There were 3 in the bed and the little one said...

shagoo me.

Violet has been spiking a temperature about every 7 or 8 hours since last Wednesday. She plays and drinks well in between fevers and when the Ibuprofen is working but she is pathetic when she is hot. Since today is day 6 of fevers, we are going to make another visit to the pediatrician.

We have been taking turns sleeping with her at night. She wakes frequently and whines or cries and says things that may or may not make sense. She is usually pretty warm and needs some medicine and water. She always wants shagooed when she is uncomfortable. Shagoo: the very light touching of fingertips to the arms, face, legs while chanting "shagoo shaga". Last night Nate and I both slept with Vi because we were a little concerned. It was much easier to share the shagoo burden.

I have a cold that started last Monday and I feel better (although I am pretty tired) but still sound like I have a head cold. Nate caught the unholy virus on Friday and has been sick since. Anara is still going strong with only a hint of illness (the faintest runny nose and maybe a tiny bit warm at times). Hopefully today is our last day of feeling puny.

Baby Boy or Girl H

We had our diagnostic ultrasound on Monday. We chose not to find out the sex again since it was such a fun surprise with Violet. The MD didn't come in and talk to us this time so I am assuming things looked fine. Violet's ultrasound revealed bilateral CPC's (choroid plexus cysts) and the MD had to inform us that this is possibly a marker of Trisomy 18 (which I think is lethal). That was a pretty nerve wracking day. Thankfully we decided not to do further testing.

Back to Monday's ultrasound. The baby was pretty active and it was fun to watch it just hanging out in it's watery home. The ultrasound tech came back in to scan the baby's bladder because the MD wasn't satisfied with the pictures. I was thinking, "Hmmm... there isn't really much you could tell me about the bladder that would scare me. Go ahead and say it's outside the body - nothing Dr. K. can't fix." As far as we know the baby is healthy and measuring about a week ahead. This doesn't concern me too much since Violet was a pretty large baby too.

I think the skeleton pictures are a little scary but it is neat to know that there is a little human in there. It's pretty amazing that you can get such a clear image of these little ones. The best ultrasound photo I have ever seen belongs to Emily. That baby is actually cute already.

The ultrasound was a reminder of what an amazing God we serve and how perfectly He creates. I know that we have a scientific understanding of reproduction and development but I am still amazed that a little human can appear inside of me and end up being a person with freewill and a personality. We don't take this miracle for granted and are amazed to again be blessed with the opportunity to experience pregnancy (now that the morning sickness/depression cloud has parted) and hopefully childbirth. We are praying for a healthy baby to appear mid November. We are remembering friends and family who would like to experience this miracle for themselves and also friends that have had to grieve the loss of their baby.

I would like to ask for prayer for one more thing. Rachel (Nate's older sister) and Guy are trying to adopt a baby girl from Korea. They are experiencing some bumps in the process. Please pray that these issues would be resolved quickly and that Sa-Rang would be able to come home soon. Sa-Rang has Down Syndrome and a few medical issues related to her condition. We would love to see her home by August.

In other news... Anara had her feeding tube removed last week. This was a great day and she reminds us at least 20 times a day, "No tube!! Dr. take it out!! I cried!!" Anara is now completely tube free and her catheterizable channel is working beautifully. Thanks for all your support and prayers throughout the last year. I am just starting to realize how far we've come.

From Mommy to Mom

I am not sure how it happened but something changed. In the past 6 months I have transitioned from "Mama" to "Mommy" and now it's "Mom". For some odd reason Violet has been calling me "mom" all day. Maybe it's because my mom was here last weekend and that is what I call her or maybe it's just that she is growing up. Whatever the cause, I am hoping that "mom" doesn't last too long and I am "mommy" again soon. I should also mention that Violet was calling "dad" from her bed this morning. "Dad is it time to wake up?" What is going on? We aren't old enough to be mom and dad.

Chronicles of Nausea

Anara at the pool

I would like to use nausea as an excuse for not blogging but it really has gotten better. I am almost functioning normally and I actually prepared a meal three nights in a row this week. I still feel nauseated off and on during the day (especially in the evening) but it isn't as overwhelming.

My real excuse for not blogging is lack of creativity/mental capacity. My brain feels foggy and tired and I am using most of my mental energy to maintain a somewhat sound household. When does that that "honeymoon" period of pregnancy begin? I will be 19 weeks tomorrow and still feel very 1st trimesterish.

Here are some updates:

*Anara had her suprapubic tube removed! This was a great day that brought us one step closer to normalcy. Thankfully her catheterizable channel is working perfectly. The suprapubic removal was a little traumatic for her. There was a sizable stone on the end of the tube and it wouldn't pull through the skin. The last time this happened he took her to surgery, but there was no time for that and he removed it without anesthesia. The MD kept apologizing for causing her pain but she did really well. He said he did the same thing he would do in the operating room except that Anara was able to feel everything.

*Violet started swimming lessons. I wanted to do the parent/child class with her before she started "big kid" lessons but we missed that window. Violet is taking a semi-private lesson with another little boy. Last week he was sick so Violet had her 1st lesson all to herself. Pictures below.

*We camped again and I still forgot to take pictures. This time we camped with Nate's oldest sister, Rachel, and her family. The kids had a wonderful time and I think the adults enjoyed it for the most part ;) We have been borrowing my Uncle's popup camper which has revolutionized the camping experience.

*Anara has been eating much better the past couple weeks. I am not sure what changed but she has expanded her acceptable foods and she seems to be eating larger amounts. Today we see a feeding specialist (something I have been asked to do by her developmental pediatrician and have been putting off for about 6 months) to give us a few ideas. I am really hoping that she will push to have the g-tube removed. We haven't given Anara a tube feed since January and the tube is nasty and irritating to her. She says, "My tube hurts" about 20 times a day.

*Anara's vocabulary is great and she forms beautiful sentences. We are thrilled to hear her forming complete and unique thoughts. She also remembers things to tell Nate when he gets home. Yesterday we swam at the YMCA and Anara kept getting her face wet (a miracle in itself). When Nate came home she told him, "I got my nose wet" and showed him how she kept putting her head in the sprinkler. Okay, that wasn't her best sentence but I really am amazed at her speech.

*Violet quotes:

- Violet was reading her Bible to Anara and said, "Jesus died on the cross for us so we can be alive. He died for a couple weeks then he went back to Heaven. Then he went back to the grass. Then he was alive again. And God was making the stars come to light. That means it was the best one in the whole world He ever made. He made us"

- Today Violet asked, "Will we drive our car to meet Jesus?"

- "That baby in your belly is getting fat."

- Christina asked Violet, "What was your favorite part of the camping trip?" Violet replied, "Making blue poop on my potty." Violet had a large amount of blue moon ice cream.

- "If the baby is a boy then he can walk, but if it is a girl then she can ride in the cart."

- Yesterday we were having a conversation about the poor and homeless and Violet said, "That's cool that Jesus wants to take care of that man. He wants to give him a new house."

- Last week she called Uncle Joel on her toy phone and said, "Uncle Joel, are you coming to our camping house?" Then she called Aunt Nicole and said, "Ah Aunt Nicole, it's okay if you are scared of bugs. The library doesn't open until 10:00."

Violet's 1st swimming lesson

Anara's Nutella mustache

Super Why at the zoo

Playing in the sprinkler

Princesses

Blue Moon ice cream

Camping Follow-up

It was a pretty cold and windy trip to Northern Michigan. It actually snowed a little one night (no accumulation). Thankfully we were in my uncle's pop-up camper and it had a furnace. I did a terrible job photographing our time but thankfully my dad sent me some good pictures. Since I lack the brain power for witty or creative narrative, here are some photos.

1st Mushroom
"Go bye bye" Anara didn't love the woods
Eating our spoils
Refusing to swallow her dinner
Smore picture for Lydia

Don't tell Anara to smile
Keeping warm in the camper

Staying up late enjoying the fire
Taking a bath

Ferry to Mackinac Island - Anara, "Boat scared me"

Violet loved it

The only pathetic picture I took on the Island "Arch Rock"

"That's not a knife. This is a knife."

Violet loved camping, loved the woods, and loved being outside despite the cold and wind. This is very characteristic of her - she is happiest outside. Anara, on the other hand, had a difficult time with the wind and would have liked to remain in her carseat in the car. During the milder times I think she enjoyed herself. Hopefully the next time we go mushroom hunting the weather will be a little warmer.