I added 70 houses to my spreadsheet this month! Here's the top 3. I can't wait for the hunt to be over and to be all settled in to our first home!
#1 It has such a cute exterior and it backs on to a park.
House #2- A nice, spacious interior.
House #3- The best price!
Just wanted to share more pictures of the beautiful newlyweds!
Since there is a 15 hour time difference between Taipei and Las Vegas, my family is just now at the Golf Club taking pictures and getting ready for the Reception to start. I tried to stay up late last night to call my sister in the morning there. Unfortunately, I fell asleep on the couch. Luckily, my big belly requires me to use the bathroom several times a night, so I woke up later on and was able to catch her on her way to the Temple and talk to her then. (I also just talked to her while she was primping for the Reception). My sweet Aunt sent me these pictures from the Temple that were just taken a few hours ago. I love modern technology!!! Here I am on the other side of the planet, but I've already got a glimpse of today. I can't wait to see more!
They're a little bit blurry, but she takes my breath away. She looks radiant!
I have harbored winter in my soul for too long. I hope the coming sunshine can bring me peace again. Last week was very stressful with the polydramnios scare. However, I've had two doctor's appointments since the amnioreduction and all is well for now. Hopefully, the next month will continue to go well and then baby boy will be here. This week has been one of the LONGEST of my life! I've been on house arrest since the amnioreduction, Gavin has been terribly sick with a tonsil infection and has been a major crank pot, and Kaleb & Noe have been on Spring break since Wednesday. Needless to say, we are all going a bit stir crazy! Len is off work next week though, so hopefully we'll be able to get out and get some fresh air then.
St. Patrick's Day came and went. All of us wore a shade of green that day, but other than that we didn't do much celebrating.
This weekend was the Spring Fair at school, but the kids missed that too as Len had a work conference to go to and I couldn't take them. So instead I made up some devil's food cupcakes with mint icing. I served them with mint chocolate chip ice cream. The kids loved it and said we should celebrate St. Patrick's every week.
They also had fun playing with their Little People St. Paddy's Day Parade set all month. They're already anticipating the Easter set.
*Since I've been commenting on American Idol each week I wanted to add my thoughts for this week. I actually liked Adam's performance! He has a good voice and if he can just sing without all the theatrics I enjoy it much more. I think Megan has moved down to the ho-hum category for me though. She's quirky and has her own style of singing, but I'm bored of it already. Kris is a good singer too, but he's always the one I forget about (which is ironic since my brother is named Kris Allen too). Danny was my favorite the first week, Anoop was last week, and I think Matt was this week. It's sad that American Idol is my only source of entertainment these days!
We finally left the hospital at 5:00 and baby boy was kicking lots (which gave me great reassurance). We picked Gavin up from my friend Kay's, Kaleb & Noe up from my friend Lauren's, dinner up from my friend Young-Ae's, and then hurried home. We quickly ate, then Len dashed off with the kids again to meet the author, Margriet Ruurs at the school.
Each of the kids got a book autographed by her. Kaleb got "Wake Up, Henry Rooster!"
Noe got "Emma's Eggs."
And Gavin got "Animal Alphabed."
Yesterday was the big day, and overall it went really well. I didn't get much sleep the night before (I never do when I have anxiety). In the morning we got Kaleb and Noe headed off for school. Leonard gave me a Priesthood Blessing and then headed off to work. I spent the rest of the day packing Gavin's bag who spent the day with his friend Lizzy, and my own hospital bag just in case. In the late morning I dropped Gavin off, picked Leonard up, and headed to the hospital.
We started with another NST. All looked well with baby and me so we could go ahead with the procedure. The amnioreduction was actually more painful than I imagined it to be. They have to drain the fluid off slowly because the uterus is pressurized and if they do it too quickly it can harm the baby. They did an ultrasound to find the largest pocket of fluid. They then inserted a thin needle into my abdomen, removed the sharp point, and then held the tube in to drain off the excess fluid. Right afterwards I felt my face flush and my head start to spin, I was scared I was going to pass out. Luckily, I was able to calm down though. They have the ultrasound on the entire time to watch baby's movements. The painful part was that every time he moved (which was pretty constant) the doctor would have to re-angle the tube and it hurt like crazy. The happy part was that the largest pocket of fluid was right next to his little face so I got to watch that sweet face the entire time. We even got to see a sweet little yawn at one point.
The procedure took a little over 30 minutes and they were able to remove 1.2 liters of fluid!!! That translates to over 40 fluid ounces, 4 pounds in weight loss, and an inch loss in my waist line! I had to have another NST for 2 hours afterwards. I was having lots of contractions (which the doctor said was normal) so I just had to take more medicine to calm them down. As soon as it was finally time to go they started up crazy again, which lasted throughout the evening until I went to bed, but they were mild. I have to continue taking the medicine to stop the contractions and antibiotics for a few days to prevent infection at the withdrawal site.
My doctor didn't put me on bed rest, because she didn't want to confine me to my bed. However, she said I am under house arrest for the next 10 days. She doesn't want me going anywhere unless it is to see her. She wants me to take it easy and I am not allowed to lift anything (poor Gavin). I will see her twice a week for the next couple of weeks and if everything is going well we can drop down to once a week until delivery. The next time I see her is Friday (my 5th appointment in 8 days) and I'm hoping all will go well and I'll have nothing to report on!
A little funny to add. Last night Len asked how I was feeling. I replied fine, just drained. Then we both started laughing, it's not every day you literally are drained- tee hee.
Again, I just want to express my thanks for all of the kind thoughts and prayers from all of my family and friends everywhere. I also want to thank all of those who helped me with child care, and offered meals, and cleaning during this crazy week. I know it is through the service of others that Heavenly Father answers our prayers.
I went back to the doctor again today for another NST, ultrasound, and exam. Everything is pretty much the same as Friday. I am fine, the baby seems fine, I just have way too much fluid. After discussing all of our options we have decided to go ahead with the amniocentesis tomorrow to drain off the excess fluid. This is an optional procedure, but basically if we choose to do nothing it is highly likely I will go into labor any time now. I also risk rupturing my uterus (something I'd rather keep). I am 32 weeks today and my doctor said each day spent in the womb saves 3 days in the incubator. I want to keep this sweet little boy in for as long as possible. That doesn't mean I'm not scared about the procedure tomorrow, because I am. My doctor confided that she is too, but she also thinks this is the best solution. The best case scenario afterwards is that my fluid will stay at normal levels and I will be able to carry him to 38 weeks when we will have a planned c-section then. Another possible outcome is that all goes well tomorrow, but the fluid levels will again rise too high. If that happens she said little boy will most likely have a digestive problem that is not showing up on the ultrasounds and that he would require surgery immediately after birth. I don't want to think of a newborn needing surgery, but it is nice to know that the problem would be repairable. Another possible outcome is that after the amnio baby goes into distress and we end up having the c-section tomorrow. I appreciate all of the prayers that have been offered for our family, and I have felt much more at peace this week than I did during the weekend. I would appreciate more prayers that all will go well tomorrow and that when little boy makes his debut to the world he will be healthy and strong. I'm so grateful for all of the loving family and friends in our life!
First of all, I want to say thank you for the kind comments and e-mails about my previous post. This morning I went in bright and early for my more intense glucose test. It was pretty much the same as last time, I just had to fast before hand and they took my blood 4 times instead of just the once (before I drank the sugar water, an hour after, 2 hours after, and 3 hours after). My Doctor just called me and said the test results came back beautifully, there is no sign of diabetes. She said she also had them do a rhogam anti-bodies test to make sure my body was responding to the shot properly and that that wasn't a danger to the baby, and those results came back perfect too. So now we're still in the "What's causing the Polyhydramnios?" phase. Again, I can be in the 50% of cases where they never find the reason, or the baby could have anatomical, chromosomal, or neurological abnormalities. There could also be problems with my heart, kidneys, and/or placenta. She said usually the problems involve the GI tract or there is a bowel obstruction, but she said everything looked good with him when she did the ultrasound. She told me she hasn't been sleeping the past 2 nights because she's so worried about me and baby. That was sweet of her to say, but again not something you want to hear from your doctor. She said when I go in Tuesday morning I'll have another non-stress test and ultrasound, then we have to have a serious discussion about having an amniocentesis. I am so scared of that! But basically, we have to drain off the excess fluid ASAP. She said they will also give me a shot to help little boys lungs mature faster just in case he is born pre-maturely. I'm just scared and sad right now, but trying to stay happy. Besides feeling heavy I feel fine, and I still feel him being as active as ever. I just want him to be healthy and strong. I believe in the power of prayer, and appreciate all that are offered on my family's behalf.
I am not a superstitious person, but when you've cried all day I think that qualifies as a really bad day. It started out happy. I went to see my baby doctor, something I always look forward to. I just love hearing baby's heartbeat, and peeking at him if I'm lucky enough to get an ultrasound that visit. Today I got an ultrasound, yahoo! He is so cute! He has chubby cheeks, and we could even see hair on his head. All of the pictures were very clear, I thought this was great, then my doc drops the bad news. I have more than twice as much amniotic fluid than I should have (no wonder my belly is so huge!). OK, he has a big swimming pool to play in, what's the problem. She tells me this is a very big problem, and that's when the crying started. She said in 50% of cases of high amniotic fluid they never determine the cause, however in the other 50% the top three reasons for it are: 1- Diabetes, 2- Diabetes, 3- Diabetes. After the top 3 reasons, then it is from problems with the baby. She said he looked fine during the ultrasound, but we're going to have to do more testing.
The problem with so much fluid is that my uterus is full to the brim. However, I'm only 31 weeks along. We want to prevent my water breaking and pre-term labor and delivery. Also, since I've had 2 c-sections, I have a greater chance of my whole uterus "popping" (as she phrased it), oh great! She wanted me to have an NST (non-stress test) right then to check the baby's heartbeat, movement, and my contractions. During the first 30 minutes I was having 2-3 contractions per minute. The nurse brought me medicine to stop the contractions, and I now have to continue to take it 3 times a day. Little boy was very active during the NST so they kept losing his heartbeat. I had to lay there for an hour and 40 minutes before they could finally get a solid reading of him. Luckily, his heart seems fine now. She said if it showed abnormal activity it could mean fetal death in 3 days. That is something a pregnant mama never wants to hear!
She examined me and thank goodness I haven't begun to dilate yet. I also got my rhogam shot (I have Rh-Negative blood). Last month I took the yucky glucose test and passed with flying colors, however she wants me to come back in on Sunday for a more intensive test. I will then see her again on Tuesday for another NST and visit, and will be seeing her twice a week from here on out. I don't want my little guy to be born pre-mature. The 9 days Gavin spent in the NICU after he was born were so hard, but I still have 9 weeks to go to my due date now. I just feel so sad and so guilty like somehow this is my fault.
*On another sad note, instead of writing a letter to the airlines giving her permission for me to fly home for my sister's wedding, she said she will now write a letter to them so they'll refund my ticket price. It's so hard being away from family, and now that I'll miss my sister's wedding I am just heartbroken. Of course, I want what's best for my baby, but this is a once in a lifetime event, it's not like I can make it up the next time we're home. I told my mom to take lots of pictures so I can feel like I somehow got to participate in the happy day. Then I just cried more thinking, not only will miss seeing my beautiful sister on her special day, but also because I won't be in any of the pictures from her special day. This just sucks.
**Leonard is also supposed to go househunting for us the middle of April, but now we're scared to have him leave before the baby is born. However, time is passing quickly and I don't want to return to Ottawa without having a place to live.
***I know life is hard and there are always challenges, but the past 8 months have been really difficult for me. Tomorrow is a new day though, and hopefully baby and I will be healthy and I can be happy again.
So Leonard and I have been watching American Idol since day 1 this season. The top 13 has a lot of great talent and amazing people. My favorite right now is Danny Gokey. We'll see as the weeks progress if someone else fills that position. I also have to say that Adam Lambert drives me crazy (not in a good way)!
After 2 years of big birthday parties, and my big belly this year, we decided from now on we're going to have birthday parties every other year and have family outings with a friend in the interim. Of course, Kaleb and Noe wanted to invite all of their friends from school, church, and Leonard's work, but they agreed they would just invite one. This was a difficult decision though. Leonard and I chose the 2 friends that we see the most after school and whose parents we know really well. However, Kaleb and Noe wanted to invite the 2 friends they play with the most at school, whose parents we don't know at all. Since it was their birthday we let their choice win. It was a humbling experience for me to communicate with parents that have limited English. I really wish I could speak Chinese and Korean. In the end it all turned out though, and we had a fun day.
My babies are 7! Where has the time gone? I can't believe they are 1/3 of their way to adulthood. They are such sweet kids and I'm so grateful they are mine. I know I am too hard on them sometimes. I've just got to remember that "Sometimes I'm Bombaloo" (a great book) and that they are too, and that's OK.
Kaleb at 7:
Noe at 7:
Gavin and I went up to the school today to celebrate Noe and Kaleb's birthday with their classes.
Our first stop was to Noe's class and she loved her flying unicorn cake!
We sang to her in English and Chinese. Afterwards I cut the cake, and she passed it out. In her class all of the children have to wait for the birthday person to take the first bite. She decided to be tricky and pretended to take the first bite 3 or 4 times before she finally ate it- she is such a silly girl!
Next we headed across the hall to Kaleb's class. He too loved his race car cake!
When I started finishing up my 2008 blog posts I called that post "More Ketchup." Now that I'm done I thought it was only appropriate to call this post "More Mustard." I still need to go through last year's calendar to get dates and put everything in chronological order, but that shouldn't take long, then I can start making my 2008 Blurb book. Hooray!
