Tagged!

OK- I was tagged. These are so fun to me- if you are reading this and you have a blog- consider yourself tagged too!

1. What is your occupation? Homemaker- mommy & wife!
2. What color are your socks right now?  barefoot 
3. What are you listening to right now?  The windchimes blowing outside the window- other than that, complete silence. Everyone else is asleep, because it’s 11:30 pm!

4. What is the last thing that you ate? Dinner- apple, cheezits and pepperjack cheese.

5. Can you drive a stick shift?  No, but I think I’d be cooler if I did know how.

6. What color would you be if you were a color?  Depends on the day…yellow some days, blue on others…

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone?  David

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? yep

9. How old are you today?  31
10. Favorite drink?  Lately it has been Cherry Limeades.

11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Football.

12. Have you ever dyed your hair?  Only a few hundred times…and a few different colors.
13. Pets?  None.

14. Favorite food?  Chili Rellenos

15. Last movie you watched at a movie theater?  Horton Hears a Who…until Sam had to go to the bathroom during the last 10 minutes of the movie.

16. What do you do to vent anger? Say too much and then regret it.

17. What was your favorite toy as a child?  The mud-I was always making mud tunnels or mud pies.
18. Cherry or Blueberry? Cherry

19. What is your favorite fall or spring? Definitely Spring!

20. When was the last time you cried?  Today.
21.  Favorite smell?  Orange vanilla.

22. Plain cheese or spicy hamburgers? cheese

23. Favorite cat breed?  Not a cat person.

24. Number of keys on your key ring? 3
25. How many years at your current job?  3

26. Favorite day of the week? Probably Saturday when we all lay in bed together and watch cartoons and David makes “super duper” pancakes.
27. How many states have you lived in? Just TX!

Update on Jenn

Hello all! I am so sorry that I haven’t updated this until now! The internal echocardiogram (transesophageal echcardiogram) had great news. The internal echo is much more accurate and showed pressure in the pulmonary artery to be a “high” normal- but the word that we are focusing on is “normal”. My lung function is fine, and they find no evidence of holes in my heart, or enlargement, or clots. I do have Mitral Valve Prolapse, which is a very common heart disorder. In most cases, this is a harmless disorder-which doesn’t shorten life expectancy or require treatment. However, that, along with my rapid heart rate may have caused the first two echos to be inaccurate- hence the internal one that we finally did. 

The other thing that I continue to have is a rapid heartbeat (running about 100-140 bpm). The Drs feel that this may be pregnancy related due to the increase in blood volume that you have when you are pregnant. They have me on a beta blocker medication that will help control blood pressure and slow down my heart a bit. We did have an appt with a 2nd cardiologist to get another opinion- he looked at my file and assured me that he felt I am fine. We do have another follow up echo scheduled for May 12.

I will be seeing a high risk baby Dr twice a week (just to monitor Max-he’s been fine through all of this) and my OBGYN once a week until Max is born. I also will see a cardiologist one more time (the May 12 appt), and the lung specialist once more before Max is born.

So, here are my prayer requests:

1)Pray that Max develops normally- the medication that I am on can cause lower birth weights.

2)Pray that the birth goes well- and that Max and I are safe.

3)Pray for me with this rapid heartbeat- it can be a bit unerving when you heart is going so fast!

4)Pray that my heart rate will return to normal- either now or after Max is born.

5)Pray for Max as I breast feed him while I am on this medication, that it will have no negative effects on him.

6)Pray for wisdom for the Drs.

7)Last, but certainly not least: Praise God that the news we have received is not at all what we initially were looking at!

Lots of sleeping at the Crews house!

Well- I guess the rule that moms don’t get sick is broken in this home. Monday night, I started feeling really terrible. Achy joints etc. I figured that it was just your typical third trimester pregnancy aches & pains. But by late Monday night, I was sure I was getting a cold. I laid around all day Tuesday, trying to find ways to entertain a three year old boy that didn’t involve moving. This was very difficult, since most of Sam’s favorite games involve running around “shooting” things or running around the house pretending to be the superhero of the day! After lots of coloring, stickers and cartoons, it was almost time for Daddy to be home. I started to feel a fever like none before coming over me- chills, shakes- all came on so suddenly and severely that I knew I had to get to the Dr. immediately. As soon as David got home, I went to Grace clinic- and I am so glad that I did! Turns out I have some weird version of the flu that the flu shot didn’t “catch” this year. My pulse was racing, I had a fever, my blood pressure was high, and I was very dehydrated. Next thing I knew, they were sending me to the HOSPITAL. WHAT?!? I could not believe it, I didn’t feel THAT sick. Anyway, my OBGYN’s on-call partner wanted me to go to labor & delivery at Covenant so they could monitor the baby, and to get me hooked up to an IV for fluids. Long story short, after a few hours in the hospital, my blood pressure was back to a healthy 120/66 and I thanks to two bags of IV fluids, I was no longer dehydrated. Pulse rate has still been high, but the nurses were convinced that is just because my body is fighting the flu. They monitored baby Max the entire time, and his heartrate was completely normal, and I didn’t have any contractions, which I am so thankful to God for. All I could think about was that 29 wks is way too early to deliver a baby! So, pray for a speedy and uncomplicated recovery for me and Max. The flu is never any fun (I remember the last and only other flu I have ever had about 10 years ago), but it is really no fun when you are pregnant. Also, please pray that my mom, Sam & David do not get sick.

 My mom came up Tuesday night (thanks, mom) while I was in the hospital to take care of Sam, and David came to the hospital to keep me company while I got my IV fluids and watched Dancing with the Stars and the news. The nurses at Covenant were all really nice, and I am glad that I listened to my intuition and went to the Dr! So, now I am just at home taking it very easy. I’m about to get back in bed, but just wanted to post to let everyone know that I am taking it easy and hopefully will be back up & around in a few days. My mom has been here taking care of Sam, and I imagine she’ll probably stay until Friday afternoon. Sam is having fun with Grandma. It is so nice to know that he is being taken care of. I hear him playing and laughing in between my naps Every time I emerge from my room after sleeping he looks at me and says, “Now are you feeling better mommy?” Then, of course he want to go play guns or hammers or superheros. So, here is to hoping that after a few more days, I’ll be feeling better so that I can join him!

Family

This past weekend, Sam and I spent time in Plains, TX with my family while David went and had some ”man” time at the ranch. Weekends like this remind me why we moved back to Lubbock (it certainly wasn’t the lovely weather or beautiful scenery). Sam was able to play with his cousins and ride scooters and bikes (with training wheels). He was even able to drive Grandad’s John Deere Gator around Plains for a bit. It was also a nice break for me. Grandma pretty much plays with Sam from sun up to sun down, which leaves the day open for me to read magazines, sleep, eat and just generally act like I am a teenager again. Grandad also spent lots of time at the house, and even helped with Sam’s bath one night- which is the ultimate act of service to a pregnant woman entering her last trimester! Sam gets spoiled rotten, and so do I! It is so wonderful to be so near my family, and David and I appreciate them so much.

Back on the home front, the weather has been super weird. Yesterday, it was 78 degrees, today, there was snow on the ground. However, it was a great day for staying in and snuggling on the couch with Sam- I am proud to say we were both in our PJs until noon!

Batman and Baby On Board

OK. I admit that I am the worst blogger ever. I mean, seriously, it has been three months since my last update. Why? No excuses- OK wait- here’s my excuse…I get so engrossed in reading all of my friends blogs that I run out of computer time! My friends have the most interesting, wonderful, funny, insightful blogs..and they update them several times a week…so I stare at my computer screen laughing at their cute stories and antics until I realize that I have been on the computer for an hour and I better make the bed or do something domestic. OK. That’s my story and I am sticking to it. My friend, Stephanie told me to update my blog first, then check everyone else’s…so that is my new plan. We’ll see how I stick to it. Today, when I went to her blog- there was actually a note typed into her most recent update telling me to go update my blog haha! I laughed out loud…and here I am actually updating (worked like a charm, Stephanie).

Well, Sam just turned three- and I can not believe it. It seems like just yesterday he was turning one. He had a great party at the Science Spectrum and got lots of fun toys, including the Batman costume you see above. Most of his waking hours are spent as Batman now…and I get the privilege of being “Batman II”. The funniest thing happened yesterday. We were running around the house playing Batman, when Sam stopped dead in his tracks. Then he said, “Hey mommy, Max is playing Batman too”- for those of you who know (or don’t know-which means you obviously haven’t seen me in a while hee hee), we are pregnant with boy #2 and we are naming him Max. I thought it was so funny that Sam really realizes that there is a ‘Baby On Board’- and that he is in essence doing whatever mommy is doing at the time. So, after Sam’s big realization, the three of us continued to run around the house playing Batman. I never realized that being a superhero could be so much fun!

The Student and the Teacher

Barry wrote this and I could not resist sharing.  Barry’s son Thomas battles a neurological disorder.  

The Student and the Teacher

by: Barry Lynch

I couldn’t wait for him to come into this world,

But he refused to be of this world.

I hoped he would be healthy and strong,

But God’s grace was sufficient for him.

I hoped he would cry,

But I was the one who experienced the gift of mercy.

I hoped he would drink of his mother’s milk,

But it was I who had to learn to live on God’s Holy Provision.

I hoped he would grow,

But I was the one that needed to grow in my faith.

I hoped he would sleep through the night,

But it was my doubt which kept me up nights.

I hoped he would hold up his head

Only it was I who had to learn to keep my head high as the world pitied.

I wanted him to learn to focus his eyes,

But now I see

I hoped he would roll over,

But it was I who had to turn to the Holy Spirit

I hoped he would crawl

But I was the one who learned to move by faith

I hoped he would stand

But Christ was the one who rose and overcame

I hoped he would walk,

But it was I who needed to be carried

I hoped he would speak my name

But now I listen to the still soft voice of the Lord

I wanted him to be brave and unafraid of the dark,

I was the one trembling in fear as he shone for the world

I hoped he would learn from my example

It was I that had to become the student

I hoped I would leave a legacy,

But his impact on this world far surpasses anything I will every achieve

I just wanted him to live,

But I was the one who had to die to this world in order to gain.