Popscicle Therapy

In honor of our first day with no hospital visits from any Greer's, we had our crazy cousins over to play after naptime. We thought after they ran around and got good and hot, we could have some Popscicle therapy. I mean seriously....it isn't natural for a kid to not like popscicles! Well popsicles were enjoyed by everyone but Ethan and Ella.

Yesterday it was rainy, so we went to our old stand by playtime. Cabinets! I think my mom has a picture of me playing in our kitchen cabinets when I was there age. I don't know why we even bother buying toys. A cabinet, mixing bowl, and a wooden spoon are all they need!

TGIF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank GOD it is Friday! I have never meant those words so much. We have just been through the week from you-know-where. Never fear though. In true Greer fashion, it has a happy ending : )

Sunday
I am working in the church nursery for the 8:30 service, so I leave the kids for Eric to get ready for church. He calls me barely 10 minutes after I have left barely able to speak telling me I have to get home ASAP. He is in pain and can't take care of the kids. When I get home, I find him doubled over in pain and the kids going crazy. I was so worried about Eric because he has such a high pain tolerance and he was obviously in a huge amount of pain. I mean this is a man who has broken several bones, set a few himself and will wait a day or 2 to go to the hospital if it interfered with a UT game. Mom and Dad rushed over and we took him to the ER. After 3 different pain killers, a CT scan, a wacky Australian nurse, and 2 hours later we found out it was a kidney stone. Thank goodness there was only one and it wasn't too terribly big. It is amazing how a 3 mm kidney stone can inflict so much pain on a grown man. We took our doped up patient home to pass it there. Mom and Dad were so kind to take the kids to their house for the next couple of days while I cared for Eric. I was really worried that I would have to take him back to the ER to get another pain shot since he was so resistant to the meds. Thankfully, he rested comfortably the rest of the day.

Monday
Most of the day was pretty low key. I am sure Eric was annoyed with me asking him "What is your pain number??" "Do you need more water?" "Anything come out that time?" Finally late afternoon, I decided to leave him alone a couple of hours and take advantage of the kid-free time. Little did I know when I was cleaning the upstairs, his pain meds wore off. When I came downstairs, he was curled up in a ball : ( He went for a few hours in a lot of pain. It was awful. We went back and forth about going back to the ER. Finally after his 2nd dose of his pain meds, he got some relief.

Tuesday
What is your pain #???? Eric is feeling better!! We think he may have passed it in the middle of the night, but we aren't sure. Eric decides to go ahead and still stay home just in case. The pain hits him so suddenly and so strong that I don't want him to risk driving to work. Besides, I have my weekly ultrasound today and he can see Peanut! Little did we know how much God was watching out for us when he allowed Eric to come with me to that appointment.

Peanut's heart looked great. It was back in rhythm and had a nice, strong beat. The tech told us that in can go in and out of rhythm, but that it was a good sign that it was in rhythm today. Next they did my cervix check to see how I was doing there. And here is where Tuesday's drama begins. It shortened nearly 10 mm in less than a week.....2mm away from where I was admitted to the hospital with Ethan and Ella's pregnancy. We were devastated. I knew this was a possibility, but not this early! Immediately my mind started racing......will I have to go on bed rest? When will I have to go to the hospital? How will we get childcare for the rest of my pregnancy?? OMG....I won't get to see my kids. Another preemie? Please no!!!! That poor tech. She just kept apologizing and giving tissues. I was so glad Eric was there with me. He reassured me that we would work everything out. Thank God Nana is here for the next couple of days to give us a hand with the kids!

Wednesday
Dr Blake called me first thing to discuss my ultrasound and our next steps. She wanted me to go to the hospital to monitor for contractions. I told her I couldn't today, but I would first thing Thursday. Today I had very important business to attend to - Ethan's surgery!

Since Ethan was having surgery around 3 pm, he couldn't eat anything after 8. I got him up and made him a big breakfast with waffles and bacon. It was good he ate a good breakfast because he wanted nothing to do with this so called clear diet. The kid has texture issues, so he had no interest in Popsicles and jello!

We were so proud of Ethan. He was such a brave boy. He sat in his bed before the surgery and just played with the toys they brought him. He flirted and made faces with the nurses. And when it was time to go back to the OR, he let a nurse walk him back with no tears. The surgery was a success. Dr Thomas said that it was a good thing we brought him in because his hernia on the right side was HUGE and there was also on on the left side that he repaired. He also mentioned a couple of times what a funny little guy we have. Who knows what in the world that weirdo was doing!

When we went back to recovery he looked so pitiful. Wrapped up in a warm blanket in nothing but a diaper, an IV and monitors hooked up to him. Ethan took his time waking up and when he did he was not happy. He wasn't in pain because they gave him an epidural like pain blocker. He was just POed. He didn't know where he was and everyone was trying to get him to wake up and drink some juice. Finally the nurse let us go home. He perked up as soon as he saw his sissy and drank his whole cup of juice.

I have to thank my good friend, Christy. She works at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital and she made sure we had the best of the best attending to us every step of the way. She came and sat with us part of the time while we were waiting. It was a good distraction!

Thursday
Ethan slept relatively well. Part of the night was spent with Daddy on the couch. When he woke up, he was good as new. They told us he would be back to normal the next day and they were not lying! He was playing and acting goofy all day.

I went to the hospital early so I could hopefully get in and out. I wasn't expecting any big improvements because I hadn't had much time to be off my feet. But God did give me a sense of peace and I knew at least that I was coming home that day.

I was immediately put in a room (ironically across the hall from my 1st room last time) They monitored me for contractions - NONE!! Measured my cervix - No change which is better than getting shorter. And gave me a fFE test. This is a test that looks for a protein that can predict if you are going to go into labor within 2 weeks. That came back NEGATIVE! So I was so relieved. I talked to my doctor and my orders are to slow way down. No more long walks with the kids, no more picking them up when I don't absolutely have to, no more running around and I actually have orders to lay down when they take a nap and not clean the house! Not too bad, huh? We are so thankful!

I think this was just a wake up call telling me I need to chill. I really have thought I have been taking it easy, but there is still a lot more I can cut out and obviously have to. We are so lucky we have such a great family that is close that I know will help us as much as they can. This weekend we are going to come up with a game plan on how we can make this work for a long as possible. We know that bed rest is probably in my future. And that a hospital stay is probably there too. But if we can put that off as long as possible, then hopefully it will be a short stay and Peanut will be a full term baby!

Friday
Today is our drama free day. It may be a little early to declare this since it isn't even 7 am and the kids are still sleeping, but I am determined to make it that way!

Ethan and Peanut need a few prayers please : )

A few months ago we noticed a little bulge by Ethan's wee wee after his bath. It went away quickly to our relief. After seeing it off and on for a couple of months, we took him into the pediatrician. Just like at a mechanic, there were no signs of it when we took him in. Thank God our pediatrician knows we aren't over-reacters, are in tune with our kids and took us seriously. He referred us to a pediatric Urologist at Vanderbilt Children's for a consultation. At that appointment, we determined that he definitely has a hernia on one side and could possibly have one on the other that we just can feel yet. We were given the option to either wait until it get bigger and have surgery or to go ahead and have it now. Since it can get to be painful as it grows, we decided to go ahead and have it done.

So on Wednesday the 25th, our precious little boy is have surgery! We actually are quite comfortable with the procedure. Our nephew, Houston, had it a few years back also. It will be an outpatient procedure and should only last about an hour. I don't want to minimize it because of course there are always risks especially when you have anesthesia. So if you could offer a few prayers on Wednesday for him and his nervous parents in the waiting room, I would appreciate it.

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Yesterday was a very long day for our family. I had my "routine" OB visit. It was supposed to be on Tuesday, but my doctor was called into delivery so we rescheduled. Since we didn't have childcare lined up, we just had Eric stay home with the kids. Hey just an hour or so....he can be Mr Mom. It turned out being all morning, but he did great!

When Dr Blake put the doppler on my belly, we found out that Peanut has an irregular heartbeat. She decided to send me to the High Risk OBs for an ultrasound and an Echocardiogram if they felt it necessary. So much for my "normal" pregnancy! It was pretty unnerving sitting in the waiting room by myself trying to push the "what ifs" out of my head. Thankfully after the Ultrasound, Echocardiogram, and a lengthy conversation with the High Risk OB, God gave me some peace of mind. Peanut has Premature Atrial Contractions, but the good news is that structurally everything looks to be good now. They are going to continue doing weekly Ultrasounds and Echocardiograms to monitor the growth and development of the heart. There is a 95% chance that this will resolve itself before Peanut is born or very soon after delivery. It seems as though if there is a problem to have, this is a pretty manageable one.

I had a lot of time to think yesterday as I waited and waited. I had already started the day a little anxious. I have started to worry more about going into preterm labor again. I was all prepared to talk to Dr Blake about this at my appointment. With the scare, we barely even got into that. I really think my anxiety about PTL and the heart scare is just Satan trying to get in our way. God gave Eric and I a huge blessing with Peanut. I feel that Peanut is a little gift from God after all of the stress and heartache we went through with Ethan and Ella's pregnancy. This is just Satan trying to take away from our JOY that God has given us. Well we aren't going to let him. We are only focusing on the positive. I get to see Peanut each week during the ultrasound. Since they are doing the ultrasound already, they are going to monitor my cervix length so that will help ease my anxiety about the preterm labor. Please keep Peanut in your prayers that he/she thrives and that the defect resolves on its own. Also keep Eric and I in your prayers that we keep our heads on straight.

Big Kid Rooms!

Another exciting week at the Greer household. We took a major step on Wednesday when we put Ethan and Ella in their Big Boy and Big Girl rooms. They are still in their cribs, but they are now in their very own rooms across the hall from each other. The transition has been flawless thankfully! I have had they sleeping in seperate rooms at nap time for the last few months so I think that has helped. It is so sweet in the morning they can't wait to see each other. Their faces light up and they run to each other crying "Sissy Sissy!" and "Diddy! Diddy" (Buddy : ) I am so glad it has gone so well. It was important for us to get each of the kids in their own rooms before Peanut comes home. That way we can hopefully avoid having 2 or 3 babies awake in the middle of the night if possible. Ethan and Ella sleep through the night about 98% of the time, but that 2% will be really tough when we have Peanut!

Their development over the last few months has been amazing. I remember reading that the number of words a toddler learns from 18 - 24 months is staggering. Well Ella is case and point for that. She is a little parrot. She hears a word, she says it and she remembers it. Oh oh - we better be on our best behavior now! One of her favorite words now is happy. She says it with the hugest smile on your face and it can't help but make you happy too! She also has started putting together 2 and 3 words. We are so proud of our smart girl!

Ethan is quite vocal too. Not as much as Ella, but still is talking a lot. He is our future little engineer. He loves to sit and play with a toy (or anything else) and figure out how it works. Unfortunatly, it also makes baby proofing a little more challenging. How, for instance, do you baby proof your air conditioner vent that he has learned out to open to get to the filter??? I mean I had to call Amy to find out how to do that?? I tell you he is an absolute genius! He also loves to play with his blocks and legos to build things. We are pleased that he is starting to gravitate to more "manly" activities, but he still loves to carry around Mommy's gold sequin purse : )

One of Ethan and Ella's favorite past times is dancing. I have to get a video of it because it really is one of the funniest things you will ever see. They stamp their feet, wiggle their booties, flap their arms and laugh hysterically. Not sure where they got their dancing skills, but I am glad that they enjoy it. They are also really enjoying the warm weather. They love to go "side" and blow bubbles. Ethan has conquered his fear of the grass so our fears of him not being able to play ball have been eased. Ella loves to just run in circles in the grass barefoot. The girl has no fear and her poor little legs have the bruises and scratches to prove it. Don't be surprised if you see her and the first things she asks for is a kiss for her boo-boo.

We had a great Father's Day with Eric. He got his day off from his long "Honey-Do List" and went to relax at the pool. Later we went to eat and did a little Targeting. The kids got him some a Jacck Bauer t-shirt and some good clothes for fishing. Hopefully he can make a couple of trips back home to fish before the end of the summer. We went last weekend and he and his dad had a great time.

I am doing well. I feel pretty good. I have been trying to go on regular walks with the kids to try to stay somewhat in shape. I really took little things like walking for granted last go round, so not this time! By the end of the day I am pretty beat and am ready for a good ole soak in the tub. I have an appointment with the OB tomorrow and am excited about that. Any day I can hear Peanut's heartbeat is a good one for me! I also want to discuss a test I have read about that can help predict if you will go into pre-term labor in the next 2 weeks. I need to have a good conversation with her about the likelyhood of me going into pre-term labor again to help put my mind at ease. I feel pretty good about things. But you don't go through 3 months of bedrest in the hospital and it not enter your mind. Especially if you have 2 adorable kids that you have to take care of each day! But by 22 weeks last time I had been on bedrest for 3 weeks and in the hospital for 2. Our daily conversations were about getting me another couple of weeks so that Ethan and Ella were viable. Pretty scary and I praise God that we are not in that boat this go round! So here is my shameless plug for prayers from friends and family. Please just keep me and Peanut in your prayers so that we have a nice, smooth pregnancy. ( By the way, my Ella just said "Jesus" if that doesn't help I don't know what will!! ; )

Our First Beach Trip - Myrtle Beach 2008

We weren't going to go on a family vacation this year. . . . a lot going on with a baby on the way and all. God knew we needed a break though, so he had a nice lady from the Marriott call us with a great deal on a 4 day/3 night package to Myrtle Beach. It didn't take much of an arm twist for us to book the trip!

It wasn't an ideal trip, but we will look back on it with fondness.....someday. First of all, we underestimated the 10 hour drive. How short our memory is from our trip to Texas. Our kids (namely Ethan) just don't travel well. Unlike most kids, they don't sleep in the car for more than a few minutes ALL DAY! To top that off, we were all sick. Nothing like a good old fashioned summer cold times four for your beach trip! And sadly, 3 out of the 4 could have nothing but Tylenol for relief : )

Another thing we underestimated was the unpredictability of Spring. One week could be 90 and the next could be 60. One guess what it was when we were there! Actually, it warmed up enough for us to get out a little bit and have some fun in the sun. The main problem was the wind and the water temperature. On Tuesday morning, we went to the Aquarium while it was still pretty chilly. That was a lot of fun. The kids absolutely loved looking at the fishys.

When we went to the beach, I was pretty impressed with how the kids reacted. They both went right up to the water to check it out. It only took a little to touch Ethan's toe for him to head for the hills and Ella to climb up my legs. As long as they had a hold of us though, they were fine. I was surprised that the sand didn't bother them a bit. Hopefully, they don't have my issues with sand as they grow up.

Ethan really liked sitting in his float at the pool. He has got chillin down pat. Ella warmed up to it, but she would much rather be in Mommy or Daddy's arms. It was pretty funny at the pool. When we got out one day, she kept turning around and checking the water to make sure it wasn't coming after her. I guess she remembered the surf from the beach!

All in all, it was a pretty good trip. It was a long drive for a short stay, but it was a nice change of pace for a little bit. In fact, we are already thinking about another trip next year with Peanut.

When we were on the way home, we were just ready to get there. This last picture was off the kids in their booster seats eating at a Rest Area in our seats. Oh did they think they were cool. By the way....we are still finding sand and Goldfish everywhere in the GMV!