Dear Junebug

Dear Junebug,


Hopefully we won’t be calling you Junebug much longer. Your daddy and I have been talking about names, and hope to decide on one this week. We are 21 weeks pregnant and it has flown by. You are moving all over and starting to push on my side and make your comfortable. They told me that my placenta was in the front and that I wouldn’t be able to feel you move as much, but You are definitely letting me know your there. You move on my sides and you have started to push some. You prefer me to lay on my right side, which I think is how you are most comfortable.

We had an ultrasound on Monday, and they told us you were a boy! Your daddy and I couldn’t be happier. All your measurements were just perfect, and they said everything was just perfect with you! It looks like I am going to end up in a second c section due to a few concerns with me, but I told them we will do whatever it takes to keep you safe! I can’t wait to meet you and hold my sweet little boy.

I am so thankful that you weren’t shy during the ultrasound. I drank about 10 ounces of orange juice before I left the house, that always gets you moving. As soon as we saw you on the tv, I saw your boy parts, and asked if you were a boy, and the ultrasound tech said well it sure looks like it! I already know that there is something special with little boys and their mommys. I already love you so much!

You were sucking your thumb some during the ultrasound, it almost looked like you saved at us, because you kept moving your arms up and down. You looked so precious in the womb, so safe, so sound, and nothing in the world to harm you. I will try to keep you ask safe and sound as possible as long as I can. I never want anything to harm you or hurt you.

Your sister, Abigail was sitting beside me on the couch this morning and she reached over and rubbed my tummy and said baby. Were trying to teach her how to say brother. I know she is excited about your arrival although she is still so young and doesn’t quite understand what is going on. Your daddy and I hope to look at paint and get started on the nursery in the next few days. We just have to decide on a color! Right now the room is yellow.

Your sister will come over to me and life up my shirt trying to see her. She is actually wearing her “big sister” shirt today, we will get you a little brother shirt soon! I can’t wait until June!

They told me that you weighted a whopping 10 ounces and that your heart rate was 162! I love you Junebug!

Love

Your Mommy

Update on Abbyroo...

As a parent, you always try and do what is best for your child. There isn’t one thing I wouldn’t do for my sweet Abigail to ensure that she is safe, healthy, felt loved, and that every one of her needs are met. I pray for her all the time. A lot of times I will just wake up in the middle of the night and go get her out of her little crib and rock her and pray for her. She is one of the most things I hope most precious to my heart, along with my husband.


We have had a pretty rough week. Early Monday morning (about 4 or 5) Abby got the croup. As I’m sure you know Croup is a virus and there isn’t anything they can give you to treat the croup, it just has to run its course. They can prescribe a steroid to reduce the swelling in the lungs if your child is wheezing while coughing. Abigail didn’t have any of the wheezing. She was very congested, but breathing very well. I called her pediatrician and we decided that we didn’t need to bring her since, since I had brought her in two times prior for the croup. When you bring them in for croup there it is more “educational” for the parents, than “treatment” for the child. Her croup cough continued through Tuesday but was completely gone by Wednesday and only followed by a normal cough.

We kept her home from daycare of. Wednesday, she just didn’t seem like she felt well. She woke up with a mild temperature of about 100. We just wanted to keep her home and give her extra cuddles and kisses. When we keep her at home Jason and I try to do a split shift with her. He stayed with her in the morning and I stayed with her in the afternoon. Jason told me she didn’t eat very well that morning, but she played, and would drink plenty of fluids. I got home about 12:00 and she was asleep. She woke up around 1:30/2:00 and her temperature was 102. That was the highest her temperature has ever been. I gave her some Tylenol and waited a little bit to see if it would keep her temp down. I also put her in a cool bath. Abby loves the tub and she sure wouldn’t mind to play in there a while. Her temperature stayed down to about 101 with the Tylenol and the tub so once again I ran the ped’s office. They told us we could alternate the Tylenol and the Motrin every two hours. We started alternating the meds and kept her in the tub and her temperature finally broke about 8:30 that evening.

We kept her home again on Thursday and we thought she was doing so much better! The highest temp she had all day long was 100. She ate well this day, played hard, but I think it was just too much for her little body to handle. We figured we would be able to send her to daycare of Friday if the snow stayed away. I never thought I would say it – but I am so thankful that it snowed and that we stayed home!

Abby didn’t eat her breakfast very well at all on Friday morning. She seemed just kind of aggregated and didn’t want anything you offered her. She played well on Friday morning. We were cleaning up and we took some books back to her room, and when we came out, she walked as fast and persistent as she could into the wall. It didn’t knock her over but it sure did thump. She cried and I picked her up and calmed her down. We were finishing picking up her toys and she started throwing a fit. When she throws her fit and falls out, I let her finish. She went on about 3-4 minutes and Jason and I were talking, and he said, she probably just feels bad. I knew she didn’t feel well so I picked her up while she was throwing her fit (which is pretty hazardous with the kicks) and just held her. As soon as I her arms started shaking and she wouldn’t respond to my voice. It only lasted like 20 seconds, I asked Jason, Was that a seizure? We decided it wasn’t that it was just me being paranoid. About 3 minutes later she went into a full blown seizure. I handed her to Jason and I started taking off her little clothes. I ran and got her medicine that were suppose to give her if it lasts more than 5 minutes and had it ready. The seizure lasted 2 ½ minutes, but felt like an eternity. I called the pediatrician and we got an appointment for her to be seen that day. I knew we could get in them the same day, where it would have been a couple days to get in with her neurologist.

She looked good, except for her ears. She has a double ear infection, so he prescribed her some antibiotics. I told Abigail that she was going to have to start telling her mommy when her ears hurt. She is such a trouper when she is sick and rarely complains. It is almost funny she had a double ear infection, only because I had taken her to the doctor so many times wanting him to look at her ears and they were fine. The doctor let me use his scope and look at them and explained to me what I was looking at.   They did a consult with UK neurology and they have doubled the dosage of her seizure medicine (Keppra) in the mornings and left it the same in the evenings, we will go back to neurology for yet another EEG in late Feb or early March. She had lost a whole pound!  They are going to check on her weight here again in a couple weeks, they want to make sure the medicine isn't making her lose her appetite.


I was just so thankful that it snowed yesterday! I’m thankful we were all home. I was so thankful to be with Abby while she had her seizure. I’m thankful we didn’t have to use the medicine to stop it and that it only last 2 ½ minutes. I’m so thankful that my husband was there too to provide comfort to Abigail and to myself during and after the seizure. I’m also so thankful that she was being held while she seized. I can’t imagine going through that and how scared she must get. After her seizure, we cuddled on the couch and she fell asleep. She seemed to be chilled and I covered her up tight and just held her.

I know they don’t know exactly what is causing her seizures, but I am so thankful for the great physician who is ultimately in control. I know that he is going to take care of her and ensure that she is safe. I just love her so much and there isn’t anything in this world I would do for her. We have so many Christian friends that have prayed for her and we know that this too shall pass.

Dear Abigail

Dear Abigail,


You have been sick the past couple of days. You broke my heart as I held you yesterday for several hours with your 102.8 temperature. I felt so helpless as a mom. Your daddy stayed with you yesterday morning while I worked, and then I came home about noon. We ended up spending most of our afternoon together with you in the tub. For as bad as you felt you enjoyed your cool bath. You are the sweetest little girl, even when you are sick.

We have been talking more and more with you about your baby brother or sister on the way. I asked you one day last week if you wanted a baby boy or a baby girl, you looked at me in the eyes with the sweetest little voice and said, “nooo”. We read everyday your big sister book and you come and rub my belly and say baby. You will even kiss my belly several times day without me prompting you to do so.

You are starting to say a lot more words and put your words together. You will get your toy phone, and say, “mama bye bye love you”. Its so funny because you love to play with your pretend phone, but when we try and talk with you on the real phone all you want to do is push the buttons and hang out. Your daddy dropped something while we were sitting on the couch and you reached down to get it and handed it back to him and said, “got it”.

You love to play with your little kitchen lately. We put it in the kitchen so you could cook while mommy makes dinner in the evenings. You take your food in and out of the microwave and pretend to eat it. You hold it up to your mouth and say, “yum yum yum” and smack your little lips together.

I am just in awe of you and how much I love you. I knew as soon as we were pregnant that I would love you more than anything, and I loved you the moment I found out I was pregnant. When you have a baby and hold him or her in your arms, you just know that you would do anything in the world for that baby, and that you love it so much, but that love grows. It doesn’t seem possible but it grows. You are the best part of my day, and the sunshine of my life. I love you to pieces baby girl! I hope that you feel better soon! I know you are receiving double and triple kisses from both your daddy and I.



Love,

Mommy

Update on Roo

We had our follow up with neurology today at the Neuroscience institute at UK. We weren’t able to see her regular doctor there (Dr. Farzan) but were able to see Dr. McCoy. She was able to spend quite a bit of time with us and talk to us about Abigail. She said several things that really helped me understand things more and not question so much their decision for medication. She was wonderful and helped us as parents be more at peace with Abigail’s disorder.


Abigail was diagnosed with unprovoked partial seizure disorder, which are seizures associated with epilepsy. They came up with these diagnoses based on the fact that her limps didn’t shake during the seizure. The only movement in her body was her hands, and she had a spaced out look and was unresponsive. Her first episode of seizures they said they were probably febrile seizures even though she didn’t have a fever, due to her having an “illness” when she had the seizures. This time she had a virus, so we figured it was still a febrile seizure. The doctor told us that children with seizure disorders are more prone to have seizures when they are sick and their immunities are down. I almost think at this point I will be able to spot if she is going to have the seizure. I am so thankful that I blogged about her last episodes so I am able to remember the things that led up to the seizure.

We are so thankful for Abigail, and it is just amazing how God uses things like this to teach us and make us stronger. We just pray for daily and trust God that she will be safe and healthy. They are going to keep her on her medication for one year. At the end of the year they will do another EEG and if it is normal then they will see if she is able to come off of her medication. We have a follow up again in 6 months. Thank you so much for your prayers! We have definitely felt them!