Sleep Study

We had Porter's sleep study last night and it was much better than we had anticipated. That doesn't mean there weren't tears and screaming, but Porter was such a good boy and calmed down for us easily. Part of the study is being hooked up to all kinds of monitors, either with sticky electrodes, medical tape, or this sappy soap. {I didn't protect this one if you want to click on the picture to see just how many wires he's connected to.}

Having this done to him when he was exhausted was the hardest part for Porter. Thank goodness for Aaron's smart phone and Curious George clips they were a nice distraction. {This is after the worst bout of crying. I know I write this often, but OH how I love this boy!}

We got Porter to sleep, tucked him into his crib and then the tech came in to hook him up to one more monitor and plug everything in. We didn't have the study done in the children's hospital like we thought we would but in a private office that was very nice, new and rather cozy for a medical office. There was a bed for Aaron and I. While I'm grateful I didn't have to spend the night sitting up in a rocker all I could think was, "For a $1000 over night stay I wish the bed was more comfortable." Needless to say my 8 month pregnant self didn't sleep, which was a good thing because I was quick on my feet whenever Porter's lethal little hands would start yanking at his connections in his sleep.

Porter did wake up once at 4am and we weren't able to comfort him without picking him up so the tech disconnected the wires so we could calm him down. It took an hour to get him back to sleep but he slept for another 3 hours after that and might have slept longer but it was time to go. {Porter free of his wires! Dad looking good ;) Aaron wasn't smiling as much when he removed the remaining pads from P's skin when we got home. Have I ever told you my husband is a good man?}

So really it could have been much, much worse. The reason we wanted to have the study done was to make sure Porter doesn't have silent sleep apnea which is very common in children with Down Syndrome. This type of apnea, while not as immediately concerning as obstructive sleep apnea, can cause damage to the heart and we don't want that! Thus, we decided to have this study done just as a precaution. We'll have the results in a few weeks and we'll let you know what's happening.

P.S. I got a phone call letting me know I DON'T have gestational diabetes!!! YAY!!!

My Birthday Wish

Help Bring Kareen Home

My birthday is a little over a month away so hopefully I've decided this early enough to give you some warning. The majority of you wouldn't be planning on getting me a gift and I don't want that to change. Birthday gifrts can add up to a ridiculous amount in the budget. However, there are a handful of you who may already be planning on purchasing me a gift or sending me a card. This year when you go to do that would you instead please donate the amount you've set aside for me to Kareena's adoption fund? HERE

I know it's not "FUN" but so often I lie in bed feeling powerless thinking about these orphans. The Cox family has been guided to Kareen and they've leapt forward to save this little girl with complete faith that the Lord will provide a way. I've been in their home and they are loving and delightful. I know every little bit must help.

If you donate please leave me a comment on this post or email me so I can send you a thank you note. I'm making all comments private because I think they should be.

All I really need on my Birthday is a well wish that helps me remember you're glad I was born and a few loved ones to share cake and ice cream with. Isn't it a lovely warm thought that this cute girl could have that same love offered to her and felt for the first time on her next birthday and you were a part of that?!

I'll be bring my princess home around my birthday it would do me good to help Kareen into her mothers arms as well.

Thanks,
Megs

Doctors, Lab Work & Hospitals... Oh My!

{Don't you eat with your feet on the table, too?}

This seems to be the motto of our week. The break down-

• Sunday - Meg starts seeing stars, 4 hours later Aaron wakes her to call the on-call doctor because he'd been researching her symptoms and felt it might be pre-eclampsia. He was right, the doctor scolded Meg for not going to the hospital earlier, called the hospital to let them know she may be sending her in but she got to spend the night in her bed because she's so convincing. An early Monday visit, followed up by a Tuesday visit and her blood pressure is high for her but still safe. The doctor thinks she had a migraine and just wasn't bothered much by the pain.
• Tuesday- Meg failed several tests. Iron supplements will fix the first problem. And a 4 hour test for gestational diabetes at the hospital tomorrow morning should give us an answer about the diabetes.
  
• Wednesday- Porter visited the ENT. His hearing results fall on the low normal side and we get to go back in 4 months to check that out again. The doctor was nice and ordered a sleep study that we'd like to have done and was able to get us in this Sunday night. Porter also visited his Pedi for phantom fevers (still waiting for lab results).
  
• The last few days- Porter has developed Amblyopia or lazy eye in the left eye. It's not happening a ton, but often. I feel really bad because this means he's having problems with his vision at least 50% of the time for his brain to cause his eye to do this. Bad Mom award goes to Meg. Since P's eyes are straight the majority of the time everything I've read suggests that minor intervention and this won't be a long term problem. 3 week wait to see the Eye doctor

{Those beautiful eyes}

Thank goodness Aaron's healthy! Really nothing major going on, I'm just tired of doctor's offices and our worst 2 appointments are tomorrow where there's a pretty good chance I'll struggle with the test I'll be having done because of my hyperglycemia and sleep studies aren't fun for anyone but especially a toddler.

In other news we've been practicing having another baby in the house and we're happy to say Porter is doing awesome; much better than the dog. (rolling eyes).{Tenderness}

He's going to be a great big brother!

DS Family- A question about the future

Aaron and I watch the TV series "Parenthood". We just watched an episode where one of the children finds out he has Asbergers. My eyes filled up with tears. Have you had this moment where you have to explain to your child that something is different about them? Albeit beautiful. How did it go?

I know it's a long way off, but can we prepare for that? I try not to think about the future too much, because it makes me worry and there is no point to that. We take it a day at a time trusting the Lord, only look to the near future with faith and clarity that any future with Porter will be a spectacular gift. But I can't help myself from asking this.

31 Down- 9 to Go

I got ready for church this morning and thought I looked cute so before the wear and tear of motherhood got the better of me I had Aaron take a few snapshots.

I'm to the point where my face is getting a little rounder, my cheeks especially... I think it makes me look so much like my Father. Makes me miss him so much. I see him every time I look in the mirror. His birthday is in a few weeks.

This isn't the best pic of me, but it show the bump pretty well.

Our princess is doing fantastic! While she's very active she's very shy and only just this last month started to allow Aaron to get to know her a little better. She doesn't like being invaded as my doctor tells me with every visit. My Doctor always has a new and amusing adjective to describe baby girl's feistiness after trying to listen to her.

Life is a little crazy these days. With this teaching job and just getting farther along I can't keep up with my expectations for our home, ect. I know it's only temporary, and it has been a very good thing. I'm helping these students, Porter is learning so much socially during the few hours we're apart, he's learning he's not the only child in the universe that's invaluable right now, I'll have a small savings to spend on the nursery and girly wardrobe we've yet to acquire and best of all I'm keeping my teaching license current so that if I ever need a job I can get one. However all perks aside, I'm looking forward to finishing this job up, getting back into our old routine and diving into preparations for Little Miss!

Tears & Cheers

I hope that you're all having a very nice Presidents Day! We talked about doing something fun but quickly realized after getting up the day needed to be dedicated to the list of chores we never have time for, but we still had fun. After Porter finished up his french toast this morning he ran to the door and started begging to go play in the snow. Aaron, being the awesome Dad that he is, bundled himself and Porter up for a morning in the snow.

This is Porter all ready to go play. It was sad, he took a spill while he was playing and scraped his nose and forehead pretty good. I was in front of the boys and turned around to see Porter pulling his face out of the snow with blood on his nose. :( He was awesome about it, though, a brief cry and he was totally over it. This would be tears #1.

While the boys were out playing our friends down the street attempted to thread their flag pole with a new rope. It was frightening to see our friend get so high up on a pole tilting like that and I took this picture after he climbed down a little.

When he realized that wasn't going to work he called the fire department explaining that helping him would be better than having to be called out on a first response call to scrape him up. That and it's to put up a flag. After getting clearance from their Chief the crew came to help with the ladder truck! We weren't going to miss a chance to show Porter a fire truck up close. Soon another crew showed up in another smaller truck just to see what was going on.

They justified the trip as ladder practice because I guess they don't get to use it much. The guys had fun chatting with the firemen and the boys were mesmerized by the truck. The flag pole was actually very difficult to thread, so there was much cheering when the job was completed!

After getting half the neighborhood out to watch the firemen we decided to go out for lunch with some of our neighbors. Cheers for lunch with friends! After lunch we headed over to another friend's house so Porter could get a haircut. It's the same friend that's been watching Porter for me during the days. Porter is terrible at haircuts so we were hoping this might not be as traumatic. He still didn't do well and he cried a few tears, but he did much better than ever before. It was great because their kids got up from their naps to come play with Porter which helped him forget he had a reason to be upset.

Before- Long, wavy, out of control, do as it pleases red hair!

After- short, spiky, gelled, red faux-hawk!

{you can see his road rash on his nose from his fall}

3 Cheers for Porter's new do!

LOVES

Happy Valentines Day! I wanted to share some of the things that I found myself in LOVE with today with too many photos, of course!

{Red Tulips- they're perfect for today.}

{Souveniers from Daddy's Trip to Switzerland & Germany. Porter got this FC Bayern Munich mini soccer ball, baby girl got a darling FC Bayern onesie (I'll post a picture of it later - it's in P's room and he's asleep) and I got exactly what I asked for: Chocolate and European Coke.}

{Porter has already started to dribble his soccer ball! LOVE baby kicks from both the kids.}

{I LOVE him, not so much this photo because he looks sooo much like a little boy and it just reminds me he's growing up too fast!}

{How could you not LOVE this? Daddy gets kisses when he comes home from work.}

{These two are so excited to see each other after a long day of work that they have to play or they'd burst. This is a picture of a game Daddy calls "Neck Chops". Oh how I LOVE them!}


{We had a family night Valentines celebration this evening. We all worked together on dinner and baked heart shaped sugar cookies together. I LOVE nights together.}

{Porter had a great time! My mom would do this with me and my siblings when we were kids so it makes me happy from a place deep down inside.}

{Every cookie made with LOVE is worth a good cheer!}

{LOVE his smile, those eyes, that shaggy long wavy hair... LOVE HIM!}

{By the time frosting and decorating came around Porter was ready to be put to sleep. See his sleepy eyes?}

{And how could I not mention my true LOVE! This crazy glow in the dark runner who is scheduled to run 40 miles this week, yep I LOVE him. I honestly adore you Aaron! I'd be lost without you and am so grateful to be your wife.}

Thanks for all of you who have been spreading the LOVE this week!