Some "Firsts"

It was a great week “back” in Omaha. However, I really didn’t feel like I left since I was only gone for about 12 days.  It felt more like a vacation than a move. When I moved at the beginning of June, I knew I’d be back in Omaha for a little over a week, so moving didn’t seem so hard.  Now I think of all of the friends and family that we’re leaving behind and how hard it was be to say goodbye!  I’ve felt very blessed over the past week by the baby showers and new items for our little guy.  We are well on our way to having a well-stocked baby. J 

I have also felt immensely blessed by everyone in Omaha who is praying for our little guy and our new life.  As great as it was to be back in Omaha this week, it was overwhelming all the same.  Rehashing the details of Baby Boy’s condition is hard and there are nights when it all hits me.  A worship song stuck out at church and as we sang the song, all I could think about was our little boy. This is Hillsong, “God is Able”:

“God is Able

He will never fail

He is almighty God

Greater than all we seek

Greater than all we ask

He has done great things

Lifted up, He defeated the grave

Raised to life, our God is able

In His name, we overcome

For the Lord, our God is able.”

Again, I must say how different worship songs have a completely new meaning to me as we are faced with this trying new circumstance. 

Now that I’m back in Dallas—for good this time—it has definitely sunk in that I’m here. :/  If that makes any sense?  It’s much more real knowing that we have no trips planned back “home” for at least a year.  With our baby boy and all of his upcoming medical conditions, there is no way that I’ll take him on a road trip!  You know what that means?  Ya’ll need to come down our way to visit! (You like that Texas accent!?) 

This week has already been a week of “firsts”.  Moving to a different state is truly the biggest first of them all!  I also shaved Michael’s head for the first time!  We have always counted on our tried and true friend, Leslie, for those things, so the baton was passed to me!  It turned out pretty good, although a little closer around the ears than it should have been.  His hair is so short that you can barely tell. :)  Let’s see, I had to wax my own eyebrows.  Although this wasn’t a true first, I haven’t done it since high school and I need some practice!  I drove in true Dallas traffic by MYSELF for the first time.  I made it to my doctor’s appointment by myself and then to the grocery store and back home.  I did wind up in the airport toll booth area at one point, which was not where I needed to be, but I got out of there and the lady at the tollbooth didn’t make me pay for the 2 minutes I was in there trying to figure my way back out!  I don’t know if I’ve ever used valet parking on my own, but I did that too.  The hospital has valet parking at most entrances, so instead of paying to park in the garage, I’ll pay someone else to park for me. :)  In Dallas heat and the fact that I had no idea where I needed to go, I’ll leave my car with someone who can park it for me!

I also met my new doctor for the first time.  I had my first appointment with my new OB/MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine) doctor on Tuesday.  They started out with an ultrasound.  Baby Boy is looking good.  He weighs 2 lbs. 11 oz.  He is currently in the 75th percentile.  Whoa!  I’m glad that he’s growing big and strong for the plain and simple fact that a big baby does better in surgery when he’s born.  Keep growing baby boy! As always with ultrasounds, he didn’t cooperate the way they wanted him to.  Once again, he was in the wrong position to see his heart and they couldn’t get a profile picture of him for me because he was looking straight at us the whole time.  The little stinker is also in a breech position currently.  His little feet are dancing on my bladder most of the time.  Let’s pray that he turns in time for delivery!  They also saw some fluid in his kidney; however, they said that was normal.  Something that I really liked about this ultrasound is that the ultrasound tech did the initial view, and then an ultrasound doctor came in to explain things as she went over the ultrasound again.  In the past, my doctor would just go over the ultrasound in the appointment, rather than talking about the ultrasound while we were actually looking at the baby. 

After the ultrasound, I went into a consult room to meet my new doctor.  We chatted for about 30 minutes and she answered several of my questions about delivery, appointments, etc.  She explained that she wants the delivery to look as normal as possible with me having a normal delivery (not a C-section), hopefully laying him on my chest as soon as he’s born, and daddy being able to cut the cord.  All of this depends, of course, but that is what delivery of these babies typically looks like.  She said that his incubator will be set up next to my bed, so he’ll be getting checked over right next to me before they transport him to Children’s.  We discussed the possibility of getting an amniocentesis, which she said is completely up to me and Michael.  They didn’t see anything abnormal in his ultrasound and she said they wouldn’t even do the amnio until 38 weeks because there is risk of early delivery and water breaking.  She didn’t want to put me at that risk until the very end when Baby Boy is more stable.  I really liked my new doctor and I think she’ll be great!  I go back in two weeks for another appointment with my MFM and another Fetal Echo at Dallas Children’s. 

Hopefully some more firsts will come for Michael and I this weekend with meeting some new friends!  We are trying to get into a “home group” at church and we hope to meet with a group on Sunday.  Pray for good connections and that the group is meeting on Sunday for us to meet them!

-Carrie