No change

My weekly appointment went well today. She said the baby is a little lower, but not fully "dropped". Still, I could go into labor at any time, the second time around the head doesn't always drop before labor.

I only gained a half pound this week, probably because I don't have much of an appetite with the limited space! That's all good.

I shared my biggest fear with Moon - I would go overdue, the baby will be huge and I'll need a c-section, but Scott won't be able to take time off to help me with the two kids!! That's my worst case scenario (I'm not entertaining any medical problem fears!).

The best case scenario, and my prayer request, is that I would go into labor by the end of the week and be home by Monday! That way Scott will be able to go back to work Monday (which is apparently for definite now!).

I am sensing some doubt in my ability to do it without an epidural, and it is understandable. I just hope that everyone is wrong!

Anyway, I'll just keep waiting and praying!

Emma's friends

On Sunday one of our congregants brought an elderly lady to church. She walked with a frame and sat at the back, which is where we keep the kids busy until service starts. Apparently she overheard one of our friends calling Emma "Emma Hope" (some people do). The lady turned and said "Is that the Emma I've been praying for?"

The lady is Frieda, a resident in a local nursing home where our pastor holds a weekly bible study. Frieda and her friends have been praying for Emma since she was born, as PB shared the story of her challenges.

Frieda has very bad eyesight, but it was good enough to see Emma walking around the chairs. I also gave her a photo to share with her friends. She was so excited to be there, even about meeting me and Scott.

She said it looked like Emma was doing great and they could stop praying for her now. I asked her to start again when Emma turns 13, but she said we are on our own then!!

It never fails to amaze me, just how far reaching this little girl's story is! So many people so far and wide praying for her and witnessing the wonderful gifts God has placed inside her.

There's more...

Last night my laptop died! Well, not so much died as went into a coma!! There is nothing wrong with the computer (thank goodness), but the power cord is shot. It's been on borrowed time for a while as it was starting to fray at the weak point.

So this morning Emma and I hit the road in search of a new power cord. We have a Lenovo, which is not a common type of laptop, so your run-of-the-mill electronics place had nothing, well one universal cord to over $100!!

Thankfully I am already familiar with a local specialty store who had one to fit my computer exactly.

I hate having to spend money on electronics, but I would go nuts without my laptop! I use email a lot, the internet is my main info resource and of course, the blog!!

Also, this week I'm working on the nursery. Why do I need the laptop? We are using it to project an image on the wall for me to trace and then paint in - I'm so ambitious! I started last night, and it looks pretty cool so far. We'll have to see how it looks with paint! (If nothing else it will stop me losing my mind waiting for this baby to arrive!)

It's back!

Our TV is back home, in it's rightful place. It was surprisingly easy to get used to the smaller TV and not having one in our room, however it felt like one more loose end that needed tying up! And if you know me, you know I hate loose ends!!

The repair guy was even kind enough re-connect the DVD player so it is HD!!

aaaahhhhh. (sigh of relief!!)

Waiting game

^{Colossians 1: 10-12}

¹⁰And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

I am still learning this patience thing, yes, even after all this time! I think that one reason that being patient is so difficult is that you have to lay down a lot of other things in order to fully take hold of it. For example, it is tough to be patient and wait upon the Lord if you are full of fear about the future, or find it difficult to have peace over circumstances you can not control nor predict.

To what, specifically, am I referring? Scott's work situation. the "middle of the week" last week, became "the end of the week" which turned into "the beginning of next week" which is now "the middle of the week"!!

(It's not that we doubt it will happen, it's just incredibly frustrating to not be able to count on making a schedule, or the regular income. Thankfully Scott does still have work to do, so I can worry less about finances!!)

I suppose you could also include the pregnancy as another area requiring patience! Waiting for this baby to make his move into the big wide world is quite a challenge.

For me I think it is hard to handle because I can in no way impact the timing, on either issue! And I fear that they will both be resolved at the same time, which would be a nightmare - Scott would have to go back to work when I need him the most! I expect that would be hard on him too.

One good thing is that we are supposed to get our TV back today! It was fixed in one day, but because of a billing issue with the warranty they wouldn't give it back until they could bill the company! Is nothing ever simple??!!

One thing is for sure, it is wonderful to know that Scott and I can go through difficult times and work together to keep our joy and even become stronger in our marriage. There certainly are blessings to be found in any situation!

Yesterday in his sermon, PB read a speech he'd written for his parents golden wedding anniversary. In it he told them how their lives had shaped who he is today. As a parent I can imagine the joy it brought them. It also really made us consider how we handle things in our lives will impact our children.

I don't think I can ever remember being aware of any financial struggles that my parents faced, but they must have had some at some time! But I certainly learned many good principles that I apply in our family. I hope that we can allow our children the same feeling of security, even if it is through maintaining joy and hope in tough times, and good stewardship through the good times.

Getting through difficulties should not be the only aim, after all, there will always be more! It is how we handle said difficulties and what we can learn that should be our aim.



Romans 5: 3-5

³Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Some Sundays are easier than others to get out of bed. Today was one of the tough ones! We didn't go to bed particularly late, but I didn't nap yesterday so I was tired. (Scott will always sleep until the last minute!!)

Emma woke up shortly after 6am and I wasted no time in bringing her into our bed and putting her back to sleep. Trouble was she occupied more than half of my pillow, so I was huddled on the edge of the bed.

We managed to get to church in time for me to prepare the sound booth for the service. (Somehow I found myself involved in running the sound system and working with the musicians on the technical side! Apparently no-one noticed I do not have any musical tendencies!!)

Emma was in the nursery with our friends today, so Scott was able to listen to the sermon, as did I. Following service I went to get her and she was pretty tired, so I got a big, long hug! (Last time she barely acknowledged me and carried on playing!)

I went and sat with her in the lobby as we waited for Scott. Not long after sitting down little Joey, a 2 year old boy, came over and said "hi Emma!" It was so cute. I'm not sure if she didn't hear or was being shy, but she didn't respond! According to his mom, Emma was the one person he named when asked who he'd see at church!

Shortly after that, 2 1/2 yr old Nicholas came over and just stood there smiling!

I've seen Emma with the other kids and she loves to play with them when we're not around. I guess she just got shy when I was there.

Not to worry though. Scott got the ultimate prize today when she said "I love you" to him without being asked! (He's been teaching her to say it - I still get the sign language version!)

wedding day

This afternoon Scott and I were able to attend a wedding for two good friends. The last time I went to a wedding I was pregnant with Emma!! This time Emma stayed home with Grandma and Pops!

It is challenging to find an outfit for a wedding normally, so imagine the difficulty when you are 50lbs heavier and 9 months pregnant!! Still, I put together an outfit that was smart, comfortable and looked pretty decent!

Of course there was no way to minimize my huge belly (and it is huge, and round!) so I got asked plenty of times when I was due. I resisted the urge (and request of friends) to respond with "I'm not pregnant!" But the real answer "In 10 days." got quite a shocked response from most people anyway!

There was a great ceremony on a small patio, for which the rain held of, just. Partway in I stepped up to take the ring bearer (my Godson) to the potty! I tried to be discreet, but that's like an elephant trying to tiptoe through a glass shop!

During the cocktail hour (when the wedding party go for photos and the guests have drinks and h'or deuvres) I really felt like the waiters were coming over to me fairly constantly. I'd normally be thrilled, but I just can't eat as much as normal!

The meal was great and the DJ played a great selection of big band music to accompany it. He also had some great games and ice breakers that I have not seen before (in all the many weddings I've attended!! Not!)

The brides father passed away a year ago and so she danced with her mom instead, to a song that her dad would have picked. They did him proud. I doubt there was a dry eye in the house. Later Scott and I shared that we'd both also been thinking about the day when Scott will dance with Emma at her wedding. I can only imagine how tough it will be for him to give his baby girl away, and the man that will persuade him to do so!

The dancing and party didn't really get going for the guests until about 8pm, so I got to have a bit of a boogie (apparently it can help bring on labor!!) and Scott and I had a dance together before we headed out to get Emma to bed. Probably just as well - I can't hang with the young people like I used to!

It would have been nice to stay longer, but the lot of a parent is a tough one! Not to mention my back probably wouldn't have obliged for much longer.

The more times I discuss the pregnancy with people, the more anxious I get that this baby is going to sit tight until he is dragged out (kind of like getting Scott out of bed in the morning!) And while the bun is in the oven, it will keep getting bigger and bigger!! I pray that won't be the case.

Busy day

This morning I had a midwife appointment so Grandma Ellen came to watch Emma. Thankfully Emma slept great last night, with no crying at all! This morning she was more like the old Emma and so cute! I was happy to leave her with Grandma though, since I can't even sit on the floor to play with her now. She gets bored with me quickly!!

Rather than being upset I was leaving she seemed fine with the exchange, and even came to wave me off at the door!

My appointment went well and I couldn't resist accepting Moon's (my midwife is called Moon) offer of checking my cervix. I'm constantly wondering if each twinge is the start of labor!! With Emma I was induced so I never needed to recognize the signs.

At 38 1/2 weeks along I'm still only 1cm and long (if you don't know what that means, you don't need to know!!), so the baby isn't coming out very soon! His head is not down all the way yet, but I read that that happens later in a second pregnancy anyway.

I won't bother getting checked again until my due date - it's really not pleasant! At that point though I will use any tactics to bring on labor!! I do not want to get to the point where I need to be induced.

Then it was time for Emma to have occupational therapy with Melissa. She brings this huge bag with all kinds of toys to encourage Emma's motor skills. One of the things Emma likes is the bubbles. She doesn't chase them, but wants to blow them. I really didn't think she'd ever be able to, since she can't purse her lips, but she really surprised us today when not only was she bringing her lips much closer to blow, but it actually produced bubbles!!

This is really exciting because it shows that she is gaining more awareness and control of her jaw and lower lip. The greater manipulation and control she has, the better her speech will get and hopefully she will stop having the apnea!!

I emailed her pulmonologist and his response was "EXCELLENT!!!" Exactly.

Little steps start a big journey!!

Wait over

We had to get up early today as Emma had her follow up with the orthopedic surgeon at the hospital. Our appointment was at 8.40am, but we left at 7.30am to allow for all the traffic you get in school time! We signed in by 8.30am.

While we were waiting Emma was drawing in my notepad at the little baby table. Playhouse Disney was playing on the TV and thankfully Scott was there to follow her around when she got restless.

As the wait went on we started talking to a family sitting near us. They had a 12 year old boy (who I wouldn't have pegged for more than 10) who has been fighting bone cancer for 8 years. They live in West Point NY, so they have a long commute for appointments but feel it's worth it. We shared our stories in part and it was nice to see that other people also see the blessings that come from such trials.

When it got to 9.30am they went to see why they hadn't been seen - their appointment was at 8.15 with the same doctor! Apparently there was a shortage of rooms. Emma went in a bit before 10.30am, but we waited in the room for a while before we saw a doctor.

I had Emma's markers in my bag and let her draw with them on the paper they use to cover the bed. As you can see, Emma wanted to let them know how frustrated she was at the long wait...
Really though, she was so well behaved, especially after such a long wait.

Finally we saw the doctor (and his 3 followers) to discuss the results of the CT scan. He had not met Emma before so he checked her range of motion and relevant body parts to confirm their findings.

After careful review of the CT scan he could not find any serious problems! A little asymmetry maybe, but nothing too important. He concluded that the imbalance in her neck is probably due to the Moebius and unless it gets worse (ie. we see her head falling more often etc) there's really nothing they can do. Likely one side is stronger than the other, so when she gets fatigued the left side of her neck pulls her head down and the right can't compete.

In all this is good news, and shouldn't get worse. Physical Therapy may improve it, but "she will do great!"

Now back to fixing the problem with her bowels....

Oh what a night

I'm pleased to report that Emma is showing little signs of still being sick. Her temperature is back down consistently and her heart rate is at normal sleep levels, that is when she is sleeping! Throughout the night last night she seemed to me to be crying almost constantly.

I avoided going in to her room until 2am when I just couldn't take anymore. Her nurse suggested that she might be hungry - fair given that she'd only had Pedialyte all day! I grabbed some formula and gave her half a feed. She was still crying and I lay my head down by hers - she grabbed my neck and held on tight!

Still crying I asked the nurse to turn her CD back on (why they turn it off..?). As soon as she did Emma calmed immediately! The CD is of instrumental hymns and she has had it playing since she was a newborn. I think it is very calming for her.

Eventually I was able to extract myself from her grip and went back to bed!

I heard her crying again at 5.30am and waited at least 15 minutes. Apparently as soon as I opened my bedroom door she pointed toward our room and said "eh". I went in and she calmed immediately.

Not good. She's been like this during the day too - crying desperately when I won't hold her, and sometimes even doing it to Scott. Last night we were at a friends house and she had a fit when we wouldn't hold her.

Naively I assumed that was reasonable as it was almost bedtime and she's sick. I now realize we are dealing with tantrums. And no ordinary tantrums - tug on your guilt-ridden emotional heartstring tantrums!! Yes, I'm sure more experienced parents around us probably knew that! I bet Scott did too!! Sometimes I take a while to catch on!

I am really dealing with some guilt about having another baby. Is that nuts? I worry I won't be able to really give her all the support she will need and that she won't feel loved. Hopefully this is just par for the course and it will all work out! I will be trying to address this super-clingyness pronto, not least because I simply don't have the energy to be at her beck and call.

Emma Update

Every morning at 6am I go into Emma's room and get a report from her nurse on how the night went. (Except when Scott goes in!!) It's usually pretty standard, no problems and she usually sleeps through. Right now it's a little more detailed because she is sick, I need to find out when/if she got Tylenol, how the feed went, her temp. etc.

When we discuss it in her room you can tell as her heart rate climbs that she can hear us the longer the conversation is. Unfortunately the nurses don't seem to realize that it means she'll wake up pretty soon after they leave!

Today as we talked Emma started to fuss because the strap for her CPAP was over her eyes. I moved it for her and she stopped fussing, and did not wake up. In the process her pacifier had fallen out of her mouth. What she did next was too funny - she poked her tongue out and pointed to it with an "eh"! She does this during the day when she wants her pacifier!

Of course the nurse obliged, as I'm sure she does all night. I have been giving it to her more during the day because she's been so unhappy, so of course now she wants it whenever! We had got it down to just nap and bedtime. Back to square one on that I guess.

I will also admit I've been using the TV as a pacifier more too. (Of course right now its only a 19" pacifier!!) I know it's not right, but it's how I'm coping with a grumpy child and limited energy and mobility. Go ahead, judge me!! I do help her read, color and play Playdoh too, so I'm not totally negligent!

Thankfully Emma seemed to be in a better mood today and did sleep until 6.45am which is the longest she's slept since last week. She is tolerating being vented well, and the pedialyte doesn't give her gas. I think her temp. is going down, but of the 4 thermometers we have the nurse tells me none are working!

Lately Scott has been putting Emma down for naps, when he's here, and to bed, so that she does not get all whacked out when I'm away for a few days. She's getting better, but she doesn't make it easy for him! I just hope she is feeling 100% before I have the baby. I'd feel super guilty if I wasn't around for her.

Who knows?

I seem to be having one of those weeks where no-one seems to have the answers! (It's okay, I realize only God has all the answers, but it is still frustrating when people who should know what they are talking about don't!)

Today I emailed Emma's GI doctor about our ER visit yesterday. He checked out the x-ray (so handy they can all share her records!!) and said she isn't constipated, but full of gas!! He probably does know, as that's his specialty! Anyway, we're giving her guts a rest tomorrow and only feeding her Pedialyte all day.

I guess the pediatrician and ER doctor gave their best guess!!!

And still no-one knows what is causing her high temperature!

And then there's Scott's work. Supposedly he would be going back "the middle of the week" which is now "by the end of the week." I acknowledge that his boss could be getting the run around from the people hiring his company, but COME ON!!

Not willing to take any chances Scott is going to renew his scaffolding license next week as there is apparently lots of work in that part of the union - building scaffolding rigs for other people to work on! The hours are often wacky, but I appreciate that Scott is willing to do whatever's necessary to provide for his family.

I don't want to know the future (much), I just want to know that we are making the right decisions and actions. I guess there's no way to know for sure!!

Diagnosis

We decided last night to take Emma to the ER today. She was so sleepy yesterday and kept waking up in the evening, crying and inconsolable.

When her nurse came she listened to her belly for bowel sounds, as they do throughout each night and she really didn't hear anything. Since Emma's bowel is 'special' (after being outside her body for 9 months!) we won't take any chances if there looks like a potential problem.

We gave her some laxative which created a lot of gas but no movement, that was since Thursday or Friday. So it seemed there was less than normal output all around.

We skipped her last feed of the day and tried to run the overnight feed, which goes in really slow, but not long after it started she was waking in pain again.

This morning we brought her into our bed where she was fine mostly but had spells of being in pain and very upset. We decided that it was not worth waiting another 24 hours with her being so unhappy and headed out around 7.30am. Since Children's has a full history of her medical needs we go there rather than to a closer hospital where we would likely have to educate the staff on Moebius, and maybe the other things!

We didn't have a long wait at the hospital, well, not for a room! We were there for about 3 hours total. The doctors took an x-ray of her belly to look for potential blockages, and also took a urine sample - by catheter!!! (Fun!) She also had to have her rectal temp. taken twice. She was not amused!!

In the downtime we had the TV on and she was pretty content (thank goodness she has TV shows she likes that much!!).

The results; no urinary tract infection detected, but a culture will be complete in 24 hours; she did have a small amount of stool in her bowel that was likely hard and causing her the pain. The temp. is likely a virus of unknown origin! So they sent us home with a prescription for stool softener and more Tylenol!!

Even though the problem seems fairly simple it is clearly a big deal for Emma and for that reason I don't mind spending time in the hospital. (I was incredibly uncomfortable sitting in the hard chairs though, so I snuggled with Emma on the gurney a couple times!!)

She went down for a nap after we got home and I gave her the meds, and within one hour she'd pooped!! Thank goodness. Perhaps we'll all get a better night's sleep tonight!!

I gave in and called the doctor!! As tomorrow is a holiday I knew I'd have to wait until Tuesday before I could make an appointment, so I used the magic beeper number!!

A nurse called me back to get the scoop on Emma's problem. I very much dislike describing medical situations on the phone, especially to people who aren't very familiar with her conditions. So I started at the beginning:
the fever, which led to
the high heart rate, which led to
sleep apnea and the pulse ox, and then
the tube feeding, which led to
the fundoplication surgery

I never even mentioned the Moebius Syndrome, which is only relevant because it underlays the other things, but also they make a lot of facial expressions to gauge the level of pain!

I don't know if the nurse kept up with me, but she told me she'd call the doctor and get back to me!

In a few minutes the doctor himself called me! there are about 8 doctors at the pediatricians office we use and this was one we've never met, of course. I couldn't tell if he was familiar with her records, but he seemed to understand when I did mention the Moebius Syndrome.

I went through the other stuff again, and he suggested a possible cause that I had picked up online yesterday. In girls, fevers with no other symptoms are often Urinary Tract Infections. Since Emma gets very distressed when we press on her belly and seems to be most agitated after a feed (when she usually pees) I think it's a good bet. I also know how painful they can be!!

So, what now? We are trying to manage her temperature and keep her comfortable. Thankfully Dorothy is the nurse on tonight, and for some reason I can rest a little easier with her. Maybe because she will come get me if there is a problem, rather than just trying to quiet Emma down.

Tomorrow will be tough. Scott's going to be doing some work for someone and Emma could be just as grumpy. I love the cuddle part, but I am very uncomfortable sitting upright, and well, you can imagine! And with the TV still out (did I mention we don't have all the channels we usually use without it!!), well, I'm going to need a ton of patience!!

The doctor also said that if she becomes more lethargic (she slept a lot today) or doesn't have periods of happiness then we might want to take her to the emergency room. Otherwise we'll go to the doctors on Tuesday.

Of course!!

Yesterday morning I started a post about how Emma was grumpy and tired, and of course the TV stopped working altogether! I opted not to post it because, well, I figured you wouldn't care. Turns out it was going to get worse!!

After taking a 3 hours nap yesterday (Emma and me!!) Emma was still really fussy and felt very hot. I took her temp. and it was in a normal range. We headed out to a friends barbecue about 5pm, and I had dressed Emma in shorts and tank top since it was still daytime. I did take some pants and a t-shirt for when it started to get darker.

It seems I underestimated the hunger of the bugs around here, and in addition to the one bite on her arm from Friday, she came home with 5 more! When we did get her home about 8pm her temperature was over 100f. I gave her some Tylenol (paracetamol) to reduce the fever and put her to bed.

I hope Toby didn't mind being Emma's seat!!

Although she was sleeping her heart rate was about 140bpm, when usually she will be at 90bpm for a good restful sleep. It didn't change much over time, but I left her with the nurse and clear instructions. Her temp. had dropped into the high 90s.

At 2am I had a potty trip, and stopped by Emma's room. Her temp. was back up and she'd just been given more Tylenol. Elizabeth reported that she was scratching at her body and very restless. I picked her up and rocked her in the chair for a while hoping she might sleep better.

The nurse offered to take her, but understood that I just wanted to hold my baby!! Before I went back to sleep I prayed over her - something I don't do very often. Emma hasn't been sick in a long while, and even then I don't recall any unexplained fevers.

She slept until about 6am and was sitting up in bed with her Bible. I didn't want to take her to church today, especially as I don't want to share any viruses with other kids! However, both Scott and I needed to be there, so we took her and I planned to bring her home as early as I could get out.

She ended up sleeping on us most of the service so I stayed until the end and left right away. Her head felt so hot I was really worried. Scott got a ride home a little while later!!

Her temp. was 99f so I gave her more Tylenol I laid down with Emma on our bed to get her to take a nap, and she slept there for a couple of hours.

In the meantime we tried to turn the TV on again and this time it came on. Why does that matter? There isn't much you can do with a sick grumpy child, especially when one of you is painting a room and the other can not move easily!! Praise the Lord it is working, for now!!

I hope she feels better soon, I hate being so helpless, and useless!!

Smooth Course

Nothing is ever simple, right?! The TV took 5 hours to turn on today!! I called the repair company only to be told they weren't coming because we aren't in their service area. Nice! I called the store back and they scheduled us with a new company for Monday - apparently this company work on holidays too!

As for the weekend, we'll see how it goes. We have plenty going on.

Scott is going to paint the baby's bedroom this weekend. It is such a shame to paint over the awesome stripes our friend painted for Emma, but I have a safari theme in mind!! (I'm all about themes after Emma's room turned out so good. I'm not going to buy all the paraphenalia though, just have a color scheme and some cute animal stickers on the walls! The best part is that we already have the colors from other rooms, so we shouldn't have to spend any money!!

The baby will be in our room initially, until the rate of feedings slows down!! So I'll move the furniture this weekend and get it all set up. Then all we need to do is a thorough clean of the entire house - that's all!!

It looks like Scott will be back to work in the middle of next week, or so his boss says!! I'm reserving my joy until he actually gets on site. We are so hopeful though! The promise of a regular schedule, wage and consistent work. He might not be able to take time off when the baby's born, but we'll muddle through.

I'm still nervous about the birth of the baby. Not so much the head size (it's relatively big regardless!!), but just that the baby is healthy we don't have major complications. I guess it is normal to be nervous given the hard time Emma had, but I don't want to miss the joy of the time altogether. I'm trying not to think about Emma's reaction to the baby at all!!

Please keep us in your prayers.

No TV!!

We bought our living room TV on Christmas eve, 2006, just a day or two after we moved into our house. We totally splurged as we already had a 32 " tube tv but I think we HAD to get it then so we could watch the Eagles Christmas day game!!

Since then we have really appreciated it, especially the high-definition. If you've never compared HD to regular TV it is like putting on glasses when you have poor eyesight!!

Anyway, we love to have gameday gatherings and just in general watching TV!!

About a week ago when you turned the power on it was taking like 5 minutes to come on! Tonight it took at least 75 minutes to come on!!! The TV may be more important to us than it should be. Emma watches during her tube feeds, so she keeps still and we watch the sports regularly.

So today we stopped by a repair shop who quoted us $25 to estimate the repairs!! Not looking forward to paying anything to fix it, let alone maybe replacing it. So as a last resort i hunted down the packet we got with the TV, which I had kept with all the manuals.

And there it was, the original receipt listing a 4-year service plan!! Bingo!!

We called the 24 hour phone number and after declining to wait until September 17 (I did mention the 75 minute wait!!) they set us up with a local repair service who are coming tomorrow!!! And it will all be free!!!

We don't usually buy warranties, but sometimes a warranty just pays for itself!!

Service Review

Emma receives in-home therapy (physical, occupational and speech) through a government program called Early Intervention. It is a free service for qualified children 0-3yrs, those that show developmental delays. Every 3 months we review her services and progress, today was her 6 month review.

Emma has shown the most progress in gross motor skills - walking! But she is also showing progress in speech and feeding. We requested an increase in speech therapy sessions, which include both speech and feeding, from every two weeks to weekly and it was approved.

We also requested a consultation with a feeding specialist, which was approved, so he will come here and observe Emma, making recommendations on how we can encourage her to eat. Apparently there may be anatomical reasons why she prefers to eat standing up, to sitting in the chair.

So, this is really great news as I'll have extra support with Emma's progress, especially with the new baby in the mix soon. We owe a big thanks to Emma's therapists who really go to bat for us and give arguments for whatever we need. Considering how tough the whole medical/insurance system is here, our experience with this gov't program has been awesome and really helpful for Emma.

Big head

This morning the three of us went to my weekly midwife check-up. She went through the stages of labor using a book with pictures, like we saw at the birthing classes we took before Emma. I asked her to confirm that the baby was indeed head down - the way he moves I can't tell!

After pressing down on my belly she confirmed the baby is head down, AND then added that it is a big head!!! Quickly she regretted saying the last part - not something a pregnant woman wants hear, especially if she's going to labor without pain meds!!! We all laughed about it of course, but I was also horrified!!

In all honesty the weight of the baby is of secondary importance to the size of the head! A baby weighing 7lbs with a big head is no easier to deliver than a 9lb baby with the same size head!! I have a feeling though that the baby will be a heavy weight, with a big head!!

And the kicker: The pain caused by the head is right at the end of labor, far to late to get any pain meds!! So I will have to decide much earlier if I'm going to go through with it as planned or cave and get the epidural!

As for being close to labor, they would prefer the baby come after 38 weeks, but wouldn't stop a labor at this point. I also won't get "checked" until my due date, so I won't know if or how much I'm dilated prior to that. I figure that's a good thing, since you can be 2/3cm dilated for weeks before labor starts and I'm not good at waiting!!

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On the other side of things, Emma had a speech therapy session today. Brooke is really pleased with her speech and encouraged us to keep having her say what she wants with her mouth before responding. It's tough to remember, especially when she points and says "eh" incessantly to get what she wants!!

Feeding has become a struggle. She doesn't want baby food, which I think is because it is bland tasting, and prefers to sample our food. So we are going to try and give her some soft solids like cooked veggies and pastas. Brooke assures me she won't choke, but may gag - it won't be pretty but she has to learn how to manipulate the food in her mouth.

Today we used her love of the formula she is fed by g-tube and mixed it with baby cereal to make a paste. She did pretty well with eating it, so that was encouraging.

I will confess that on top of all the other emotional stress I have been very frustrated with Emma's slow feeding progress (slow being my perception). I just worry about how much time I will [not] have to persevere with it. I'm hopeful Scott will be available to help more, once the work situation reaches a more consistent place.

I can only assume that I would be bored if we didn't have so much going on!!!

Counting Down

Today is September 1. My due date is September 22. That leaves just 21 days (give or take!) before we have a second child! The count down is on, for real. At 37 weeks, the baby is "full term" and should not have any problems if it comes any time now.

I have been watching some of the baby birth shows that are on TV at lunch time, trying to get me a little more prepared for the ordeal. I want to see the different scenarios so that I am not going just on my own previous experience. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst!!

A few of the c-section babies in the shows aspirate the fluid and end up in the NICU for a week or so. The parents speak of the ordeal that is. At least I think we can handle a little drama!

Last night, before sleeping Scott and I lay in bed watching football, and simultaneously watching the baby make the most pronounced movements in my belly. I am going to try and get it on video, because it really is cool and weird at the same time. I'm a little concerned about how much more room he will need in there - I'm very stretched right now!!

Emma certainly seems to be acting a little more clingy than usual, to me. And we realized that the reason Daddy is so popular is that she calls me Daddy too! Even when she signs "Mummy" she says "Daddy"!! It's now become a challenge to have her say "Mummy" before I respond to what she wants. On the other hand, her "please" is becoming much more recognizable and she signs simultaneously!

I have also started nesting in earnest! Scott is expecting to come home one day and find me with twigs in my mouth (his words!)!!

Yesterday I forfeited my nap to tackle our filing system!! Somehow we just seem to accrue copious amounts of papers, mainly bills and statements!! It's not clear how long we should keep stuff, or what, for tax purposes so I err on the side of caution!!

I went out and got some new, bigger, binders to store what we need and put the rest in a pile for shredding. There is now a pile 6" high of papers, literally, waiting for shredding. We just need to get a shredder!! And a bag full of receipts that have been waiting since I burned out our last shredder!!

I then reorganized the closets and sideboard to make space for the unknown!

Today I'm going to get my bag started for the hospital!! My just-in-suitcase!!