Jace 32 weeks--an emotional day

JACE ADDISON

Left eye open, right hand in front of right eye, L arm in front

Smushed; R hand in front of face, L eye, nose; looking down

30 week pic; R fist in front of R eye; L eye, nose; L arm in front

R hand (fist) in front of right eye, L profile with L arm in front

Best full face shot (cord/placenta in the way) The black areas are not growths or holes, just due to the pressure from the scanner :)

Just after sucking his L thumb (like his bro); Licking his hand/drinking fluid

I went to the doctor today for my 2 week check-up. It began well with a 4-D ultrasound (a redo as Jace was sleeping with his hands in front of his face on our first attempt 2 weeks ago). Jace was very busy today, but remained moderately shy. He likes to rest with his hands...and a foot...and the umbilical cord in front of his face. Even so, we were able to catch a few good glimpses of the cute little chunk. Full lips and pinchable cheeks! After the ultrasound I walk glowingly down the hall to sit and wait to see the doc. I go and weigh, gaining just 2 pounds since my last visit--very pleased. Blood pressure was good. The doc comes in and asks the usual questions, we engage in mindless chatter for a moment, and then she placed the doppler on my belly to hear Jace's heartbeat and get a rate. She finds it quickly, but pauses after a moment and her expression changes. Then she looks at her watch and continues to listen, deep in concentration. I am becoming concerned. She asks me, "Do you hear that...the skip?" I did, but was hoping it was somehow related to movement. Not the case. Jace was having frequent irregularities in his heartbeat/rate. She tells me I need to go have an ultrasound to check out my fluid levels and make sure there isn't any fluid around the baby's heart. My heart sinks and tears flood my eyes. I nod and try to maintain my composure as I return to the ultrasound waiting room. Scenes of horror fill my thoughts and I am suddenly in constant prayer and dialogue with the Great Physician, pleading for a good outcome. I go back and have the ultrasound. My fluid measured fine, not too little and not too much. Jace's heart appears structurally healthy, but the occasional skip is seen and recorded. We also learn that Jace is measuring about 2 weeks larger than scheduled , weighing in at a whopping 5lb. 3 oz. already--feeling rather thankful to be scheduling a repeat C-section :) The nurse meets me in the hallway and tells me the doc wants to do a non-stress test to make sure Jace isn't in any distress just to be on the safe side. I wait a short time to go have that done. They hook me up and I complete the test and then wait again to have it reviewed by my doc. She tells me everything looks okay and that he doesn't appear to be in any distress at this time. I ask a few questions and then am released to return in 2 weeks for a routine check-up. They will continue to monitor this throughout the remainder of my pregnancy, but feel it is benign in nature and will have no long-term effect. Thankful for the news thus far, but remain a bit anxious and troubled tonight. Please pray for Jace's health and our peace during the remainder of the pregnancy. As you saw above, I included some of the 4-D pics...we think he is pretty cute...and a bit reminiscent of Bear at birth. What do you think! They are going to schedule my section when I go for my next visit in 2 weeks--will keep you posted.

A Regular Dave Ramsey

Last weekend I was driving down the road when I heard a very loud pop, similar to being in an accident. I sat there thinking to myself that I didn't feel anything, but I would have sworn I had been in an accident from the sound. Then I realized that my radio no longer worked. A blown fuse I guessed. Well, we replaced the fuse to no avail and after a week of driving in complete silence (minus the constant question of "what's that?" from my curious toddler), I took the car to the dealership to see about getting it fixed or a replacement. The service manager comes in holding my radio in hand and smiling. He gives it a little shake and you can hear coins rattling inside :) Barrett was play driving with his fake keys while we were cleaning the cars a while back. He was just as content as could be. I guess he found my loose change and was just trying to help save money by sticking it in the CD player--similar to a piggy bank slot. Unfortunately, it ended up costing much more than he had "saved" when it shorted out.

Golf Tournament

Our Sunday school class hosted a golf tournament to raise money for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life on Saturday. We had a good turnout, everyone had fun, and we were able to raise $1,000. All in all, a success. Barrett had a good time playing "dolf" too.

Barrett playing "dolf"

...far from Tiger Woods at this point (check out the club),

but you gotta start somewhere, right?

Bear and friends "divin' the dolf car."

They didn't seem to mind that it never went anywhere and there was no key in the ignition :)

Easter Festivities 2009

Barrett had a big Easter this year. The festvities started last week at Ghee and G-Daddy's house dying eggs. They continued Thursday atMother's Day Out where he participated in his very first Easter egg hunt. His teacher said they were all a little dumbfounded at first, but they quickly figured it out. Barrett had a basketful of eggs and an Easter picture he colored when I picked him up. He was especially excited when he opened them on the way home and discovered "there's chocolate in there!" and he wanted to know where he could get more "chocolate eggs." Saturday, our church had an Easter egg hunt for the children. They told the Easter story first then went out to hunt eggs. Barrett, having practiced, knew just what to do and had a great time filling his basket. Afterwards, they had refreshments. Here are some pictures from the church hunt...

Barrett finding an egg.

His stash.

Heath and Andrea hosted Easter this year and we went up Saturday after the Easter egg hunt for a visit. Ghee, G-Daddy, and Grandmother were there too.

Big Barrett and Little Barrett.

Bear loves his Uncle "Heaf!"

Sunday, we had a great Easter lunch after church. It was followed by another Eatser egg hunt. As you can see by the picture below, Barrett had a blast! You can also see his Easter outfit :)

Some of the eggs had little rubber duckies in them. Those were his favorite. He wanted to take a bath when we got home that evening to play with them. I obliged. He was delighted! Now he has a "mommy duck" and lots of "baby duckies." The Easter Bunny got Barrett a Spiderman fishing pole this year. Barrett hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet, but he loves trying. There is a picture below of Adam teaching Bear how to cast.

Praises Abound

My brother Chris had his heart procedure done today. Everything went as it was supposed to. They were able to locate the extra electrical pathway and eliminate it. In 95% of cases this procedure is 100% curative. He was in recovery a long time due to extended bleeding times that had to come down before they could remove the catheters/wires inserted to perform the surgery. He got back to his room late this afternoon and was in and out of sleep when I left. Please offer praise for this outcome and continue to pray for his recovery. Pray that he would be compliant to guidelines set out by the physician and heal up without any complications. Thank you so much for all the love, concern, and prayer shown. I love you all.~Haley