The Night Before

It's been so long since I've posted, but I have finally stolen a few moments to get a few things recorded for me to remember. I'll go into more detail later, but for now, here are a few of our biggest happenings since Christmas 2008:

--On Dec. 30, my husbanded collapsed in pain and was rushed to the ER for emergency surgery for kidney stones. This was his first experience with kidney stones, but it was a doozie!

--New Year's Eve we attend the GT bowl game (Chick-fil-A Bowl against LSU)...yes, that's right, one day after my husband's emergency surgery to place a stint and remove a kidney stone.

--On New Year's Day, I found out I was pregnant! Yes, that's right! Number 3...a surprise...is on the way. But, with my man on major pain killers and not feeling well at all, I kept the news to myself. I was sort of freaked out...so I called my go-to gal, M, and hid in L's closet and let her talk me down from my panic.

--On Jan. 4th, my son was baptized. I can't explain the emotions I felt as I watched my oldest son take this public step in his Christian growth. His eternity is sealed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Thank you, Jesus!
My mom and grandparents came for the Sunday night event. My mom immediately figured out I was pregnant...but I still hadn't told my man! I took one more test, and it was again positive.

--Z was able to have his stint removed a few days later. The next day, he and I had a date night. I had planned to have him open a present at dinner containing the positive test and a GT onesie since the due date is Sept.7th (right in the heart of GT football)...I couldn't wait. I burst into tears after watching the movie before we even made it to the restaurant. He was excited, and I was relieved by his positive reaction. Of course with his sense of humor he asks, "Why are you crying? Is it not mine?" Always the kidder! He was so glad to know whay I had been acting so strangely.

--I went to the doctor in late January. After we found out everything was going well, we shared the news with L and C. They were thrilled! It was so precious to see the excitement on their faces. L immediately prayed for the baby and just couldn't stop hugging us. Morning sickness (at night) and exhaustion ensued, but didn't last as long as it did when I was pregnant with C. Z, who has not missed a guess of gender since I've known him, knew right away it was a girl. I wasn't sure.

--C had mono of all things around her 4th birthday. Party had to be postponed, which turned out to be a blessing because my L promptly threw up all over the floor the night that C's "Not Quite Spend the Night" party was to occur. With her mono, we kept things low-key for a few weeks. Tee came up to spend C's actual birthday with her, brought a cake, and took her to Build-A-B*ear. A fun day.

--C played pre-t...we weren't sure if she'd actually play since she told us that the only way she'll play is if she got to wear a pink shirt and a purple bat. Well, she did play, and she played well. Z helped coach and discovered that the little girl who seemed to have paid so little attention to her dad and brother when they practiced in the yard actually paid atention. She ended up being one of the better players on her team! She played with her cousin, Jackson, and they were cute.

--For the next few months, Z kept experiencing kidney stones. I mean, he even passed kidney stones in between innings of L's t-ball games he was coaching! (By the way, the t-ball team was awesome and Z is an incredible coach!) The weekend of L's birthday, we were scheduled to leave on an awards trip that Sunday. He spent Sat night after the games (double-header, of course) in the ER with another kidney stone. Fortunately, my mom and his mom were able to help out. The news he received at the ER was crazy. He had hyperparathyroidism and his calcium level in his blood levels were through the roof. Needless to say, we debated missing our trip to Miami Beach...but I talked him into going, just so we could rest.(Oh, I forgot to mention that I was doing a long-term sub at the time.) Our trip was fantastic.

--Upon our return, we began seeing doctors. Turns out, one of the leading parathyroid experts is local! It finally all made sense. Z's headaches, acid reflux, thinning hair, exhaustion, irritability, were all direct symptoms of this crazy parathyroid. Z had surgery in mid-May, and the doctor delivered the news that he'd not seen a pt tumor this size, nor had he had anyone with Z's calcium level that wasn't comatose! Scary! We had a few bumps in the recovery...including rushing Z back to the ER with symptoms of a possible heart-attack and then 2 days later again with symptoms of a stroke! Both are related to the reaction his body was having to a normal calcium level. His body thought it was not getting the calcium it needed, but slowly and surely we have our Z back!

--The week prior to leaving for Miami Beach, we found out that our family of five will have more girls than boys! As soon as the u/s tech announced the "girl", L looked at Z and said, "We are SO out-numbered. It's just you and me, now, Daddy!" The night before the appointment, we were talking with L and C to kind of prepare them that we don't get to pick if we were having a boy or a girl. C said, "I know it's a sister. I prayed for a sister, not a brother. I asked God for a sister because I already have a brother." I was pretty nervous that she might flip out if the news was not what she wanted.

--Fastforward to August 9th...the night before I drop my son off in first grade at the big school. I am nervous for him. I have been questioning our (mainly my) decision to keep him in a half-day kindergarten...but the alternative at our local school was not a viable option. I am thrilled with his teacher and para. Excellent! Now, to get them on a schedule that works before our baby girl arrives in a few weeks!