Before I start this Friday's post I want to give a small update....we figured out the rest of my maternity leave stuff and I will be able to stay off my full time!! :) So happy!!

-----5 on Friday-----

1. Giselle is 2 months old now!! Will do a full 2 month post after her 2 mt peds appt which isn't til Feb 13 due to her doctors crazy busy schedule and the fact that she's off next week. Hate not having things scheduled "on time" because it ended up making her 4, 6 and 9 mt appts all off since they have to be scheduled a certain amount of time apart. So she will actually be closer to 2.5 mts old for her appt. ugg to my ocd! She is up to 10lbs as of last Friday so I'm guessing even more by now. Will know her weight again next week when we go into the hospital for her surgery. She has been restless last few days so pray that nothing is up and its just a phase.

2. Week went fast again...I know I say that every week but what the heck..can't we have a boring slow week ha?!

3. Andy had 2 interviews with Tru Green this week. Job sounds promising but the hours would suck big time (12-8pm). He has applied 3 other places recently so we are hoping one of them calls soon so that he has options and doesn't feel obligated to take this job if offered.

4. Austin and Mason seem to be less stir crazy this week thankfully. Winter weather and toddlers do not mix! Austin played with his spirograph toy for a while today and when he was done he asked me if I would put the picture on the refrigerator. So sweet! :)

5. My anxiety is climbing and feel like I've been having more mood swings this week. Getting nervous about my mental health last couple days. Pray for me please.

Uggg so most of you probably saw my facebook status today about my screw up with maternity leave. Honestly did not know that I wouldn't get paid for all 12 weeks. There's a chance I'll need to return to work the week after Giselle's surgery versus Feb 22 (my current return to work date). I'm praying we can squeak by. Andy is thinking we may be ok but that also means we would wipe out our emergency $$. Guess that's what it's there for?! He doesn't quite share the same opinion but we'll see. My yearly bonus will also be coming next month so that would help a ton but last year it paid out on Feb 28 so I'm hoping it comes earlier in Feb this year!! Had other plans for that money though ha.

Getting very very anxious about Giselles surgery next week. I know when I explain it to people it may not sound like a big surgery ...and it technically isn't but there's still a small chance that if things don't go as planned she could end up with a colostomy. I'm also stressing about how she will do on Wednesday with only being allowed to have Pedialyte from 10am to midnight and then nothing after that (minus the liquid laxative that will make her poop all night). And of course also stressing about pain managament post surgery. Uggg :(  Also afraid we will pick up RSV while in the pediatric unit...my goal is to do 100% of her care if possible to minimize the time the nurses are in the room potentially spreading germs... (irrational fear I know but whatever).

Emotions are just running all over the place lately.

-----5 on Friday-----

1. Another fast week! We filled it with fun things though! :)

2. Austin got his 4 year pics taken finally. We used Portrait Innovations again like we usually do. They are pricey but always get several good shots to take home and pass out. :)

3. Went back to the play place at Jefferson Pointe again! Might become a weekly event until we are able to go to the outdoor playground by our house again.

4. Spent their gift cards to Barnes & Noble and got a lot of good books for all 3 of them. :) Love to read!

5. Giselle had another appt with the pediatric surgeon this morning. He said she looks great and we are still on schedule for surgery Feb 5. We will be admitted Feb 4 and be released probably Feb 7 as long as all goes as planned. We will have to continue home dilation for a while after surgery. :( Was hoping that wouldn't be the case but will do whatever we need to do for her!

Fast weekend! Saturday we spent the morning playing and hanging out (like every other day haha!) and then after Mason's nap we went to my nephews 1st birthday party! Sunday was a fairly low key day. I went to Target with Giselle in the afternoon and that was about it ha. We really need to get back to church...have not been yet with Giselle since the illness season has been pretty bad around here. Colts lost Sunday night which of course disappointed Andy. :(

This morning Giselle got her 2 month shots...boo to hearing the awful pain cry! :( Felt so bad! She did well all day and wasn't fussy like I expected. I asked the nurse to weigh her while we were there (wasn't technically a well child/ill child visit) and she is up to 10lbs exactly. Crazy!! I think her growth might slow down a little bit now since the 2 big newborn growth spurts are over. Packed away all the clean newborn sleepers today and put the 0-3 and 3 month ones in her drawer since her legs can't stretch out anymore in the newborn sized ones. Most of her newborn outfits have also been put in the to small box this past week as well. :( She has even outgrown 6 headbands so far haha! Just an FYI to those that are still in the midst of having babies...the Carters brand headbands run small! I think she has 3 (out of about 8) 0-6mts size ones from that store that still fit. It's ok though...this girl still has 10+ headbands to choose from when I remember to put one on her head!

Oh...and it must have been something in the air last week. The boys were listening much better over the weekend and were awesome today. We even got a chance to go outside for 30 minutes since the temperature wasn't super cold! :)

-----5 on Friday-----

1. This week went fast...so fast that I didn't even get some things that I wanted accomplished.

2. Boys liked gymnastics Thursday night!! Glad we decided to finally try it out. :)

3. This was a week of a lot of non listening with Austin and Mason. Not sure what the deal was. We did take them to the play place at Jefferson Pointe this afternoon and they enjoyed it. Was very nice to get out of the house and try something new!! Will for sure be going back probably once a week or so until its warm enough to go outside every day again.

4. Andy's healing has been slow...good thing he wasn't the one in charge of birthing our children hahaha! ;)

5. Not looking forward to Monday for Giselle's 2 month shots. :( She is getting her shots before her actual 2 mt appt due to timing on her doctors part/schedule (the nurse will do her shots) and the fact that we need to get her shots done well in advance of surgery....which is in less than 3 weeks. Crazy!

Some random thoughts on a Monday night:

-Today was very up and down...thankful it's over and tomorrow is a new day.

-Andy's vasectomy was today...I know it was the right choice for our family but its also kinda weird that we are done with the whole making babies/being pregnant part of our life.

-Work dinner tomorrow night to get to know the new Neo and NNP we just hired. Will have to ditch the leggings for real pants...good thing I bought a new pair of jeans with a gift card I got for Christmas haha..no seriously I have 2 pairs of jeans that fit and not even sure any of my dress pants fit anymore. Guess that's what happens when half the week I'm usually in scrubs (when not on maternity leave obviously ha)

----- 5 on Friday -----

1. Toddler poop regression is no joke. Almost to the point of us looking into secondary causes for this craziness....

2. Giselle has had some trouble realizing darkness = nighttime...thank goodness she's so cute otherwise being awake from 3am-7am might make me irritable ha!

3. Not finishing the morning cup of coffee leads to falling asleep on the couch at 2 pm lol :)

4. 6 week post partum check up went great. Giselle got this cute blanket from my OB that says "Handled with care by Dr. Kennedy". :) Got to start the lovely mini-pill tonight ...and watch for the inevitable supply drop even though its "breast feeding friendly". Hopefully wont have to be on it long since Andy is getting his vasectomy next week and "they" say it should take only 8 weeks til sperm count of zero. (dont worry they actually will run a test to ensure that before I stop the birth control).

5. It's Friday...how is another week done with?! Nephew birthday party to go to tomorrow! :)

Random thoughts for tonight....

Time is moving tooooo fast. :( Giselle is starting to grow out of some of her newborn sleepers and the gerber brand newborn onesies are getting harder to snap! Boo! She seems to be getting over her cold fast which is great. Have had a run of yucky poops all day so I'm hoping that doesn't mean anything unusal... Likes to keep us on our toes I guess.

My 6 week post partum appointment is Friday...crazy! Probably should take the time this week to shave my legs so I don't scare my OB/GYN haha! Excited about my new glasses which should arrive next week. :) Mason accidently broke my glasses Thursday so we decided that since they were around 5 years old that I could just get a new pair seeing how I wear them about half the days out of the week.

Austin & Mason are starting to get a bit stir crazy with not being able to go outside. Thinking of putting them in gymnastics (Andy's mom and sister both teach at Turners). Thoughts?

Had another appointment with the pediatric surgeon this morning. He said she is still doing great and he thankfully didn't change anything related to her daily dilation (I'll spare ya the details). She is also gaining weight fast so we went ahead and made one more regular appointment and scheduled her surgery. It will be February 5th at 8am. We will be on the Pediatric unit the day before (have to be there at 10am) so that she can receive a bowel prep to empty her stomach and intestines. Not looking forward to a potentially fussy baby due to her not being able to nurse! After surgery we will stay 2 days depending on how she does. Thank you for all your prayers so far and please continue to pray for her to have a smooth surgery and speedy recovery! I'm getting pretty anxious about it and really nervous about what kind of pain she will encounter.

Her reflux is also steadily getting worse. She doesn't have the other GI symptoms that would make me think milk protein allergy like Mason. I'm starting to think it could be caffeine/coffee related. Going to cut out my afternoon cup of coffee and go from there. She doesn't seem irritable but I would like to alleviate it as much as I can obviously.

Giselle was one month old yesterday! Hard to believe she's already been a part of our family for that long. It went by fast...likely because of all her appointments initally and then Christmas celebrations. She is growing well and settling in beautifully. Her big brothers adore her and love to kiss her head, talk to her and rush to her side if she starts to make a peep in her swing. :) Everyone tells me that she looks just like me...even complete strangers. Our baby pictures are identical...minus my extra chub haha (I was 9lbs at birth)! Her reflux remains but doesn't seem to make her irritable. She struggles with some gassiness which the surgeon warned me she would so we started some gas drops this week and they've helped a lot. She is a great nurser like her brothers thankfully. Sleeping for roughly 5 hours straight at night before going back to the every 2-3 hour schedule which I know will change when the next growth spurt hits! Our family feels so complete now and I look forward to seeing what the next month brings with her. :)

Hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas! We did! Have been playing with our new toys...and watching a lot of Frozen. "Let it go" as well as pieces from the other songs are stuck in my head now ha! :) Up next on the blog will be Giselle's ONE month post...what the what...how is she already that old tomorrow?!

My heart is also hurting very badly right now as well. My close friend Christy and her husband Nick received devasting news about their newborn son Colton this week. I cry every time I think of them lately. They've done everything right and yet life is still throwing them an awful curveball. Many prayers needed! Wish there was more I could do or say. :(

Giselle had her follow up cardiac echocardiogram this morning. First she had a EKG which was mostly normal. She was running a high side of normal heart rate at the time and it also showed some possible right sided hypertrophy (enlargement). The echo showed that her PDA (one of the shunts open in utero) had closed. Yay for that! It also showed that her PFO was still open and is measuring 2 mm. PFO stands for patent foramen ovale and it is another shunt that is open in utero and usually closes shortly after birth. The size of hers is small and will hopefully close over time. On her echo in the NICU they had also discovered aortic valve insufficiency which still remains on the echo she had today. The pediatric cardiologist wants to repeat her echo in May to see where things are at. She believes that things will be resolve on their own and feels that what is going on isn't going to negatively affect Giselle since she hasn't shown any signs of trouble so far. The very latest the PFO can close without her wanting to do any kind of surgical intervention is age 2.5 so we have time. Thank you for all the prayers! :)

In other news Austin had his birthday party yesterday and had tons of fun!! :) We've been playing with his new toys last night and today. He's even been great with sharing with Mason. :)

Mason successfully pooped on the potty again today!! Made it without getting any in his undies! Have to celebrate these things around here as much as I hate dealing with poop haha!

Slight delay on updating the blog...meant to do it Wednesday after the pediatricians appointments but ...obviously life and exhaustion got in the way haha!

Wednesday morning we had Austin's 4 year and Giselle's 2 week appointment..she was technically almost 2.5 weeks old but since Austin already had his appt scheduled our doc was nice enough to let her be added on. :)

Austin weighed in at 42 lbs 4 oz (90th%) and is 40 inches tall (45th%)! The weight percentile shocked me because he doesn't look like a chubby kid at all! She is estimating him to be about 5 foot 8 in as an adult based on this years height. He did great with all the developmental stuff she asked him to do. :) The one thing we need to start working on in preparation for preschool is tracing. He had a hard time tracing what she wanted him to on her paper. The handout we get with each well child appointment also says we need to start working with scissors during this next year...not sure I'm ready for that! It'll be a supervised activity for sure ha! He sure is growing up fast.

Giselle weighed in at 7 lbs 4 oz (25th%), 20 in long (40th%) and her head was 13.5 in (15th%). Peanut!! Her head is so tiny compared to the boys at her age. Praying that it starts growing! She seems very alert when awake so I think her brain growth is on track! This explains why most of her headbands don't fit (hence why she usually doesn't have them on in pics lately). Doc thought she looked great and was pleased with her weight gain on sole breastmilk from Thursday night through this appointment so we got the go ahead to continue just breastfeeding and using formula whenever we feel it's needed. Her weight will still be watched by the surgeon at our biweekly appointments but I can also bring her in whenever to get weighed thankfully. We also decided not to start Zantac just yet. Since it does change the gut flora and can raise the risk of infection her pediatrician is really hesitant to start it since she will be having a surgery that will affect her intestinal tract. Giselle doesn't seem to be in pain from her reflux most of the time, just a couple times a day. If this changes or if she gets irritable then we will start some medication. She definitely is refluxing more and I feel like I need to remain very still after her feedings otherwise she really barfs! She is still sleeping on an incline (in her bouncy seat strapped in). Wish we hadn't given away our rock n play....didn't think baby #3 would also have reflux like #1 & 2...oh well. Need to start working on tummy time more with her is the only thing the doc suggested between now and the next appointment. :)

Today we had another appointment with the pediatric surgeon. He said she looks perfect. :) The daily dilation sucks for me as a mother but I guess I was doing it right because he was happy and wants to move to the next size. She actually pooped all over the table and managed to squirt poop on his shirt when he was doing it haha! Hate hearing her get upset though. :( Thankfully she stops crying as soon as its over. We will see him again in 2 weeks (Jan 2). Based on her growth there's a chance surgery could be before my maternity leave is over....she will still be so young though I feel.

Hopefully I can squeeze in more time to blog so that the updates aren't so long.

Happy 4th Birthday to our Austin Jacob!! :)

Crazy that he is 4 now. Time goes so very fast. I love my role as a mommy and I can't believe I've been at it this long now. Austin is very smart and very sweet. He has come a long way with the speech delay that he once had...wouldn't even guess he was in speech therapy for so long if you talked to him now. Hard to believe we will be looking at preschools soon. He loves being the big brother to Mason & Giselle. Also loves his trains of course and any outside activity. Need to start looking at soccer or t-ball for the spring! Going on errands alone with momma while the younger 2 nap is another favorite of his. :)

He enjoyed his birthday today and we let him open his presents from us this morning so we could play all day with his new train set. We also got him a book that has 9 Thomas stories in it and a lots of much needed new clothes. :) Ended the day with a visit from Gogo & Poppy and a birthday cupcake for him & Mason!

His 4 year appointment is tomorrow so I will post stats then.

Birth Story:
We went out to dinner the night of Andy's birthday, November 28. Went to bed fine but then woke up with vomiting and diarrhea around 4:30am. Figured I ate something bad and slept on & off on our bathroom floor/master closet ha! Contractions started around 7am and were more painful than previous ones that week & I was still feeling nauseous so I called in to work to let them know I wasn't coming in. Contractions started to get closer together throughout the morning. We decided it was time and Andy called my parents to let them know since they were going to be watching Austin & Mason. Dropped the boys off and got to the hospital at 10am. I was 3 cm and 60% so they watched me in triage for a little over an hour to make sure it was all real. Once I was admitted into a labor room my contractions started to slow down, ended up needing pitocin after they broke my water at 3pm. Really wanted to not get an epidural this time around and I made it to almost 8 cm before I got really tired and was having a hard time controlling my breathing during contractions. The anestheiologist got it in and it took effect everywhere except a spot on my left side. My OB was able to be present for my delivery! Started pushing at 8pm and Giselle Grace was born at 8:17pm! :) Andy cut the cord with her just like he did with the boys and took pictures while they dried her off. Meanwhile...I started hemorrhaging. :( OB said it becomes more of a risk with each child. They couldn't get it under control with just the normal massaging of my uterus so I got a shot of Methergine. That helped...for a couple hours.

She nursed beautifully after they did her measurements and foot prints which is something I didn't get to experience right away with the boys. We made it to post partum and she got to meet her GoGo. :) After nursing her the second time I started hemorrhaging again. Had to get a second shot. Very scary situation. The nurse came to take Giselle for her bath at around 3 hours of age. When they returned with her they also had a NICU nurse with them....didn't really register to me at first... was thinking "oh my work girls already want to come meet her!" Instead Giselle was going to the NICU and the Neo was coming in shortly to talk to us.

NICU stay:
Initially the Neo wasn't exactly sure what was going on since he didn't have all the studies. He told us it was a abnormality on the imperforate anus spectrum. He said there was an opening but it was not in the right spot and it was small. The next morning after the surgeon had a chance to look at her and the xrays he diagnosed Giselle with a perineal/vestibular fistula. Meaning her anus is anterior (close to her vagina) and her rectum is narrow. I won't go into the pathophysiology of this but can answer more questions if anyone has them. He dilated her that day and then plans for corrective surgery once she is around 10-12 lbs or at the very latest 6 months of age. We had a very short stay compared to other NICU babies. She was able to come home the same day I was released since she was eating and pooping on her own. During our NICU stay she had lots of studies done which I'm sure you read about on facebook. Besides following with the surgeon she will also get a repeat Echo of her heart on December 22nd due to aortic insufficiency. We don't anticipate the follow up echo to be abnormal, its more of a precaution.

So far.... at our first surgeon appt this past Friday he had to dilate Giselle's rectum again since it was already close to being back where it was. This process was pretty uncomfortable for her and for me to watch. I have to do daily dilation now to maintain the correct size and I'm hoping she gets a little more used to it soon since we aren't trying to make it any bigger. Giselle also had a swallow study done that showed severe reflux. :( We will be starting Zantac at her 2 week appointment, pediatrician doesn't feel comfortable starting it before that. Her weight was also down a bit so we are doing weight checks as well.

The next updates should be shorter and sweeter I hope! :) The boys love her and do this cute little voice when talking to her. I think we are adjusting to a family of 5 amazingly well so far. :)

Birth story, NICU stay, doctors appt, etc all coming soon. This has been the busiest week I've had in years!

--So uncomfortable...back and hip pain make me walk like I'm elderly most of the day for the last couple days! I hate to complain because I know it's a privilege to be pregnant...just very wore out at this stage.

--Mason has been peeing on the potty 3 days straight now and even pooped on the potty today!!! :) We didn't even plan to attempt training him again right before I give birth but he was doing so well peeing on the potty before bath time that we thought we would just randomly ask him Saturday haha! He said yes and did it a few times that day and then while I was at work Sunday he wore undies all day for Andy and we haven't looked back. :) He does still wear at diaper at nap time and bedtime. So we are down to 3 diapers a day (Austin wears one to bed as well)!!! Crossing our fingers for no regression for either of them once we bring home little sister.

--No change at this mornings OB appt. Still 1.5cm & 50%.

--Had a great baby shower/sprinkle this afternoon with all the other pregnant girls at work. :) So blessed with a great work family! :)

--Running some errands and doing more Christmas shopping tomorrow so maybe that'll help progress things along!

A little catching up since I see the blog has had a lot of visitors this week (tells me the number but not the names haha!)

Sunday night I thought I was in labor due to the significant amount of lower back and lower belly pain I was having. Stayed the same for about 3 hours so we called my mom over to stay with the boys and got to triage around 8:30pm. Monitor claimed to show no contractions and my urine showed a UTI. So they sent me home on Keflex. I did not like my triage nurse AT ALL. So lets hope we don't encounter her when I am in labor for real!

Had a follow up appointment with my OB late Tuesday afternoon and just the regular test they do at every appointment still was pointing to a UTI so I am continuing the stinky Keflex. I am 1.5cm and 50% but her head is now more engaged. The pain that we now know is from this awful infection was much improved by this morning. I am still uncomfortable and feeling pressure and low back pain but nothing that points to labor yet. I go back again on Friday (already had the appt scheduled so she had me keep it).

The calls of asking if I'm in labor have started ...Andy's mom called today to inquire because his Grandma is leaving for Florida tomorrow. Luckily in this day and age most people are just checking Facebook for an update lol! :)

--Had my 36 week appointment today. :) My doc was out on a family emergency so I saw another one in the group. Weight is still the same as last week (lost some last time) which I hope is ok since she's supposed to be gaining all her weight right now. I am now dilated to 1 cm...and 50% effaced (thinned out) so that is quite a bit of progress since she couldn't even tell me the % at the last appointment. The OB today said he is on call this weekend and wouldn't be surprised if he saw me. Hope he's not getting my hopes up ha! It's all up to this baby girl but I'm ready and my body is ready...or my pain tolerance just sucks maybe?!

--Hard to believe that Austin will be 4 next month. Where has the time gone?! Just seems so old since the next step will be looking at our preschool options for next fall!