New haircut

Ok, girls, so I've got this new haircut and I need some feedback. I tried to upload pics but it didn't work. So the back is long-ish while the front is short -- it's a shag cut, apparently. It's actually quite a difference in length, which I'm not used to. Adam likes it, but as long as I'm not taking away the lovin' he would like me with any haircut.

And (I already told Angie and Julie this, so sorry, but it's just so darn cool), the guy who cut my hair also cuts hair for Faith Hill, Charlize Theron, Christina Applegate, and a couple other stars that I can't remember. He works in Bev Hills in a salon but also in Santa Monica at this walk-in place that Adam and I happened into. Adam's hair looks like David Cook's, by the way, which is so hot. Anyway, despite living out here, I very rarely come close to brushing with anyone famous or cool, so I was pretty darn excited about this. Apparently, Faith Hill was just given this cut a few days ago.

Ok, back to the real world.

Love you girls!

Special day

Hey girls, I just have to share my day with you all. It was a special day because it the first time Lilah and I got to spend the whole day together by ourselves since she was a newborn. Vicki took Seth overnight and kept him for the day. Josh is working of course, so Lilah and I had our very first mommy/daughter day. I was surprised at how much she got into it because she's only 21 months. But she really seemed to enjoy the undivided attention and one on one time. We had a lot of fun together. First of all, without Seth here to wake us all up at the crack of dawn, it turns out Lilah sleeps until 10am. So she and I slept in and then got up and shared a bowl of fruit loops in the living room while we watched an episode of Jon and Kate Plus Eight. (It was funny how Lilah was really captivated by the show, I think she liked all the kids) Then we got dressed and ready for the day. We packed our purses and put on our lipstick. Lilah insisted on carrying her purse with her everywhere she went after that. We went to the mall and shopped around a little bit. Lilah played for a while at this really nice indoor play area that she loves. Then we went to Build a Bear and Lilah built her own little bear, complete with outfit and accessories. She picked out this pink camoflauge outfit that says "Girls Rule." and then she put bows on the bear's ears. She named her Lulu and has not put her down since we "adopted" her. She loved it and now she loves her bear. Then we went to the food court and shared a steak hoagie and fries. It was special for Lilah because I let her have her own ketchup for her fries, which we don't usually do. It was funny because she is normally really messy and disgusting when she eats, but today she was clearly going out of her way to be clean and ladylike in the way that she ate. She was very into being a "big girl" with mommy. Now we're at home and Lilah's taking a nap. I bought a pink princess cookie for her for after her nap. We're going to have "tea" and eat our cookies. It's been a nice day. It's amazing how her little personality comes out when she's alone with us. She was definitely calmer and more cooperative today than usual and I think it's just because she was getting all the attention she needed. She didn't need to act out over anything to stand out from Seth (he can be a bit of an attention hog.) It was good for us both and we're going to do our best to make sure each of the kids get that special one on one time with me and Josh more often. Especially with baby number 3 coming. I think that might help the transition to a bigger family go a little smoother. Anyways, just thought I'd share. Particularly for you girls who already have little girls or have little girls on the way. There is a very special bond between mothers and daughters and it's amazing how you can start to enjoy it even when they are still babies or little toddlers. We all have so much to look forward to with our little 2nd generation Sapphires!

Another update

Hey girls!
Thanks for praying for my aunt and her family. Things are getting better by the minute, so far. Apparently the docs keep saying how amazed they are at Cindy's recovery. She has had some minor (and temporary) short term memory loss, but that seems to be improving already, too. That's really about it. She hasn't had any major deficits from the aneurysms or the surgery. She really is a miracle - she was even up walking around a bit yesterday. They say she still has a long road ahead and she will still be in the hospital for a couple of weeks, but she's had a pretty positive start so far.

Thanks again for the prayers - they're working! I hope this finds all of you well! :-) Love you!

Update

Hi ladies - below is an update I got from my mom earlier this morning. After I received this, she sent another saying that Cindy's surgery was postponed until between 2 pm and 3 pm due to the surgery before hers being more complicated. Thanks again for all your prayers! As you read this, you'll totally see how God has been at work here!


Some of you you already know some of this, but I am including all the info for those who don't ...
Greg's sister Cindy collapsed at work (in Duluth) was taken to the hospital there, and then airlifted to St. Mary's in Rochester yesterday afternoon.
She underwent angioplasty and they found 4 aneurysms in different locations in her brain.
They are going to do surgery today...scheduled for around 10 or 11 this morning to repair two of them. The other two are very small and located in areas that they won't be operating. One is very large and is probably the one that leaked into her brain. It is in the front ...behind her forehead but deep in. She has a great amount of blood on her brain. Some of it will be washed out (in the area that they are operating), the rest will have to dissipate in time. The second one that they will repair is behind her left eye.
The surgery will last 5-6 hours and she will be in ICU for at least a week. This is because of the blood on the brain that can't be washed out. This causes "vasospasm" which in turn can cause stroke. About 80% of people in her situation have at least minor problems with stroke. She is already being given a calcium channel blocker to try to prevent that from happening. Then she will be in the hospital for at least one more week, possibly two more.
As far as her condition goes, we all believe it is a miracle that the aneurysm didn't actually burst. After it leaked, by the grace of God it clotted on its own, keeping her from having any deficiencies in any part of her body (and that after taking aspirin daily for some time!) Yesterday she was alert, talking and making witty comments, which the doctors all agree is amazing.
We are also very grateful to God that she was at work and in a meeting with other people. Normally she would have been alone in her office, or it could have even happened when she was at home alone. As it happened there were emergency personnel in her building that could help before the actual paramedics arrived.
Cindy's coworkers reached Ben in the early afternoon, and Nicci was reached by a friend's mom later...around 3:30. So neither of them could get there before she had the angioplasty, but were there when she came back to her room. They will be staying with us as long as they need to. Greg and I got over there about 1/2 hour before the procedure so we got to visit with her for a short time. Her spirits are good....I don't think she realized how critical the situation was. After the procedure she said she was nervous about it. We were grateful also that she had no deficiencies...all of the neuro-type tests were normal. She has a teeny bit of short term memory loss that they think is due to the morphine she is receiving for the pain.
We are praying for God's hand to be continually upon her and for Him to guide the surgeons hands as well as all the other staff involved with her care. Also for Him to be noticably present for Nicci and Ben, for His comfort and peace to get them all through this challenge.

PRAYERS PLEASE!

Hi girls! I had a great time seeing all of you last week! And Jamie, we missed having you there SOO much! I will be sure to share my pictures soon!

The reason for writing today is that I have an URGENT prayer request! My aunt (Dad’s sister – only 56 years old) collapsed today in a meeting at work. Long story short, they think she had a brain aneurysm, and now her brain is hemorrhaging. She’s in Duluth, MN but they don’t have the technology that they need up there so she may be air lifted to Rochester, MN to the Mayo facilities there. She has no history of any medical problems and this is obviously completely out of the blue. She has 2 kids (Nicci is 25 and Ben is 22), and she lost her husband to liver cancer about 6 years ago. So…I would really appreciate any prayers for healing and restoration, peace and comfort for her and our family! I’ll keep you guys posted on what happens. Thanks for the prayers!

Blogs, Wikis and other stuff

Hi girls,

I'm sad that I won't be seeing you, however, can I tell you how thankful I am for this blog?! I'm currently sitting in a session at a Technology Conference in Copper, CO where we are talking about blogs. :) Hooray! I am sitting here, I can read our blog and write to you.

So, here are a few details to wet your appetite for Sapphire 2009. We are going to storm Breckenridge! It seems to be the best town for us to base in. There are lots of shops, lots of ski runs, ice skating isn't far and tubing is just around the corner.

I should have some specific dates for you to begin looking for plane tickets into Denver by next week. Denver is the closest airport, but you could look into flying into Vail, which isn't far either.

Take LOTS of pictures this weekend for me. I've got a page in the works for Joe's wedding! Get those baby girls together so we can get the 2nd generation documented. :)

Wedding bells

Adam, Violet, and I spent the day in Laguna Beach yesterday with my niece Anna and her brand-new fiance, Justin. I had to blog about their getting engaged because I know a lot of you have met Anna a few times and probably remember her from my wedding.


I'm extremely excited and thrilled for her as Justin is a great guy and obviously loves her very much. And he got her an amazing ring, which always helps too. But quite honestly, I'm having a hard time getting it to sink it that my little niece is getting married. And that I live so far away from everyone during all of this.

They haven't set a date yet but are thinking of December '09 in order to wait for Justin to finish school and save up some money. They're already more responsible than I was -- we sort of just jumped in and hoped we wouldn't have to live on the streets. Luckily, all has worked out so far.


Anyway, we had a great time hanging out, even though it was incredibly hot. Laguna is gorgeous. It's funny how all the beaches around here can look so different for some reason.

Ok, gotta run ... I'm so excited to see you girls in just a few days!

first major injury

Hey girls, I just wanted to post a few pictures of Seth with his first big injury. We're all quite proud of the manly wound and it's one to go in the baby books. =) It actually happened last week, but I just got the pictures from mom and dad. Seth got his first set of stitches on his forehead. We were at my parents house and I had just left to go pick up Josh when my mom called me about a mile down the road and said "everything's under control, but Seth bumped his head and it might need a couple stitches." So I turned around and went back to see how he was doing. His head was gashed open and it was so deep you could see right down almost to the skull. yuk! Apparently, he was running into my dad's office where uncle Dan was waiting to tickle him and then he would run out into the foyer where my dad was waiting to hit him back into the office with a pillow. So, dad hit him with a pillow and bounced him headfirst right into a marble coffee table. Everyone felt pretty awful. We weren't mad though because even if we had been there, we would probably have just been waiting on the other side of the room to hit him with another pillow. lol... I'm just glad I wasn't there because I think when his forehead popped open I would have freaked out at all the blood. My dad put in the stitches, which was nice so we didn't have to make a trip to the ER. So, Seth got 5 stitches in his forehead and is forever manlier from it. Josh took the stitches out yesterday and it looks pretty good. I don't think it will scar too badly long-term. So, anyways... here are a few trophy pictures from Seth's first set of stitches. The one of him playing guitar with Daniel was him and Dan singing the "Papa hit me with a pillow and I busted my head open" blues. (Seriously, Daniel taught him a whole song so that he could sing it to my dad and rub it in.) But the guitar session seemed to cheer Seth up. Well, I can't wait to see you girls in just a few days (except Jamie). =( Hope you all are having a good weekend.

Sapphires storm DC in 7 days!

Hey girls, can't wait to see you all in a week!

Seeing that we are going to all be together (minus Jamie - so sad), it is only fitting that we set aside some time for Sapphire lunch and pampering. From what I see (wk-end schedule on previous post) the best time for this would be Saturday afternoon. I'm thinking a light quick lunch with possibly some manis and/or pedis if time permitting.
There is a mall adjacent to our hotels (how convenient for us), so I was thinking we could meet up around 12:30 at the Marriot and hed over to the mall. We should be able to make it back to hotel by 3ish to get ready for the wedding, which starts at 4.
I know it will be kinda a quick thing, but at least we can set aside some time for us. It just wouldn't seem right if we don't.

Well, hope this works for everyone. Let me know if it doesn't work, or if you have a better suggestion.

Love to all - see you in a week!

Colorado

Hey girls,

Colorado is very iffy for us this year. Chances are we will not be able to do this one for financial reasons. If we just get lucky and are able to save some extra cash it might work out, but I don't really see that happening. Josh can't really moonlight his second year and I doubt I will be doing a ton of extra work at home with having the baby, etc. My due date is Nov. 30th. So, if we are able to make it, I should be fine traveling at the end of February and and will definitely have baby #3 in tow, not sure about Seth and Lilah. We would probably try to unload the older two on mom and dad. =) So, that is where we stand on it.

So it has been an exhaustingly busy week because Vanessa and her husband and baby and Josh's mom have been here since last Monday. My house is full of people and stuff and I'm starting to go a little stir crazy. But josh has been working ALLLLLLL the time, so the company has been nice. I got the flu this past weekend. Let me tell you, that is not fun when you are pregnant and already sick. But Vicki and Vanessa were a big help with the kids. Much appreciated. The kids and I are going to King's island on Wed. with my family, which will be fun. Josh has to work of course. It was an interesting and stressful weekend in that on top of the flu and all the company, Josh was offered an ER residency position at his hospital. We had been very interested in switching specialties for better hours and more family time and because ER allows way more time for moonlighting and is one year shorter program. Several months ago Josh had mentioned it to someone when he was particularly frustrated with surgery. Since then, he has kind of found his niche in surgery and his attendings and chiefs have been going out of they're way to point out his strengths and have been telling him that he's really talented and has a good future as a surgeon. On Saturday Josh got to remove a gall bladder solo and did a really good job and his superiors were impressed. Immediately after, ER called to offer him the spot. They had an open spot and and knew Josh and a few others were interested in it. So the ER chiefs and attendings had a meeting and unanimously voted to offer the spot to Josh. It was quite the ego-boosting day, which let me tell you is much needed these days as a lowly intern. =) So anyways, we had the weekend to decide and Josh feels (as do I, much to my chagrin) that he is supposed to stay in surgery. We will probably regret this decision for the rest of our lives. You don't even know how much easier our lives would be like immediately if we switched. But we feel like God wants us to stay in surgery and so I will continue to be a surgery widow for the next 10 years of my life. Please pray for us that we don't regret this. The hours will be more bearable if I know we are doing what god wants us to do. Well, that's the update for us these days. love you girls!

Colorado '09

Here are my thoughts on the reunion for '09....

I thought we had agreed on inviting the men to this one because of the skiing... I figure that they are the ones that want to ski the most. So... if Chris can get away from work...we'd love to have him!!

Definitely bring the babies!!! I'm going to need some cuddle time with each of the girls. Plus, they are Sapphires too!! :) I'm looking at getting us a house that will have a bedroom for each family. No details solidified yet, but I'm working on it.

As for dates... I thought I would just check and see what the cheapest was. Julie, I can't remember when your due date is, and I know that you all coming is still up in the air, but when would the earliest that you could travel?

Take lots of pictures during the wedding!! I can't wait to hear all about it.

various

Hi ladies,
hopefully you all got my email already :) I'm just thrilled to pieces tha we're having a little girl. So nice to finally call the baby "she" or "her" instead of just "it". I'm going to embrace the temptation and buy a little girl outfit this weekend, probably hang it in her room or something.
So tonight we took our two 'kiddos' to West Lake in Davenport. We met up with two other couples who have labs and let all the dogs go swimming. This was Nobu and Fujiko's first ever time swimming. They LOVED it and we had a blast watching all 4 labs swim until exhaustion. Lots of laughter was had by all. We'll definatley be doing more of that this summer.
Concerning DC, we are available starting Friday afternoon to do whatever. I went ahead and reserved a rental car. And though we have seen much of DC two years ago, we'd still be interested in seeing some sites if everyone else is interested.
Concerning the next official reunion in Colorado, is this supposed to be one where the men are invited, or is it just a girls event? Either way, Chris will likely travel out west with me since just this last week he officially hired his new partner who lives in Colorado (i think around Denver). This partner, Peter, will not be moving to the Quad Cities so Chris and Peter will do lots of traveling back and forth for several years. So, if it IS or ISN'T a guys event, Chris will go out and probably work for most of the weekend or week, whatever. But anyway, Praise God that Chris has found a partner. Jamie, i think originally i told you i'd fly into whichever airport was closer to the location of our reunion. But, Moline recently added a direct flight into Denver so I will likely fly into Denver airport. What about kids/babies at the colorado reunion? am i thinking too far ahead? yeah Jen, get through DC and childbirth... THEN think about February!!
Oh, and i don't think i posted this, but May 30th was Chris' last day working for Fidlar. He now works for himself and his own company! the new company hasn't technically been formed but they 'close' on it mid June. Did any of you know that it's "double points weekend" on 'Call of Duty 4 - X-Box 360 Live' this weekend?!?! well, apparently it is, so i will be spending a lot of alone time this weekend while Chris racks up the points. perfect time to shop for little girl things :)

DC trip prep...

Jamie - so very sad you will not be joining us in DC, but we are all looking forward to the trip to Colorado in February. Last week of Feb should work for us. If Aaron is still at Toyota the last week isn't always the best time to go, but February is usually a really slow month, so it shouldn't be a problem. Although, chances are he won't be at Toyota by then (fingers crossed).

For all those making the trip...
I was in DC last weekend and managed to get the low-down on the weekend plans, etc. It looks like the wedding will be formal to semi-formal, so cocktail/sun dresses are a go. For the guys - probably a tie, but a jacket is not required.
For those in town Thursday night, the guys will be going out for Joe's bachelor party. We are still working out the details, but it looks like they will be heading downtown to a comedy show, dinner and possibly a club afterwards. We should have all the details for that, including estimated costs sometime this weekend (look for it via email Julie, Kim & Liz). Us girls are on our own that night, which means girls night in? Maybe we could get take out and rent a movie on-demand in the hotel. Just an idea.
Friday is wide open for those who don't have husbands involved in the wedding, so enjoy the sites of DC. For Liz and I, Joe is taking the guys out in the afternoon (he didn't have the details yet on time/place etc), so looks like you and I are on our own. Maybe you could join me on the jaunt to BWI to pick up Steph and Shawn? Then the rehearsal dinner is at 7, which means the rehearsal will probably start sometime around 5. I think he is sending invites for the rehearsal this week or next. I'm thinking we could skip the whole rehearsal thing and go straight to dinner at 7. We have plenty of time to work out the details. Unfortunately Joe could not invite all the out-of-towners the the dinner - about 70% of the wedding guests are coming from out of town. :)
Saturday is also wide open for those not involved in the wedding. Notes for Liz and I - I think Joe said pictures will start around 2ish, but they are doing all the bride and groom pics after the ceremony. I'm guessing the guys will start getting ready around 1 or so. So I guess you would have the morning to see some sites.
Then of course, Sunday is free for all...
For those coming back to my place on Sunday. I'm anticipating that we will leave DC sometime after dinner. Julie - are you planning to stay in DC on Sunday night, or come back to PA for the night? We would definately have a room for you.

Well, guess that's it for now. I'll keep you posted as I get more info.
Can't wait to see you in 18-21 days!

:(

Hello beautiful women! I've been missing you girls lots lately. So, I started working on our scrapbook. I'm not sure if that is helping or not, but it is fun to see your smiling faces everyday. I do need more pictures... or at least pictures that you want to include. If you have some on Snapfish, could you send me a link again. I can't remember how to get to them. :) I have all the Kodak ones... and I'm picking through to find the best ones.

Now for some sad news... I won't be making the trip to DC with you all. We are just unable to do it finiancial this summer. Plus, Nick and I have decided that this is our "Summer of Rest". We are trying to stay low key and not travel too much. (Plus, I think I may be ovulating that weekend and Nick won't be able to come with me.....) So... take lots of pictures, send me lots of stories and have a drink (or soda) for me while you are all together.

We are planning to head up to Breckenridge this July to find a place for our ski trip. We'll be letting you know as soon as we find a place. :) I'm doing my best to keep in with a reasonable budget. Any votes for the last week of February as our week to go? That will be right before the Spring Break crowd shows up. I'm not able to ditch school the first week of March at the moment (huge state test stuff). I think all the babies will be here by then and everyone will be able to travel.

Let me know what you think! Enjoy DC and Joe's wedding!! I can't wait to hear stories. Love you all!

More plans

It sounds like most everyone has already made their travel plans, but I thought I'd post just in case...

I just booked the Marriott for us and got it for $63 / night with our AAA discount. They also offer a rental car discount for booking through Hertz where you get a free tank of gas, which is actually kind of a big deal right now with gas prices being so ridiculous.

Now if someplace just offered free babysitting services, we'd be all set... :)

our plans

Hi girls,
We are flying in Friday to IAD airport (Dulles) at around 2:20, and leave Sunday from IAD at around 2:20. Will be a short trip, but we've seen all of the DC sites so didn't need extra time to spend in town. We are staying at the Marriott and are seriously thinking of getting a rental vehicle. In fact, I'm supposed to be checking out those prices right now. So, if anyone else is using IAD close to the times we are, you're welcome to ride with us!
A guest has just arrived at our house, i must go...

So excited!

OK, so I'm so excited to see all of you plans in writing. I can't wait to see you all and spend some time together. It should be a fun weekend, especially since none of us are actually in the wedding, which leaves plenty of time for play.

I thought I would post our tentative plans and try and answer some of the questions you guys have. Aaron and I are planning to make the drive down to DC on Thursday morning. Aaron is planning the bachelor party, which will be Thursday night, and I wanted to let you all know that your husbands are more than welcome to join the fun. I'll let you guys know the plans when we have them set in stone.
Those flying in may want to check into taking the trains from the airport and maybe sharing a rental with one of the other couples. This may help in keeping the costs down. Aaron and I will have a car and Josh and Julie are driving as well. Another money saving tip, Marriott gives AAA discount on top of the already low rate that Joe got, so if you have AAA you can get the room for like $70, and I think it includes breakfast (not sure about that though). The date to book by for Joe's rate is 6/5, so make sure you do it before then.

Jamie - It really isn't hard to get to DC from Baltimore. It's basically all highway if you are driving, and like I said, you may even be able to take the train down.
Julie - It's totally OK for you guys to stay at our house Tuesday night. You can stay as long as you wish in fact.
Steph - I'm planning to come down on Thursday now, so I'm not sure if we will be able to pick you up, but I know that Chris & Jen are coming in on Friday, but I don't know what airport. The train may also be an option.

For those of you staying around afterwards, I think we are going to come back to PA sometime Sunday evening. Aaron has to work on Monday (its the last day of the month), but we plan on staying in DC for most of the day to do some site-seeing and such with the rest of the gang. I'm taking off work the rest of the following week, so feel free to come up and stay as long as you want.

Well, guess that's all for now. Call or email if you guys have any questions.
I'm so excited to see you all in June! 5 weeks and counting...

Katie update and trip plans

Ok, Katie had her MRI this past Tuesday, and thankfully, the report was generated very quickly. I met with her pediatrician today who was able to explain the portions of the report to me that I did not understand....

Basically, it's very good news overall. Her bleed is gone now...it has probably broken up and absorbed, which is exactly what it should have done. So that's great news! From what I can tell, there is seen to indicate that she has too much spinal fluid, or that the exit of the fluid is blocked. The pediatrician told me that these reports need to be read in conjunction with her growth chart. We want her head to continue to measure normally. So for it has. Hydrocephalus causes the head to become large beccause there is no where for the spinal fluid to go. So instead of Katie going back in 2 months, she will go back in a month just to have her head measured. But I think that is just more precautionary. The pediatrician stressed that we will just watch her now as we would any other infant.

The report did show something else completely unrelated, but it's not a problem unless it's in conjunction with other things. So that made us a tiny bit nervous, but that is fine as well. The pediatrician said it's something we never would have known about if she hadn't been premature. So everything should be fine. I don't really like the fact that we need to watch her head though. I didn't actually see my normal pediatrian today because he was at a conference, so I'm going to see what he says too when I go in next month. But really it's good news. One more thing we've overcome:)

As far as the trip to DC is concerned,all 3 of us are coming in on Thursday early afternoon until Monday. We're hoping to have some time to see the sights on Friday and Sunday. We haven't booked out hotel yet either, and haven't figured out yet if we're renting a car. But I'll need to look into that stuff relatively soon now that things are slowing down again. I can't wait to see everyone. And thanks again for the prayers. Everytime something pops up, it's like the first time. It's so good to know we have such amazing friends who keep us and Katie lifted up in prayer.

Our Trip

Ok so we've had our tickets for a while. We will fly in and out of Baltimore. We come in on Friday June 27 and we fly out on Saturday July 5. Ang - were you still going to try to pick us up on your way to the wedding? If not, we can probably just get a car and drive down ourselves. Jamie - I think it's pretty easy to get to DC from Baltimore, but I've never done it. That's just what I've heard from Joe in the past. I would love to see some of the sights in the DC area since I have never been there. I just don't know how much we're going to get in. I am REALLY looking forward to relaxing with my friends, as well! We've had such a busy schedule recently, its going to be great to catch up with you guys!

We are headed to Minnesota tonight and will be back to Tulsa on Monday evening. We almost didn't get to go. Apparently they thought that my neice had whooping cough, which spreads like wildfire, I guess. So since everyone that we were going to see had been exposed to it, we would probably catch it. Which in turn would make us take extra days off work until we weren't contagious anymore and we just couldn't afford to do that. I guess they are finding that the vaccines that we got when we were little have a tendency to wear off, or they just don't work sometimes. Which is what they thougth was going on with Madeline. Anyhoo...the good news is that she was tested and it came back negative for that, so we're good to go. :-)

I am so excited to see all you girls! And I'm can't wait to meet the new additions to our little group. See you soon! What is it - 5 weeks and counting??? Woo HOO!

Wedding Plans in the Making

Here are my thoughts on the wedding... I'm thinking about using my free air miles to make my way out there. I have nothing concrete yet. I am teaching at a technology conference the week of the wedding, but I think our final day is on Friday so that is when I'm looking to fly out there. I am thinking that I will leave Monday afternoon. If I fly in to Baltimore, will I be able to make my way to DC pretty easily? I wish I knew more about the east coast!! Let me know what you all think. :)

Wedding plans

Hola chicas,

So Adam and I just bought our tickets to DC. We ended up getting a pretty good deal, thanks to this website that Adam was watching which told us when to purchase. Anyway, we are getting in to DC on the Thursday before the wedding and are staying through the following Tuesday.

We haven't booked a hotel yet since we weren't sure about the after-the-wedding plans. We don't have a lot of time afterwards, but would love to hang out as much as possible. We'll most likely rent a car since we'll have the baby and all the things that come along with her.

We just spent a lovely weekend with Adam's mom. She kept Violet in the room with her so Adam and I were able to sleep in, in the mornings. It was amazing. Better than sex. Really.

We also took Violet to the aquarium, which I'm sure she won't remember, but I loved it.

Violet's giggling and cooing pretty much nonstop now. I feel like she's almost ready to sit up on her own and she's sure giving crawling a pretty good try, kicking her legs and scooting on her tummy. I've started signing with her, just some basic words, like milk and dog. She hasn't really caught on yet, but hopefully within a couple months.

Love you girls and miss you lots!

plans

Hey girls,

Ok, so Josh and I have settled on some plans for Joe's wedding. We are going to drive in (since our Skybus tickets are no longer valid) on June 24. We were planning to stay that night in PA if Angie and Aaron have room for us. If not, we can get a hotel. Just let me know Angie. =) And then I think we're going to head to DC a bit early on the 25th through the 29th. We wanted to see some of the sights in the Washington DC area. We are staying at the Extended Stay America in Fairfax the whole time because we got it on Hotwire for a really good price. We have to drive back to Ohio on June 30th. So that's it for us. Unfortunately, we can't hang long after the wedding with everyone. But Josh's work schedule simply won't allow it.

Liz, we're also praying for you guys and Katie and I'm sure everything will be fine. We're praying for good reports when Katie has the rest of her testing. And we've got all of our family and their churches praying for Katie. You will soon be on the other side of all this stress and will be able to just relax and enjoy the beautiful little girl you have been blessed with. I'm naming it claiming it! =) Seriously, we are and we love you guys!

Making plans...

We're looking at about 6 weeks till Joe's wedding and the impromptu sapphires reunion, and yes, I'm starting to think about making plans. I can't wait to see you all and of course meet the newest additions.
So yea, I wanted to find out your plans. When are you getting in? How long are you staying? etc... I've actually heard from most of you, but not specifics. Jamie are you coming? I really hope so, cause if not, you'll be the only one we are missing.
OK, well email me or post it on the blog. Can't wait to see you all in 6 weeks!

Liz, you know I'm praying for you. God is stretching and molding you and Nathan into the parents you are meant to be. He has great plans for Katie and we are believing with you that she and you will get through all this stronger than you were before.

Love and prayers to all.
Ang.

It's always something...

You all are going to be tired of reading our not so good news and prayer requests, but we have more...
Just when we thought we were out of the woods, we got some results back from some follow-up tests Katie had done. After Katie was born, they looked into many things, both because TEF kids can have many other defects, and because she was premature. She didn't have any of the other defects associated with TEF, but there were a few things they were keeping an eye on due to her prematurity. They discovered some things with Katie's head and kidneys, both of which were very common, and both of which typically resolve themselves. Her head had a grade 1 bleed, which is not bad and pretty common in preemies, and they say many full-term babies could be born with them as well, and no one would ever know. This type of bleed typically resolves itself and goes away. For her kidneys she had mild hydronephorsis (not sure on the spelling) of one of them, meaning one kidney was a big larger. Again, they weren't too worried about this, and Katie's system is working just fine and everything passes through her system. Well, she did have to have follow-up ultrasounds last week just to follow this stuff.

I haven't heard anything yet on her kidneys, and really am not too worried about they seem to work just fine. However, the head ultrasound indicated that she has large ventricles (the area that hold the spinal fluid). Her pediatrician said the reports from radiology were pretty vague, and he had several people look at them before calling me, and called some other specialists as well. Basically, the report was very vague, and we don't really know if this is a problem or not, so we need to get a head MRI done. They said it very well could be a normal variance, which is of course what we are praying and believing for. But because she already has the one defect, we can't ignore it and really need to look at it more closely. The doctor wouldn't give me any info as to what it could mean if it's not a normal variance. In looking things up and talking to some people, it seems that it could basically mean too much fluid results in pressure on the brain, and when that happens it's typically necessary to get a shunt put in to drain the pressure to prevent problems. I don't know much else. I don't know if this is something that develops, and that's why we didn't see if on the previous ultrasounds, and I don't know if it's related to the grade one bleed. I think I'm just in for a wait for a while, because right now the MRI is scheduled for next week, and it sounds like it will be a week and a half or so before I will know the results. Her pediatrician was very good about making sure the MRI was necessary before calling me, since it requires her to be under anesthesia. So of course, I am nervous, but trying very hard not to think about it, and to just believe it is all withing normal ranges. So please keep us in your prayers once again, and hopefully this will be the last time. Sorry to always be bringing rough news.

I know I seldom post good things, but we really are enjoying every day with Katie. She's growing so fast. She's got to be between 7 1/2 and 8 pounds now, and it's crazy how fast she grows. She's hit the stage where she's a bit fussy sometimes now because she's awake more, but doesn't really play yet. But she smiles a bit more and enjoys being on the ground to move around a lot. She's rolled from her stomach to her back twice, mostly because she hates tummy time:) And she's just now waking up, so I need to go. Thanks for your continued prayers. This is another big one.

funny

I noticed the coincidence of the middle names as well. It's funny that they all have the same middle name. I think they're all named after family members as well. Ann is a popular middle name! And lovely... =) haha... Love you girls!

Is it coincidence?

I just realized something the other day that I thought you all may be interested in. A funny thing has happened in our little group of girls that I find quite interesting. So far we have 3 baby girl sapphires ALL WITH THE SAME MIDDLE NAME! Is it coincidence?
Lilah Ann
Violet Ann
Katherine Anne
FYI, Ann or Anne means gracious, merciful.
Yea, just thought you all would like to know this little bitty fact about our group. No pressure to those having baby girls in the future. :)

Love you girls.

So thankful...

So we got our praise report! Yesterday we had an appointment with an ENT, who was very knowledgeable and knew all about TEF and even knew Katie's surgeon. She was also very knowledgeable about hemangiomas, and thankfully, we don't have to worry about the one on Katie's neck! She said it is not attached to the larynx, and it cannot attach itself because there are layers of tissue separating the hemangioma from the larynx and they are not permeable. So there is nothing to worry about. She also looked in to Katie's files to read about a scope done prior to her surgery the day after she was born, and there was no indication of any hemangiomas at that point either. The specialist also explained the breathing difficulties, and they are related to her trachea, and how because she has TEF it sometimes I think folds or something. I don't remember exactly how she explained it, but it's something that can also just happen to any kid. So it's nothing to worry about at all as long as she is gaining weight and thriving. And she'll always catch her breath...she won't ever just not breath.

Thanks so much for your prayers. The thought of losing Katie for weeks again to the operating table was more than I could handle. You have no idea how grateful I am to just have her home in my arms where she belongs. My Myspace has a quote about being a premie parent, and how you learn to really appreciate life. It's so true.

So in other news, we're just enjoying watching Katie grow so quickly. Her weight gain is no longer a concern, and she gains more than a half pound per week. She's now about 6 1/2 pounds, which to us is huge! She's taken to nursing pretty well now, and we only do bottles at night now (mainly because she'll eat more from the bottle, thus sleeping longer, giving me more sleep in the process:). She's a tiny bit behind her age developmentally. She'll kind of fall between her gestational age and her true age for a few months I guess. But she's catching up. She actually even rolled over from the stomach to her back last week, so we're not too worried. She also has all of her follow-up tests next week, so we'll finish checking into the other premie concerns at that point. But we're not too worried. Nathan is an awesome father, and I couldn't imagine doing this without him! And the dog is adjusting. She gets jealous, but is also quite interested in the baby, and doesn't like it if I leave Katie upstairs sleeping in the morning when I come down. So that's us. I think thing are finally calming down around here now, and we can just enjoy our little baby. Thanks again for everything, and I can't wait to see you girls for Joe's wedding. Jen, you'll really be showing by then. I'm sure you're just too cute. Julie, you might be showing a bit by then. And I'm glad this pregnancy is going better for you.

Another huge prayer request!

I guess Katie is in the business of keeping us on our toes, because we've got another prayer request. Katie has a couple hemangiomas, which are collections of blood vessels, typically on the surface of the skin. They are often referred to as strawberry marks, and are like red birth marks that are slightly raised. They usually go away by the age of 9 or so. Very common and typically no big deal. Well, one of Katie's is located on her neck, and I noticed yesterday that there was a bulge bellow the surface under the hemangioma on her neck, so I did some research. Turns out they can sometimes grow on the larynx, resulting in airway restriction. Well, Katie has had some breathing difficulties. It's typically when she eats, so the doctor last week thought it was her reaction to reflux. After reading about this, I got her right into the pediatrician last night, who is referring us to an ENT specialist. So we don't know right now. Many of the symptoms of this also are symptoms of TEF, so it's hard to know. I have an appointment tomorrow. What I'm praying for is that this hemangioma is not on her larynx, or has not grown in a complicated way. Hemangiomas all grow for about a year, and then they "involute" or stop growing and get smaller. This type on the larynx needs surgery, which I am of course hoping is not the case for us. Please just pray for Katie, and for wisdom on the part of the doctors and for favor for us with the doctors. We are already fortunate to have an appointment this week, and my doctor was good about wanting it checked out right away. Again, I'm just praying it's a normal hemangioma, that maybe they will treat but not need surgery for, and also for wisdom and favor. And for strength for me. Nathan keeps a cool head, but I'm struggling. The idea of giving my baby girl up to the operating table for the 2nd time in 2 months is difficult for me. So please just be praying for us.

yea!

congratulations Julie and Josh! I let out a little hurray for you when i read the blog :)
ok, so pregnancy firsts... yesterday i woke up with, you guessed it, my first stretch mark. It's pretty faint and i had myself covinced for the first half of the day that it was a sheet crease. But by 3PM i just couldn't use that excuse anymomre! I knew they would come, but i was hoping they would wait another month or so... too bad.
So all is well here at the Akers house. Nobu and Fujiko are begging me to take them on a walk so i will have to cut this short to maintain my sanity. We still haven't heard from the final board meeting that happened last week as to the final OK for the release of start up money for Chris' company. Fujiko was spayed on monday of this week. I was hoping that would settle her down for a week or so but she proved me wrong tuesday wanting to tackle Nobu so quickly. so much for myweek of desired quiet. She's up to 60 pounds now, heavy enough for me to not pick her up. Nobu is roughly 85 lbs so i cant dream of picking him up. Fujiko is becoming more submissive and for that i am thankful. It eases my mind for when the baby comes. Mark your calanders girls... the last friday in May will be my 20 week appointment. Pray that Baby A cooperates for the ultrasound so we can start calling him/her a name!!
the dogs just knocked something over... gotta run!

We love vacation

Hey Girls, just a quick update. I know I just wrote one, but have found myself with the need to write another one. We had a nice vacation week with Josh home. He and I had a fun time at the Reds game yesterday and then went to dinner at Burbanks Barbecue (for those familiar with Gary Burbanks and Earl Pitts, American). The food was excellent, but I have to admit the ambiance was lacking. But if you're going to be in Cincinnati, you have to eat at Burbanks at least once. Then we saw Leatherheads (not the best movie ever) and had a wonderful dessert at Bravo on their outside deck. The weather was gorgeous and it was a nice evening. We stayed overnight in a hotel and had a wonderful relaxing morning where we got to sleep in without children harassing us at 7am. It was a wonderful and much needed get-away without kids. Especially since our lives with children should get more hectic in about 8 months as I am pregnant with our third. I am about 9 weeks along and we were trying. So we're very excited. We waited a little bit to tell people this time and I'm sorry for that. I did not mention it before, but I did have a very early miscarriage in February a couple months ago. So, we wanted to make sure we had a doctors appointment and that all looked good before we made the announcement. I had an appointment this week and all looks healthy. The heart rate was 146 and they could see the neural tube developing and everything is as it should be. I've been feeling pretty good this time around. I'm still dealing with nausea, but as long as I can take a Zofran first thing in the morning, I'm good to go. It has been SOOOOOO much better than my first two pregnancies thus far. I am due Nov. 30. So anyways, just wanted to post the news. Hope you all are well. =)

blah

Hey Girls, not much to say. Just wanted to say I'm sorry about your car accident Jen. That really sucks. And as one who has had my fair share of car accidents, I know what a pain in the butt you'll be dealing with for the next few weeks. I'm sorry about your headache and soreness. It stinks when you can't take any real medication because of pregnancy. And Tylenol is like candy, totally worthless most of the time. =) I'm glad to hear the baby seems fine and is well-protected. That is good news. Angie, we are all jealous that you got to go see baby Katie. I'm glad you guys had a fun weekedn with Liz and Nathan. Nothing much new here. Josh has this next week off for some vacation time, so that will be very nice. We're going to rock out to a "Go Diego Go" concert. That should be a pretty wild time (seriously). Seth is a pretty hard core Diego fan, so we're hoping he will enjoy his first live concert/show. Hopefully, it will go better than his first trip to a movie theater did a couple months ago when he catapulted himself out of his chair and face first into the cement half-way through "The Pirates that don't do Anything." We're also going to dump the kids on mom and dad for a day so we can go to a Reds game (yippee!!!) (can you sense my sarcasm?) and then hopefully dinner and some quality time together just me and Josh. That will be very nice. We're also going to try to take the kids to the conservatory to see a butterfly and plant exhibit. They do butterfly releases that I think Seth would love since he currently likes to flit around the house, flapping his hands, and singing "I'm a butterfly!" Josh asked him one day if he was a flying falcon or eagle and Seth stopped and said, "no, I'm a butterfly!" Then continued his prance. Josh has given up and has declared that it's my fault Seth likes girly things. He thinks I spend my days teaching the kids to dance and wear ruffles. And when I took Seth to a "toddler ballet" playgroup, Josh had a cow and said I am cementing an effiminate personality. It's pretty hilarious. Especially because Lilah can kick Seth's butt. So anyways, we're looking forward to our week together. Unfortunately, Josh has to study for his board exams coming up at the end of the week. So that will take some time away. But it will still be nice. Well, I hope you girls are good. catch ya'll later!

more drama

hi girls,
tonight on my way home from work i was in a car accident. i was rear-ended at a stop light and ended up hitting the car in front of me also. The car is remarkably well and we probably won't even get it fixed. The rear bumper has a half inch crack is all. the other two cars don't even have a scratch. I hit my head pretty hard on the head rest (head forward, head backward...ouch) and had an immediate headache. So i see the chiro in the AM. And Baby A... the doctor said since i'm just 13 weeks, he or she is really protected in there. so unless i start cramping or bleeding, there should be nothing to worry about. But what i wouldn't give to take an advil right now!
Anyway, i would appreciate your prayers for the pain i have and i know is coming in my head/neck/back, and the emotional drama i'll be going through with insurance companies. that's never fun.
On the brighter side, i woke up tuesday with that coveted BURST of energy everyone told me was coming. Crazy, it was like someone flipped a switch and i felt like my old self again... just chubbier! love and miss you all, Jen

Visiting with Katie...

So I just had to make you all a bit jealous by posting a picture of me with baby Katie. You should have gotten my album from Kodak to check out the rest of the pictures from the weekend. We had such a great time relaxing and spending time with precious baby Katie, and of course mom and dad.

Liz & Nate - I can see already see how great you are as parents to Katie. Thank you so much for letting us join in the fun this past weekend.

Love to all.

Good Friend & A Glass of Wine

Nick and I were just watching CMT Countdown and the song "Good Friend & A Glass of Wine" and Nick looked at me and said... "Hey, it's your song about you and your Sapphires." And it made me think of how much I need a glass of wine with you girls. I'm praying for you all as you go through the changes that life is bringing to you. This year is becoming quite the scrapbooking event... send pictures!!

Next time you sit down to read the blog, grab a glass of wine (or grape juice for Jen) and know that you are loved among good friends. :)

Mi casa es su casa

Thanks for all the prayers, girls. We signed the lease on our brand spankin' new apartment this afternoon. The movers arrive tomorrow with our stuff, so it really was perfect timing. It's pretty amazing how God worked things out at the very last minute. We were pretty much sweating bullets there for a while. Good times.

Below is a picture of the view from our balcony. If you look closely, you can see the ocean there in the background. Pretty freakin' cool.

We're also about five miles from LAX, so if anyone flies through or to LA anytime soon, let me know!

Love you girls!

planes, trains and automobiles

So Seth had his choo choo train birthday party on Saturday. It went very well and he had a blast. And as a bonus, our friend, Tim, who had flown into town for some stuff and was supposed to fly out on Saturday morning got stranded here until Monday. He had flown Skybus and was scheduled to fly out Saturday morning at like 9am. So Friday night, Josh just happened to be looking at the Skybus website at like 10pm and they had a bulletin posted that they were going out of business effectively at midnight. Tim's flights were cancelled and he had to rebook, but couldn't get an affordable flight until Monday night. It was so crazy. So, he got to stick around for the birthday party, which I'm not sure he was so excited about but Seth loved it. =) We had tickets with Skybus to Philadelphia the week of Joe's wedding, so we're trying to get our money back and will probably just drive now. Anyways... Seth had a fun day and thoroughly enjoyed all of his birthday party activities. He loved his train cake and all of the Thomas the Train stuff everywhere. The weather was beautiful, so he and his little friends had a blast playing outside. He had a great time and totally crashed at bedtime. We had a full house of overnight guests, so we put Seth in our bed down in the basement and he didn't even try to get out of bed once. (I thought he would because we were not down there with him and I thought he might get a little scared down there by himself) He was sound asleep within like 2 minutes. Almost before I even finished praying with him. He got some new train stuff to add to his collection. He got some superhero stuff to get started on that collection, including a batmobile. And he got hotwheels and a big race track. So, it was pretty much everything he could have asked for. One of our friends got him a tub of art clay, which was approximately the size and color of a tub of butter. Seth pulled it out and exclaimed most excitedly, "Butter! I love butter!" It was one of his favorite gifts, I'm afraid he may be disappointed when he learns it is not actually butter. He really does love butter right now.

Well, I hope the rest of the moving stuff goes well for you guys, Kim. Tell the Schergers I said hi. =) Liz, so happy to hear Katie is home now and you guys get to cuddle and take care of her all the time now. We'll keep praying for you all that she eats well and it all goes smoothly and for rest and endurance for you and Nathan during this stressful, sleep-deprived time. Much love girls! I'll send pics of Seth's party via shutterfly soon.

Live from LA

Hi girls,

This will be quick as I'm pretty much completely exhausted and the baby's finally sleeping so I have to grab some shut-eye while I can.
First of all, Liz -- I am so happy for you and Katie and Nathan. What a wonderful blessing that you get to have her at home with you now. We will continue to pray that things go well with her. I'm sure she'll be a little butterball in no time!

So we made it to sunny California a couple days ago and have been frantically scrambling to find an apartment ever since. Originally, the movers were going to take about three weeks to get our stuff to us, so we had plenty of time to find something. But we got a call on the way down here saying that they were on their way and will be here on Tuesday or Wednesday. So that hasn't left us with much time. We're staying with some friends right now (Benj's parents, for those of you who know Benj), which has been a huge blessing. They live about 2 hours from LA, which kind of sucks as far as driving back and forth but it's been great to have some semblance of a home for the past couple of nights.
We did find a place today that we absolutely loved and we got all the paperwork started to hopefully be able to move in on Tuesday. So if you think about it, say a little prayer that it all works out so Violet and I don't have to go hook on the streets of downtown LA.

Otherwise, all this sunshine is amazing. And the beaches are literally minutes from where we're going to live. I know there's a whole lot more stuff to get taken care of in like no time at all, but I'm still pretty excited to be here. I'm sure God will work everything out -- it just feels like we've been hitting quite a few brick walls lately.

But anyway, I love you girls!

Katie-Bug, Part 2

Ok, so the 2nd stage of Katie's life has finally begun...life outside the NICU. Anyway, Katie did come home Thursday afternoon. You have no idea what if felt like to finally be a parent walking out of the hospital with a carseat that had a baby in it! These are the things most parents take for granted (there are about a hundred of those such things, as I learned while I was in the hospital without my baby, and while visiting Katie in the hospital). But we'll save that conversation for another day. I can't even tell you all how my life has changed through all this, and how I feel like a completely different person in some ways.

Anyway, Katie is doing pretty well. The first night and day were difficult and a bit stressful. Eating can be such a process, and a stressful time if she doesn't eat much, because eating is what all of our lives hinges on right now. We don't want her to end up back in the hospital. Anyway, she is eating better today, with the help of some better bottles and nipples, and eating a little more as well. Her pediatrician is amazing, which is such a God thing, because I was still in the process of interviewing them when she was born. Turns out their office has quite a bit of experience with kids with TEF. They saw her on Friday, and she will be back again on Monday to see where her weight is at after te weekend. There are still many follow up tests with the hospital to do as well in the coming weeks. They are keeping an eye on her kidneys and her head concerning some things they've seen that are very common in preemies and typically resolve themselves. But of course, we still keep that in prayer, as we want to fall into that "typical" range. There are still very difficult times. Sometimes after I feed her and I'm holding her up, it seems as though she has reflux and like it could be painful(it's either that or gas...gotta ask the dr. about it). Those times make me just want to cry for her and wish I could take it all instead of her. But we continue to believe for full healing in her little body and that she won't deal with reflux, esophagus problems, or any other problems/side effects of TEF or being a preemie.

But on the happy side, as of Friday, Katie was up to 4 lb, 11oz. She drowns in newborn clothes still:) I bought some tape today so I can fold her onesies and sleepers in the back and tape them. We have a couple preemie outfits, some of which also seem kinda big. Which I don't get, because there are plenty of preemies smaller than her, but whatever. We still marvel and laugh everyday at her mass of dark hair. She's got the most beautiful blue eyes right now. We'll see if they stay or change. And she's an easy baby so far...only cries when she's gassy or hungry, or being changed if she's cold. She has daddy wrapped around her pinky and doesn't even know it yet, and I imagine he'll make her miserable when she's a teenager:). Ok, that's it for now. I love you all to death and appreciate you and your prayers a hundred times over. We still just take life one day at a time and have really learned to value life!

Real Quick

This has to be quick, because i have to leave soon. But I wanted to announce that KATIE IS COMING HOME TODAY!! Of course, it's not final until after the doctor's do their morning rounds, but I'm sure she had a good night (I will know as soon as I call over there), and she had gained more weight as of last night. Getting her to eat is still a little difficult sometimes, and nursing has not taken off yet (she's gotten lazy from the IV and the easy flow of a bottle), but those things will work themselves out I'm sure. So I'm ready to get no sleep from here on out, but can't wait because I get to be with my baby all the time now (sleeping will be quite difficult because not only do I have to get up to feed Katie, but she also has to be help upright for 30 min to prevent reflux, and then I have to pump still). But I still can't wait!

And I look forward to continued updates from you all. Julie, your party will be awesome. Sounds quite crafty and over the top to me, so don't worry about what the other moms are doing. Ok girls, gotta go. Just wanted to post the praise report.

choo choo

Ok, so I figured I would post a little ligh-hearted blog since we've had some fairly intense ones lately. Liz, I'm so happy to hear that katie seems to be doing so well in her progress at this point. Keep the updates coming! And Kim, have you moved yet? How's all that going? I love the updates from you girls. So, Seth is turning 3 on April 7th. We are having his party on Saturday. He is really into trains right now, so he's having a choo choo train party and a lot of Thomas the Train paraphernelia. First of all, I just want to say that kids' birthday parties are expensive! I'm doing it cheaply because I borrowed a lot of stuff from some friends here. Even with that, I just spent $70 on party favors and plates. I still have to buy all the food and balloons and Seth's presents. If you rent a room somewhere or have entertainment or something, you'll easily pay between 300-500 dollars for a kid's birthday party! (We're not doing that, our party is at home with no entertainment except some borrowed train toys) It's a little crazy, but he's old enough to get into it now. Fortunately, my mom is making a giant choo choo train cake, so I don't have to worry about that and Vicki is helping with some food too. That will be nice, but it's still ridiculous how much goes into a 3 year old's birthday. And then it starts to get a little competitive, because you don't want your kid's party to be crappy compared to all their friends's parties... I swear, when you join the mom world it becomes this whole new kind of elitist competition to see who fits into the group. Who's parties are the coolest? Who has the best play room for playgroups? Who feeds their kids only organic and whole grains? Who uses only "green" cleaning products so that their kids don't die of cancer? How much TV do you let your kids watch, because their brains will rot after 30 minutes of Dora (everyone knows that)? Which preschool are your kids going to? Do you spend at least 30 minutes reading to your children every day? And the list goes on and on.... Don't get me wrong, most of those are things to pay attention to for the most part, but it can get a little out of hand. Fortunately, most of my actual friends are pretty laid back about things. But when you throw a birthday party, the pressure is still on a little bit. One of my friends was just mentioning the other day how she always homemakes her birthday pinatas, and how there's no reason to really go out and buy one. I simply thought, "yes there is, and now I don't want you at my party." (I'm kidding, I like her very much) But I didn't get a pinata anyways because we already have too much candy and the Thomas pinata was like $25. So I will let the kids each pop a balloon to find a piece of candy inside, and they will probably think that is more fun anyways. Today I have to turn a cardboard box into a train car and paint some little rocks black like coal for a "coal toss" for the game. I hope nobody throws a rock at someones head. But they're small and I don't want to sew my own black bean bags. Seth has been talking about his birthday for a couple weeks now and I'm about to lose my mind. Vicki bought him some new Thomas sunglasses and Thomas shoes so that he could "run to his birthday party." He's literally been "running" to his party ever since. He woke up at 11:00pm the other night and when I went to his room to make him go back to bed, he was waiting for me with a smile and said "it's time for my birthday!" "And Nina's going to bring my choo choo train cake and I'm going to ride on it!" Since then, he probably asks if it's time for his birthday about 20 times a day and regularly talks about grandma bringing him presents and how he's going to blow out his candles and eat candy and play with his friends. I am SOOOOO glad I decided to do his party this weeknd and not next weekend. We went to the party supply store today and Seth wore his birthday hat the entire time. It was pretty cute and he has been pretty funny about the whole thing. It is a lot more fun planning a party for a kid who actually cares and is excited than in the past when the kids are too young to even know what's going on. Seth is getting so big, he's really a big boy now. (Other than refusing to use the toilet or wear big boy underpants) but we're working on it. And on his birthday, we're sending all of his binkys to the "binky fairy" via mail for all of the new little babies who need them. Then the binky fairy will send Seth a special "big boy" toy that only children who don't use binkys anymore get. We'll see how that goes. I'm expecting the biblical weeping and gnashing of teeth the first few nights and naps without the binky. So that is what's going on with us lately girls. Birthday planning and kid stuff. I'll post pictures after the party so you all can see my big 3 year old and his train day. Love you all!

Liz! That's great news! And no, we are not getting sick of your updates! If the rest of the girls are like me, we are checking this blog more often now to see what's going on with you and with everyone else. You guys have all kept me praying a lot more than I was used to, which is probably a good thing :-) All of us, it seems, are going through "stuff" right now. I just love to see how God is bringing us all through it.

Just a quick update on us - I am still planning on going back to school, but not until October. We are still seeking direction on buying a home. We both want to, but are really waiting on God's timing. We're keeping our options open. We looked at a house that a friend is selling - its not even on the market yet - so if that ends up to be in the right price range, we may pursue it. The only other thing we are doing is paying off debt, finishing our taxes (yippee) and saving for our trips this spring and summer.

Shawn's been a little sick again with something weird, who know what, but I think he's starting to feel a little better. Anyway...that's what's going on here. Not too much compared to the rest of my Sapphire world. Julie - I just saw your pics on myspace of the kiddos and cannot believe how HUGE they are getting! They are so cute! And I LOVE your hair!!! Kimmie - you're in my prayers keep us posted on the move when you have a minute! Love you all!

Getting sick of my updates yet?

First of all, congrats Jen and Kim! What big news for both of you. You will both have to keep us posted. And you'll be in my prayers. I get lots of prayer time in these days while I pump for Katie:)

The latest news on Katie is this...she's doing pretty awesome with her feedings. She's gone from 3cc's to 10 cc's to 20 cc's to whatever she will eat. Now, she will not eat much more than 20 cc's though right now. We're wanting her to consistently eat at least 30, which is about an ounce. They were waiting for her to do that to take her off of the IV, but decided to cut the IV tonight in hopes that she will be more hungry and nature will take it's course (they've been steadily decreasing the IV until now). So tonight is a big night because she needs to eat more. Also, she sleeps so much and is so darn content that she doesn't much care to eat:) But she is doing pretty well. Just continue to pray that she eats enough and keeps it down.

Also interesting news...another prayer of mine has been just that God takes this situation that I can't understand in my own human nature and uses it to glorify Him. We did meet the couple in the room next to us whose son has Cystic Fibrosis. So we're praying for them and hoping maybe God can speak to them.

Thanks again for all the prayers. Keep them coming as we're hoping for her to get well and strong and come home where she belongs.

Swallow Test and Beyond

Ok, I think Angie said she was going to get the word out, but Katie passed her swallow test today with flying colors! I was quite thrilled of course, and the surgeon is just awesome and showed me the x-rays from it so I could see everything myself. It's nice because he takes some time to talk to you and check in and stuff. He was on the unit a lot today because he was there for some surgeries as well.

So next, we start feeding. They are starting her with 3cc's of sugar water(basically pedialite) every 3 hours. As exciting as this morning was, this afternoon was just as draining for me. It's very important that she doesn't throw up a lot because this will stretch and strain and could rip her repair. Also, reflux I think as well is something to be careful of because the acid could burn the stitches. And the surgeon said the repair is weakest around a week (we are a week in tomorrow). So after her first feeding she spit up 4 times. However, prior to the 3cc feeding, she had drank 15cc's of the substance containing the dye for her swallow test this morning. So I am hoping and praying that the spit up was mostly from the dye she drank (I think they just get the babies to drink as much as possible since they might not always cooperate....but Katie was quite ready to take food by mouth and drank a lot). But it was still very difficult for me to see her spit up so much, knowing the dangers an knowing I don't want to ruin how far we've come this week. So the doctor's discontinued the feedings for tonight, and we will try again in the morning. The nurse did tell me this happens sometimes, and I know her little digestive system hasn't had to digest anything yet. So I'm trying to be positive, but this entire experience is a rollercoaster.

So basically, if things go better tomorrow, they will have her on sugar water for a little while, then the chest tube will come out (at which point I'll be able to hold her again), then they will ease her into real feedings and wean her off the IV. At that point (which if all goes well will be 5 days or so), the surgeon will release her from his care and we will just be dealing with feedings and normal preemie stuff before she can go home. So please keep us in prayer. I feel like we're past a huge hurdle and maybe even at a half-way point. But I'm so nervous about un-doing what's been done, so please continue to pray for her feedings and come against any reflux and excessive spit up. I appreciate all of your prayers so much! Please keep them coming...Katie needs them.

It's official

We signed the lease with our new tenants last night, so we are officially moving to California. We're trying to be out by this weekend, but definitely on Monday at the latest. We don't have anywhere to live yet there -- we've got a few places we're keeping an eye on, but since we don't want to commit to anything until we can see it, we're just waiting until we get down there. Adam's company will put us up in a hotel for a few days until we find something.

So we sort of have a plan now -- but there's still a lot to get worked out. I'm sure it will, but right now, the big picture is a little daunting. We'd appreciate your prayers!

Hope all is well with everyone. Jen, tell Chris congrats for us! Jamie, I totally didn't even get your message until we got back to Seattle. I'm so bummed we missed each other! Liz, we are praying for you and Nathan and your sweet little girl.

Love you all!

update on Chris

Hi girls,
This isn't as urgent as news about Katie, but it's weighed heavy on our hearts for some time now. Chris had a final meeting with his contact at "OR" yesterday in Chicago. "OR" is the company based out of Minneapolis that we hope will be fronting the money for 3 years for Chris' proposed new business. ("OR" is not the real name... i probably shouldn't write the real name quite yet) The meeting went very well. We were hoping to get the final YES, and that's what we got from this guy. However, he has to report to someone and instead of him explaining everything to his boss, they have requested Chris go to Minneapolis and do the presentation again next week. We're feeling really good about it though. We celebrated with a nice dinner out last night and purchased some suits for Chris... one black pin-stripe that he just looks amazing in ;) We don't know the exact day next week but will find out hopefully on Thursday this week.
Meanwhile I'm getting chubby! I've started gaining weight in my face, which i hate. Im gaining everywhere else though too...
Liz, Nathan, Katie... we're praying for you in illinois!

Praise God for good reports...

Liz, thanks for the update. I am so thankful for the good reports and look forward to hearing that the swallow test went well on Wednesday. Aaron and I are praying for you, Nathan and Katie and can't wait to hear all about how great it is to hold your baby girl and bring her home. Love you guys, and miss you tons. Let me know if I can do anything else; I feel so helpless and wish I could be there.

I also want to thank you all for helping me get the word out.
Love you girls and Happy Easter.

Quick Prayer Update

Ok, here's a very quick update so everyone knows how to pray for little Katie. She's been doing well still. Kinda hanging in there and healing the past couple days. She's off the respirator and worked out the tube that was down her nose (she's getting feisty). She's also off the sedatives. She's getting a little cranky from time to time and wants to eat. The tube feeding is not cutting it for her. Her swallow test is Wednesday. They will give her something to drink with contrast(dye) and watch it go down to make sure it goes where it should and not anywhere it shouldn't. This is a very important test and will show how she's healed and if the surgery was effective, which of course we are believing it is 110%. If all goes well with that, the tube in her chest will be removed and they will begin feeding her by mouth. Removing the chest tube also means we can hold her again. So needless to say, we're anxious and excited about Wednesday. Keep everything in prayer please. The surgeon thinks she is doing well, and said some would do the swallow test today or tomorrow, but he'd rather not take any chances and let everything heal up well. So just one more long day to get through from a parental perspective of sitting with our little girl and not being able to do anything. God doesn't give us any more than we can handle. We're believing for more good reports. Katie's proving to be a little fighter. I wanted to give the update so everyone could be specific with prayer.

I also received my shower gifts from my Sapphire girls today:) Thank you all so much! It was very generous and very much appreciated. And thanks to Angie because I know you worked it all out and took care of it quickly for us. I think we plan on applying to our bedding so Katie has somewhere to sleep when she gets home:) Ok, thank you all again for everything. You have no idea how much the prayers, encouragement, and support mean to us right now!

Quick update

Hello girls, I thought I'd give a quick update. I can tell Angie has been awesome about disseminating information(thanks again Ang), and Julie gave a pretty accurate description of Katie's condition. If you look at the end of the post to the definitions she pulled up, Katie has the last type of TEF, the most common type. The top of her esophagus ends and is a little larger than normal, and the bottom of her esohpagus attaches to her trachea. They found it right away because she was preterm and them went to insert a tube into her stomach(I think to feed her), and the tube obviously stopped where her esophagus ended. She was also frothing a little from fluid coming back up, although she did well that first night. She has also been checked for many of the things Julie mentioned that can accompany the TEF. So far she has none of them! She's had a bowel movement and everything else checks out well. They only have to check her kidneys (although she is urinating, so that's good) and do a head scan. I'm not sure exactly what the head scan looks for. So we are very grateful for that.

The surgery went exactly as expected, and her type of TEF isn't one of the more difficult ones. Some are more involved with surgery and require more stretching of the parts inside. And some are done on preterm babies as small as 2 pounds, so she was a good size at 4 pounds, 6 ounces. She's recovering well so far. Of course, I'm nervous and it's almost hard to be excited about how well she is doing when there is still so far to go. They've kept her very sedated so she doesn't disturb any tubes right now. She has breathing tubes even though she can breathe normally...I think just in case she needs it and so she doesn't have to work at all. They can't have her moving much or pulling any tubes out (there is also a tube in her chest in case of leakage, which there has been none of so far, Praise God). They're reducing her drugs that keep her sedate tonight by half, and then taking her off of them tomorrow. This is awesome news because she is doing well quickly, but also makes me nervous of course, because i expected her to be asleep all weekend (she wakes a little, but not much). But the hospital is one of the best and the NICU there is amazing, and it was originally designed for gastrointestinal issues for babies, so we're in the very best care possible. Anyway, the nurses all say she is doing very well. The doctors are harder to talk to because they tell you everything that could happen, and they don't all have the best bedside manner, but they are good. And I love her surgeon. And her new pediatrician came in, who I had to choose on the spot in labor without having met him yet (that was an appointment to happen this week). He is really great and actually has quite a few children in his care with TEF, and they're all doing great. God has been awesome and has put so many people in touch who have dealt with this or know someone who has, and they all say children with TEF can do quite well. We of course, are praying for no side affects, no difficulty with the esophagus contracting, and no issues with reflux down the road. And for now, we are praying hard for no reflux during recovery and for the swallow test to go well. They will test her swallowing by about day 6 after the surgery to see how she's doing, and only after that will they think about food by mouth. Please pray for all of this. So far she's done very well and is a fighter, but we want to continue to pray for the recovery and how things go as she is tested and weaned off of support.

I want you all to know how blessed I am at how much you care and to know you're posting info so you all know how to pray for us. I cried when I read Julie's blog and your prayer right now mean more to us than anything in the world. Everything has all happened quickly and things are just now beginning to sink it. And it's immensely hard to be home right now and not in the same building as Katie. Much harder than I thought it would be, and it's hard to not feel guilty. And it's hard to be on a floor with so many sick babies and see mothers crying as they hold their babies. So pray for peace for Nathan and I as well. We feel incredibly blessed that she made it so far and is a good weight and is well, and that this is not life threatening as are the conditions of so many babies in the NICU around us.

Thank you again. For the fun details, we're excited for a baby girl, shocked by a head of dark hair (we of course expected a fair and bald baby), and Nathan's already dreading teenage years and boys. She was 4 lb, 6 oz, 18.5 inches long, and was born 3/19/08 at 9:55pm. She came barreling into the world after maybe 5-7 pushes and 5 hours of labor (probably 3 of which I did not believe I was in labor except for the proof of the contractions on the screen and the testimony of the nurses that they were real and normal labor contractions). So you can see she's causing trouble already and is a fighter, so we have high expectations and are believing God for the best. We don't understand it all, but are truly believing He is going to use this situation for His glory and that soon it was all be just a dream. Thanks again for your prayers!

TEF concerning Katie

Hey girls, Angie asked me to post a little something about TEF which is the medical condition our newest little Sapphire is dealing with. I asked Josh to explain it all to me and I will do my best to interpret it as best I can. I am also going to post an explanation from a medical journal website that you all are welcome to read through, but it can be a little confusing so I'll try to explain it a bit first. TEF or tracheoesophageal fistula is a birth defect that develops very early on in pregnancy. It is where the trachea (windpipe) and the esophagus (the tube that food goes down into our stomachs) do not develop and separate properly. A connection fuses somewhere between the trachea and esophagus. Consequently, when the baby tries to eat, the food spills from the esophagus into the trachea and then, sometimes, into the lungs, causing aspiration. It will make the baby choke and struggle to breath. It is a pretty serious condition because the baby cannot feed until it is resolved. This is why Katie would have had surgery so quickly yesterday. During surgery, the doctors go in and tie off the fistula (connecting tube) between the trachea and esophagus. Incidentally, the TEF is likely why Liz went into preterm labor. The baby is not able to swallow the amniotic fluid adequately during pregnancy and there develops an excess of fluid in the uterus, causing preterm labor. There are actually several different types of TEF and sometimes it is necessary for the doctors to reattach pieces of the esophagus that have separated from each other. I have posted a diagram below of the different types of TEF. The picture above with the baby is the most common (87% of cases) and is most likely what Katie has. But I don't know for sure. The first tube in the pics is the trachea that goes into the lungs and the second tube is the esophagus. You can see how it connects to the trachea in some pictures and how it is gapped and would need to be reconnected to itself in several pictures.



The good news about TEF is that it can usually be surgically resolved, which it sounds like is the case with Katie. The danger after surgery is acid reflux problems that can cause scarring and ulcers in the little baby. Also, feeding can continue to be difficult because of the challenge of contracting esophageal tissues needed for swallowing after surgery. In some, not all,(approximately 50%) of cases of TEF... the condition can be linked to other birth defects or other physical conditions, usually cardiac disorders. Sometimes it can be linked to birth defects involving vertebra, anus, renal anomalies, or limb anomalies (radial dysplasia). Some of these would have been obvious immediately and can be ruled out already. I'm sure the doctors are looking for any of these possible links in Katie and we just need to be praying that she is perfectly healthy other than the TEF. We also need to be praying for quick recovery for her and that she does not struggle with acid reflux problems or swallowing problems. I hope this info. helps a little. I have posted an article below that explains the condition more medically if you are interested. I'm sure it will fill in any gaps I have missed as well. Love you girls!



WHAT IS TEF?

At the beginning of a pregnancy, the trachea ("windpipe") and the esophagus ("foodpipe") are one single tube, called the primitive foregut*. Between the 23 rd and the 28th day of pregnancy, a time when many women are not even sure they are pregnant, this single tube divides into two tubes – the trachea, which takes the air you breathe to the lungs, and the esophagus, which takes food, water, and saliva to the stomach. If something should ever go wrong with this division, as it does in approximately one out of every 3,500 – 4,000 births, the baby is born with a medical condition known as esophageal atresia and/or tracheoesophageal fistula. The anomalies are thought to arise from 1) a defective division of the primitive foregut into the trachea and esophagus, 2) defective growth of the entodermal* cells leading to atresia, or 3) incomplete fusion of the lateral side walls of the foregut during separation of the trachea from the foregut causing a tracheoesophageal fistula.

Atresia means an absence or closure of an orifice or tubular organ. In this case, the esophagus has a gap between its upper and lower segments, so that nothing can pass through, not even saliva. The fistula is a connection between the esophagus and trachea, which, depending on its position, either lets food or acidic stomach juices into the lungs. When a fetus has esophageal atresia, the inability to swallow and eliminate amniotic fluid may result in polyhydramnios.* This is the first sign of possible atresia at some level in the upper gastrointestinal tract and may lead to premature birth.

Many babies born with this defect have other medical problems – all associated with organs that were being formed during the same period at the beginning of the pregnancy. At least 25% of these babies are premature, and 25% have additional critical problems such as congential heart disease, Down's Syndrome*, hydronephrosis*, duodenal atresia*, and tracheomalacia*. Ten percent of the babies have an imperforate anus*, and one-half have vertebral or skeletal anomalies. Researchers found that it was not uncommon to have vertebral (V), anal (A), tracheo-esophageal (TE), and/or radial limb or renal (kidney) (R) anomalies, which was abbreviated as VATER syndrome (or VATER association) by Quan and Smith in 1973. This syndrome is also currently being termed as VACTERL, the C referring to cardiovascular problems, and the L to limb defects, because of the high percentage of children with VATER syndrome born with these latter anomalies.

How is this anomaly discovered?
In type A atresia, both esophageal segments are blind pouches, and neither connected to the trachea. It maybe termed as pure esophageal atresia and may be considered either short or long gap, depending on the space between the segments. An infant born with pure esophageal atresia may appear normal at birth, but as they swallow, secretions fill the esophageal pouch, causing an overflow into the oropharynx*, and the infant will drool excessively. When the infant is fed, vomiting and respiratory distress follow (aspiration). Continual suctioning temporarily relieves these symptoms. Both the excessive secretions and drooling in a newborn strongly suggest esophageal atresia.

In type E (or H-type tracheoesophageal fistula without atresia) the fistula may occur anywhere between the level of the cricoid cartilage* and the mid-esophagus. However, the fistula is usually higher in the trachea than in the esophagus. A fistula such as this may be as small as a pinpoint. Symptoms that may signal this H-type fistula are repeated episodes of lung inflammation (pneumonitis), infection of the lungs or respiratory system (pulmonary infection), and swollen abdomen (abdominal distention). When a child with this disorder drinks, he coughs, chokes, and becomes cyanotic (bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes). The reasons for this are that excessive mucous builds up in the esophagus, producing abdominal distention. This type of tracheoesophageal fistula may be overlooked, since such a child may appear normal at birth. It is possible for diagnosis to be delayed as long as a year.
In types B and D, the upper portion of the esophagus opens into the trachea, a life-threatening condition since an infant with this anomaly can aspirate saliva or food into the trachea. Both type B (proximal fistula and type D (fistula to both segments) cause immediate inhalation of saliva into the trachea airway and bacterial pneumonitis*.

The most common tracheoesophageal fistula is Type C, which includes esophageal atresia. The upper section of the esophagus ends in a blind pouch, and the lower section ascends from the stomach and connects with the trachea by a short fistulous tract. A newborn with tracheoesophageal fistula with esophageal atresia appears to swallow normally, but soon after swallowing coughs, struggles, becomes cyanotic (skin turns blue in color), and stops breathing since he is inhaling aspirating) fluid returning from the blind pouch of the esophagus through his nose and mouth. In this infant stomach distention may cause respiratory distress. Also air and gastric contents (bile and gastric acid secretions) may reflux through the fistula into the trachea, resulting in chemical pneumonitis*.

we're going to joe's wedding!

got our plane tickets today - fly in friday and leave Sunday. We can't stay long because Chris will be in the beginning stages of his company, and we're trying to save money for when the baby comes. Speaking of baby, you can read my blog if you want... but they did an ultrasound on friday because i am getting big so fast! But one baby, and only one baby (unless someone's hiding) is coming in October. Baby Akers just has a lot of room in there is all. looking forward to June!!!

Can't wait!

Hey girls - this will be a quick note since I'm at work. Actually, most of the time I write these I'm at work. The problem is I don't have internet at home, unless I decide to use the neighbors internet, but that ends up taking forever cause its so slow.

Anyway, I'm so excited to hear that so many of you are trying to make the trip to DC and PA. And I'm even more excited that Julie & Steph have already purchased tickets. I miss you guys and it will be so fun to see you all again. Just a reminder to those of you who are still looking into coming - all housing is free in PA! There is plenty of room for everyone (including husbands and babies)! Can you tell I really want everyone to come!

Like I said, just a quick note. It has been so great to hear what is going on with everyone lately. Jamie, I loved the 'teacher of the year' story. So funny!
Julie, what is your plan for when you first get into PA? You are welcome to stay with us then as well. Although, since you and Josh don't see each other much, I would understand if you decide to spend a few nights in Philly. Let me know what you decide.

Love you girls and bye for now.
Keep those DC/PA plan updates coming!

Teacher of the Year

So, I just figured out how to add our blog to my home page and I'm loving that I see your updates right away. :) Here is something that hopefully will make you laugh...

A few weeks ago I had a horrible cold. While I was teaching in a 3rd classroom I was leaning over a boy helping him with something on his computer. When all of a sudden my nose starting leaking... right on to the top of this poor kid's head. Only one drip and then I ran for the Kleenex, but still. Poor kid... his teacher's nose leaked on his head. (And I didn't even tell him what had happened. That's right... I'm up for teacher of the year! )

We are working on getting to Joe's wedding too. We'll let you know what we discover.

Joe's wedding

Hey girls! Steph, I'm glad to hear you're heading back to school. That will be an exciting new adventure! I'm jealous, I love school. =) Seriously, I'm a little nerdy like that. Jamie, I'm happy to hear you guys are good too. And I'm jealous you guys hooked up in Colorado. Although I have gotten to see Kim a few times lately. ha! j/k. Anyways, I just wanted to fill you guys in on our plans for Joe's wedding, since people are posting plans. Unfortunately, we couldn't book our trip into July at all because of Josh's schedule. But we still wanted to make a worthwhile trip to see people and hang out with each other too (me and Josh cause we don't see each other much either). So, Josh booked tickets to fly into Philadelphia on Skybus on June 24th through June 30th. So that's it for us. We'll miss most of the fun after the wedding. =( But such is life. love you guys!