Christmas Extravaganza

This weekend we made our way down to Sea World for the Christmas Extravaganza. We went with some friends of ours and enjoyed seeing the Christmas spirit come alive in our little ones. We watched the Polar Express in 3D. All four little ones were enthralled with the movie. Even when the chairs started shaking and it got really dark, all four wouldn't take their eyes off off the big screen. The highlight of the movie is when the snow started to fall form the ceiling. Ethan was pretty surprised that it was snowing indoors especially since earlier in the day he was complaining that it doesn't snow in Texas. Even the two little ones managed to keep their 3D glasses on the whole time. While we were there we also managed to catch the Sesame Street Christmas Show. The kids really enjoyed seeing the whole Sesame Street gang but Elmo is always a favorite. I have to admit after the shows and seeing all the decorations, we are getting excited about the upcoming holiday season.

Jeremiah and Ethan waiting for the movie to start

Gracie, Ethan, Jeremiah, and Annalise before the Sesame Street Show

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed all that the holiday brings. For us it brought out my mother and brother for a quick visit. It was nice to see them and we were thankful that we had some family members visiting during the holiday. Ethan and Gracie both enjoyed the Thanksgiving feast. Gracie's favorite was the ham and Ethan's was the pumpkin pie. Gracie was eventually cut off from the ham, which she was not happy about and I found a couple finger traces in one of the pumpkin pies that looked at lot like Ethan's. As soon as I saw the pie I asked him if he did it and he said, "I made those ones Mom, but that one in the middle is not from me." He was talking about the mark I made with the knife to check if it was done. I was pretty amazed that he told me the truth about it, but what was funny was that he wasn't about to take the rap for the one that I did.

Little Turkey's

Eric being a dork

All that food made her sleepy.

The suspect with the evidence that has his fingerprints all over it.

Just for fun

Our little girl's update

These last two weeks we have been busy with doctor appointments all the while preparing for the fact that we have a new baby coming soon. I promise I have a ton of pictures of the kids to post but with things moving so fast, I am losing a little track of things. But, don’t worry because being the neurotic person I am will be back on track in no time.

Two weeks ago I had a Fetal MRI and yesterday we got the results. Despite her efforts on hiding from the technician, he was able to get the images that we needed. We always knew that Aqueductal Stenosis is the most common reason for hydrocephalus and yesterday our doctor confirmed that this seems to be the case for us. The easiest way I can explain this is that the 1st and 2nd ventricles in our brain pass fluid into the 3rd ventricle and in between the 3rd ventricle and 4th ventricle there is a straw like piece that is called the Aqueduct of Sylvius. This certain item doesn’t seem to be long enough which is causing the backup of fluid. Eric and I have been researching this and actually feel relieved that this wasn’t related to a stroke. We were also told that her cerebellum is present and is functioning properly. So, what we know now is that she has no spinal issues, no bleeding in her brain that could be due to pressure and everything in her brain looks present but just compressed a little. Therefore, yesterday was a pretty good day in our house but we have 12 more weeks to go…fingers crossed! Below is the ventricle measurement (fluid in mm) from when we found out to yesterday’s result. Just remember that anything after 10 is considered not normal/hydrocheplaus.

20 weeks- 14

23 weeks -24

26 weeks -24

28 weeks-24

I promise to keep you guys updated with any news that may come our way. I will be going in every two weeks for routine ultrasounds so we just continue to pray that the measurements either stay consistent or go down. Yet, if it goes up, it will not be the end of the world.

Happy Halloween

This year our little ones seemed to have been influenced by our Disney trip because they each were a Disney character. Well actually, Ethan had his costume picked out for two months and Gracie just wears what we put on her. However, Ethan looked liked a real superhero in his costume; the fake muscles really helped out a lot. Gracie looked really adorable in her costume too. I knew the ears weren't going to last but she still looked cute. They both had a lot of fun and got way too much candy. Of course, Gracie kept getting into hers while we were walking. The both walked the entire time and only really wanted to ride in the wagon on the way home so they could go through their stash. Now that Ethan is older he already knows the routine and what to say so I was just busy teaching Gracie the formalities of Halloween. When I would tell her to say trick-o-treat she would say "chucky cheese". To any other person beside her parents it sounds like trick-o-treat so she still got some candy. When they would ask her if she wanted candy she would say "YUP!" and then say "Ank you" when they gave it her. Part of me thinks she got more due to the cuteness of her vocabulary.

They are getting excited!!

Striking a pose

Mr. Incredible

Minnie Mouse

Were are ready to GO!!!

Eating some candy

I will just help myself, Thank you.

Pumpkin Patch

The kids loved going to the pumpkin patch and frantically looked for the perfect pumpkins. Gracie had a hard time picking up most of them and kept saying "It's heavy!". For some bizarre reason our kids liked the pumpkins that had warts all over them. They kept wanting to play with them.

HOPE

Many of you already know our story and many of you don't. This is just another post on our family blog which happens to be another chapter in our life. Seeing how it is life; it has it's messy moments so we need to cherish the good and maybe the not so good moments to realize what is really important.

When we found out we were having a little girl we also found out our little one has hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is basically when there is too much fluid present in the brain. When we found out, we were at 14mm of fluid which is considered moderate. At the last ultrasound we found out we were at 24 which is significant. It can go up and it can go down. However the more liquid that accumulates, the more that her brain tissue gets pushed further and further against her skull. This is when it gets serious because it could be causing brain damage. The doctors cannot go in and fix this problem. It is something that has to addressed at birth. She will most likely have a shunt inserted in her brain either the day of her birth or a couple days after and it is to help the fluid drain. We were basically given a 50/50 chance. Seeing how this can affect each child differently the doctors basically shrug their shoulders and say "You may leave with a perfectly healthy child or you may leave with a vegetable." You really can't tell how much her brain will be affected till she is at least 18-24 months. Because of all of the fluids, her head is growing more and more to accommodate it. The chances of her being born with an abnormally shaped head are pretty good. However, like anything we have encountered in this process it is 50/50. She may come out looking and acting perfectly normal or not. You just never know. I will most likely have an ultrasound every 2-4 weeks and the more we keep watching this, the better will be prepared on what we are dealing with. Typically, hydro babies are born via c-section and usually between 32-36 weeks. Due to the size of their heads very few go to 40 weeks. I am going to try to keep her in as long as I can because I feel that a preemie baby just has to survive but a preemie hydro baby has to do that and more.

There is no one to blame and when you roll the dice on becoming a parent you are never promised a "perfect" baby. I have joined a Hydrocephalus board online and it has helped us prepare for what is to come. I enjoy reading their stories and seeing their children grow. It gives us hope and hope is pretty much what we have to hold on to right now. We can only hope that she is not in pain and that she will be a perfectly healthy child. I think as soon as I can see and touch her, the more prepared I will be to help her. She is counting on us to be there for her and we as a family will have to adjust to our new life. I love our doctor and feel very confident in our quality of care. He is a father of five so he knows how devastating this is for us.

Our family and friends have been really supportive and it make us thankful that she will have us and them to lean on.

**Lexie was born with severe hydrocephalus and is missing about 1/4 of her brain. Besides those two things she is doing reasonably well. Her hearing and eye sight seem to be fine and she is developing about 4 months behind. She is is the happiest baby and brings joy to everyone**

Sea World with our Playgroup

Ethan throwing in a fish to the Dolphins

Ethan touching the Dolphin's nose

Looking at the Sharks

Jeremiah and Ethan

Ethan, Jeremiah and Ellie (she has a little crush on Ethan)

Ethan, Ellie, Jeremiah, Gracie and Anna

Gracie is busy watching Shamu

All on a ride