Dear Blogger long time no write....

I've thought about writing a lot over the last year and just have never gotten around to it. So what has been happening.

Jan-Feb 2011- We moved to my home town. After I lost my job and couldn't find anything where we were at... we had to make some tough decisions. We actually live in my childhood home because my parents bought a new house almost two years ago. We learn to be a family separated since Bran lives Monday-Friday at his parents house (2 hours north of us)  to go to work and comes home on the weekends. Its hard on all of us... but we make it work. Plus we chose to move the weekend before and after a major ice storm which shut down the entire town for almost a week. Thank goodness my parents only lived a mile away.

March 2011- I found a full time job! And it's one that I know and am fairly good at. I went back to work for Bridges of Indiana. After an absence of 6 years, I returned to do the job I started in 2002. Some days it's very surreal to be there, since some of the consumers and staff are the same. The majority are not though.... some people have gone on to better things within the agency, other left entirely, and a few favorite consumers passed away. There are days that I can't believe I'm back there and days that I feel like I never left (and it's wonderful!) Little man has to start a new day care though... which is hard on him and Mommy. We've gotten used to being together all day. He had been bottle weaned prior to restarting daycare but won't nap. I start send breast milk mixed with whole milk to daycare and a bottle, that does the trick.

April- We celebrate on 4th wedding. Bran continues to look for a job so he can move also. I'm matron of honor in my best friend, Amie's wedding. It was a beautiful day, full of wonderful memories!

May- We celebrate my birthday... which is extra special since by that time we learn that Bran has a job at ISU and will be home for good by the end of the month. Tristan has to go back to Riley for a check up. He is officially diagnosed with Horner's Syndrome. I deal with the guilt over that since the only cause they can come up with is his traumatic birth. But it isn't effecting his vision and we don't have to return for 6 months.

June- We get used to being a family together again.. it takes some adjustment. Things at work go nuclear and Mommy has to work 12-14 hour days for awhile. Thank goodness Bran is home because otherwise this would have been a bad, bad, thing.

July- It's summer in Indiana and it's HOT. My air conditioning quits working in my car.  :-(

August- More humidity and heat!

September- Is a month full of chaos.... Tristan is hospitalized with croup  over the holiday weekend. What we don't know then but learn by the end of the month.. I'm pregnant with baby boy # 2.

October- I decide to test my blood sugar levels at home because I'm paranoid... I wind up in the hospital ER because my fasting level was over 220. Immediately diagnosed as Gestational Diabetic again and placed on insulin. I get a new OBGYN since the one I picked here doesn't do High Risk and the hospital she is assigned too doesn't have a NICU. Let the fun times begin.... Since I had to leave work to go to the ER for no apparent reason, we tell everyone our big news. At work we go through CARF accreditation, the actual accreditation week isn't bad.. the preparation was killer. Tristan celebrates his second birthday surrounded by family and friends.

November- Morning sickness, Thanksgiving, and the flu.... Enough said. Tristan actually get the stomach flu on Thanksgiving day. I have it two days later. We took turns throwing up on each other. It's a bonding time for us. Thank goodness Brandon doesn't get it. We decide to go genetic testing with Baby boy #2 since I'm going to be 37 at the time of delivery. Brandon and I both know exactly what can go wrong during pregnancy/ delivery. Official due date is made May 28th after being told initially May 19th, then May 25th.

December- More morning sickness and the flu. Tristan and I both get round two within just a matter of two weeks. UGH I'm actually losing weight due to all the illness and my blood sugars are acting crazy. We start our Genetic Testing at IU... we tell them only the non evasive testing will be done. Which means lots of blood work for me and ultrasounds. 

January- Winter.. doesn't seem like winter, very mild weather. Morning sickness slows down and I start gaining weight. Genetic testing continues. Bran and Tristan get the flu again.. this time I'm spared. I fully wean Tristan from breastfeeding. It's starting to take it's toll on my body. It's a tear filled long (months) transition for both of us and he decides he can't live without a bottle for nap and bedtime. He won't sleep without one. Tristan officially breastfed for 26 months. We find out that baby boy #2 has a two vessel cord, usually there is a three vessel cord. Right now no one is really worried, it just means extra monitoring down the line. Right now it's just another high risk issue for me.

February- Wow we've been here a year! So maybe we should finish unpacking.. lol.  I get fed up with all the testing and generalized crap from my OB, Endocrinologist and IU. This is after we find out baby boy #2 may only have 1 kidney and I have to go through my 6th (6th!!) ultrasound of the pregnancy. The ultrasound tech at my OBGYN's office and I do not get along at the appointment and I walk out in tears. I fire all my medical people and talk to Bran (who was at the appt) about options. Eventually we decided to try out a different OBGYN in the group. We pick baby boy #2's name after finding out officially he is a boy.... Gable Evan Michael. Tristan gets the croup (again!) This time we only have to go to the ER. We were able to recognize the signs quickly and get him steroids to help his lungs earlier. Tristan is semi-interested in potty learning.

March- We meet with my new OB... Bran and I have a heart to heart with her and tell her our hopes and concerns at this point. She tells us her concerns after reviewing our chart. We like her and decided to give it a chance. She refers me to a new Endocrinologist in town. We decided to not go to IU anymore since testing was completed and it was just an extra strain on us for the continued monitoring. Tristan gets some nasty stomach bug funk (causing diaherria and a nasty diaper rash) and has to stay home a week. We start him on Zyrtec nightly... his seasonal allergies are actually starting to manifest into a rash. Daycare freaks out and thinks it's ringworm repeatedly. the doctor prescribes a steroid cream which helps a lot. Tristan remains only semi interested in using a potty.

April- Easter! Tristan come down with hand foot and mouth disease on Easter day. it makes for a long week but he recovers easily enough once we know what we are dealing with. We celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. The last year has been hard on our marriage but we have muddled through and in some ways are much stronger. Work is chaotic and stressful for me and leaves me in tears for several days. I questions what I should be doing. My extra monitoring begins... twice weekly appointments for non stress tests, amniotic fluid checks, and check ins with my OB. My blood sugar levels start to go crazy again and we have to increase the insulin. I get to stay over night in the hospital due to low amniotic fluid for 3-4 appointments in a row. It's the first night Tristan and I have ever been apart. It breaks my heart and I'm a grouchy patient. I start preparing work for the I may have to leave a lot sooner than my due date possibility. Tristan remains only semi interested in using a potty. He's really beginning to understand that he has a baby brother and asks about the baby needing diapers, etc. He give my stomach kisses frequently and tells his brother Hi.


I think that pretty much brings everything up to date. Maybe I'll actually start blogging again, at least on a weekly basis. It all depends on how these last few weeks of pregnancy goes and how we all adjust to having little man Gable actually here.