, her eyes hurt, she didn't get to see enough of her "boyfriend" (my cousin Erich), and things in her world were just not right. The poor little girl cried for about 45 minutes before the wedding and then near the end of the wedding whispered to her Grammie that she couldn't see. Her eyes were burning so bad and that sent her into another crying spell that lasted another 30 minutes or so. Yes, you say, there were lots of factors playing into why she would be so upset, but, trust me, as her Mama, things just aren't right with her and it kills me that I just can't make it all better. We did choose to start treating her with Lactulose for her elevated ammonia level, but I don't know if that's making a difference. We met with her local GI this week and he said that portal hypertension alone can cause mood changes, attention problems, and learning difficulties as her liver is just not filtering out all the toxins in her system and that affects brain function. He suggested we talk to Chicago to see if they want to do testing on her to see if she'll need some tutoring or extra help this year in Kindergarten. On August 7th we'll be in Chicago for her upper endoscopy so we'll have a nice, long talk with them then. By the way, the "gallbladder" seen on the ultrasound really is another cyst. Her surgeon looked back in her records and did confirm that he removed her gallbladder during her Kasai. The radiologist just didn't recognize it as a cyst.

On the right-hand side I have put information about upcoming fundraisers. I will continue to keep that current so please check it out. Please continue to hold my dear Shelby in your prayers. Enjoy the pictures!

July

June pictures & Avery's 2-month check-up

June

Avery had her 2-month check-up on Friday. She is now 11 pounds 5 ounces. She is the smallest of the 3 girls so far, but she has had a really rough start (remember?!). We are still discussing med options for Shelby. That's all for now. Enjoy the pictures!

Sorry for the late update

Geez, I should be in bed right now, but I feel so bad for taking so long to let you all know that Avery's MRI came back normal. All the spots of bleeding that they saw before have resolved!!!! Thank you God and thank you everyone for your prayers for her. She is being a bit stubborn on the whole formula-front, though. No, really, she can't help having a milk allergy. She could not tolerate the hypoallergenic formula so now she is taking Neocate, an amino-acid based formula that is available by prescription only. So far, so good. She will also be starting Axid for GERD. Fun, fun, fun. Another kid on meds. Tomorrow she has her 2-month check-up so I'll post more and pictures after that.

I guess it is up to us if we want to try to treat Shelby with medication for the elevated ammonia. We are discussing it still. Also, her ultrasound mentioned a gallbladder. Uh, hello, we were told that was removed during her Kasai. So what is the radiologist seeing then....the nurse in Chicago is following up on that one.

Riley, Riley, Riley....we went to the library on Tuesday only to have her finish all her books by the end of the day. Did I mention she is reading at a 4th grade level (just a reminder she just completed 1st grade)! Back to the library again tomorrow. She is extra-cute now, too, as she lost another tooth!

Please follow the link at the right to my Mom's blog and watch for updates on my Dad. He just spent 6 days in the hospital with a nasty infection. Please send prayers his way for a full and speedy recovery.

I hope to update this weekend.

Shelby's check-up in Chicago & Avery's newest

Yesterday Shelby had an ultrasound & liver clinic in Chicago. The ultrasound was good. The cyst has not grown since February although it is large to begin with. It measures 5 cm in diameter. They'll just keep an eye on it with regular ultrasounds. Her liver doctor wants to do an upper endoscopy on her this summer to check for varices in her esophagus as she has more spider veins on her face. Those indicate that her portal hypertension is worsening. Her labs looked pretty good, but her ammonia is up. That is of concern because we have seen some rather unpleasant behavior changes in Shelby since March. Could it be new baby in the family or just a phase? Yes, but an elevated ammonia level can cause behavior trouble, too. I'm waiting to hear back from them to see if they want to treat her with medication to try to lower her ammonia.

We found out this week that Avery has a milk protein allergy. Now she is on a hypoallergenic formula, but she does not like it and is not taking it well. It is even more of a struggle now to feed her. Ugh! Today she had her follow-up MRI. She did really well again. Hopefully we'll have those results this week yet.

I'll update when I have more information. Take care everyone !

May pictures & updates

May

Sorry you've had to wait so long for an update! Enjoy the pictures of our non-jaundiced baby! She's beautifully pale & white, just like us other pasty-looking people! No more icky orange/yellow! May has been a trying month. It looks like this baby will not be getting the hang of breastfeeding so I think I'm hanging up my hat at trying. This is a very difficult decision for me as I've really enjoyed nursing Riley & Shelby, but we need to be able to get on with our lives and not have me so tied up with pumping all the time. Her feeds are challenging enough as she still can't use a regular nipple and has to use this. She saw a speech therapist about 2 weeks ago. We found out that she has a strong suck, but cannot handle that fast, or moderate for that matter, flow of milk. In fact, the newborn "slow" nipples are too fast for her, too. We have to help regulate the rate of her feeds with the special nipple we use. This week she had a swallow study done as she is still having trouble with her feeds. It showed possible reflux and that she has a delayed swallow. We are hoping that with time and maturity that her swallow improves. She is eating enough, though, and growing, so that is good. It just takes a while and a lot of effort to feed her. We're just having to re-learn some things as the other 2 girls breast fed. Having a bottle-fed baby is a learning experience for us. Earlier this week she weighed in a little over 9 pounds. Can you believe that?!?! At 6 weeks, she is finally the size her cousin William was at birth!!! Poor Aunt Heather!

Shelby is doing fine health-wise. Behavior-wise she is a bit of a challenge these days as she is exercising her ability to say "no" and be a stubborn 5-year-old. Last Friday she had a check-up in Chicago with the orthopedic doctor for her spondylolisthesis. He is saying it is a stress fracture for her and wants to monitor it with x-rays every 6 months. On her 5-year anniversary of her Kasai procedure (and diagnosis of Biliary Atresia) she'll go to liver clinic in Chicago and have an ultrasound to check on the cyst(s) in her liver. Please pray that they haven't gotten any bigger. She hasn't had to be seen by this particular doctor for a year. GO SHELBY!

Miss Riley is looking forward to summer break although she loves school immensely. I think she is excited about warmer weather and swimming. She keeps devouring books and will require frequent trips to the library this summer to keep her content. She is quite the author and illustrator. I'll have to post one of her stories on here sometime.

Everyone have a safe & happy holiday weekend!

Avery's MRI results

Yesterday Avery & I met with Dr. Deutsch for her MRI results. All looks great with her gray matter! There is some small areas of bleeding, not in the brain, but between the dura and the outside of her head (I think I got that right). Most likely that is from brusing during her birth. He said that there was probably more and that it is already resolving on its own. It is not an issue right now, but, at the recommendation of the Neurologist he consulted, she is to have another MRI in a month. They just want to make sure those areas aren't getting larger. He was very impressed at her weight gain (14 oz.) since he had seen her last week, how much better her color was, and how much more alert she was. He admitted that he was quite concerned last week after we left that Avery was headed for a feeding tube.

Now the challenge is keeping up her intake while getting her back to the breast. Any suggestions? I'll welcome any. Wish us luck!

Avery's testing

Thanks to all who have sent well-wishes and prayers Avery's way. Her blood and urine tests came back looking pretty good. Monday evening's ultrasound of her brain was cancelled by the radiologist. He thought that an MRI would be a better test for what Dr. Deutsch is looking for. Tonight at 9 p.m. Avery had the MRI done at Rockford Memorial Hospital. Dr. Deutsch (and us) wanted it done without sedation and it was a success. I got to go in the room with her and she did not move a bit. I guess that's one bonus of having a sleepy baby. She is perking up a bit, though. Her feeds are going a bit smoother (and quicker) and she is sending things out the other end on her own, too. She still needs to be awakened to eat, but also gives us wonderful awake, calm, and alert time. She is, as of today, back to her birth weight of 7 lbs. 10 oz.!!!! Go Avery!!! Tomorrow she goes for a weigh-in at the Pediatrician's and I'm sure he'll be pleased with her progress. On Friday she sees Dr. Deutsch and hopefully we'll have the MRI results by then. Please keep the prayers coming. Thank you.

Avery needs prayers

As stated in the title, Avery needs prayers. Not only is she just maintaining her weight, but she is only taking in about half the milk she should be for her age and weight. She is still very sleepy and jaundiced and not producing poops like she should. Friday I took her to see Dr. Deutsch (Shelby's GI) and he had some concerns about her. Now, it could still be that Avery's system just needs to kick into gear, but he wants to investigate some things in the meantime. He did some blood and urine tests and Monday evening she will have an ultrasound on her brain. He wants to make sure that she didn't suffer any neurological damage during her birth. It was a bit traumatic on her. She came out really fast resulting in quite a bit of bruising and a fractured right clavicle. We are a bit shell shocked with all this coming at us, especially considering we have gone through so much with Shelby. Despite all these issues, Avery is perfect. Her little face is so precious.

Thanks to all those who are supporting Avery and me so much in keeping her a breastfed baby. While she is not nursing at the breast, I am still pumping away and providing my milk for her. This is very important to Scott & me. Please enjoy the pictures and send up many prayers for her.

Avery: Week 2

Avery update

Thanks to everyone for being so patient on Avery updates. We are having some sleep deprivation around here (wonder why?!?!). Avery weighed in at 7 lb. 4 oz. on Monday! Yea! All that hard work this weekend by her, Mommy & Daddy to get feeds in paid off as she put on 6 oz. Now we are struggling to maintain that weight. She is still a very sleepy baby and is having a tough time getting her latch right for breastfeeding. I am still pumping, but now we are finger feeding her as to not confuse her more with the bottle nipple. She is off the bili lights and as of Monday her bili was in the 13 range. Slowly, but surely, she is making progress. Please continue to hold her in your prayers. I'll try to post more pictures in the next few days.

We have our hands full

Sorry to not give more updates, but, as you see by the title of this post, we have our hands full. Avery's bili came down, but now is back up. Its been as high as 17.8 this week and as of today is at 16.2. She's been back on the bili lights here at home and having daily heel pricks to check her bili level. She also has been losing weight despite what I think has been pretty good nursing. As of today I am back to pumping and feeding her my expressed milk so we can measure what exactly is going in her. She's down about 3/4 of a lb. from her birth weight. She's as cute as ever though and loves to snuggle. I just wish we could get her on the right track. Please keep her in your prayers. Her next weight check is Monday. I pray that it moves in the right direction.

We're home!

We're home! Avery's bili fell low enough for us to bust out of RMH. Click on my Mom's blog link for more details. Tomorrow we see her pediatrician and are hoping that her bili continues to fall. Enjoy the pictures!

Avery: Birth Day

Avery: Tuesday

Avery: Welcome home Wednesday

Avery: Thursday & the "bili blanket"

Avery: Back in RMH for phototherapy

She's here!!!

I have to do this update quick. In a minute you'll see why. Miss Avery Elizabeth Martin arrived at 4:50 p.m. Monday April 9th. She weighed in @ 7 lbs. 10 oz. and was 19 3/4 in. long. Right in-between her sister's sizes. Riley was 7.11 and Shelby was 7.9. Anyway, Avery is beautiful. Labor and delivery were quick (just over 3 hours from the time the midwife broke my water she arrived). She did break her collarbone during delivery, but that will heal fine. She is jaundiced, though. So much that we were doing phototherapy here at home, but now her bili is up to 21.5. Good thing is that her direct bili is only .6. Now (literally) we are headed to the hospital for her to be admitted for phototherapy. This road seems all too familiar right now and a bit scary, but we are trying to remind ourselves that Shelby's disease is very rare and that Avery's jaundice is probably very "normal." The pediatrician is worried about her being dehydrated as she is too sleepy to eat much. That's all for now. I'll keep you updated as I can. Please check out my Mom's blog (see link on right side of page) for updates and Avery pictures.

Nothing new here

I would just like to ask for prayers for Annika, Moreena, Joerg, and Frankie. When you read her Mom's past few posts, you'll understand why.

I'm still pregnant. Benadryl has become a bit of a life-saver for me. I can sleep somewhat better when I take some. Otherwise I'm just gigantic with baby parts poking out of me everywhere. Monday I'm to have an ultrasound (again) to see how big Avery is (again). I hope to not make it to my appointment Monday. I'd much rather be sitting in a hospital bed with this little (or not so little) beauty in my arms.

Happy Easter everyone!

I didn't have enough brain power...

to remember everything about Shelby's tests! My Mom reminded me that I didn't tell you the results of her DEXA scan and other x-rays to check on her osteoporosis. Duh! Well, the DEXA scan did show that she has a bit of osteoporosis still so she'll continue on the Fosamax at least until the fall when she sees Dr. Langman again. Also, the x-ray of her spine showed something called spondylolisthesis. From what I understand, its no big deal, but she does need to be seen by the orthopedic doctor in Chicago in April to follow up on it.

As for me, I had my 36-week check-up this morning. I am dilated to 3 cm!!!!!!! Can you tell I'm excited?!?!? I want to have this baby this week. I measured at...ready for this...44 weeks!!!! Today I saw one of the doctors that I haven't met before. He asked how big my other 2 were and Scott said 7 1/2 lbs. at 37 weeks. Then the doctor said "Well, this baby is already bigger than that!" YIKES!!!

Watch for updates....

I think I have enough brain power...

to give you the update on Shelby's ultrasound results. The cyst(s?) have grown since the fall. I spoke directly with her surgeon in Chicago about these results and he's not quite sure if its 1 cyst or 3, but either way, its larger than last time. He said its very unusual for someone with Biliary Atresia to have something like this, but still feels very confident that they are the result of dilated bile ducts and not tumors. He is very pleased that she is doing so well and not having complications from them. I asked how could that be and he said that the other parts of her liver are taking over most of the function right now and essentially this "bad" part is sort-of shut-down. He does not want to try to drain the cysts or fix the obstruction right now because any of the possibilities would be invasive and could possibly lead to her needing an external bile drain if the surgery did not work. So...as long as she's doing good meaning no infections or pain from them, then they are just going to watch them closely. He said they could get large enough to put pressure on veins and arteries that are essential for transplant. If that happens then he would have to do something to preserve those structures even if she isn't having any complications from them. As long as nothing pops up between now and June she'll have another ultrasound in Chicago to assess them at that time. Does all that make sense? She just had her 5-year-old check-up at the pediatricians on Monday and now weighs 50 lbs. and is 43 inches tall. We had labs run on her and all looked pretty good. Other than her not wanting to go to sleep at night and exerting a bit of 5-year-old attitude (most likely from a lack of sleep), she is doing great!

Riley is doing awesome, too. She devours book by book by book......She is very excited about this new baby sister and getting to be quite grown up for 7 years old. Where did my fat little baby go?

As for me, I saw the midwife on Monday and have been told to moderate my activity. If I'm having contractions, then I am to rest. Well, that happens about every time I get up. Yesterday I stayed on the couch until 1:30 in the afternoon and by 4:00 p.m. my legs were swollen really bad. Today I had the luxury to stay in bed until Noon as my Mom kept the girls overnight. Let's hope this baby comes soon. I'm thinking next Tuesday or Wednesday. Anyone else have any dates in mind?

Bed rest for the weekend, anyone?

Come on, join me in my boredom. Friday I came down with some type of stomach ailment and ended up spending the afternoon at Rockford Memorial getting fluids. They recorded contractions about every 5-7 minutes, but I'm not dilated, so I was sent home on bed rest for the weekend. If I'm good, then I can go to Shelby's birthday party Sunday night. I'm to call the doctor's office on Monday and get seen this week rather than waiting until my regular appointment April 2nd. Just thought I would keep everyone updated. I have the results of Shelby's ultrasound, but that will take a while to explain so I'll leave it for another day. Take care!

34 week check-up

Today we had the estimated fetal weight ultrasound done. It has been confirmed for the 3rd time (for my reassurance) that we are having a girl. Also, her weight is estimated at 6 lbs. So, that's not so scary. If I go to my due date that would put her at around 8 1/2 lbs. My midwife still believes that I'll go about 3 weeks early like I did with Avery's sisters. I now measure at 38 weeks. I'm just measuring big because I am. No other reason. Everything looks great. Of course, I'm turning into a beached whale (those are my words). I'm tired, but can't sleep and really have nothing good to say about being pregnant right now...so, seems time to have her! Don't listen to me. This little miracle in me is so precious I don't mean to complain (but I will). I'm just so ready for her to be in my arms. We got awesome 3D pictures of her today, too. What chubby cheeks she has! I'll have to sweet talk her Uncle Chris into scanning them for me like he did the last ones.Oh yea, and today...let's see, what could today be?!?!?! Shelby is 5!!!!! I can't believe she's 5!!!!!!

32 week check-up

Today I had my 32 week check-up. Drum roll, please...now I measure at 37 weeks!!! The midwife said "you measure full-term!" "Yikes!!!!!" (that's what I said.) She feels the baby is about 5 1/2 pounds by now, head down, butt up, all that good stuff. In 2 weeks they are going to do an ultrasound to get an estimated fetal weight. If she's really big, like they think, they'll just watch me. I think their hope is that I go 3 weeks early on my own like I did with Riley & Shelby. When I asked what would be done if Avery measures really big I was told that if they think she is going to be 10 or 11 pounds they'll offer me a c-section! Yikes again! Well, here I am big and miserable...











30 weeks



32 weeks

O.k., it doesn't look like much change in the pictures, but trust me, I got bigger.

Last Friday Shelby had an abdominal ultrasound done here in Rockford to check on the size of the cyst in her liver. The only thing we know yet is that the radiologist wasn't sure if it was the same or bigger so Dr. Superina (her surgeon in Chicago) needs to review those results and get back to us. Then on Monday she had some x-rays & a DEXA scan done in Chicago to see if her bones are "normal" yet. If so, she'll be able to discontinue taking Fosamax. I'll let you know when we hear on those results. We spent the rest of the day at Shedd Aquarium and had a great, but exhausting time. Waiting to see SpongeBob cartoon in 4D at Shedd Aquarium

Hangin' with SpongeBob

Oh, and Happy 31st Birthday to me last Friday. My Mom made me a chocolate pecan pie instead of cake, at my request, of course. Thanks Mom!

She's comin' soon

Does it look like I can go 10 more weeks?!?!?! Technically, I have 10 more weeks to go. I think I'll burst if I do. Actually, I saw my doctor on Monday and she measured me at 34 weeks, not 30 weeks. What does that mean? Well, we don't know exactly yet what that means, but they'll check me again in 2 weeks. If I still measure much bigger than I'm supposed to be then they'll do an ultrasound to check on the size of the baby. I had Riley & Shelby each at 37 weeks & they were 7 1/2 lbs. so I must grow them a bit big, but I've never measured this far off from my due date. No matter what, I'm feeling quite pregnant. We are all excited around here to meet this new little life!


Today the girls went outside after school with Daddy and made some snowmen (who will probably melt in the next few days). The weather here has been wonderful compared to what we endured earlier this month.
Shelby decided today that it was her beloved Minnie's birthday. Tonight we celebrated with chocolate chip pancakes, candles (pretend - can't you see them in the picture?) and a round of "Happy Birthday." What a doll - Shelby, not Minnie! One month from today she'll be 5 - wow!

Avery, up close & personal

This is a phenomenal 3-D ultrasound image of the "bun in my oven." Can you see it? Its her face! You can see her eyes, nose, and her mouth is open. That's the umbilical cord to the left of her face. Wow! Just wanted to share...big thanks to Uncle Chris for using his super-scanning skills so I could post this image.

Lots going on here

Let's see..where to begin. Shelby came home from the hospital only to have an allergic reaction to her antibiotic the next night. Then the next morning I discovered that both the girls had head lice. Fun, fun, fun. We got those situations under control then I started having contractions on and off. I saw my midwife on Wednesday January 3rd and everything checked out o.k. I was just to take it easy. I'm sure sleeping in a hospital bed with a 4-year-old for 3 nights didn't help much. On Sunday my OB called to say that she was reviewing my non-stress test from that week and didn't like how the baby's heart rate dropped. She was very concerned and wanted me to have an ultrasound the next day to measure my amniotic fluid level and check the baby's growth. The next morning they saw me first thing. The ultrasound was perfect. The baby is 1lb. 8 oz. and the amniotic fluid level is good. Everything looks great with her. So then I started having stomach/intestinal cramping on Friday. I thought it was from an antibiotic that I am taking, but as the day went on I started feeling worse and worse. I spoke with my midwife and she said that if I was having that feeling more than 5 times an hour then I needed to get checked out. That was happening so we had to do some juggling as we weren't going to drag along the girls to the hospital with us. My Mom had some things going on but shuffled them around to help us out. We don 't have anyone else we can call on and have help us at the drop of a hat like my parents. Scott stayed home from work and took me to the hospital to get checked out. At that point I was hurting so much that I wasn't sure if I was having stomach cramps or contractions. We got there and they hooked me up to the monitor. I was having contractions but nothing regular like I was going into labor. My urine test came back showing I was dehydrated. They put in an IV and dumped 2 bags of fluid in me in about 45 minutes. They re-tested my urine and it showed my blood sugar was high. Like really high - over 1000. So they did a finger poke and it came back fine at 175. I was running a temp, too so they aren't sure if I had something viral or what. I am to see my doctor early this week. I'm just taking it easy and trying to drink and eat so I don't end up dehydrated again.

By the way, the baby has been given a name. Avery Elizabeth.