We received Aiden's genetic testing results today and it was very good news.... He does NOT have TSC!! This is a huge relief!! God is good y'all! 

Aiden's Birth Story

I woke up suddenly around 12:30-1:00 AM Monday morning to my water breaking. My doctor told/warned me that I would definitely know if my water broke since I had a high amount of fluid, and she wasn't kidding.. There was a ton of fluid so I knew for sure that I didn't just pee my pants. (Sorry for TMI but come on, this is a birth story. Labor and delivery are full of icky stuff.) 

When we arrived at the hospital we had to go in through the emergency room since it was late. The ER was empty except for a security guard sitting by the entrance. He asked what we needed help with, and I swear his eyes almost popped out of his head when we said we needed L&D. He pointed us in the direction we needed to go and gave me a wheelchair. As Jeremy wheeled me down the long hall to the elevator we laughed at how it didn't seem real yet because at that point I didn't feel like I was in labor. I was feeling a little crampy but it wasn't too painful. 

Headed to L&D.. but first.. let's take a selfie!

I was taken straight to triage so the nurses could make sure my water did actually break. I was 2 cm when they checked me. I started to get more uncomfortable while we waited for the nurses to get in touch with the on-call doctor to let him know I was a primary c-section. I was nervous about having a c-section but on the other hand I was thankful I wouldn't have to deal with painful contractions for who knows how many hours.

Around 3 AM we were moved to a room. The contractions were very uncomfortable at this point and I felt nauseous and shaky. The doctor arrived a 6 AM and I was brought back to the OR. When I was moved to the OR table I started to cry. I felt overwhelmed with different emotions; I was scared and anxious but excited to finally meet our second little boy. All the nurses were sweet and kept talking to me the entire time to help with my anxiety. Once I was numb I started to have a full on panic attack though. The feeling of wanting/needing to move my feet but not being able to totally freaked me out. A nurse tried to help me relax by making me close my eyes and imagine being on a beach.. but.. yeah.. that didn't help. All I could do was cry and beg them to let Jeremy in. They usually don't let husbands in until a certain point but they let Jeremy in early to help me relax. Jer came in and held my hand while I kept telling him "I'm so scared." He stayed calm (as usual) and kept telling me everything was going to be ok. I think I almost broke his hand because I was squeezing it so hard. 

Before we knew it the doctor was holding our new, 10 lbs .4 oz, precious baby boy up over the curtain so we could see him! Everyone in the OR was surprised by how big he was. They kept saying he looked like a one month old! Ha!

proud daddy holding Aiden for the first time

Seeing Aiden helped me relax for a while. Unfortunately the panic set in again while the doctor was closing everything up. I was given a medicine to help me relax (they couldn't give me anything until baby was born because they didn't want the meds to affect him) and it made me fall asleep for a few mins. Soon after I woke up we were taken back to my room to recover. 

My mother-in-law brought Joel to see us and meet Aiden a few hours later. Joel was excited but he didn't want to get too close or hold baby brother.. We expected that so we didn't push it. He slowly started to warm up to him though and would sit next to us while we held Aiden. He would throw in a random "aww, so sweet" or "I love him" when he would look at Aiden. It melted my heart!

 

A Sweet Surprise!

Aiden Thomas

born 6:32 AM on Monday, August 11, 2014

10 lbs 0.4 oz, 21 3/4" 

I was scheduled to have a csection on Thursday, August 14 but someone decided to surprise us and arrive early. He is healthy and we are both doing well. Big Brother (Joel) is over the moon excited and seems to be adjusting well. Our hearts are full of joy and we feel blessed beyond measure! I will post more about Aiden's birth story later.. after I have a nap.. or two..
:-) 

38 Week Pregnancy Update

The end of this pregnancy has been rough on me. I have struggled with guilt during this last trimester because most of our days have been spent hanging out around the house and watching too many cartoons. If I'm up walking or standing for too long I get super achy fast and feel like my stomach muscles are being ripped apart because my belly is so heavy, though. I have to keep reminding myself that this won't last forever and soon I will be back in Super Mom mode.

I had an ultrasound yesterday afternoon to check baby's weight because he has been consistently measuring two weeks ahead at every appointment... and according to the ultrasound Aiden weighs 10lbs 5oz!! (This explains why I have been in so much pain!) Since I had a such difficult L&D with Joel (and he was only 8lbs 2oz!) and because of a few other concerns, my doctor has scheduled me for a c-section. I have never had surgery so I'm a little nervous about it. If I'm being totally honest though, I'm more nervous/worried about how Joel is going to handle everything. It makes me cry just thinking about it!

Please keep us in your prayers -- that everything will go smoothly next week with the csection and recovery, and that we (especially our sweet Joel) will all adjust quickly to having a newborn in the house.

38 weeks 3 days pregnant
sorry not the best photo
it was taken during big brother's bath time :-)

Progress!

I was beyond nervous about Joel having to take a summer break from preschool. In the past we have seen regression in his development during long breaks from therapies. Thankfully we have seen the opposite during this break! Our little guy has been making SO much progress! The most exciting thing.. he is talking in sentences now!! 

Oh, and yesterday we attended his LAST speech therapy session! It's a huge accomplishment for our sweet boy!! We are praying he will continue to progress.

Ending speech is beyond exciting and it also takes a little weight off my shoulders... We recently started feeding therapy once a week and it's almost an hour away. I was stressing about how I was going to juggle speech and feeding therapy around the preschool schedule, all while trying to adjust to having a newborn.


Progress with feeding therapy has been slow but we are praying it will help us figure out whether Joel's lack of eating is from his medicine or not. As of right now we are leaning towards switching his meds sooner rather than later (due to the lack of eating and because we are worried he might be having seizures at night while sleeping)... Please keep praying about this issue for us. We need wisdom to know what we should do.

31 Weeks Pregnancy Update

I had my third ultrasound with the high risk OB. Baby Aiden is still looking healthy and showing no signs of having Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. It was awesome to hear the OB say "baby boy's heart and brain look great, praise God!" He still recommends we continue to with our plan to have genetic testing for Aiden shortly after birth though. Unfortunately, as I have mentioned before, we have to face the reality that the ultrasound could miss something... BUT.. we are praying that Aiden will be TSC-free, and the genetic testing will only give us peace of mind early on.

At my last appointment with my regular OB I was measuring two weeks early. The ultrasound showed that Aiden weighs 04lbs 11oz (which is big for 30 weeks) and looks as though he will be tall just like his daddy and big brother. I am set up to have another ultrasound in seven weeks to check his weight again. Joel was 8lbs 2oz and I had a difficult time delivering him (I was able to do it with assistance but I ended up with tearing and needing stitches) {you can read about his birth story here} so my OB wants to monitor Aiden's weight to make sure he doesn't get too big.

I am thankful this pregnancy has been going so well. The hardest part has been finding time to rest. Resting is not easy when you have a 3 year old. When I try to sit or lay down I usually have to jump right back up because of Joel. By the end of the day I have to crawl into bed because I am so sore. Now that I'm getting closer to the end of pregnancy I'm starting to feel nervous.. not really about labor, but mostly about how I will manage taking care of a newborn and a 3 year old. If you have any tips on how to make it an easy adjustment or how to take care of two without losing all my hair.. please share!!

To Infinity & Beyond!

Joel is a huge Buzz Lightyear fan. Lately, for the past two or three weeks, he asks daily to wear his Buzz [Halloween] costume. If the costume is dirty and/or he isn't able to wear it, a huge meltdown will occur. When he takes the costume off he always says "Joel back!" It cracks me up every time he says it!

It's fun to watch as he is finally starting to use his imagination and trying to be more verbal while playing. When he catches us watching or if we join in, especially when the play involves being Buzz, his whole face lights up.

The other night while watching one of the T0y Story movies (for the millionth time), he started lifting up his foot and saying "Andy." It took me a minute to figure it out, but he was telling me that his foot had the name Andy written on it just like Buzz in the movie.

Anytime he sees a commercial for Di$ney he says "go there!!" and then he starts to talk about seeing Buzz. Hopefully we can take him one day so he can meet his favorite character.  :-)