The A-Team

1. My hives are better! Thank you for all the prayers! We still have no idea what caused them other than possibly hormones. Who knows. I am just glad they are gone! I am still on meds but just the steroid now. Hopefully once that is done, things will be right as rain…ah, rain…

2.  Abilene had her 2-week weight check appt on Tuesday. She weighed in at a nice 9 pounds 9 ounces. She is doing great. We are working on this whole sleep at night thing and hang out with us during the day versus flip-flopping it. Plus we have a nasty case of diaper rash which made for 2 very unpleasant nights. We are working through it though and have it mostly under control.

3. We started potty training Abel on Sunday. He has it down pat. He is a pro at this…except pooping. That kid cannot control his urge to poop his pants. He has done so well at the other part of potty training that he actually wears underwear. We really have to be johnny on the spot with him and the poop or it’ll end up in his drawers! Oh well. We think he gets stage fright when he has to think about pooping on the potty. Kinda funny all things considered.

4. We were so blessed to have newborn photos taken of Miss Abilene. Here is a quick preview!

http://blog.willowgrovephotography.com/2012/07/her-name-is-abilene.html

5. Last but not least we are just trying to stay cool in this ridiculous heat. Our poor AC can’t even keep up. It still hits 81 degrees upstairs at bed time which makes for miserable sleep for all involved. It has been rough and I pray that the Lord will send relief soon!

That’s it for now. I will try and get another update done this coming week!

Wednesday night of this past week I developed some odd mosquito- like bites on my right foot and ankle. I itched them and it spread (not unusual for me). Then it showed up on my left foot. Very odd. Then my feet swelled. Before bed my chin had been itching and my eyes had some odd looking welts on them. I woke up Thursday morning to a face that nearly had my left eye swollen shut! Needless to say, I was totally freaked out. I called my OB and he said see your PCP. I called my primary care physician and got an appointment for 11:30 am on Thursday. I get to his office and I wait. My swelling was getting worse and I was noticing that my nasal passages were swelling shut. I calmly asked the nice ladies at the desk how much longer my doc would be since my nasal passages were swelling and they said they would get his assistant to see me. She comes to the window (actually it was another doc’s assistant because my doc’s was too busy) and she promptly turned me away and said go to the ER now. Are you kidding me? I was an emotional mess and called Aaron to come get me.

We make plans for a trip to the ER because this condition was worsening rather rapidly. My mom was so kind to promptly leave her work and come straight over to our house and watch the boys while Aaron, me and the Beans went to Community South’s Emergency Room. Thankfully, I was admitted quickly and given treatment within about 15 minutes of arriving. The swelling in my feet went down and my itching had calmed down. The swelling was so bad in my left foot that it actually caused bruising under the skin. As you will see in the graphic photos to follow, this happened ALL over my body. Anywhere I have had hives, I have swelled and bruised.

We leave the ER with info about my LFTs being a bit high (liver function tests). I call my OB Friday morning and explained everything that happened the previous day plus the fact that my hands were now so swollen that I couldn’t even bend my fingers. Even the kids were getting freaked out by my appearance and lack of being able to do anything. My OB says come on in. We go see him and I tell you, it is not comforting to see your doc look at you with puzzlement. But I must say it was rather awesome for him to call his bud who is a dermatologist and get me seen immediately by him!  The dermatologist was nice but unable to offer me anything further. He does not believe my condition is related to anything I have ingested, inhaled or come in contact with. So basically I am diagnosed with idiopathic urticaria. Yippee. Luckily I have a super duper internet savvy hubby who spent some time Saturday morning researching my condition. Originally we thought it was a drug allergy but everyone we spoke to figured not so much since it had been so far in the past. We were at a loss. Aaron came across some info from other women experiencing postpartum hives. Hormones are the cause. It is different in each person and the cases all vary from severity to duration. There is no known cure just treatment for the symptoms. You have to take steroids and antihistamines.

Throughout this whole ordeal, I have prayed for healing (obviously) but also patience and courage to face this along with protection for Abilene who is nursing. All the meds I have been given I have had to make sure are cleared for breastfeeding. That has not been the easiest since not everyone takes breastfeeding as seriously as I do.

Anyway, I am still suffering but I believe we may be on the upward swing of things. I have a follow-up appointment with my OB on Friday and I pray that by then this will all be but a memory (albeit one not likely forgotten).  Here are pictures that will show you what I am dealing with. Sorry for the graphic nature of these photos but I believe women out there need to know about this.

This is what I woke up to Thursday morning. Scary, I know. I had Aaron prepare the boys ahead of time before seeing mommy because I didn’t want them to freak out!

This is my back in the ER on Thursday afternoon/evening.

This shows the extensive bruising going along with the hives. The purple/blue areas are previous hives that bruised after the swelling went down.

Close up of the hives.

And this is me Friday evening after seeing 2 docs. Still looking horrible. Plus it itches!!!

Any and all prayers for a quick recovery are greatly appreciated!!!

Little Miss Abilene is 1 week old today. I really can’t believe that it has been an entire week already. She is a great baby with personality already. She loves her mama, papa and brothers very much and enjoys hanging out with us. She is pretty easy going until diaper changes or clothing changes. Not such a fan of those. She is sleeping well (as long as mommy avoids caffeine) and wakes about every 3 hours to eat. She is growing like a weed already! She barely fits anything newborn especially in the length.

We took her to her first pediatrician visit on Friday and her bilirubin test came back great! We were able to discontinue use of the bili-blanket but had to have another bilirubin test done on Saturday. We headed to Community South because they have a lab there that will do a STAT bili. We got the results of that test and she is doing great! Her levels are almost back to normal without the use of any lights!!! YEAH! She had gained some weight at her office visit. She was at 8 pounds 12.5 ounces. This girl does great with nursing:) She is a bit slower than her brothers when it comes to eating but she doesn’t spit up like they did! So far so good!

We do believe she is allergic to disposable diapers or maybe it’s the wipes. Either way we have a nasty case of diaper rash that causes even more distress than usual. We are now strictly cloth diapers and I am scrambling to get some cloth wipes. Poor baby. It is rather painful looking but I know she will heal up in no time.

And just a side note – I have lost 18 pounds in 7 days! Woohoo!

Anyway, enough of the words – on to the pictures!

Not happy at the clothing change but we are going HOME!!!

Our family leaving the hospital – together!

Bean-bean in her car seat

This was a surprise when I got home. They started digging our new neighbors basement. This equipment was literally just off of our property line.

Abilene enjoying the swing but not swinging. She just likes to sit in it.

Some humor from my 3-year-old – This was his “helmet.” Yes – that is a diaper on his head (thankfully, it was a clean one!)

See – what did I tell you about diaper changes and clothing changes? She really doesn’t like them!

Here we are much more peaceful – I promised her milk was coming right after this picture:)

Her first dress! I am SO addicted to adorable outfits for her:) I love it!!!

Abraham STILL loves to hold Abilene.

This time Little Big Bro wanted in on the action of holding Abilene. But as you can see he wasn’t so sure about it once he was given the opportunity.

Miss Abilene at 1 week. She is wearing an outfit covered in fruit! I had to keep the “fruit man” from noming his little girl!

Peaceful slumber – which is where mommy should be right now:)

So that has been our week:) I am so blessed to have such a beautiful family!

Our newest addition to the A-Team arrived at 10:14 am on 6-18-12. Her birth story follows:

I was scheduled for a 10 am C-section. We felt like old pros at this being #3 and all. I was able to actually get settled into my room first and there the nurse started getting me all set up for surgery! This was different than with Abel. We started out in triage and didn’t get to set everything up in our room beforehand. So this was a nice surprise!

I get my meds and IV in my room. Miss Abilene was NOT being cooperative with the nurses. They had to get a good reading of her heartbeat for 10 minutes but she would NOT stay put! She would roll and kick until she was off that monitor. The nurses were not happy to say the least:) I thought it was quite comical. This little girl was going to give a run for our money all they way to the end!

Now they roll me down the hall to the OR and I get off the bed and walk into the room. I have already met everyone who is in there and I start to get nervous! Funny, you would think it would seem like a walk in the park since I have done this before but nope. I was nervous! My doc sat down next to me on the table and prepared me for my spinal block. Then the anesthesiologist (Julie) got me nice and numb! I love Julie. She is absolutely fabulous and such a caring person. It didn’t take too long and I wasn’t feeling so hot. I let her know and she fixed me right up! Surgery started and right before Abilene was pulled out, I was pretty sure I was going to throw up. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to vomit when you have virtually no control over your body because you are numb? I was able to get the words out fast enough for Julie to respond with a tray to catch everything. I was so thankful. This again was a first. I have NEVER gotten sick from anesthesia! No sooner than I get cleaned up, my baby is born!!!! I am shown a quick glimpse of her and off to the nurses she goes.

Abilene had thrown a fit while still inside and gulped a whole bunch of amniotic fluid. They were trying to clear her of that and she was finally crying. It was the most amazing sound. Life. To hear my little girl cry for the first time, tears just came to me. Then my doc dropped a bomb on me. He let me know that my uterine wall was actually pretty thin. Only a few millimeters of thickness available so there would be higher risk if we decided to have another child. That actually hurt more than I expected. Here I am giving birth to potentially my last child and I was so sad I hadn’t enjoyed the pregnancy more. Granted, I was miserable during this pregnancy. It was not really enjoyable. The after effect (having bean-bean) is definitely worth all of it!

Anyway, I hear her Apgar scores of 8 and then 9 and I am very pleased that she is doing well and then her measurements are announced and I about flip out!

She weighed 9 pounds 2 ounces!!! Her length was 21 1/4 inches and her head circumference was 14 3/4!!! She was one big baby! Sure my belly was large but I had no indication that the baby I was carrying would be so big. Even my doc was a bit surprised. I measured right on target every week toward the last 2 months of my pregnancy. It was a no wonder whenever she would move my entire abdomen would deform and reshape! The most impressive part to her physique was her HAIR!!! I haven’t had a child with much hair or with really any color other than blond. She has thick black hair!! It is so unique:) I love it!

Anyway, I get put back together and all is well. We made sure everyone was aware that we have had a previous Coombs positive baby and that we needed her blood type immediately. We also held off on her receiving the Hep B vaccine until we knew if she would be fighting bilirubin issues. Turns out the blood type took FOREVER to find out because they send that test away. Fortunately, we had a great pediatrician at the hospital who ordered her bilirubin and Coombs test early so we could get the results faster (since those are done in house). So late Monday night, I get the news that she is indeed Coombs positive and has daddy’s blood type of B+. Bummer. Her bilirubin was already high at 12 hours (they normally test at 24 hours) so orders were put in for a bili-blanket. Fortunately, this has been a wonderful blessing as we are still seeing a climb in the numbers but it is at a very slow pace. Please continue to pray that her little body will fight the good fight and be able to withstand the antibodies from me that are destroying her red blood cells and not need a visit to the NICU.

Morning of delivery! Last time as a family of 4:)

Getting ready for surgery – we are excited to meet our new little girl!

Off I go!

Aaron trying to stay warm in the OR

There’s our baby girl!!!

Stats on the board in our room – I still can’t believe she was over 9 pounds!!!

Check out the hair!

Very proud Papa!

Family photo! We are now 5!

Abraham could not WAIT to hold Abilene – it is too cute!

Abel wanted to kiss on Abilene – so Grandpa lent a hand:)

Mama, Papa and baby beans

She really looks like her brothers minus the thick, dark hair!

Sweet bundle of joy

Hammy had to hold her again:)

And hold her some more

I got to hold MY boys!!! And yes, the swelling was beginning…yikes!

Daddy and Mommy – can’t wait to be home together again!

And here Abilene is catching flies already! Silly girl!

That about wraps up my pictures for now. She is so sweet and loves to snuggle. She despises diapers changes, clothing changes, and getting her temp checked. Everything else (including her first bath) she tolerates or loves! She is a champion eater and greatly enjoys cluster feedings (we are gonna work on that one). She is a definite keeper and we are honored that God chose us to be her parents.

As many of you know, we will be welcoming our 3rd baby, 1st daughter, into the world tomorrow morning! I would ask for prayers for an uneventful delivery and that she would have MY blood type. Of course, should she have daddy’s blood type, then prayers for sanity as we deal with another NICU stay as we did with Abel. We will keep you all posted as to her arrival as time allows in the morning!

Today was my last OB appointment for little Miss Abilene. All is well. Her heart rate was in the 130’s to 140’s and going strong. My doc is funny. He says “well, you are officially out of room.” Do you think? I have been complaining about that for weeks! But really, I am very thankful to be at the end of this pregnancy with a healthy baby so far.

So Monday is the day!

Today I took a little Mommy time. I had my OB appt and then went The Woodhouse Day Spa for an AMAZING pedicure. Lastly, I treated myself to a sunless tan session and homeward bound I was to my loving family who had a blast out at the pool today!

So now it is rest and more rest until the big day! Here are some pictures of Abilene’s room and me with Abilene:)

38 weeks 3 days

Miss Bean-bean's room

I love this cupcake bank that I found at Target!

Loved adding little Ladybugs to her room

This is just one of 3 crib sheets that I made her:)

We held our first annual A-Team Bash on 6/2. We celebrated Abel’s 2nd birthday, Aaron’s 33rd birthday, Abilene’s upcoming birth, Abraham’s upcoming 4th birthday, and Aaron’s acceptance and departure to ATC training in OKC! It was great to hold one party for everything! Thanks to everyone who came to help us celebrate because we have so much to be thankful for!

Our food spread

The dessert table! Thanks to Cristi for the cupcakes and Angel for the cake pops!

My birthday boys!

Opening presents

These 2 couldn't stop playing with every toy they opened!

Bean bean (Abilene) even got some presents:)

And Daddy got to open presents too:)

Again we thank all of you who came to our celebration and we had such a great time! Love to you all!

It is truly hard to wrap my mind around the fact that Abel is now 2. His personality has just blossomed and he is one fun kid to be around. His fits of frustration have calmed down substantially and he is SO stinkin’ smart just like his older bro!

Abel definitely has his own preference to things. Here are some examples:

– Orange juice versus ANYTHING else

– Music – this kid LOVES music. He is borderline obsessed. He will not only call out an Artist to be played but then request a particular song by said artist. His current favorite is “I’ll Fly Away” by Alan Jackson or Randy Travis. He has never much cared “kiddy” music. Sure he will listen to it but he LOVES the other stuff! He will also request Dubstep for his musical preference. It is actually pretty cool and we all have a good time listening to it!

– TV shows – not for him. He has just recently gotten into Word World but otherwise he will NOT sit still to watch anything which is rather frustrating for an uber pregnant momma who just wants 20 minutes of peace!

– He can count to 12! Who knew? He surprised Aaron and I one night by doing so and since then have really worked with him on solidifying his skill.

– Letters – Abel had NO clue about his letters at his 2-year appointment. I was embarrassed to say the least since Ham knew his by 20 months. The doc said we shouldn’t worry or push the issue until age 3. I was appalled. Seriously? 3? Isn’t that like too old? Needless to say, I was still working with Abel at his own pace and interest and let me tell ya, he knows his letters now and it only took 2 weeks! This kid picked it up so fast. I am guessing he has known them for awhile but didn’t want to let on to the fact. Turkey!

– Shapes and Colors – we are still working on these but he knows “circle, heart and star” very well. He loves the color green, purple and of course ORANGE. He loves to go to my closet and name the colors of my shirts. He gets them about 25% right:)

– Lovable – He is such a lovable little guy. He genuinely cares about people and their well being. If you are hurt or hurting, he wants to make it better any way he can. It is really precious.

– Teething – we are still in the process of getting the 2nd molars in. Yuck. He is handling it rather well. 2 have broken through but we still have 2 to go. It makes for a tough menu plan for him but we are getting through it with a liquid diet as needed!

– Potty Training – I feel like SUCH a slacker in this area. Abel has been ready to potty train for at least a month now but I just don’t have it in me to do it. Plus he exceeds my weight limit for lifting and I just can’t bring myself to do it before Abilene is born and I am off my 2 weeks of “do nothing” orders. So we have set the date for July 1st to go head first into potty training!

– Sleeping – Abel has never been a great sleeper until recently. I have had to come to the realization that his clock is different from the rest of us. He has a more “normal” wake up regardless of bed time. He likes to wake at 7 am – if it gets to 7:30 am, I need to check and see if he is still breathing! When we combined the boys to one room, life took a turn for the worst. Abraham went into a very bad downward spiral because he would stay up to his normal bedtime but wake up super early (for him) and be a NIGHTMARE throughout the day. It was really bad, I mean really bad. We finally figured out that allowing Ham NO T to nap and getting him to bed with his brother around 7pm worked at the best. Of course, that means momma has to wake up around 6:30 am to get my shower and be ready for the day. This does not make for a super happy family as daddy doesn’t get to go to bed until 1 am -ish but we try to be quiet so he can sleep. At least the kiddos are sleeping a bit better and attitudes are improving each day. Abel takes AWESOME naps throughout the day in his bed ALL BY HIMSELF! He is now sleeping his trundle bed and doing great! Woohoo!  Because I really needed the crib for Abilene:)

– Pacifier – Gone! We had the “ceremony” to throw it away since it was “broken” and he did great! Only a day or 2 was kinda tough – naps were the worst but he was ready to part with the “binky.” He just needed a little push from us.

Ok, well I have written enough allow me to show you some pictures!!!

His is SO big - he is ready for the booster (sorta)!

Opening his presents at home from mommy and daddy

My little man who is now 2! Sniff, Sniff

This was his FAVORITE! He loves music:)

This was a combo gift for the boys. Abraham LOVES it and Abel is warming up to it. He doesn't much care for the texture but he is getting into it:)

We took Abel for pictures at our local Olan Mills. He did AWESOME!

WOW! 2 posts in one week…this may be a record! Enjoy our fun times in April!

Who knew sheet changing day could be so much fun???

Finger puppets were a HUGE hit!

Abraham had to wear them ALL on one hand.

The ONLY cold day in April - really - and it was Daddy's 15K race. We didn't stay in the car this time.

We were able to catch a picture of Daddy crossing the finish line!!!

Abraham gave his testimony at the Eggstravagansa at Church. He did such a great job!

Ham was SO proud of his eggs at the Easter Egg Hunt we had at church.

Abel REALLY got into this year's egg hunt. He was so good about getting eggs!

The kiddos emptying out their loot!

Love this picture Aaron got of the boys on Grace Hill by the cross.

Family nap time. This is our favorite time of the day!

Have no idea what makes hills so cool, but these guys love running up and down the hill at the back of our property!

Abraham started dressing himself and has down a rather good job at picking out his clothes. This one was funny because he said everything matched because the shirt and shorts were both green!!!

This was Abel's 23-month picture op. In case you can't tell, he was NOT happy about this.

There is my cutie pie!

A semi-smile for his momma.

Cousin Nikolas' birthday party...these kiddos LOVED the legos and the table.

Grandma Jean, Daddy, Abel and Great-Grandma Brown at Niko's birthday party.

Abel wanted to "look" through the balloon to see everyone. He is so silly!

The cake had wonderful blue icing that took a couple days to wear off!

Ham showing off his blue tongue!

On the way home from the birthday party, we found this life-like Bertie the Bus!

There was also this awesome train car sitting there!

Ham's first shower and let me tell you...this kid LOVES showers!!!!

31 weeks 5 days with Abilene and both my adorable boys!

31 weeks and 5 days. This was a good day! I felt great!

We transitioned Abel into Abraham's room. He slept fine on this twin bed for about 2 days...then things went downhill but more on that later.

This is a shot of both boys ASLEEP in the same room! This was day 1. If you were to ask me today, I have been pulling my hair out ever since. This was the ONLY good night we have had since they started rooming together.

Anyway, we enjoyed our April. I am slowing down more and more as this pregnancy progresses. I tire rather easily (mostly because I am chasing 2 very active little boys) and trying to keep the nasty contractions at bay. So far so good as the contractions come but with rest they go away.

We did get some crazy news during the month of April…first Aaron found out in early March he would be leaving for his training for FAA ATC on 6/22 – just 3 days after Abilene is due to be born and then on 4/30, we got another call that said his class was cancelled until further notice! We were willing to step out on faith and do what God had laid out for us but I was SO relieved to know he would be home for at least a couple weeks after I have our 3rd baby!

Anyway, I will try and get some May photos up soon so I can keep this blog more up-to-date:)

Friday night Abraham made the biggest decision of his life. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior!!!! Yes, I know he is only 3.5 but he really truly gets it. Of course his understanding isn’t like you or me but he does “get” the entire concept that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead and is in Heaven preparing a place for us. He also understands sin. He knows that sin is when our hearts allow us to do something bad (like steal a toy from his brother).

Here is how it all happened. We were reading the Bible like we do every night (it is his special Bible for ages 4-7). We were on the last part of the Bible which explains the Gospel and supports it all with Scripture. At the end of the reading it states that if he is ready to make a decision for Christ, he just needs to tell us. We have read this several times and he has never feigned an interest (not surprising at his age) and we go on and start the Bible over the next night. Friday night was different. He shocked both Aaron and I when he said he was ready to make the decision and wanted to do so! Of course I grill him to make sure he understands the gravity of this statement and he stays the course and wants to accept Jesus! We pray the prayer of salvation together that is in his Bible and he is so excited (not to mention his mom and dad) that he has Jesus living in his heart! He could NOT wait for church this morning because he wanted to tell everyone! Aaron and I continued to grill him about his decision all day Saturday just make sure it wasn’t a fluke thing. He responded positively every time we asked him about it.

It is still a bit surreal for me. I was an adult before I ever even knew about Jesus (of course I knew about baby Jesus but nothing more).

Anyway, so last night was rough. Abel has been fighting something (allergies most likely) and it is keeping him up throughout the night. Plus he hasn’t been eating well so he wakes up around 3 am starving. Needless to say, mommy didn’t get to sleep until nearly 5 am and Daddy had to work late last night and also didn’t get to sleep until nearly 5 am. We were wiped out! The kiddos wake us up around 9 am and I gently let Abraham know we won’t be heading to church since Mommy and Daddy are so tired. He immediately welled up and started crying telling me how he HAD to tell his teachers at church that he accepted Jesus! How could I say no to that? I immediately recanted my statement about not going to church and said I had to HURRY! Momma got a move on and we scurried out the door in just under an hour.

Abraham was so happy to tell just about everyone that he accepted Jesus (the door greeter at church, welcome center folks, people in the hallway, his teachers and his friends). He also had 2 very proud parents who shared the news with some of his other teachers who have been instrumental in his development. We also had the privilege of telling our pastors. Abraham was “interviewed” by Pastor Bryan and I was very proud of his answers!  He was able to communicate his decision and his understanding of his decision to our pastor. It was awesome! We get to look forward to putting a rose in a vase in front of the WHOLE church very soon!

I am so thankful for a  loving, merciful God that has allowed my son to learn from his mommy and daddy that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and that even though I fall short daily of living as Jesus wants me to, He still worked in the hearts of our family to bring Abraham into the family of God. Now I have the new challenge of helping Abraham grow in his relationship with Jesus. I will have to do some research, lots of praying for guidance and hopefully find some good books to help direct him on his path!

Super Duper proud Daddy, Hammy and Mommy

We took this picture right after we prayed the prayer with Abraham for his salvation. We wanted to record the moment. It is so precious that God gave us this sweet life to bring to Him. My one main goal as a mother (who loves Jesus) has been to see my children come to know Jesus as their Savior (one down, two to go!). Words truly can’t capture the feelings I have about this. It is truly amazing!