6 days and an update :)

Only 6 days to baby Brittyn...

 Braelyn can't wait! She is bundled like an eskimo cause its 24 degrees here right now with a wind chill of 11 and chance of ice/snow.. yuck! Have I shared how much I hate cold weather? I hate cold weather. There you have it :)

SIX days or less...

Yesterday I had two appointments. One with my high risk doctor.. he said Brittyn looked so perfect! He did an ultrasound and we could see her "practice breathing". It was so awesome.. I got teary eyed! He said it's a sign of a very healthy baby, praise Jesus!! She is ready whenever she needs to meet the world. I am so grateful. Everything looked great! They did a complete biophysical profile (ultrasound with NST, basically) and she scored a 10 out of 10 on the series of tests!!
Then, I went to my appointment with my OB and my blood pressure wasn't great but no need to take the baby yet. My protein wasn't dangerous high and Brittyn is still thriving. So, she is letting me have Friday off from appointements (WOO HOO, I have been going every other day for 3 weeks!) and she said she will see me Monday. She did say not to eat or drink before my appointment on Monday because she might just take Brittyn on Monday.. we will see! I am trying to not be anxious about it being Monday because I know her birthday will be next week :) If she does not take her on Monday, then she will be here on Wednesday.. the 26th! So we are still "counting down" to the 26th and if she decides to meet us before then we will all be more than happy! :)
I am just relaxing and enjoying our family of 4 for a few more days! I am so thankful that even though I have had troubles during these last two pregnancies, that our precious babies have always been protected! God is good!!

Nada

Wish I had something interesting to share today... a story to tell, a great baby update or a recipe we tried. But, I have nothing! Bed rest has consumed my soul (I'm kidding). I am still pregnant for 13 more days and I am still on bedrest. The only update on that, is that my blood pressures still aren't great, I still have protein and kidney battles, still on bed rest but Brittyn still looks perfect and is weighing in around 6lb 9oz. There ya have it, folks. I have been to the doctor a total of four times this week by Friday but we did get some precious looks at Brittyn's face when we had an ultrasound with the high risk doctor yesterday! I can't wait to kiss those cheeks!!

Anyways.. Here is what I have been doing...

• Stalking Find Hailey Dunn and The Big Country Homepage.. praying for one of our precious West Texas babies that has been missing for over two weeks now. Things aren't looking good and the drama continues to unfold. Pray for this sweet little girl!!

• Trying to convince a 2 year old, that really wants a Dora birthday party, that I really don't want to plan a Dora birthday party.. :) I was thinking more like an ice cream party, a ladybug party, or a circus party!! She isn't buying any of those ideas so looks like I will be planning a late March Dora party.. with a smile.. I think! :) So, if any of you know of any Dora party ideas.. send them my way!!

• I've been obsessing over etsy.com for big sister/middle sister/little sister shirts! My awesome cousin, that has an amazing embroidering machine, has made the shirts for the girls to wear when Brittyn is born! I can't wait to get them in the mail and post pictures!!

• I've been thinking about my checklist of things to get done before Brittyn is born and wishing that I wasn't on bed rest to get them done. I'm kidding, it's mostly complete.. but I still browse the list on my phone everyday..

I've been working on all the paper work that has to be done for me to be off work for FMLA and maternity leave. It is an ordeal... let me tell you! 

• And I have been enjoying being the mommy to these two precious angels before we become a family of FIVE!

My heart is overflowing with joy and excitement to meet Brittyn and it still makes me anxious to know Happy wont be the "baby" anymore. I remember the exact same feeling with Braelyn when Happy was about to be born... so I know we will be just fine. But it's still bittersweet :) Brittyn will be here in less then two weeks and our family will be complete. Thanks for all your prayers and messages as we battle through these last couple weeks on pregnancy with preeclampsia. I appreciate every one of our precious friends and family!!

Another miracle..Braelyn

As if we didn't have enough things to be grateful for this Thanksgiving, God has added to our list!

Last week, Braelyn had a little bit of a runny nose but nothing serious going on. Both of our girls have pretty bad asthma so when anything happens, even runny noses, I start watching for any other symptoms that this virus is going to move to thier chest and lungs. She was good on Wednesday. Thursday morning, I woke them up, got them ready, headed out the door to work and Jeff headed in the opposite direction to take Braelyn to school.

On my lunch break I had a call from a number I didn't know so I answered. It was the nurse at Braelyn's school saying that Braelyn was in her office and was not feeling very well. Her teacher said she didn't eat lunch and had been crying all morning, which was very un-Braelyn. I had Jeff on his way to the school to pick her up within 30 minutes, although there was no big rush at this point. He picked her up and said she was doing okay, probably just getting a cold and was resting on the couch watching tv. I was relieved.

By 3 that afternoon, he was calling me back that she was burning hot with fever and having a lot of trouble breathing. He made the decision to rush her to her pediatrician's office to be checked and I left work early to meet him there since I could tell Jeff was pretty worried. I was assuming they would give her a breathing treatment, a prescription for her steroid and we would be going home. As soon as I walked in the doctor's office and saw Braelyn I knew this was not good. Jeff's judgment was dead on. Her oxygen level was at 85% (which he normally sends her to the hospital at about 94% and kids go on oxygen around 92%). She was in danger, even after a treatment in his office, and her fever was around 103 degrees.

We rushed her over to the hospital to be admitted and spent the next four days there. They had her on IV antibiotics, constant O2 level monitoring and oxygen for almost 3 days. By the third day, they could get her breathing well off oxygen but when she was asleep her oxygen levels would drop low and the oxygen would go back on. It took 3 nights of trying to get her to sleep without needing supplemental oxygen before she made it all night.

It wasn't fun. It was heartbreaking to see her like her.. connected with so many wires and the awful sight of those oxygen tubes going in her little nose.

It all hit her fast and we were lucky that she was able to get stabilized. Chest xrays showed pneumonia in her lungs, which was really making her struggle with her asthma. Her body was fighting so hard that she literally was throwing up the first day and slept 15 hours, almost straight through.

 Because she is so loved, she had lots of friends and family stop by to see her bring her toys. She spent four days doing puzzles, playing with playdough, coloring, painting, watching movies and playing on her Nintendo DS. I actually think she might have enjoyed the little break, once she was feeling better, because she got great one-on-one time with Mommy and Daddy but we were all missing Happy alot!

Balloons from Nana and Papaw... these pictures were on her third day when she got to wear her own pajamas. That made her a happy girl! :)

 

And finally on Sunday, after a bad long weekend, my little angel was free from all the junk connecting her to that bed, breathing steady and on her way home! Jampa got her a Toy Story shirt for her trip home. It was a good day and we were so excited to see Happy, who had been with Jamom, Jampa and Shanna the past four days. We missed her so much!! It was really hard to be away from one baby but I knew my focus had to be on Braelyn, at that moment, and focusing on getting her well and home!!

And while we are talking about sweet little Braelyn.. look at these cute pictures she draws me everyday on her magna doodle. She is just so smart and I couldn't be more proud of either one of my babies.

Braelyn is obsessed with the idea of baby Brittyn coming and even Happy is coming around to the idea, too!

Thanking you all for covering our family, especially Braelyn, with prayers the past couple weeks. God is good in taking care of our sweet children.

I am counting my blessings this Thanksgiving and every day!!

Merry Christmas 2009

Christmas Day: The girls got to open all their presents from Santa and Mommy & Daddy. They had a lot of fun and got way more than they needed but what can I say?! :) Aren't they precious in their matching pajamas!?

You couldn't tell from these pictures but Brylee actually had surgery on the 23rd. She had tubes put in her ears (like big sister, Braelyn, has done three times before). It wasn't a fun process and her ears looked pretty bad but we are so thankful for their ENT doctor who is the best in the world and takes such good care of our little girls. She is recovering well and I think the ears might actually be clear for the first time in around six weeks.. poor baby!!
Hope you all had wonderful Christmas and an amazing year in 2010!! We are so thankful for each and every one of you, friends and family, who bless us on a daily basis! We love you!!

Update :)

This is officially the worst blogging month I have ever had but in other areas, it's been a great month for us! :)

I started my new job mid-November and so far, so good. There is lots to learn and I am still in training but things are going well and I am really pumped about the oppourtunity.

Here are some pictures of the goofy kids playing in the car while we were waiting for Dylan to get out of school:

The kids are doing pretty well in daycare, too. They, of course, did get sick the first week but I expect that for a little while until they build up some immunities. Thankfully, my amazing family has really rallied around us so I wouldn't have to miss any work. Jeff stayed home with them one day when they weren't feeling well and then last week Happy got sent home with a fever and Jeff's dad took the morning off to watch her (best Jampa EVER!) and then my brother took off the rest of the afternoon to keep her. Long story, short is they both got colds and Braelyn's turned into asthma/bronchitis and Brylee has a double ear infection, which has caused us two trips to doctor (one to switch an antibiotic) and had made her have steady high fevers for the past fours days. So basically, they have been living on antibiotics, motrin/tylenol and breathing treatments. It is all looking up though and I think the worst is over. Praise God!

Happy and Daddy taking a nap.. she had about 103 fever here:

A couple of weekends ago we went to see Chris and Kristie in Gatesville. It was fun and the kids really love staying in hotels (so do I!).

Thanksgiving was good. We spent this year in Abilene with Jeff's family and we had a great time and ate lots of good food. We rotate every year for holidays and last year we went to Fort Worth with my family. Can you tell Happy was not feeling good in all these Thanksgiving pictures?! She did NOT want to take pictures but she did love the neighbors new puppy :)

That's basically all we have had going on.. which is a lot! After staying home with the kids for so long I sometimes feel like I am running around with my head cut off LOL but it is all good and we are having fun! Keep posting on your blogs.. I AM reading even though I don't have much time to blog :)

Holiday Season.. woo hoo!! :)

My car was STOLEN!

I promise that my kids had a great Halloween and I promise that I took too many pictures, as always, and I also promise that I will post those pictures before they are 20 and 21 years old but for now please indulge me while I whine and cry.
Halloween morning, Happy and I got up early and were wondering around the house doing our normal morning routine. She was fussy and saying she wanted to see our "punkins" on the front porch so I opened the front door to show her and noticed that my car was gone. Hmm.. I thought maybe Jeff let his parents borrow it or something so I came in and woke him up and said "where is my car?". He, still half asleep, moaned something about parked closer to the neighbors house so I probably couldn't see it for the bushes. So, I went back to the living room, put on my tennis shoes and walked out to the curb in my pajamas and looked down the street. Ya, my car was not in front of the neighbors house. I quickly ran back inside yelled at Jeff, "My car is gone, Jeff!" He jumped out of bed. I woke up Chris and Kristie, called Jeff's dad and hung up with him to call the Abilene Police. I knew all the info on my car including license plate (if you don't know yours, go write it down right now) and told it all to the operator. She asked me lots of questions and by the time I hung up Jeff's dad pulled up and Jeff, his dad and Chris went driving around just to make sure they didn't see it nearby. I called my grandpa in Fort Worth, just to give him the heads up, and by the time we hung up, an officer for APD called me back and said they found my car on the Northside of town and it looked like it was in great condition, except that it was out of gas. We loaded up and headed to the other side of town. What the officer did not know was what had been in my car when it was taken. I immediately noticed that my $250 double stroller was gone, Happy's $200 car seat was gone and the kids portable DVD player was gone. Also, stolen was my debit card (don't worry, not used.. I called and cancelled it). The officer said he got some "not so promising fingerprints" and that I probably would not see my stolen items again because they were probably "sold or traded for drugs". Gee, thanks, break my heart.. someone stole from my babies to get high! UGH! Anyways, as thankful as I am to have my whole car back (and in good shape) it was really sad to think about the things taken from my kids and now the struggle to replace them. Is it weird that mom's get attached to their kids "things"?  I mean, I understand how blessed we are to have all the nice things and lucky that we got my car back in great shape but I still get sad thinking about the things we lost. So all week I have been searching, searching, searching online and in stores to find replacements. Mostly, for my babys car seat and the double stroller. The tv's are not a necessity and they can get those as Christmas presents.
So I did lots of research and picked this car seat for Happy. I love convertible car seats and the fact that she can use it as long as she will ever need a car seat. Her stolen one was convertible car seat, as well, in precious pink and brown and I loved it so much. I know that this one will do the job just as well :) It is a Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat in Rachel For some reason, they are not carrying it in the Abilene Target anymore so I found the last one that they had at a Target by my grandparents house in Fort Worth and my grandpa went by and picked it up for me. I love him :) He is going to meet me one day next week and I cannot wait to see it!!

The second debate, still going, is over the double stroller that was stolen. First of all, you should know when I found out I was pregnant with baby #2, precious Brylee, the first thing I did was start looking at double strollers. I couldn't wait to push my two babies around and after months of research I found this not-so-little jewel and I have loved her ever since :)

The thought of replacing her with a different double stroller is a little heartbreaking, haha, but the truth is I really don't need that big one anymore. Braelyn is 3 years old and rarely, if ever, wants to sit in the stroller with her "baby" sister! So I debated buying another one just like it and changed my mind. Then I debated buying this side-by-side but Jeff thought it would be too wide to get through doors or a pain when shopping in small aisles, which is a valid point, so I changed my mind on that one too. So my final decision might be in this one.. a sit-n-stand. It has a seat for the baby/toddler in front and a little bench in the back where big sister can sit or stand. Sound good? I think so. I have not made a firm choice but I am going to run by Target tonight to look at one. I think Braelyn might even think its fun to jump on and off the back, don't you? This will at least get us through a couple more years till we won't need a stroller anymore.. sigh.

If you read all this and have any advice or tips then you can be my new best friend. I know it shouldn't be so hard.. just go out and buy new things.. but I want them to be the right things and yes, I am this organized, structured, researched on all important purchases. And yes, Jeff is annoyed with talking about it :) Please leave me a comment with advice :)

TWO more things..

I forgot to share that Braelyn did great in her surgery last Friday. She was a trooper. We had to be at the hospital at 6 in the morning but we managed to get everyone ready and out the door. We talked to her doctor and they took her back (she cried a little) and then 15 minutes later her doctor came out and said she did great. He did mention that she fought them on the gas mask to put her to sleep but my response was "yes, sorry, she is a fighter!" It's sooo true.. anytime Braelyn has to have anything done that she doesn't want to do she will kick and scream (only at doctors, by the way, other than that she is really well behaved lol). She may have inheirted this fighting personality from someone on my side of the family.. I won't name any names :) We met her back in the recovery room and we were home by 11, simple as that. Braelyn was bouncing off the walls by the time Aunt Kristie got her around noon and was booing at the zoo the next day. I am praying this is the last surgery for forever!!! Thanks for all your prayers and comments for Braelyn. We appreciate you so much.

Of course, the best part of going to the doctor or hospital is all the stickers they give you, right? I am not sure why but these pictures crack me up. Weird little kids :)

Pirates?

Dancing with the stickers

And Brylee did NOT like the stickers on her face nor was she amused by Braelyn and Dylan's sticker faces. Can you tell? :)

And the news of the day.. I got a million questions already today about what happened to my facebook.. and the short answer is.. I deleted it. Simple as that. It's time consuming and requires too much update.. why do I need it? I have a husband to spend time with and children to take care of and spend time with so I can only see it as a distraction. You can see all my pictures and updates here. I might change my mind one day but while I was deleting last night.. I deleted my myspace too but that was an easy decision.. I haven't used it in months!! So, keep up with my blog and keep up with YOUR blog so I can keep up with you, too! Lots of keeping up going on around here, huh? :) So, if you need me I still have an email address.. if we are friends, you know my personal email (if you don't, leave me a comment and I will send it to you) and if we are "internet friends" and you just surfed on my blog then email me at my blog email mommyloftin@yahoo.com Life made easy, right? Hope you all can understand where I am coming from. I don't mean to make people mad but this is the best decision for me. It's a cool and rainy day in Abilene, Texas and I am getting kids down for naps... ta-ta! :)