Sledding Day

This morning after our toddler alarm clock got us up, we got ready, packed our snow stuff and headed to Mt. Hood for some sledding.   Thankfully Desmond’s snow pants still fit and some borrowed snow boots worked if we took the fleece inserts out. 

Last year we took Desmond sledding for the first time and he didn’t like it, but this year was a whole different story.  He was climbing in the snow while Davin and I got our gear on, and he laughed and kept saying, “This is fun!” as Davin pulled him along on the sled.  We found a good gentle hill to ourselves and Desmond even took a few runs on his own.  Even after two hours of snow play he didn’t want to leave this time.

I felt a bit strange with my pregnant belly hanging out of my unzipped snow pants (thankfully they have suspenders so they stayed up), and it was quite a work out pulling Desmond in the sled back up the hill after our runs together, but it was so much fun!  We’ll have to try to go back before the winter is over.

Atrial Fibrillation Revisit

At the end of lunch on Tuesday I felt my heart start racing. “Uh-oh,” I thought and paused to pay attention to what my heart was doing. Desmond was finished with lunch at this point and was playing under the table. It took me a minute to realize he just peed and pooped while I wasn’t paying attention. (He likes to go under or behind things.)

So I was cleaning up poop while on the phone with Kaiser advice. The nurse on the other end was calm until I mentioned I was also 24 weeks pregnant. Then she sounded a bit flustered and wasn’t sure who to transfer me to. We got it figured out though and as I thought they wanted me to go to the ER. “Here we go again!” I thought as I packed a bag of entertainment and snacks for Desmond and an overnight bag for me with my knitting, reading and personal items I missed last time I was in the hospital. I felt winded going up and down the stairs.

Davin rushed home because I’m not supposed to drive in a-fib. It was nice not doing this in the middle of the night, but the inconvenience this time was Desmond missing his nap. Still he was a trouper and did great. He remembered last time and wasn’t quite as worried this time around. He did cry when they left me for the night, though.

It was nice having familiarity this time which made it a bit less scary. I saw the same ER doctor and the same Kaiser doctor as last time though they see enough people they didn’t remember me. My heart wasn’t beating quite as intensely as last time though it was still up in the 100-120s most of the time with higher spikes into 160s.

The doctors talked sooner about cardioversion this time. We wrestled with whether or not to try shocking me out of it, but I didn’t like the idea of shocking the baby. The other option was trying to control my heart rate with more medication, but that gets to the baby too, so I really felt stuck. They said either option was most likely safe for the baby, but there aren’t any studies on pregnant women so they didn’t really know what option to suggest over the other. In the end we chose not to do the cardioversion because my heart could go right back into a-fib and then we’d be back in the same boat needing medication anyway. My prenatal doctor I’ve been seeing was told I was there and stopped in during her shift. It was perfect timing and I felt comforted to talk to her and go through my options again.

All through Wednesday they had me on more Metoprolol, the beta blocker I’ve been on since September. There wasn’t really any change though. I think it was Wednesday evening when they started Diltiazem, a calcium blocker to see if that would drop my heart rate. The only problem was my blood pressure. The lowest I saw it was 83/44 and I could tell it made the nurses nervous when the systolic pressure got below 100 so sometimes they wouldn’t give me any more meds. The cardiologist came in on Thursday morning and “cracked the whip” as he said to tell them to keep giving me the medicine as long as I felt okay. I’m a lot younger than their usual patients so I can handle a lower blood pressure. I never felt dizzy or lightheaded though when I saw the low blood pressure numbers I felt like I should have felt something different, but I felt fine. The Diltiazem started working (I was on an IV to get a quick and steady dose) and my heart rate went down a little though it was still high I was still in a-fib.

Mom came up on Thursday to see me and help out with Desmond. That was a huge help. Our friend Sarah was able to watch Des on Wednesday and he had fun playing with Chloe all day. Thursday and Friday he got lots of time with Nana and that freed up Davin to stay with me.

On Thursday evening while Davin was settling everyone in at home my heart went back into a regular rhythm. It was 6:18 pm and the nurse who worked all three nights I was there came in and gave me the good news. Whoohoo! It lasted 54 hours this time; the longest yet. I can feel when a-fib starts but it kind of slips back to normal quietly so I can’t tell the moment that happens. They still wanted to keep me one more night to transfer me from the IV to the pills and see how I tolerated the medication.

I rested much easier that night and early Friday morning they said I could go home and I was discharged around 9:30 am. It felt so good to get all unhooked from everything, especially the circulation leg cuffs that squeezed me for three days. I have a sore, itchy rash from those because my legs sweat so badly.

I’m so relieved to be back in a normal heart rhythm. It just doesn’t feel good to have a racing, skipping heart when I’m just resting. It’s like when you get startled and it makes your heart jump and beat fast except it never calms down.

The downside is that now I’m on all this medication. They’re being a bit more aggressive now that I’ve demonstrated the ability to go back into a-fib. I’m taking an aspirin a day to thin my blood since a-fib increases my chance for a stroke. (I turned down the blood thinner injections they suggested.) I just hope thinner blood doesn’t negatively affect my labor and delivery. I’m also on more Metoprolol, three times a day instead of two which can cause a low birth rate and they added the Diltiazem which can cause cardiovascular birth defects. The pharmacist was really concerned to give me my medication since I am pregnant, but it’s the safest stuff they’ve got.

I’m looking forward to seeing my prenatal doctor on Tuesday to go over how things are now and how the next few months might be. I wish I was delivering sooner so the baby wouldn’t have to be on my medications so long. At least I’m in the second trimester where a lot of the major development has already happened. It’s nice to know a good and all-powerful God is in control of both my heart beat and the baby’s growth. I just sure hope the next time I’m in the hospital is to meet my baby.

P.S. We hoped to hold off until May to meet my deductible and out-of-pocket maximum for the year since we're still recovering from our new roof, but here it is. We'll be paying it now instead. The upside is that there's a good chance the labor and delivery will be free now.

Potty Training Round 2

The first time I tried potty training Desmond, it didn’t work.  I gave up after watching him like a hawk and not leaving the house for six days rushing him to the potty every time. 

Davin wanted to give it another go on his three day Thanksgiving weekend.  I let him head it up this time and took a much more relaxed approach.  I didn’t think it would just magically work in three days or less this time.  And I was right.

We are now five weeks into potty training and we’re still not there yet.  Let’s just say the three day method isn’t for Desmond.  He knows what to do and how to do it, but he just lacks the inner motivation to actually do it.  At this point it’s more about me being vigilant and taking him to go often enough. 

Some days Desmond doesn’t have any accidents.  Today we’ve had two.  The worst so far was when he pooped while we were at Target.  It was extremely difficult to clean up in a tiny bathroom stall with a shortage of wipes, but it felt good tucking the undies in a baggie and tossing them in the garbage on the way out.  Not worth washing.  On weekends I let Davin take the messy ones.

It’s nice saving money on diapers, but I find I have to do laundry based on Desmond’s underwear pile now.  Who knows when everything will click and he’ll make the decision to be in charge of going potty, but for now it’s going okay.  Just maybe he’ll take over by May.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas morning 2010 started off with Desmond finding his big train set we had assembled the night before.  He is ecstatic about his new toy and has barely left it since except for when we make him eat a meal or go to bed.  

After gifts we had a yummy bacon and eggs breakfast and read about Jesus’ birth in Desmond’s Bible.  Then we headed over to Aunt Marcia’s house for lunch and festivities with my family.  I think Desmond’s favorite gift that afternoon was Duncan or “Dumpkin” as Des calls him, his first Thomas train for his set.  He also got lots of puzzles which he loves… if he can take a break from his trains long enough to do one.

We were able to video chat with Davin’s family so it was great being able to see everyone.  Merry Christmas!

Christmastime is Here!

The other day we made our first Studer gingerbread house.  I picked up a kit because it was super easy and fast.  Desmond was so excited to build it, and though it had potential to be a beautiful little house, it ended up with the design work of a two year old free to decorate as he pleased.  And it was perfect.  It lasted a grand total of four hours before we started devouring it.

Today is Christmas Eve and the advent calendar only has one more spot left.  Desmond is excited for Christmas but doesn’t fully understand how fun it’s really going to be.  He knows it’s Jesus’ birthday and that there are presents to open under the tree.  Tonight after he’s in bed we build the train table.  I’m excited to play with it and can’t wait to see his reaction in the morning.

New Roof Over our Heads

This was the week of the new roof.  The contractor said he’d call us to schedule the day, but on Tuesday a big truck pulled in unannounced and unloaded all the supplies to our roof. 

Wednesday a guy backed in a trailer and not long after that a crew of men pulled in with ladders and the pounding began.  They ripped off and repapered the back half of the roof that day.

Thursday they were back bright and early to finish the rest of the tear off and repapering.  I’m not sure when they reshingled the back half because we can’t see that part from our yard.  They also added more vents to prevent our mold problem from returning.

Today they were working where we could see them out the window, and I got my first look at the new shingles.  Desmond liked the guy with the orange hood.  I tried talking to these guys when they first arrived because we hadn’t heard from the contractor at all, but they only speak Spanish and my minimal high school Spanish skills have left me.

I was worried about the color we picked and wondered if a different color might look better because we didn’t really have time to discuss it, but now that it’s on I think it looks great!  (And you’re right, it’s pretty close to the same color as before.)

Next for the exterior would be a new garage door, but that will probably be a year or two.  Then after that we need a whole new fence because it’s falling down in a few places.  And someday it would be nice to repaint and landscape.  Anyway, it feels great to have a new roof over our heads! 

Reflections on 2010

Yesterday I finished my family scrapbook for 2010.  It was good looking back on the year though not everything was a happy reflection.  This year has had it’s share of pain, misunderstandings, loneliness and loss.  I really struggled through the first half of the year culminating in the death of our second child who I named Emery.  He or she was due two weeks from now, and nothing can explain a mother’s anguish during this time. Through this year’s pain I turn confused, heart broken to the only One who is unshakeable.  God is opening my eyes to new possibilities and treasures to be found although the rebuilding is a slow process.

We had our first two hospital experiences this year with Desmond getting five stitches in his chin and my heart unexplainably going into atrial fibrillation for a couple days.  We are really not the ones in control, are we?

This year also holds treasures I never want to forget.  Watching Desmond grow is such a joy.  He has left his baby ways and entered into the ups and downs of toddlerhood.  He makes me laugh (and cry sometimes), and I just want to love him better as our simple days go by.  We’ve enjoyed family outings to Dozer Days, strawberry picking, camping, and the beach as well as our sixth anniversary trip to Seattle.  It’s easy for me to dwell on the sad things I wish were different but cannot change.  I am challenged to renew my mind with the happy things that really do outweigh the sad ones.

God has richly blessed us.  Davin got a new job here in Vancouver, we bought a new house and found good renters for our condo.  In this struggling economy God has provided for all our needs.  The richest gift is the life of our new baby girl who I feel moving in my womb daily now.  We can’t wait to meet her in the spring!

New Roof for the Winter

We finally signed away a good chunk of our savings to a new roof! Hurray and ouch all at the same time. It will be nice to get this done. We toyed with the idea of tackling it ourselves to save some money but there's the time factor, the learning curve, and the peace-of-mind knowing it's done right. In a few weeks we'll have to post some pictures to show it off. Also if you haven't heard here's our baby news: "It's a..."

A Test and a Tree

Today was Davin’s first test for Tae Soo Do black belt.  Hurray!  He did very well going through all his basics, kicks, and speed drills.  After three more tests and a demo he’ll be an official black belt.  So don’t mess with him.  He could beat you up for an hour and still have something left.

Later after Davin and Desmond had a good nap, we went to a nearby tree farm.  They had hot chocolate and farm animals which was Desmond’s favorite part.  We didn’t get there in time for a hay ride, but Desmond got his first ride in the truck as we drove back into the farm to find our tree.  It will be fun to decorate it together tomorrow.  This is Desmond’s first real tree since the first year he was born we were packed up for moving back to our condo and last year we went to Disneyland and didn’t want to come back to a dead tree.  The house smells so good right now!

Money, Money, Money

Life sure gets expensive all at once it seems. We recently got a free truck from Davin's dad, and it's been a great luxury to have two vehicles! However, the truck died this week and it cost us over $600 to get it fixed. Ouch. After talking to my brother about it I think we paid too much but what's done is done. I'm trying to see it as acquiring a $600 truck which is still a good deal. Now as long as it doesn't break again. We also had to recently pay off my $1000 hospital bill and Davin is testing for his Tae Soo Do black belt test tomorrow (hurray!) but the series of four tests costs $400. Ugh! Our house still needs a new roof and I'm afraid we'll need to do it soon before our savings is too far gone. I wonder what's down the road - you know, other than delivering a baby in May - that will need that money, too. We're also in the midst of the Christmas season when we like to give lots of gifts, but I'm working on handcrafting what I can to save some money. It's more thoughtful that way, too, right? It just takes several hours to put together one gift so I've got to keep moving on those. God has always provided above and beyond for our needs and I know He won't stop meeting our needs now. Still I like to have my safety net in the bank where I can see it.