Updates galore!

We have a date! A delivery date that is. I met with our OB, Dr. Cox, today and have officially scheduled our c-section for Wednesday, August 4 at 7:30am. Its hard to believe that our nugget will be here in 8 weeks and life will be completely different for Jared and me. We're both excited, anxious and a little scared all at the same time.

I'm sorry its been so long since my last update but life here in San Antonio has continued to be a little hectic over the last few weeks. First and foremost, the moving truck arrived on Memorial Day! I was convinced we wouldn't see our belongings ever again but Jared remained hopeful. I think he was just trying to balance out the crazy pregnant lady he had sleeping on an air mattress! After being told on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, "the truck will arrive tomorrow", it finally made its debut on Monday. On arrival, they tried to charge us even more money before unloading the truck but that crazy pregnant lady came out of her shell and we were able to avoid that little swindle. Jared helped the two movers unload the truck and after 5 hours and working twice as hard as either of the movers, he was exhausted but we had our earthly possessions back in sight. So much for a holiday! We had some minimal damage but everything was accounted for so we were happy to see that truck leave.

The house is starting to feel like a home and a HUGE thank you to Mom and Steve, Cindy Knocke and my aunt Bonnie for all of their help. We could not have done it without them! If you know me, you'll know that I'm not one for playing the pregnancy card, almost to a fault. Our helpers and my husband have kept an eagle eye on me since I keep thinking its nothing to try to move a 200 lb piece of furniture on my own. The baby's room was the first room almost complete since her furniture was the only thing we owned not traversing the Southern US via moving truck. The glider arrives tomorrow and then her room is complete! I'll post house/nursery pictures this week. Rooney and Kitty are feeling very comfortable in their new digs. Rooney is really loving his new back yard and has even been caught frolicking in the grass when he thinks no one is watching.

Besides moving, we've had our fair share of doctors appointments and they'll only get more frequent from here. I've already reported on our appointment with the new OB, Dr. Cox. On Friday, May 28, we met with the new perinatologist, Dr. Gordon. Dr. Gordon is very knowledgeable and we feel comfortable in his hands. We got a long look at the nuggster during his ultrasound exam. Her omphalocele has now been classified as large to giant and is a little larger than 1/3 the size of her abdomen. It still includes her entire liver and most of her intestines. Dr. Gordon said its not the largest he's ever seen but it ranks up there...awesome. He's dealt with a number of omphaloceles and is currently handling 5 so we're confident with his knowledge. Dr. Gordon referred us to Dr. Robertson, the pediatric surgeon, and set us up with Dr. Kenton, head of the NICU at Methodist Children's Hospital.

On Wednesday, I met with Dr. Roberston to discuss surgery and the upcoming outlook where that's concerned. Needless to say, it was pretty deflating. The road outlined for us was alot longer that what we were originally anticipating but also serves as a reminder that we have to keep up our hope and faith and know the Lord is in control. Dr. Robertson said that there are a number of ways to treat omphaloceles, which means there's not a proven best method of treatment. Due to the size of her omphalocele, the surgery won't be immediate to avoid crowding her other organs and causing respiratory problems. The nugg's body size is still measuring small since it's developing without those organs inside of it. We can anticipate about 6 months in the NICU where a membrane will develop over the omphalocele sac. After that we'll bring her home. The omphalocele will remain herniated until surgery which could be anywhere from 1 - 3 years of age. Dr. Robertson said to expect alot of abdominal scarring and a very long and rocky road ahead. Can you see the deflation from where you're sitting? All of this being said, there's a blog network of omphoalocele moms with some truly amazing and inspiring stories so I'm going to keep reading these and keep my spirits up.

After a long talk and some tears, Jared and I are going to continue on the path we've started on - planning for the worst and hoping and praying for the best. I am reminded every day that the Lord has put us in San Antonio and with an amazing support system of family and friends. Our new home is 7 miles from Methodist Hospital and we have no doubt we are exactly where we are suppose to be. I've said it before and I'll say it again, our nugget will be perfect for us and has already made us better people and our relationship stronger. I could not do this without such an amazing man in my life and I'm so excited to see what a great father Jared will be.

Thank you to everyone for your phone calls, emails, thoughts and prayers over the last few hectic weeks. Our next appointment with Dr. Gordon is on Monday, followed immediately that day with Dr. Kenton and a tour of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Methodist Hospital. Now that we have internet up and running in the house, I will be more diligent about my updates and promise to post house/nursery pictures soon.

Love to you all!

Brooke