Health News

So when we had our 20 week ultrasound, we were really excited to find out the sex of the baby and to find out if he/she was healthy. We had the ultrasound and found out he was a boy and the technician kept saying how everything looked good and we were thrilled. No bad news. UNTIL the Dr. came in. The Dr. told us that the baby had two calcium deposits on his heart (otherwise known as Echogenic Intracardiac Focus). He told us that it doesn't affect the way the heart functions and that it only occurs in about one in every thousand normal babies. BUT most babies with Downs Syndrome have this condition, and it is considered to be an indicator of the chromosomal abnormality. We were shocked. The Dr. suggested I take a blood test to get a final answer but that would be up to us. We decided to think about it.

They didn't print a picture for us, but here is an example.

Anyone who knows me well knows that when I was pregnant with Kaisley I read four books just to try to prepare myself to be the best parent that I could be. We both knew that our love for our baby would not change, no matter what his condition was. We knew that even if he had Downs, he is a child of God and we would be blessed to be his parents. He would still be active and have a fulfilling life. But we both knew that we would want the extra time before his birth to do the research and better prepare ourselves to parent such a special spirit.

It was about two months from the time of the ultrasound until today when we finally got the test results back: NEGATIVE!! We are so overjoyed, and know how blessed we are to have two healthy children. This has given us a new perspective on being parents and we hope to become better from it.

Valentines Day

We had a good Valentine's Day with our little family. Kaisley got an Elmo Activity coloring/sticker book, an Elmo's Valentine's Day book, and a new movie for the car: All About Minnie Mouse. Kiley and I agreed to get a couples massage when we get the time for our gift to each other. I also made Kiley a list of 101 reasons that I love him. I honestly got a little emotional when I was writing it. Most of the time I was laughing at the reasons I love him but I also got really teared up thinking about how amazing of a person he is. I am so blessed to have my little family!

Kaisley at 20 Months

Ever since Kiley got home from Ohio Kaisley has been OBSESSED with her Dad. He was worried that when he came home she wouldn't want him but instead if he takes his eyes off of her she says "DAD" a million times. She wants him to watch her eat, read, run, and dance. Even if he closes his eyes she says Dad over and over until he opens them. When he is at work she will walk around the house calling for him all day long and I try to explain that he isn't home. She only says Mom on request and she still clings to me when we are in public or there are new people around but other than that she wants her Dad.
Kaisley is super smart. She knows about 30 words now and tries to sing the ABCs.
Her favorite treat is Strawberry Milk.
She loves baby dolls and baby Lauren. She usually gets jealous when I hold other kids close to her age but if she sees me holding Lauren (who is about 2.5 months old) she gets mad that I'm not sharing. I watched Jake and Jessica's kids for a few hours a couple weeks ago and Kaisley held Lauren almost 10 minutes really still and quietly patting Lauren's hands. She even held her bottle for almost 5 minutes and I was surprised with how gently she was doing it. She will be a great sister!
Kaisley LOVES to spin in circles. She likes getting dizzy and falling down. I will even try to physically stop her from doing it because she is so dizzy but the second I let go she is spinning again.
Her hair is FINALLY long enough for pigtails! 

Month 6

Time is flying by so fast with this pregnancy. I no longer take anti nausea meds and everything is smooth sailing. Although I have gained 20lbs it doesn't feel like my belly is getting much bigger. I think it feels that way because I am carrying him much lower than I did Kaisley. Strangers stop me now to ask when I'm due and I get lots of belly rubs from my coworkers. I don't feel him kick much unless I am laying back or down, and then he goes crazy. I can always feel him shift around though. My cravings are gone and spicy food is spicy again!

Good Riddance January!

January was a crazy month for us. Kaisley had a double ear infection and an allergic reaction to her antibiotic which was amoxicillin. I started school which means that I have to drive two hours to Pocatello for a three hour class and then drive home (hopefully the professor will work with me on this). I also switched to day shifts so that we can have more family time together and so Kaisley can have play time with other kids. This is a big adjustment to our income. Kiley fell in a snowy parking lot and broke two bones and tore a tendon. We are hoping that Worker's Compensation is going to cover the injury. He had to wear a boot for four weeks, and then wear a brace for a year, and possible surgery after a year. We are getting a second opinion on this. I had a horrible fever and then sinus infection that I had to get on antibiotics for and Kiley has been fighting a cold for two weeks. Kiley was also out of town for two weeks in Canton, Ohio for ATM training where he got food poisoning. We were thankful for Skype but it was a big adjustment in our house not having him here. It is also tax season so I have been working with my Dad's accountant to get the business taxes taken care of which has involved a few long, sleepless nights trying to get work done.
This having been said, we have a bright outlook for the rest of 2013 and are so glad January is over!!