First off, Riley has been pretty sick. On Monday, he went to the Dr. and he has bronchitis . . . so much for not getting sick in the summer! I thought when it was warm outside we'd get a break for a while. :-) The joys of being a nurse I guess. Luckily, the Dr. did prescribe some great meds, so he is on the mend, I'm guessing the nasty cough will linger for just a little while longer.
The second part of our long week started when I was 20 weeks pregnant. At the 20 week ultrasound, we found that Sam's kidneys were both mildly dilated. We were told that this finding is fairly common, especially in boys, and that we would have a follow-up ultrasound at 32 weeks to make sure that it had corrected itself. So, for the next twelve weeks I worried about it but tried to stay optimistic and hoped that it was a small glitch that would correct itself.
Fast forward to this week. . . On Monday, we went in for the 32 week ultrasound. My Dr.'s office got a new 3D ultrasound, so we got to see Sam in 3D and it was pretty neat. The ultrasound was quick, and everything looked great. . . except his kidneys. One is very mildly dilated (good news), but one was close to 3 times what is considered normal. The ultrasound tech told us that she'd let the Dr. see the Ultrasound and we'd hear more at my regular Dr. appointment on Wednesday. I, of course, was getting pretty worried.
Later that day, the nurse from my Dr.'s office called and told me that she had made an appointment for me at Maternal Fetal Medicine for Tuesday (the next day). She also informed me that the MFM specialists usually work in worst case scenario, so be prepared to be scared! After I got off the phone, I lost it. I had been nervous about the situation, but now I was totally freaked out! Riley was so great about everything (I am continually reminded how lucky I am to have him!)--he took me to dinner and a movie to try to keep my mind off of things. Also, we did our fair share of internet research that night (in typical Riley and Nicole fashion) to find out what we might be hearing at the appointment. There was quite a bit of info on the internet, as well as lots of moms on message boards wondering some of the exact same things as me.
Going into the appointment on Tuesday, I had no idea what to expect. When they called me back, I was taken into yet another ultrasound room. Despite all the worries, it is always fun to see your baby. He moved and rolled around A LOT at this appointment, apparently he wanted some privacy. The ultrasound tech did a very thorough ultrasound (despite my
near fainting...LOL...the stress was getting to me!) and again, everything looked great except for the kidneys, which looked just about identical to the day before. When the specialist came in to talk to us, she showed us that the left kidney and ureter were much bigger than normal (you shouldn't even see a ureter on an ultrasound), and that she suspects a blockage somewhere between the kidney and bladder, although the blockage wasn't apparent by ultrasound. She thinks the right kidney is mildly dilated to compensate for the left, but the good news is, my amniotic fluid looks great, so the kidneys are still doing their job and, no treatment is needed until after birth! Also, she was very optimistic that no long term damage has been done to his kidneys.
The specialist was so great! Apparently, I got the nicer, less scary one. I'm so glad that we had done our research beforehand so that she couldn't really scare us (some of the things we had read online were much scarier than anything she told us!) and we already had a pretty good idea of what was coming up. Current diagnosis:
fetal hydronephrosis.
Best case scenario, it will resolve itself after birth, but he will need to be on antibiotics at birth to prevent any UTI's that might result from extra fluid backed up in his system. We will also need to meet with a pediatric urologist after he's born to see if everything is working properly. If it is a blockage that doesn't clear itself up, he will probably need to have a scope to find the problem and/or a surgical procedure to fix the problem. In any case, I am SOOO glad that we have insurance. :-)
It's sad to think that my tiny little baby will need to have any type of procedure done to him, but I am so glad that everything else looks great with him, and that this is going to be a minor issue that we can deal with while he's still very little. After the mental/emotional roller coaster, I am glad to have some answers and can again feel optimistic about the situation.
Only 7 1/2 weeks until we meet our little guy! (I need to scan in some Ultrasound pics to share, I'll get around to it sometime this weekend!)
I want to wish my "loving father" a Happy Birthday! I hope you had a great day Dad, and the leaves were beautiful for your birth. :-) Enjoy your soap, and next time I see your Bee, it better have your "logo" on it! 
Also, HBD to Craig aka "That Boy"! I hope your birthday is fabulous.
The past two weeks have flown by! The first 4 days were spent in the hospital, and the rest have been spent at home adjusting to the new addition. It has been so nice to have Riley home with us. I am not looking forward to having him go back to work.
I haven't really posted much besides pictures since he was born, so here's a little bit about Sam's first two weeks: Sam's C-section had been scheduled since one of my very first OB appointments. It was really nice to know when he would be born, and I only worried a little bit that he would come early. The day before he was born I started having contractions, but luckily they stopped. Monday, Sept. 8, we arrived at the hospital at 6:00am as scheduled. Riley and I both thought it may take a few hours to get things going, but were happy that we were wrong!
The nurses got the IV's and blood draws started immediately, and by 7am we were ready to go into the operating room. Everything was so calm (especially compared to Max's delivery!) and it was very nice. The nurse anesthetist gave me a spinal block and a few minutes later Sam was born! It was so refreshing to hear him cry as soon as he was out. 
After his delivery, I spent an hour in the recovery room while Sam was getting bathed and such. By 8:45, I was down in the mother baby unit and Riley brought Sam into me. It was so fun to finally meet and hold him! 
The next four days were spent chillin' in the hospital. We kept Sam in the room with us most of the time (except a few hours at night). They had me up and moving as soon as I could feel my feet and legs again. . .ouch! By the third day I was up and about a lot. The hospital bed was not super comfortable to sit in all day, so it gave me the incentive I needed to get out of bed!
We came home on Thursday, 9/11, and we've just been hanging out since. We have ventured out to a few stores and such since I hate feeling pent up in the house. Sam has been lucky enough to visit Costco, Walmart, and Target, my favorite trio. :-) I am feeling great (note to self, the first week after a c-section is by far the hardest!). . .now if we could just get Sam on a better NIGHT sleeping schedule!!!
Max has been adjusting well. We've had a few little issues, but he's starting to figure things out. He likes being our little helper, especially when we're cooking, and he's had a lot of fun playing in his playroom, scattering toys around the house, and watching his favorite shows (and a few new ones thanks to netflix!). He has been a great big brother too with lots of kisses and hugs for Sam. I am so lucky to be the mom of two super cute and sweet boys!
Here's a fun picture of our little family on last weekends camping trip. Tomorrow, we will grow one member larger! I am so nervous/excited/scared/glad to be done! I just got confirmation from the hospital, we will have a sweet new little (or big, I'm guessing bigger) Sam in the morning! I can't wait to meet him. I will make sure to post pictures and stats when we get home. . .wish me luck! I'm hoping this c-section is a little bit easier than the last one.
Our Thanksgiving Point Membership: I LOVE having a membership to Thanksgiving Point. We go there so often, and it's nice to have a fun place close to home that we can visit whenever we want. Max has loved Noah's Ark this year (especially the bear caves), and we always think it's fun to go to the farm and feed the animals. The Dino Museum has been a favorite for a long time, and we have been visiting it a lot lately to get out of the heat. Hopefully this weekend doesn't get too cold (weather reports can be wrong can't they?) because we're excited to go to the Labor Day Luau at the waterfall on Monday night. 
What things are you loving right now?
Eight years ago today (8/2), Riley got to enjoy a full day in a black Tuxedo in the blistering hot sun. The things we do for love! :-) Seriously, though, it was an awesome day. . .
And, what an amazing 8 years we have had. Happy Anniversary Baby!
Riley is the absolute best husband and father. He is so optimistic, generous, loving, logical, grounded, crazy smart, understanding, accepting, funny, supportive, and very good looking. :-) Being with Riley makes me a better person, and I love that we have spent the past 8 years learning, growing, and building an incredible life together. Max looks up to his daddy so much, and tells me often that he wants to be "just like dad" when he grows up. I adore how much Riley really cherishes his time off work and loves to be with his family, Max and I are always looking forward to dad's days off. 
I love you Riley! Happy 8th Anniversary!
I have also brought home all of the baby stuff that we still had stashed in my parent's basement from when we moved (thanks for the free storage mom and dad!). The clothes, car seat, bouncer, and pack and play are cleaned and ready to go. Now I think we just need to stock up on diapers and wipes and we're good to go!
At Karate Wednesday, they were doing sword fights at the end of class. After a few rounds of 3 on 3, they decided to play "protect the King". The teacher asked the kids how their strategy would need to change if they were trying to protect their "King". Max (in his own little 4 year old world) raised his hand and answered:
We first went to a BBQ at Riley's parents. Max immediately changed into his swimsuit when he saw the big water slide, but wasn't so sure of climbing up it at first. 
After getting used to the cold water, a little bit of encouragement, and a couple of times down the slide on Grandma Terrie's lap, Max finally decided he could do it himself. He spent the whole time at the BBQ in the water and he loved it!
The kids had a good time going between the cold water slide and the warm hot tub (it was cooled down so the kids could play in it). We were able to eat tons of yummy food before Riley had to head off for work :-( . We're hoping he has the 4th off next year.
My dad looking all festive for the holiday! He had to work that night too, so he didn't get to show off his "flag wave" at the fireworks. 
Roxy was also ready for the festivities. She's such a sweet dog, I can't believe she let us do this to her hair!
After the fam left, my mom, Max, and I got ready to go and watch the PG fireworks. They were at the Jr. High this year (which we thought was a little weird, breaking tradition). It was awesome! I hope they continue to do them there. We arrived only about 15 minutes early, got a great parking spot and found a nice spot on the lawn to watch them. They were literally right above our head, and Max liked being able to look up at the track and see the firemen lighting them. When the fireworks started, he wasn't so sure about the noise, but after a few minutes, he got used to it and started to really enjoy it. After they were over, he told me "Mom, this is the best day of my life". So sweet!
