The big day is Monday!!!!

Well we are having a baby girl on Monday, February 21st!!! That is if she doesn't come before then but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Today I had an ultrasound and they "estimated" her weight at 7 pounds 1 ounce. We will see how accurate that is. I will be going into Baptist at 6 in the morning, they will be inducing me and hopefully I will be able to have a normal vaginal delivery with no complications! We can pray for that, ha ha. I will be keeping you all updated on this blog with how things are going and how Hannah is doing. She will be going to Children's shortly after delivery and hopefully on Tuesday I can give you all a run down of what the doctors have to say.

Thanks to all our family and friends for your support and prayers. JP and I appreciate all you have done and continue to do. I am looking forward to seeing my baby girl very soon.

Snow 2011

Well we have already had snow two or three times this year already but now we have gotten it again. And since I am stuck at home and pretty bored I thought I would get some pics out of the boys playing in it. I feel bad that my last few posts have been about Hannah so here are some pics of Tate and Seth playing in the snow.

I love looking at the snow, it is sooooo pretty.

Hannah's birthday is approaching

I thought I would post a pic of my precious little girl and give some updates. We have had several echos and the prognosis has been the same. The only difference between now and the last post is that I have decided to deliver at Baptist. My doctor and I are comfortable with the care she will receive and since she will be going to Children's pretty soon after delivery the place really didn't matter all that much.

Oh and she has a birthday picked out..... Monday, February 21st. I will be in my 38th week of pregnancy and as long as I am progressing on my own the doctors are okay with me going early. Both the boys were born in the 38th week as well. So that is the plan but as you all know it can change so I will keep you posted. I will also try my best to continue to post updates about Hannah and how she is doing throughout her hospital stay.

I am getting very excited and still nervous as the same time. I am praying I get all my anxiety out before she gets here and then I will just kick into mommy mode after she arrives. The boys are excited, Tate especially. He is really looking forward to meeting baby Hannah. I don't think Seth really understands all that much right now. He will be happy to meet her too though, they both love babies.

Thanks to all who have given their prayers and encouragement to us. We REALLY appreciate it. Please continue to pray for us and for Hannah as we all get ready for her arrival. I can't wait to hold her and kiss on her and as you can see in her pic she is adorable.

Hannah's Heart

The last couple of weeks have been a complete roller coaster ride. As a precaution, Tate's cardiologist recommends having an fetal echo done on my babies, Seth had one and Hannah has had one. Well much to my surprise they found something wrong with Hannah's heart. And with sadness I tell you that my precious little Hannah has a heart defect similar to her brothers'.

Hannah has been diagnosed with Truncus Arteriosus. "This defect describes the incomplete development of the aorta and the pulmonary artery. During the formation of the heart and its vessels in utero, the pulmonary artery and aorta begin as one large 'trunk' of an artery. Eventually, as the heart twists and out-patches, the aorta and the pulmonary artery separate to form two distinctly separate vessels. In Truncus Arteriosus, the complete separation of these two vessels fails to occur. The arterial trunk usually ends up being positioned over a large hole in the wall between the right and left ventricle."

So basically what this means for us and our family, Hannah will be delivered at UAMS and transported to Children's (much like Tate) and will have open heart surgery, probably within the first to second week of her life, to repair the hole and to separate the aorta and the pulmonary artery, they will put in a pulmonary valve (just like Tate). Hopefully within two to four weeks she will be able to come home.

I know I probably sound very matter of fact but this news has been extremely hard on me. Even though I have been through this before it doesn't make it any easier. It has been hard for me to comprehend that this is happening again to a completely different child. That Tate and Hannah have very similar defects and will spend their life going into the hospital replacing worn out pulmonary valves. Even writing that I can't wrap my mind around it.

I have been pretty detailed with what we are expecting but I know that anything could change at anytime. That basically we won't know exactly how she is doing until she gets here or if by chance she has something else wrong that has triggered this defect. Her cardiologist (who is also Tate's) has told me that their type of defect is most common in siblings and that she could very well be just as normal, healthy and happy as her brother with nothing else wrong. But like I said we won't know anything for sure until we get to see her pretty little self.

Please pray for me and JP and our families as we prepare for our precious Hannah. I can't even fathom what is going to happen when she gets here but I do want to keep things as normal as I can for Tate and Seth. We will have lots of help to make that possible I'm sure. Pray also for me, I can honestly say this news has broken me once again. As God and I work through this He reminds me of His love and that "His ways are not my ways". We have wonderful family, friends and church home that I'm sure we will lean on when the time comes.

Pray also for baby Hannah, this is her heart and life I am writing about. I'm so incredibly sad for her but I know God is in control and loves her as well.

And thanks to all who are close to me that have to put up with me during this time, ha ha. The Lord knows I'm difficult on normal days so I can imagine what I am like when I'm out of whack. I'm am blessed with good friends!!!!

Think and pray for us often,
Ashley

I'm a Girl!!!

We are officially having a baby girl. She is due on March 4th. Name to come at a later date.

More pics of Disney World!

Disney World!!

We had such a great time in Disney World. Both of the boys loved every minute, even though I know they won't remember it. It was neat to get to see it through their eyes. It went by way too fast. You spend so much time planning for it and then it is here and gone before you know it. We got to basically see and do everything we wanted to. Even us big kids got to ride all the rides, ha ha. I am already starting to plan going back, can't wait!!!

Tate's 5th Birthday

Well I can't believe it but my baby boy just turned 5. It is amazing how much time flies. I'm so blessed to have him and finally feel like I have healed. I guess it just take me long to get over things, ha ha. Here are some pictures of my big man.

He had a backyard sleepover with some kids from school. They slept outside in the camper and had a blast. The firetruck paid us a visit for fun, had hot dogs and made smores on the campfire. It was so much fun.

Snow 2010

It snowed this year!! It hasn't snowed this much in a while. Both the boys loved it but of course could only stay out for a little while, they don't have the gear to play outside for long. We had a blast and I love seeing the way things look with snow over it, so pretty.

Christmas '09

Christmas was so much fun this year. Tate understands it better and even though Seth didn't know what was going on, he loved playing with his toys.

Seth's 2nd birthday

I'm so sorry guys that I haven't blogged in such a long time. Going to put up some new pics. Seth turned two in December. We had his party at Chick-Fil-A and had a great time. He is getting so big and he is so smart. Everyone tells me how much he and Tate look alike. It is fun watching him and Tate together, they are starting to play really well together. Just love my boys.

The kids are doing so great and I'm excited for Fall. Seth is almost 2 and I can't believe my baby is getting so big. It has been such a great summer and I'm having so much fun with both my boys. Since big brother Tate is in preschool now Seth and I get to have some mommy and me time. On Mondays we go to the Library for story time and then to Chick-Fil-A with all our friends. Seth hasn't gotten that into singing though he loves to at home. He is actually a pretty shy boy but I'm sure once he gets used to it he will break out of his shell. He really does like showing out at home and for certain people. He loves to sing and dance and he really loves reading books. I have moved Tate back into his room with Seth (he has been sleeping in the quest room for several months) and bedtime is so much fun for me, reading to both the boys and saying our bedtime prayers. Seth just looks at you when you pray but when you are done he says AMEN. The boys are also playing really well together. They will chase each other all over the house, jump on the bed or even wrestle. Seth is actually getting pretty tough with Tate, will have to start watching him a little more closely, ha ha.

I have some pictures of them playing in the armoire in the playroom, which by the way I have now reorganized and put toys in that I don't want them to get into like colors, markers, play-doh, games, leggos, blocks and all the puzzles. They must ask to get something in there and can only take one thing at a time. I was getting so tired of not being able to find parts to stuff and everything being cluttered. I know all my friends who know how bad my playroom is would be really proud of me. And the boys can no longer "hang" out in there.

Tate also got to go to a farm a few weekends ago and loved getting to see the cows up close. He had a really good time. He even got to feed a goat.

So things are great here, thanking God everyday for all our wonderful blessings. I pray health over my babies this winter and healing for Tate. I wish you all the same.

Tate's 1st day of pre-k 4

Tate had his first day of preschool today. He was very excited and seemed to really enjoy going back to school and spending time with his friends. He has a great teacher which I am really excited about and glad he is getting to meet some new friends. It makes me sad that he is growing up so fast, he is getting so big. He is such an amazing boy and I can't wait to see what all he learns this year at school.

Seth is also getting very big. He is reminding me so much of Tate lately at his age. We went to the park today and to eat all by ourselves, well without our big brother. It was bitter sweet. But I know I am really going to enjoy the quality, alone time I will get to spend with Seth, especially at the age he is now, he is so fun to play with and is learning so much. They are so much fun to see together. I love watching how good Tate is with him and how much Seth loves to spend time with him. Just tonight at church Seth was sitting in Tate's lap at the end of choir. They can be so sweet to each other. They can also be pretty rough at times but hey they are boys. I feel so blessed to have them both. Getting excited for the fall, looking forward to see what God has in store this school year and at home with me and the boys.

Trip to San Fran

Well Jason and I went to San Francisco a few weeks ago. We had a great time but I missed the kids terribly. It was our first time away from them for that long. They did well and thanks to my sister and Memaw who took care of them for me while we were gone. We got the boys some karate outfits from Chinatown and I wanted to post some pictures of them trying to chop JP. They are adorable.

Scope

Tate's scope today went great. The Dr. said he is doing well, there is no compression and that we didn't need his services any longer (ENT). YEAH!!!!! Tate did well, the nurses and staff like having him for a patient, he is extremely laid back, he gets that from his daddy. He had some mild soreness when he woke up and wasn't too happy but he eventually came around, ate a really big breakfast and has played really well. He is napping now.

I am so extremely thankful for Children's Hospital but let me tell you I hate being there. Every fiber in my being screams that we don't belong, I'm tired to being there and having Tate go through so much and yet I know it could be much worse. I guess at times like these it just compounds the sadness I feel for Tate and what he has to endure. I am watching and listening as a friend goes through grief and healing from a loss of a son and when I think of her and how much I hate for Tate to have to go the hospital and have all this stuff done to him, when I feel like for some things God can't relate, I do feel peace in knowing he does to the suffering and loss of a son. It fascinates me that through having children you can learn so much of God's love for us. And in the end I have nothing to complain about.

Tate's ENT appointment

Tate had a check-up today with his ENT and all his doctors are amazed at how well he is doing. We are very happy that Tate is growing, doing normal activities for his age and continuing to be a testament to God's goodness and healing. The Dr. wants to do a scope on Tate to see how he looks from his last surgery. We are scheduled for that on July the 1st at Children's. He is hoping that Tate's case can be a learning experience and provide information for future surgeries. For those of you who don't remember Tate had compression from his first surgery that was causing him to have asthma symptoms and reoccurring pneumonia. I am thankful that his surgeon took the time to have an ENT come in to do a scope to find out what the problem was. Apparently with his repair his aorta was compressing his bronchial tubes which made them not work effectively. The Dr. then moved his aorta over a bit and was able to stop the compression. Since it has been over 6 months his ENT wants to take another look and make sure all looks well. So pray for Tate, it will be an outpatient procedure and shouldn't be too big of a deal or take too long. Tate is an amazing child, he continues to astound me on almost a daily basis. What a blessing he is.

Gulf Shores '09

We had a blast in Gulf Shores last week. Both the boys loved playing at the beach and we got to do all sorts of fun stuff. Tate even went parasailing with me and JP, can you believe it? He loved it, Caden did too. Hopefully my sister got some pics of that because I didn't have my camera. We got to swim in the pool they had there and they even had a playground at the condo. We took them to a little park where they got to ride rides and even drive go carts. The big boys got to play golf and go deep sea fishing (they had a blast and brought home lots of fish) and us girls got to go shopping, it was so fun and we got some great things. Amy and I took the boys to an alligator farm, it was fun and interesting but very hot, I was glad to get out of that place, they had a gigantic alligator whose name was Captain Crunch. The guide said he was in time out because he didn't play well with others. The boys thought that was funny, but he was isolated. Tate got a little alligator at the gift shop and named him "little crunch". Totally original my boy Tate is. Anyway, we had a great time, can't wait to do it again. Here are some pics.

White River '09

Well it was probably the most rainy weekend we have ever spent there but we still had fun. The boys got to fish a little bit but they didn't get to go out on the boat. Of course they loved playing in the water, including Seth. Did I mention the water is about 40 degrees there? Seth ran right into it, go figure. I'm really going to have to watch him in the water this summer. He is fearless. Anyway we had a good time but I'm glad to be home. Still trying to catch up on some sleep. Got to visit with some family. Thanks for the good time with the balloons Aunt Donna. They are still playing with them. Here are some pics. I can't wait until the boys get old enough to really enjoy fishing and spending time with their dads. Seth loves being outside.