Doctors Visit

Today we went to the doctors. We had another ultrasound done.
Also we went to the specialist. The specialist was really nice and everything, but we didn't really get new information.

The only thing that was "new information" was that when I have the baby they are going to take her to a different hospital pretty much as soon as they can. So I will be staying in a different hospital for at least a day without her. Also he said she will probably be in the hospital for at least a week after she is born. It will be the first time I will have to go home without my baby. The thought of being away from her is what is the hardest right now.

We were hoping that he might have a better idea of how bad the Dandy-Walker is, but he couldn't till us. Now we just wait some more more. I guess we should have some answers in about a month and a half???????

33 weeks

We are drawing closer to end of this pregnancy. I am 33 weeks today. So we have 6 weeks left to go. We are going to get an ultrasound done tomorrow and talking to a specialist as well. I am a little nervous but still hoping for the best!

I am still hoping that we will get all of our stuff in time to get some of it put away and settled before the baby comes. I still need a car seat too! So much to do!!!

Last day of School for Tristan

The day before Thanksgiving was Tristan's last day at school, for Guam. They actually had a Thanksgiving lunch that we went to and then they all said goodbyes to Tristan. It made me so sad. He loved his teachers so much. He has been doing so good in school. I hope that when we get him back to school he will continue to do really great. They even had all the kids get together for some pictures. The second picture is of Tristan and Mrs. Jan. They got alone so well. I know that Tristan is going to be very missed!

Update.....

The last few days have been a little rough. We are getting more done and we have some new info. There is still so much to get done in such a short time. The packers should be here the first of new week. I am not sure what will happen after that.

We are supposed to get five days in a hotel before we go. I am thinking that won't even happen. I was looking forward to that as well. Just for a few days to relax a bit.. but we will see what happens.

I don't even want think about the plane ride. It is just so long. I am ready to get it over with.

What has been helping me is to know that we are planing to buy a house once we get there. There are a few I like a lot, I hope they are still going to be around once we get there. We also are going to have to buy a car/truck to get around till we can get our Durango to us.

I already have a doctor's appointment set up for me in Little Rock as well. I was thinking yesterday that i have 2 1/2 - 3 months and then we will have our little baby girl. There isn't much time left. I am just hoping that we will be able to get our household stuff before the baby comes.

There is just so much stuff up in the air, but it is getting better.

fun stuff

We have been packing and trying to get ready as much as we can. Ben had some of his bags out and getting them ready. Tristan thought it looked like fun. So he climbed in. It gave new meaning to the term "Bed in a Bag."

28 weeks almost 29

I will be 29 weeks on Wednesday. They baby is getting stronger. She is pushing pretty hard now. It is actually starting to hurt a bit. It helps me a lot to know she is in there moving around so much!
Today we found out some stuff. We do know when and where we are flying. So that is at least something. And the housing lady came today to make sure we didn't have damage to our house. And it sounds like we don't have to clean everything like crazy, just simple stuff. Vacuuming and light dusting. That helped a lot to know that we don't have to clean like crazy before we go. We wouldn't have time anyway, I don't think. Now we just need to figure out when we can get the movers here. And when we get to go to a hotel, and hope there is an empty room at a good hotel.
Maybe tomorrow....

3 weeks till we move

Today I went to the doctor and Ben came with me. The doctor told me that we get to leave on the 30th of this month. We will all be leaving here together! I am so excited about this. I didn't want to fly by myself. I am still nervous about flying and flying that far, hopefully there will be no problems. Also I found out today that the three hour glucose test that I took came back fine. So one less thing to worry about. :)
So now Ben gets to run around like a chicken with its head cut off and try and get all his paperwork done and get everything lined up. We need to get the house packed up and the car sent, lots and lots to do.
And poor Tristan is so sad about moving, and I don't know how to help other than talk to him. I never went through moving when I was little.
But I keep hoping and praying that all this stuff will work out well!

The wait is over

So this morning Ben called me and told me that we are going to Little Rock Arkansas. I thought he was pulling my leg to begin with. It was not where I was thinking we were going. It threw me off a lot. The children's hospital is supposed to be REALLY GOOD in Little Rock, so the baby will get the care that she needs. I still really wish that we could have gotten closer to family.

Ben is supposed to head out on the 30th of this month. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. So we will see if the Doc will let me go with the rest of the family or if I need to leave earlier. I am really hoping for us to all go together!

I think the rest of us are going to do ok. I am just worried about Tristan. He doesn't handle change so well. He will have to go to a whole new school with new teachers. He loves his teachers here so much....

There is so much that we will be doing the next few weeks. And even more once we get there.

Beach

Yesterday we got to go to the beach. We had a lot of fun. We did get rained on a few times but we also saw two rainbows which was pretty neat. Even with the rain it was still a relaxing day! We don't know how much time we have left so it might have been the last beach trip. I hope not but we will see. We still don't know when or where we are going.

Halloween

Well today is Halloween but for us it was last night. We went to the church for the trunk-or-treat. They even had games and food. We were there from 5:30 to 8:00. There were a ton of people too. Mackenzie was a little pirate. She really hated the dress when I put it on. But she got a little more used to it. Tristan wanted to be spiderman. He didn't have any problems with wearing his costume. Ben and I went as 70's hippies. It was kinda last minute so it could have been a little better planed out. But it was fun to actually dress up. I haven't really done that for years. But here is a picture of all of us...

ASAP

Well we found out that we were for sure going back to the states on the 5th of this month. It took the doctor a few days to get the paper work all filled out. We thought that it got sent in on the 8th. Well someone didn't sign where they were supposed to. They were told they didn't need to do anything. Well that was wrong. So by the time it got sent and with everything that it needed it was the 15th. So really I guess that it has only been two weeks.

Ben talked to one person yesterday and she thought we would hear something this week. He then talked to someone else today and he says it will probably be another two weeks. It didn't seem to matter that ASAP was on the paperwork. Under different circumstances I would still be a little frustrated but I am worried about running out of time. I don't want to be huge and pregnant when I have to go on the airplane. If they take to long I might have to fly out first and then have everyone else follow me. Since it isn't recommended pregnant women to fly after 34 weeks. I don't want to go by myself. :(

Plus the doctor wants me to do more tests. He wants me to have them done where ever it is that we are going. It would help to have someone that knows a little more to do the tests and to look at things. I am not sure when they wanted me to do those tests.

I just want to know something anything. No one seems to be very helpful. Who knows maybe we will hear something tomorrow, but i am not holding my breath.....

Queen sized bed

Mackenzie has been pretty sick the last few days. Last night she actually slept in her bed. But she came and climbed in my bed when Ben went to work out this morning. She fell back asleep. Ben joked that we need to get her a queen sized bed...

Dalmatians

Today for school Tristan was supposed to dress up like something from a book. So we choose the book 101 dalmatians. He really loves that book and dogs in general. We just painted spots on a white shirt, but I think it turned out pretty good. I hope he has a fun day with it.

The military wife

I got this off another website but I thought it was pretty good.

The military wife can handle...

-- Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...
Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home,
For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...

She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move...
.....all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships.
They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after
them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is
unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed;
the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her
Military Husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.

--Author Unknown

23 weeks

Yesterday, I was 23 weeks pregnant as well. My tummy is getting bigger and just this last week I have noticed I am getting more uncomfortable. I am hoping they will get us on a plane and out of here soon. I don't want to get to far along and get even more uncomfortable for the plane ride. We still don't know when or where we are going?? Anyway here is my pregnant belly at 23 weeks...

TWO YEARS OLD!

Yesterday my miss Mackenzie turned two. We didn't do a whole bunch, we are going to do a little BBQ on the weekend for her. She got some wonderful stuff for her birthday. Mostly thanks to Aunt Amy and Grandmas.




We made some pizza for dinner and Kenzie helped me. She did get a little flour on her.


After we had some pizza we had some cake and ice cream. And of course we sang happy birthday.

Kenzie couldn't wait to blow the candle out!

A little more info

Ben and I went to the doctor today, I was hoping for a little more information. We did get the ball rolling. We are for sure going back to the states. Utah is looking like a good option. We have family and they have really good hospitals. The Air force will actually look at what we want and see if they can work with it. So we still don't know for sure that we are going to Utah, but I think it is a good chance that we will.

I am hoping within the next 3 weeks or so we will know where we are going. Once we know we will be leaving really fast I think. I am really worried about the plane ride again. We should all be together at least, which makes me feel better. I didn't want to go by myself. There is just so much to do.

Doctor tomorrow

The nurse called me today. I have an appointment for tomorrow. She brought up PCSing and the EFMP, Moving and the place that will help us move. She also told me to make sure and bring my husband. She asked me where we would want to go and I told her back to Utah and she said well I hope you get it. So just from talking with her it sounds like we will be moving. We are hoping for Utah, and if not I think we might just go back to California. Nothing is for sure yet, but we will find out tomorrow.

baby update

So
We went and talked to a doctor today. She talked to us about Dandy-Walker. She explained things really well and was very nice. Also we found out that at the very least I will be going to Hawaii to deliver my baby. The doctor said it may be possible to go home to have the baby....

It is possible that we will PCS (AKA move). If that is the case we are going to try and see if they will send us to Hill AFB or to Mountain Home, Utah or Idaho. It would be really nice to be close to family. The decision isn't up to us of course. There is still a chance we will stay here. There are so many what if's and maybes. We just don't know what will happen.

We also won't know how many problems the baby will have until she is born. The doctor said she shouldn't have any problems while she is still in my tummy. After she is born they will do more tests and MRI's. We are still hoping that there won't be anything wrong with her.

I also wanted to thank everyone for their prayers and best wishes. It means a lot to me and my family. Please keep us in your prayers.

:(

Well,
I am not sure where to start with this. The last few days have been really long. For those that don't know, I went and got my 20 week ultrasound. The doctor there thought I should have an MRI done because she thought the baby might have dandy walker syndrome. She didn't really answer my questions really well, and she made me feel uncomfortable. So I waited till I talked to my normal doctor, he said we should go ahead and do the MRI.

On Friday, I went and did the MRI. I was still hoping for the best. Well all weekend it was pretty much all that I could think about. I couldn't wait any longer and I called the nurse on Monday morning. She called me back a couple of hours later and told me the MRI confirmed that my baby has Dandy-Walker.

So now I am trying to still hope for the best. Some people have this and are fine. However that isn't always the case. So i don't even know what to expect. I am so worried about my little one. This world is hard enough and for her to come into the world and has a problem to start with...it is just so unfair for such a small little baby. I feel like I should be doing something for her. But there really isn't much for me to do. I am praying for her, but besides that there isn't much to do.

I am going to talk to a doctor on Wednesday and see where to go form here. They have mentioned sending me to Japan or Hawaii to have my baby. I don't know what the chances are? It is just kinda scary. I would rather stay here, but of course I will do what I need to for the baby.

I just have no idea what to expect and I hate to plan for the worst, I am not even sure what that means. Hopefully the doctor that I talk to on Wednesday will help with some of the questions that we have....


Here is a website that talks about it. I know there aren't many people that have heard of it. I didn't know anything about it.
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/dandywalker/dandywalker.htm

Its a.....

Well today has been a long day. You wouldn't think getting an ultrasound would take FOUR hours!!! Well it did here on Guam. I thought it would take an hour or so, well i was very wrong. Well we got there and waited FOREVER. They were having problems with the computers. And of course I was supposed to drink a lot of water before the ultrasound. I waited as long as i could and then went to the bathroom. And of course they called me back right after I did that. We got the ultrasound done. After that there was more waiting. It really wasn't very fun.
So for 4 hours of waiting we found out that we are having a girl! Tristan was sad he wanted a brother. Ben was sure that it was going to be boy. He had me convenience that it would be a boy. So BEN WAS WRONG!
It will be easier since we have a ton of little girl stuff that is left over from Mackenzie. Now we just have to fine tune the name. I am about 82% sure on the name....

New beach

Ben got to dive this weekend. We met up with him at the beach. It was a different beach than we had gone to before. It was a neat beach. It wasn't the best for the kids to play in the water and there was a ton of rocks. We were able to take the dog and she was pretty fun to watch swimming around in the water. If it weren't for the rocks, and the heat it would have been a little better.

20 weeks

Well I am now 20 weeks pregnant. I still can't believe it sometimes, and I am HALF WAY DONE!! I think I am starting to feel little pocks but not as much as I would like. I am just starting to get used to the idea that I am pregnant. I think i am starting to look pregnant. I am going to have an ultrasound done on Friday if all the insurance things work out, which is getting really frustrating. I would really like to know if we are having a boy or a girl. I am leaning more toward a boy, just based on feelings. I would love to have another little girl too. So hopefully Friday is the day.

17 weeks

Well as of today I am not 17 weeks pregnant. There isn't really to much to show but.. I thought I would show how I am progressing as well as the baby. I am hoping that once I look a little more pregnant and feel the baby moving, that I will FEEL more pregant.

28

Well i am 28 today and I am feeling a bit old. Also being pregnant it is draining my energy, so that isn't helping. Anyway for my birthday Ben took me out to dinner, it was a few days early since he is working today. He got us a baby sitter and we got to get some Italian food. The people that run the place are actually from Italy so it is the closest to the real thing that we are going to find around here. It was really good but again being pregnant I haven't had the best appetite.

Today we didn't get to do much since Ben had to work. We just went and grabbed some lunch and ran to the store. I got some hair color and lightened my hair. I am not sure what to think of it yet. Ben thinks I should try and go even lighter. We will see.....

Birthday From G&G Betts

So Grandma and Grandpa Betts sent Tristan some stuff for his birthday and it got here today! She made him this cute little book. And he loves it he keeps looking at it. I am excited to try it out at church. I remember that we had one like it when we were little. She also sent us some more books to read at bed time that he seemed very excited about as well. And best of all they sent us a church outfit. I have been trying to find something nice for him but there isn't much i could find. I was probably more excited about it then Tristan was, but i think when he gets to wear it on Sunday he will like it a lot. So mostly i just wanted to let everyone know how great my mom and dad are and that i am thankful for them. I also love them both so very much!!!!!!

sand

Another day at the beach. This time when Ben buried Z in the sand he got her to smile and be happy. It was pretty cute. She loves to climb into hole in the sand. I think Ben had dug this hole and Kenzie climbed in and he covered her with sand.

5 years old

Tristan got up and we opened presents. I got him a few shirts and spongebob swimming suit and flip flops. He also got some clothes from grandma and a card that had five dollars in it. He was pretty excited about that. We made some waffles for breakfast. I tried to make them red but they were pink. Then we went bowling. It was a lot of fun. Tristan pushed the ball down and it will take awhile but it got down the lane. Mackenzie even played. Then we came home and had cake and icecream. He wanted his cake to be green, purple, and white. So i did my best. I was just not up for a huge party so i hope that he had a fun and good birthday. We had one more surprise for Tristan we had gotten him a bike. Ben had him help him get it and at first Tristan didn't think that it was for him. But it was very excited about it when he realized that it was for him.

Hiking in the Jungle

So today we went for a hike. We actually went with a group of people from church which was a lot of fun. It was really an adventure.Tristan did wonderful. He beat the rest of us back up to the top. Z did good for the first part on the way back up she was so tired and worn out. But we all made it. There really wasn't much of a beach. We did get in the water. The only thing was there were sharp rocks to get in the water. The kids did pretty good. I managed to rip a hole in my pants and I ripped some skin off the bottom of my foot as well. We even took the dog with us. She was pretty funny to watch swimming in the water. She just jumped right in. The ocean looked a lot different than were we usually go. So like I said we had an adventure today.

Shells

Ben always finds some neat shells when he goes diving. This are some neat ones that he has found the last couple times he has gone. The shell in the top picture actually had something still living in it and it smells kinda gross now. I am hoping it will get better, I want to keep that shell. The other one is actually a bit bigger than it looks in the picture. I am just not sure what i will do with all the shells that we have found.

Pre-k Graduation

On Friday we got to go to Tristan Pre-k graduation. The kids sang song, Tristan didn't really sing but he did do some of the actions. They got a certificate that said they had completed the class. We even got to eat a little lunch. We had a pretty good time. And I am so proud of Tristan and in the fall he will go to kindergarten. A lot will be changing for him and me.

#3

I have been deciding weather or not to post this. So here it goes. I had one of the best experiences this last Sunday. I was sitting in Relief Society, and someone made the comment that sometimes we need to just be quiet and listen. At that moment a thought came into my mind that I was pregnant. It was so strong. It made me tear up and everything, it was such a powerful feeling. I wasn't sure that I could trust the feeling because I thought maybe I was just wanting it to be true so much that I was making things up. The feeling stayed with me all day. Then on Monday morning i still could shake the feeling. I did go and get a test, and sure enough it was positive. I had a blood test on Tuesday and it was also positive. So we are on our way to BABY #3!

Ben graduated from ALS last night. It has been a long five weeks. It is all done and now my husband is a STAFF SARGENT. I am so proud of him, he has worked so hard. I loved him so much.

the "big" bed

The past few nights Kenzie has been sleeping in the toddler bed. It is so cute, but it makes me a little sad. I didn't think she would be sleeping in a bed yet. I just put her on in one night and it worked. I was just seeing what she would do, well she loves it. If i try to put her in the crib then she gets all upset. This morning i checked on her to see if she was still on the bed and sure enough she was...




Yesterday she didn't take a nap, well she tried to fall asleep standing up. No scratch that she did fall asleep standing. Funny stuff.