Thanks, Mom...

Tonight I was treated to something really special.  My mom arranged for a massage therapist to come over to my house and give me a full body massage.  Let me tell you how wonderful it was!  Laying on the couch for three weeks straight has really taken a toll on my body, and tonight's gift was exactly what I needed.

So thanks, Mom, for spoiling me tonight.  I am so very blessed to have you!

 

Three Years Ago Today...

... we welcomed our second-born child into the world. What a day it was. Hard to believe its been three years alrady. Today I look at my son and I am in awe of how far he's come... how far we've all come, really...


Three years ago today, we were scared of the future. We looked at our brand new baby and saw the struggles that he woud face... the hurdles that he would have to overcome. We looked at his differences, his medical "conditions", his "clinical features"... we saw a baby that would face a lifetime trials.



Three years ago today, we failed to see the true beauty in our son. We looked past his potential, the sparkle in his eyes, and the little dimple on his right cheek. We assumed that because he held an extra 21st chromosome, that he would be more different than his family than like us.

Three years ago today... we could not have been more wrong...

As I type this, Will and Lydia are holding hands, dancing together in the living room. They are the best of friends in every way, although Will loves to give her a run for her money. Will takes a bus to preschool three days a week where he is learning new things each and every day. He is a light to so many people who love him (and even to perfect strangers in the grocery store). Our lives are so much richer because he's who he is... exactly who God intended him to be.

Happy 3rd Birthday Will!! We love you!!

Never a Dull Moment...

...around the Hafeman household, that's for sure. Last night at around midnight, Steve and I awoke to Will making the all too familiar "stridor" sound from his bed. He was struggling to breath, and we knew right away that it was croup. We immediately started a hot shower and let the bathroom fill with steam, letting Will breath in the warm moist air for about 15 minutes. No improvement. We moved on to at-home-trick number two... Steve threw a coat on the both of them, and he took Will outside into the cold air for 15 minutes. Most of the time, one of the two "treatments" does the trick, but not last night. Will's breathing was getting worse. Called the doc on call who after hearing his breathing said, "ma'am, that sounds like a little man who needs to be on his way out the door to the Emergency Department."

Great. I quickly tried to ramble off everything to Steve that he would need to make the medical staff aware of... allergies, medications, past medical history, etc. I have always been the one who makes the late-night trips to the ER, and I was not at all thrilled about the idea of me staying home. I called Steve about three times from the couch while he was driving down to the hospital, checking in on my little man and reminding Steve of all that he needed to remember.

Well, it turns out that m husband is, indeed, perfectly capable of handling situations like this. I never doubted him, really, but... I guess the medical "stuff" has always just been my domain, and last night I had to allow someone else to take over that role.

Will got a breathing treatment and an oral steroid, and his breathing improved almost immediately. The two boys were home and back in bed by 4:30 am- a record trip to the Emergency Room, that's for sure. Thank you to Steve, for being such a wonderful and competent husband and father. We are blessed to have you. :)

Highlights

Not too much to update today as far as the baby goes, but I thought I'd share a couple of highlights from my day on the couch...

1) I actually read a whole 500 page book in three days!!! For those who know me and my love for literature (wink, wink), you know that this is quite an accomplishment for me. Thanks to my friend Erin for bringing me the first book in the "Twilight" series... I can't wait to read the next three books in the series. I would highly recommend it!

2) As I sat on my couch this morning, I noticed that Steve had left his change of clothes for coaching hanging on the closet door in the hallway. Poor Steve... in addition to getting himself showered and ready each morning, he's been having to get both kids fed, dressed and out the door all by himself. I could imagine how frustrated he would be when he realized what he'd forgotten. Poor Steve.

Suddenly, my feelings of pity for him were suppressed as I felt a surge of excitement from within... I realized that the fact that he had made this mistake meant that Steve would have to stop at home on his way to practice to pick up his clothes. Which meant that I would get to see him for FIVE WHOLE MINUTES today!! The thought of this brief adult interaction was enough to launch me into a semi-cheerful mood for the whole day. I even got out of my PJ's and put a little makeup on. It was great.

Thanks to Auntie Katie for watching Will tonight while Dad and Lydia are at gymnastics! :)

Until the next exciting update...

Welcome to Life on the Sidelines

So I've been confined to the sidelines. Literally. I have been forced to sit life out for awhile, watching the world go by from the comfort of my living room couch. Definitely not a place that this Momma likes to be. One week of strict bedrest down, and at least two more to go. We are so blessed to have so many friends and family members who care so much about us, and I thought this blog might be a good way to keep you all informed and updated. So, for those who don't know, here's a recap of our story up until now... get comfy, its a long one...

Late July... Steve and I are so excited to find out that in nine months from now, we will become a family of five. Things go well for the first couple of weeks, then cramping and bleeding start. By late August, I have been to the ER twice out of fear that I am loosing the baby. Each time, our sweet baby looks great, but am told that I have a 50% chance of miscarrying. I am told that I am not able to work for the next month, and I am to be on modified bedrest until the end of September.

Mid-September... We decide to go ahead and do the first trimester screening, which screens for chromosomal "issues" such as Down syndrome and Trisomy 18. Baby had an increased nuchal fold measurement, and that, combined with our bloodwork, shoots our risk factor for Down syndrome from 1:700 to 1:20. Big jump. A little scary.

Three weeks later... we go for a 16 week ultrasound to monitor growth. Baby looks GREAT! Still having some bleeding, so I need to remain on modified bedrest for awhile longer. Oh, and the ultrasound tech tells us that she "thinks" this little baby is a GIRL! We'll have to wait and see.

November 3rd... Time for our big level 2 ultrasound. They take a really close look at baby, paying close attention to the heart and looking for other structural markers for Down syndrome or other Trisomies. Again, the baby is growing very well and all major organs look great. Relief!! We get confirmation that indeed, this little life inside of me is a GIRL!! Lydia is beside herself with excitement! The perinatologist comes in after the ultrasound and tells us that they did see one marker for Down syndrome, a small cyst on the baby's brain, which increased or risk ratio from 1:20 to 1:10. Very scary for us. We are given the option of going forward with an amniocentesis in which baby's cells will be collected and analyzed in order to give us definite answers. Risk of miscarriage with the procedure is as low as .5%.

We pray for guidance, and ultimately make the decision to go ahead with the amnio. Doctor said it was a textbook procedure, and we stop for lunch at Big Bowl before heading home to take it easy for the rest of the day. Later that evening, I notice that when I stand up I seem to be leaking amniotic fluid (a complication of the procedure). Call the doctor, who advises me to "lay low" for the next couple of days. Worried out of my mind, I do just that for the following day and night. The next morning, I awake to find that I am bleeding and very crampy. The doctor wants to see me right away. I head downtown , and wait for what seems like forever in the waiting room. Finally they call me back, take a quick look at baby via ultrasound, and all looks good. Thank God! However, the cramping is still present, and the doctor sees that I am having small contractions. She sends me home for a good week of strict bedrest. Doctor tells me that I am at a real risk for loosing our little girl.

Guilt quickly sets in. We have put our little girl's life on the line because of our own selfishness... our need to know. If only we had trusted in God that no matter what the outcome, we would have the strength to get through. Regret.

Week two of bedrest... 21 weeks gestation...still a small leak, but the baby is still looking good! Thank God. We have our next appointment with the perinatologist on Dec. 2nd, when we will learn more about what the rest of this pregnancy might look like. My doctor tells us that if the leak in the amniotic sac is not healed, then chances are I will be admitted to the hospital at 23-24 weeks gestation for the remainder of the pregnancy. I tell her through the tears, "well, that just won't work for me." She smiles at me, knowing all too well that I will do whatever is needed- and then some- to protect this precious life inside of me.