4 Weeks Later

Ok..so almost five. But I'm pretty sure having two small children at home gives me the right to be a little behind schedule!

Aspen Update:
She is sooo fabulous! As of Friday the 27th she weighs 9 pounds, 8 ounces. While we were at support group that day she ate a total of 4.3 ounces. What a good girl! She is still sleeping like a princess. She's usually down for the night around 10:30 and up again between 2 and 3am. Once she's back to sleep then, we're asleep again until usually 6 or 6:30. Just in time for big brother to be awake. She's obviously eating well and nursing is going quite easily this time around. Not that it was hard with Lincoln, but this time I've got some experience under my belt and I don't feel so questionable or worried that I'm not doing it right or that she's not eating enough. As much as she poos we don't have to worry about that! :) She really only cries when she's hungry during the day, or if she's gassy. She's a pretty good shopper because she loves to sleep in her car seat! Thank goodness we've got another happy rider! She's usually great in the car and the stroller. She also LOVES to be carried and held. I've already worn the Ergo more with her than I did for months with Lincoln. She must enjoy the feeling of closeness and being snuggled. Some days I have to put her in a sling and wear her around the house to get things done. I can't just hold her all the time, I need my hands free to help Lincoln, or chase Lincoln, or feed Lincoln. Those tasks are quite difficult if both arms are busy.
She's becoming more awake and alert during the day. The trouble is, I can't let her play in the floor under the play gym without being RIGHT there. Lincoln demands to get in there with her and can't be trusted for a minute!! He does love her. So much he squeezes her! More on that later...
We're just now beginning to move to 0-3 clothing. She was so little that the newborn clothes we had fit so perfectly! The 0-3 is still quite big and I hate that they hang off of her. We'll squeeze at least another week out of the newborns. Maybe even more! Speaking of clothes...it's so easy to get in trouble while shopping for girls! There are entirely too many cute outfits, accessories, shoes, etc that we just have to have! Goodness! I am terribly thankful to all my friends who passed down baby girl clothes though. It really helps keep me from buying tons of stuff. I just remember all the sweet stuff we already have and usually the urge to buy a whole bunches goes away. Usually!
She likes to swing...more than Lincoln did I think. She loves to be patted or bounced, and the rougher the better. She really enjoys sleeping on your tummy or chest. She may be like her daddy, in that she likes to sleep on her belly. We'll see what comes of that! She's eating about every 2 hours during the day and we're taking all the classes I took with Lincoln. Baby massage and breastfeeding support group were so important with Lincoln. Getting out of the house and meeting other mommies going through the same things we are is priceless. And I am more thankful than I can say that we have such fabulous friends and family. Anthony's parents are ready to have Lincoln at a moment's notice. It's so nice that I can spend that sweet time with Aspen, just like I did with him.

Lincoln update:
He is a true 2 year old. He's getting into EVERYTHING all the time! He's such a good boy though, I can't even tell you. He definitely has his moments (don't we all?!) but for the most part he's so good for me during the day. Not many 2 year olds could be trusted without supervision like he is. Not that I'm not watching him, but when I'm stuck in the chair nursing for anywhere from 8 to 45 minutes he's on his own. He brings books to me and we look at them together, he plays with his toys, he goes out on the deck and blows bubbles if the weather's nice. He wanders around the house talking to me and playing by himself until we're finished and I can play. It's incredible! He's not jealous or fussy about Aspen, ever. He loves her so much. All he wants to do is kiss her and hold her. He tells her good night every night, and good morning each day. He holds her hand and finds her paci when she cries. He says she's "purdy." I can't help but fight back tears when he's with her. He just is so precious. Until he squeezes her or tries to poke her eyeballs! Anna says he doesn't realize he's hurting her yet. I'm not so sure! They cannot be left alone for even a second. He'll try to pick her up, take her paci away, or shout at her to wake up. Or he'll just pretty much jump on top of her! I know it's hard for him to understand "easy," or "gentle," or "she's little." But he's trying.
He turned 2 since I last posted! I cannot believe he's such a big boy. It certainly does not feel like it was two years ago when we brought him home from the hospital this small. I cannot imagine my life without him, and Anthony and I often wonder what in the world we did with all of our time before we had kids! We had a VERY small affair with just cake and ice cream. We just invited immediate family and told them to come eat cake! The picture at the top of the page is at his "party."
He is speaking in fractured or complete sentences all of the time. Very rarely does he not put a complete thought together. "I see big truck." "I hold it, remote." "I watch Mickey Mouse big TV." "I want bubble bath, please!" So incredible. Anthony and I are blown away every day by things he says. We play with other kids his age and a little older, and it seems like he's very advanced. There are extremely few things we don't understand when he talks...and almost everyone else can understand what he said without a translation. That's crazy impressive for a brand new 2 year old! He has learned my name is Kyla...thanks to Anthony hollering through the house! If I don't answer fast enough to Mommy he starts yelling Kyla! It's the funniest thing! I tell him that yes, my name is Kyla, but he better call me Mommy! "Ok, Mommy." he says! I could just eat him.
He got a haircut a few weeks ago and it looks soooo good. Still preciously curly, just a little more manageable now! Not quite so much all over fuzzy...but more close to the head curls. Unbelievable! I'm anxious to see what Aspen's hair will do as she grows up. Knowing my luck she'll get Anthony's hair and it'll be stick straight and won't do a thing!

Anthony & Kyla Update:
I am doing well. I recovered very quickly from delivery and have felt great ever since. I told Anthony many times that it was tons easier this time. I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that she was such an easier delivery. Pushing for three contractions, instead of 3 hours!, makes a big difference on the body! Of the 25 pounds I gained while pregnant I've already lost 21. The last four must all be in the belly because it is certainly more squishy than I would like. We've gotta get outside and walk! I am officially at home now. I'm not going back to school for the rest of the school year, I'll just go back and clean up my room. It's a great feeling being at home with my babies! Mommies should raise their children instead of sending them to daycare just so they can go to work. Hate me if you want, but that is truly my heart and I hate that all Moms can't stay home with their sweet babies. It just seems silly to give birth to this person and then give it to someone else to raise so you can work. I am incredibly thankful and our family is terribly blessed to allow me to be home for a while. I know many families do not even have that option to consider.
Anthony is doing great. There's really no change so there was no need to update. He's doing dialysis at home manually (without the machine) just like before. It seems to be working perfectly because every time he goes in for a blood check it all comes back just like it should. The only thing he's still dealing with is his parathyroid. It's still overactive even though he's taking meds to suppress it. The doctor upped his dosage this last visit. If the medicine doesn't help more they want to remove some of it. The parathyroid is what deals with the body's dealings with calcium. That's why his bones were so deteriorated. He can't continue to lose bone mass, so it'll have to be corrected with surgery if the meds don't work. We're praying it won't come to that.
He's still dealing with hospital stuff so he's still not on the "list". Once his insurance works out a contract with Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center that will be his home hospital. That's where he'll go for all doctor's appointments and the transplant. It's also where he'll go to be tissue typed to find a match. Friends and family can't be tested until he's selected a hospital and the insurance has accepted... and then of course Anthony has to be tested first. He's still feeling fabulous and riding his bike 2-3 times a week. He's still not as tired as before and is sleeping so much better. Very thankful for both of those things with a new baby in the house! He's such a great daddy. I couldn't have made it at home without him for those first 2 weeks. That time as a family is the most precious time we've ever had. He stayed home with me and Lincoln too...and that is something none of us will ever forget. Since his employer is fabulous they let him take 2 more weeks with Aspen. What a wonderful time to be able to bond and adjust. We had family outings, sat home and watched tv, ate alot!, had visitors, and just generally enjoyed each other's company. Life is so much sweeter when you're not rushing around all the time. When you have the luxury of taking your time about everything it's all so much nicer and everyone has more patience. What a blessing.

 Sweet bath time baby! Just last week...

This is how Lincoln enjoyed Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on his birthday morning!

Our super-fun birthday gift for Lincoln. 

 Sissy is enjoying the sunshine and fresh air outside while brother plays. 

Aspen's first time under the play gym...Needless to say she wasn't allowed to have fun without Lincoln. She still can't lay in the floor without him being right there.

Oh....they have my  heart! My handsome men on Easter Sunday.

Mamaw came down to meet Aspen! What precious memories.

 Just rocking her pjs!

This kid is such a joy! 

Aspen Ensley Vance

SHE'S HERE!!!

Aspen Ensley Vance was born Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at 3:38 pm. She weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces and was 21 inches long. She has a head full of dark dark hair, just like her brother! Labor and delivery this time around were very different, and much easier! 

My contractions started getting worse Tuesday the 27th around 7:30 pm. I walked around the house and sat on the exercise ball for a long time. Around midnight my contractions were steadily 5-7 minutes apart. Not terribly painful, but constant. I texted Anna to see what I should do, then called the doctor. Dr. Miletich said it wasn't active labor, just early labor. She wanted me to try to get some rest if I could and call her back if it got worse, closer together or anything else changed. I labored while Anthony slept until about 4 am. At that point I was really hurting and still about 5-6 minutes apart. I called the doctor back and she said to come on into the hospital. I woke Anthony up and we packed up the car. It was quite different packing dialysis stuff with us this time. 

We checked into the hospital around 6 am. I had yucky contractions in a very uncomfortable car seat on the ride there. We stopped at the McDonald's drive through  to eat because I knew they wouldn't let me eat once we checked in. I was only 1-2 cm dilated when we checked in. Disappointing! After all those contractions I surely expected they were doing something...

Of course, contractions got steadily worse. They made me lay in the bed for baby monitoring for at least 30 minutes. Let me tell you, that is the WORST place to be when you're in labor. They wouldn't give me an epidural yet because they didn't want me to not progress. They gave me Staydol instead. After trying to rest a while I was still only 2-3 cm. Dr. Harraghy decided to break my water to see if it would help move things along. BOY the contractions surely changed! They became awful and unbearable! Ohhhhh it was no good! I continued to ask for an epidural! So did Anthony and Anna...bless them! FINALLY the sweet drug man came and gave me an epidural. Ohh sweet relief! 

Once I got to relax it only took about an hour to get to 6 cm. Then about an hour and a half later I was fully dilated and ready to go! :)

The best part of this labor and delivery?! The delivery!!! I only pushed through three contractions!! Yes, you read that right....THREE (3) contractions! After a terrible 3 hours of pushing with Lincoln, this sweet girl felt sorry for me. She came quickly and easily and was perfect!! It was wonderful.

Oh how I cried....but not nearly as much as when Lincoln came in to meet her for the first time. Anthony was holding Aspen when Nana and Papaw brought him to meet his little sister. I just held Anna's hand and cried. Talk about indescribable love... what a feeling, to see your first born child, whom you love more than anything in the world, love on your new baby that you now love like crazy. Amazing. If you haven't experienced it, you can't understand. But if you have...you know how unbelievable it is. 

Our family of four...gasp!

Now that we've been home for over a week we're settling into a routine. She's like a little angel! She hardly cries, she's sleeping like a champion, and breastfeeding is going very well. The crying usually only happens if she's got gas, and that gets taken care of quickly...with many, many diapers! She also cries when she gets super hungry. But most of the time she lets us know it's time just by sucking on her fingers and grunting. She's sleeping fabulously. She's only getting up once a night. There were two nights where she got up twice or so...and I have to say that's pretty perfect! She likes to be swaddled, and I really think that's helping with her great sleep at night. She took to nursing right away. My milk came in fully on Friday and she's been very happy ever since. 

Lincoln absolutely LOVES her! The only major problem we have is that he loves her too much! He wants to hold her, squeeze her, hug her, kiss her, play with her, wake her up....and he just does all of that a little too roughly! He truly does enjoy her being here. He runs around the house looking for her if we've moved to another room. Every time he sees her he smiles and says "Sissy" or "Baby Appen." It's absolutely precious! He wants to hold her every day, and he kisses her a lot. He's learning to be easy and can hold her hand without hurting her. He also is increasing the time he wants to hold her..and seems to enjoy it. He watches us change her diaper and change her clothes and talks to us about what we're doing. You know, we forgot what it was like to have a newborn...but it's harder to have a toddler! All Aspen does is sleep, eat, and poop. She spends a large amount of her day sleeping, or eating. Lincoln on the other hand, is never still...he only naps like 1-2 hours a day. He wants to play with you, talk to you, he needs juice, he needs a diaper, he wants to go outside........ Newborns are easier! Who ever thought I'd say that?!

So we're home and happy. And Aspen is perfect. Lincoln is wonderful and totally not jealous. Anthony is still home with me until next Wednesday. He took 2 weeks off again, like he did with Lincoln. It's a truly wonderful time for our family. To be able to spend the time together, to bond, to play, to figure all this out. It's priceless. We are so blessed. I thank God every day for our life, our family, and our time together. It's truly a magical time.

She got to come home with a bow in her hair!! :)

40 weeks...and 4 days

Here I sit. On the couch. On March 26. FOUR days past my due date. With no signs of having a baby. Any time soon.

Don't get me wrong...all is well. I feel fine, healthy, and in the mornings I have lots of energy and get good stuff done. Today was my first day home with Lincoln. I stopped working on Friday. I figured that since I'd made it to my due date that I deserved to spend a little time at home with my sweet Lincoln...while he's still an only child. It might also give me some time to do a few more things around the house. Like this morning by 8:30 I had already cleaned and scrubbed the entire kitchen counter and sink! I mean, like Mom would clean it. I actually took everything off of it and scrubbed underneath, cleaned the stuff, and put it all back! Seriously, before 8:30am. I accomplished this while Lincoln was home and happy watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and playing with the train we got him for Christmas. 

Today is exactly one week from Lincoln's birthday. I had really hoped Sweet Girl would be here before now. I thought we might have a little bit more space between birthdays. We certainly didn't plan to have another March baby...when you have trouble getting pregnant you just take what you get, when you get it! (Remember Lincoln's due date was March 28, but waited till April 2, 5 days late!) So here we are. 

 Kaleb and I are exactly two years and one week apart. And forever we had "together" birthdays. He would have his stupid camo cake and decorations with all his snotty friends over...and I would have my Rainbow Bright cake and colorful decorations and my cute friends...all at the same time. Disaster! I would have to include little brothers and sisters of his guests, even if I didn't invite them! So you see....I was really hoping we wouldn't have to deal with that. But it seems that this is our plight. 

I did go to the doctor on Thursday, my due date. I was still only 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. No change now for 4 weeks. She recommended a scheduled induction a week past my due date, so this Thursday. However, if I choose not to be  induced and let nature take its course they will let me go up to two weeks past my due date. I'll just have to go into the office for more testing. So I officially have appointments for Thursday, March 29. I'll have a non-stress test to check on the baby, an ultrasound to check fluid levels and that my placenta is still functioning properly. I'll also have an appointment with Dr. Montes to talk about what's next. I pray every night that "today" will be the day. Nothing yet. 

I know she'll come when she's ready. And I feel strongly that we shouldn't interfere. I do not want to be induced unless it's medically necessary. And right now I'm fine, she's fine and we're all healthy. There's no reason to mess with anything, other than the fact that I'm ready to not be pregnant anymore. My shirts don't come down far enough, and my pants don't come up far enough. I'm glad I'm not at work anymore.. I was wearing the same old stuff every week...just in a different rotation because that's all that fit and was decent enough to wear to work. 

I'm beginning to get in a funk. I feel like I've been pregnant for a thousand years. I'd like to be able to sit and stand without so much difficulty. I'm really ready for shirts that cover all of me. I'm thankful it's been so warm for so long so I could wear my flip flops and sandals. Anthony says I've been a little extra spicy lately. I don't mean to be...I'm just disappointed that she's not here yet. So everything is just not right. 

Otherwise, Lincoln is fabulous. Anthony is great, and Lile is feeling good with her spring hair cut. I'm slowing down and don't want to cook dinner, so we're eating out alot. Fabulous, I know... 

All I can say....Baby Girl has to come in March. I need Anna to be able to come...and I'm only guaranteed to get Anna for the month of March! If Lincoln was 5 days late...tomorrow could be the day! Like brother like sister?! Just pray for us that it goes quickly and easily. I don't think it would hurt if you threw in there that any time soon would be great!

39 weeks...and holding

Come on already!

Yesterday marked 39 weeks for Sweet Girl. And I must admit I'm ready! I love being pregnant, don't get me wrong..but as you come to the end and everything is big and heavy and holy cow it's 85 degrees?! Talk about exhausted! This weather is crazy! Who needs temps that high in the middle of March?! Not this pregnant lady, that's who!  

According to the doctor on Tuesday there is still no change. I'm still 1 cm dilated and 50% thinned out. Even though I've had and continue to have Braxton Hicks contractions for weeks! I have them about every day. Some days I have them for pretty long stretches at a time. But I guess they're not doing anything. I was so hoping they were! 

I know I shouldn't rush it, I know she's healthy and happy where she is. I know when she gets here it will be crazier and more hectic than I could ever imagine...with two!! Gasp! But there are days like yesterday when I just can't be Super Woman anymore. Full time job, full time mom, full time wife, full time homemaker...and I'm just tired. Today, March 16, is the day I predicted she would come. Oh well.. Erin picked tomorrow, of course because it's St. Patrick's Day. And Anna and Anthony both picked Monday the 19th. Maybe they'll be right again! They picked Lincoln's date correctly!!!!!

Anthony is doing great. Working, riding his bike regularly, and feeling super. In fact, he had a clearance test this week where they checked a 24 hour urine and some of each exchange and his numbers were perfect! Even his hemoglobin is back to a normal level. The nurses said the numbers were better than they even expected. No wonder he's been so feisty...he really does feel good! He's decided to send the terrible dialysis machine back. He hates it, it's noisy, he doesn't sleep when he's using it, and he can't get up freely to help with the babies. Every time he uses it he gets frustrated, aggrivated and then doesn't sleep because it doesn't work correctly. This clearance test was after only doing the manual, gravity fed dialysis. So evidently that is working perfectly for him. He enjoys it more anyway. It's nice to feel more free and be disconnected at night time. 

Hopefully the next time I blog it will be about our new arrival!! Here's praying the doctor's aren't right about another prolonged and induced delivery. We're praying she comes quickly and easily...no like her brother!

Playing in the ball pit at a big Birthday Bash for our April 2s!

Our sweet, precious Baby Friends. I must say I LOVE these girls and their toddlers! They have surely been there for Lincoln and me no matter what! I know I could call any of them at any time and they'd help in an instant! This was the birthday party for Carter, Sarah, and Micah...our February babies.

Lincoln LOVED the karaoke Elmo! He sang all the songs he knew! Precious.

Oh my. This just melts my heart.

Disappointed

I must admit that I'm a little disappointed. I had my weekly doctor's appointment yesterday. Since the last two appointments showed some progress with thinning out. My dilation hadn't changed. At all. Dr. Faruque said that since it looked like there was no change again that she thought this delivery might go the way of Lincoln's. Meaning she thinks I might not dilate by myself this time, either. So she said I'd probably need pitocin again to get it going. Oh my. I really thought that all these contractions might also be doing something!   I guess not. See...disappointed.

But I kept thinking that with the full moon tonight, March 8...Mom's birthday, that something might happen. My kids at school have been CRAZY! But no baby. 

I'm just to the point where I'm ready. My patience is gone, making every day at work with 7-8 year olds extremely challenging. I seem to be in a pretty constant state of irritation, just from being uncomfortable and tired. I don't have any idea how big this baby is, but she sure gets heavy! My back is hurting and I'm seriously waddling. My feet are swelling...no, they're always swollen. From the minute I get out of bed, to the minute I lay back down. If I continue on this path, and Sweetness continues to not make an appearance, I may go ahead and have the doctor write me out. I'm tired, aggravated, and uncomfortable. Being home for a little while, even just a day or two, before she comes will only help! I got several days at home before Lincoln came to rest and finish "nesting." I think that was fabulous...so maybe that's what will happen again. Unless of course the full moon decides to kick in!! :)

Otherwise...Lincoln counted to 8 all by himself at dinner tonight! It was so cute! He usually stops at 5 but he kept going. I gave him a high five and he promptly started counting again! He's also able to identify a large majority of the letters of the alphabet. What's even cuter is that the LeapFrog Fridge Phonics that he has sings the ABC song. He just started singing with it and he now makes all the right sounds at the right time. His favorite is W X Y ZEEEEE! So sweet! We got most of it on video the other day. It's a lot of fun.

His favorite songs are The Wheels on the Bus, Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee, Zaccheus, She'll be Coming Round the Mountain, Pop goes the Weasel, and Itsy Bitsy Spider. He knows most of the words, or at least the sounds and when to make them. He also has very strong opinions as to when he wants to sing/play/listen to each one! We haven't been to the doctor any time lately, but he's weighing in at about 27 pounds and he's 2 feet 10 inches tall..according to the giraffe chart on the back of his door!

Anthony is having a great week. He rode his bike again today...it feels good to get back in his routines. The Christians are a fabulous couple and have been his riding partners for years. He's registered for his favorite ride this summer: Blood, Sweat & Gears in June. He's definitely enjoying the manual exchanges. We're not having to sleep with the machine, so we're both getting better sleep. Plus, with Baby Girl coming soon he'll be able to get up at night any time with the manual. He's "full" all night long, but not hooked up to anything so he's free to move around and do whatever he needs to. He's just supposed to get 4-5 exchanges a day. He fills before work, drains and fills at lunch, drains and fills when he gets home, drains and fills around dinner time, then drains one last time before filling for the night before bed. Then he starts all over again in the morning.  If he rides his bike, he just drains at lunch and doesn't fill up. That way he's good and empty and feels more like himself. 

Overall, we're making kidney failure and dialysis fit our schedule and our routines...instead of the other way around. We're probably not actually looking at a transplant for several years. Even if there is a friend/family member who is a match Anthony can choose when to have the transplant. He said there is no way he'd go through with a transplant...something that would render him helpless and very needy for a prolonged period of time...with such a small baby in the house. Not to mention that his immune system will be non-existant. If we've got the sniffles or anything he wouldn't be able to be here, or we'd have to move in with Mom and Dad until it's over. That can't be happy for anyone. So he's for sure not thinking transplant for a while. Not to mention he hasn't even been evaluated, tested, or filled out any paperwork. We're still looking at and dealing with hospitals and insurance. It's a huge blessing that his insurance company will pay 100% if we choose their two hospitals of excellence. But the fact that they're both at least 3 hours from home makes it seem almost unmanageable. How does he get to UNC-CH or Duke 3-4 times a WEEK for check ups and blood work and doctor's visits. He's trying to get them to accept a contract with Baptist Hospital since it's so much closer. That 1 hour drive is a lot more manageable. Not to mention, Jeromy and Anna live very close so there would always be somewhere to crash or someone to see. We still aren't sure what will come of that or how or when Medicare will be necessary or helpful. But all is well. 

Something new

Anthony is feeling good. He's been on his bike twice in the past two weeks and is planning on riding again in the beautiful weather on Thursday. He's got energy, he's a little more feisty, he wants to play with Lincoln when he comes home now instead of just sitting on the couch to rest. It's exciting that he's feeling like his old self again. He can't quit talking about how much better he feels. And Monday he went back to Dr. Bast in Lenoir and had the catheter for hemodialysis that was in his heart removed. One less thing to be hanging out of his body, and one less thing for Lincoln to fall into on accident. He showed it to me and it's literally a hole in his chest! They stitched it up on the inside somewhere, but didn't do anything else. He's not even covered in gauze, just Opcite...this clear plasticy sticky stuff. Weird. But last night he took his first REAL shower since January 20th! That was one long month! 

So the new thing is manual dialysis at home. Instead of using the machine every night he has the option to drain and fill several times throughout the day. So he decided to try it this weekend so we could spend a few nights without the buzzing and humming of the machine. It's the same basic idea: he fills up first thing in the morning, dwells for several hours and then drains himself. He refills again and dwells for several hours and drains again. He's supposed to get a total of 5 exchanges a day. That includes being full overnight. But it also means not being hooked up to anything, anytime! And no sleeping beside that machine. He can get up at night time if and when he needs to. It has less waste because he's using less supplies than he uses with the machine. The only downside is that he's gotta figure out how to do an exchange during lunch at work. He'll have to take a bag of solution with him and keep it warm. It's supposed to be body temperature when it's put in. He's not figured out yet how to keep it warm and store it at work. We timed it this weekend...from completely drained to completely filled takes right at 20 minutes. He only gets an hour for lunch, if he's lucky. So he'll have to eat at work, or use those puppy dog eyes and get someone to bring food back for him! 

He really liked this process this weekend. He said that he can tell it makes him feel better than the machine even did. It's more convenient because he can drain and fill when it's most convenient for him, as long as he gets enough exchanges for the day. It's also very nice that the night time is calm and quiet. He placed his order on Monday...so 2 weeks from now we'll get another giant shipment of medical boxes to fill up the garage. We're reveling in today, because they just came to pick up a huge bunch of boxes that he didn't need. The basement is sooo empty! It won't be for long, but it's a nice feeling for the time being. 

In other news I went to the doctor yesterday. We are 37 weeks tomorrow!!!! I was 50% thinned out and 1 cm dilated. Last week I was only 20% thinned. I guess the contractions I've been having all weekend and yesterday are doing something. I don't think this little one is going to make a late appearance like her sweet brother did. I'm OK with that. The end of this pregnancy has been very different than Lincoln's. He didn't cause any problems or make any trouble. She's very squeezy and I've got contractions quite often, she's in a different position than Lincoln and just feels uncomfortable. I'm pretty ready to get this show on the road. Not to mention it would be just fine to go ahead and be at home. Anna is on call for the whole month of March...so thankfully she'll be available no matter when Sweet Girl decides to make her appearance. Nana is on Lincoln duty and will swoop in to take care of little man. Erin said she'd move in with us if we needed her to, depending on Anthony's health and how much he can help. So I feel like I've got all my bases covered for now. Although, I just realized that I've packed a bag for me and Sissy...but not for Lincoln. He'll need clothes, shoes, diapers, pajamas and such for his Camp Nana time. Silly me. I'll have to get that together tomorrow. Then we'll be ready.

Her room is almost finished. I ordered her tree, but it's coming from Israel so it's not quite here yet. I can't wait to have that up. It'll feel more complete then. I'll take more pictures when that gets put on the wall.  

Meanwhile....here are a few pics from Disney, since I never did get around to that post!!

Disney is so fabulous for small people! It's so nice there are so many things that even tiny people can ride without the height requirement. This is Lincoln and me in front of  Nemo's The Seas. Very cute ride.

This kid loves Mickey Mouse!! He was so patient and waited in line at the Character Spot to see all of his favorite friends. He just kept saying "hug, Mimey Mouse!" Sooo sweet! Then he just had to touch him and hug him and kiss him. He was sad that we had to leave!

Rainforest Cafe is adjacent to Animal Kingdom so we hit that up for lunch on New Year's Eve. So cute!

Daddy and Lincoln riding the little Dinosaurs at Animal Kingdom. Lincoln loved it!! In fact he cried and cried and cried when it was over. We finally got him to talk to us instead of screaming to let us know he wanted to ride again. So he got to ride it again!

Next time we go we'll have two! What an amazing thought! I'm SURE it'll be a while before we take the both of them to Disney!

One Week On PD

So Saturday night marked one full week that Anthony has been doing peritoneal dialysis at home. Here's kind of how our week went.

Saturday, Feb. 11: This terrible machine is the WORST sound we've ever heard! Every time it came on it seemed to rattle the room. We spent most of our night lying away wishing it would stop making so much noise. It had several problems and sounded a VERY loud alarm twice. It was very frustrating, nothing like that had ever happened while Anthony was at the clinic last week. It literally felt like we had a newborn at home again. We slept about 45-50 minutes while he was "dwelling" and then we laid awake listening to the cycle for about 20-25 minutes. Miserable...that's what it was.

Sunday, Feb. 12: VERY similar to Saturday night. The only difference is that there was only one alarm. Still a terrible awful noise.

Monday, Feb. 13: Anthony got very upset while setting up his whole system. It wouldn't make it past step 1. He tried several different things to make it work and then go so mad he just wanted to quit. He called the 1-800 number on the machine and together they realized the door latch wasn't noticing that the door was closed, so it wouldn't cause the suction and it wouldn't even get started. I have to say this was THE best night! Because the machine was broken Anthony didn't do a treatment so we slept like angels! Who knew it made so much difference to have quiet!

Tuesday, Feb. 14: Happy Valentine's Day...we got a new dialysis machine! But this one is sooo much quieter and much better. It's really just a low hum instead of a fierce rattle. We didn't sleep wonderful, but we did manage to sleep during his dwell time and make the exchanges more tolerable.

Wednesday, Feb. 15: I actually slept through the first exchange. Very promising!

Thursday, Feb. 16: Pretty much like last night...getting used to the new sounds.

Friday, Feb. 17: I slept through the first two exchanges..then the alarm went off. Something about the drain line. Anthony got it fixed and we settled back in.

Saturday, Feb. 18: Not a good night...the alarm went off twice. The machine wasn't recognizing his second bag of solution and so it wouldn't stop making noise even during the quiet dwell time. It was very frustrating and Anthony eventually bypassed the last exchanged and got it to drain just so he could unhook it and turn it off. It gets so hard to handle something new when it's not working quite the way it's supposed to. Or the way it's always worked before. It makes it even harder to realize this is something we're into for a while.

Overall this is working. Anthony went to work all week last week on a regular schedule. His work is fabulous and they are really protecting him, so they kept his schedule rather light. Tuesday was his first day back and he was very tired when he got home...just from being up and around and working for so many hours after being home and tied to a machine for over a week. Friday he came home and was in a very good mood, wasn't tired and felt good. He's generally feeling better. And after that first night of no treatment he could tell he wasn't feeling as well, his joints and bones ached again. This truly is helping and is making him feel better physically and is helping him sleep better and not be so tired. If only we could finally settle into a routine with this machine and get it figured out to an art so that it doesn't keep Anthony awake, or doesn't alarm.

We still have good days and bad days. Both physical and emotional. But we're hanging in there, sticking together, and continuing to pray.