Baby C Update - 26 weeks

When I got pregnant this go-round I have felt like I've been on pins and needles.  Anxious over little things, wondering if this pregnancy was going to stick.  Quite frankly I think I've been in denial about the fact that I will end this pregnancy with a live baby (morbid, I know but since I've miscarried these are the thoughts that run through my head).  Everything was going fine, early tests were normal.  We had our big ultrasound right before Paul left to come to Texas and found out "Baby C" was a boy.  I had one more doctors appointment before I came out to TX and that is when my doctor told me that they couldn't get a clear picture of the baby's heart.  So that same day they did another ultrasound.  One angle of the heart showed that his 4 chambers were perfectly formed, another angle showed possible abnormalities.  My doctor wanted to send me to a high risk fetal specialist for a heart echo, but I just felt like I couldn't fit anything else in before we left, so I promised her I would find a new OB as soon as we got to TX and to re-scan to make sure all was well.  

On a side note, I felt like my doctor was kind of jumping the gun a little bit due to my two previous losses.  Mainly because I was only 19 weeks at that point.  My feelings were justified when I read my medical records and found that the ultrasound tech had recommended a re-scan at 27 weeks.  

Anyway...fast forward 5 weeks.  And to make a long story short, on Tuesday we had another ultrasound done.  I think this was the 4th ultrasound we've had this pregnancy.  The tech said his heart chambers looked perfect...but that she was seeing some fluid around the baby's heart.  My heart sank and emotionally I was a wreck.  The worst case scenarios running through my head (down syndrome, congenital heart defect, etc)  Luckily we were able to get in to see the high risk doctor the following day so I didn't have to wallow in my misery for too long.  (Note to self:  stop googling medical stuff, it will only make you feel worse and worry more)

The high-risk OB was amazing.  I wish she could be my normal doctor.  She was confident, knowledgeable and was able to explain things very clearly.  We had another ultrasound and heart echo done at her office and she said there was nothing out of the ordinary.  Everything they looked at was in normal range, we have a perfectly healthy baby.

The last few days have been long and emotionally draining.  I have spent at least 3+ hours in a Dr.'s office Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  I am tired but feeling good.  And for my keepsake and memory of the last few days, we got our first 3D ultrasound picture.  We love this sweet bundle already.  The kids have enjoyed seeing all of the ultrasound pictures I've brought home.  Tanner especially got a kick out of the "pee-pee" picture confirming he was a boy.  So many things to be thankful for this week, especially because I know from experience that others are not always so lucky.

Kemah Boardwalk

So tonight we were trying to figure out something to do for dinner (neither one of us really wanted to make anything) and Paul suggested we head out to the Aquarium restaurant in Kemah.  Kemah (Key-mah for the non-Houstonians) is the boardwalk town by Galveston Bay.  It has restaurants, rides and carnival booths, fireworks on Friday nights and live entertainment on the weekends.

We got there early enough that we beat the dinner crowds and got a good table by the piranha tank.

There was blue tint on the windows so everyone looked like they a bit sickly with a blue tinge.

 The kids insisted on silly face pictures.

Attractive, I know...

 Lana is mad because Tanner jumped in the picture.

 Finally no Tanner, just Lana and the humongous fish that I'm pretty sure could swallow her whole if it was a carnivore.

 We let the kids each choose two rides.  Lana and I got on the Merry Go Round.

 Tanner and Paul got on the Ferris Wheel.

 Then we all went on the Train around the boardwalk.

A great ending to a fun night out!

Tanner and the iphone

One of Tanner's absolute favorite things to do right now is take his picture with the iphone or ipad.  I love to see what kind of facial expressions I will see when I go check the photo albums.  Some of them turn out to be absolutely hilarious.  The above photo is the latest find, and I also have a video of him filming his facial expressions on the ipad that I hope to post soon.  I love that this kid keeps me laughing at such unexpected moments!

Centennial Park Splash Pad

This was our first experience at a splash pad and the kids LOVED it!  I enjoyed being able to sit back in the shade and not have to worry about much.  Then about 30 minutes after we got there, 3 bus loads of day care kids showed up and it got a little too crowded.  We stuck it out for a little while longer, ate lunch and then decided to call it a day.  I think we will try again but maybe on a Tuesday, not field-trip Friday!

Aloha at the library!

Imagine my surprise (and excitement!) when I found out that one of our local libraries summer programs was a Polynesian dance program!  (I am seriously loving all the variety of stuff here in Houston!)  So of course I dragged the kids along and they seemed to enjoy it, as long as they weren't asked to volunteer.  I was able to convince them to at least take a picture with the dancers at the end.  The program was great and I thought it was a pretty good turn out (of course this was our first program so I didn't have anything to compare it to other than our old library - which I'm sorry to say - severely lacked pretty much everything).

A post by Paul

So about two months ago I got a phone call asking about any interest I may have in a new career in disaster relief work in Texas. I told him I would be interested in hearing more about it. A few days past and Michelle asks me about an email we received thanking me for the conversation and and consideration in moving to Texas. Michelle calls me and says something like "so is there something we need to talk about?" Well a few days later we were in Galveston interviewing. We both felt good about the transition and after some prayer and some difficult conversations with my previous employer, co-workers, and friends, I gave America's Home Place 3 weeks. I couldn't believe it! After ten years with AHP I was saying my goodbyes. I have now been here a month. Michelle joined me last week after she sold the house and moved the family to Texas (you rock michelle). We now live in the Houston metro area and so far, aside from the bugs (not like Mississippi has a shortage), we like it. We are renting a house for now, it's kinda weird because the house was built by a former competitor, but it will be ok. Work is very busy and satisfying. So that is where we are, freshly moved to Texas, making new friends and ready for the next chapter in our lives.