Girl Scouts

Last night Katie was invited to try out a girl scout meeting. I had wanted to sign her up at the beginning of the school year but there was only one troop here at the time and well I wasn't fond of the leader. I am not going to send my daughter to be lead by someone who is yelling and talking down to one of her girls while giving her "sales pitch" on girl scouts. I went ahead though and put her down on the list as interested, if there were new troops started. I got a call a few weeks after school started, that same leader wanted me to be the leader of a new girl scout troop here on post. Me??? Um yes I was in girl scouts for many years, kindergarten through 7th or 8th grade, can't remember when I stopped going, lol. But I know nothing about running a troop. I had to pass. I felt horrible because I really wanted Katie in girl scouts and they obviously needed more leaders. But I had no idea how to be a leader, and I didn't feel right leading a troop that would probably end up in disaster because I had no idea what I was doing. Not to mention I would of had to work with this woman who I despised, lol.
So we just let it go and figured she could start up next year in brownies where there were more troops with leaders, lol. But then Katie came home with a note in her backpack on Wednesday. Turns out they had found someone else to be a leader and her friend had mentioned she had wanted to be a girl scout. So she got the invite to go try it out at their next meeting on Thursday, yes we got one days notice, lol. We decided to let her try it out and she loved it!
However she had a hard choice to make. She could join girl scouts and have her birthday at home. Or still have her birthday at the skating rink or indoor pool and not join girl scouts. We just couldn't afford to do both. After some thinking she decided to join girl scouts. She realized that a birthday party would be for only one day and girl scouts would be for once a week!
I am very happy she decided to join girl scouts, not only was I happy about not dishing out $160 for a birthday party, I was happy because I remember how much fun girl scouts was for me. I am very excited for her and can't wait to start sewing on all of her patches! I think I am going to have to go pull out my vest for her to see:).
And to my old girl scout troop ladies, how weird is it that they didn't end the meeting in a circle singing Day is Done??? And how lucky are the girls now that they only have to wear the vest, not the ugly pants and everything?
So now who wants to buy some cookies??? lol

Normal???

I am really starting to wonder if there is such a thing as a normal baby/child. As most of my friends and family know recently Hannah was diagnosed with having a metabolic disorder called Galactosemia, yeah I had never heard of it either. Everything I read says it is genetic but as far as we know no one in either of our families has it or has even heard of it. As of right now we don't know how bad it is, we are waiting for the referral to go through so she can go see a genetisist. Her doctor said she thinks it is probably the mild form since her levels are so low. While I was happy to hear that, I am also a bit cautious. You see a little under 2 years ago I was told not to worry about Isabella because the levels were so low. The levels showed that my due date was off or I was having twins, for Anencephaly my levels should have been much higher. So yeah it is hard for me to put all my faith in what the levels say.

So back to the normal thing. I was sitting in my van driving back from WIC, where I had to get her formula changed to soy because of the galactosemia. Anyways while I sitting at a light it dawned on me I have not had one "normal" child. Wesley had issues at birth, was born with two thumbs on one hand, has mild autism and problems with his eyes. Katie also had some issues at birth, has ODD and they think is also bipolar. The birth was good with Jonathan but he does show some major signs of OCD and maybe some behavior problems, though we were told it would be hard to tell with him because he could just be coping Katie's behaviors. With Isabella it was a hard birth and of course she had a fatal birth defect along with another NTD. And now there is Hannah who up until recently we thought was 100% healthy and "normal". But we have now learned is very likely to have a hard life with possibly some learning disabilities, ovarian failure at a young age along with more severe problems depending on how bad the galactosemia is.

Now do not get me wrong, I LOVE my kids no matter what "problems" they may have. I am not here complaining at all, I know their "issues" could be a lot worse than they are. I am very thankful and lucky to have 4 living children without very severe handicaps and one sweet angel in Heaven watching down on us. I am VERY thankful for them and to me they are all perfect. But as I was sitting there at that light I just starting wondering why, why some people have 1-20 perfectly healthy "normal" kids and I can't even get 1 out of 5. All I could think of was I either have really bad luck or God thinks way to highly of me.

Doctors and Confusion

This has been a week full of doctors appointments and lots of confusion! It started on Monday with my 1st regular NST of the week. On Monday's I see a doctor afterwards to get checked out and have an ultrasound to check my fluid, which thankfully is staying normal still, and check Hannah's position since she is in breech. Well as my previous blog states last Monday we discussed trying to move Hannah or doing a c-section. We decided to try and move her first. So Dwayne decided to join me this past Monday so we could figure out the next step. Well I saw a different doctor and he said they wouldn't do the external version until I was 39 weeks, the previous doctor said at 36 weeks. He pretty much said I was lying or had misunderstood what my regular doctor had said. So before I left that day I made sure to make an appointment to discuss it with my regular doctor, to find out what the heck was going on and have her put it in writing or something since she was going on leave while I was at 36 weeks. So needless to say we left the office VERY confused when we expected to leave with some answers, lol.

On Tuesday Katie had a doctors appointment because for forever now, meaning years, she hasn't been able to breath right out of her nose. We thought it was something she would maybe outgrow which is why we waited to take her to the doctor. Well we finally decided at 6 she must not be able to outgrow it. With us living in VA and right at the beginning of spring they automatically started assuming it was allergies, even though it is a year round 24/7 type of thing for her. The doctor was a bit shocked when she looked up Katies nose and saw her whole nasal cavity is swollen shut. Just to rule out allergies they have started her on nasonex and zyrtec, we go back in 3 weeks and if it isn't any better then we will go on to ENT to get it checked out. I am hopeful it is just allergies but I have a feeling there is more to it than that. We also have to watch her sleep because she suspects she might have sleep apnea too. We also found out Katie now weighs 73lbs!!!! She is one big girl, lol.

Wednesday, yesterday, I got to meet with my regular OB doctor to discuss moving Hannah. Like I told the other doctor she confirmed that I wasn't lying or mistaken. She wanted it done at 36 weeks NOT 39 weeks. The baby is smaller and easier to move but big enough that if there are complications she would be able to survive the emergency c-section. Thankfully she went ahead and scheduled it so that way I don't have to go through all this again while she is on leave, she also discussed it with the doctor that will be doing it. So on April 4th at 7am I will be admitted to the hospital,have an NST done, hopefully given a spinal, it is up to the doctor if they do that or not, and then they will try to move her. Hopefully she will move and I won't end up in an emergency c-section. I will have to stay for a couple hours for them to monitor Hannah then get to head home. If it doesn't work we have the option of at 39 weeks coming back in and trying again. If it works they will go ahead and deliver her regularly at that point and if it doesn't work go ahead and a c-sec at that point. I truthfully don't think we will make it to that point though since in the past I usually go naturally into labor during the 38 week mark.

Our plan right now though is that she will be moved on the 4th, it will work and we will leave. Then on the 25th of April, when I am 39 weeks, go in and be induced and have her naturally. Again though I put money on me going into labor before the 25th. It feels so nice though to have a "plan" set. I hate the unknown and even though I know we could easily falter off that plan it still feels good to have something somewhat planned, lol. So yesterday we left with answers and less confusion, which was so nice, lol.

Today I go in for my 2nd NST of the week, every week I go every Monday and Thursday. Hopefully it is a normal NST where the doctor looks over it says everything is good and I go home, lol. I don't think I can handle any more confusion or surprises this week!

Miss Hannah

Been awhile since I have written on here, figured I would come update on how things are with Miss Hannah. I am now 33 weeks along. The past couple months we have had the complication of extra fluid, now two weeks in a row of ultrasounds it looks like the fluid is back to normal. My tummy measurement is still a week ahead but that isn't that abnormal. She looks to be growing great on the ultrasounds, right around where she should be. For awhile her tummy was measuring really big but they think that is normal now too since the radiologist didn't mention it in his report. I am going twice a week now for stress tests and so far everything is looking good. My blood pressure is great, my oxygen level is perfect and Hannah's heartbeat is good. Once a week the doctors are doing ultrasounds and we learned last week Hannah is in an odd position, today it was confirmed she still is. They are calling it breech but she is more crooked, lol. Her head is under my ribcage and then she goes diagonally down to where her feet are by my opposite hip. They think what happened is when I had all the extra fluid she was moving around a lot, which is normal with the extra fluid, they don't usually get into a position and stay lol. But now that the fluid is gone she doesn't have the room to move down into position.

They don't think she is going to move into position so they told me my two options of what can be done if she doesn't move by 36 weeks, which again they don't think she will. I can either get an inversion done, aka they move her or do a c-section. Both of them have risks so we have to decide which risks we want to take. For the inversion there is the risk of placenta abruption, water breaking, her heartbeat dropping, or the cord being to short, which would be one of the reasons why she didn't get into the right position. If any of those things happen then they would do an emergency c-section. They didn't lie to me and told me that those risks do frequently happen. But with the position of my placenta and this being my 5th pregnancy I am a good candidate for the inversion. The c-section has all the normal surgery risks, which are increased with me being overweight and a family history of bloodclots.

After talking with Dwayne this afternoon I think we have decided to try the inversion first. I haven't had a c-section with any of the others and really don't want to have one if I don't have to. Surgery just scares me, lol. Not to mention the longer recovery time and the higher chance of infection with be me being overweight.
From what I understand I will go in on the 4th for my normal stress test then they will take me into the OR do an ultrasound to confirm she is still breech. Then I will get an epideral and they will try to move her. If there are no complications they will keep me for atleast 3 hours to monitor her heartbeat and make sure everything is okay. Then I will go on with the pregnancy until I go naturally into labor or if I make it to 39 weeks they will induce me. If there are any complications they will go ahead and to the c-section right there since I will already be in the OR and already have the epideral in. She will be considered a week early if that happens but that isn't that big of a deal, but could mean she has to stay for a few days longer than normal.

So as of right now I will continue with my stress tests twice a week until the 36 week mark, do the inversion and hopefully continue on with the pregnancy. We both just feel it is the best choice for our family, hopefully this way we can avoid a c-section.

Best Christmas Present Ever!

As I sit here and listen to Dwayne giving the kids a bath I am reminded of what I am most thankful for this Christmas. The best present I can be given for christmas this year isn't under the tree. It is upstairs in the bathroom. It is having my husband home safe and sound!

As a military family we have spent many holidays apart. Between ranges, field time and deployments Dwayne hasn't always been home to celebrate with us. Because of this you really learn to treasure the time you do have together as a family. You learn the best things in the world can't be wrapped in a box and put under the tree.

So while yes this will be a hard Christmas for us for other reasons I will be thankful we are able to spend it with him. We never know if he will be home for the next one, so we make sure to enjoy the times we do have him here.

So thank you Santa and the US Army for allowing us to spend this special time of year together! And I will be thinking about those of my friends who have to spend it apart. I pray for strength and peace for you and you family and for your spouse to come home safe and sound so next year you can enjoy this day with them as a family.

Decorating the Tree

This weekend we finally got around to decorating the tree. Since our fake tree broke last year and we don't have the money to replace it this year we decided to wait and get a real one from Trees for Troops. It is a great program that gives free Christmas trees to military families! I stupidly sent my husband alone to get a tree, lol. He comes back with a tree over 7ft tall and about 4ft wide, lol. He did trim it up and make it a bit shorter but it is still VERY wide, lol. But it is beautiful! Luckily we have the room for it, lol. All but two strands of our lights broke in the move, thankfully a wonderful friend gave us some lights she no longer needs. Two strands would not have been enough for this tree, lol. We also didn't have near enough ornaments for this big tree so Dwayne's mom gave us hers to use too.

Now of course since we let the kids do most of the ornaments it isn't the perfect looking tree but it is beautiful in other ways. I wouldn't have it any other way. Christmas for me is about the kids, about the joy and innocence they have and if they want more than half the ornaments on the bottom of the tree since that is all they can reach it is okay by me, lol.

They had so much fun doing it. I am so happy they are finally at the age where they are understanding Christmas and able to enjoy everything about it. Even though this year the holidays are hard for me their excitment is contagious and takes some of the saddness away. I can't wait to see their faces Christmas morning!

Update on lil peanut #5

I am now a little over 18 weeks along and lil peanut seems to be doing great! All the bloodwork came back good and so far the sonograms look good!! Our next sonogram is on the 13th and that is the big one, the 20 week one. While yes I am looking forward to finding out if we are having a girl or boy I am also scared of what else they might see. After Isabella I know this sonogram isn't just about if I will be buying pink or blue things. When I was pregnant with Isabella I had a feeling something wasn't right, I don't have it with this pregnancy so I am not too worried about it, especially after the bloodwork looks okay. But of course there will be that little bit of worry that will stay until I am holding this baby in my arms and I see that everything is okay!

I did find out at my last regular OB appointment that the airforce does things a bit different with asthma patients. I will get regular ultrasounds measuring the baby, statistics show asthma patients have smaller babies. I wish someone would have told Jonathan, lol he was over 8lbs! Katie and Wesley were a little smaller but in the average baby weight at 7lbs and 6lbs and then Isabella if she would have been full term she would have been a big one like Jonathan, lol. So I am not really worried about how this baby grows, she/he is already measuring a little bigger on the ultrasounds. I also learned that if I haven't gone into labor by 39 weeks they will be inducing me. So my due date is no longer correct, lol. 39 weeks is April 24th so sometime in that last week of April they will induce if I haven't already had the baby. Now Wesley and Katie came at 38 weeks and Jonathan was at exactly 39 weeks so they might not have to induce me, lol. I am hoping they don't because it is much more painful, lol.

We also changed the name we picked if it is a girl, which I am 99% sure it is :) It will no longer be Shelby Marie but will now be Hannah Marie. I LOVE the name Shelby but it just wasn't feeling right, I guess she didn't like it, lol. We are still sticking with Dillion Russell for a boy.

I have started to feel the baby move :) I LOVE those little fluttering movements. I can't wait until Dwayne and the kids are also able to feel her/him moving and kicking away. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going by! I will be holding our rainbow baby in my arms before I know it!