Update on baby Kate...

Thank you for your prayers for our friends' baby Kate....I have had several people ask how she is after reading the blog....I am posting the update email from her mom...she explains everything much better than I ever could...

So sorry this email is coming to you late! It's been a long couple of days! For those who have not heard, Kate's surgery had a couple surprises, so she's still in the hospital for tonight.

The surgery went really well. She went in and went to sleep well (in the anesthesiologist's arms while he sang to her! Gotta love children's hospitals!), and the procedure was going along as planned. About halfway through, the nurse came out and said that they were going to have to make a larger incision due to the fact that her intestines had a lot of air and weren't cooperating. So they sewed up the incisions at her belly button and lower left abdomen, and enlarged the one on her upper right abdomen. Upon doing so, they discovered that she had a Meckel's diverticulum, which is a nipple-shaped mass that occurs when the connection between the intestine and the umbilical cord doesn't close off during development. According to the surgeon, it can become an ulcer on the intestine and bleed, or even cause the intestine to swallow itself! Not good! Usually, the Meckel's diverticulum, and the part of the intestine it is on, are completely removed and the bowels resewn together. Fortunately with Kate's, they didn't have to remove the surrounding intestine, but were able to get the entire diverticuli. The surgeon also said that it looked like there had already been some minor twisting of her intestines, due to the fact that some of the surrounding lymph nodes were swollen, but nothing major.

The only things long term that we'll need to be concerned about are the internal adhesions that form when surgery is done on the abdomen, and the fact that there is still a risk, albeit a very low risk, of the intestines twisting. Fortunately, babies heal really well, so complications from internal adhesions isn't likely, and if there is any twisting, at least we'll immediately know what's going on and can get her the proper help faster.

Initially, he had suggested this surgery just as a precautionary measure, to be on the safe side. Afterwards, he said we avoided a couple dangerous situations! So, so amazing! When the nurse first came out and told us that they were having to make a larger incision, it made me nervous. However, they never would have found the Meckel's diverticulum if they hadn't - it never showed up on any of their Xrays (and it's not as big as I imagined - no more than 2 inches)! And according to the surgeon, that was almost a bigger deal than the malrotation. Also, he said he wasn't sure he would label her as situs inversus. According to him, if no one had told him she was previously diagnosed with this, he never would have thought that she was. He said her liver is just shifted a little bit midline, but the rest of her organs are right where they are supposed to be. This really gives us even more hope that Friday's cardio appointment will return with normal results.

Thank you so much, all of you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your prayers and encouragement! It definitely wasn't the easiest thing we've ever done, but it wasn't as scary knowing that God is in control and that He is faithful! Brett was even surprised at how well I did! I only shed a couple of tears when we had to hand her over to the anesthesiologist. Even when we saw her afterwards, and she was coming out of sleep, it was more a sense of relief and joy than sadness and heartbreak. God is so good! He definitely carried us!

I would just continue to ask for prayer for her recovery. She's not sleeping well, since hospitals aren't exactly the quietest places on earth, with nurses coming in and out (who are doing a magnificent job, by the way! Truly, another great blessing!), and having to share a room with another patient. Hopefully, we can come home soon and she can get the rest she needs to get better. The surgeon believes we'll be released tomorrow or Friday.

We'll continue to keep you updated as she comes home and we have this final appointment with the cardiologist. Again, I can't say thank you enough for everything all of you are doing! Brett and I have said over and over again to each other how we truly believe we are experiencing the peace that passes understanding. Hopefully, we can be a light to those around us in a place that can sometimes be very dark for people. We are so thankful for the hope we have in Him!

Much love to all! God bless!
Jessica

I thought I would have time to adjust to the babies crawling. I had no idea they would go from barely crawling to SPEEDING all over my house....we had to buy a baby corral to keep them safe...if I had one baby, I could follow that one around and let them go where they want....but with TWO, there is no way! They invariably crawl in two different directions, and my arms only stretch so long! Cale has already pulled a lamp down on himself...he wasn't hurt at all, but it scared him so bad....he sat there with his mouth open, trying to force a cry out. It was horrible!
They have started to pull up on things (the side of the couch, the crib, our legs...) but they can't figure out how to get back down to a sitting position smoothly yet, so sometimes they scream at me to come help. It makes me laugh!
I can't believe how quickly the became mobile....and to think I was worried they weren't crawling yet...now I know why everyone was telling me it was better for them to be late crawlers!

Please say a prayer for our friend's baby....they took her to her regular routine nine month physical and the doctor felt a mass in her abdomen. They sent her to the hospital in Phoenix, and they found (after lots of tests and confusion) that she has malrotation of her organs, which means that all her little organs are on the wrong side of her body. They still have more tests to do, and more doctors to meet with....if her heart is flipped like the other organs, that is a better scenario. The doctors seem to think that malrotation can indicate another problem, like a congenital heart issue, or a spleen or liver problem. Funny enough, the "mass" her pediatrician found was her liver, on the wrong side. Malrotation is NEVER diagnosed this way, so praise God her doctor felt what she did! Additionally, her intestines are sort of just "floating", and not attached to anything, which can cause twists and blockages....they will find out more in the next few weeks....we are sending out lots of prayers...that the doctors get good test results, and decide on the right course of action to heal her....that her parents stay strong and brave, and that baby Kate heals quickly and isn't scared by what they have to do to help her! She is such a beautiful baby with a sweet and gentle spirit....

Just a swingin'!

We had a perfectly wonderful weekend....Friday night Shawn and I went to Ruth's Chris for a late Valentine's date, and acted like grown ups for a few hours while Mimi and Popo sat with the babies...Saturday Amy and Daniel came over with the boys for lunch and playtime...Amy and I mostly talked girl stuff (sewing, scrapbooking, babies) while our husbands talked about their favorite topic (real estate development) and pretended to help watch the babies. Saturday night we headed to the rodeo...yes, WITH the babies. We are four kinds of crazy, but it was actually really fun. The babies loved looking at the animals and being held, and despite it being about a million decibels too loud, we all had fun. Believe it or not, the babies actually slept on my mom and I for about two hours at the end....how they managed to get rest I have no idea, but I was glad! We laughed and laughed at them during the rodeo....Hayden managed to flirt with every cute boy within four rows of us. We taught her to wave "Hi", but she rarely does it for us when asked....well, apparently if you sit an attractive guy anywhere near her, she suddenly turns in to Miss America on the Thanksgiving Day float! You couldn't get her to STOP waving....waving, smiling, crinkling her nose up...I told Daddy he better start shining that shotgun NOW. We had the babies in bed by 11:30 (terrible parenting) but they slept all night and had a great Sunday, so I guess a little blip in their schedule ain't gonna kill them. (or me)

Today we laid around the house feeling lazy, and finally decided we had to go somewhere since it was such a beautiful day...we loaded up the babies and headed to Gruene. The weather was so pretty, that we decided to eat at Gristmill....the babies were cooperative, and it was so fun!

We sat them in the grass outside to take pictures, and they pulled the grass out by handfuls...we realized they had never sat on grass before. It was too cute! The were fascinated.

On the way home, we decided to find a park with baby swings....Shawn didn't believe me that they would like them....but I proved him wrong. They laughed and squealed the whole time...when we were leaving Cale kept looking over my shoulder at the swings....we decided we are going to have to take them more often.

Final note of the blog: We have CRAWLERS...yep, you heard it right! No more creeping for these two..they are officially in to EVERYTHING. Touching the buttons on the DVR box, ripping pages from my magazines, pulling stuff off the coffee table...generally getting into everything that was safe before. Hayden started REALLY crawling last Wednesday, which didn't surprise us. She had been getting SO close for so long, that we kept thinking it was going to be any day. Cale, however, was happy to sit in the middle of the rug playing with his toys and watching the action unfold around him. Well, he watched her crawl all day Wednesday, and I kid you not, the kid went from just sitting there doing nothing, to FULL FLEDGED crawling on Thursday. I guess he didn't want to be left behind....

Just for fun...

Four jobs I have had:
1. Teacher
2. underwear specialist (Victoria's Secret)
3. lifeguard
4. stay at home mommy...the best job so far!!

Four movies I could watch over and over...
1. Gone with the wind
2. The North and South miniseries
3. Any Grease movie
4. Napolean Dynamite

Four places I have lived:
1. San Antonio, TX
2. Waco, TX
3. Panama City, FL
4. Del Rio, TX

Four TV shows I watch:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. All My Children (it took a lot to admit this..)
3. American Idol
4. Anything on MTV that a sixteen year old would enjoy :)

Four places I have been:
1. Riveira Maya, Mexico
2. Canada
3. Ocho Rios, Jamaica
4. Dominica (one of my favorites!)

Four people who email me regularly:
1. My cousin Casey
2. My friend Heather
3. my husband (mostly funny stories he finds on the internet)
4. a variety of high school friends

Four favorite foods:
1. chips and queso
2. boneless buffalo wings...the hotter the better!
3. Old school blue box macaroni
4. hamburgers
(this sounds like a list made by a six year old)

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. The spa
2. A luxurious beach resort
3. Costa Rica (my new obsession)
4. shopping

Four things I am looking forward to in 2008:
1. Watching my babies turn one
2. Celebrating three years of marriage
3. continuing to get back into shape
4. Selling one of the two houses we own!

We're creeping!

This picture cracks me up!! It looks like he has lots of teeth on top,, but it's just gums! He was making the silliest faces....

Posing...

Reading a book...

Playing outsideMy babies are officially "creeping". No full fledged, hands in front of knees, fast crawling yet...but they are managing to get wherever they want to get nonetheless. I am glad mobility starts slowly..gives me a chance to get used to their little moving selves and baby proof accordingly.
This morning, I put the babies on the living room rug so I could vacuum and clean our bedroom...I went out to check on them and Hayden had gotten all of the books out of the book basket and was chewing on one.....I moved her to a new locale, and not five minutes later, I heard her crying...went back out into the living room to see what was going on....I could hear her, but couldn't see her anywhere. I was a little nervous for a minute until I realized the crying was coming from underneath a wicker chair. She had scooted her little self underneath it and couldn't figure out how to get out! Things are about to get a lot more interesting around our house....
The babies have their nine month check up tomorrow.....Nine months means:
creeping all over the place
no more peace in restaurants
tiny teeth
sitting up in cribs in the morning
laughing when they see their mama
pointing to pictures in books
pointing out eyes, nose and mouth (when they feel like it)
trying to wave "Hi" and "bye bye"
clapping when we say "yeah!!!!!"
lots of nonsensical babbling
finding the dog toys and bones and chewing on them
crying when a toy is taken away
crying when their twin inadvertently bangs them on the head with something
crying when Fisher Price maracas count in Spanish (Hayden)
pointing at daddy's picture when I say "Where's your dada?"
Kicking their legs and going crazy when they see someone who loves them
trying to grab the dogs everytime they walk by
laughing when the bottle gets close to them (Cale)
screaming and dousing mama with water during bath time
crying when they lose sight of me or daddy
smacking our hand when we say patty-cake...

It gets more and more fun everyday.....Shawn and I were just saying we want it to slow down...we need to videotape them more so we will never forget what they were like at this age....

Every ear in our house is infected!

How's this for motherly intuition? I was in the bath with Hayden on Saturday morning, and I told Shawn "I think we need to take the babies to the doctor." She had a tiny spot on her chest that looked like ringworm (how high class is that?) and Cale had pulled on his ear a little that morning. Nothing too big, but something told me we should go. They fit us in at eleven, and lo and behold, all four baby ears are infected. They are really the sweetest babies...never any complaining...just a little harder to put down at nap time. Here's the intuition part...Dr. Fitch said they looked like they had just started developing the ear infections in the last twelve hours. (Overnight) He said I wouldn't have noticed it the day before anyway. He doesn't think the thing on her chest is ringworm, although he did ask if she is around a lot of cats. I told him she had never even seen a cat, so he thinks it is just a little dry spot, and told us to treat it with cortisone. Shawn didn't think it looked like ringworm, but then again, he never had it as a kid. I got it a few different times, but then again, I was a "stray cat petter".
We took the babies to "Picture People" in the mall yesterday to take some pictures...Kelly had found a free coupon online for an 8X10, so we decided to try them out. Kelly walked in, they took her back to a studio, took Logan's pictures, and showed them to Kelly and her mom in about thirty minutes. We, on the other hand, had a little different experience. We signed in, waited four hundred hours, took excruciating pictures, and waited another month and a half to see our pictures. They ended up having a few really cute ones, and we bought a few. The prices are not that great, but they were cute....but I have to say I won't be going back anytime soon because of how long it took....my mom and I were so tired when it was all said and done, and so were the babies...we are going to stick with our friend Dee from now on...her pictures are way better anyway!
We laughed so hard during the pictures because we dressed Hayden in this little peach dress that my cousin Brenda bought...it has maribou feathers on it, and Hayden had never worn it before...she wouldn't even look at the camera at first because she was so interested in the feathers...even Cale was lunging at her trying to grab them. I don't know how, but the girl got some nice pictures...
we are going to the Human Body exhibit tonight at the Witte....I am so excited to see it! My mom and I decided that this will be the test for us whether or not we could have been physicans...we'll see!