Tubes, Royals and Good Deals

Micah's tube surgery was this morning, and it went very well! He was over the anesthesia and back to himself by the time we got home. The hardest part was handing him over, crying, to the nurse so she could take him back for the surgery. Thankfully, the royal wedding provided a great distraction during the procedure. I'm thankful to everyone who prayed for us and/or left us a sweet message on facebook to let us know we were in their thoughts. My mom called around 8am and wanted to know if Micah was speaking sentences yet haha. We both have high expectations for this surgery! Speaking of the wedding, I am not a big "royal watcher," but Kate (or should I say, the Duchess of Cambridge) took my breath away! She is so beautiful and seems very poised and ready for the life ahead of her.

Thursday afternoon I went to the Lil Pirate Exchange consignment sale in Greenville. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but since pregnant ladies got "first dibs" on the merchandise, I decided to check it out with my friend Dawn. We both walked away with so much great stuff! I got Micah a "manly" kitchen with all the trimmings (cookware, plastic food, etc.) for $30, a tricycle (a 2nd birthday present?) for $11, an adorable ECU polo for $3.50 and several puzzles for around $7. He was so excited when we brought the kitchen in. Jamie asked, "Did you get anything for Joel?" Yes and no. Everything I bought for Micah will eventually be his :-) I've been to other consignment sales, and this one had some of the best (nicest) merchandise for some really incredible prices. They do a fall sale too, so check it out!

Who Is My Neighbor?

Several weeks ago I started reading The Hole in Our Gospel. I'm generally not a slow reader, but I can't handle reading more than a few pages of this book at a time. The text is not intellectually deep, but it's making me really uncomfortable. I've never been challenged this way before. As I'm reading, I will occasionally say to myself (as if I'm conversing with the author), "well, yes, but..." and then a few pages later, he'll address my "yes, but."

I'm not easily won over, emotionally. I thought The Shack was silly. But I can't tell you how many times I've been reading this book in a doctor's office or some other public place, and I have had to blink back tears so I won't embaras myself. And the author hasn't even launched into the really emotional stuff yet; he's still just presenting facts and his personal story.

I think this book is shaking me so because the author is so much like me (and you). He was very successful by American standards (great job, great family, Christian), and he held many of the same beliefs that I hold (and you probably hold too), particularly about the poor (not how I wish I felt or how I want to feel, but how I really feel). Then he became president of World Vision, and over time, his beliefs changed. And as they did, he began to ponder Jesus' second greatest commandment, Love your neighbor as yourself, and to answer the question, who is my neighbor?

I'm so passionate about the message in this book that I want to give a copy away to one of my friends. If you're reading this post and would like a copy (either an e-book or a hard copy), please leave a comment. On Monday, May 2, I'll choose a winner at random. Contest open to US residents only, no purchase necessary to enter ;-)

Easter, Ears and a Fetus Update

Easter 2011

We normally are out of town for Easter, and I always wish I was home to attend our church. This year we decided to stay put and do just that. I was so glad we did...what a powerful worship service to celebrate our risen Lord! Micah also go to participate in the Easter Egg hunt after service on Saturday night. We've never told him how to "do" an egg hunt...he just figured it out.

Micah at the Covenant egg hunt, laughing at Mrs. Melissa

An update on the ears...after several phone calls to our ENT doctor's nurse, we got Micah a new appointment for this Friday! I am so excited; this was a huge answer to prayer. I have to catch myself sometimes from assuming this surgery will be the cure-all for every delay he has. Although the doctor seems to think Micah's speech and balance issues are due to his ears, I just don't want to have unrealistic expectations and expect immediate improvement. We will see...I am hopeful!

Micah and Daddy

Joel seems to be doing great! He is very active, especially at night. Micah was the same way, and I remember worrying that he would be a terrible sleeper once he was born. Not the case, he's excellent. I just can't imagine that the squirmy fella inside of me is really going to stay put another 19 weeks. We've decided to do a monkey theme in his nursery. I've opted against buying the traditional crib bedding set (we don't use the quilt or bumper), but I did find an adorable monkey sheet along with some coordinating accessories, and my best bud Stephanie is going to paint a mural on the wall. My current vision is to have the crib in the middle of the wall with a palm tree coming up on each side and monkeys swinging on the trees. Our thought is that the boys will eventually share this room, so I don't want it to look quite as babyish as Micah's did. I can't wait to see it all come together...and to post pictures..and to put a baby in there :-)

Tick Off Tuesday

I love him so much!

UPDATE: God has answered my prayer!! We got Micah's surgery moved up to next Friday! Praise the Lord!

Tick Off Tuesday...a day late. As I mentioned in my last post, Micah is scheduled to get tubes in his ears, but the surgery is not for six weeks. This drives me insane. I was basically told, "This is a 5-minute surgery that will greatly improve your child's balance, hearing and speech...but we can't do it for six weeks." I tried calling our doctor's assistant to see if we could get an earlier appointment based on the severity of Micah's condition, but she won't even call me back. Which brings me to my next gripe: customer service. I believe Eastern Carolina ENT is the only shop in town, which probably means they could care less about customer service because where else are you going to go? And they also charge $300 for a 10-minute office visit. Every time I see Micah trip over air (it feels that way sometimes), I get all riled up about the injustice of it all. I really want to call the doctor's assistant back tomorrow...and get her voicemail I'm sure...and say I'd really just appreciate a call back, thanks very much. But acting like a butt might not soften her to our cause, which could mean we'll never get an earlier appointment. Grrrrrrr

Micah's Ears - Update

We had a great appointment this morning with Micah's ENT doctor. Micah has fluid behind both of his ears, which means he hears as if he had a finger stuck in both ears. This obviously impacts his hearing and speech, and it's also affecting his balance. I was so relieved to hear this because his speech and gross motor skills are two things I've really worried about. When your baby isn't developing exactly like other children, you tend to think the worst: autism, neurological defect, etc. I know he's really smart, and our pediatrician reassured me that he does not appear to be autistic (he's way too social for one thing), but I have still wondered what was causing these delays. Now we find out that one thing - this fluid behind his ears - is likely responsible for all of them, and there's a treatment in site!

Micah is scheduled to get tubes in May. I asked if he would need speech therapy afterward to catch up with his peers, but the doctor said that at his age, he should catch up quickly on his own. I know most parents probably don't get excited about their child having surgery, but I'm thrilled to know that there's a low-risk treatment for him that should really improve his quality of life.

I'm also getting really excited about having a newborn again. I still worry about juggling both boys and making sure everyone's needs are met, but I'm feeling more confident all the time. Micah is so sweet with other babies; his friend Emily was at our house this week, and when she started to cry, he took her a passy. He also tried (a little roughly I might add) to rock her in the car seat when she was fussy. I really love seeing him develop empathy.

New baby's name is Joel, made official by the fact that I ordered something monogrammed this week. I really wanted to give him a family name from my side since Micah is named after Jamie's side. Unfortunately, we don't have many good male names in my family, so right now we're leaning toward Joel White Orr. White is my maiden name for those who didn't know me before I was married. We try to talk about Joel to Micah - Joel's room, Joel's clothes - but I don't think he gets it yet. Soon enough!

Meet Joel

Let me start by saying we were not super impressed with the quality of these ultrasound pictures. The problem might have been that Joel had his back to the "camera," or he just might not be as photogenic as his brother ;-) In any case, we were thrilled to hear that he's healthy and growing like a weed.

Joel at 19 weeks. He weighs 9 ounces, and his heartbeat is 155 bpm.

Cute little profile picture...his nose reminds me of Micah's

Creepy shot of his eye

This shot is not as convincing as the one where we learned Micah's gender, but I trust the ultrasound tech ;-)

Gender Party

Our cake was BLUE - It's a BOY!

Thursday, April 7, 2011 - Ultrasound
We had several, "Um, WHAT?" moments at our appointment. The first one happened when I checked in. I asked if they were doing a urine test in addition to the ultrasound (I really had to go), and the receptionist said, "You're not scheduled for an ultrasound." "Um, WHAT?" Turns out, two patients with the same last name had appointments that morning, and she was looking at the other girl's record. WHEW! Once we went in, we explained about our gender party and asked the tech to put the gender information in an unsealed envelope that we brought. She agreed to do it, but she said that most couples peek before they even get to the parking lot. At that point, Jamie and I had pretty much decided that we wanted to know before the party. At the same time, we knew when we picked up Micah afterward, my mom (and babysitter) would ask if we knew, and we didn't want to lie. So we decided we would look after we picked him up. No lies :-)

When the ultrasound began, we immediately noticed that the baby was laying with its back up. The tech was able to see all the vital organs - everything looked great - but she could not see the gender. She told us that the baby would have to move or she would not be able to tell. Um, WHAT? We've already planned a big party...but then a few minutes later, she quickly turned the screen toward her and said she got it! I think we both suspected it was a boy then, but honestly, I've felt that way since I learned I was pregnant. With both my children, that is one detail God has always shared with me. I feel like I've just "known" from early on both times.

I thought I would be a little disappointed at not getting a daughter, but I wasn't. I was so happy to hear the baby was healthy - and that I was measuring 10 days ahead of my due date! Now he is due September 1. I'm also thrilled about getting to re-use all of Micah's cute clothes. And when I get visions of the two of them playing in the tub together or all of us going to Disney World, I'm so happy.

We are still finalizing a name, but we're pretty sure Joel will be part of it, and that's what we plan to call him. So yay for Joel (or whoever you end up being)...we can't wait to meet you!

Micah's Ears

Micah was the healthiest baby his first year of life, but when he turned 1, he started getting ear infections. He's now had 6...or is it 7?...and the last three have not healed well. We are now on our 3rd...or is it 4th?...different antibiotic. I had chronic ear infections as a child, and the antibiotic Micah is on now is the one that helped me, so I hope it works for him! In any case, we will soon be visiting an ENT (Ears, Nose and Throat) specialist to determine if tubes (or something else) will benefit Micah. Our pediatrician is concerned that the ear infections may be affecting his hearing and consequently his speech, which is delayed for his age.

Jamie is concerned about Micah having surgery at such a young age, but I had tubes three times as a child so it doesn't seem as big a deal to me. I'm more concerned about him being on antibiotics so often and the affect that has on his little body and his appetite. We have never questioned whether or not Micah can hear us, so if the infections are affecting his hearing, I think it's minor. But, we have noticed that when he speaks, he often will only say the end of a word. For example, passy comes out as assy or aa-ee. We think he may not be hearing himself start to speak, so he loses that first letter or sound. This is just a theory of ours, but I will be interested to see what the specialist says.

Please keep him in your prayers. I'm pretty optimistic about the whole thing. I've been concerned that he is not speaking as well as many of his peers, especially since he seems to understand us so well and has loved books since he was an infant. If his hearing is the problem, and it's something that we can correct, then to me that's a "best case scenario." In any case, we are praying for wisdom for our doctors and also for Jamie and me, that we will make the best decisions for Micah.