My 32nd Birthday

Yes, I am now 32 years old. I remember being in college and having sisters who were 31 and 32 and my friends thought that was "so old." At the time, I didn't view my sisters as old, so now that I'm the one in her "early thirties," I guess that gets me off the hook of being "so old." Okay, okay, I know I'm old, but I really didn't see my sisters as old back then. I still don't see them as old, in case you're wondering, (Dorothy and Cindy), you're just my sisters. :)

I also remember watching the show "thirtysomething" when I was younger. It's hard for me to wrap my head around the notion that I am thirty-something now. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I do have two children with two more on the way. I've been married for nine years. And I hold two and 3/4 degrees. Can I say I have 3/4 of a degree? I think it's probably safe to say, sorry Mom, Dad, and everyone else who really wants me to finish, but the likelihood that I write a dissertation with four children is pretty slim. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. This post is supposed to be about my birthday.

This year I spent my birthday with my husband and girls at the Indianapolis Children's Museum. We purchased a membership (a true sign of being thirty-something) because it would pay for itself in three visits and with the membership the girls can ride the merry-go-round as many times as Mama and Daddy can stand it. We had a great time and have already been back once more since then. After the museum, we met up with Julie, Todd, and Jamie at Buca di Beppo and had a fabulous Italian family-style meal. I had a coupon for a free dessert (I chose the chocolate cake), and then they gave me another complimentary birthday cake that was red velvet. Our server and others sang to me, which Emma loved. It was lots of fun! The best part of the day was dropping into bed knowing that I have a wonderful family and great friends to share my day with, hopefully for many years to come.

The girls sliding at the preschool Jolly Days ice castle

Riding in a real Indy car

Charlotte playing in Babyscape

Riding the Merry-Go-Round (Charlotte was on the inside horse, so you can't see her. Sad.)

Another Baby Noah Update

Wonderful news regarding Baby Noah--he's been taken off the ventilator and is doing well breathing on his own. He's being weaned off the morphine he's been given and is beginning to learn how to drink by mouth. Once he's able to eat full meals from a bottle or even better from his mama, he'll be able to go home. His doctor predicted that could happen within a week. Thank you for all of your prayers--they are certainly being heard.

Here is the latest update from Noah's mama: "Noah continues to thrive on prayer. Today his cannula came out (hopefully) for good. He also graduated to a "big boy" bed. Yes, they found him a crib that he actually fits in. He looks a lot more comfortable now. Even more exciting is that the nurses started teaching Noah how to use a bottle. He is still getting his food through a tube down his nose, but they are starting to practice with small amounts in a bottle so he can learn how to do things like swallow without choking, etc.

The first attempt was quite hilarious as Noah was quite confused as to what he was supposed to do with this new object in his mouth. However, by 6pm this evening Grandma Greer was able to feed him a small bottle without a problem. Momma was a bit jealous that she wasn't the first one to feed Noah in the family, but very happy that her boy is progressing so quickly this week.

Noah is still pretty dependent on morphine, but the doctor started to give him doses orally instead of an IV. This is supposed to make it easier to ween him off of the drug. When he first gets his dose now, you can literally see his reaction. We admit it is very strange to see your 19 day old son "high" on morphine.

Prayer requests for the night:

1. Thank the Lord for His continued answer to our prayers

2. Pray that Noah would be able to come off morphine soon

3. Pray that Noah would continue to excel at eating (like his Mom and Dad excel!!!)

4. Pray that Noah could come home soon5. Pray that Noah's lungs would continue to heal"

Update on Baby Noah

Here is Baby Noah's first family photo being held by his mama, Lauren, for the first time at 11 days old. Since I last wrote, Noah has made good progress with a couple of bumps in the road. He began showing good signs by tolerating the lowering of his oxygen levels, so on Day 10, he was transitioned to a regular ventilator. He had been on a special oscillator ventilator. He had to move to the regular one before his parents could hold him. Unfortunately, his blood gas levels plummeted and his lungs collapsed with the change so they had to increase him back to 100% oxygen. Throughout the course of the day, they were able to slowly decrease his oxygen levels and his lungs began to reinflate. Yesterday he ended the day at 56% oxygen and for the first time he got to feel the warmth of his mama and daddy's arms. I can't imagine how hard it has been for his parents to not be able to hold their baby. A nurse also told Lauren and Brandon for the first time that he is getting better. They were very encouraged. Today, he's made slow but steady progress. His lungs have both inflated and he's being given his mama's milk intravenously. It could take a long time before he is completely off the ventilator, so please continue to pray for little Noah and his parents. Lauren specifically asked for the following:

1. We would not be discouraged during this process, but only be thankful for every day that God gives Noah- good days and bad days

2. We would be patient and wait on the Lord

3. Pray for progress in Noah's condition

4. Pray that Noah's lungs would continue to heal and start working on their own

Prayer for Baby Noah Michael Pickett

This dear baby is the firstborn of a young couple, Brandon and Lauren Pickett, who recently left Bloomington and our church and moved to Pennsylvania. Brandon and Lauren were members of our home fellowship group and hold a special place in our hearts. Their wedding was Emma's first at the ripe age of three-weeks old, and Lauren watched Emma for me the summer I was working tons before Charlotte was born.

Little Noah was born the day after Christmas, twelve days past his due date, by emergency c-section, weighing a whopping 9 lbs 6 oz and measuring 22 1/8 inches long. By many standards he is a strong, healthy little boy. Unfortunately, he aspirated meconium upon delivery and is very, very sick. He's been in the NICU at the children's hospital in Pittsburgh since his birth a week ago, fighting for his life on a ventilator. Lauren wrote this note yesterday, Day 6 in the NICU:

"Thank you all for your continued prayers. I cannot even begin to express how much they mean to us. Please keep the prayers coming. Specifically, please pray that Noah would have a good night. Pray that Noah would only stay stable or make progress. Pray that Noah would not regress. Pray that Noah would not need the ECMO treatment and that God would direct the doctors and nurses in their decisions. Pray that Psalm 91 would be a promise for Noah.

Today was a good day for little Noah. The ECMO treatment has been, for now, taken off the table. Of course, as we have found out, anything can change within a matter of hours. We are constantly being challenged to put our faith in God and not our faith in Noah's vital statistics. However, we are grateful for today's stats. All of Noah's numbers were much better today and the doctor's have once again started the process of weening him off the ventilator. They are taking the weening process very, very slowly now because Noah has been very sensitive to any changes made to his support levels.

I have been taking everyone's suggestion and singing hymns, kid songs, and silly songs I made up about how much I love Noah to him. I love him more deeply than I knew I could love another human being and it opens my eyes to the true sacrifice God made when He sent His Son to die for our sins.Please keep praying. Please send out our information to anyone and everyone- we gladly accept prayer from anyone who is willing."

A friend of mine shed light on the seriousness of Noah's condition when she explained that most babies that aspirate meconium are often better by day 2 and hardly ever remain on a ventilator for a full week. The ECMO treatment mentioned in Lauren's note is something that is only used as a last resort for babies who would die otherwise because it carries the risk of death itself.

Please add little Noah and his parents to your prayer list. Pray that he will tolerate the doctors weaning him off the ventilator and that he will not require the ECMO treatment. Pray for Lauren as she is recovering from a c-section and unable to hold her precious new baby. Pray for Brandon as he tries to provide strength and support to his wife while grieving so for his son. Pray that both would have faith during this time as they entrust their son to God and the medical staff. Please pass on this request to other believers who can add their prayers to ours. We know that God knew little Noah before his parents first laid eyes on him, and He has a perfect plan for Noah's life. God is good all of the time!

Christmas 2008

Our family Christmas traditions begin the Friday after Thanksgiving every year as we attend the city of Bloomington's Canopy of Lights Ceremony. This year we began the evening dining, according to tradition, at Cafe Pizzeria. Uncle Nick and our friends, Julie and the Chasteen family, joined us, and we made quite a crowd. Elissa and Emma serenaded the table with their rendition of "Jingle Bells," and Charlotte and Eliot fought over fruit puffs (just kidding).

After dinner we made our way to the square in the bitter cold to wait for the lights. The Bloomington City Band plays Christmas carols, Polka Dot the clown leads us in singing, and Santa rides into town. Santa counts down the crowd: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...swoosh...the entire downtown area is lit up with thousands of lights. A canopy of lights is created by stringing lights from the courthouse to the buildings that create the town square. It truly is a sight!

After the square was lit, we made our way into Fountain Square Mall to see Santa. Julie went ahead of us to save us a good spot in line because the girls were already pretty tired. Charlotte was not immediately taken with Santa but did stop crying long enough for a picture. The entire mall is decorated with different winter scenes, so we spent a few minutes getting some pics with the woodland creatures and snow.

The next day is the Holiday Farmer's Market, which has also become a part of our family tradition. The girls can see and pet real reindeer, decorate Christmas cookies, and enjoy the world famous Harvey Phillips Tuba Santas. Emma had to take her coat off to dance to the Tuba Santas' music because it was obvious that she couldn't dance properly with her coat on. Charlotte slept through much of the singing but woke to catch a few carols.

Another family tradition is buying and decorating the Christmas tree. This year we have a beautiful scotch pine that we decorated together with ornaments from past and present: some Chris and I collected before the girls joined our family and now a few that Emma has made at school. We put the tree upstairs in our sitting area this year, so the girls enjoyed reading Christmas stories, singing carols, and hearing advent devotionals sitting beneath the tree each night before bed.

This year we attended Candles and Carols at Anderson University. The girls had a great time listening to the beautiful music and dancing in the lobby. I'm sure if Chris gets the job at Anderson, this will become a family tradition to cherish.

On Christmas Eve we each opened one present before attending the Christmas Eve service at our church. It was a lesson in patience for Emma who, of course, did not want to stop with just one present. We almost didn't make it to the service because the Volvo was dead in the driveway when we got ready to leave. Chris was able to push it out into the street so he could get the Honda out of the garage. I steered as he pushed it as far as he could back up the drive. We managed to arrive at church only about 20 minutes late, but I'm so glad we decided to go despite the car fiasco. It is important to remember why we're celebrating Christmas at all--to remind us of our Savior coming to Earth as a little tiny baby. After the service, our friend, David, came over to help Chris push the car the rest of the way into the garage. I guess we'll be battery shopping on the 26th. I wonder if they'll be on sale!

We completed our Christmas Eve traditions with hot cocoa, Twas the Night Before Christmas, and mama and daddy staying up till the wee hours wrapping gifts. Chris put Emma's new princess bike together and completed the arduous task of removing the girls' babies from their packaging so we could place them in strollers. I wrapped most of the gifts until I was worn out and Chris took over. Here's how I wrap: carefully measure how much the package will need, cut it just so, and meticulously tape it closed. Here's how Chris wraps: cut the paper hoping it will be enough for the package, when it appears there is too much paper, fold it up rather than cut it away and tape it down with more tape than would ever be necessary. Okay. So, I'm exaggerating a tad, but it was pretty funny to see him wrestling with paper, tape, and bows. It was also so nice to know that he loves me enough to try and the girls enough to care. After the wrapping was complete, we needed a little Santa magic to get the presents under the tree without waking Emma and spoiling the surprise. Wonder of wonders, the child who has not stayed in her own bed through the entire night in weeks slept through the noise of our setting out the gjfts. She even slept through Charlotte waking up at 7am. She finally scampered to our bed around 7:30am but wasn't interested in checking out the tree even after I assured her it was morning and it was Christmas. She finally decided to get up around 8:30am.

Both girls were excited to see the spread of gifts beneath the tree. Emma got a bike and helmet, a camera, and play food. Charlotte got a shopping basket with food, a laptop, and a phone. Both girls got babies, strollers, tiaras, and tutus. Chris got sweaters, Scene It Seinfeld edition, and a dresser valet. I got a locket, books, sweaters, and a coat. Oh, for my Facebook status I mentioned that all I wanted for Christmas was for Emma to be healthy. Well, after being diagnosed with a double ear infection and getting a shot, our five days of high fevers finally ended, and Emma is feeling healthy again.

So far, it's been a wonderful day. Chris made a delicious lunch of pork tenderloin and roasted vegetables, balsamic asparagus, and salad with chocolate pie for dessert. Yumm!! He cooked AND cleaned the kitchen so I can rest. He's the best husband! Charlotte fell asleep in her high chair, so we're off to nap now and then later we're going to the Lehrs to celebrate with them.

Merry Christmas!

First ultrasound

Around 6 weeks, I called my midwife's office to cancel my annual exam and to schedule my first prenatal appointment. I was planning on waiting until after January 1 for the appointment, so I wouldn't have to pay towards my deductible in 2008 and then have to start over in 2009. Liz likes to wait until 10-12 weeks gestation anyway because the odds of hearing the heartbeat are better that way. I was surprised, then, when Kim, the scheduler, said, "We like to schedule an early ultrasound around 8 weeks." I'd had both girls with this practice and they'd never offered an early U/S before, but, hey, I'd love to see my baby. Let's do it. I decided I better make the appointment when Chris could go because, God forbid, I would be devastated to get bad news and be alone. We were set for December 11, one month past the day I discovered I was expecting.

During the next few weeks, I began feeling more and more nauseous. My belly seemed to pop out overnight. I even had to start wearing maternity pants because my regular ones were too uncomfortable. I also started feeling ligament pain, which usually occurs late in pregnancy as the uterus is really stretched to its limits. When I mentioned the ligament pain to a friend, she joked, "Maybe it's twins." Oh, sure. Twins. Ha Ha! But the idea slowly began to grow on me. If I have twins I won't have to worry about deciding VBAC or another c-section. It'll be a no-brainer to have another c-section with no guilt or grief. And, I'll get two babies for one surgery. I've been worrying how I would ever get to four or five children having surgeries each time. Twins? It'll never happen. No way. No how.

A few nights before my appointment, Chris, the girls and I were laying in bed discussing baby names. Emma contributed Lion King and Emma as options. We asked her whether she wanted a girl or a boy to which she replied we were getting a girl and a boy. "Nooo," Chris laughed, "there better not be."

We arrived at the appointment on time with both girls in tow. We were going to get to see our baby. The tech reminded me this would be a vaginal scan--yuck--but yes, I knew what to expect. I got undressed and she returned. The first words out of her mouth when she began the exam were, "Oh, my." Chris: "Is that what I think it is?" Tech: "Two babies." Me: "No way. It can't be. Are you serious? Two babies. There are two babies! Praise God! Two babies. Are they okay?" Chris: silence. Emma: silence. Me: disbelief and giddiness. Two babies. Two heartbeats. Two sacs. Wow!




The tech printed some pictures for us and left to tell Liz. I had to call Mom. She was stunned to say the least. Chris left with the girls so they wouldn't have to sit through the rest of my appointment. I called Anna Chasteen while waiting. She was the first one to jokingly suggest the possibility. She couldn't believe it.

Liz came in and was pretty sober, warning me of all the dangers of a multiple pregnancy: steroid injection at 28 weeks to ensure mature lungs, bed rest likely by the end of April, and no chance of traveling to Derek and Mariel's wedding or Justin and Jordan's graduation in May. I left feeling deflated and anxious. I called Barbara next who joined in my giddiness. She was very encouraging and made me feel tons better. Chris called his dad at work and got, "You're kidding." "No," Chris said, "that's not something I'd joke about." His mom was subbing that day, but he called her cell anyway and got the exact same response that his dad had given. Later in the day I called Anna Talcott who is due the day before me and has with every pregnancy thought two babies for one pregnancy would be great. She couldn't believe it had actually happened to us. I then updated my Facebook status to "Michelle is overjoyed to be expecting Baby #3...and Baby #4!" and the word was out. We're having twins!

Many have asked if twins run in my family, and the answer is yes. My maternal grandma was a twin, though her brother didn't make it. She also delivered twins, a boy and girl, who both died at birth or soon after. My mom's oldest sister has twins, a cousin has twin girls, and my sister has twin boys. I wonder if Emma's prediction of a girl and a boy is true. As she aptly told someone the other day, "We'll take whatever God gives us!"

Yes, we feel very overwhelmed but are so excited by God's providence. I really do get two babies for the price of one surgery. These babies are such a blessing. We can't wait to meet them and discover what joys they will bring to our family.

Seven tests...

Monday, November 10: Mom had just left the day before after being here for a week to help us through Emma's surgery. Julie came by around 8:45am to pick up Charlotte and take her to school for me because I didn't think Emma could handle taking Charlotte and not being able to stay herself. Test #1: Sometime around 9:30am, I decide to go ahead and take a pregnancy test because I'm a little late and when it's negative I'll know that I can expect my dear friend to arrive any day. Months ago Barbara had given me a gag gift that consisted of several Dollar Store pregnancy tests, which only cost, you guessed it, $1. The reason they're $1 is because you have to pee in a cup and then use a dropper (provided of course) to carefully place four drops of urine on the test. I'd used them to discover Charlotte was on the way, so I was confident (or so I thought) in their reliability. I couldn't believe my eyes--one dark line (that means the test is working) and one really faint line (that means I need to take another test).

Test #2: another really, really faint 2nd line. No way! Ok, be calm, they're Dollar Store tests. How reliable can they be? Oh, here's a Clear Blue Easy digital test deep under the sink left over from when Charlotte was discovered and we didn't really quite trust the tests that only cost $1.

Test #3: Pregnant. In clear English. Pregnant. How am I going to tell Chris? We were supposed to wait until he had a full-time, real income job. I'm excited but also really nervous about telling Chris. Not because he's going to be mad or unhappy but because I know the burden another child will be on him. He's trying desperately to finish his PhD and looking for work and providing for his family with one or sometimes two part-time jobs. He's driving 2 hours, one-way, three days a week. How am I going to tell him?

Julie brings lunch and Charlotte home. I want to tell somebody but don't dare tell her before telling my husband. Emma's feeling pretty good so we make a Target run. I need to buy another test. The Clear Blue Easy test had expired in October so maybe it's not as reliable as it was a month ago. Charlotte chews on the box in the basket. Nice. Later that evening, Chris comes home and I realize the test is not in the Target bag. He sees me rummaging for something in the bag. "What are you looking for?" "Oh, nothing. Just something didn't make it into my bag." "What?" "Just something." "What?" "A pregnancy test." "A what?" I quickly explain the events of the morning. Chris clings to my theory that two of the tests only cost $1 and one of them was expired. We have to get another test. Wait--I think I have a couple more Dollar Store tests. Let me try those. Tests #4 and #5: only 1 line = negative. Disappointment. I do really want this baby. I can't not be pregnant. Load up the girls, drive to Target, buy a box with 2 tests.

Test #6: No. Now I'm really disappointed. And Chris is too. What does this mean? Am I or am I not? I decide to wait until morning to take the final test. The instructions say the best time to take them is first thing in the morning when HCG levels are the highest. I hardly sleep a wink. I really want this baby that I've only known about a few hours.

Test #7: 6:30am: Yes! Yay!! Surely, this means that I am really pregnant with baby #3. It took 7 tests but a majority of them were positive. My sweet husband sees the positive test on the counter and joins me with the girls in bed. "I love you, new mama." Everything is going to be okay. We've always been taken care of. We're having another baby!