Thank you for visiting my blog! If you are visiting because you have experienced a pregnancy or infant loss, let me say that I am so very sorry. I started this blog shortly after our Baby Grady was stillborn on November 12, 2008. Please visit the sidebar below called "Labels" to find the topic in which you are interested, or just read as your heart desires.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Tidbits from T

*It's another cold, gray, windy day here in GA. We may even see some snow flurries later. Of course the kids are hoping for a real snow, but it's just not gonna happen this time. We are staying in today, but I will have to go to the grocery store at some point.

*Emma Grace woke up at 4am with a fever of 102. She has no other symptoms, but I'm worried about Matthew. She was around him a lot yesterday. I'm just praying that he stays well, along with the rest of us.

*Jessica spent the day yesterday with her 6th grade group from church. About 13 of the girls got together and had breakfast at Chick-fil-A. They walked to the dollar store and bought things for shoe boxes for local foster children. They went to one of the small group leader's house and assembled them, ordered pizza, watched a movie and ate smores. Turns out she was at the home of a Georgia Bulldog football player. A very good one, in fact. This made her Daddy very happy!

*Gib's Christmas party was Friday night. My sister-in-law, Cheryl, came to watch the kids. Thank you! It was nice to get out and have some adult time and conversation. The food was delicious, and I'm embarrassed to admit that I cleaned my plate...all three of them (salad, entree and dessert). It's absolutely amazing how hungry I am while breastfeeding. I can out-eat even the hungriest man, I'm sure!

I went shopping to find something new to wear. And struck out, as usual. I think I'm shopping in the wrong stores. I bought a pair of new black slacks, and I'm taking them back. They seemed to fit well, but by the end of the night, they had stretched so much that the waist band was falling off my hips. I borrowed a red shirt from a friend of mine that I was going to wear until I discovered it was missing the top button. Turns out it was a good thing that I wore one of my previous Christmas shirts because I splattered juice from my steak all over myself. Uggh. I would have HATED to mess up her shirt!

Not only did I splatter myself with steak juice, I knocked over my place card and the Principal's wife's place card. And I was only drinking water and diet coke! Since I couldn't blame it on the clumsiness of pregnancy, I blamed it on sleep deprivation. I was up all night the night before because my sweet friend, Jenny, across the street spent the night at the hospital with her husband (he is fine and home now). I, in turn, spent the night at her house with her kids, and only got an hour nap on Friday.

I've put in my order for a nap later today since I didn't get one yesterday!

*I mentioned that I spoke with the neurologist, Dr. S, again on Wednesday. I called back to get the measurements of the damage in Matthew's brain. I never expected Dr. S to call me himself, but he did. I was impressed by that. He explained that it is hard to get an exact measurement because fluid is communicating between the cavity and ventricle. He and the neuroradiologist estimated it to be 1 inch long and 1/8 inch thick. That's pretty big for such a small brain, at least it is to me.

I asked him if porencephaly really is as rare as the internet makes it out to be. He said it is uncommon but not unheard of. He said it is more common with larger brain bleeds, grade 3-4. Matthew's was grade 2-3. However, Dr. S wants me to get his images from his first cranial ultrasounds put on a cd and bring them with me to our next appointment in January. He wants to review them with a neuroradiologist that he trusts.

He was still encouraging, optimistic and somewhat confident that Matthew would be okay. He never said he would be fine, but he requested an invitation to his high school graduation and said he wouldn't be surprised if Matthew doesn't "have a great double handed backstroke if he plays tennis". He said we will know more about his fine motor skills around 9 months of age when Matthew develops the pincer grasp. Dr. S definitely has an interesting and very different personality, but I think I've broken through his shell. He called me a "highly intelligent mother" and told me to "be sweet" as we hung up. In his office at our visit, I told him we were going to work very hard to help Matthew be the best he could be. He said, "With you I would expect nothing less". I told him I would take that as a compliment, and he said, "It was meant as one". He seems to be knowledgeable, so for now, I'm sticking with him. He seems to be making an effort to answer my questions and even put me at ease a bit. Of course I appreciate that.

We can't get into physical therapy until January. I'm still working with Matthew on my own and am praying each and every day that he will be okay. I've even started praying for his right leg, too. Things seem fine for now, but it's hard to know at this point.

*The girls get out of school this Thursday for Christmas break, and I'm ready! I love having them home. Even if we don't do much, I just like knowing they're here, hanging out in our jammies and just enjoying each other. I started my Christmas shopping yesterday but still have a good bit to do. It has definitely crept up on me!

*I've got to find a time to take Matthew and the girls to see Santa. I surely do NOT want to do it on a weekend! I'm thinking maybe we will go out this Friday since most local schools will still be in session.

*I was all excited about doing Christmas cards this year because I didn't do them last year, but Gib shot me down this morning. I know it's expensive, and the postage usually costs more than the actual cards. I typically do them at Sam's and send out around 200. I was going to send an announcement of Matthew with them, but unfortunately I still don't have his newborn pictures from my friend. :( I'm sad, though, because I don't want Matthew to be the only one of our kids who doesn't have an announcement. Even Grady had one...

So, this morning I've been thinking of how I can share our news, life and a recent picture of the kids with everyone. I'm thinking of sending out an email to everyone for whom I have an email address and only ordering a few picture Christmas cards. That should cut down on the cost for us and will be more earth friendly by saving paper.

*My nephew, Sean, turned 21 yesterday! I absolutely cannot believe it! It seems like yesterday he was born. My how time does fly. I wish I had a recent picture of him to share, but I don't. I'm hoping he had a great, fun, safe time celebrating last night.

I remember when I turned 21, Gib and I went out to dinner. For the life of me, I cannot remember where we went, but it was somewhere in Buckhead. I ordered a drink and didn't even get carded. I was so mad! I told our waitress that it was my 21st birthday, and I couldn't believe she didn't card me. I went on to say that if I had come in the night before she surely would have asked for my ID. What happened next? She asked for my ID. HA!

*I still have my thank you notes to write. I HATE that it is taking me so long. I really have no great excuse, other than the fact that between pumping and feeding Matthew, playing with him and trying to keep up with daily chores, there's not much extra time. I will get them done, though!

*I can't think of much more to bore you with right now. It is now evening time. I tried to nap but more rested than anything. Still have to go to the grocery store. About to start dinner. We have had some snow flurries. And now Gib doesn't feel well. But Emma Grace has been jumping and playing all afternoon. Her temp has been up, but it's not slowing her down. She still has no other symptoms. The jury is out as to whether she will go to school tomorrow or not.

Her class is supposed to go on a field trip to a Christmas tree farm Tuesday. But I'm strongly considering keeping her home if they don't cancel it. It is supposed to be 13 that morning, windy and a high of 34. They will leave at 8:30 to head there. I cannot imagine that they will go through with it because they don't even go out for recess when it's this cold. We'll see.

Toodles for now!

1 comment:

  1. Tonya, I had to laugh about you spilling the steak sauce on you... that is so me, to make a total mess of myself. I so wished we lived closer, it would be so nice to just hang out and visit over hot cocoa. I love hearing all that is going on. And for me it is so fun to have been at your house and be able to picture you all there:) Tonya, every morning when I wake up, I lay in bed and pray and matthew and you are on that list.

    Love you friend!
    Sara

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