Can I Step on my Soapbox for a Minute?

**This week has been busy but slow all at the same time! I had 3 doctors appointments this week, 2 for the specialist and 1 at my OB. Dr. Reed (the specialist) was worried about Christmas messing up my routine appointment so he had me come in on Friday...haha, whatever! But, I'm sure poor Josiah is tired of being poked with the ultrasound machine!! It's like he knows everytime we're at the doctor. He refuses to move when we're there, but as soon as I leave or get home he's squirming all over the place!**

Anyhow, this morning before I started my mission of baking peanut butter brownies, I was watching a little tv and eating breakfast. Anthony was getting ready to go play a round of golf...he might be a little crazy since it's cold and windy out! I can't remember what I was watching (or if I was even really watching, I was also trying to finish up a crochet project) but a commercial came on for the "HurryCane". It's an all-terrain cane that can also stand up by itself. Anthony by this time was in the kitchen and he heard the commercial and said "we should have gotten that for you mom for Christmas!" He was completely kidding of course. However, it did get me thinking...

Many of you may or may not know that I was adopted (that should be a whole other blog post), but to make a long story short I have a huge family because I keep in touch with both of my biological parents. A lot of people find this very interesting but to me it's just normal. It's always fun to answer the question "do you have any siblings?" Well...yes I do...lots: I have 3 older brothers and then I have 5 biological half brothers and 3 biological half sisters, but I basically grew up as an only child. So, how does that work? I have 3 older brothers, but they could technically be my dads! The youngest one is almost the same age as Anthony's parents I believe.

It can be quite a confusing to try and explain my whole adoption story. The easy short way is: it was a private open adoption. The long confusing way if you're up for it is: My mom's (and when I say mom I'm talking about my adopted mom, because she IS my mom) brother married my biological mom's aunt. Of course my mom and biological mom didn't know each other tho. Anyhow, my parents had just married off the last of my 3 brothers and had attempted to adopt a sibling group, but that fell through. Shortly after that my mom's brother contacted my parents and asked if they would be interested in adopting a baby. That baby just so happened to be me. So...had I NOT been adopted I would still be related to my mom's brother by marriage (he would be my great uncle), and I probably wouldn't even know my parents. But, since I WAS adopted, he is my uncle. Confused yet?? That's alright...it doesn't really matter anyway, we're just one big happy family!!

Okay, back to my point. My parents were grandparents when they decided to adopt me. I mean, dad was about to turn 50 and mom was 47/48 when they brought me home! To most of you that probably sounds absolutely crazy!! Many times throughout my life (mostly just through school) I had people ask if those were my grandparents, haha! It never really bothered me tho. The only thing I still give them a hard time about is that they were always party poopers when it came to New Years Eve! Other than that..my childhood on up was the same as any other kid. Mom was able to stay home with me and then eventually worked part time while I was in school. Dad still worked and coached me for many years in softball...he was even my catcher when it came to pitching lessons...poor guy I think he still has a bruise on his leg from all those drop ball pitches...sorry about that dad!

So what am I ranting about? Over the past couple of months I've either had or heard a few different conversations where people have said things like "there's no way I'd have another kid at this age" or "I'm through with mine, it's my time to enjoy now". Now I'm not saying going out and adopting a baby at the age of 50 is what everyone is suppose to do. But, it just irritates me that some people think they've earned the right to their "own" time once they hit a certain age. To so quickly dismiss the idea if a child was to end up on their doorstep is just sad to me. They have no idea what they could be missing out on. I count it an absolute priviledge to have had "older" parents. I grew up listening to the oldies on the radio with my dad, I definitely know a few "older" sayings, and I think I learned to hold a higher respect for the older generation (where some kids today have absolutely none). Not only do I think I benefited from having older parents, but I believe my parents benefited as well. If you were to run into my parents today I guarantee you would not guess their age correctly, or that they have 7 great grandchildren and almost 9 grandchildren. They have been very blessed with great health and have aged fantastic. I fully believe when you let yourself "get old" then you most certainly will. Something happens to a person when they stop being active. I'm sure I certainly kept my parents on their toes for many years! Not tooting my own horn, because I think the benefits were mutual. Now, look at these pictures and tell me if you'd ever guess mom is 72 and dad is 74!! Sorry mom, don't kill me for posting your age, but you look GREAT so you shouldn't be ashamed!



This picture was taken in April '12

This one is a few years old, but trust me, he hasn't changed!

This is probably the most recent one of both of them

The Bible tells us that children are a blessing (Pslam 127:3-5). It should not matter what age you are. There is no age limit for a person to stop having or adopting children (granted I'm not saying someone should adopted a baby at the age of 80, let's have some common sense). And, please don't tell me you want to have all of your children at a young age so you will be able to enjoy them and your grandchildren and not be "too old"....

And now, I will step off of my soapbox! All of that from a silly cane commercial...I better go check to see how my brownies turned out!!


Specialist Appointment

I had an appointment with the specialist this morning (Dr. Reed) and mister Josiah is doing great! I had another new ultrasound tech but she was super friendly. We attempted to get some cute 3D pictures, but of course little man decided to be difficult and keep his hands in front of his face...this has been the norm for him the entire pregnancy, haha oh well if he enjoys having them up there then that's fine =) She did get a pretty good shot of his foot...

Maybe that's the foot that enjoys kicking my right rib cage!

Josiah weighed in at an estimated 5 pounds (38th percentile) the ultrasound tech said she believes he'll probably be around 7 1/2 pounds or so, sounds good to me! He also scored and 8/8 for the different things they look for to make sure he is doing alright (fluid levels, movement, etc.). From now on I'll be heading to the specialist weekly, WOW, that means things are getting seriously close!

As of tomorrow I will have 6 weeks left...and I feel like I have SO much left to do:
*I'd still like to get some pictures taken
*I need to start thinking about what I want to pack for the hospital
*I'd like to see if we can talk to someone in the Gwinnett Medical NICU, just to ask a few questions (one question in particular is to see if I can at least hold Josiah before they take him to the NICU, so long as he is alright right after he is born)
*I need to call the insurance company to ask a few questions
*Pre-register at the hospital
*Finish reading a book I started about natural childbirth (we have chosen not to do any childbirth classes..no specific reason really..mostly we just haven't had the time)
*Get my hair done...this should be at the top of my list...my hair is driving me CRAZY!

As far as pregnancy goes, I'm still enjoying it for the most part:
+ I still haven't had any crazy cravings, which is fine with me!
+ I have a good bit of energy (minus today..I've been super lazy!)
+ I love feeling Josiah move around, especially when he's pushing his knee/hand/butt out and part of my stomach is harder because of it
+ Overall I feel pretty good!

- I'm tired of feeling like I wear the same clothes over and over..but there is no sense in going and buying anything new now
- Heartburn can go climb a tree! It's usually the worst if I eat a little too much or if it's something spicy. Sometimes it will randomly act up, and it can get to the point where it makes me have to cough/feel like I'm about to puke in my mouth!
- Sometimes my heart will decide to race and it will feel like I just ran a mile, I've noticed it tends to happen if I have my hands over my head for a short time (like washing my hair in the shower)


Other than that, not much has been happening in the Barfield household! I am super ready for Christmas, it's definitely my favorite holiday!! I just kind of wish it would get a little colder to make it feel like it's actually winter...I wouldn't mind a little snow either =)
Only 8 more days until Christmas, and I can't help but be thankful for the true meaning of Christmas...I am so thankful for my Lord and savior Jesus Christ and that we have the freedom to celebrate his birth!!

No More...

...Pediatric cardiologist prenatal appointments!!! I had my last appointment with Dr. V last Thursday, and it was crazy to think that the next time I see Dr. V we will have mister Josiah here! The appointment went great (as in there were no changes from the last time I was there). Dr. V said there is still some narrowing of his PFO, but that he could still see that blood was passing through to the right atrium, so that's a good thing. There is still a possibility that it could become more narrow by the time Josiah arrives, but we're just going to pray that it stays the same or even corrects itself!

I was kind of bummed that Michelle (my ultrasound tech) wasn't there. I actually had a couple of questions for her, but she was sick. I had a very sweet girl do the ultrasound for me and I could tell that she was still somewhat new. Michelle and I usually carry on all sorts of conversations while she's scanning. I asked this girl something when she first started and she didn't answer for like 2 minutes, haha! I can't imagine how long it probably takes to get really good at doing fetal echos though...everything tends to look the same to me but it's obviously not. I remember this girl did tell me that everyone refers to Dr. V and Michelle as the "dream team"...that's definitely nice to hear =)

For the past 3 appointments I've gotten used to having some sort of medical student shadowing either Michelle or Dr. V and Thursday was no different. When Dr. V came in he had a medical student with him and he watched as Dr. V took over the scan. It felt like this scan took extra long, but I guess Dr. V wanted to get one, good last look at Josiah's heart before he's born. This also answered my question as to why I had to keep going to both the pediatric cardiologist and the specialist. Since this is my last appointment with Dr. V, I will continue to go to the specialist up until I deliver so they can monitor Josiah's heart and make sure everything is still going well.


No More...
...Enjoying sleep! Up until about a week ago I really couldn't complain about how I was sleeping (besides the normal middle of the night bathroom break). NOW..is a different story. I no longer enjoy going to bed. I can't get comfortable, I think I turn over back and forth about 12 times a night, and I no longer take 1 bathroom trip but 2!!..I hope it doesn't get to 3 buy the end of it all, wishful thinking?? I know I've heard over and over you arn't suppose to sleep on your back. However, I asked Dr. Pohl about this early on and he said as long as I wasn't passing out, getting light-headed, or having trouble breathing I could sleep on my back. Again, about a week and a half ago it became uncomfortable to lay on my back for more than about a minute, ugh! Tums and I have become very close friends recently...that old wives tale better come true...Josiah you better come out with a head full of hair, buddy!


No More...
...Enjoying food! Okay, just kidding...I can't give up my nightly bowl of cereal (which has really been the only continuous legit craving I've had so far). But seriously, I feel like I look at food and I gain weight now. I know I'm not, but maybe I just feel like I am because I feel HUGE! I've honestly done much better than I thought I would with gaining weight. I think I'm right around 18-20 pounds at 32 weeks. Of course that estimated weight comes from weighing myself right after I wake up, pee, and I'm in my birthday suite...come on ladies..don't lie, you know that's how you do it too ;) Too funny, I had this conversation with 2 friends a few weeks ago and we were dying laughing because we all said that's what we do. And, when we go to doctors appointments we pick out the lightest weight clothes/shoes...anything to save a half a pound!


Alright, enough complaining. Here are some things that I'm still able to do or enjoy doing:

*Wear the same size shoe:
thankfully my feet haven't swollen or gotten any bigger/flatter
*Wear my wedding rings :
unless I've had a little too much sodium the day before..that usually happens on Monday, because of what we eat on Sunday
*Work:
still substituting
*Do a little exercising:
even though it's not always at the gym
*Wear pants that I wore before getting pregnant :
with my belly band of course! Thankfully my butt and legs haven't gotten bigger and I can still fit into them besides zipping/buttoning
*Go on dates:
Anthony and I are actually going on one this weekend to see Chronicles of Narnia the Musical at the new Buford Community Center, I can't wait...yes I'm a nerd
*Feel my little buddy inside kick away:
poor guy is starting to get a little cramped I'm afraid

**We are down to 8 weeks!! I'm sure they will drag by and fly at the same time!**

 

 

...The Nursery!

It wasn't until after we found out we we're having a boy that I got excited about shopping and decorating. While going to different stores and looking at baby clothes, I noticed I would tend to enjoy anything with monkies on it. I even bought Josiah a little sleeper with monkies on it. About a month and a half ago people began asking me how I was going to decorate the nursery. Good question...I hadn't really thought about it, but thought I might end up sticking with the monkey theme. However, the more time that passed, the less it appealed to me...

Finally, after much thought, I decided on a theme....primitive american (or early, colonial america). The more I thought about it, the more I fell in love with the idea! I shared my thoughts with Anthony and he was on board as well! I started searching online for crib bedding sets, and that's when I realized that this theme was going to be more difficult then I had imagined...

After many hours of searching and marking off the option of paying someone an arm and a leg to make crib bedding/curtains, I decided to attempt to sew the curtains and crib skirt myself. I found some awesome fabric at Hobby Lobby that will work perfect. I had gone to a few antique stores to look for a few decorations and had almost given up hope until one weekend back in October.

Anthony and I decided to head to Monroe because we had heard they have a few awesome antique stores! Come to find out the Saturday we chose to go was also when Monroe had their fall festival, so we killed a few birds with one stone. We got up early Saturday and headed to our church rummage sale for missions. They had a TON of stuff, but nothing we were really looking for..they ended up making over $3,000 for missions!! God is GOOD!!! After the rummage sale, we headed to downtown Monroe and stopped to walk around for the festival. There was SO much going on, and perfect for families! We actually ran into Anthony's cousin Will, his wife Kristin, and their little girl Jayden. They told us about the old cotton mill antique store and we decided to check that one out first.

WOW...talk about an antique store! Anthony has mentioned a few times since we've been there, that that was the best antique store he's been to so far. It was HUGE and we ended up finding 2 things to put in Josiah's room. We came across a really old 1776 American flag framed, but opted not to pay almost $600 for it..haha! Before we left we came across a vendor that had tea-stained flags!! They came in all sizes and were incredibly affordable. We picked out a 13 star flag that was 17X28, and we also bought a metal barn star for only 8 bucks! I ended up puting the 13 star flag in a frame I found at Hobby Lobby. I also backed it with burlap to make it look even more primitive.

The first thing I actually made for Josiah's room was a decorative piece that spelled out Josiah's name to hang above his bed. It turned out decent, but I am having to re-glue the letters with wood glue (they don't want to stick with the hot glue I used). After framing the flag, I decided it was time to start on the curtains. I found a simple pattern online for a valance, some fabric from Hobby Lobby, and went from there. It didn't turn out too bad for my first "big" sewing project. I also found some cheap pannels at Anna's that matched pretty well with the valance. I didn't like how they were made to hang, so I ended up cutting the tops off and sewing a pocket for the curtain rod to go through.

Anthony hanging the finished piece!

You can kind of see the crib skirt here...

It took me and entire Saturday to make the valance and fix the curtain pannels, so it took me a few weeks to get in the mood to try and attempt the crib skirt! Finally, a couple Saturdays I decided it was time to get it over with. Again, I found a simple pattern online to use. It took me 2 days to get this project done! I wouldn't say either of these things were hard to make, just time consuming!! I'm sure it wouldn't have taken a more experienced sewer nearly that long =)

Overall I'm pretty happy with how everything turned out. It has definitely helped pull everything together and make the room look more finished. We also bought a 9 hole cubby organizer thing from Target. We also have one in the "dining room" that we use for books and Anthony's cans of tuna...haha, don't ask, just know we go through many cans of tuna in the Barfield household! And, storing them in a basket in the bookcase is a perfect place since we don't have room in the pantry.

Definitely adds some storage!

This was my rocking chair when I was little,
and it matches his furniture! 

The only other thing I plan on doing to Josiah's room is possibly add some shelves and picture frames to the empty wall in his room, but that can come later. Now all we need is a baby to put in the crib =)

One Flesh Sunday School Shower

Before Anthony and I got married, we joined the One Flesh Sunday School class at Sunrise Baptist. It's listed as the "newly married class" but if you ever visit, you will see why everyone ends up staying even after they have been married several years! We have an awesome teacher and group of members!! It is a common joke to tell people not to drink the water if they come to our class, because you will eventually end up having a baby. Sometimes I wonder if we should rename our class to the "baby making class". We literally have babies every few months, but what a blessing! We like to throw showers for couples that are having their first baby and then a breakfast fellowship/gift basket for the next baby. I must say it was a little crazy being on the receiving end of the shower, but nonetheless Anthony and I were both super excited.

Our Sunday School shower was the very next day (Sunday, Nov. 11) after the Barfield shower. It worked out perfect because we were able to put all of Josiah "goodies" away at once. The shower was held right after the 11 o'clock service in what we call the lighthouse (where our college and career class meets).

**To anyone from our sunday school class that is reading this and you helped decorate/bring food/help clean up, a HUGE thank you from Anthony and I. You guys did a wonderful job and we are both so thankful to be a part of such an awesome class!! I don't think we can express our gratitude and appreciation enough!**

After eating it was time to open gifts. And I'll just end by saying this: could this child be anymore loved/spoiled already?? Thank you again to everyone! Here are a few picture to enjoy:

28 weeks and 5 days



Getting ready to leave for church

Can't wait to use everything 

These were used as table decoraton, super cute!



Anthony's favorite blanket! Thanks Heather =)

 

Barfield Baby Shower

I had my first baby shower on Saturday (Nov. 10)! One of the not-so-good things about having a baby in January is having to plan baby showers around the holidays. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas and trying not to plan a shower too late in case Josiah decides to make an early appearance, you arn't left with too many dates. But, no worries they have all been planned and I feel so blessed to have such awesome family and friends! We decided to throw a shower for Anthony's side of the family (both his mom and dad's side together). We also did this for our wedding shower and it worked out wonderful.

I met mom early on Saturday at Kohls because she had a coupon for 30% off, but of course we didn't find anything. We both needed to get some things at Cosmo Prof (hair supply store where mom gets supplies) so we stopped there next. I loaded up on some shampoo and conditioner. And, yes, I have been spoiled by having a mom for a hairdresser. I really can tell a difference between a good shampoo and a not so good shampoo. Anthony on the other hand has no opinion, haha! Anyhow, I figured I didn't want to have to worry about running out once Josiah gets here so we are set for a while! After Kohls and Cosmo Prof, mom and I decided to grab a quick/lite lunch. We ended up at a little cuban cafe place right down the road from our house. I didn't even know it was there! We ordered a side salad and a chicken cuban sandwich and split them both. I must say, it was really yummy! I've never had Cuban food before, but I will definitely be going back and taking Anthony with me. The owner was super nice too!

After lunch, we headed home to hurry and change clothes and get ready to leave for the shower. Anthony had to ref some championship football games that afternoon/evening so he was getting ready to leave once we got home. I didn't realize how time had flown that morning, so I had to rush and curl my hair and change my outfit. After doing those 2 things, it was time to hit the road again. The shower was at New Canaan Baptist Church, which is right down the road, so it took less than five minutes to get there. As much as I try to be on time if not early to things, it never seems to happen. I'd say we were pretty close, we got there about 3 minutes after 2!

The shower was a drop in from 2-4, but basically everyone was there by 2:30. Shout out to: Liz, Ashley, Deborah, Linda, Brenda, and Melanie (hope I didn't leave anyone out!) who did a beautiful job with the shower! I am so thankful for all you did to put it together...especially the cakes, they were delicious!!

I could kick myself for forgetting my camera..at least I can blame it on pregnancy, right?? Jessica, my sister-in-law, did take some pictures for me of the decorations, food, etc (thanks J!) So when I get those, I will post a few. But, everything looked awesome! Let me say how beyond grateful I am for everyone's generosity that was at the shower (or sent a gift). We received some wonderful gifts and can't wait to be able to use them! Here are some pictures below:

All of Josiah's gifts

Super excited about our stroller!! Thanks to the in-laws!

 

Super cute frog on a motorcycle made by Ashley!

Can't wait to put this by his little bed at Egleston

Mom stayed for a little while after the shower at our house until dad came and picked her up. Since Anthony was refereeing that afternoon it was nice to have some company for a while. Of course He didn't end up getting home until 11pm!! We still managed to have a little fun before bed, by having Anthony try on the baby carrier. That was one of the things he wanted to register for...haha just look at this picture! It looks so small on him!

Please excuse the fan cleaner...and random box of yarn!
Still trying to find space in this house for everything!!

The Lord is Still in the Miracle Business

**Please note: this is a fairly long post with some crazy medical stuff, but please be sure to read to the end =) Also, I am by no means an expert on all of the medical things we are learning about Josiah, this is just my understanding of everything.

This past Thursday I had an appointment with Dr. V (our pediatric cardiologist). These appointments are spaced 4 weeks apart, but for whatever reason, I always feel like I was just there. Dr. V's staff is so sweet and I absolutely love my ultrasound tech, Michelle!

These appointments are simply to make sure that Josiah's heart is still strong and functioning. At my last appointment I was in and out in an hour. This time it took about and hour and a half...Josiah was being a little stubborn =) Once Michelle finally got the pictures she wanted, Dr. V came in a did a little scanning of his own. After he was finished, he mentioned he noticed something that was a little concerning. Dr. V asked if I had the drawing he had given Anthony and I at our first appointment. I told him yes, but not with me (guess it would be a good idea to keep it in my purse). No worries though, he drew another one and went on to explain what the ultrasound was showing. He started by saying that Josiah's heart still has a very strong squeeze. He even drescribed it as a little above average!! After the good news he went on to explain what the ultrasound was showing.

Ok, are you ready for a little science lesson??

When a baby is in the womb, its blood circulates differently then when they are born. When a baby is born, there are two parts of their heart that will close shortly after birth: the PFO and the PDA (I won't confuse you with what those letters stand for, lol). The PDA (which connects the pulmonary artery and the aorta) closes between 72 hour and 2 weeks, and the PFO (which allows blood to flow from the left atrium to the right atrium) closes between 6 months and 1 year.

When Josiah is born, he will be given prostoglandin to keep the PDA open until his surgery. This needs to be open so that at least a portion of his oxygenated blood from the left side of his heart can flow back to his lungs by flowing from the aorta to the pulmonary artery.

Here are some pictures that might help you get the idea:

Picture showing the PDA

 

Picture showing the PFO

 

 

 

What Dr. V believed he noticed had to do with the PFO. The ultrasound can measure the pressure of the blood flow from the left atrium (LA) to the right atrium (RA). A normal pressure measures around 1. Dr. V mentioned that the ultrasound was showing Josiah's measuring at 2. So, what does that mean? Simply put, the flap was being partialy closed from the pressure of the blood flowing from the LA to the RA...not a good thing. Because Josiah's left ventrical (the chamber right below the left atrium) and aortic valve are small, it does not allow a lot of blood to flow through. Therefore the PFO being open is critical for Josiah so that the blood has somewhere to flow and does not get backed up.

 

If the PFO does become partially closed in HLHS babies, then blood flow becomes backed up. The blood has no where else to go but into his lungs. I asked Dr. V what that would mean when Josiah is born, and he said it would mean that he would be a little more sick, and we would need to get him to Egleston sooner. This condition is called restrictive patent foramen ovale or Pulmonary Hypertention. Before Josiah could have his first surgery, he would have to undergo another procedure that would open up the PFO. This procedure is similar to when a person has to have stents put in. They go through a vein in your leg, in through the inferior vena cava and insert a little balloon to open up the PFO.

 

**Interesting fact: during Josiah's first surgery Dr. Kanter will actually permenantly open up Josiah's PFO flap. This will allow the blood to flow freely from Josiah's left atrium to his right atrium**

 

I don't know if this is a good thing or not, but I felt like I was numb to the fact that more bad news had been added to Josiah's condition. I wasn't taken aback, I didn't panic, I wasn't mad, I simply just began asking Dr. V questions and listened as he drew a picture and explained. Maybe it just hadn't had time to sink in. I thanked Dr. V and I remember telling him we're just going to add that to our prayer list and scheduled another appointment in 4 weeks.

 

After handing my stamped parking pass to the attendant I decided to call Anthony and let him know what I had just found out. After he answered I asked how his day was going and he said it was fine, but before I could go into detail about what I had just learned a number beeped in. I noticed it was the number Dr. V's office usually calls from. Normally, I would have just let them leave a message and I would have called them back, but for whatever reason I told Anthony to hold on for a second. I answered and it was Michelle (my ultrasound tech) and she sounded very happy. She went on to tell me that after I left, she and Dr. V went to his office and he did some calculations of his own. And, come to find out the pressure of Josiah's bloodflow was NOT measuring at 2, but instead it was measuring within the normal range!!! PRAISE THE LORD! It was measuring a little on the higher end of normal, but none the less, MUCH better than what we had thought! Michelle said Dr. V would be more then happy to talk with me if I would like, but I told her it was ok, that I was just happy to hear everything was actually fine! She added that after Dr. V recalculated, his reaction was "This is factastic!!" Haha..I can totally hear him saying that. I clicked back over to Anthony and began to explain everything that went on at the appointment. He was glad to hear everything turned out to actually be OK!

 

Now that I have had time to actually think back on what could have possibly been another thing wrong with Josiah I am so so thankful the Lord decided to step in and perform this little miracle. It was a reminder that HE is in control of everything, and all I have to do is lean on Him to give me the strength I need. I told Anthony the other day, I feel like I am OK right now, but that the real test of my faith will come when Josiah is actually here, especially the day of his surgery. I will be completely helpless...the only thing I will be able to do is to place Josiah in the hands of my Lord and Dr. Kanter and pray. I can't even fathom that now, but the good thing is I don't have to. The Lord gives us what we need, when we need it.

 

Thank you again to all who have mentioned that we are in your prayers. I just ask that you continue to pray for Josiah and his little heart. I didn't even think to ask Dr. V if pulmonary hypertenstion is still something we need to be concerned about popping up before he is born, but I am asssuming it can. We are still praying for a miracle, but that most importantly that the Lord's will be done and that we are accepting of it.

All fears and anxiety aside, I can't wait for the day that we get to meet this little boy that enjoys kicking my blatter and right rib!

 

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

 

~Isaiah 41:10

 

 

 

 

I Love Fall!

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year! I love the change of the weather and the color of the leaves, I love the smell of cinnamon and pumpkin spice, and I love the decorations for the house! This year, I talked Anthony into letting me decorate Labor Day weekend...a little crazy?..nah!

Another thing that comes with fall is football season, please notice I did not add that to my list of things I love about fall =) Don't get me wrong, I don't mind watching a game here and there. And, Anthony isn't too bad about having to watch EVERY single game. But, he does referee little league football so that means a good bit of his Saturday mornings/early afternoons are spent on the football field.

I've been dying to take a vacation even if it's just for a long weekend somewhere to get away. The last time we have been on one (just the 2 of us) was our 1 year anniversary! Anthony and I are not big planners, but we had finally decided we would make a short trip to Greenville, SC. This vacation was planned about a month ago and Anthony had even taken a Thursday off. This is where procrastinating pays off...I had planned on making reservations on a Monday (2 weeks before), but ended up not booking our hotel room that day or the next. I had a doctors appointment that Wednesday, and that is the appointment where we were referred to the perinatologist. I remember saying to Anthony, "it's a good thing I didn't book a room, what if our appointment ends up being next Friday?" Well, who would have thought...that's exactly when our appointment was scheduled for. No vacation for us! By this time little league football had started and there would be no time to take a vacation until after it ends.
FINALLY...this past weekend the regular season for GFL football ended and we actually had a free weekend! I told Anthony I wanted to head towards the mountains to spend the day. We didn't quite make it to the mountains but we hopped on 985 and stopped at one of our (ok, probably more mine) favorite places...Jaemor Farms!! The last time we were there, it was the HOTTEST day of the summer but it was peach season =) This time of year apples are in so we stocked up on some. They also had a pumpkin patch going on, a corn maze, and some other things for kids to enjoy. Anthony and I both said we can't wait for Josiah to be at the age to enjoy that kind of thing!!

Waiting patiently while I was in line to get some BBQ!!

Before leaving the house I also looked online to see if there were any other things going on in northern GA and the Bid Red Apple Festival popped up. It's held in Cornelia, GA right down the road from Piedmont College. After Jaemor, Anthony and I headed up to Cornelia to check it out. They had tons of vendors with all sorts of crafts and baked goods as well as a car show going on. We spent about an hour walking around and decided we were both ready to head back towards home.

Before heading home we swung by QT and I grabbed a pumpkin spice cappuccino (I must admit I like them better than Starbucks' pumpkin spice lattes) and Anthony picked up a Muscle Milk. Once we made it home I think we finally realized how wornout we were! I must say it was nice to enjoy a Saturday, just the two of us, doing whatever we wanted!!

***24 Week Picture***

It's Been a While..

I guess it's been a while since I've posted. Life has been a little crazy with work and doctors appointments, and when you throw in the other duties of everyday life...it doesn't leave much time left over.

I've been keeping busy with substituting, which is wonderful! And, for the past 3 weeks I've had at least 1 doctors appointment if not 2. Last week Anthony and I traveled to Egleston to meet with Dr. Kanter and one of his nurse practitioners. I say travel like it's hours away, but it really only took us about 40-45 min. to get there (granted it was in the middle of the day with barely any traffic). Parking was pretty crazy but once we made it into the hospital it was pretty easy to find our way to the outpatient cardiac services office.

Dr. Kanter does not perform surgeries on Wednesdays and instead schedules a few sessions to meet with parents of children who will be having surgery. Our appointment was towards the end of the "scheduled time period" for these meetings and there were a few "chatty" parents ahead of us according to one of the nurses, haha! We ended up waiting about 45 minutes before Margareth, a nurse practitioner, came to give us a tour of the CICU (cardiac intensive care unit). This is where Josiah will be before and after his surgery. The entire unit is open so there are no individual rooms, and the beds that the babies are in are called Ohio beds...my dad enjoyed the name ;). They are pretty neat, not the enclosed little beds that you would think of. They are actually square, open, and can be raised to an angle. Margareth took us to see a little baby girl who had just had similar heart surgery that day. I was kind of surprised they allowed us to see her but I am thankful they did. I don't think I can even remotely fully prepare myself for when that will be Josiah laying in that little bed, but it definitely allowed me to prepare for what all he will be hooked up to. It only took about 30 seconds before I started tearing up while margareth was explaining what everything was and why it was needed. Looking at a tiny little baby connected to a breathing tube, IVs, drainage tube, a tube down their nose, monitors on their forehead, etc. is so far one of the hardest things I think I have personally witnessed. I just had to keep telling myself that they keep these babies well medicated so that they don't feel any pain and also a little sedated so that they will sleep most of the time. Everything is taken in "baby" steps and Josiah will slowly be taken off of different things as he improves.

We found out that Josiah will probably be transported by helicopter to Egleston, and will then spend about 1-2 days in the CICU before actually having his surgery. They like to do all of their own tests, just to make sure everything looks ok and that he is healthy enough to have the surgery. The surgery itself will last between 6-8 hours...umm can we say LONG and STRESSFUL day?? He will then be taken back to the CICU and will spend about 7-10 days there, give or take, depending on how he is doing. Once Josiah is able to regulate his own body temperature and has passed all of his "tests" he will then be moved to the step-down unit. Here, he will more than likely still be on a feeding tube and possibly the drainage tube? I can't exaclty remember what the nurse said. Anyhow, we will actually have our own room in the step down unit and Anthony and I will both be able to spend the night. In the CICU we can stay 24 hours if we want, but there is no place to sleep. They do have sleeping rooms so I'm sure we will be getting some use out of those.

After our tour, we got to meet with Dr. Kanter. he seemed like a very nice man, and answered all of my "20" questions! I appologized when I drug out my little notebook, but he said he liked to see an organized mama, haha! Between Dr. Kanter and the other surgeon, they perform about 800-900 surgeries a year! I can't even imagine!! Since HLHS is pretty uncommon I asked how many Norwoods he performed each year. He estimated between 25-30 surgeries per year with babies from all over the southeast. He again mentioned the length of stay for Josiah and that it averages about a month, but he's had babies leave in 8 days or after 3 months. One of the questions I had been wondering was why there was such big gap in age for the last surgery (the Fontan) which happens between 18 months and 3 years. Dr. Kanter explained that it depends on several different things. How healthy the child is, how big they are, and also how the Fontan is performed. Dr. Kanter mentioned he has been doing the Fontan a little differently now and instead of using something from Josiah's body he has been using a tube (that will in the future hopefully keep his heart from working too hard) to improve circulation. In order to use the tube the child needs to be a little bigger to make sure their body does not grow out of the tube.

After some more chit chat it was finally time to head home. Anthony and I talked about what life will be like in just a few short months and how we can't wait for Josiah to get here. It will be a bumpy road for a while, but I know we will get through it. I've sad this again and again, but the amount of support and prayers is just overwhelming. I just received a card in the mail yesterday from a church care team in North Carolina that said we are in their prayers.

Speaking of North Carolina, last week Anthony caught a little documentary on ESPN about Greg Olsen, who plays football for the NC Panthers. Greg and his wife just gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl last Tuesday. Are you ready for this...their little boy was diagnosed with HLHS before he was born. Greg and his wife flew to Boston to see if they were candidates for the same surgery were iquired about and they were denied as well. There little boy TJ had his first surgery about 5 days ago and is doing well. Here is a link to a video of their story HERE I would encourage you to watch it, as there are a few parts I left out. Greg has also started a charity for children who have a congenital heart defect, you can visit that site HERE.

I also had my glucose test last Thursday and I did NOT test positive for gestational diabetes. And speaking of doctors appointments, I have another one today with the perinatologist, not really sure why I have to continue to see this doctor since we know what the problem is, I think I'll ask them today =)

Bring The Rain and Update

Tonight I decided to tag along with Anthony to the gym. I used to go all the time, but between working, and getting stuff done around the house, I've been slacking! I grabbed my iPod, towel, and water and we were off. Anthony and I share the same iTunes account, and there are good and bad things about that. He is what you could call a connoisseur of all types of music....I...am not. Needless to say, about half of the time I was on the elliptical, I had my finger on my iPod skipping to the next song. I finally came across a song I thought I recognized. It was actually one of my favorite songs, but I hadn't listened to it in a while. I thought I'd post the youtube video to share. It is such a great song that just has such meaning to it right now...enjoy =)

**Update on Josiah:
I had my second appointment with Dr. V (the pediatric cardiologist) today. This time I was only there an hour, I'll take that over 2 1/2! Everything looked the same which is alright, it's better than looking worse! Dr. V mentioned the right side of Josiah's heart looks very strong, PRAISE THE LORD! This is a wonderful thing, seeing as how it will be doing the work of both sides...that is unless the Lord decides to heal him before he joins us in this world. Which I have no doubt He can do, we will just wait and see what path He chooses to lead us down.

I don't believe I mentioned this in any of my other posts, but last week Dr. V asked if he could send our ultrasound up to Boston Children's Medical. Boston Children's is considered the #1 hospital for the type of surgery Josiah will be having and right now they have been doing some experimental surgery for part of Josiah's condition. The twist to this surgery is that it is performed while he is still in my womb! It is SO crazy to me that they can do that! The surgery would basically attempt to expand the narrowing of his aortic valve by inflating a small balloon. Anthony and I had already decided we would not persue this route, but we allowed Dr. V to send the ultrasound video anyway. We heard last week that I was not a candidate for this experimental surgery, but they did confirm Dr. V's diagnosis. It was kind of nice to have a second opinion from the top children's hospital in the nation as far as cardiac issues are concerned.

**I also wanted to thank all of you who have told us that we are in your prayers/church's prayer lists. You have no idea how overwhelmed and grateful we are for each and everyone of you! Thank you all so much for keeping the 3 of us in your prayers, what a blessing it is!!**

Josiah's Prayer Quilt

Over the Labor day weekend we had family come into town, my Uncle Mike and Aunt Debbie. Growing up we spent a lot of time with them along with my cousin Jason, who is a year older than I am. They are the closest family we have since it's only about a 3-3 1/2 hour drive to where they live in North Carolina. I enjoy the time we get to spend together, and I wish we could do it more often!!

Now that I'm married it's a little different when we have family in town. They usually stay with my parents and I plan a lunch at my house at some point during their stay. We planned for the family to have Saturday lunch at my house and enjoy spending a little time over this way. Towards the end of our get together, Aunt Deb went to the car and brought in 2 gift bags for Anthony and I to open. I quickly reminded her that that was completely unnecessary!

**One thing I've learned, is people love to buy baby stuff! Especially my mother, who has decided that Josiah needs a little something every 29th day (his due date is Jan. 29th) of each month until he is born...I guess we need to hurry up and get baby furniture so we will have somewhere to put everything!!

Before I opened the first bag, Aunt Deb had me read something on a piece of paper. As soon as I read the first sentence I realized that the gift was a quilt. Each sentence explained certain parts of the quilt and what they each meant. It almost brought me to tears. Aunt Deb mentioned that she had begun working on it sometime around March/April I believe. She had decided she wanted to make us one after she found out about our miscarriage in January. It is by far one of the best gifts we have ever gotten! Mostly because of the thought put into it and the meaning behind it. She also told me that the edging around it was hand stitched by not only her, but also my biological grandmother and great grandmother. How special!!! And what an awesome thing we will be able to pass down. The other bag contained a matching little pillow she had made along with a book filled with little prayers that you can begin to pray for your child.

Here is a copy of the explaination of the prayer quilt (you should be able to click on it to see it better):

 

 

 

One of the corners. The back of the quilt is made
out of the striped material as well

Cute little pillow to match!

They're a little difficult to see in the picture, but there are little pieces of green thread all over the quilt. They are for making prayer knots. Anytime you pray about something you make a little knot...we have made plenty since receiving this beautiful quilt!

Thank you Aunt Debbie!!

We Have a Name!!

When we found out we were pregnant, Anthony and I had agreed that if the baby was a boy then we would use his middle name, Truitt, as either the first or middle name. We had said we didn't really want to use any other family names, but after going through sooo many names nothing sounded right except for one. My dad's middle name is Kent...Truitt Kent sounded perfect! For a while we had said that the name would be Truitt Kent for a boy, and everyone liked it. However, as time went on it just didn't sit as well with me..kind of hard to explain.

Once we found out Baby B had a heart condition, we knew we had to pick a name with a strong meaning. I began going through books and googling different things, but still nothing. Finally I decided I would just pray about it...duh...I should have done that from the start! So I began asking the Lord to give us the perfect name. About a week after praying, Anthony's cousin sent me a message letting me know that she was praying for us, and that when she prayed she was calling Baby B Josiah which means God heals/Jehovah saves. As soon as I read that she was calling him Josiah I instantly began to cry. The Lord had answered my prayer through Katie...I knew in my heart that this was the name for our baby boy! I immediatly called Katie to tell her (even though she had said she completely didn't expect us to name him that). Anthony was at the gym at the time..and I couldn't wait for him to get home so I could tell him! He loved the name as well as the meaning.

And, so there you have it....Josiah Truitt Barfield!!
If you haven't ever read about Josiah in the Bible, I encourage you to do so. He was actually the King of Judah, and what a godly man he was! It is so nice to finally have a name, and in a way makes it more real. January 29th can't get here fast enough, we are ready to meet you Josiah!!

"Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did,

with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength..."

~2 Kings 23:25

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome...after about 2 hours of a combination of waiting in the lobby and trying to get a good scan of Baby B, this was our diagnosis. I go back next Wednesday to rescan (they could not get a good picture of his mitral valve..he has learned to be a stinker about cooperating...). Dr. Videlefsky...or Dr. V for good reason, is pretty confident that this is what Baby B has and I feel pretty good about him being right as well. After all he is a pediatric cardiologist and focuses only on the heart and not the specialist who has to know a little bit about every part of the baby. So, I guess our diagnosis technically could change..but we will wait and see.

Let me first say how impressed Anthony and I were with Dr. V. He, along with his ultrasound tech were so incredibly patient with Baby B. They ended up alternating twice trying to get the pictures that they needed to make a diagnosis. Once Dr. V finished his second scan he told us he was going to go visit another patient, but after that he wanted to spend a lot of time with us in his office explaining everything that he had found.

We sat down and Dr. V drug his chair over to the same side of his desk that we were sitting. He took out a piece of paper and a pen, and then proceeded to tell us he wanted to draw us a picture of what exactly was going on with Baby B's heart. He began by telling us that Baby B has (from what he sees) a very serious heart condition known as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. He then started drawing a picture of a normal heart and how it functions, including the lungs and body. He then explained to us how blood travels through the different chambers, arteries...basically the complete function of the heart. Next he began to point out what he saw to be wrong with B.

B has a hypoplastic left ventricle (hypoplastic just means small). This would explain why Dr. Pohl's ultrasound tech had trouble getting a good picture of all 4 heart chambers. He also has critical aortic valve stenosis (which means his aortic valve is very narrow). Dr. V also mentioned he could see where B's left ventricle tried to enlarge in order to push more blood through his aortic valve but was unsuccessful and has in turn caused some damage to the walls of his left ventricle.

The typical treatment for this is called the Norwood Operation and is broken up into 3 surgies. It has been around since the 1980s and has an 80%+ success rate.

Stage 1- will be at birth
Stage 2 - between 4-6 months
Stage 3 - between 18 months and 5 years

I never thought I would say I was greatful for taking that awful biology class my freshman year of college..and I can clearly remember staying up almost all night before a test we had, trying to memorize the entire heart because we were expected to redraw it. I am now thankful for that class! It made it a little easier to understand what Dr. V was explaining to us and what each surgery would consist of. I do not want to overload your brain with all kinds of medical terms or even try to explain what each surgery will do. But with each surgery Baby B's blood flow/circulation will greatly improve.

Now let me be completely honest and share with you what Dr. V has told us. There is (as of now) no cure for what Baby B has. The Norwood Operation only eliminates Baby B's use of his left ventricle and essentially reroutes how blood will flow through his heart. All of the work that the left ventricle normally does will be done by his right ventricle. Praise the Lord that doctors have been able discover that this is even possible and will give our baby a chance at life!! But, with the good comes the bad sometimes. Because Baby B's right side of his heart will be pulling double duty this means that his heart will more than likely tire out faster. Dr. V mentioned that many children by the time they are somewhere in their 20s usually require a heart transplant.

Right now my mind is not even focused that far in the future, and who knows what advances science will have made by that time anyhow. For now all of my attention is focused on keeping B put and allowing him to grow inside of me so that he will big and strong for what he will have to face when he is born. He has a strong heartbeat that was at 140 yesterday and from what every doctor has told me, there is no reason why I shouldn't be able to deliver B naturally. Unless of course "normal" emergencies arise and there would be a need for an emergency c-section. Some have asked what will happen after he is born. If all goes as planned, they will take him straight to the NICU and begin an IV of prostoglandin (a medicine that willl keep a certain part of is heart open that normally closes after birth). He will remain there for 2 days and then they will transport him to Egleston. By this time I should be alright to leave the hospital and be able to go with Anthony to be with B.

Many have asked how we are doing emotionally, and I can honestly say we have an over abundant sense of peace and comfort about this entire situation. Now I would be lying and we wouldn't be human if I said we didn't have our moments from time to time. It's hard to think about the life threatening situation your baby is going to have to face as soon as he is born. We have chosen to look at the many blessings the Lord has given us so far. The blessing of knowing about B's heart before hand rather than after he is born. The blessing of having the Norwood Operation to help B's blood circulate through his heart in a different manner. The comfort of knowing that Christ knew exactly how B would be formed before he was even conceived and that none of this information is knew to Him. The privilege to go the the Lord in prayer and ask for specific healing of B's condition and knowing that if He so chooses, He can perform a miracle and completely heal B before he even gets here. Let me say we know that Baby B WILL be healed one way or another, whether it be from a miraculous healing from our Lord, through the surgery performed by the doctors, or when He meets Jesus and is given a new body. Baby B wins no matter what...

As I have said many times before, the Lord places trials in our path for a good reason. We don't know what the Lord has in store and I look forward to the day when I can look back and say "So...this is what you had in mind..."

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

before you were born I set you apart..."

~Jeremiah 1:5



Not IF You Face Trials, But WHEN

***UPDATE: I wrote this post on Friday after we had our appointment with the specialist. Please note that Baby B's diagnosis has changed, but from Friday-Tuesday morning this is what we believed he had. I felt I should still post this because it is a part of our journey. Unfortunately his new diagnosis is not better. In fact, not that I wish he had a heart problem, but since he does I kind of wish it would have been this rather than the news we received yesterday (9/25/12)...I will post soon about what we have found out)***

Today we had our appointment with Maternal Fetal Specialists. Dr. Pohl referred us to the specialist after we had our 20 week anatomy scan because they were unable to get a clear picture of the 4 chambers of Baby B's heart. Our appointment was at 9:30 (really 10 but I had to fill out a huge packet of papers).  Shortly after 10 I was called back to check my vitals and leave a urine sample (what's new? haha). I was then sent back to the waiting room and Anthony and I proceeded to wait 45 minutes....yes, I was actually starting to get a little annoyed. Finally they called us back and we were taken to room one, the perfect place to take a nap! Dim light and no noise =) The ultrasound tech was very nice! Baby B was actually in a good position to check his heart so she went ahead and did that first. **his head was on the right side as well...every other time we've seen him he's been on the left, guess it was time for a change!**

We could definitely tell that this scan was more in depth as you could see the baby's blood flow in the heart (and other parts like the umbilical cord) with different colors on the screen. The entire week I had had such a peace about what we were going to find out at this appointment. I expected the tech to say "alright, I don't see any problems, baby boy is perfectly fine". However, as the scan continued and the tech remained pretty quite I felt in my heart that something probably wasn't right. I could tell Anthony felt the same way as he will usually talk to me and say "oh look at that", etc. She proceeded to cheack other parts of the baby (measuring the head, looking at the brain, etc) pretty much what my doctor's office had done last week. She also reaffirmed Baby B was definitely a boy! After the scan we waited for the doctor to come in and tell us the results. After about 10 minutes of waiting Dr. Read finally knocked on the door and walked in. He introduced himself and and asked why we believed we were here. I told him what Dr. Pohl had told us (about the 4 chambers and movement of the wall). He then proceeded to tell us that the baby did have something wrong with his heart. The next several minutes, we received what seemed like a whirlwind of information...

Dr. Read explained to us what he believed to be the 2 defects of Baby B's heart (this diagnosis will be confirmed at my appointment next Tuesday with Dr. Videlefsky, the Pediatric Cardiologist). 1) Transposition of the two great vessels and 2) Ventricular Septal Defect. So...what does that mean? Let me explain to the best of my knowledge, and I'm sure I'll learn more as we have more doctor's appointments:

1) Tranposistion - this basically means that the 2 main arteries leaving the heart are switched which does not allow adequate mixing of oxygenated and unoxygenated blood to mix.

2) Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) - this is a hole in the heart. And, according to Dr. Read this is actually an ok/good thing right now as it is allowing some of his blood to mix.

The only way to fix transposition is with surgery, actually 3 surgeries from what Dr. Read explained. But, at least it IS fixable! What will more than likely take place (keep in mind this could change I guess, we will find out more next Tuesday and at another appointment that we will have with a pediatric cardiac surgeon). is after Baby B is born he will be given some medication (from what I've read it might be prostaglandin) and will then have to be stabalized. Once he is stabalized he will be transported to Elgeston Children's Hospital where he will undergo his first heart surgery. Now, I'm not exactly sure when the next 2 surgeries will take place, there was a ton of information to take in at the time, but I believe Dr. Read said all 3 surgeries would be completed by the age of 6 months. SHEW...what a lot to comprehend!!

It's kind of difficult to breakdown all the emotions and thoughts that were running through my mind while in the ultrasound room. Part of me wanted to breakdown and have a good cry, but the other part of me wanted to hold it all together so that I could understand everything Dr. Read was explaining to us. You could classify me as the "worrier" type, I am definitely the emotional one in the marriage...that's alright I'm a girl! Today I was not the normal "me"...I have no doubt the Lord held me together as we received the news about Baby B and all the things we learned we are going to experience after he is born. You know, you usually tend to say to yourself or to someone who is going through something big like this, "I have no clue how I would feel or how I would handle that! I don't think I would be able to...". But, you know what...you alone are not getting yourself through whatever trial you may be expriencing, it is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ! He gives us exactly what we need, He sustains us and holds us together when we want to fall apart. I have no doubt He was right there with us when we received this news, He had to be...because it is an unexplainable feeling of comfort and a clear mind that I had as Dr. Read was explaining everything to us.

As we were waiting for the nurse to come back in to let us know when our appointment would be, the song "If You Want Me To" by Ginny Owens popped into my mind... you can listen to it HERE. I have no idea what the Lord has in store for us and others during this trial. And, keep in mind He never said if you experience trials, but WHEN you experience trials. I do know He uses all things for His glory. I will just continue to pray for His will to be done and that some day I will understand why He allowed us to go through this. Maybe it is to draw us closer to Him, maybe it's so someone will come to Christ, I'm not sure what all the Lord will do from this trial, but I know it will be something! I will choose to accept it now and understand it later...

"If You Want Me To" -Ginny Owens

 

The pathway is broken
And The signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason why You brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If You want me to

Chorus:
Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet
so if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will walk through the fire
If You want me to

It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone

 

So When the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering Your love put You through
And I will go through the valley If You want me to


Gender Reveal Party!

We decided we wanted to throw a gender reveal party once we found out we were pregnant...since they're all the rage right now =) After telling them family mom said she and dad wanted to help...I think she was hoping I would tell her early what we were having! The hardest part was determining who we would invite..even just limiting to family could have potentially made for a huge party! All of Anthony's family lives here while all of my family either in North Carolina, Ohio, or California. We came to the conclusion to only have the grandparents-to-be and great grandparents-to-be come for the family and then we also invited a few close friends. I hated having to limit family, but there is just no cut-off point and we would have ended up having to book the fellowship hall at church!

The party was scheduled for Sunday the 16th at 2:30 in the afternoon. That gave Anthony and I 4 whole days to keep the secret between just the 2 of us =) it was nice, but hard at the same time!Everyone kept trying to get us to slip up and say "he" or "she" and it was actually much harder than I thought to keep from spilling the beans!! I kept saying "trust me,  it's just as hard to know and not say anything as it is for you not to know".

We originally wanted to have the party at our house, but once we started figuring up who all would there, we realized there was no way our little house would comfortably fit everyone. The party ended up being at my mom and dads and it worked out pretty well. Mom and dad rearranged some of the furniture so that everyone would have a place to sit, and I attempted to decorate a little. There was also WAY too much food..but that's alright we had leftovers for the next few days =) Rather then revealing with cake or cupcakes, we decided to reveal the gender with a box of balloons.

**A note to those of you who might plan on doing the balloon reveal or just need a large box: we asked a bunch of stores and dad ended up getting Academy Sports to save him 2 from one of their shipments. Anthony and I found out when we went to Party City to get balloons that they have a big cardboard dumpster that they throw tons of boxes (of all sizes) away in. The lady blowing up our balloons mentioned that the dollar store had a cardboard dumpster as well.**

Once everyone was finished eating and we fellowshiped for a bit, I shared the prayer quilt my Aunt Debbie had made for the baby and brought down during her and Uncle Mike's Labor Day weekend visit (I'll post a separate blog about that). Then of course mom shared a few things and made everyone cry, thanks mom! After that we all headed outside for the big reveal.

We gathered at the end of the driveway so mom and dad's big oak trees wouldn't get in the way and then proceeded to cut open the box....as soon as we opened it all of the BLUE balloons flew out and everyone cheered!! It was so fun to see everyone's reaction!! Pretty much everyone, minus a few friends and family, decided to head back home. The rest of us went back inside since it was hot and we shared the outfit we had bought to bring Baby B home in. We all just kind of hung out for a but and then decided it was time to clean up. I'm glad we ended up throwing the reveal party. I'm not sure I would do it with every child as it took some planning and getting ready for, but I'm glad we did it.

 

 

 

 

...Now, if we could just decide on a name!