Update and Housework

I'm so sorry for the long posts lately! There's just so much to say! Take breaks or snack if you need to! Or just skip down to the pics if your eyes start to glaze over! :0)

Much has happened over the past week. We had our first visit with the Craniofacial Center here at Shands UF and we did some significant work on the house. One of my goals is to have everything organized and finished by the time the baby comes. And we're actually off to a pretty good start thanks to family. But, before I get to that, I want to mention a couple of things about our visit to the clinic:

~ Our appointment was at 2 this past Thursday afternoon and I'll admit I was a bit nervous. I wasn't really sure what to expect and to be truthful, it was both scary and comforting. When we arrived, we were greeted by the team leader, an absolutely adorable woman by the name of Jenni who was all smiles and reminded me of a young and vibrant grandma, totally ready to love any kid she came in contact with. She made us feel really welcome. She brought us into a room at the clinic, spoke to us for a bit and then said that we would be meeting with every member of the team who would be working on or with our little guy and we were free to ask any questions. Then, the relay of team members came in one right after the other. I guess this was why it was so scary... there were so many of them! We met with a psychologist, a geneticist, a social worker, a pediatrician, a speech therapist, an audiologist, a dentist, an orthodontist, a nursing specialist, a few more that I can't remember and of course one of the doctors I really wanted to talk to was the plastic surgeon, but he was called out on a surgery and couldn't meet with us. That's a team of over 10! It's just crazy scary to think that there are that many specialists that need to care for our little guy. Needless to say, my head was spinning by the end. I really only remember words and phrases like: No breastfeeding. We want to see him as soon as you feel well enough after delivery. He'll need lots of dedication from parents. Weekly and bi-weekly appointments for at least 4 - 6 months. Possible hearing loss. Surgery. Bloody. After surgery he'll have to wear tubes in his ears and tube-like braces on his arms for 3 weeks. Etc,. etc,.etc. How sad does that last line sound? A little 8 month old with a bloody bandage on his face, tubes in his ears and braces that make his arms stick straight out. Such a sad little picture in my mind...

~ On the other hand, the appointment was comforting. Every singe member of the team was young, vibrant and filled with compassion. You could just sense it. They were excited to meet us, wanted to know as much as they could about us and the baby and even though they were straight with their information, they offered hope and a sense of direction. We learned more about the NAM device, his surgeries, and sat with the social worker looking at their past clients' before and after shots. Again, scary and comforting. Scary because there was so many different versions of the deformity. I've had moments where I try to picture what our lil' guy will look like and after seeing all the pictures, I just can't even get a grip on it. The comforting part was the after. They do some amazing work! All in all, the team was super positive and really offered guidance and let us feel like we weren't alone. The nursing specialist and social worker want to be called the moment I give birth so they can come to the hospital and help me figure feeding out. I have to use special bottles that are flexible so that I can apply steady pressure to help the milk come out and it's likely that feedings in the beginning will take about an hour... and (*sigh*), there's just so much more...

~ But, I will say this: We are excited and feel so much better about what to expect. I feel like Wally and I can do this. It will be a really rough first year, but we can do this. My greatest goal for our little guy is this: Whenever I see pictures of babies with the NAM device on or see them with the braces on their arms, they always look so miserable. Our goal as parents, besides giving him all the love and support he needs, will be to make sure he laughs and smiles and loves live from the very beginning regardless of the pain and the awkwardness. With prayer and support, we will make sure our baby is happy. And that's that.

OK, so Wally's parents were here this whole week and my mom came up on Thursday and we worked non-stop on the house. While we were at work, Wally's parents painted all the doors, the base boards and the crown molding, which we never got around to and the house just looks sooooo much better! Cleaner and more finished. They also primed the baby room and replaced two fans. Both Wally and I took Friday off and my mom came to reupholster a chair Lacy had given me. So here are some pics of what we've done so far:

Ok, so I know what you're thinking. Why would I be posting a picture of my laundry area. Well, you don't understand how much I hated the laundry area. It was in our office and we just never got around to finishing it and it drove me nuts. It just looked old, messy and there was no way to hide it because there were no doors! I'm really mad that I didn't take a "before" picture, but with everyone working and painting and everything, I just didn't even think about it. Wally and his dad took out the machines, tiled the area, painted it, finished the wood stair and put up doors. Then we organized everything so it looked neat. We also finished the floor in the office and finished painting the chair rail. I was so excited when it was finished, I can't even tell you! Our office is done, it looks clean and a huge weight is off of our shoulders. And didn't they do a great job? The tiling and that wood stair took a lot of work! It looks professional!

The most exciting part was getting the baby room ready. After the room was primed and the ugly fan was replaced with a pretty light and after we put in crown molding and the chair rail, it was ready to be painted. Now, choosing the color was easier said than done. For the first time ever and much to my annoyance :0), Wally decided he was going to adamantly have an opinion on the paint color. I always knew I was going to do blue and green and Wally actually liked that. What we couldn't agree on was the shade. I wanted it bolder and Wally wanted it lighter. So, after three tries, this is the compromise. I do love the green, even though I would have gone bolder and I think the blue is just too light. In all honesty, I might still change it! :0) The other picture is of the chair my mom reupholstered. Isn't it awesome? Again, I wish I had taken a before picture. But just think of your grandmother's ugliest curtain chair in a very dark navy blue and you'll have a pretty good idea of what it looked like before. But it is beautiful now and soooooo comfortable!

~ I have to say a million thank yous to my amazing in-laws, Walmir and Regina, and my oh-so-wonderful mom. We could not have done any of this without you guys! We love you so much! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!