Thyroid Awareness

January is thyroid awareness month and I feel like I push having a thyroid disease to the back burner. I'm not ashamed or embarrassed by it, I just don't feel like advertising it to the world. After connecting with people who also have Graves', I feel like I am very lucky. I see some people struggling more than me, some taking higher dosages of medication than me, some who struggle getting out of bed in the morning because they just feel so blah, some who have had thyroid cancer scares, some who have goiters, and some with thyroid eye disease that is just unmanageable :( I am and always have been on a very low dose of medicine to regulate my thyroid, I exercise as much as possible (I'd like to say my diet is on point but let's face it, I am not a clean eater. I enjoy caffeine, sweets and tons of carbs!) but for the most part I eat decent. While I was pregnant I was completely off any medication for my thyroid. My levels were normal and I really felt great. My Dr. said pregnancy can be a great thing for your thyroid or it can wreak havoc. Thankfully, mine was a great thing. Even two months after delivering E, my levels were normal. Then, BAM. I started feeling the anxiety, the heart palpitations, and started getting really hot for no reason. When it came time to check in with my endo, sure enough my levels we high again so it was back on meds for me. Right before finding out we were pregnant, I had scheduled surgery to completely remove my thyroid. There is also another route, a radioactive iodine that basically kills the thyroid. 1. Radioactive, NO THANKS! I wouldn't be able to be around my babies for like 3 days. 2. The iodine is more than likely going to make my thyroid eye disease worse, again NO THANKS! So surgery it was. Of course, once we found out we were expecting, that surgery got canceled and we'd cross that bridge when we came to it. I've been struggling with scheduling the surgery again. I've been feeling great, still on a low dosage of medicine....but the medicine is not recommended to take long term. I was diagnosed in September 2012. So, do I stay on the medicine a while longer and hope and pray and pray some more that I go into remission.. (I've actually read several stories of people going into remission from Graves' Disease) but more than likely that will NOT happen for me. Or, do I schedule surgery and remove a vital organ only to be put on a permanent medicine to replace what my thyroid did for my body...??? Oh decisions. I'm almost positive I'm going to have surgery but I do keep putting it off. Since being diagnosed, I've realized that thyroid issues are way more common than I thought. A group of friends and I got together last Saturday night to celebrate a friends birthday. There were 5 of us and out of those 5, two friends were on medication for a hypo thyroid (doesn't produce enough THC, T3 and T4, and the other had Graves' and did the iodine treatment..and myself with Graves. Crazy right? Check your neck! Some symptoms of Hyper Thyroid are heat intolerance, anxiety, hand shakiness, heart palpitations, and sweating. Talk to your doctor if you have any of these!

In other news, we have adjusted to being a family of 4!!! it's amazing to see little E grow and learn every day. She truly has completed our family and Hudson is just over the moon for her. She will be 4 months on the 24th.

She started rolling over at 2 1/2 months
She is grabbing toys and has found her hands
She started sucking her thumb and self soothes (she started that around 2 1/2 months) BTW it's the freaking cutest thing EVER
She's eating 4 oz during the day and about 5 or 6 at night
She's finally on a decent schedule and will wake at midnight to eat and wake around 6:30 or 7!
She started sleeping in her crib at 3 months and the transition was super easy (thank you Lord)
She coos and gurgles and talks all the time
I got her to really laugh and giggle a few weeks ago. She is very ticklish :)
She's our little princess!
We love her daycare and her wonderful teachers!

Hudson is doing wonderful in school. He is reading and learning new words everyday! He went hunting with Cody and his grandpa the other weekend and Cody shot a deer! Hudson was so excited. We start T-ball again soon and he's so ready! He's a little crazy when he isn't involved in anything.

2014 Family Pictures

Who doesn't love family pictures?! Well my husband for one. He absolutely hates them and it seems I drag him to them at least twice a year! We hadn't had any new pictures of the whole family since E joined the family so Cody's mom had arranged a shoot with the lady who took my maternity photos. It was originally supposed to be just her and the grand kids but I asked if Cody and I could sneak in a few shots!
Photos by Karen Wade:
She's amazing. Her husband is a firefighter with my husband and she is wonderful at capturing the moment.

So in love with them!
I still can't believe God chose me to be these two wonderful tiny humans mommy! I am forever thankful for that and love them dearly. Sometimes I have to pinch myself.

Meet our baby girl....

Emerson Avery.

                           Born September 24th at 12:40pm Weighing 7lb 10oz and 19in long

Proud big brother!!! It was such an amazing moment when Hudson walked into the hospital room and saw his baby sister. His eyes lit up and he smiled from ear to ear. He held her for the first time and whispered, "I love you!" melt me
Newborn pics by Mallory Buck!

This c-section was a breeze. Sorry to all who had crummy situations :( I worked out until month 8 of my pregnancy and I think that was a huge help. I knew what to expect with this one and I was just literally OVER being pregnant! I was up and walking (like an old woman with a walker but walking non the less) on day 2. With my last one I didn't want to get out of bed because of the pain. I pushed through on this one and every hour or so would stand up and move around. Day 3 I showered and walked around even more. When the nurse came in to discharge me I was pacing back and forth ready to take my baby home. 3 days in a hospital can make ya crazy! She said, "you sure don't look like you just had major surgery" 6 days after having E Cody and I were walking around the block. I stopped taking pain meds two days after leaving the hospital! :))

Little miss is now 2 moths old and the most precious baby girl in the world. She is completely opposite from her brother when he was a baby. She hates sleep and will fight it every.damn.time. She has to be able to see someone if left in a room. She'll last about 10 min before having a meltdown. With Hudson, we could put him in his swing and he would fall asleep for a good hour or more. She naps for a good 30 min if we are lucky!! At night she is eating 4oz and waking every 3 hours. The first stretch, sometimes she'll go 4 hours. I think around 2 months we had Hud on some sort of schedule. She is NOT on one. She loves to be held. If she falls asleep in your arms and you TRY to put her down, she pops those eyes wide open and looks at you like...."NO"
My mom was going to keep her but something came up and was unable to. Broke my heart but knew God had a plan. That left me looking for care. Fortunatley the YMCA daycare had two spots available until our #1 choice became available. (Wee Care) Hudson was at WC for 3 years. Started when he was 2, Gram kept him those first two years...oh how I miss that woman. Every day I think about her. Sure wish she was here to love on baby girl and play with Hudson. I know she has a great view from upstairs..
Daycare gives these little daily reports when she ate, diaper changes, etc. Somehow those daycare ladies get her to nap at least 2 times a day for 45 min. WHAT?! How?! They are magic. I'm going to have to ask them their secrets.
Please don't stop by our house from at least 7pm-8 because our daughter screams so loud we can't think. It's almost like clockwork. She cries for no reason. Actually I think she may be over-tired. Hudson went through a similar phase and the pedi said try putting him to bed a little earlier. So I'm going to try that with her tonight before she get's all dramatic on me.
To all the single parents out there with multiple children.....PRAISE TO YOU!! When Cody is on shift and I am in charge of 2 tiny humans....I sometimes lose my shit. I'm trying to help one with kindergarten homework while the other one demands to be fed and held and is screaming bloody murder. Some nights it goes smoothly.....who am I kidding. I have a stocked fridge with wine and a liquor cabinet with whiskey! I pray a lot. Like a lot. I ask Jesus for patience on a regular basis ;)
I've only had one complete meltdown ( I was miserably sick, Cody was at work and I had a 5 year old back talking and not listening and a 2 month old....you guessed it, crying!!)
We are finally in somewhat of a routine with school work and daycare so life is a little less complicated. If I can just get baby girl waking ONCE a night that would be my perfect world. I thank the Lord everyday for blessing me with two beautiful, healthy children! Even if they make me bat shit crazy!!

Happy 2 months little angel. Embrace every moment because it goes too fast! I love you to the moon

ONE WEEK!

Wow. One week we will be holding our sweet precious baby girl! I am so over being pregnant. Though I can't really complain. I have had pretty much the easiest pregnancy (not as easy as with Hudson) but pretty close. Especially with having Graves' with this pregnancy. I prayed and prayed every lab appointment for my levels to be normal so I wouldn't have to be put on any sort of medication! The Good Lord sure pulled through because EVERY single appointment, levels were right where they needed to be and I haven't had a single symptom while being pregnant and Emerson has been in great health every appointment. I count my blessings daily ;)
I can't wait to kiss her face and squeeze her cheeks. I can't wait to see the love in Cody's eyes for his baby girl. I can't wait to see Big Brother hold her for the first time and help out when we get to go home. I can't wait to see her grandparents swoon over her. I can't wait to be her mother! In this last week I should be focusing on organizing and getting the house all together because who wants to come home to a messy home?! Not to mention, our big living room is not complete and Cody is still laying tile as.we.speak!! I'm not even worried about all that. I have two big fundraiser walks coming up and I am so focused on those, I may be losing my mind! This is my first year as manager and my first year planning these walks by MYSELF! Our first one is this Saturday and the next is October 4th (which I'll be missing because I'll have a schweet brand spankin new baby!) So all this planning goes into it and I won't even be there to see how it turns out :(

Here's baby girls room:

                        It's so magical (and so PINK). I catch myself just sitting in her room sometimes.

5th Birthday

Our handsome guy turned 5 this past Sunday. 5. I still can't believe it. And he's in kindergarten.

We celebrated early by taking our family trip to Great Wolf Lodge a couple of weeks ago. Being 8 months pregnant, the last thing I wanted to do was plan a party so we opted for a family getaway and I'm so thankful we did. He has been talking about the trip since we got home. We all enjoyed ourselves.
Saturday, Cody was off shift so we got the family together and one of Hud's buddies, Caden and invited everyone to Chuck E Cheese for some games and pizza. Hudson and Caden have been friends since birth. Caden's dad is an MFD'er. Caden is just a couple of months older than Hudson and they are tiny little bff's. We were there a little over 2 hours and the boys had such a great time. Hudson won about 450 tickets :)

He woke up the morning of his birthday and came to our room and said "Mom, I'm 5 and I am taller!!" He is constantly making me giggle.
On Sunday, his actual birthday (Cody was on shift) it was just me and my guy. We went to McDonald's and had breakfast, played at the park (in 95 degree weather at 10:00am) he got to play at Mia's for a while on his new basketball hoop! And one of his friends from down the street came over to play.

Thank goodness Monday was a holiday, we all needed the rest! Monday was also opening day of dove season and Cody wanted to take Hudson shooting. They went to Academy to get a hunting license and they were off. It was so hot yesterday I thought Hudson would only last an hour or so but they got our there around 4 and didn't get home until after 9! He even got to shoot the shotgun! With Cody's help of course. I love when they get to do stuff, just the two of them.

Cody said every time they would shoot a bird Hudson and Jayten would run  over to where it fell and bring it back. He was so excited to see them fly over. He even helped Cody clean one when they got home that night.

Kindergarten!

Welp, another milestone for my big guy. He started kindergarten yesterday. He did so well. (It helps when you know 3 of the kids in your class) He played t-ball with one little boy and two other kids have been in his class at Wee Care since he started pre-k. Thank you Jesus, I think that's what made the transition so easy. We met his teacher on Monday August 25th and she is just adorable. She has a great personality and she really seems to love teaching. And she wore a TMNT shirt on the first day of school, how awesome! We did get accepted into Washington Math and Science Institute about 3 weeks before school actually started. Magnet schools are a lottery and basically if your name isn't picked you end up on a waiting list. We received a denial letter earlier this summer saying we didn't get in to the two magnet schools I applied to. BIG BUMMER but I wasn't going to let that stop me. We were pretty low on the Pease magnet waiting list so I kinda had already written that one off but stayed on the list. Washington we were low but not too bad so I waited on that list as well and went ahead and enrolled him in his home school, Henderson. I was relieved to find out one of my best friends who is also a teacher said one of her close friends (who I have met several years ago) was a kinder teacher and she said I could "request" her, so I did. Things were looking good, I bought school uniforms and was just about to start school supply shopping when I got the call that Washington had an opening for Hudson!! I immediately accepted, hung up the phone and said a little thank you prayer! :0)
After hyping him up about being a Henderson Tiger, I had to break the news that he was now a Washington Eagle. Then proceeded to tell him his buddy from school, Kyson, was also going to Washington. That excited him and he forgot all about Henderson.
Come to find out, on meet the teacher night, we saw that Kyson was in Hud's class!!

                                              My big guy's first day as a Washington Eagle!

                                                                     His BFF Kyson!

I had originally enrolled him in an after school program (great thing about magnet schools, they offer a free after school program from 3:45-4:45 for working parents) M-W would be Robotics T-Th would be Building Brainiacs, and Friday is Camp Manners. After picking him up yesterday, poor guy was exhausted. I'm not sure he could last another hour at school so we are holding off on the after school stuff for now. I am lucky enough to have a very flexible job that allows me to leave at 3:45 every day to pick him up!!

On to SISTER news:

I had my last sonogram on Tuesday and she is just BEAUTIFUL! I may be being biased, but whoa!

                                                                      Those cheeks!

She was being such a wiggle worm. We looked at all her organs, her heart, fluid and all that good stuff. The sonography said everything looked PERFECT and she was measuring right on schedule 34 weeks and 5 days and weighed 5lbs 10oz!! They are expecting her to be about 7lbs 12 oz when born but I have big babies ;) Hudson was 8.2. I cannot wait to meet this little princess. We are scheduled for a c-section on September 24th! 
I have another baby shower that my MIL and some of her close friends are throwing on September 6th, very blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives. Her room is finally complete, only missing a rocker/glider but I have yet to find the perfect one. As soon as I do, be expecting picture overload.

*The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love*
Galatians 5:6

5 1/2 weeks left!

Holy moly. Although at times it seems like I have been pregnant for years ;) ...it has FLOWN by! It's crazy to think that in 40 short days we will be welcoming our baby girl!! We are scheduled for a c-section on September 24th (not sure what time yet) I am getting a little overwhelmed. I was recently promoted to Special Events Manager at the American Diabetes Association and for 2 months I was all on my own doing the work of two people. We finally hired someone on Monday of t his week and she has been such a God send! No I am able to focus on fundraising and putting two walks together. One of which I will miss completely because I'll be on maternity leave. Not only am I stressing with the walks but my BABY, my sweet little brown eyed handsome little guy will turn 5 at the end of this month and will start KINDERGARTEN!!
We finally got a call from one of the magnet schools we applied to. We were on the waiting list for two and pretty far down on one of them and I had written them off thinking we weren't getting in this year, better luck next year. Then I got the call that said they had a spot!! We'll be starting at Washington Math and Science magnet school and I am so excited.  School starts in less than two weeks. I'm looking forward to seeing how we handle a new born and one in kinder! Our mornings will be very interresting.
For Hudson's 5th birthday we decided to take a family trip, just the 3 of us before we become a family of 4 to Great Wolf Lodge. We have never been and I think we could ALL use a little getaway. 

My dad is in town for the weekend!! He had business in San Antonio and decided to extend his Texas trip and come see us :) Watch out Midland!
Let the fun begin

Two weekends ago my mom through me a "Sprinkle" a small version of a baby shower. I knew my MIL and some of her friends and co-workers (who through my shower last time with Hudson) were going to host a shower so we decided to have a smaller one with close friends. OH EM GEE, little girl stuff is so fun! So much pink and froo frooy stuff. I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends. Emerson is already spoiled rotten :)

Hope you are all having a wonderful summer, or what's left of it!
xox