Jack speech improves every single day, but it feels like in the last month he's broken though a wall and now the words & sentences come easily to him. He still gets frustrated, but that's becoming fewer & far between.
Yesterday on the way to school he kept saying something that I just could not understand. And the more I didn't understand, the more frustrated he became. Sam finally said "I think he's saying 'I love you' to you." It didn't sound like the way he normally said it, but it did sound similar and since I couldn't come up with anything else it could be, I agreed with her. So, on the way to pick up, when he started to say it again, I replied with "I love you too." He kept looking at me really confused and repeating it. Finally he pointed to my center console and said it again. I looked and found a DVD case the girls had left in the van - Scooby Doo. So I tried telling him it was "Scooby Doo". He'd reply with what he had been saying. So I tried again. After about the 3rd time I realized what he had been saying.
"Where are you?"
As in the theme song of Scooby Doo. ("Scooby dooby doo, where are you?") That whole time he had been asking clear as day to watch "Where are you?"
Would it be wrong to just go with Samantha's suggestion and believe he was telling me how much he loves me?
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
My Brags
There are things I'd love to share with the world (well on Facebook at least) but I'm always afraid of being that person. You know, the one who only posts brags about themselves, their kids, their life. Which in my book, is pretty on par with those who only post about how miserable and horrible their life is. And the reason Facebook invented the hide feature.
But this is my blog so I can get away with it here!
* Last week was conference & report card week and both girls are doing AMAZING! Lexi, who is in kindergarten this year, is now reading a mid-year 1st grade level, has 100% in math and scored 100% on the state mid-year bench mark test. She had already mastered the kindergarten high frequency words her first month of school and has now worked her way through the majority of the 1st grade list. Samantha, who is in 1st grade is reading at 3rd-4th grade level, has 100% in high frequency words (she passed the list early into the year), 100%+ on spelling tests, 98% in math and 98% on the state bench mark test (she missed 1 question). Their teachers have nothing but praise for them! We are so proud. And I am so, so happy they both have the same love of reading I do.
* All of my older kids have adjusted wonderfully to the addition of Kate. I thought there might be some jealousy, but so far there hasn't been any. I really had my doubts about how Jack would adjust, given his age & the fact that he has been home with just me for awhile now), but he has proven to be the best big brother. He showers her with kisses & head rubs (unprompted), is the first to try to replace her pacifier (even when she's asleep and doesn't need it), always makes sure she has a blanket and loves to sit next to her and talk to her. He even has become brave enough to hold her! The older girls, I was confident would adjust well and they have proven me right. They love to hold her, feed her and maybe most importantly are patient with me.
*I was able to comfortably get back into my pre-pregnancy jeans (and clothes) at 6 days postpartum! And I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight at two weeks. Things obviously aren't toned and gravity has taken hold of others, but overall, not bad for my 4th child!
But this is my blog so I can get away with it here!
* Last week was conference & report card week and both girls are doing AMAZING! Lexi, who is in kindergarten this year, is now reading a mid-year 1st grade level, has 100% in math and scored 100% on the state mid-year bench mark test. She had already mastered the kindergarten high frequency words her first month of school and has now worked her way through the majority of the 1st grade list. Samantha, who is in 1st grade is reading at 3rd-4th grade level, has 100% in high frequency words (she passed the list early into the year), 100%+ on spelling tests, 98% in math and 98% on the state bench mark test (she missed 1 question). Their teachers have nothing but praise for them! We are so proud. And I am so, so happy they both have the same love of reading I do.
* All of my older kids have adjusted wonderfully to the addition of Kate. I thought there might be some jealousy, but so far there hasn't been any. I really had my doubts about how Jack would adjust, given his age & the fact that he has been home with just me for awhile now), but he has proven to be the best big brother. He showers her with kisses & head rubs (unprompted), is the first to try to replace her pacifier (even when she's asleep and doesn't need it), always makes sure she has a blanket and loves to sit next to her and talk to her. He even has become brave enough to hold her! The older girls, I was confident would adjust well and they have proven me right. They love to hold her, feed her and maybe most importantly are patient with me.
*I was able to comfortably get back into my pre-pregnancy jeans (and clothes) at 6 days postpartum! And I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight at two weeks. Things obviously aren't toned and gravity has taken hold of others, but overall, not bad for my 4th child!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Our Little Valentine
Announcing our newest addition....
Katherine (Kate) Marie Lua
February 14, 2011 ~ 10:23am
8lbs ~ 20.5 inches
I know I am much delayed in this wonderful announcement, but we have been adjusting to being a family of 6 (which has been going great and much easier than I thought) and dealing with sick kids. It would be just our luck that all 3 of our biggies would take turns running fevers the week leading up to and the week after Kate's birth. It was a blessing that they had all been 24 hours fever free the day she was born and they were all able to come meet her.
And we have been truly blessed. Kate came back Coombs negative, which means she never had the anti-c antigen. And that means there was never anything for my body to attack! It still affects me, should I need a blood transfusion, but as any mother knows, as long as my baby is ok, it's all good!
Hopefully I'll be able to post here more often, but I make no promises. After all, I am a mom of FOUR now!
Katherine (Kate) Marie Lua
February 14, 2011 ~ 10:23am
8lbs ~ 20.5 inches
I know I am much delayed in this wonderful announcement, but we have been adjusting to being a family of 6 (which has been going great and much easier than I thought) and dealing with sick kids. It would be just our luck that all 3 of our biggies would take turns running fevers the week leading up to and the week after Kate's birth. It was a blessing that they had all been 24 hours fever free the day she was born and they were all able to come meet her.
And we have been truly blessed. Kate came back Coombs negative, which means she never had the anti-c antigen. And that means there was never anything for my body to attack! It still affects me, should I need a blood transfusion, but as any mother knows, as long as my baby is ok, it's all good!
Hopefully I'll be able to post here more often, but I make no promises. After all, I am a mom of FOUR now!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Bits & Pieces
I've been meaning to update here for awhile, but life has just gotten in the way. So this post is going to be a quick bullet point update, just to get me caught me up. Although if one were placing bets, I'll probably fall behind again.
- Jack turned 2 just over a week ago. I can't believe it! I feel it every day with the girls, but this birthday really pointed out to me how quickly the time is going. He's doing well, into everything, finally starting to talk and the most lovable guy ever. An interesting note on the speech - I was starting to get worried that he was possibly behind because he didn't seem to have near the vocabulary the girls did (I know, never compare children). And he's extremely stubborn. For example, he can say Einstein, but refuses to say milk. But at his doctor's appt. we were told he's actually slightly above average, so I'm very relieved.
- I had my titers tested 2 weeks ago and those luckily came back at 1:1. I tested again today and am praying for the same results. I'll find out for sure on Wednesday. This was supposed to be the pregnancy I really enjoyed, didn't wish to rush past, etc, since it's our last. And yet, here I am worrying all the time. It's really hard living two weeks at a time. But I am getting close to the end and I'll can hope for is a healthy baby in the end.
- The girls have been so busy, it's crazy. Samantha finished up the cheer season in November at regional competition. They had done really well at local and had they done exceptionally well at regionals, they would have been invited to nationals in Disneyland in March. I am a horrible mom and relieved to say, while they did awesome, they did not place high enough to qualify! There was a part of me that hoped the crazy schedule would talk Sam into NOT doing it next year, but it has instead talked BOTH girls into doing it. Samantha also just completed her first year in the Nutcracker (ballet) this past weekend. She did amazing, but we're all exhausted. And now, both girls have signed up to the school musical.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Great Unknown
We have recently learned that this is now considered a high risk pregnancy, although at this moment we don't know to what extent.
Last Thursday I got a phone call from my doctor saying that my blood work came back positive for the anti-c antibody. I have not had this in previous pregnancies and while her original thoughts were it happened during my delivery with Jack, it's looking more like it's happened within this pregnancy, since it was negative at my 10 week blood work up. Basically, I must have had a silent bleed at some point in this pregnancy and the baby and I have shared blood, changing the make up of my blood and my body is now attacking the baby's red blood cells. While I understand much more than I did last week, I still don't completely understand the genetics of all of it. What this could result in is severe jaundice in the baby either before and/or after birth.
Last week my titer levels (what they judge this by) came back at 1:1, which is very good news. I retested again this past Monday and my levels remained at 1:1, which is great news. It means the levels are very low and that my body has not yet started viewing the baby as "foreign". If it starts to rise, it means my body is going on "attack" mode. I will retest again every two weeks until the end of the pregnancy and we will base the next course of treatment on those results.
The outcome for this can vary. Worse case scenario, which we are not allowing ourselves to go to, would be stillbirth. Best case scenario is that my titer levels remain low and I go on to have an semi-uneventful remainder of the pregnancy and normal delivery. Other possible scenarios include a preterm delivery and possible NICU stay, interutarine blood transfusions and/or blood transfusions after birth for the baby, and mild to severe jaundice (which in it's own right could require a NICU stay regardless of being term or not). Long term (after the newborn period) there should be no risk to the baby. Long term for me - if I were to ever need a blood transfusion in the future, I would need to make sure they gave me some that has this anti-c antibody or my body will reject it. It may make sense for me to bank my own blood when I'm not pregnant, but we'll cross that at a later date.
Although my titer levels could raise at anytime, it is to my benefit that they are so low and that it happened so late in the pregnancy. Titer levels raise in doubles, so 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, etc, although could jump mulitple levels. As long as my levels remain under 1:8, we can continue on as though this was a normal pregnancy, minus the extra blood work. If it raises beyond that, we will go to the next step which are specialized ultrasounds that would check the baby for anemia. It's only if those results are too high, that we would start discussing the interuterarine blood transfusions. The belief is if my levels remain as low as they are now, that the baby should not have any complications (in regards to this) at birth, although we won't know that for sure until he/she is born. For right now, I am able to stay with my doctor, who is consulting with a high risk doctor. If things get worse, I will be referred to a perinatoligist at a larger hospital.
So for now, we sit and wait. I'll admit it's weird to be "high risk" and yet have nothing I can do change the outcome of this. My next test results will be in 2 weeks. When we got this news we were devasted as I'm sure you can imagine, but now we are cautiously optomistic about it. Right now, we could really use your good thoughts and prayers that my titer levels stay low and that this remains an uneventful pregnancy with a normal delivery.
Last Thursday I got a phone call from my doctor saying that my blood work came back positive for the anti-c antibody. I have not had this in previous pregnancies and while her original thoughts were it happened during my delivery with Jack, it's looking more like it's happened within this pregnancy, since it was negative at my 10 week blood work up. Basically, I must have had a silent bleed at some point in this pregnancy and the baby and I have shared blood, changing the make up of my blood and my body is now attacking the baby's red blood cells. While I understand much more than I did last week, I still don't completely understand the genetics of all of it. What this could result in is severe jaundice in the baby either before and/or after birth.
Last week my titer levels (what they judge this by) came back at 1:1, which is very good news. I retested again this past Monday and my levels remained at 1:1, which is great news. It means the levels are very low and that my body has not yet started viewing the baby as "foreign". If it starts to rise, it means my body is going on "attack" mode. I will retest again every two weeks until the end of the pregnancy and we will base the next course of treatment on those results.
The outcome for this can vary. Worse case scenario, which we are not allowing ourselves to go to, would be stillbirth. Best case scenario is that my titer levels remain low and I go on to have an semi-uneventful remainder of the pregnancy and normal delivery. Other possible scenarios include a preterm delivery and possible NICU stay, interutarine blood transfusions and/or blood transfusions after birth for the baby, and mild to severe jaundice (which in it's own right could require a NICU stay regardless of being term or not). Long term (after the newborn period) there should be no risk to the baby. Long term for me - if I were to ever need a blood transfusion in the future, I would need to make sure they gave me some that has this anti-c antibody or my body will reject it. It may make sense for me to bank my own blood when I'm not pregnant, but we'll cross that at a later date.
Although my titer levels could raise at anytime, it is to my benefit that they are so low and that it happened so late in the pregnancy. Titer levels raise in doubles, so 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, etc, although could jump mulitple levels. As long as my levels remain under 1:8, we can continue on as though this was a normal pregnancy, minus the extra blood work. If it raises beyond that, we will go to the next step which are specialized ultrasounds that would check the baby for anemia. It's only if those results are too high, that we would start discussing the interuterarine blood transfusions. The belief is if my levels remain as low as they are now, that the baby should not have any complications (in regards to this) at birth, although we won't know that for sure until he/she is born. For right now, I am able to stay with my doctor, who is consulting with a high risk doctor. If things get worse, I will be referred to a perinatoligist at a larger hospital.
So for now, we sit and wait. I'll admit it's weird to be "high risk" and yet have nothing I can do change the outcome of this. My next test results will be in 2 weeks. When we got this news we were devasted as I'm sure you can imagine, but now we are cautiously optomistic about it. Right now, we could really use your good thoughts and prayers that my titer levels stay low and that this remains an uneventful pregnancy with a normal delivery.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Happy Birthday Alexandra!
Today my baby girl turns 5! It is hard to believe that at this exact moment, 5 years ago, I was sitting in a hospital minutes away from giving birth to this beautiful little girl. Lexi came into this world 10 days early, with a head full of black hair, weighing 7lbs 14oz and was 21 in. long.
Since that day, she has been a constant bright light in our lives. Sure, she can be the most frustrating child at times. Her ability is listen depends on her mood and we often tease her that she's must be visiting "Lexi's world" because she isn't here with us. When I first suggested that to her, expecting her to get mad at me like her big sister would, she looked at me dead pan and said "it is really cool here, there is 102 roller coasters!". That's our girl :)
But she is also the most caring, compassionate, loving child I have ever met. She truly cares about others, is always willing to share her time and her things and is never one to back away from a hug or a kiss from us. Her laugh is contagious and you can truly tell she's happy when you see the giant dimple form on her cheek.
A 5th birthday are a milestone for a child and it's no different in this case. Maybe it's because she was my baby for so long or because she already seems so grown up, but this is a hard one for me. She's already started kindergarten and thriving, she's already started living in a world that doesn't always include me and she is definitely becoming her own little person. But she is one who absolutely knows home is where your story begins.
Lexi, you are a bright, shining star in our lives. You amaze us each and every day and we are so proud to be your parents. You have a unique job of being both a younger and older sister and you excel at both. May being 5 be all that you want it to be. We love you with everything we are.
Since that day, she has been a constant bright light in our lives. Sure, she can be the most frustrating child at times. Her ability is listen depends on her mood and we often tease her that she's must be visiting "Lexi's world" because she isn't here with us. When I first suggested that to her, expecting her to get mad at me like her big sister would, she looked at me dead pan and said "it is really cool here, there is 102 roller coasters!". That's our girl :)
But she is also the most caring, compassionate, loving child I have ever met. She truly cares about others, is always willing to share her time and her things and is never one to back away from a hug or a kiss from us. Her laugh is contagious and you can truly tell she's happy when you see the giant dimple form on her cheek.
A 5th birthday are a milestone for a child and it's no different in this case. Maybe it's because she was my baby for so long or because she already seems so grown up, but this is a hard one for me. She's already started kindergarten and thriving, she's already started living in a world that doesn't always include me and she is definitely becoming her own little person. But she is one who absolutely knows home is where your story begins.
Lexi, you are a bright, shining star in our lives. You amaze us each and every day and we are so proud to be your parents. You have a unique job of being both a younger and older sister and you excel at both. May being 5 be all that you want it to be. We love you with everything we are.
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