The Midnight Sun

We were in Alaska for the Summer Solstice. Each year, there is a big celebration in Fairbanks that is followed by the Midnight Sun Run, a 10k that starts at 10pm. Lisa, Jessica, Eli and I walked in the Midnight Sun Run this year. This is the first time that I have actually walked a race rather than run it, but given that I am 28 weeks pregnant, I thought I should walk. Lisa was kind enough to walk with me (she usually runs as well). We had a GREAT time. It was one of the most fun "runs" that I have ever participated in!! It took us about 1:45, but given that it took about 5 minutes to cross the starting line and we stopped a few times to get Jessie in and out of the stroller so she could run, I thought our time was pretty good (for walking).

At the beginning of the race....look at the beautiful sun at 10pm!!
Eli slept the first 30 minutes of the race.


I love this picture!!!
After the race - check out the daylight at midnight! This is as dark as it got during our entire visit.

As usual, Eli could not resist this puddle when we were leaving the park! Boys!!!

We're Back!!

Eli and I have been in Alaska for the past 10 days! We had a wonderful time visiting my sister and her family. As usual, the summer weather was beautiful.

I have several ice cream pictures! We LOVE Hot Licks ice cream and went there WAY too many times! : )
We also went to the park several times. All the kids love the park and it's a great way to get out all their energy! : ) I'll post more about this later, but it is daylight all the time in AK during the summer and many of these park pictures were taken pretty late at night. This one was close to 10pm. I know....we should be in bed or close to it, but in AK, bedtime in the summer is a little crazy!!
Jack, Jessie & Eli
John-John playing baseball.
Alaska has so many beautiful flowers during the summer!!
Jessica!
Jack!

Lisa & Jack on the train at Alaskaland

Our flight home was a red-eye. We left Alaska at 4:40pm on Friday and arrived in Dallas at 5:30am. This picture was in Seattle as we waited for our flight that left at 11:55pm. Thankfully, Eli was ready to sleep!! : )

Quick Baby Update

We haven't been to the Dr again, but have spoken to many over the phone while on vacation. The surgeon has determined that a scheduled c-section will be the best thing for all those involved in Baby Chase's care. We will likely schedule the c-section at 38 weeks which is the week of September 8. Going from a unmedicated, minimal intervention birth assisted by a midwife to a scheduled c-section is obviously a HUGE change, but we are going to do whatever the cardiologist and surgeons feel is best. We LOVE, LOVE our sweet Baby Chase and want to do whatever we can to give him the best possible chance to make it home!!!

I haven't seen my new OB, but I will likely be switching to a Dr at Presby Plano (Dr. Wells). If anyone knows him or sees him please let me know...just curious. He is also a prof at UT Southwestern and therefore can deliver at Parkland (which is where the Children's Drs want me to deliver). I am very optimistic that my experience with this Dr will be better than my last! : )

That's it for now....we have our big appointment with the surgeon, Dr. Forbess, on July 18, as well as another appointment with the cardiologist, Dr. Eapen, and a tour of the NICU at Children's. Please keep all of these doctors in your prayers.

Less than 100 Days

Less than 100 days until my due date!! I can't believe it. And, it will likely be sooner than that because I expect to be induced sometime the week before my due date. I know the time will go by so fast. We have a trip to Alaska coming up as well as a trip to Arkansas. When I think about all our plans this summer it just reminds me of how quickly September is going to get here!!



I am excited about welcoming Baby Chase into this world, but this one will be so different. The joy of a new little one will also bring so many emotions. Emotions that I don't even know about yet. Ones that will happen when I see my sweet boy being taken into open heart surgery just hours after birth. Ones that will happen when I see my sweet boy after surgery and in the NICU. Ones that will happen during the time when I am at home and my sweet boy is still in the hospital. It's so hard to even imagine. I know that God will be with us....carrying us in His arms.



I am getting a little anxious about getting things done before Baby Chase's arrival. I KNOW that once he arrives, I will have NO time for anything for a while. I don't have much to do to prepare for his arrival...we're not doing a nursery, etc. I just feel like there are other things lurking that need to get done. You know, things that I put off over and over again. Yesterday, I pulled out the boxes of pictures that I have and started putting them in albums and scrapbooks. I have been perfectly fine with having them in boxes for years, but for some reason, I now want them in albums. Silly, I know!!!



On another note, I thought that Eli really understood the concept of a baby brother. We talk about Baby Chase and he seems to get it. Well yesterday, I found a picture of Eli when he was about 8 months old and I showed it to Eli. I asked him who it was and he said Baby Chase!!! So now I'm starting to think that he really doesn't get it! Oh well....he will soon! : ) I have also started telling Eli that Chase is going to need some extra care and that he will have to stay at the doctor for a while after he is born. Eli looks at me every time we talk about this and says, "Baby Chase needs to get his ears checked??" You can obviously see what Eli remembers about the dr!!! I think it is so cute an innocent. If only Chase just needed to get his ears checked!!!!

We still don't have an OB yet. I'm hoping to get that issue resolved early this week. My midwife recommended someone that delivers at Parkland so I am going to see if she could be an option for us. We have a marathon appointment at Children's on July 19. We will be touring the NICU and learning about the procedures there, having another appointment with the cardiologist for another echo cardiogram and meeting with the chief cardiac surgeon at Children's to discuss the surgery and talk more about Baby Chase's conditions. I know it is still a month away, but please pray for us as I know that it will be a very exhausting appointment.

Thank you again for all your prayers. God is so good!!

A friend sent me a letter that contained part of the 139th Psalm and she made it very personal. It is so comforting to me and I read it MANY times a day!

"For You created Baby Chase's inmost being; you knit him together in Laura's womb.
We praise you because Baby Chase is fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, we know that full well.
Baby Chase's frame is not hidden from You as he is made in the secret place.
When he is woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes see his unformed body.
All the days ordained for Baby Chase are written in Your book before one of them comes to be."
Psalm 139:13-16

Back to the Splash Park

We went to the splash park again today. Eli wanted to take Daddy! ; )

Just Like Daddy!

Eli loves to pretend to do whatever Hunter does...here he his putting in his contacts.

25 Week Baby Update

We went to the DR today to meet our new OB since I will now be delivering at Parkland.

First an update on Baby Chase.....we had another sonogram and there was really no change as far as his heart was concerned. They did not look at the heart in detail, but what they did see did not show any significant changes. The good news is that he is continuing to grow. He is approximately 1 lb 11 oz which is in the 50th percentile. We are happy with that and pray that he will continue to grow and be an extra big baby! The bigger the better in this case. : ) He was very active during the sonogram, as usual, which is good. We got a cute pic of his feet and his profile, but we haven't scanned them yet. I'll post as soon as we get them scanned.

Regarding the new OB.....not so great news there. Actually, I did not care for her at all. There were several things which I won't get into, but I am just so sad about the outcome of the visit. I was really praying for someone that I would like, but it just did not work out. Given her work, I expected her to be a little softer and more compassionate, but it just wasn't there. Also, the type of delivery that she described seemed to have an overriding message of convenience for her, not what's exactly best for Baby Chase. I am SO willing to adjust my birth plan for the health of Baby Chase whether that means being induced or having a C-section, etc. But, I'm not so willing if it's for the convenience of this DR. Being an OB is sometimes inconvenient...right??? Don't they know that?? ANYWAY, I'm going to call the DR at Children's tomorrow and see if I have any other options. Tonight, I'm PRAYING FOR OPTIONS!!!!!!!

Regarding prayers, THANK YOU SO MUCH to those that have been praying for us and thinking of us. We have really felt your prayers over the past 11 days. Actually, I have felt amazingly well given the situation and I KNOW it is because of all the prayers. Please keep them coming! : )

Splash Park

We went to a park/splash park in Allen this morning. Eli LOVED it!!!! It is only about 10 minutes from our house....I think we will be there a lot this summer!

Sleeping

Hunter has been out of town during the week and Eli and I get used to sleeping in the bed alone. This is what Hunter found when he returned late last night. Eli was streched out as far as his legs would go! : )

Fun Outside

Eli enjoyed playing outside today with his new water table. The water didn't stay in the table for very long! : )

Pump It Up, Jr.

We went to Pump It Up, Jr. today. We had not been since sometime last summer. Eli really enjoyed it and has already been asking to go back again. For Moms with kids under 3, Pump It Up Jr has a pop-in playtime for kids ages 1 to 3 on Thursdays from 10:00 - 11:30 for $6. The age group is great...if there were older kids there, it may be kind-of scary for the younger ones.

I have some video to post later, but here are some pics for now.

Anything Can Be A Mower

I walked away for a minute as I was unloading the dishwasher. I returned to find Eli pretending that the bottom rack in the dishwasher was a mower. When you're completely obsessed with mowers (as Eli is), suddenly anything can become a mower!