How old?

Micah was playing candyland with Grandpa West at our house today. Micah declared that the rules say the youngest person gets to go first. Grandpa asked, "how do we know who the youngest is?" Micah replied, "well, I'm 6 and you're 300 and something, right?" My dad looks great for over 300!

Zoo trips

Our family took a trip to the Oregon Zoo at the end of November on a chilly Saturday. Auntie Kristen joined us too. It was a great day for the zoo as very few people were willing to bundle up and come out so it was easy to navigate. Although we are zoo members, we hadn't been to the zoo since the new Africa exhibits were unveiled so we finally got to see the beautiful lions. The new zoo exhibits are really well done!
We warmed up in the Africafe with some hot chocolate and snacks while we fed Brody and then headed out for another couple of hours at the zoo. It was so fun and so nice that we actually came back to the zoo two days later for the Zoo lights. We were joined by Kandi's parents for zoo lights. We all enjoyed the beautiful lights and the train ride. Micah especially enjoyed the contest to locate 6 peacocks made in lights. However, he couldn't remember that they were peacocks and when he saw each one he declared, "Look - another turkey!"
The zoo orangutans are some of our family favorite creatures. Here one of the 3 friends put her face right up to the window and had a sad look on her face that Micah and Amelia were imitating. The Red Ape Reserve is under significant remodeling at the zoo right now and we're hopeful that these beautiful animals will have an enhanced habitat once the construction is done.

The casts come off

Brody had his appointment today with the orthopedist and his casts are off....at least for now. We'll go back in two weeks and see what we should do next. There is a possibility of another set of casts, the ponsetti-type brace or nothing at this point. We're thrilled to have his legs back to normal for a couple of weeks at the very least!

Is "Christmas Miracle" too dramatic?

There are few words that I like to hear less than "let's get a family picture." It doesn't matter the time of year or number of participants or their age, I find the whole process often torturous. It really doesn't make it much better when I'm the one who wants the family picture of the kids for the Christmas cards. However, the other night, we had a modern Christmas miracle in our own living room. Kandi had bathed the kids and gotten them dressed for our Thanksgiving eve service at church. In another miracle, our living room was cleaned up and we had already set up our Christmas tree. We asked the kids to sit together and hold Brody and.....they did it!
We got several good pictures of them in about 2 minutes and the whole thing was over before I really knew it had even started. I guess I received my Christmas gift early!

Aquarium

This is Ryan trying my hand at writing on this blog to see if we can keep it a bit more updated for our thousands, err, hundreds, uhmm, tens of fans (I don't know what less than tens would be called). Anyway, we made a day trip to the Newport Aquarium this past week. We went last summer and found that if we just purchased a family membership and came at least 2 times, it would pay for itself (the aquarium seems a bit pricey). Anyway, it was a nice drive and the kids had fun. We happened to be there while a worker was feeding many of the animals so we followed him around as he moved from tank to tank. There are certainly some interesting sea creatures out there.
The oddwater exhibit that is there right now has many jellyfish, anemones, sea horses, eels and fish of many varieties. A big hit for the kids are the tanks where you can pet an eel, small shark, starfish and sea anemone. It was a great day long activity!

The casts come on

On Wednesday we took Brody to the orthopedist for a check-up to see how the stretching worked. He asked if I saw a difference and I said I really didn't. The doctor didn't see much of a difference either, so he decided to put him in one set of casts for two weeks to stretch the feet out. We've had one full day of casts and already we are counting down the days. Boy, I'm glad we don't have to do the full 9 or so weeks of casts. The plaster is pretty sharp at the top of his legs so we've been trying different things to cushion it. I bought a pair of plain white leg warmers and tucked the top of them into the casts. This picture shows the casts with the leg warmers on. I'm amazed that he can actually pick his legs up and move them. He seems to be adjusting well, though he fusses a bit more and I have to think some of it must be frustration.

Brody's Miracle

This morning we went to the orthopedist for Brody's first club feet casting appointment. The nurse took us back to the casting room and looked at him and his feet. She said that she didn't know if the doctor was going to want to cast them or not because they straighten out pretty well. Ryan and I looked at each other not sure what to think. She brought us into an exam room and when the doctor came in he told us that they definately weren't club feet. They were just "molded feet." (Molded feet happen when the baby gets into a funny position in the uterus, or sometimes because it's too cramped. Club feet have nothing to do with space or position.) He checked everything else out and said that we needed to stretch his feet out for a couple of minutes after each diaper change and come back in one week to see how it looks. He said the left foot might need one cast, and he might have him start wearing the brace when he sleeps, but that's all.

Ever since we found out about the club feet my dad has been praying for a miracle. I believe God gave us that miracle. We've been singing his praises all day long.

Weight Update

Yesterday we met with the lactation consultant again for a weight check and to see how his sucking is improving. At the appointment yesterday he weighed 7lbs 13oz. Almost back to his birth weight. Praise the Lord. What a relief. We had a rough weekend because basically we were feeding him 2 oz every 2 hours. Well, it took a full hour to get 2 oz into that little body, so it was like one hour on and one hour off. Exhausting, to say the least. He is sucking much better so hopefully he will eat more at each feeding and we can lengthen the time between feedings.

Tomorrow we see the orthopedist for Brody's first set of casts. Pray for us. I'm a little sad about it because his feet are part of who he is and I love everything about them, but I know they need to be fixed if he is going to walk and run and play. I had a couple of photo sessions with him. Enjoy.

Brody's first check-up

We went to the Doctor's office this morning for Brody's weight check. They always check to see that the baby hasn't lost too much weight and that he is eating properly. We were so glad we had this appointment scheduled because he has not been eating well. He is bottle fed and he seemed to take the bottle fine in the hospital, but when we got home, he would fight every time we had to feed him. He was clearly hungry, but would not suck on the bottle. I resorted to squeezing enough formula into his mouth so that he was sort of satisfied and by then he was exhausted from fighting it that he would fall asleep. Once he was asleep I would shove the bottle into his mouth and hope that reflexes kicked in and usually he would suck a little. It took a good hour to get one ounce of formula in him. We were definitely getting frustrated and worried.

Brody weighed 7lbs 14 oz when he was born. When we left the hospital he was 7lbs 8oz and today he was 7lbs 6oz. He had lost 7% of his birth weight which is the most that they should lose. We told the doctor about his eating problems and he yelled out the door asking if the lactation consultant had an opening. She had just had a cancellation so we were able to see her right away. What a blessing. It was totally a God-thing. She watched him with the bottle and then felt in his mouth for his suck and basically she said he had a disorganized suck. He wanted to keep his tongue at the roof of his mouth and sometimes he would just forget what he was doing. Anyway, she worked with him and pulled out a special bottle for us to use. She also put him on a high-calorie formula so he can gain a little more weight. We have had two successful feedings since we saw her and are feeling really optimistic. A huge weight was lifted and this was yet another way we have seen our prayers answered.

God has blessed us so much and answered even the little "please let him fall asleep" prayers. I'm thrilled that Ryan is able to take quite a bit of time off work. The kids are enamored with Brody. Amelia must kiss him 50 times a day.

Brody Evan West

Sunday evening, November 1, 2009 at 9:57PM Brody Evan West came into our lives. He was 7lbs, 14oz, and 19 inches long (that was as far as they could stretch his feet). Just like our other two, he hardly made a peep as he opened his eyes and looked around. What a miracle. He is perfect in every way. There's nothing like the birth of a baby to give you a new view of God's love. I think about how much I already love him and how God loves him even more. I can't fathom that capacity for love. Sure, Brody has some physical imperfections, but in my eyes he is perfect in every way and God made him just the way he wanted him.

more funnies

We bought Micah a fish tank for his birthday. He was so excited. We gave it to him the morning of his birthday and then I told him that we would take him out that night to get some fish. ...We didn't know what we were getting in to. First the water needed to sit for 24 hours. Then we needed to buy a heater. Then we needed to check the ph of the water, which was way too low. Then we bought some plants - which needed another 24 hours to sit in the water. Anyway, we finally got 4 fish one week later. The second morning of having fish, Micah came up to our room in the morning and told us that it looked like one of the fish was dead. Ryan came down and indeed it was. He removed it and put it in a ziplock to return to the store (they have a 15 day guarantee). We were a little nervous about how Micah would take it. A little later the two of us were looking in the tank and Micah asked, "Where did the other orange one go?" I said, "It looks like he's looking for his friend. He looks lonely." Micah said, as if talking to a baby, "It's okay, fishie, he's just dead in a baggie on the counter."

Amelia and I ran an errand to Fred Meyer on Wednesday morning after we took Micah to kindergarten. I had to use the restroom, so we went in there and I was asking her if she wanted to come into the stall with me or wait outside the stall (we usually use the handicapped stall when she comes in because there is more room). I started walking into the first one because there was another woman walking in and I thought she might want the handicapped stall. Amelia proceeds to say, "Mommy, you should use the big toilet because that's the one that fits you." ... thanks honey...

"God don't want us to share"

I overheard this conversation as I was getting ready for the shower:
A: That's mine!
M: We share all our toys!
A: God don't want us to share!
M: Yes he does! It says in the Bible that we should share!
(I immediately call Ryan to tell him this story, then come down to see how they're doing)
A: Mom, I told Micah to God in my heart that God don't want us to share.
Me: Do you know what the bible says?
A: Uhuh. God is Love.
M: And God says to share all our toys.
Me: He doesn't say that, Micah, but he does say to treat each other how we would want to be treated. I bet you would like Micah to share his toys, huh Amelia?

I guess I AM that mom...

Micah had his first day of Kindergarten yesterday. Ryan took the morning off so he could take him and pick him up. Meanwhile I was at my school getting ready for the day when it hit me. I just started crying. My baby is in kindergarten. This has become one of the many things that has surprised me about being a mom. I've never had a problem letting go... leaving them in the nursery at church, sending them to daycare for the first time, preschool, it's all a natural progression and part of growing up. Kindergarten should be too, right? (do you see why we call him jack-o-lantern?)

In other news, this afternoon we head up to Portland to meet with the pediatric orthopedist to discuss the treatment once little Hoopty (that's what Amelia says we're going to name him) is born.

Amelia's first day of Preschool

Amelia had a great first day of preschool on Thursday. She wore the new dress that Grandma Brody got her. She loves her teacher, Mrs. Boes.

Amelia

Wow. She has Jekyll & Hyde syndrome. But still so funny. On Thursday I was evaluating her behavior and deciding if she would be able to go to swim lessons or not. I told her that I would see how she did in the play area at the club before I decided. When I picked the kids up and asked her how she did, she of course said she did great and "didn't even cry." Then I hear, "No she didn't! She scratched me! Three times!"(Micah). I asked her, "Were you mean to your brother in the play area?" She replies with a solemn, "Yes." Then she puts her hands out in a shrug and says, "Sometimes those things just happen." She did not get to go swimming.

Baby update

We had an appointment today with the Northwest Perinatal Institute at St. Vincent’s hospital in Portland today. First, we met with a genetic counselor who confirmed that the doctor’s believed that our son has bilateral club feet. The purpose of meeting with the genetic counselor was to discuss family history and what other items it might be wise to screen for. The counselor did share that most cases of club feet are an isolated defect meaning that there is no other anomaly present. However, club feet have been linked with Down Syndrome and other chromosomal problems.

We discussed our family histories and reviewed the lab work we had already had done. We opted to have a quad screen done which looks at markers for Down Syndrome and other chromosome abnormalities. According to the counselor we saw, Down Syndrome is the most common association with club feet. A normal negative marker on the quad screen would indicate a person has a 1 in approximately 600 chance of carrying a baby with Down Syndrome. Kandi’s marker came back negative in a much stronger way indicating the chance of our baby having Downs is approximately 1 in 9000. All the other markers were negative as well. These tests do not indicate whether your baby has a chromosome abnormality, only the likeliness of these chances.

We were offered the option of having an amniocentesis which could confirm Down Syndrome or some other chromosome problems definitively. Amniocentesis has its own risks however; the main risk is the risk of miscarriage. The benefit to the amniocentesis is the certainty of diagnosis of a chromosome abnormality. Since our indicators say that is unlikely and there is no possible treatment for chromosome disorders while the baby is in the womb, it didn’t make sense to us to take the even slight risk of miscarriage pending our ultrasound.

Immediately after meeting with the counselor, we had an ultrasound that would examine the baby closely, especially areas of potential concern such as the brain, heart, spine and feet looking for anything out of the ordinary. Immediately after the ultrasound, we met with a maternal fetal medicine specialist who read the ultrasound. The doctor came in and had the technician bring up a few additional views. He confirmed the diagnosis of bilateral club feet. He said it appears that the left foot is not as clubbed as the right, but that it can change as the baby continues to develop. All the other structures on the ultrasound appear normal and healthy.

He agreed with our decision to decline the amniocentesis as he did not see a medical need at this time. He recommended that we have an ultrasound every 4-6 weeks for the remainder of the pregnancy to monitor growth and any new developments. This doctor also shared that he was born with club feet. He provided a referral for us to a pediatric orthopedist who routinely works with children with club feet. We will likely meet with this doctor some time this summer to review the case and discuss the probable treatment plan.

All this to say that we feel very blessed with the test results we received today. Clubfoot is very treatable. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers and encouragement. We’ll continue to update about our baby boy as there is news to share.

"I don't make mistakes"

So many people have sent emails of support and promise of prayer. Thank you for those. On Monday morning we have our appointment with the perinatologist at St. Vincents Hospital in Portland. There we will meet with a genetic counselor and have a high-definition ultrasound. Hopefully they will be able to tell us more details then.

The other evening I had a great talk with my friend Jen whose daughter was born with a couple of birth defects. I would encourage you to read her blog from the beginning (she hasn't had it that long). It was so good to talk to someone who had been through a similar situation. I had so many questions... especially about the possibility of an amniocentesis. Anyway, I shared with her how I kept having these thoughts that I know aren't true, yet I kept thinking them. For example We hesitated about having a third child. Maybe God really didn't want us to have a third, so this is what we get kind of thing. I know it sounds horrible, but I kept thinking it. She told me how she believes that even though we have the ability to reproduce, every baby that is conceived is a miracle and was uniquely designed by God. Last night as I laid in bed I remembered a line from the picture book "You Are Special" by Max Lucado. It is about a community of wooden people. One of them goes to see Eli the woodcarver. Eli says, "You are special because I made you and I don't make mistakes." I kept hearing that over and over in my head. God was saying "I don't make mistakes."

News

Today I received a call from my OB who said she had looked over our ultrasound pictures carefully and is pretty sure the baby has club feet. She has referred us to a perinatal specialist where we will have more extensive ultrasounds to figure out the severity of it. From the little research we've done it sounds like the baby would be having weekly casts for the first 6 months or so and then maybe a minor surgery. We would appreciate any prayers you could send up for us. It's interesting... we're not worried. I feel a supernatural calmness about it (which is so not me). Ryan and I were talking today and both said that we feel an extra special connection to this baby somehow.

Knowing this will be our last child, I've been excited at the thought of getting rid of baby things once we're done with them and looking forward to the "big kid" stage. However, I find myself grieving the loss of teeny robeez shoes and footie pajamas. Oh well, there are lots of cute onesies out there (he'll most likely wear those for the first 6 months.

In other news, Ryan and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary on the 24th. Every year he buys me one red rose for every year we've been married and one white one for the year to come. Isn't he romantic? I know it's coming, but it always surprises me. They are beautiful.

Behavior boot-camp has been going well. The kids love the schedule and I'm having a much easier time.

Funnies

Amelia got a new back pack that has wheels. The other morning she asked, "Mom, where is my roller-coaster pa-pack?"

The other day we went to see the "reptile lady." The kids were sitting pretty quietly and at one point Amelia leaned over and said, "Mommy, can I give my mouth a cough?" I said, "If you need to cough, honey, its okay." She proceeded to cough (a real one, not just a fake I wanna cough cough).

Today I was bending over and tying my shoes when Amelia said, "Mommy, I tink you are (s)quishing the baby."

The Summer Abyss and Behavior Boot-Camp

Those of you who know me well, know that I struggle (I could even say dread) summertime. Don't get me wrong, I love the sun and I do LOVE my kids. The problem is, I have trouble when I don't have a schedule. You may not be able to understand this, but it scares me. However, after 8 years of teaching I'm putting my skills to good use to help myself and my children cope with and maybe even (gasp) enjoy this time. Tonight I made schedule cards to rearrange each day so the kids (and I) know what we are doing (They were very excited about this). On the left is a sample day and on the right are other activities to add into the day. It also helps that I'm teaching swimming again this year at the club so that gives us an outing every day from 10ish to noon (and the kids get swim lessons). I'm really excited about this new plan. Having said all this, I so wish that I was like my blog-friend Allison who gets giddy every moment she gets to spend with her kids. But, thats another one of my guilt-complexes that I'm working through.

Behavior Boot-Camp: I've decided to crack down on the whining, fussing, bickering and tantrums that have been happening around here. For miss Jekyll/Hyde aka. Amelia, I printed out some pictures of things with their corresponding consequences so she can have a visual when she is having trouble with her tantrums and following directions. I forget how much pictures help kids.

On another note, Amelia was so proud of herself because she got dressed all by herself this morning. Here is what she looked like:

Amelia's new haircut

Easter and Amelia's Birthday

Easter morning we hosted a brunch for our parents, Ryan's sister, Kristen, and a friend of mine from work, Erika. It was a great meal with friends and family.


After brunch we celebrated Amelia's birthday. She was thrilled with the scooter that Grandma and Grandpa West got her. She still rides it all around the house. Auntie Kristen got her some various dress-up pieces that Micah took advantage of while Amelia was busy riding her "cooter."
The next week, Grandma and Grandpa Brody took her to Build-a-Bear. This is a tradition they have with the grandkids when they turn 4 (Amelia got in early). She chose a Lamb and dressed her up in a ballerina outfit complete with undies and a baby lamb. She named the lamb "Lamby" and I jokingly told her she could name the baby lamb "Veal." Unfortunately, the name stuck. She sleeps with Lamby and Veal every night. Last night she was using lamby as a pillow.

After Build-a-Bear we went out to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. The waitress had a group of them sing and gave her an ice-cream sundae.

I have one of "those" kids

Happy Easter! We love going to Saturday night church, but it still feels a little odd celebrating Easter on Saturday night. Anyway, here is my story:

The church only had childcare available for kids up to 4 years old which meant Micah would have to sit in the service with us (I should say with me because Ryan was ushering). Now, I consider my kids to be pretty well behaved. Sure they throw the typical fits when we're around, but for the most part they're good kids. Micah and I found seats on the main floor of the sanctuary and he immediately tore into his coloring book and crayons. I'm sitting on the inside of the pew and he is on the edge, sorting his crayons in the aisle and playing a game of "watch the crayon roll down the slanted aisle." I'm already getting uncomfortable because I feel like everyone is watching my suddenly hyper-active kid sitting in a church service. Then Micah spotted one of his friends from school and wanted to run back and say hi. I calmly explained that they were headed up to the balcony and we could say hi after the service. In the next 3 minutes I had 5 more inquiries about when we could say hi to James. I leaned over and asked if he wanted to sit in the balcony (thinking, then we won't be noticed as much). We trotted up the stairs and found seats in the balcony right on the edge of the aisle so we could leave if we needed to (the service still hasn't started). We were quickly asked to move to the center so that more people could sit by us (great). Micah spots James two aisles down and starts yelling, "hi James!" James doesn't hear, so after I shushed Micah he continues to stand up and wave. Okay... Service starts and 2 minutes into the first song Micah is asking when it's going to be over. I think you're getting the drift. At one point we were standing and singing while Micah was sprawled on the pew behind me. He managed to hit his head on the pew in front of us AND his own pew, lose 3 crayons, distract EVERYONE around us, AND... the kid doesn't know how to whisper. That hour service felt like 3. I wish this could be a first AND last experience, however I know it's my job to prepare him, so I think we will start taking him to service for 5 minutes, then maybe 7, etc. Looking back, he wasn't being naughty, he was just bored and being a 5 year old. I just didn't realize how luxurious it was to sit in a service without kids.

Still here...

My apologies for the lack of blogging. Here are some highlights from the last month or so...


Sprinkling
M: Mom, is it still raining?
Me: It's just sprinkling honey.
M: What?
Me: It's just sprinkling. (a little louder)
M: What???
Me: (getting totally annoyed) I said, it's just sprinkling.
M: What is sprinkling?
Me: When it's just raining a little bit. Like when you put sprinkles on something, only a few come out at a time.
M: Oh.
A few minutes later.
M: Is it because it's spring and the rain cleans everything?
Me: No, honey.
Later
M: Mom, look. It's spring-cleaning again.


The Paper airplane
Scene: We were at our vacation home (Ryan's parents' house that we look after while they are in CA for the winter) and I had made a couple of paper airplanes for Micah. Ryan had made one too, but Ryan doesn't know how to make paper airplanes, so it was just folded paper.
M: What's this? (picking up the seudo-airplane and looking at it quizzically)
Ryan: It's the paper airplane I made
M: Oh. (pause) It's really good, Dad. I really like it. You did a good job, Dad.
Micah continued to reassure Ryan two or three more times throughout the day that he really liked the paper airplane.

Micah, Amelia and Drake having a picnic at our "vacation home."

Amelia in her laundry basket bed

Sentimental Micah

On Sunday we had dinner at my parents' house and then Ryan went up to stay at his folks' house because he had an early dentist appointment in Gresham (I know, we've been in Salem for 5 years. Its time to change dentists). We all packed up the cars, said good-byes and I had the kids in the van heading home when Micah said this: "Sometimes I cry a little bit when I say goodbye to Daddy because I love him so much."

Lets see, what else has been going on? Micah and Amelia were both sick for a week. I'm finally succumbing to "the cold." I got a sub for the afternoon yesterday and slept from 12:45 to 4:45 when Ryan called to see if I could pick up the kids. But that's probably because I'm pregnant. Oops. Did I say that? Yes, baby #3 should be joining us around the end of October. Its funny listening to Micah try to explain to Amelia that there is a baby growing in my tummy. His first comment was, "I see your tummy growing already." Then Amelia said, "Mommy, I want to see the baby in your tummy." Fun times here.

Oh, and why am I up at 3:00AM? Partly because I'm on sleep overload, but also Micah just threw up and we just finished changing his sheets and putting him back to bed.

Pastor John

For those of you who remember, I wrote a while back about our pastor who had "come as close to death as you can without dying." I think that's how the doctor put it. He is recovering at home finally and has his own blog. I've added it to my blog roll. It is incredible how someone can be so encouraging while dealing with his own issues. I encourage you to read it and be encouraged.

Santa and God

Place: Micah's room. He's stalling as I'm starting to close the door.
M: Mom, is Santa real?... or do you just put stuff in there (the stockings)?
Me: What do you think?
M: I think he's real. Because I've heard him say Ho Ho Ho! in my heart before.
Me: He's in your heart?
M: Yeah. Right next to God.

No excuses...

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. A month hiatus from blogging? That is uncalled for. Let me give you a sampling of the last month in a nutshell.

Snow Week: That snow day in my last blog turned out to last the whole week before winter break. Fun but crazy at the same time. For the second snow storm we decided to get snowed in at my parents' house in Wilsonville. I brought my sewing machine and decided to take up quilting.

These first two quilts came from a kit. It came with all the necessary fabric and I just had to cut and sew. Then I took the left over pieces and made this third quilt.

Then I took more left over pieces and made this fourth quilt.

(don't ask... I really don't have an answer)

I liked the quilts enough, but they weren't quite what I wanted for my friends' baby shower coming up, so I decided to start over. I took my mom's log cabin quilting book and started from scratch. These are the results:

This past weekend I flew down to Texas to see Joy and Andrea (good friends from College) and to celebrate their upcoming arrivals.

Here is a picture of us with their quilts.

We had a great time reminiscing about college pranks and updating each other with post-college stuff.

Christmas was great. We spent lots of time with family. Good Times.

I think we were all excited to get back to school last week. Holidays are fun, but there is something comforting in having routine and schedule.