Tuesday, November 30, 2010

A New Season

Well...it turns out I'm not as consistent of a blogger as I thought I would be. We are definitely in a new season of life!  We have moved from our hometown of Sulphur Springs, had a baby, joined a new church, started new jobs, moved into a new home, made new friends...everything this year is new!  It has been an adventure to say the least!  It has also bonded Colby and I in a completely new and different way.  We have been pushed out of our comfort zone and become much closer because of that for sure!

This year Colby did not coach football.  I must say...as much as I disliked the amount of time that he spent away from home when he did coach football...I kind of missed it!  I know I know...not something you thought you would hear coming from me!  I guess growing up as a football coaches kid, I am just used to Friday nights being football nights.  I am used to the crazy schedules, carpools with other families, and the bond that it creates with everyone on the staff. Colby has still been somewhat involved in Friday nights because he is now the "Get Back" coach.  He literally tells kids, "Get back."  Apparently you can get penalties if you cross the white line...!  The football coaches wives have very graciously let me tag along with them as well and we have both really enjoyed getting to know everyone.  The Poteet Pirate football team has had a dream season so far.  They went from winning only one game in 2 years, being picked dead last in their district, to going 4 rounds deep into the playoffs...at least!  It has been fun for us to get to be apart of this and share in the joy and excitement that is...High School Football BUT now that Thanksgiving has come and gone Colby has started his first official soccer season as the Head Coach of the Mesquite Poteet Boys Soccer.  Woo hoo!  I am so nervous for him just because I want he and his team to bond and have a great season together and I want my husband to be successful because I know this is something he pours his heart into...meanwhile Colb is a cool as a cucumber.  Typical! =)  He does not stress about anything, which is good, because I stress about everything!!!

Enough about him though...time for Baylor!  She has experienced many firsts lately.  She has had her first fever, eaten her first rice cereal, eaten her first squash, worn her first pair of pantie hose, had her first Thanksgiving, found her toes.  She literally changes overnight and discovers something new everyday.  I'm so glad God has given me the opportunity to stay home with her this year.  Sometimes I think she changes in between naps! =)  Here are a few pics of my precious baby girl..and yes I am completely biased!

Reading a goodnight story.

We love bath time!

Her first time to wear pantie hose!

Her first time to eat cereal...a lot more goes in the mouth these days!

Merry Christmas...yes those are Christmas tights!

She even likes to try and sit up these days!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Baylor's Story

Hello World!  I have never blogged before, but now that I am staying at home and have recently moved I thought this would be a great time and a great way to keep friends and family posted on everything that's going on. My first blog...and most...will be about my sweet Baylor Ann.  It's a little long, but I feel like she already has such a strong testimony and story to share!

After struggling with infertillity for over a year on November 25, 2009 I found out that I was finally pregnant!!!   God had finnally given us the baby we had wanted and prayed so long for. Fast forward to July 12, 2010. 



I was at my 37 week check up accompanied by my mom, sister, and nephew.  I was going to go in for a quick check and then we were all going to go shopping and get some last minute baby things and my newphew was going to buy a toy with some birthday money he had gotten!  I should also preface that I had just eaten mexican food which made Baylor move quite a bit in my belly.  I get called back to the office and my doctor, Dr. Heckman, can't get a good read on Baylor's heart beat because she was wiggling too much.  So he decides to do a sonogram to look at the heart and see if he can get a heart rate from the sonogram.  We did the sonogram and I'm not sure if he still couldn't get a read or saw something wierd, but at that point he told me they were going to put me on a monitor just to be sure.  I actually wasn't nervous at all at this point because I thought she was just wiggling too much for them to get a good read of her heart beat. After being on the monitor for about 20 minutes my doctor came back in and informed me that Baylor's heart rate would go up for a little bit, then drop back down for a little bit.  He thought it probably wasn't anything to worry about, but wanted me to go across the street where they have more detailed sonograms just to be sure.  Apparently I was going to see a high risk doctor, but at the time I had no idea. So...me, my mom, my sister, and my poor sweet nephew go across the street for another sonogram.  I check in, get called back, and this time a new doctor sees me and prefaces the sonogram with, "I just want you to know that we are looking for heart failure so if we find something, I want you to be prepared."  Panic immidiately took over my body. My heart sank.  Tears started streaming down my cheeks. As a mother I felt helpless. He looked at her heart and said, "Ok, we are going to call in our Pediatric Cardiologist. Your daughter seems to have some sort of flutter and you are very blessed that your doctor heard this.  The good thing is that you are at this hospital and we have everything she needs."(I was at Baylor Dallas).  The cardiologist then comes and looks at Baylor's heart.  After a few minutes she explains to me what is going on.  Baylor has an Atrial Heart flutter.  Very common in elderly people, but very rare in infants.  The top 2 chambers of her heart were beating at 300 beats per minute while the bottom 2 were beating at 150 beats per minute. My questions then poured out, "What does this mean? How do we treat this?  Does this mean she has a bad heart?  How will this affect her later in life?  Can she still lead a normal life?"  The cardiologist assured me this type of flutter, though very uncommon, was very treatable. She again mentioned how blessed we were to have caught this so early because this type of flutter is hard to hear, and had it gone unnoticed it could have caused major damage to Baylor's heart and body. She was going to admit me to the hospital and give me a medicine called dijoxin to try and convert Baylor's heart in the womb, then if that didn't work then they would take her via C-section and convert her heart outside the womb by giving her heart a shock with baby difibulators.  She was very positive that this would work, but if it didn't then Baylor would have to take medicine everyday, but still lead a relatively normal life. At this point my body is numb.  I feel like I am in a bad dream.  Even though the outcome seems positive, I still can't believe that instead of going shopping, I am being admitted to the hospital because my daughter's heart isn't working correctly.  Something is wrong with my little miracle baby and I am completely helpless. My mom prayed with me in the doctor's office and started a prayer chain throughout our church and community. The cardiologist spoke with my husband on the phone and explained what was going on.  I couldn't talk him...I had no idea how to even begin to explain everything I had just been told. 

                                                And so the waiting game begins....

                                                         Baby Day!  Here we go!!!


After being in the hospital for four days, Baylor's heart rate had still not converted.  My doctor came in Thursday morning on July 15th and told me that at 12:30 we were going to be having a baby.  I had such a mix of emotions.  I was so excited that Baylor Ann would finally be here, but I knew she had a major and unpleasant battle ahead of her.  Since the medicine they had been giving me hadn't worked, Baylor was going to be taken to the NICU to get her heart shocked in hopes that it would convert to a normal, safe, heart rate. I hated that she would be so new to this world and possibly in pain and I, her mother, couldn't be there for her or even comfort her when it was over.  It was hard.  We went to the operating room at 12:30 and at 1:06 Baylor Ann was born.  I got to see her over a curtain for a brief moment and then she was taken to another room.  Colby got to see her for a little bit. He said she was beautiful and perfect.  He told me the nurses were telling him that she was a super star!  He also said there were tons of doctors, nurses, and residents waiting for her with stethescopes to listen to her heart.  No one attending to her or myself had ever actually seen an atrial flutter in an infant.

While I was in recovery I had several people come back and visit me, but there was one person in particular I was very anxious to see.  Dr. Eapen, her cardiologist. Then...after several minutes...the door swung open and in cam Dr. Eapen with a huge smile on her face.  Baylor's heart had verted.  Tears of joy streamed down my face, a huge weight had been lifted off my chest.  I closed my eyes in a peaceful rest. My miracle baby was going to be okay. The baby we had prayed so long for, the baby the town of Sulphur Springs was praying for was going to be okay. 


      She's here!!!  When Baylor was born she was given an IV, oxygen, feeding tube, and placed on  heart and oxygen monitors.


                                                 I finally get to hold my sweet Baylor Ann!



After 5 days in the NICU for monitoring, we finally got to take our sweet Baylor Ann home!



God heard our cries and blessed us with a child.  I knew he would bless us with a child, I just did not know the road he would take us on be it infertillity or adoption.  God heard our prayers throughout the pregnancy and took us to the right doctors so that Baylor's heart flutter would be found and her heart would not get damaged.  God healed Baylor's heart.  We serve an awesome God and even if Baylor's heart had not converted he would still be a loving and faithful God.  It is not my job to question the road God takes us on, but emabrace it and see how he is going to take the situation Satan intends to destroy our faith, and use it for the glory of His kingdom. I'm so thankful for Jesus Christ and that the life we live in this world is not in vain.