We had a very long and big day of appointments. It started off first thing in the morning with the "big" ultrasound of Baby where they check all the baby's organs and such, and then draw blood for the quad screen. We are thrilled to say that Baby is looking great (and the blood work has since come back just fine), and measuring exactly where he/she should be. Once again, we could've found out the sex, and once again it was just as difficult for me to say no! But we got some cute 4D shots of Baby - looks like it's sucking its thumb! Then it opened its mouth for us. So cute!
It seems pretty unanimous with people that they think it's a boy. In fact, I don't think I've heard anyone say they think it's a girl, and the opinions we hear are adamant. This pregnancy, I have not felt one way or the other at all, but I'm just now starting to think a tiny bit that it's a girl. Yet, either way will feel like a huge surprise for me.
After the ultrasound appointment, I had an OB appointment. Nothing to write home about, everything's just plugging away. Ellison was SUCH a trooper - we were at the OB office 2 hours, and she did great!
After heading home for a brief respite, we then were on our way to meet Daddy at Brenner's Children's Hospital Clinic in Winston-Salem for Ellison's much-anticipated endocrinology appointment. Everything was very fast and efficient, and we literally had NO wait time! Even the doctor came in almost immediately! Dr. Walsh was very nice. We knew we weren't going to walk out of there with a quick answer, but at least wanted to be in the process of finding out something. Dr. Walsh, like our pediatrician, also believes that Ellison likely is in the process of developing juvenile diabetes based on her history. She explained several things, and I won't even be able to touch the surface here with it all. They ran blood work, which we won't have results for a couple weeks. The biggie is the diabetes antibody screen (I was not even familiar with this test). Basically, if it's positive, Ellison will have juvenile diabetes, we just won't know exactly when full-blown symptoms will kick in for her, since her pancreas is producing insulin. If it's negative, it sounds like we may just chock this up to ketotic hypoglycemia (with an episode of hyperglycemia at one point), and basically we'd just have to make sure she always eats small, frequent snacks/meals. No cause for that, just something she'd likely grow out of eventually. Even if the test comes back positive, there's absolutely nothing we can do at this point. We can pray for a cure to happen before she develops the full-onset of the disease, but we'd just have to wait and monitor. Speaking of monitoring, she said to not check her blood sugars regularly anymore. (Thank you, Jesus!). Only if she is ill or exhibiting suspicious symptoms do we need to do a check, and if it's out of whack, then we need to watch it closely, then go from there. She is also checking thyroid function levels and other things that I'm unfamiliar with. She thinks Ellison's sleep pattern and new-onset irritability over the last few months all plays into this big picture. So we will wait and see, and in the meantime we are praying for a negative antibody screen!!!
Ellison's sleep is still atrocious. Some nights we feel like we're making headway when she only gets up once or twice, but more often than not she's up several times a night. Sometimes it's to pee, other times she doesn't say a word - just follows me back to her room where I tuck her in and not a word was ever spoken. We have literally tried everything, and I mean everything. It's an exhaustive list of different tactics we've tried to help her out of this. I feel so bad for her not getting solid rest. Part of me wonders if her little mind just can't slow down. I don't mean ADHD or anything, but her little wheels are a turnin' intensely, I think. Last night, when she was up at 4am peeing, she groggily said to me, "Mom, why don't some babies grow?". Holy. Cats. Is this what she's thinking about and dreaming about at night? Things like this? I suddenly felt like Horrible Parent of the Century - have I not filtered enough for her?! I feel our mistakes as parents just mounting on a giant list. Have I opened my trap one too many times on the phone not realizing my little sponge was really listening? I already know the answer to that, but... I want her little mind resting at night or dreaming of butterflies and unicorns and mermaids. Two nights ago, with Daddy out of town overnight, she slept with me, and that girl tosses about and whimpers in her sleep a lot. I wonder if this is part of her sleep problem. I know it's normal to an extent, but we just can't figure this sleep thing out...
Well, there went my therapy session for the day. I'm going to start calling this blog, "Delilah". What song do you think you could play for me tonight, Delilah?
3 comments:
Let me tell you, Allie went through a major restless sleep stage. Same thing... sometimes she would wake up and I could just walk her back to her room and she would go right back to sleep, not saying a word. And then when occasionally I would sleep with her, she would toss and turn, moan and groan, and grind her teeth (she has grown out of it now for the most part). And ALL of us parents have major mistake lists.... try being divorced and thinking about how much that could be screwing her up.... talk about ripping your heart out over and over. We will pray for you and Jon and for the test to be NEGATIVE. We know our God can work some serious miracles. :)
EJ sleeps like crap too. Up two or three times a night. I think Miller may sleep better. :) Praying for you and that peanut and Ellison! Okay, and Jon too, what the heck.
if it makes you feel any better Caroline whimpers in her sleep almost every night and the other night (after she had walked upstairs to get in our bed and after she had been asleep in our bed for an hour) she said as clear as day "all I want to do is lay down"...ha, she was asleep. She gets up almost every night and grinds her teeth...nice. Maybe this is preparing you for baby. On another note we are praying like crazy for good results from her testing. God knows you and your family can handle whatever is given to you...you have such strong faith...I love you!!!
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