crazy week...prayers, please!!!

This is going to be a long post, but I want to keep everyone in the loop...and let you all know about our crazy week...

so we had to take mona to the ER vet on tuesday. she got into the trash over the weekend and then couldn't keep ANYthing down. she was acting horribly lethargic and hiding from us (totally unlike her). we knew that she had gotten a hold of a steak bone, so we were worried that maybe something got lodged in her system. but apparently with a dog her size, if they consume too much fat from beef (basically what's left on a steak bone), that it can actually cause pancreatitis (a life-threatening condition for dogs). so it was pretty scary. she almost had to be hospitalized. she had x-rays done of her intestines to find that everything was going to be okay, though. she got a shot of anti-nausea medicine and we gave her Pepto for an entire day. she still has diarrhea, but is back to her normal self!

then comes wednesday. isaac woke up unable to WALK. he would take a few steps, but then one of his legs/hips would completely give out, making him fall. he would struggle to stand back up, only to fall right back down when he tried to walk again. it was THE most heart-wrenching thing to watch. i gave it about 5 minutes (wondering if it was just maybe that his leg had fallen asleep or something), and then called the doctor. they got us in right away. after checking him out, the doctor sent us over the hospital for...X-RAYS. second day in a row of x-rays for our family!! isaac was a trooper through it all. he was completely confused as to why his body wasn't letting him walk like he wanted to. just as in mona's situation, the x-rays came back normal. WHEW! so apparently, isaac has a condition known as "toxic synovitis." simply put, the virus he's had for the past several days caused inflammation in his hip, rendering him unable to walk. the good news is that it isn't long-lasting and should go away with his cold. we've had him on Motrin, and he is walking much better now! who knew that a cold could effect a child's hip?? weird!

so then when I thought our week couldn't get any crazier, thursday comes along. i had my 37-week appointment yesterday, and found out that i am no more dilated (major UGH) and just a tiny bit more effaced. apparently naomi is nice and cozy in there! :) but we began discussing the decision between delivering vaginally again (with a risk of re-tearing and causing permanent damage to my pelvic floor) or having a c-section (which also comes with lots of risks). in order to help us make our decision, she sent me for an ultrasound yesterday afternoon to check on naomi's size.

the ultrasound seemed to go wonderfully. she is nice and healthy, head down and everything. she is measuring in the 83rd percentile for her age...they are estimating that she is already close to 8 lbs. my doctor called me shortly after the scan and said, "well, i have good news and bad news." the good news is that naomi is not AS big as isaac was at this age! :) i knew that already. so then the bad news: she has fluid around her heart.

hmmm. so what, exactly does this mean? other than it's "bad news" from the doctor? well...i don't exactly know, and neither does she. the doctor mentioned that it could be a structural abnormality or a sign of an infection. i am going to a maternal-fetal specialist first thing this morning for a level-2 ultrasound. they will take TONS of pictures of her heart and measure to see exactly how much fluid is surrounding it. the results of this test will determine the next step, although the doctor suggested that we keep our afternoon open in case we need to be seen by a fetal cardiologist to have an echo cardiogram done on her.

though i am prone to worry like crazy (and scour the internet for possibilities), i am actually remarkably calm right now. maybe it's because we really don't know anything yet. or the fact that i haven't done any research to figure out what COULD be wrong with her. or maybe it's because this has already been SUCH an emotionally draining week with so many scares that have turned into huge sighs of relief? really, i know it's a God-thing...His peace passes all understanding! (Philippians 4:7) :) i am just trusting that God has a plan...and i'm just going with it. we'll deal with whatever comes our way. we are praying for a miracle this morning...that this ultrasound reveals that nothing is even wrong with her heart!

whew! so that's a recap of our week. sorry it got so long! :) i'll update when i know anything else. in the meantime, we'd really appreciate your prayers!!