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!!