Yippee

Last night we had orientation for the boys new school. Bryce was beyond excited whereas Ethan was a little hesitant. We get there and have an assembly where every couple minutes Bryce asked how much longer until he got to meet his teacher. We had already prepared the boys that they probably weren't going to be in the same class with each other. Something I was more worried about than anyone. I had requested them to be in the same class only this year due to all the changes in our lives that was taking place. They are changing schools and adding hours to their days. They are getting new Sunday School teachers, new Children's Choir teachers, Preschool Praise is starting up after a summer break and lets definitely not forget a new baby sister! I think that's so much for them to deal with at such a young age, however, I know my boys well enough to know that they can adapt to any change. Still for me, this was hard. As we walked with our friends to the first of four classrooms we noticed quickly that they weren't going to be in the same class with their dear friend Emily. A huge disappointment to both of our families but we continued down the hallway. We came to the second room where several friends were together but not our boys. We came to the third classroom and still...neither one of the boys were listed. At this point I'm almost in tears due to excitement. We approached the final classroom and the last two names on the list was Bryce Wilburn and Ethan Wilburn! PRAISE GOD! Our boys are together again. We met their new teacher and she seems extraordinary. She has a wonderful, bubbly personality and has a child in the same age so as a parent, she can relate to the other parents. I am so thankful for the gifts God has blessed us with. Here we were just a few short weeks ago, on a waiting list not even knowing if our boys would get in to this amazing school and now. God is so good.

34 weeks and counting

Wow, I wished I could say that time has flown by this pregnancy but finding out at 3 weeks only makes for a very long pregnancy. Adding on all the complications I've had and it adds even more time but it's coming to an end. I had a small scare the other day. I have a blood clotting disorder called Factor Five Leiden or Leiden Factor Five and basically when I have any added hormones in my body I am more susceptible to blood clots. During my pregnancy with the boys I developed a DVT and nearly lost my life and not too long ago a 23 year old woman lost her life to a blood clot just weeks after giving birth to her son so as you can see this is a very serious thing. I've been taking a blood thinner pretty much the entire pregnancy which drastically reduces my chances, however, it's still a possibility (and a very scary one at that.) With that being said I've been having a good amount of pain in my right leg (a classic symptom of a DVT) and thought it would be best to call my doctor. My doctor said he didn't think it was a DVT but to put both of our minds at ease to come in and be examined. So, thankfully I have an awesome husband, Joe came home and together we went to the doctor. He did a quick exam and praise God, no clot...just a very low baby girl sitting on not one but TWO nerves! She is so low that she is literally sitting on a nerve that goes down my right leg and she's also on my sciatic nerve causing lower back pain. Although it's extremely uncomfortable, I would much rather have heard this than a blood clot. I have another appointment next week and it's been suggested by one of the ladies that works in the office to ask for a scheduled induction. Only due to my previous history and of course my Factor Five Leiden. Please keep us in your prayers as sleep is becoming a thing of the past and the discomfort level is at an all time high. Joe is still recovering from his surgery so we look like two peas in a pod when we go out (he in his cast and me and my belly.) We joke all the time. He'll say try wearing a 5 pound boot all the time and I'll say try adding a 20 pound belly. Even through it all, we still give God all the Glory. We know that a child is a blessing and the end result is worth it all.

7-8 weeks of healing and blessings!

So it's been over a week since Joe had his toe surgery and all is well. I was quite surprised to see that he had little to no pain. What a blessing it has been. His toes are all a nice shade of purple, blue, green and brown but the bones are healing very nicely and Joe is no longer in any pain. Praise God! The doctor told us that Joe still has about 7 weeks of healing to do. Speaking of the doctor, he is so funny. He is Indian but has a more Southern American accent than many of our friends. Joe asked him if he would make the metal detectors go off in the airports due to the screws in his toe. The doctor said no and Joe made a disappointment groan. The doctor said that Joe wouldn't want that, it would get so old and then said that Joe would be in the "Osama Bin Ladin line with him at the airport." He said he gets questioned all the time and told us a story of how he was on the phone with his brother in law and he told him to be safe as he traveled back home. The lady in security immediately pulled him out of line and for the next 3 hours interrogated him and his wife. They asked him if he was Arabic and he said no he was Indian. They asked what he did for a living and he said a podiatrist, what his wife did and why she was currently out of work and he said since 9/11 it was hard for someone in IT to find a job. The doctor was getting aggravated at the questions and told the person interrogating him to ask him some "real" questions (again, this man speaks English better than I do! And with a southern accent!) His wife looked at him and in Indian she told him to stop being rude or he would go to jail, which made the interrogation go even longer because she didn't say it in English. Now you really had to be there because it was so much funnier in person but it made me realize how paranoid we can be at times. Here is a man born and raised in Georgia, attended UGA and all because he showed concern for a relative was questioned for 3 hours. Now don't get me wrong, I am SO thankful for the safety precautions they are taking but come on now....I just had to share, I thought it was hilarious as he told it.

I had an appointment this past Tuesday at my high risk specialist. They do an ultrasound each and every visit so it's always so much fun to go there and see how much Maggie has grown. She is a very active little girl, constantly moving around in my belly and today was no exception. The ultrasound tech had a difficult time getting her to be still so she could do measurements. She did get pretty good measurements though. Then of course she tried to get the modeling shots as I call them but Maggie wouldn't cooperate. She had her little hand in front of her face. The lady wiggled the monitor on my belly trying and hoping that she would move her little hand but instead she brought her foot up to her face. So, needless to say, we got a nice shot of her foot. Other than that, all is well. She's measuring 3 pounds and 10 ounces. We cannot wait to see her and see what she looks like. Ethan and Bryce both have dark blond hair, blue eyes and beautiful long eyelashes. Joe and I joke all the time that she's going to have dark brown hair, hazel eyes and short stubby eyelashes. At one of the first ultrasound visits where we could get a great shot of her profile she really had Ethan's profile but at the last profile view she had more of Bryce's profile. No matter what or who she looks like we will love her. We already do. So I have just a little less than 8 weeks before my due date. I cannot wait. I'm ready right now but I know that she isn't.