Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

Here is a picture of us at Heidi's graduation from Nursing School! (8 months pregnant)

Baby it's COLD outside!

It's SO cold!!!  

Monday we broke a record... -19*F as a HIGH!  That's SUPER COLD!

Today is the warmest day of the week with a high of 23*F... maybe I should go outside and enjoy it LOL.

I thank God for my little warm house and my very warm bed, we are blessed!

Jonathan's follow-up # 2

Ok, well.  We had our 3rd appointment with the specialist today.  For the most part everything still looks good.  All of Jonathan's organs and his body are growing and still right on track.  I'm at 30 weeks (less than 10 to go) and Jonathan is around 3 lbs.  Jonathan was wide awake and we got to watch him move around a lot this time.  He's kicking and flexing all those strong arm and leg muscles!  We were so tickled to watch him yawn and then suck on his fingers.  My baby is SO cute!!:)  Oh, and he has hair... which is funny to us:)

The defect/hole in his spine still looks to be low.  The Dr. is now thinking at the juncture of the lumbar and sacrum.  This is only a bit higher than the Dr. thought last time (now that Jonathan is getting bigger, it's easier to pinpoint).  Still, this is very low and good news.

They are, however, seeing a more than normal (but still very minimal) amount of fluid collecting in the left ventricle of his brain.  It's not an issue at this point but after birth he will probably need the assistance of a shunt implant to regulate the fluid.  we are bummed but it will be good to fix the problem early, if he needs it, before it becomes a life threatening issue as he grows up.

My next appointment is Wed Jan 14th.  After that I have the go-ahead to fly to Texas as soon as the 15th.

Keep praying for us and for Jonathan.  God is good!

We WON a trip!!

So, we totally WON a trip.  We listen to an awesome radio station KBUL.  They had a drawing "Win a trip to Seattle to see Glenn Beck's The Christmas Sweater".  And... WE WON!!!

It was amazing!  They flew us out on Tuesday, put us up in a beautiful hotel right in the middle of downtown, gave us tickets to the Wed night show and flew is home on Thursday.  

Tuesday night, we had a blast drinking coffee and walking around downtown seeing the city all lit up for Christmas.  Wed we spent the day site seeing, visiting the Pike Place Market and eating "The Nations BEST Chowder".  Caleb had Clam Chowder and I had Seafood Bisque, yummmm!  We also found a wonderful olive oil vendor (Sotto Voce) with lots of super yumm-o samples of oils and vinegars, Caleb bought me some Olio Bon Gustaio (spicy garlic oil).  I can't wait to get some crusty bread and start dipping!!  Wed night we saw the show.  Glenn Beck did an AMAZING job, it was a well told story with a beautiful message.  I highly recommend seeing the show or buying the DVD if you can (we did both!)

Thursday (today) we flew home and spent the rest of the day relaxing.

It was a good time and a nice treat to get away together before Jonathan arrives.  

Thank you Tommy B, Bell and KBUL! 

Happy Thanksgiving in Wyoming

Thanksgiving was so much fun!  

Heidi and Theo came with us to Sheridan this year.  It's always nice to be in the country at Caleb's parents home.  I was a great time of relaxing with family, enjoying all the great food and taking photos of the visiting wildlife!

Follow up Dr. Visit #1 Jonathan's Spina Bifida

Today we had our first follow-up visit since learning about Jonathan's Spina Bifida 3 weeks ago.

The exam started with another 30 min ultrasound.  Jonathan is in a typical head down position.  His face is still smashed up against my uterus, so we may not see clearly how handsome he is until he's born (stinker!)  Because Jonathan is getting bigger 2 lbs's (right on track!) it was easier for the Dr. to get a better view of his spine.  We are seeing a sacrum level opening.  This is VERY good since the higher up the spinal cord the greater the paralysis.  Jonathan's defect is very low (kinda right above his butt crack).  According to my reading this means "Frequently walks without aides (braces or crutches).  May need shoe inserts."  His bones and feet also look good (no club feet) which means with physical therapy his progress will be much easier!  We will have to wait and see how the paralysis effects his bladder and such but we are encouraged by the low level of damage and we will cross each bridge as we get there. 

Jonathan does have a condition called Chiari II malformation.  This is when the brain is positioned further down into the upper spinal area (neck) than it should be.  This can sometimes block the flow of the fluid that normally moves in and around the brain leading to hydrocephalus (water on the brain).  At this point the Dr. sees no extra water, however sometimes the fluid will not build up until later.  We are praying this never becomes a problem but if so, it can be treated with an internal shunt that would drain the fluid to his heart or belly.  As long as we have the shunt placed, if needed, the Chiari II shouldn't effect his mental abilities.  All of his other organs and body developments still look excellent.  His heart is beating in the 140's today and looking strong!  He is also very active in there, especially if I stretch out flat on my back.

It was good to see our little guy today.  We got a good report and a lot more info.  At this point I need to decide where I want to deliver.  The security of family and friends in Houston has me leaning in that direction.  Sadly, no matter where we go Caleb won't be able to take off more than a week or so, but he will be around for the birth!  We will probably do the C-section around 37-38 weeks which would be the first week of Feb-ish (this will be decided by the Dr's in Houston at a later date).  I'll probably need to fly to Houston and meet the surgical team of Dr's and therapist a few weeks before the birth in mid Jan. 

We have another follow-up visit in 4 weeks.  I will keep the updates coming.

Thank you all for your prayers and kind wishes!  Continue to remember us!  It really helps!

Here is a link to more information about Spina Bifida

I am also attaching pictures of the levels of Spina Bifida